Chapter 41:

"See? I told you he got this." Blake said from atop the ranks surrounding the colosseums arena, clapping as he watched Bastion finish and win the duel.

"Never any doubts with you, huh?" Kami replied with a raised eyebrow, following up his clapping with a dainty one herself.

"Definitely enough doubts. Just not when it comes to certain people." He shot her a smirk.

Yuma clapped even louder beside them, enough to grab Bastion's attention after he'd deactivated his duel disk. He took a deep breath before turning towards them. When he saw them, he didn't seem to know how to react, before settling on a confident smile and a nod.

Tania walked towards him, prompting the onlookers to move as well. They all reached the winner soon enough.

"I must say, you've pleasantly surprised me, young one. No, Bastion." Tania said, clapping Bastion on the shoulder while leaning in perhaps a bit too close. "You sure you don't want to become my mate just yet?"

Bastion, clearly not used to this, blushed wildly and turned away, finding only some support in his friends amused faces. "Ehem. As I've said before, I'm already interested in someone."

"A shame, really. But don't expect me to give up just because of that." Tania purred into his ear and made him jump before straightening her back and looking over everyone present. "You don't mind me going after someone else, do you, Hound?"

"As long as you don't kidnap anyone, I don't really care." Blake snorted.

Yuma meanwhile moved close to Bastion to check for the injuries he'd received. She's fussing over him for a bit, but Bastion quickly reassured her.

"Of course he's fine! I was looking for a mate, not to murder kids." Tania scoffed. "Those weaklings should be fine too. Guess they're not used to this kind of dueling, or any exercise for that matter. Their wounds are superficial at best."

"Yeah … there's not really many … physically active students here." Yuma supplied with a wry smile. "We should get them to the infirmary though." Her eyes swept over the dozen or so students left in the dirt, with the ones that dueled first slowly beginning to stir already.

"We should, but since our connection's cut off, we can't exactly call for help." Kami clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Not to worry, little lady. With mine and young Yuma's help we'll get them where they need to be faster than you can blink!" Tania said with a boisterous laugh.

Kami wasn't convinced. "And why would you do that? Why should we even trust you with that?"

"Because my work as a Shadow Rider, and thus your enemy, is over." The amazon replied and lifted her hand, where the gauntlet she's wearing crumbled to dust. "Without this, I am of no danger to you. My physical form should remain just long enough for me to help you."

"Oddly convenient." Kami narrowed her eyes before sighing. "But the same as with the Dark Scorpions, I suppose. Fine, but we have questions."

"Indeed." Bastion chimed in, now being back to his non-flustered, calculating self. "We need information. How do we get rid of Blake's charm safely?"

Tania shot her fellow Shadow Rider a look that held pity for just long enough for him to notice. "You can't. The easiest way is a duel, of course. But we're not allowed to surrender, and while you may think that you can just play it out safely, I do belief there's some sort of failsafe. Especially for him."

"Especially him? What do you mean?" Bastion pressed further.

"Every Shadow Charm has its own properties. Just like the Dark Scorpions are all allowed to materialize, so am I allowed to change my form." Tania explained, scratching her oddly calm tiger behind its ears. "I don't know the specifics of Amnael's charm, but from the feeling I've got it's the most sinister of them all. The Hound was a wildcard from the beginning, and seeing as how things have progressed ..."

"You expected him to betray you from the start." Kami finished and shot Blake an amused look.

"Yes. While Amnael was the one who got him accepted by the boss, he's voiced his concerns quite clearly. I don't know any more on that matter, however." Tania finished.

They all looked at Blake, who simply shrugged. "We'll find out soon enough. The thing's been a pain in the ass ever since I got it, so nothing new there."

He tried to play it off, but the pain he's been receiving from it was increasing by the hour. During the walk to the colosseum, it's gotten to the point that he had trouble hearing his spirit partners due to the pressure on his body. Which is why he needed information on where the others were so they could finish this before anything worse could happen. He only needed the Cyberdarks to play nice and OTK the remaining Shadow Riders one after the other. No problem at all.

"So, where are the others?" Blake asked angrily, barely hiding the hint of strain in his voice.

