This story was done in collaboration between me, Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and DaveMan1000 (both here and on DeviantART), and we own the OCs that are used in the story. AaronCottrell97 (known as stevecottrell on DeviantART) provided the Duel Layouts and additional ideas. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami
Gundam SEED characters, Orb, Blue Cosmos, M1 Astray, Strike Rouge, Murasame (c) Sunrise
Character of Lisa Drake (c) DaveMan1000
Character of David Xadashi (c) DaveMan1000
WARNING: Once again, this story is rated T for violence, some blood, suggestive themes, and some language. Reader discretion is advised.
WARNING 2: If you haven't read "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 2", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 4", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles (Pyramid of Light", "David Xadashi", "Lisa Drake", or "Team 4D's", you might want to do so before reading this story
Title: Deceptive Tranquility
Opening up in the stadium, the audience has been left to grapple with what that flaming dragon (the Crimson Dragon) was doing in the stadium, and why it even showed up when David Summoned 'Life Stream Dragon'. They assumed it was a glitch in the Solid Vision, but Azrael, however, was entirely convinced it was not a glitch. Team 4D's, Lisa, David, and Zack all had been briefly whisked away by the Crimson Dragon to see something very important, and when they were brought back, the entity finally disappeared.
"Boys, I know what that thing was," said Azrael, which brought the eyes of Orga, Clotho, and Shani towards him, "That was the legendary Crimson Dragon."
"The Crimson Dragon?" quizzed Orga, "Don't believe I've ever heard of it."
Clotho and Shani both shook their heads silently in response, showing they knew nothing about the Crimson Dragon either.
"I've heard a little bit of it, but I still don't know much, if anything, about the legend," Azrael pointed out, looking rather thoughtful, "You know what? I think we'll need to do some heavy research on it when we get back to Albany."
"We?" frowned Clotho, "Why would you want us three to help you research some legend, Headmaster Azrael?"
"Well, is that what you think?" Azrael pressed, merely smiling while being unfazed, "But aren't you guys at least a little bit curious about the Crimson Dragon like I am?"
The Bio-CPU boys thought about it before neither said anything more. Back on the track, both David and James R. were still thinking about why in the world the Crimson Dragon appeared and showed them and the others that uncertain future.
"Just…why did the Crimson Dragon show up and reveal to us a possible future?" wondered David, "I do not understand the reason behind it, at all."
"I don't get it either, man," replied James R., before grinning without a care in the world, "So, why don't we forget about our troubles and just continue with the duel? One of us needs to go down, and I don't think it's gonna be me."
After some hesitation on his part, David nodded in agreement. Currently, both duelists were at the following stands:
-James R. (LP: 700): Controlled 'Black-Winged Dragon' (Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1600), the face-up 'Black Whirlwind' Spell Card, and a Set card.
-David (LP: 550): Had just Synchro Summoned 'Life Stream Dragon' (Level: 8/ATK: 2900/DEF: 2400).
"I activate the first effect of 'Life Stream Dragon'!" announced David, recovering all of his LP (LP: 550 → 4000), "When this card is Synchro Summoned: I can make my LP become 4000."
"B-Back to 4000?!" cringed James R., "You basically just fully recovered from all of the damage I inflicted throughout!" He then went into his thoughts, "Man… And seeing as this is my first time going up against a monster like 'Life Stream Dragon', who knows what other tricks it may have."
In the stands…
"Say, Erica," began Mr. Kisaka, getting Ms. Simmons's attention, "Since you seem to know all about those other dragons, what do you know about 'Life Stream Dragon'?"
"I wish I knew, Ledonir," sighed Ms. Simmons, shaking her head, "This happens to be the first I'm hearing of and seeing 'Life Stream Dragon', so I barely know anything about it."
Mr. Kisaka listened before frowning in disappointment, but wasn't too disappointed over it. Back on the track, 'Life Stream Dragon' let out a roar while David took another card ('Dragon's Tranquil Barrage') from his hand and held it up in the air.
"Equip Spell, 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage', activate!" The aqua blue-haired boy went on, before slotting the card into his Duel Runner, "I must equip only to a Level 8 or higher Dragon Synchro Monster. The equipped monster can attack all monsters my opponent controls, once each, during each Battle Phase, but it must attack the monster with the highest ATK first. When it battles an opponent's monster, it gains ATK equal to half of its current ATK during damage calculation only."
James R. became nervous hearing that explanation, while in the audience…
"'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage' is a really rare and powerful card," commented Orga.
"Then why don't 'I' have a copy of it?!" complained Clotho, "It would be perfectly suitable for my 'Infernity Doom Dragon'!"
Shani snorted and leaned back in his seat, not really paying much attention to his friend's annoying whining about certain cards he did not have. Back on the track, 'Life Stream Dragon' glowed all white as it gained power, meaning it had been equipped with the 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage' Spell Card. Knowing he had a chance to win the duel, David took hold of it…
"Battle!" he exclaimed, entering the Battle Phase, "'Life Stream Dragon', let's finish this duel!"
'Life Stream Dragon', who was flying above The Wild Card', turned and faced 'Black-Winged Dragon' while waiting for the final command to attack.
