Around the same time after the unscheduled duel between Mira and Yuri ended, one of the interns working for Giichi was lurking near some trees, a safe distance from where someone would notice him. This happened to be the same intern who lent Yuri the deck that was infected with the dreaded Itzam Incarnate. However, he wasn't really one of Giichi's interns, for after being briefly surrounded by flowing dark yellow pixels, it was revealed to be the guise of Ganymede, who previously infected Reggie's deck with the same 'Itzam Incarnate' card.
After closely observing the duel from earlier, he rose the topaz crystal up to his face. "Mistress Jupiter!" he spoke into the crystal. "Come in, Mistress Jupiter!"
"This is Jupiter!" the annoyed Jupiter spoke through the crystal, as if she knew he was calling. "What is it now, Ganymede?"
"I used the 'Itzam Incarnate' card to infect another duelist's deck," he reported, "and he had a duel against the same girl who was up against our previous protegee. But Mistress Jupiter, I still insist that the girl is one of the duelists we're looking for! I saw a faint trace of one of the Iroa Spirits coming from her!"
"And I still order you to not dispose of her until we know for certain that she's one of the duelists we're looking for!" Jupiter angrily ordered.
"But Mistress Jupiter-"
"No excuses, Ganymede! You'll do as you're ordered until we know for certain that this girl you speak of is one of our targets, and that's final!"
"Yes, Mistress Jupiter…" Ganymede grumbled reluctantly, dropping his arm that held the crystal. After a few seconds, he clenched his fist. "Patience be damned!" he said with a gruff. "I know she's one of the duelists we're supposed to destroy! The aura of the Iroa Spirit coming from her is unmistakable! …That settles it – I'll lure that foolish girl into a trap, and dispose of her myself!" He was engulfed in the same yellow pixels as he vanished.
YU-GI-OH! CHRONIXII
LEVEL 1-8
THE PAWN OF ITZAMNA, GANYMEDE
True to his word, Homanu brought Mira over to Sister Golas's office as soon as they got home from the event held at Alba Circuit. And at this moment, Homanu was just about finished with telling the headmistress about Mira's supposedly unusual behavior, both in her duels and in real life. Kero happened to be there as well, making sure nothing happened to Mira.
"And that's what's been happening these past few days!" the concerned Homanu spoke. "Frankly, I don't know what could be wrong with her, if anything!"
"Homanu, I keep telling you, there's nothing wrong with me!" Mira argued, frustrated with her friend.
"Oh, really?! Then how do you explain this 'pink thing' you keep saying that you can see, and the way you've been acting just as weird in your duels?! Seriously, Mira, this isn't like you!"
"Homanu, you don't have to be so overprotective! I'm fine!"
"No, you're not!"
"That's enough, you two!" Sister Golas shouted, ceasing the quarreling. She became silent as she sighed through her nostrils and placed her clasped hands on her desk. After about five seconds, she released her hands and spoke gently but sternly to Homanu. "Homanu, my child, I know that you're one to deeply care for your friends and acquaintances, and Mira is certainly no exception. But as with all of the other orphans under my care, I have been keeping a close eye on Mira's behavior ever since she first came here seven years ago. And even if I did have my troubles with her every now and then, I know for certain that if there was something truly wrong with her, I would be the first person she'd come to. And I'm sure she'd consider you and Kero to be the first people she'd come to for any trouble she would have. Don't you understand?"
"…Yes, Sister Golas," Homanu said, sighing upon being unaware of this realization. "But I'm still worried about the way she's been acting. Isn't there something you can do about all this?"
"Well, if you're that insistent about it…" Sister Golas said, albeit hesitantly. "As a matter of fact, Mira has been participating in these so-called 'Game Duels' a little too frequently. Provided, it doesn't exactly bother me to a degree, for it's become quite the fad for pretty much everyone else under my care. But if it'll help her change her 'unusual behavior,' then I hereby forbid Mira from participating in these duels, under any circumstances."
"What?!" Mira cried in disbelief. "Sister Golas, you can't be serious!"
"Relax, it's only temporary," Sister Golas said reassuringly. "But just for precaution, I will have to confiscate your Disk for the duration."
Mira was still shocked that she was receiving this kind of unjust punishment, but she obeyed as she sadly slid the D-Gear off her wrist. She was about to hand it to Sister Golas when Homanu interrupted. "Actually, I'll hold onto her Disk for the time being."
"You will?" the astonished Sister Golas said. "Homanu Ishako, you should know that anything that's to be confiscated must be placed under my care!"
"I know, Sister Golas. But maybe Mira's right – maybe I have been a little too overprotective about her, so I can't help but feel that it's my fault she's getting this kind of punishment."
"Yeah, and besides," added Kero, "when you do confiscate other people's stuff, you sometimes forget that you even have them, and you hold onto them longer than you'd think you would!" He suddenly burst into laughter at his own claim.
"Kero, that's not funny!" Mira scolded.
"I'm just saying, is all!" the chuckling Kero said defensively.
"No, no, the lad does have a valid point," said Sister Golas. To Homanu, she resumed, "If it'll make you more comfortable, I'll let you hold onto Mira's Disk for the time being, instead. But you can only give it to her when she feels like she's well enough to have it back, and not a moment sooner. Understand?"
"Yes, Sister Golas," Homanu said, grabbing hold of Mira's Disk.