"Their precise locations, I do not know." Tania replied instantly. "But they've all moved out by now. I'd wager Camula went to a place with a lot of duelists, so she can brainwash them to create more chaos. Amnael was heading out with a target in mind; the Kaiser. So, he's likely wherever he is. Oh, and Abidos should be somewhere by the sea, I suppose. Not that it matters much."

Blake nodded. "Zane was the most likely to fall, nothing surprising here. Jaden should've been nearby, but I guess it's in character for him to get distracted."

"Chazz should be where the most students are." Bastion said. "Do you think he can handle himself?"

Blake wanted to say no, but the snob was leagues ahead of where he would canonically be. And while Tania had more advanced cards in her deck, he believed Chazz should be just capable enough. "Yes, but don't tell him that."

His friend chuckled, while Kami rolled her eyes. "So, what's our plan?"

"Tania and Yuma take the other students to the main building. Jaden will likely find Zane and probably duel Abidos. The moment Chazz catches wind of Camula's castle he'll be heading there, so we don't need to waste our time telling him." Blake rattled off. "Amnael's goal has been achieved, so he's either looking over what Jaden's doing or retreated into his creepy lair in the Abandoned Dorm. That's where we should head."

"Quite the leader, are you?" Tania chuckled. "You sure you don't want to lead a tribe as strong as mine?"

Blake side-eyed her for a moment. "Thanks, but I'm already getting ordered around by two women, don't want to add another one."

"Oho? And how would you like getting ordered around in the bed chamber?" Tania purred.

Kami sputtered in disbelief while Yuma blushed, shooting short glanced towards her unrequited crush.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Blake replied eventually. "We're burning daylight and my arm's killing me, so let's get moving. Feel free to give Yuma a rundown while you're at it, she seems a little out of her depth."

"About the bedchamber or-"

A harsh glance from Blake made Tania shut up with a hearty laugh before turning back into her real form; that of a large tiger.

"Thrown them onto the backs of me and my pet, young Yuma. And don't worry, they won't fall off." Tania ordered. "If you can fit yourself in, you might just get a free ride too."

Yuma blinked, as confused as someone who lacked crucial information would, but complied regardless. Soon after, the two took off, a mountain of students riding off with them.

Bastion straightened his jacket and looked at Blake and Kami. "Ready when you are."

Kami coughed into her hand before nodding, seemingly still a bit put off by Tania's words.

"Let's give them hell."

Professor Lyman Banner, otherwise known as Amnael, was having a most curious day.

Initially, he hadn't intended to lead his fellow Shadow Riders into an all-out offensive the way he did now. He'd planned to lure in and take out the various guardians of the Spirit Keys one by one in high-octane duels with even higher stakes. That's why his compatriots had been given Shadow Charms to facilitate the danger and thus adrenalin needed. Gathering the keys had never been the goal, but rather to have the most potent duelists exude their valuable energies.

They were a farce, a red herring, merely used to give the other side something to hold onto. After all, even the most accomplished and intelligent adults had problems relating to the supernatural. That the children were more in the know than those who taught them was as ironic as it was sad. But perhaps that was also the reason why they were carrying the keys. Kagemaru had truly hit nail with his ploy when he had given them to Sheppard, even if the plan before this one didn't work out.

Originally, Kagemaru had the idea of planting the Spirit Keys across the island, but that would've certainly drawn attention. Instead giving them to Sheppard, who'd made sure to closely guard them, was indeed the better choice. And while the keys ultimately didn't matter whether the gates would open, they were designed to make it easier to do so. Something no one besides himself seemed to have caught on to. It was truly a good thing the previous Slifer Red dorm head needed a replacement, otherwise things might've gone differently.

The first plan didn't work out, however, which is why he was now doing what he's doing. The amplification of energy caused by the Spirit Keys hadn't been enough, even when residing in the academy's main building where the most important of duels on the island happened. The estimated time to reach the threshold needed to release the Sacred Beasts would've taken too long, both for Amnael and Kagemaru. Ever since they changed the plan, things had sped up immensely.

It wouldn't take much longer now, and ideally, he could access all that energy the moment it tried to release the beasts for himself, which would enable him to finalize the most sought-after alchemical products of all; the Philosopher's Stone. He'd finally not have to worry about creating new homunculi bodies for himself and straining their already short life with his experiments. He wouldn't make any uncertain deals with malevolent spirits, like Kagemaru intended to. Spirits were fickle things, objects were not. And if the current output of energy continued, he'd have it in his hands before the next sunrise.