"From the effect of 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage'," reminded Devid, "the equipped Dragon Synchro Monster will gain ATK equal to half of its current ATK during the damage calculation!"
'Life Stream Dragon', now glowing a golden color while charging something in its mouth, grew extra strong (ATK: 2900 → 4350).
"Life's Beauty Howl!" The voice of David yelled out.
And 'Life Stream Dragon' unleashed an extremely powerful blast of golden energy at 'Black-Winged Dragon'. Once the attack hit and destroyed the bird-like Dragon Synchro Monster, James R. would be defeated.
"I win, Hogan-kun!" David declared triumphantly.
"Are you sure about that?" retorted James R., now looking confident. When his slightly surprised opponent said nothing back, he spoke on while holding his Action Spell Card ('Evasion') out, "I still have this Action Spell on me! I activate 'Evasion'!"
Before long, 'Black-Winged Dragon' gracefully flew across the sky and avoided the enhanced Life's Beauty Howl.
"How in the-?!" gawked David.
"Well, that's too bad, Dave," teased James R., still holding out the 'Evasion Action Spell Card before sending it to his GY, "I've been holding onto this Action Card just for this exact moment. When a monster declares an attack: I must target that monster; I must negate the attack."
"What a save!" The voice of the MC was saying, "Just when it looked like James would lose, he manages to avoid such a defeat!"
David, watching as 'Life Stream Dragon's' ATK returned to normal (ATK: 4350 → 2900), continued to look stunned by his failed attack.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the stadium hallways, Lazar was busy sneaking around to find a safe, quiet spot to make a call. Once he did, he pulled out his cellphone, dialed a number, and waited until there was a response from the other line.
"Hello?" The voice of Rex replied.
"I take it you've seen the Crimson Dragon for yourself, governor?" questioned Lazar.
"Yes, I have. There's also a possibility the Signers have also witnessed the current future if 'they' aren't stopped in time."
"My word, wouldn't that be a crying shame?" The clown-like man remarked, before giggling sinisterly.
Oh dear, I wonder what that was all about?
(elsewhere…)
Back outside, The Wild Card and Blackbird roared down the track and by some Action Cards.
"I Set one card," As the voice of David spoke about his current turn, he made a face-down card appear on the field before it faded away for later use, "and then I'll Summon 'Morphtronic Boomboxen' in Defense Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a red and white boom-box (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 400).
"No doubt 'Life Stream Dragon's' gonna give me big time problems," thought James R., before casting a quick glance at the 'Black-Winged Dragon' flying above him, "'Black-Winged Dragon' alone won't be enough to bring that monster down. Thankfully, I still have another big monster waiting in reserve…" He finally drew a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Seven: James R. Hogan (LP: 700)
Deck: 47
Current Hand (1): "Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite"
Action Card: N/A
The second he saw his drawn 'Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite' Effect Monster Card…
"Alright!" rejoiced James R., "I've finally drawn it!"
David and the rest of the audience was surprised by the outburst. Before long, the final comeback move began.
"I Summon 'Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite'!" announced James R., placing his drawn card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner.
Appearing onto the field was a blue-haired 'Blackwing' monster decked out in armor (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000).
"And we can't forget the effect of my Continuous Spell, 'Black Whirlwind', right?" continued James R., taking a card ('Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr') from his Deck and readying it, "When a 'Blackwing' monster is Normal Summoned to my field: I can add 1 'Blackwing' monster from my Deck to my hand with less ATK than that monster. And wouldn't you know it? I'll Special Summon it right away!" He placed the card onto his Duel Runner, "Come, 'Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr'!"
Appearing onto the field was an orange and yellow feathered bird-like creature (Level: 3/ATK: 1100/DEF: 300).
"Here I go, Dave!" began James R., "My Level 3 'Breeze the Zephyr' tunes Level 4 'Zephyros the Elite'!"
'Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr' flew into the sky and turned into three Synchro Rings, which 'Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite' soared into before turning into four orbs of light as a Summon Chant from James R. ensued…
"Darkened gales, become the wings which will soar to the heavens!" chanted James R., as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown just before the four orbs within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! 'Blackwing Armor Master'!"
Appearing out of the beam of light and onto the field, was the mighty one-eyed 'Blackwing' monster, who happened to be the third ace of James R.'s Deck (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1500). The sight of both 'Black-Winged Dragon' and 'Blackwing Armor Master' continued to wow the audience—all except for certain people like Azrael and the three Bio-CPU boys.
"Hogan-kun has two of his ace monsters out," thought David, remembering 'Blackwing Armor Master' from James R.'s duel with Shani in round one, "What could he be up to?"
This was the answer…
"I activate the monster effect of 'Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite'!" declared James R., just as his face-up 'Black Whirlwind' Spell Card shattered into shards of glass and it (as a normal-looking card) reappeared in his hand, "If this card is in my GY: I can return 1 face-up card I control to the hand; I must Special Summon this card, and if I do, take 400 damage," While speaking, a card ('Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite') ejected from his GY, "By putting 'Black Whirlwind' back into my hand, I'll Special Summon 'Zephyros the Elite'!"
From there, 'Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite' returned to the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000).
"But, Hogan-kun, by doing that, you'll take 400 damage!" reminded David.
He had a point about that; 'Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite' glowed red and released a blast of energy into the sky before coming down towards Blackbird.