"Good. You're all free to leave," said Sister Golas.
The three friends exited the headmistress's office. But as they headed to the stairway that would lead them to their respective bedrooms, Homanu couldn't help but feel guilty about his overprotectiveness that led to Mira's punishment, but tried to hide it because he was still certain it was all for her own good. However, as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Homanu gently said, "Mira… I'm sorry your Disk was taken away."
"I know…" Mira sighed, walking up the steps.
Upon suspecting that Mira was now resentful towards him, Homanu cried, "Look, Mira, I know you're mad at me for losing your Disk, but I'm sure it's for your own good! Besides, it's not like I expected something like this to happen!"
Mira paused halfway on the steps. "I'm not mad," she murmured. "I just need to be alone for a while." She continued up the rest of the steps and glumly headed to her bedroom.
After a brief moment of silence, Kero innocently said, "Oh yeah, she's mad."
"Mad or not, it's for her own good!" Homanu argued.
"But it's not like Mira's hurting herself – or anyone else, for that matter! Maybe this pink thingamajig is some kind of glitch in her Disk's holosystem. Besides, didn't you yourself admit that you might've been too overprotective about her? Ya gotta give her the benefit of the doubt and all that, y'know?"
"…You're probably right," Homanu said with a sigh. "But I'm still gonna hold on to the Disk for the time being. If the way she's been acting really is related to Game Duels, hopefully a break from them should bring her back to her senses."
The truth was that Mira was upset, but not necessarily at Homanu. Rather, she was mad at herself as she entered her bedroom, locked the door, and threw herself on the bed, staring at the ceiling. A few seconds later, she pulled out her tag underneath her shirt and stared at it, completely troubled by all of the events that led up to her punishment.
She knew she was seeing, hearing, and communicating with Pinkie, otherwise known as that 'pink thing.' She knew why she often acted strangely in her recent duels: she kept drawing that one card, which she had no idea what it did. But the worst part was that she made a vow to not tell anyone about this. All of this led up to Homanu worrying about her wellbeing, which in turn led to Sister Golas forbidding Mira from participating in Game Duels for God knows how long.
But would a break from Game Duels truly change Mira's supposedly unusual behavior? Mira, herself, wasn't so sure.
The next morning came, and Mira hadn't felt much better since last night. She had just finished breakfast and was in her everyday wear, save for her shoes, crouching beside the windowsill and sadly glancing at the orphans outside participating in Game Duels. She wasn't sad because she wasn't able to participate, but rather because she was overwhelmed by what's been happening to her the past couple of days.
"Mira?" a voice spoke, snapping Mira out of her train of thought. It belonged to Reggie, who smiled and gave Mira a friendly wave.
"Oh, hey, Reggie," Mira glumly greeted her.
"You okay, Mira?" Reggie asked, before noticing that Mira's Disk wasn't on her arm. "Hey, where's your D-Gear?"
"Homanu has it," Mira explained. "He got 'worried' about me again, and so he brought me over to have a talk with Sister Golas. And now I'm not allowed to play any Game Duels for I don't know how long."
"Oh, that Homanu!" Reggie playfully teased with a scoff. "Is he ever gonna learn to take a chill pill?!"
"I dunno," Mira replied.
"Hey, would it be alright if you move?" asked Yusaku, who was approaching the windowsill with a washcloth and a bottle of spray cleaner in his rubber gloved hands. "Sister Golas wants me to clean the windows and windowsills right now."
"Oh, sorry," Mira said, pushing herself off the windowsill.
"Aw, Sister Golas is still having you do chores, when you could be out there having fun?!" Reggie whiningly complained.
"We all have to do our part to keep this orphanage intact, sooner or later," Yusaku calmly explained as he cleaned. "I mean, life isn't all fun and games, y'know."
"Besides," Mira added, "as much as I'm skeptical about the way Sister Golas has confined Yusaku as you are, I'm still sure she has good intentions."
"But does she really have to keep him shut up like this?!" Reggie argued. "It's no wonder that he's close to being 'Mr. Serious,' and not knowing how to have fun!"
"I wouldn't really say that," Yusaku corrected her. "I mean, Sister Golas did let me watch the unveiling of Fusion Monsters last night. …That reminds me, Mira, you dueled rather nicely. Who would've thought that Yuri would've actually gone as far as to disrupt an event like that?"
"Oh, man, and how much trouble he was in when he got home!" Reggie cackled, suddenly shifting from upset to joyous. "Sister Golas was practically screaming at him before she took his Disk away! That's what he gets for being a total loudmouth jerk!"
But no sooner had Reggie said that when her Disk's touchscreen began to repeatedly beep and flash. "Huh? What's this?" she wondered, tapping on the screen. A small virtual screen displaying the incoming notification popped open, and Reggie skimmed through it. But when she was close to done, she became upset once again. "AUGH!" she groaned loudly, jerking her head towards the ceiling.
"What's the matter now?" Mira asked as the virtual screen closed itself.
"There's gonna be an event held throughout Alba Litora later tonight, where we'd be able to duel these really tough duelists to get tickets to exchange for really rare cards! But it's gonna happen at nine o'clock tonight, which is past curfew!" Reggie frustratingly replied.
"I know how you feel, but this can't possibly be one of those once-in-a-lifetime events, can it?" Mira consoled.