His companions were falling one after the other, not that it surprised him. Half of them were only hired to fill the ranks so they could mirror the number of guardians. That way they played further into the illusion of the keys mattering. Their wildcard turned out to be a traitor, but even that was within his calculations. All he had to do was to stir Blake into Kagemaru's direction and the bloodthirsty Hound would keep the old man busy so he himself could claim the prize. Though he had a feeling the boy wouldn't look past his own hatred for him and for having his cards destroyed, but he had a backup plan for this. This failsafe would cause an influx of energy he'd immediately capitalize on, as it wasn't in the perimeter of what the old man was expecting. A certain victory for him, regardless of what the boy would do.

While he would've liked to see whether or not Jaden's mysterious power would be enough to help him, he could still study it when his body was safe. And to make sure he'd not interfere either, he'd laid out a trap too sweet for the kindhearted boy to ignore. Even if it had gone different than expected. The main actors for this trap were of course the Truesdale brothers.

After the Kaiser had contributed a large amount of energy in his duel against Nightshroud, Amnael wanted to make sure to have this repeated. Putting his younger brother into a Shadow Duel to worry him was easy. Getting the Kaiser an opponent that would stir his inner turmoil like young Atticus was not. He had found a solution for this only recently and by complete chance, which was only made possible when the shadow cast upon the Rhodes brother had been dispelled.

It sure was a sight to see the disbelief in the Kaiser's eyes when yet another of his lost friends turned up, only to be his enemy and add further salt to the wound. That combined with the constant worry about his brother, which had been there since the year started despite his tough-guy front, had caused the chancellor's prized pupil to make just one mistake too many.

He'd released the desired amount of energy while also injuring his opponent just enough so Amnael wouldn't have to worry about him once he encountered his second target. In exchange for getting his human partner back, something he had no plan of doing, the foolish spirit had accepted the deal of dueling both the Kaiser and the Hound. The former as per Amnael's demand, the later for personal reasons. What personal reasons a spirit could have to go after a human, Amnael didn't know. He suspected it had something to do with the stranger energies released during the night Blake was granted access to the Cyberdark cards, but it ultimately didn't matter.

After witnessing what happened with Nightshroud through one of Camula's many familiars, he'd wanted to safely contain the mask and its corresponding card for later research. It was an artifact unlike any he'd seen before. Sure, he'd never been granted the chance to interact with the Millenium Items, but he had a feeling they were similar in some regard. For whatever reason, it was now in the spirit's possession, and thus in arms reach. But he was sure that once his wildcard had gotten rid of the spirit, he'd claim it himself. Blakes's remarkably insightful in some ways and hilariously oblivious in others. A shame their partnership would end tonight. He'd have liked to have him as an apprentice.

By this time, he'd long expected for the younger Truesdale to succumb to the pain he'd sustained during his own Shadow Duel. If not, then from the despair of seeing his older brother fall. Yet the boy held on. It seemed the effect of Jaden and Blake had accelerated the boy's growth in unprecedented proportions. Nevertheless, he'd no doubt fall soon enough. And even if he didn't, he'd be too exhausted to do anything, other than making sure Jaden would spend his time helping his friend, rather than going after him. Thus, he left the still ongoing duel behind him.

Everything was going according to plan.

'No, my plan!' Syrus panicked.

When Professor Banner had told him he'd get a special promotion match, he'd been ecstatic. But it being a Shadow Duel wasn't what he'd imagined! And that against a legendary pharaoh who's never lost a duel to boot! Although, that might've been a stretch. Afterall, while acting confident, his opponent didn't seem to know much about what he's doing. He even accused him that direct attacks were against the rules!

Granted, it took him to feel the pain of being damage to get it, but he's now sure his opponent was part of the people his big bro had to fight. Zane had been dueling a guy he found vaguely familiar, but couldn't place a name to, unlike he could with Atticus. When he'd taken a big hit earlier, it must've thrown of Zane, since he'd witnessed his Cyber End Dragon being destroyed right after atop the cliff. It was once more his weakness that influenced his brother. Shortly after that, the duel above him ended, and not with his older brother rushing over to him. It was at that moment Syrus had resolved himself to stop being a weakling. He'd trained with his bro and been given harsh words from the one now rivalling his brother. He'd be better. He'd have to be.