"Don't count me out just yet!" warned James R., before looking upward slightly and giving a command to one of his monsters, "'Black-Winged Dragon', Damage Drain!"
Obeying the command, 'Black-Winged Dragon' flew above Blackbird and took the attack head-on, surprising David a little bit. When it ended, some of 'Black-Winged Dragon's' feathers on its wings turned black.
"The first effect 'Black-Feather' activates!" yelled James R., "If I would take damage from a card effect, I must place 1 Black Feather Counter on this card instead."
"Hogan-kun, you do remember a side effect to that, right?" reminded David.
"I do indeed, and that's where my monster's second effect comes in. This card loses 700 ATK for each Black Feather Counter on it."
With one Black Feather Counter equipped, 'Black-Winged Dragon's' ATK dropped by 700 (ATK: 2800 → 2100). In the stands briefly…
"I remember this sort of play," recalled Shani, narrowing his eye(s), "This is how he defeated me…"
Back on the track, David looked pretty worried as his opponent continued with his turn.
"And now, I'll activate the third effect of 'Black-Feather'!" James R. went on, "Once per turn: I can remove all Black Feather Counters on this card, then target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls; that target loses 700 ATK for each Black Feather Counter I removed, and if it does, I must inflict damage to my opponent equal to the ATK lost by this effect," He then gave the command as 'Black-Winged Dragon' started charging an orb in its talons, "Black Burst!"
'Black-Winged Dragon' obeyed by letting out a bird-like roar, causing the burst to be fired towards 'Life Stream Dragon'. As soon as the attack collided, an explosion was left behind on the track. James R. grinned to himself, but gasped when he saw, as the smoke cleared away, David with his LP untouched (LP: 4000).
"Sorry, Hogan-kun, but you didn't damage me," The aqua blue-haired boy pointed out, "'Life Stream Dragon's' second effect activates…! I take no effect damage."
"Man…" grunted James R. in disappointment, "But your monster still loses 700 ATK!"
As pointed out, 'Life Stream Dragon's' ATK dropped by 700 (ATK: 2900 → 2200), while 'Black-Winged Dragon' regained its lost ATK from being equipped with a Black Feather Counter (ATK: 2100 → 2800).
"Next, I'll activate a Trap, 'Blackwing - Bombardment'!" The voice of James R. continued, as his Set card reappeared on the field, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I must Tribute 1 'Blackwing' monster, then target 1 face-up Synchro Monster I control; that Synchro Monster gains ATK equal to the Tributed monster's ATK, until the end of this turn!"
As expected, 'Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite' faded away in a blue streak.
"By offering 'Zephyros the Elite' as a Tribute, I'll target my 'Black-Winged Dragon' and increase its ATK by the offered monster's own ATK!"
"'Zephyros the Elite' had an ATK of 1600," realized David, "and that will increase 'Black-Winged Dragon's' ATK all the way to 4400!"
Sad to say it was true; 'Black-Winged Dragon' got supercharged with power (ATK: 2800 → 4400). In the audience…
"(お兄ちゃん!) O nīchan! (Big Brother!)" worried Gabriella, speaking in Japanese briefly, "His dragon is now weaker than Hogan-senpai's dragon! And even that Equip Spell it has won't be enough to save it!"
"To make things worse," put in Sean, "'Dave also can't save 'Life Stream Dragon' with its own effect of banishing an Equip Spell from his GY," While speaking on, clips of David shuffling his Equip Spells back into his Deck were shown in the black background, "Remember? Earlier on, he used his Trap Card, 'Power Break', to send his Equip Spells back into his Deck."
"And to double that, both attacks from James will send Dave down to 400 LP!" finished Janice.
Back on the track, the Battle Phase began.
"Let's do it!" whooped James R., "'Armor Master', you're up first to attack!"
Such a command surprised Sean, Janice, Gabriella, Futaba, and Ren. 'Blackwing Armor Master', meanwhile, obeyed the battle command, swooping in to punch 'Life Stream Dragon'.
"Hogan-kun, are you crazy!?" scolded David, "'Armor Master' can't destroy 'Life Stream Dragon', not while my monster is equipped with 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage'!"
From there, 'Life Stream Dragon' glowed all white as it temporarily grew stronger once again (ATK: 2200 → 3300).
"Go forth, 'Life Stream'!" hollered David, making a counterattack, "Life's Beauty Howl!"
'Life Stream Dragon' countered with a powerful blast of golden energy, striking 'Blackwing Armor Master' and leaving another massive explosion behind.
"It's over!" boomed the MC, slamming his left hand down onto the podium, "With the destruction of 'Armor Master' due to a blunder of James's part, David Xadashi is the winner!"
"Who says it's over?" The voice of James R. echoed, sounding rather triumphant, "In fact…"
From the blanket of thick smoke, an unharmed 'Blackwing Armor Master' suddenly managed to burst through.
"(何?!) Nani?! (What?!)" cried David in Japanese.
Blackbird then came bursting out of the smoke, and James R. was shown smirking with his LP gauge also remaining unharmed (LP: 700). The audience was also surprised by the ace duelist surviving the attack by 'Life Stream Dragon'.