"I… I guess not," Reggie said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "But I still can't let that chance go to waste! I gotta get stronger if I wanna duel Arthur!"
"Reggie, I don't want to sound like a dream-crusher," Yusaku hesitantly but concernedly spoke, "but don't think you think you're becoming a little too obsessive with wanting to duel Arthur? I mean, that's pretty much all you've been talking about the past few days. Heck, I remember overhearing your phone call with Andrea when you were arranging the duel between you and Mira, before Mira even accepted."
"Well… well, at least I haven't interrupted any duels the way Yuri did!" Reggie tearfully screamed before running upstairs.
"Reggie, wait!" Mira called, chasing after her. The surprised Yusaku just stared, but shrugged his shoulders before returning to his chores.
Meanwhile, Mira caught up with Reggie, who was in her bedroom after throwing herself onto her bed and sobbing into some pillows. "Reggie, calm down!" Mira cried, approaching Reggie's side. "I'm sure Yusaku didn't mean to hurt your feelings!"
"Actually, I'm fine," Reggie said, quickly lifting her head up from the pillows. She was now chipper, much to Mira's perplexity. "I only pretended to be upset so I could be where Sister Golas wouldn't hear!"
"So Sister Golas… wouldn't hear what?" Mira asked, starting to feel uneasy.
"So Sister Golas won't hear that when the event begins… I'm gonna sneak out!" Reggie quietly but mischievously declared.
Mira was shocked by this declaration. "Reggie, are you crazy?!" she said with a gasp. "What's Sister Golas gonna say if she finds out you snuck out past curfew?!"
"Oh, she won't find out," Reggie said, rubbing her hands with glee. "I'll simply take part in a few duels to get whatever cards I need, and sneak back to bed – simple as that! You gonna join me, Mira?"
"I can't join you," Mira said flatly, pointing to her wrist that held no Disk. "I don't have my Disk, remember?"
"…Oh, right!" Reggie said, placing a hand on her forehead. "Well that stinks, 'cause you're gonna miss out on all the fun!"
"Something tells me this is the kind of 'fun' I'd rather not get involved in," Mira sighed. "I'm just gonna go now…"
"Okay, if you say so. Bye, Mira!" Reggie said with a friendly wave.
Mira only lifted an open palm at Reggie as she headed to her own bedroom. She was halfway there when the necklace hidden underneath her shirt began to shine once again. Mira's eyes widened once again as another vision went through her head. This time, she didn't see anyone becoming possessed – instead, she saw Reggie being abducted by a mysterious android, with the girl struggling and screaming for help. From there, the vision ended – but of all the visions she unexplainably had, this one horrified Mira the most. And it certainly didn't help that all of her previous visions somehow came to pass.
"Damn it, I was afraid something like this would happen!" she groaned, running to her bedroom, throwing herself onto her bed, and staring at the ceiling in frustration. "Why did I have to have a vision now?! I don't even have my Disk on me!"
Now Mira truly was in a predicament – should she even dare defy Sister Golas's orders and try to get her D-Gear back? On one hand, she couldn't let Reggie endanger herself like that, especially considering how her previous two visions came to pass. Then again, it was possible that this vision would turn out false, or that it would still happen, just not tonight. After half an agonizing minute of debating with herself, she sat herself up and made a daring decision:
"I'm gonna get my D-Gear back."
Around nine-thirty that same night, it was bedtime for the orphans. Mira was already under the covers, but she wasn't really asleep. She was waiting for the right time to begin her operation of retrieving her Disk, to rescue Reggie from impending peril. After fifteen suspenseful minutes of waiting, Mira decided it was time to make her move.
She flung the covers off, revealing that she was in her everyday wear. After pulling on her gloves and fastening her shoes, she carefully crept out of the bedroom and gingerly closed the door behind her. But as she turned, she was surprised to see Reggie standing behind her, also out of her pajamas. Mira gasped, but thankfully not loud enough for any sleeping orphan to hear her. "Reggie?!" she whispered.
"Mira? What are you doing out of bed?" Reggie quietly asked. But when the thought occurred to her, she cheekily grinned at her friend. "Oh, I see, y'wanna participate in the event too, eh? I just knew you couldn't resist!"
"Um… yeah, that's it!" Mira fibbed, still anxious about Reggie's wellbeing. "But I gotta try and get my Disk back – Homanu has it, remember?"
"Yeah, you told me," Reggie whispered. "But don't worry, I'll help you get it back! Let's go!"
The two girls carefully tiptoed over to the outside of Homanu's bedroom. "It's probably locked," Mira whispered as soon as they arrived. "How are we gonna open it?"
"Leave it to me!" Reggie silently snickered. She took out a hairpin from her pocket and carefully picked at the lock until a click was heard.
Mira was amazed – she never knew her friend would be capable of such lockpicking. "Okay, Mira, you're on your own now," Reggie said not long after. "But as for me, adventure awaits! See you later!" She gleefully hurried down the stairs, still not disturbing anyone in the process.
Mira was slightly puzzled, but knew that it wasn't the time for speculations. Right now, she had to get her Disk back to protect her friend, all without waking the sleeping Homanu. Her Disk clearly wasn't in plain sight, so she decided to look in the first logical place where anyone would put away something when it wasn't used: a cupboard or a drawer.