His own duel had been going on for a few turns now. It's been a back and forth, even in his favor until his last turn! They'd both taken a few hits, though Abidos had lost more lifepoints due to him using his Submarineroid to constantly chip away at him. He'd managed to amass an advantage in monsters too, with four of his trusty vehicroids now standing before him, having destroyed the last of his opponent's defenses before he'd ended his turn. (Syrus 2500 / Abidos 1300)

But when he'd ended his turn and Abidos played his Third Sarcophagus, he knew something big was coming. Now that he'd given his opponent three turns to complete his setup, he remembered Bastion telling him something about "running backrow removal". Up until now, he'd never really given his deck much thought except for using his favorite archetype and cards. Perhaps that was what's holding him back, surely not the only thing though.

"You've given me quite the battle, young one!" Abidos announced with the draw of his next card. "You even taught me a thing or two, both about the game and myself. For that I'll be forever grateful. But this duel shall end in my victory, for all three sarcophagi have been assembled!" He removed the mask hiding his face, revealing a young Egyptian man who didn't look older than Zane or Atticus. "Behold; the ability of The First Sarcophagus allows me to send all three of them away to bring forth my ultimate monster: Spirit of the Pharaoh!"

All the sarcophagi stood before Abidos when the second and third opened, revealing ancient golden keys hidden inside them. Those keys raised themselves into the air, flying towards the first and unlocking it from its sides. With a loud rumble, the lid of the first sarcophagus loosened and fell forward, impacting the ground with a loud thud.

Inside of it stood what looked like a well-adorned mummy, its arms crossed in front of its chest. Underneath its bandages, a pair of red eyes began to glow, and the mummy strode forward, its wraps falling off its body with every step it took. Robed in a gold and blue pharaoh's attire, dark blue skin, and a similarly golden scepter in one hand and a lavishly designed sword in the other, Abidos' monster took a regal stance before him and gave Syrus a shiver (2500/2000).

"Now the ability of my monster activates!" Abidos declared and struck his right hand forward as if to command his underlings. "Rise, my servants!" Spaced out in a triangle around the Spirit of the Pharaoh, three mummified hands broke through the ground below. Each pulled the rest of its body through the ground, freeing three copies of the Pharaoh's Servant from the graveyard, where Syrus' monsters had put them in (900/0).

Those were a lot of monsters, Syrus worried. Thankfully they weren't all that strong, with none of them able to destroy even one of his own monsters. But if his opponent tributed them for a high-level monster … his mind flashed back to the Battle City semifinals, causing him to break out in fearful sweat. 'Abidos was an Egyptian pharaoh, wasn't he? D-does he have … them?'

The servants bowed to their master and rallied around him, their spears pointing towards Syrus. "You might've beaten them before, but now their purpose concludes, and I, their pharaoh, shall reward their loyalty with this: I activate Thousand Energy!"

Syrus' eyes widened when Abidos' ace monster let out a rallying shout that caused his servants to bulk up, the bandages on their bodies blown off as they revealed the muscles no doubt fitting those of royal guards. Along with seemingly shedding their undead weight, they were empowered to worrying degrees (1900/0).

'Oh no, they can beat all my monsters now!' Syrus realized. He didn't have any traps laid out either. All he had remaining on his hand were low-level monsters, none of them strong enough to beat the Spirit of the Pharaoh.

"Now then, my loyal subjects, onward!" Abidos commanded. But even with the comeback he'd just made, Syrus saw the flaw in his plan after the first attack. If he wasn't in a duel for his life, and already hurt from the attacks before, he would've pointed it out. But he didn't.

So, the first of the Pharaoh's Servants pierced through and destroyed his Drillroid. The second his Steamroid, after its own effect weakened it to cause him even more damage. The third destroyed his Submarineroid, though it was in defense position due to using its effect last turn. With that he'd only one monster remaining; his Rescueroid. (Syrus 1600 / Abidos 1300)

"That's a real nice comeback, Abidos." Syrus said with a slight shake in his voice as he borrowed a line from his best friend. "But you've forgotten one thing."