"Alright, 'Blackwing Armor Master', complete your attack!" ordered James R., while 'Blackwing Armor Master' continued charging towards the opposition, "Black Hurricane!"
'Blackwing Armor Master' obeyed, raising his right fist and punching 'Life Stream Dragon' across the chest, causing the monster to roar and writhe in pain while 'Blackwing Armor Master' backed off.
"What happened?" quizzed David, surprised over the fact his opponent was still in the game. He was looking over his shoulder at 'Blackwing Armor Master' and Blackbird, "Why wasn't 'Armor Master' destroyed, and why was your LP not depleted?"
"My 'Armor Master' has a very useful first effect," teased James R., "It cannot be destroyed by battle, and I take no battle damage from attacks involving this card," He continued speaking as David looked very surprised, "However, that's not what I'm aiming for. Why don't you take a closer look at your 'Life Stream Dragon'?"
When 'Blackwing Armor Master' retreated back onto James R.'s field, David squinted his eyes a tad so he could get a closer look at 'Life Stream Dragon' and gasped at what he saw.
"What is that?!" The aqua blue-haired boy demanded.
In 'Life Stream Dragon's' chest was a black shard. In the audience, the rest of Team 4D's knew exactly what was going on.
"It's called a Wedge Counter, and it's part of my 'Armor Master's' second effect," explained James R., as clips of 'Blackwing Armor Master' attacking 'Life Stream Dragon' and leaving behind a Wedge Counter were superimposed over him, "At the end of the Damage Step, if this card attacked a monster: I can place 1 Wedge Counter on that monster (max. 1)," The clips ended there, "There's also a third effect, and it's one I'm gonna use immediately… I can remove all Wedge Counters from my opponent's monsters; the ATK/DEF of those monsters that had Wedge Counters become 0 until the end of this turn."
"Now I get it!" cried David, "That's why you attacked with 'Blackwing Armor Master' first! It was so you could equip 'Life Stream Dragon' with a Wedge Counter, then you could remove it and weaken my monster enough so that your powered up 'Black-Feather' can defeat me in one turn!"
"Ah, so you figured it out just now?" James R. laughed heartily, "Well, it's too late to cry over it!"
In the stands…
"Unless David can pick up a helpful Action Card," said Futaba urgently, "he'll lose once James attacks 'Life Stream Dragon' using 'Black-Feather'!"
Back on the track…
"Alright, I'm activating 'Armor Master's' third effect!" boomed James R., "I'm removing that Wedge Counter from 'Life Stream', reducing both its ATK and DEF all the way to 0!"
The Wedge Counter in 'Life Stream Dragon's' chest cracked apart, leaving the Dragon Tuner Synchro Monster very weakened (ATK: 2200 → 0/DEF: 2400 → 0). Panicked that he was about to lose the duel, David looked around hastily for an Action Card but saw none around him. Fortunately, there was one located up ahead. The bad news? The Action Card was still very far away.
"I must reach it!" David told himself, revving The Wild Card and roaring ahead.
"You can't outrun this attack, Dave! This duel is all mine!" insisted James R., before looking upward at 'Black-Winged Dragon' in the sky, who seemed very eager to end the match, "'Black-Winged Dragon', attack 'Life Stream Dragon'!"
'Black-Winged Dragon' and 'Life Stream Dragon' both flew out of the stadium until they were higher and higher in the sky. That way, they would have plenty of room to square off.
"Noble Stream!" The voice of James R. screamed.
'Black-Winged Dragon' fired a powerful blast towards 'Life Stream Dragon'. Back below, David cursed to himself as he saw the attack coming towards his ace monster. Looking ahead, he reached out towards the Action Card. At last… David picked it up, and it was one he could use to save himself.
"Action Spell, 'Choice Choice', activate!" David declared, holding his Action Spell Card out, "During damage calculation: I must activate 1 of these effects."
These were the effects written on the Action Card:
-"Monsters cannot be destroyed by this battle."
-"Any battle damage from this battle becomes halved."
Noble Stream struck 'Life Stream Dragon', destroying the weaker dragon in a massive explosion from within the sky.
"I'm choosing the second effect!" said David unformingly, taking major battle damage (LP: 4000 → 1800), "I'm going to halve the battle damage from your attack, Hogan-kun!"
When the smoke finally cleared away in the sky, 'Life Stream Dragon' was shown to be gone while 'Black-Winged Dragon' let out a roar of triumph. In the stands…
"I hate to say this—wait, no I don't," remarked Lisa, "It looks like James and his 'Black-Winged Dragon' are gonna win out."
"Don't be so sure about that, Lisa," Ms. Simmons said seriously, "David might have lost 'Life Stream', but he still has one more Set card that's yet to be activated."
"Do you have any idea what it could be?" pondered Asagi.
"We'll have to wait and see," figured Mayura.
However, from the look of things, they weren't going to need to wait for very long. Back on the dueling field…
"I activate a Trap, 'Armored Back'!" The voice of David announced, as his remaining Set card reappeared on the field behind The Wild Card, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "When a monster I control equipped with an Equip Spell is destroyed: I must Special Summon that monster from the GY, and if I do, equip it with the Equip Spell it was equipped with," He smiled grimly as he finished his explanation, "It cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects this turn."