Luckily for her, there actually was a cupboard with two drawers, on the right side of Homanu's bed. Right away, Mira snuck over to the desk and quietly opened the upper drawer. Under the moonlight, she could tell that the dial was a dark color, in complete contrast to hers that was pearl white – definitely not her Disk.
Closing the upper drawer, she carefully opened the lower one, and saw another Disk – it just had to be hers. But as she picked it up, a familiar streak of pink and violet pixels shot out of the Disk. The pixels transformed into none other than Pinkie, who had an exceptionally overjoyed smile stretching across her face. "Mira!" she squealed.
"SH-H-H-H-H-H!" Mira harshly hushed, miraculously not waking Homanu.
"Wait, what's happening now?" Pinkie asked in no more than a whisper. "How come I didn't see you all this time? …And what are we doing in someone else's room?"
"No time to explain!" Mira whispered. "Right now, we gotta get to center Alba Litora and save Reggie!"
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Pinkie asked.
"I'll explain later! But right now, we gotta go!"
Pinkie said nothing, but smartly retreated to Mira's Disk. Afterwards, Mira snuck out of the room and carefully shut the door behind her. "Sorry, Homanu…!" she murmured before heading to the stairs and sliding down the railing. After she carefully got out of the main building without disturbing anyone else, she jammed the Disk onto her wrist and began running to the city's center square.
But as she ran, the streak of pink and violet pixels shot out before transforming into Pinkie once again. "I don't get it," she said as Mira kept running, "what are you doing up so late, and why exactly are we heading to Alba Litora at this time of night?"
"I had another vision," Mira hastily explained, "and I saw Reggie being captured by… someone!"
"Oh, no! That sounds horrible!" Pinkie wailed. "But… who exactly captured her?"
"I don't know, but I can't stop to ask questions," Mira said, still huffing and puffing. "I gotta find Reggie before it's too late!"
Fortunately, Mira had some idea of where Reggie's supposed abduction would take place. It took time for Mira to find it, but the search paid off after about five minutes. Reggie was at the front of a building resembling a military base, which just so happened to be another Game Duel hotspot. "Reggie!" Mira desperately called.
Reggie turned upon hearing her name, and was delighted to see her friend. "Mira! You made it!" she called. "I'm glad you're here – now it's time for some real fun!" She eagerly raised the wrist that held her Disk.
"No, it's not!" Mira hastily warned. "Reggie, we gotta get out of here now!"
"Wait, what?!" Reggie whined. "Mira, why?!"
"Look," Mira said, placing her hands upon Reggie's shoulders, "I can't explain, but we have to get out of here right now. Trust me!"
"Okay, did you seriously come all the way here just to tell me that?!" Reggie argued. "'Cause if you are, then I'm not going!"
"Reggie, listen!" Mira shouted. "Your life's in more danger than you think! Someone's gonna abduct you!"
"Someone's… gonna abduct me?" Reggie cried in disbelief. "Mira, don't be ridiculous!"
"I'm serious! We gotta go now!"
"I'm afraid it's too late for that!" a robotic male voice shouted from above. The two girls looked up and saw that it belonged to who Mira immediately recognized as the strange android from her vision, who leapt from the roof of the base, right behind Reggie. It wasn't long before the android grabbed hold of Reggie, just as Mira saw it happen in her vision. Upon her capture, Reggie began squirming and screaming, even as the android covered her mouth with his hand.
Even if Mira was greatly dismayed by her vision coming true once again, she still refused to let her friend be captured. "Let her go!" she screamed, boldly taking a step forward and waving a fist at Reggie's captor.
"If you value your friend's life," warned the android, "come inside, and then we'll talk. I'll be waiting, Wielder!" With this declaration, both he and Reggie disappeared in sickly yellow pixels.
"Did… did that guy just call you a Wielder?!" Pinkie cried in disbelief. Suddenly remembering the promise Mira made on Orbis Magna, Pinkie warned, "Mira, could this guy be working for one of those so-called 'enemies' Isis mentioned before?!"
"I don't know for sure," Mira replied, "but we gotta get inside if we're gonna save Reggie! Now, c'mon!" She ran inside the building, with Pinkie following her loyally but uncomfortably.
"Mira, I'm scared!" Pinkie whimpered. "This guy could be more dangerous than you think!"
"He might," Mira said, still running, "but we can't think about that right now – Reggie's life is at stake!"
After less than half a minute, the two arrived in what appeared to be an empty military hangar, with some metal balconies complete with guardrails, and some chains slowly swaying. Upon entering the room, Mira stopped to catch her breath. "Alright… no more running around…!" Mira panted. "Show yourself…!"
"With pleasure," a mechanical voice spoke from above. An elevator platform across from Mira lowered, with the android standing upon it. Once the platform touched ground, he took a few steps forward and greeted her. "So nice of you to come, Wielder."
"Enough talk!" Mira defiantly shouted. "Tell me what you've done to Reggie!"
"She's right here," the android sadistically replied. With a snap of his fingers, a cable slowly lowered down from the ceiling. Attached to the cable was none other than Reggie, her hands tightly bound behind her, gagged, and tearfully screaming.
"Reggie!" Mira gasped. "Don't worry, everything's gonna be okay!"
"And it shall… so long as you stay on my good side," Reggie's captor said rather sinisterly.
"Who do you think you are?!" Mira angrily demanded.
"I suppose introductions are important," said the android. "I am Ganymede, a Pawn of the Forces of Itzamna."