Abidos stared at him in shock. "I did?"

"Yes! My Rescueroid's effect! When one of my roids is destroyed by battle, I can add it to my hand after it's sent to the graveyard!" Syrus explained, flashing his opponent the three cards before adding them back to his hand.

"Ah, what a fool I've been!" Abidos lamented, shaking his head as he held it with his hand. "I should've attacked it first, what a blunder." His features hardened as he looked at Syrus once more. "But none of them are strong enough to defeat my spirit. Even if you get them back, they won't be of use. And with my spirit now destroying your Rescueroid, you can't repeat it!"

The massive truck's windshield was pierced and shattered by the spirit's cane as Abidos finished his speech, leaving Syrus with an empty field and a uniform jacket ripped to shreds from the shrapnel sent his way. (Syrus 700 / Abidos 1300)

"I end my turn here, as do my servants end their service. Such is the price I'll have to pay for invigorating them back to their true power." Abidos said solemnly as his revived monsters turned to dust. Now his field was also empty, save for the presence of his ace monster.

Syrus took a deep breath. Unless his opponent managed to bring out even more powerful monsters, he could stall him out. But for what? He had a lot of monsters and nothing to do with them. He could use Submarineroid to attack directly once more, but it wouldn't be enough. And unless he drew his one copy of Monster Reborn, he wouldn't be getting it back either. With his luck, it'd be the last card in his deck too. What he needed right now was the power to defeat a strong opponent. Like his brother would have with his strong Cyber Dragon cards. Or Jaden with his fused heroes.

His roids were strong in their own way. Unlike the raw, overwhelming power his brother's cards had, his had various effects to use, but he'd already used them as best he could. No, this time he'd had to follow in his brother's footsteps, as much as it scared him. He might be the more handsome brother, but he didn't have the confidence and presence Zane did, even though Jaden had told him repeatedly that he could reach his brother's heights.

He looked up to the cliffside where his brother was no doubt injured. Injured because he'd been weak and distracted him. This would end now.

Steeling his resolve, Syrus drew his next card with power and purpose. He may struggle with his own confidence, but the trust in his deck was absolute. It wasn't his cards fault he lost; it was his own. If he stopped hiding in his brother's shadow, he too could be a great duelist, and this was his chance.

He almost didn't dare opening his eyes to see the card he drew but when he did, all the memories of his failures rushed into him. Especially the time he lost against a guy in the park so badly, Zane had to bribe him off with a rare card as to not tell on him. And he only lost so badly because he hadn't understood the purpose of the card his brother had given him. But now he did.

"You said I helped you learn about yourself, didn't you?" Syrus asked, his voice one of confidence he didn't knew he could have.

"That I did, why do you ask?" Abidos replied.

"Because this duel has helped me in the same way." Syrus said. "And while the circumstances could've been better, less intensive, and definitely less hurtful, I have to thank you for it."

"You are welcome, my young friend. However, I fail to see what brought this on."

"My own powerlessness. But this ends now." Syrus announced with a glare. "My brother needs me and I can't afford to keep him waiting any longer! I activate Power Bond! With this I'll fuse these three together: Steamroid, Drillroid, and Submarineroid to fusion summon Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill!"

The three cartoonish roid monsters appeared briefly before getting enclosed in a large ball of metal. Sounds of tinkering, screws loosening, and welding could be heard as blue light flashed from between the metal crevices of the ball. The whole thing doubled in size before opening with a loud hiss, a cloud of steam enveloping the whole battlefield for a moment. With the sound of a drill spinning, it dispersed, revealing the pink and purple new Vehicroid and the giant drill on its front. All over its body, superheated blue lines lit up.

Abidos was stunned. "Truly, a behemoth of a monster."

"Thank you, but Power Bond isn't just a card to fuse monsters!" Syrus declared. "When Power Bond is used, it doubles the attack points of the monster summoned, in exchanging for dealing that boost in damage to its user at the end of the turn." Jumbo Drill activated its drill in three short bursts, it too lighting up with a faint blue color when activated (6000/2000).

"… there won't be an end of the turn." Abidos stated matter-of-factly.