"Say what?!" gasped James R. in surprise.
"Sorry, Hogan-kun, but you heard me right," David pointed out, as his GY started glowing all white, "Resurrect, 'Life Stream Dragon'!"
In a burst of light, 'Life Stream Dragon' reappeared in the sky (Level: 8/ATK: 2900/DEF: 2400). Unfortunately, that wasn't the worst bit…
"With 'Life Stream Dragon' back, I can also equip the Equip Spell it was equipped with when destroyed," As David spoke, a card ('Dragon's Tranquil Barrage') ejected from his GY, and he took hold of and held it out, "That card, as we all know, is 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage'! I must equip only to a Level 8 or higher Dragon Synchro Monster," In the sky, as the explanation went on, 'Life Stream Dragon' glowed a golden yellow in color as it started gaining more and more power, "The equipped monster can attack all monsters my opponent controls, once each, during each Battle Phase, but it must attack the monster with the highest ATK first. When it battles an opponent's monster, it gains ATK equal to half of its current ATK during damage calculation only."
"I… I don't believe it!" stammered James R., completely stunned by the turnaround, "I thought I had this duel all won, but, in a flash, not only was my attack combo not enough to do the trick, my 'Black-Winged Dragon' is now deeply vulnerable to a final attack by 'Life Stream'."
In the stands…
"James…" whispered Matt.
"You guys know what this means, don't you?" came from Michael.
"Dave turned things around with only an Action Card and a Trap Card," replied Carlie, "His LP were spared from getting fully depleted, and he brought back 'Life Stream Dragon' equipped with 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage'."
"That means James, once Dave-boy takes his turn, is going to lose the duel," added Discord.
Back on the duel track, James R. looked very surprised, and dismayed, at how things had come to this. Just then, he bowed his head, closed his eyes, and smiled.
"I…end my turn," admitted James R. without a hint of regret. He then opened his eyes and pointed into the sky at 'Black-Winged Dragon', "As of this moment, the effect of 'Blackwing - Bombardment' comes to an end!"
'Black-Winged Dragon's' ATK returned to normal (ATK: 4400 → 2800).
"This was one of the best duels I ever got to take part in," James R. went on, "One of us had to win, and, in the end, it…looks like it won't be me."
"Hogan-kun…" whispered David.
"So, come on! Bring on your attack, man! It's all good!"
In the audience, everyone watching, including the MC, was amazed, except for Azrael and the Bio-CPU boys, over seeing how mature and accepting James R. was acting over how he was about to be defeated. Finally, David drew a card and took his turn.
Turn Eight: David Xadashi (LP: 1800)
Deck: 48
Current Hand (1): "Extra Shave Reborn"
Action Card: N/A
"Battle!" yelled David, entering the Battle Phase without wasting a second, "I will use 'Life Stream Dragon' to attack 'Black-Winged Dragon'!"
'Life Stream Dragon' obeyed, flying towards 'Black-Winged Dragon' and wrapping its hands around the bird-like dragon's neck to prevent any sort of escape.
"Right now, the effect of 'Dragon's Tranquil Barrage' activates!" David went on, "At damage calculation, the equipped Level 8 or higher Dragon Synchro Monster gains ATK equal to half of its current ATK!"
In the sky, 'Life Stream Dragon', with its hands still wrapped around 'Black-Winged Dragon's' neck, grew stronger (ATK: 2900 → 4350). From there, 'Life Stream Dragon', glowing all gold-like once more, opened its mouth and began charging an attack.
"Life's Beauty Howl!" The voice of David commanded.
Back in the sky, the golden energy blast from 'Life Stream Dragon' was fired, and it hit 'Black-Winged Dragon' at point-blank range. When the attack ended, 'Black-Winged Dragon' was let go and fell lifelessly from the sky and into the stadium below, leaving a massive explosion after colliding with the track. Speaking of track, Blackbird overheated and released steam, bringing the Duel Runner to a stop as James R.'s LP dropped to 0 (LP: 700 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: David Xadashi wins!
After the remaining holograms faded away along with a moment of stunned silence, the whole stadium broke into applause for both duelists (the exceptions being, again, Azrael and his students).
"What a duel, everyone!" proclaimed Megan, still speaking into the camera, "It's probably disappointing for you James Hogan fans out there, but David should still be given big time credit for managing to hold his own and defeat one of the strongest duelists here in America!"
All across the stadium, people were continuing to happily applaud James R. and David for the great duel. Lisa could even be seen applauding in equal happiness, and she was mostly looking at David rather than James R.—which her friends and teachers noticed quickly.
"Lisa?" pondered Ms. Simmons.
Realizing what she was doing, Lisa blushed and quickly leaned back and folded her arms, pretending to not be phased by the events that just occurred.
"You know, I'm a little disappointed over James losing the duel," admitted Mayura, but still managed to to smile regarding James R., "Still, he fought very well, and he also really surprised and impressed me with the use of 'Blackwing Armor Master'."
Asagi grinned mischievously, "Oh?" she cracked, "Could this perhaps be a sign that you 'like' James more than as a friend? Hmm… What do you think, Juri?"
"Sure sounds like it, Asagi," agreed Juri cheekily.
"D-Don't be ridiculous, you two," denied Mayura, looking away while slightly embarrassed.