'Itzamna… Why does that name sound so familiar…?' Mira wondered, narrowing her eyes. But they quickly widened as she remembered her duels against Reggie and Yuri, and how they screamed that name when they became possessed. "Are you the one responsible for what happened to Reggie and Yuri?!" she shouted.
"More or less," replied Ganymede. "But I wouldn't say I'm the true mastermind of this operation of ours. I am, after all, a mere Pawn."
"Alright, now I want answers!" Mira shouted, raising a fist at Ganymede.
"If it's answers that you seek," Ganymede declared, "you must fight me for them!" He raised his left arm, and the topaz crystal on it began to shine. This projected a sickly yellow blade. "Refuse, and your friend's life will be no more!" Two panels on the floor between the two duelists slowly opened, revealing a pit of lava underneath. Reggie screamed even more, for she happened to be dangling just above it!
"You bastard…!" Mira growled. "Alright, if dueling you is the only way to save Reggie, then let's go, Ganymede!"
"Mira, be careful!" Pinkie pleaded.
Mira said nothing to that. She was about to activate her Disk when a voice broke her concentration. "Mira? Is that you?" Mira turned her head, and became aghast upon discovering who it belonged to.
"Reggie?!"
Indeed, the unmistakable voice belonged to Reggie Abbot, who was excitedly entering the hangar, with Andrea and her trusty camera drone following behind. Even more surprising, Reggie looked as if she hadn't been harmed in the slightest. "Mira, I'm surprised to see you here! Guess you decided to break curfew after all, huh?" Reggie playfully commented.
Horrified, Mira moved her head back and forth from the Reggie in peril to the one who just entered. "But… But…" she spluttered. "…But I thought you were captured by that… guy!"
"Captured? Me?" Reggie laughed. "Mira, I've been in Alba Litora since a quarter past nine! And get this – I already got two ultra-rare-and-really-strong cards from this campaign!"
"And in case you're wondering what I'm doing here," Andrea proudly explained, "Reggie asked me to record her duels while this event's going on, in the hopes Arthur will notice, like he did when he saw the duel between you two!"
Reggie smiled in approval of this explanation, but her joyful expression immediately dropped when she saw herself dangling above the lava. "Wait… is that me?!" she cried, pointing to the copy of herself. "How can that be me, when I'm right here?!"
"Hey, what's going on here?!" Andrea demanded.
"Yeah, what is going on here?!" Mira also demanded, glaring at Ganymede.
"Curse those children…!" Ganymede fumed, clenching his fist. He stretched his right arm towards the copy of Reggie dangling above the lava, causing the copy to dissipate into yellow pixels.
"What the- what the hell was that?!" Mira demanded.
"If you must know," the irate Ganymede explained, "this 'Reggie' whom you sought to rescue was merely an illusion created by my own willpower, and it was my copy who assisted you in retrieving your Disk."
"So, this was pretty much a wild goose chase…" Mira muttered. "But why would you want to help me get my Disk back?"
"I've been watching you in your battles, Wielder," Ganymede replied. "And while I can't confirm it, I know that you are among the Wielders I seek to annihilate, so that the grand plan of the almighty Itzamna shall proceed without any interference!"
"Okay, can someone please tell me what this guy's talking about?!" Andrea complained.
"I don't know," said Mira, "but as long as Reggie's okay, I'm calling off this duel so that we can get outta here!"
"Already?!" Reggie protested. "But you and I just got here, and that guy looks pretty tough!" Then it occurred to her. "Maybe he's one of those special bosses Giichi programed! He might distribute massive rewards if he's defeated! That settles it – Mira, after you duel him, let me take a crack at him!"
"No, Reggie!" Mira warned. "Listen, the sooner we get out of here, the better!"
"You're not going anywhere, Wielder!" Ganymede thundered. "Not after I have you right where I want you!" Five stacked digital cards materialized above his crystal, which he ferociously drew. "From my hand, I activate the card containing the true powers born from Itzamna's will, and shall ultimately recreate all of these worlds, free from impurity and sin!" He grabbed one of the cards in his hand and raised it high. "I activate…
"ITZAMNA'S SPIRIT BATTLE!"
The card had a rusted background just like Itzam Incarnate, complete with the planetary symbol for Saturn in place of the Attribute. Its artwork depicted a glowing blood-red circular seal in front of a black background. The seal itself was comprised of two circles inside each other, and inside the outer rim were characters of the same otherworldly language Mira remembered seeing back in Corycian Cave. Inside the innermost circle were eight different planetary symbols arranged in a circular pattern, and the center of this pattern was a marking of the Krana Xa – the same symbol Mira immediately recognized from Itzam Incarnate.
After revealing the card, Ganymede ferociously swiped it through his blade's horizontal slot. Almost immediately, the same seal depicted on the card appeared beneath him, and slowly rotated as it enlarged to be underneath both duelists. Afterwards, the seal stopped rotating, and a wispy aura of the same sinister color arose. The shockwave that followed flung Reggie and Andrea to the ground.
"Reggie! Andrea!" Mira cried, attempting to run to her friends' aid. But as she reached the edge of the circle, she collided with some kind of invisible force. Horrified, she desperately began to move her hands around, hoping to find some kind of escape, but to no avail. "I… I can't get out!"