"That's right; I'll finish you off right here and now! Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill, attack his Spirit of the Pharaoh!" Syrus flourished as he ordered his monster to attack and decided to add his own spin to it. "Jumbo Drill Piercer of Heavens!"

His monster turned into full throttle, ramming into its target while its superheated drill spun fast enough to create airwaves all around it. Spirit of the Pharaoh tried to block it by crossing its scepter and blade, but to no avail. The Vehicroid pierced through it and made a full stop just in front of Abidos, who's thrown back by the wind accompanying the monster, hitting the ground hard as he fell. (Syrus 700 / Abidos 0)

Once the duel was over, Syrus stumbled to the ground, landing on his butt as all the energy he'd build up to give him confidence left his body. "I … I did it. I won. I WON!" He cheered.

"That you did, my young friend." Abidos coughed, his body shacking as he got back on his feet. "Truly magnificent. Even if I didn't manage to complete my mission, I feel better than ever before."

Syrus stopped his cheering with a sheepish grin, rubbing his head as he looked at his opponent. "S-so what happens now?"

"Now, I will once again join my people and the other pharaohs in the afterlife. I have a feeling some of them have much to say after watching over me." Abidos said with a genuine smile. Behind him, a large ornate gate appeared, its double doors signed with hieroglyphs all over. When it opened, Abidos started to turn more translucent by the second. "I must thank you once more, and I will cheer you on in the future."

Syrus almost fell over again when he noticed a particular figure that resembled the King of Games himself reach out his hand for Abidos to take. The figure shot Syrus a brief smile and an appreciative nod before closing the gates and disappearing with his fellow pharaoh.

Rubbing his eyes, Syrus wasn't sure if he's hallucinating after getting hit too hard, but that guy really looked like Yugi-

"Hey, Sy!" The voice of Jaden rang in his ears.

Quickly looking around, he noticed his best friend had appeared from the forest.

"Sorry I went off track for so long. Have I missed anything?" Jaden asked with the same sheepish grin he just had moments ago.

"Bro!"

Another Shadow Rider bites the dust. At least both he and his opponent got a nice bit of development now, didn't they. Turns out Banner was in the know all along and has plans of his own, which are apparently progressing well, but who could his new pawn be I wonder? The gang now knows what to expect, even if whatever Blake has to look out for isn't all that clear. His state seems to be declining, however. Safe to say, there aren't many opponents left and time is running out without the heroes knowing.

I plan to finish the first season this year, so you have an idea what to expect. I'll probably have to shift gear to get the chapters done quicker, but I'll manage. We got 5-6 duels left, with one being either only partial, like Syrus' here, or omitted. I'll leave it up to you guys whether or not you want to see Chazz vs Camula. He isn't a main-main-character in this story, so I wouldn't mind skipping that. Plus, he gets more to do during season two, so that's that. Just let me know!

Reviews:
Thanks for the support, guys, love y'all!
D2268: If only characters were allowed to use their brains all the time and weren't turned into comedic relief, am I right? Definitely have a point with the global draining there, considering the state Kagemaru is in before and after getting the SBs. There will be questions to that when it fits, save to say someone might get those in earlier than others. Sorry if I've gaslit you with that mistake, I've fixed it after reading it over the same day you wrote your initial review ^^". Yuma's a bit too focused on other things, or maybe Tania didn't go so hard with the others? After all, Bastion was fine compared to Jaden and Blake after the Abandoned Dorm, and so did Syrus this time. If that theory's true that'd be pretty dope. And you're welcome!
Raidentensho: Oh, you will like what's coming then. Aster will get his own mini-arc to go through, since he's dealing with Sartorious and the American branch this time around. Gemini I can safely say no, but the duality is something to keep in mind for Blake. As to the GBs, who knoooooows ~
Guest: I mean, I totally could. I just have no one to give it to. Gemknights are cool, but no one really has space for that deck rn and Blake wouldn't fit either.
Guest (the other one): Tania has her priorities set straight, yo. No, no nerf the ninetailed, buff it. Give him a chakra cloak upgrade.
Peter Kim: Paleo-Frog is amazing, but as with Gemknights would need someone that fits it. Technically Bastion can do everything, his main deck was Water Dragon so close enough, but no. The decks vibes also feel more fitting for A Frog Out of Water.

That's it from me! See you next time!