Asagi, Juri, Ms. Simmons (yes, even her), Mr. Kisaka, and Lisa all shared a hearty laugh at the tomboyish, red-haired young woman's expense. Back on the track, James R. got off Blackbird, removed his helmet, and started walking over to see David, who removed his own helmet before running the fingers of his right hand into his aqua blue hair.
"Yo, Dave," began James R., holding his right hand out, "Congratulations for winning this duel. I had lots of fun even though I lost."
"Y-Yeah," agreed David. The noise of the crowd almost drowned out his response, but James R. clearly acknowledged the discomfort in David's tone of voice. Quickly composing himself, the aqua blue-haired boy held out his right hand towards James R., "You were a very formidable opponent, Hogan-kun."
Both duelists shook hands. In the stands, Ren and Futaba both noticed their son didn't look very enthusiastic even after winning and being congratulated.
"Oh dear…" worried Futaba.
"I know, honey," acknowledged Ren, "I know…"
Sean, Janice, and Gabriella each noticed the concerned looks on both adults' faces before getting a general idea over what they were worried about.
"No matter what happens, he 'still' can't enjoy himself," Sean sighed, becoming worried himself.
Janice and Gabriella both didn't say anything, but they, especially the latter, were just as worried for David.
(elsewhere…)
Inside one of the garages ten minutes later, Orga was busy suiting up for his duel against Michael. Not only were Clotho and Shani both there, Azrael was also present, too.
"It's time, Orga," remarked Azrael.
"It sure is, Headmaster Azrael," agreed Orga, as he finished adjusting his motorcyclist suit, "My duel is against Michael Atlas."
"Now, I don't have to remind you that you are Blue Cosmos' last chance for success in this tournament," Azrael went on, pacing back and forth a little bit. He then stopped, turned to face Orga, and became stern-looking, "You and the others know the penalty if you let the entire school down, don't you?"
Orga and the other two Bio-CPU boys became worried; they knew exactly what would happen if Orga were to be eliminated from the tournament. In fact, it was a common punishment they and their fellow students endured to get to where they were today as there, a flashback commenced.
FLASHBACK
In one flashback… Flashback Orga, as a teenager, screamed as he was subjected to electrical shock during a practice duel. The Duel Disk he was wearing was designed to violently shock the wearer if he or she took any damage in the duel.
(new scene…)
In another clip, Flashback Clotho, also as a teenager, was being viciously attacked by one of his teachers while having a Turbo Duel. To be more precise, the teacher actually bashed his Duel Runner into Flashback Clotho's Duel Runner until Flashback Clotho was thrown from the vehicle.
(new scene…)
In yet another clip, Flashback Shani, as a younger teenager, was brutally thrown into a nearby wall by one of the teachers after losing a practice duel. It was clear that the teacher was less than happy with his student's weak dueling performance, and was keen on showing that anger to make sure the student didn't forget the lesson.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended. The three Bio-CPU boys each had been to "Hell" in order to learn how to become powerful duelists. It was awful, but they put up with it because they never wanted to lose again.
"Well?" pressed Azrael, not letting up. "You do realize what will happen to you, Shani, and Clotho if you're eliminated from the tournament, right?"
At last, Orga, trying his absolute hardest to not show any fear, looked his headmaster square in the eye and made his promise.
"Y-Yes, Headmaster Azrael," The mustard yellow-haired young man vowed, "I promise to defeat my opponent and then win this whole tournament in the name of you and Blue Cosmos."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that," smiled Azrael, then turning to leave, "I'll be in the stands, watching how you duel throughout. Don't let me down."
Orga, Clotho, and Shani each watched as their headmaster then left the garage. When they were finally alone, the latter two male Blue Cosmos students looked to their best friend (and group leader).
"You heard Headmaster Azrael, Orga!" warned Clotho, "Since Shani and I are out, all three of us are gonna be punished if you lose this duel!"
"So do us a favor and win!" added Shani.
Orga scoffed, "Just relax, you two," he reassured, "I defeated one of those dragon-users in round one. I think I can handle that so-called 'King'."
"Don't forget that Shani and I both lost to users of those dragons," reminded Clotho sharply, "And from what we've seen at the end of the first round, Michael Atlas, behind Matt Fudo, is one of the strongest duelists in the world!"
"And even though Carlie did lose to you, she still put up a tough battle," added Shani. He then scowled over having to bring something up, "Plus, and I really hate to say it, I lost to James…"
Orga, picking up and slipping his helmet on, ignored the warnings. Inserting his Deck into the holder on his left hand, he then climbed aboard his Duel Runner, Calamity, revved the vehicle up, and drove out of the garage, leaving Clotho and Shani both behind looking very annoyed over having their warnings about Team 4D's deliberately ignored by their friend and group leader.
"As smart as he is, sometimes he can be so dumb," grumbled Shani.
"Tell me something I 'don't' know," agreed Clotho.
With nothing else better to do, they both exited the garage and returned to the stadium to watch the upcoming carnage—err, duel.
(elsewhere…)
While that was going on, Michael, again decked out in his white motorcyclist suit, was in another garage making sure Wheel of Fortune was prepared for the brutal duel ahead. Eventually, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him…
"Yo, Mike!" The voice of Lisa echoed from outside, "You still here?"