"Of course you can't get out!" Ganymede laughed haughtily. The symbol on his mask's forehead was now shining lustrously. "Once we're in a duel under Itzamna's Spirit Battle, no one is permitted to enter or exit the dueling area until a winner is decided! The victor shall go free… but the loser shall pay the ultimate price – they shall be offered to the Almighty Itzamna, and shall be one more soul used as fuel for his ultimate plan of the salvation of these wretched worlds!"
"Did… did this guy say what I think he did?" Reggie groaned, getting herself up, along with Andrea.
"Okay, this guy's totally nuts!" Andrea remarked.
"He is," said Mira, "but I still won't duel him!"
"You don't have much of a choice, now do you?!" Ganymede gloated. "If you refuse now, then your friends will be next, once I'm through with you!"
"Damn you…!" Mira hissed. "Okay – I didn't want to do this… but you got yourself a Game Duel!" She defiantly raised her left wrist to project its hot pink blade.
"A wise answer, Wielder!" Ganymede beamed, almost mockingly.
Mira said nothing as she eyed at her touchscreen. "Game Duel hotspot detected," the computerized female voice spoke from her Disk. "Now activating Game Duel Field: Game World, Soichiro's Showdown." A Game Duel Field Card moved up to the center of the touchscreen, its artwork depicting a stylized version of the same hangar they were in. But because they were already in the hangar, the overall scenery didn't change in the slightest.
"Prepare for your Game Duel of life and death!" Ganymede cackled as Mira just scowled at him.
"Game Duel, game start!" the two duelists shouted.
GANYMEDE: 4000 LP / MIRA: 4000 LP
"Since I've just activated Itzamna's Spirit Battle, I shall make the first move!" Ganymede declared, holding up the four cards in his hand. He grabbed two of them and declared, I summon two copies of Virus Spawn in Attack Mode!"
He grabbed two of the cards in his hand and slapped them onto his blade's outermost floating zones. Two dark yellow portals appeared beside him. Flying out of each portal was a yellow electrical being with a serpentine body and two small clawed hands. [ATK: 300 – 500] [ATK: 300 – 500]
"Don't think I'm surprised that your monsters got stronger!" Mira defiantly spoke. "I'm pretty familiar with 'Soichiro's Showdown'. Lemme guess – thanks to its 'Industrial' Terrain, Cyborg, Machine, Pyro, and Thunder-Type monsters are strengthened, which I'm sure your deck's full of!" She softly but frustratingly groaned and resumed, "Luring victims into Terrains that suit the attacker – how cliché can you get in Game Duels?"
"Very observant, Wielder," Ganymede sniggered. "But let's see how you like this boost!" A red symbol that was a miniature version of the Krana Xa formed on each of the electrical beings' foreheads as their eyes shone red. [ATK: 500 – 1000] [ATK: 500 – 1000]
"Hold up, they got even stronger?!" Mira cried, taking a step back in fear.
"Indeed, they did! Under Itzamna's Spirit Battle, each and every one of my monsters will gain even more Attack Points – five hundred, to be exact!"
"Wait, a card that traps duelists in the current dueling area, strengthens its user's monsters by five hundred points, and steals the soul of the loser?" Pinkie wondered, holding her chin. "Where have I heard that before…?"
"Pinkie, you're not helping…!" Mira grumbled through her teeth.
"I'll place two cards face-down, and end my turn!" Ganymede resumed. After swiping two cards into his blade's outermost horizontal slots, two cards materialized behind his electrical beings before disappearing.
"So, if Itzamna's Spirit Battle, whatever it is, can power up his monsters like that," Reggie worriedly commented, "then that must mean he has powerful monsters that'll get even stronger!"
"Mira had better be careful!" Andrea added. "My Fandreas would be devastated if anything bad happened to her!"
"It's my turn!" Mira shouted. Her ring appeared around her wrist, five stacked cards materializing in front of the ridge. Without the faintest hesitation, she valiantly drew her cards.
"I activate the Spell Card, Magical Mallet!" After swiping the card through her blade's center slot, a WHITE MAGIC Spell Card materialized, its artwork depicting a large wooden mallet with angelic wings attached to the sides. "I get to add this card back into my deck, along with any number of cards that are in my hand. Once I do, I get to draw the same number of cards from my deck! I return this card and two cards in my hand, so that I get to draw three!"
Two cards materialized in front of Mira, and after swiping her fingertips across them, the two cards dissipated into hot pink pixels, along with her 'Magical Mallet' card. Afterwards, her ring appeared, with three stacked cards in front of the ridge, which Mira drew. 'Yes!' she thought as she glanced at the cards.
"Since I drew it this turn and have no monsters on my field, I'm allowed to summon this monster without making any sacrifices! Go, Destiny Dragon Chronogias!"
She immediately slapped the card onto her blade's centermost floating zone. Afterwards, a lustrous pillar of lavender light shot up behind her, and her ace ebony cybernetic dragon flew out of it. [BASE ATK: 1900 / GRADE: BASE]
"I now bring Chronogias to the 'Super' Grade by injecting it with Upgrade Core Super!" she continued, sliding the Core Card directly underneath Chronogias's card counterpart. Afterwards, the dragon's two hexagons lit up bright blue. [GRADE: BASE – SUP / BASE ATK: 1900 – SUP ATK: 2400 / CORE: 0 – 2]
"You're seeing it right here, Fandreas!" Andrea excitedly announced. "Your fav duelist, Mira Yukiko, has once again brought out her Chronogias and powered it up! Don't forget to drop your likes and comments if y'wanna see her beat this creep!"
Mira ignored that frivolous comment as she continued her turn. "I now summon Destiny Hero Passer in Attack Mode!" she declared, slapping a card onto one of her blade's floating zones. A hot pink portal appeared, and the blue-armored cybernetic hero leapt out of it. [ATK: 800]
"I activate Passer's effect!" Mira continued. But before she could explain what it was, the blue-armored hero clutched his heart in agony. "Wait, what's going on?!"
"Another feature of Itzamna's Spirit Battle, that's what's going on!" Ganymede triumphantly laughed. "While we're in this battlefield, none of your monsters that have Levels can activate their effects, unless they happen to be Itzam cards themselves!"
"So that 'Itzamna' Spirit Battle' card of his strengthens all of his monsters, while weakening all of Mira's?!" Reggie complained. "That's so not fair!"
"Don't let this situation get to you, Mira!" Andrea loudly pleaded. "Think of what my Fandreas will say!"
Mira didn't have time to listen to this kind of arbitrary encouragement – she was busy trying to piece together her current predicament. 'So, if I can't activate the effects of my monsters that have Levels,' she thought, 'then that means the monster effects that can be activated are Upgrade Monsters, such as my Chronogias! …In a way, I'm glad it's not Homanu who's dueling against this guy – he'd practically be a goner…'
"Mira, what are you gonna do?!" Pinkie wailed, breaking Mira's concentration. "This so-called 'Spirit Battle' won't let you activate the effects of your monsters that have Levels! And who knows what kind of strong monsters Ganymede has!?"
"Don't worry," Mira softly but determinedly said, "I've totally got this!"
Pinkie was perplexed at first, but then an idea flashed through her brain. "Wait, that's it!" she chirped. "This 'Spirit Battle' prevents you from activating the effects of your monsters that have Levels!" Mira frowned, already knowing this before her partner did. "So you can use Chronogias to cut one of his Spawns down to size!"
"I have no reason to do it now!" she growled before looking at the two remaining cards in her hand. "Besides, I have other plans!"
She grabbed one of the cards in her hand and said aloud, "I activate the Spell Card, Energy of the Illusion Star!" She swiped the card through her blade's horizontal slot, and an ILLUSION MAGIC Spell Card materialized on her field. The statue in the artwork bore a strong resemblance to Pendulumstatue Black Sun, except it was made of white marble, and the crystal in the center was light purple.
"Since I have a Level Five or lower monster of the ILLUSION MAGIC Attribute on my field, I get to choose that monster, and have all my monsters gain Attack Points equal to that monster's Level, multiplied by two hundred! I select my Level Three Passer, so that all my monsters will gain six hundred Attack Points!" Both of Mira's monsters were briefly shrouded by a lavender aura. [SUP ATK: 2400 – 3000] [ATK: 800 – 1400]
"Now both of her monsters are strong enough to take Ganymede down!" Reggie cheered. "Go get 'em, Mira!"
Mira eyed back at her audience and nodded. "I'll place this face-down," she said, bringing her attention back to the duel at hand. She took the last card in her hand and slid it through her blade's horizontal slot, causing a card to appear behind her monsters before disappearing.
"Battle! Chronogias, attack one of his Virus Spawns!" Chronogias unleashed lavender digital fire from its mouth, striking at the electrical being and vaporizing it. The fires also struck at Ganymede, who tried his hardest to withstand the attack. [LP: 4000 – 2000]
"And with that attack alone, Mira has wiped out half of Ganymede's Life Points!" Andrea announced to her viewing audience. "With moves like that, this duel should be over in a snap!"
"Destiny Hero Passer, take out his other Spawn!" Mira commanded. The blue-armored warrior began rushing towards the other electrical being.
"You've just activated my Trap Card – Sneak Surge Virus!" Ganymede shouted. With a wave of his arm, a THUNDER Trap Card materialized beside him. Its artwork depicted Virus Spawn striking through Cyber Dragon, shattering it with an obscure duelist resembling Zane Truesdale protecting himself from the destruction.
"When your Level Five or lower monster attacks a Thunder-Type monster on my field with one thousand or less Attack Points, I get to sacrifice my monster to immediately destroy it!" The electrical being lunged itself directly at the blue-armored warrior, shattering it into pixels.
"I'm afraid there's more! You must send cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard, equal to the Level of the monster I just destroyed – which, in this case, is three! And for every card sent, you lose two hundred Life Points!" Without warning, Mira's ring appeared around her wrist, three cards shooting out of the topmost ridge before dissipating into pixels. Afterwards, and electrical surge briefly shrouded her as she yelped in pain. [LP: 4000 – 3400]
"Mira!" Reggie and Andrea wailed.
"Don't worry… I'm fine…" Mira groaned, still standing despite being briefly electrocuted. "I guess my turn's done, which means my Spell Card's effect wears off. So bring it on, Ganymede!" [SUP ATK: 3000 – 2400]
"Very well!" Ganymede beamed. Five stacked cards materialized above his crystal, which he drew. "I activate the Spell Card, Virus Respawn!" After swiping the card through one of his blade's slots, a THUNDER Spell Card materialized beside Ganymede, its artwork depicting two Virus Spawns crawling their way out of a dark purple pitfall in the depths of cyberspace.