Entering the garage was, indeed, Lisa. Looking up from his work, Michael was somewhat surprised to see the pink-haired girl.
"Lisa?" pondered Michael, "What brings you here?"
"What, can't a friend come to see another friend before he heads out for a major duel?" grinned Lisa. When Michael said nothing in response, she, reaching into her jacket pocket, continued, "Besides, there's a reason I needed to see you before your duel with Orga; I have something for you."
She handed a card to Michael, who looked at it with interest. It was a DARK Fiend Synchro Monster Card called 'Chaos King Archfiend'.
"Why give this card to me?" asked Michael.
"Well, that card really fits your image as 'King'," winked Lisa, "In all seriousness though, it could be of great assistance for your duel," She then started to leave, "And besides, friends help each other out. And, after all, we're friends."
As soon as he was alone, Michael looked at his new card one last time before shuffling it into the Extra Deck slot on his Duel Disk. He then approached Wheel of Fortune, slipped his helmet on, climbed aboard, revved it up, and roared out of the garage.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the stadium, the crowd again burst into cheers as both Calamity and Wheel of Fortune emerged from the right and left gateways and drove towards the starting lines. While waiting, Orga and Michael both glared at each other hatefully.
"You're going down!" threatened Orga.
Michael frowned, but said nothing; that Orga guy defeated one of his friends (Carlie) in a duel, and he (Michael) was going to avenge that loss. Before long, a small, sinister smile appeared on his face.
"Huh?" wondered Orga.
Just then, Michael started addressing the audience…
"Listen up!" The lime green-haired young man yelled out, "Let me ask you all a question! How much power would I need to use to win against such an easy opponent?!"
Orga gawked when he (Orga) heard from Michael that he (again Orga) would be an easy opponent to beat. In the stands, Mayura immediately stood up from her seat to answer the question.
"As much as you need!" called Mayura.
"That's right!" agreed Michael, "Though if I use too much power, the duel would end so soon. After all, the King's dueling must be entertainment for all!" He (Michael) then turned towards Orga, "In this duel, I will defeat this pathetic dog of a duelist without taking a single point of damage!"
This resulted in the crowd going "Oooohhh!" and "Aaaahhh!" in addition to more cheers and applause from those who were not from Blue Cosmos. Orga, however, was nearly red-faced with anger over the declaration, especially in basically being called weak by his opponent.
"Nobody gets away with calling me 'weak'!" he hollered in fury, while in his mind, "No matter what, I'm gonna annihilate you by any means necessary!"
"Oh, wow! Both sides waste absolutely no time in trading insults!" remarked the MC, comically missing the whole point, "In that case, let's get down to the duel! Action Field, on! 'Crossover Acceleration'!"
This caused the dueling track around them to glow as several Duel Monsters cards began to appear floating in little balls of light all around the track. Not only that, both Orga and Michael pressed a button on their respective Duel Runners.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the two, respective Duel Runners, "Autopilot activated."
From there, the countdown began. As soon as it was down to three ticks…
"Turbo Duel! Acceleration!" boomed the MC, the moment the ticks finally ran out.
Both Wheel of Fortune and Calamity tore down the track. As expected, Wheel of Fortune won the race easily because it was faster and stronger. This gave Michael the first turn of the duel.
"And the King gets to go first!" The voice of the MC declared.
"It's my turn!" began Michael, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn One: Michael Atlas (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Wandering King Wildwind", "Assault Revival", "Dark Resonator", "Synchro Barrier", "Archfiend Interceptor", and "Fiendish Chain"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Fiendish Chain', Adding it into his hand (which also contained 'Wandering King Wildwind', 'Assault Revival', 'Dark Resonator', 'Synchro Barrier', and 'Archfiend Interceptor'), he took another card ('Dark Resonator') and readied it in-between the right and middle fingers of his right hand.
"From my hand, I'll Summon the Tuner monster, 'Dark Resonator'!" continued Michael, placing his card onto his Duel Disk.
Appearing onto the field was the 'Resonator' Fiend monster with a drum on its back and a mallet and tuning fork in its hands (Level: 3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 300).
"Just great! A Tuner appeared…" grumbled Orga.
"If I control a Fiend Tuner with 1500 or less ATK, I can Special Summon this card (from my hand)," explained Michael, taking another card from his hand, going over its first effect, and placing it onto his Duel Disk after a few seconds, "If Summoned this way, I cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck for the rest of this turn, except Synchro Monsters. Appear now, 'Wandering King Wildwind'!"
Appearing onto the field was a beast wearing a green cape (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1300). From there…
"My Level 3 'Dark Resonator' tunes Level 4 'Wandering King Wildwind'!" announced Michael, before 'Dark Resonator' and 'Wandering King Wildwind' rose into the sky. He then added, "Lend me your strength, Lisa!"
'Dark Resonator' struck its tuning fork with the mallet, causing it to turn into three Synchro Rings, which 'Wandering King Wildwind' dove into before turning into four orbs of light as Michael echoed a Summon Chant throughout.
"The beating pulse of the new ruler, emerge from within the chaos!" chanted Michael, as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly before the four orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, which slammed onto Wheel of Fortune on the track, "Synchro Summon! With pride, 'Chaos King Archfiend'!"