"Since I have no monsters on my field, I'm allowed to resurrect any number of Virus Spawns as I possibly can from my Graveyard! But when I do, I'm not allowed to summon any monsters for the rest of this turn, unless they happen to be monsters of both the THUNDER Attribute, and of the Cyborg, Machine, or Thunder Type! Return, my two Virus Spawns!" Two dark yellow portals appeared, and the small electrical being crawled out of each one.
"But they won't be here for long, because I now sacrifice my two Spawns to summon the last monster you'll ever see!" Instead of dissipating into pixels, the two electrical beings flew directly into the lava pit. But not long after, a burst of lava, combined with a pillar of yellow electricity, shot up from the pit.
"I SUMMON THE UPGRADE MONSTER – VIRUS DEMON DIABLOSIS!"
Emerging out of the mixture of lava and electricity was a mechanical demon resembling the ancient Egyptian ka spirit, Diabound. However, this being was comprised of the energy of the two Virus Spawns, and was clad entirely in black cybernetic armor. Each of its wings were comprised of three black spears connected to a glowing yellow orb, and each of its muscular arms were built in the same manner. On the center of its chest were three unlit orbs arranged in a triangular fashion. Upon its emergence, the mechanical monster frightened Reggie and Andrea, and even horrified Mira. [BASE ATK: 2000 / GRADE: BASE]
"You're not the only one capable of using Upgrade Monsters, Wielder!" Ganymede roared. "I inject Diablosis with my own copy of Upgrade Core Super, to bring it to its 'Super' Grade!" He ruthlessly placed the card directly underneath Diablosis's card form, and the three orbs on its chest lit up blue. [GRADE: BASE – SUP / BASE ATK: 2000 – SUP ATK: 3000 / CORE: 0 – 3]
"Now Virus Demon Diablosis shall gain even more power from both this Terrain and from Itzamna's Spirit Battle!" The same red symbol appeared on the mechanical demon's forehead, and its eyes shone red. [SUP ATK: 3000 – 3700] Seeing this only increased the horrors of Reggie and Andrea significantly.
"Thirty-seven hundred Attack Points?!" Pinkie wailed. "Mira, you gotta do something!"
"I know… but what?" Mira asked, fearfully staring up at the mechanical dragon. She wasn't sure what it was capable of, but she knew she had to find a way to defeat Ganymede, and fast.
FEATURED CARD – LEVEL 1-8
Game World – Soichiro's Showdown
Game Duel Field
PLAYER 1: 4000 LP / PLAYER 2: 4000 LP
TERRAIN: INDUSTRIAL Monsters strong in this Terrain (Cyborg, Machine, Pyro, and Thunder Types) gain 200 ATK/DEF. Monsters weak in this Terrain (Aqua, Fairy, Plant, Insect, Fish, and Sea Serpent Types) lose 200 ATK/DEF.
If a PLAYER's LP become 0, they lose the Game Duel.
GIICHI CORPORATION CARD DATABASE
Game World – Soichiro's Showdown
Game Duel Field
PLAYER 1: 4000 LP / PLAYER 2: 4000 LP
TERRAIN: INDUSTRIAL Monsters strong in this Terrain (Cyborg, Machine, Pyro, and Thunder Types) gain 200 ATK/DEF. Monsters weak in this Terrain (Aqua, Fairy, Plant, Insect, Fish, and Sea Serpent Types) lose 200 ATK/DEF.
If a PLAYER's LP become 0, they lose the Game Duel.
Virus Spawn
THUNDER/Thunder – Normal/1/300/0
A virus-like organism programmed by some still-devout members of the Knights of Hanoi. It is a complicated program because the possibilities of what it may become are seemingly endless.
Magical Mallet
WHITE MAGIC/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT During a turn you have not activated "Magical Mallet".
EFFECT Add this card and any number of cards in your hand to your Deck. Then, draw cards equal to [the number of cards added to your Deck by this effect].
Energy of the Illusion Star
ILLUSION MAGIC/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT None
EFFECT Choose 1 face-up Level 5 or lower ILLUSION MAGIC monster on your field that has a Level. All face-up monsters on your field gain ATK equal to [that monster's Level] x 200, until the end of this turn.
Sneak Surge Virus
THUNDER/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When an opponent's Level 5 or lower monster declares an attack on a face-up Thunder Type monster with 1000 or less ATK on your field, Tribute that Thunder Type monster on your field.
EFFECT Destroy the attacking monster. Then, send a number of cards from the top of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard equal to [the Level of the destroyed monster] and inflict damage to your opponent equal to [the number of cards sent to the Graveyard by this effect] x 200.
Virus Respawn
THUNDER/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT You have no monsters on your field.
EFFECT Special Summon any number of "Virus Spawn" from your Graveyard face-up to your field. For the rest of this turn, you cannot Summon or Set monsters, except THUNDER Attribute Cyborg/Machine/Thunder Type monsters.
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! CHRONIXII…
The fateful battle between Ganymede and Mira continues. But it isn't long before Ganymede drastically strengthens his ace through a never-before-seen sequence, and ends up pushing Mira into a corner, where her life will truly be at stake! It'll have to take a miracle for Mira to turn the duel in her favor and ensure the safety of her friends! Find out what happens in Level 1-9: The Night the Lights Went Out in Alba Litora! Game Duel, game start!