Appearing onto the field before posing for battle, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was a rather formal-looking 'Archfiend' monster with a flaming wing for the forearms (Level: 7/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2600). In the audience…
"Hold on a minute, where did Mike get a card like that?" questioned James R., having never seen Michael use 'Chaos King Archfiend' before.
"You got me," replied Matt, who also never saw that monster before.
The rest of the crowd was surprised to see Michael using that monster, since he never did in the past (it wasn't in his Extra Deck). Over with the Orb representatives, Lisa, despite not hearing the question, grinned to herself, seeing as she was the one who gave that card to Michael. Back on the track, Michael took two more cards from his hand and slotted them into his Duel Disk.
"I Set two cards…" As Michael spoke, he made two face-down cards materialize on the field around Wheel of Fortune before fading away for later use, "…and end my turn!" He then looked over his (Michael) shoulder at Orga with a cold smile on his (again Michael) face, "Now, challenger, it's your turn! Be a good clown and entertain me well."
The 'clown' comment caused some of the audience (especially Juri) to giggle in response. Needless to say, Orga did not, and I mean 'not', take the stinging words of the taunt all that well.
"I'm 'nobody's' clown, you hear?!" screamed Orga, drawing a card furiously and fiercely, "When I'm through with you, you're going to regret the day you 'ever' picked up a Deck!"
Michael kept the smile on his face, knowing that this was going to be fun… Very fun.
Turn Two: Orga Sabnak (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Test Ape", "Test Tiger", "Defensive Tactics", "Gladiator Beast Vespasius", "Gladiator Beast's Comeback", and "Test Fusion"
Action Card: N/A
Without wasting a second, Orga held his drawn card ('Test Fusion') out.
"Spell Card, 'Test Fusion', activate!" he declared, "I must Fusion Summon 1 'Gladiator Beast' Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions, using monsters from my hand as Fusion Material."
Once Orga sent his activated card to the GY, he took two more cards ('Test Ape' and 'Test Tiger') from his hand and held them up.
"The monsters I'll use for the Fusion Summon are 'Test Ape' and 'Test Tiger'!" continued Orga, "Go, 'Test Ape' and 'Test Tiger'!"
Two test animal-like monsters briefly appeared on the field before being sucked into the Fusion Vortex in the sky.
"Behind every great warrior is an even greater trainer to keep them mighty and strong!" chanted Orga, before bringing his hands together, "Contact Fusion! Come forth, 'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor'!"
Appearing on the field, once the Fusion Summon sequence had finished, was the very same panther-like warrior in red armor wielding a staff. The new 'Gladiator Beast' monster pointed his staff out with a loud cry (Level: 8/ATK: 2400/DEF: 3000).
"That's the one!" recalled the MC, "The same monster that defeated Carlie Izayoi in round one! What are the odds of seeing it this soon in the duel?!"
In the audience, Carlie frowned when she saw 'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor', remembering how it managed to destroy her 'Black Rose Dragon' and reduce her LP to 0. Much of the audience also remained in concern that what Orga could do to 'Chaos King Archfiend' would be similar to what he did to 'Black Rose Dragon'.
"Now, I don't have a second 'Gladiator Beast' monster out yet, but I will shortly!" bragged Orga, "When that happens, I don't think you need to hear what I plan to do."
"Who says you'll get the chance to do that?" remarked Michael harshly, causing Orga to ease up. He then made one of his Set cards reappear on the field, "Continuous Trap, 'Fiendish Chain', activate!"
The face-down card flipped face-up and revealed itself, causing chains to launch from the activated card and entangle 'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor'.
"What the hell?!" cried Orga.
"I must activate this card by targeting 1 Effect Monster on the field; I must negate the effects of that face-up monster while it is on the field, also that face-up monster cannot attack. When it is destroyed, I must destroy this card," explained Michael scornfully, before narrowing his eyes over the pitiful strategy used by his opponent to try and gain an edge, "Did you really think your best strategy would work against me? You're too naive! The one true King must be prepared for any and all such tactics!"
The counter strategy brought joy and excitement to the crowd.
"Amazing!" said Lisa pleasantly, "'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor' gave Carlie problems and even defeated her, yet Mike was able to stop it in its tracks without trouble."
"After all, Mike is a duelist nobody should ever mess around with," Asagi pointed out.
Mayura, Mr. Kisaka, and Ms. Simmons each nodded in agreement. Juri, meanwhile, was staring silently at Michael in admirement. Over with Megan…
"That's the King for you!" The raven-haired young woman commented enthusiastically, "Whatever the opponent tries, he always stays two or even three steps ahead!" She then smiled dreamily and went off topic, "Now if only someday a special young woman will rise up as his Dueling Queen… I wonder if 'I' could become that eventual Queen?"
Ken sighed with comical annoyance, but knew he had to put up with it. Back on the track, Orga was seething hard over the fact his opponent was making a complete mockery of him.
"You… you…!" hissed Orga, taking a card from his hand and placing it onto his Duel Runner. Along the way, he made quite possible the biggest mistake of them all, "Hear me now, 'Former King'! I'm gonna take you down in this duel no matter what!" From there, a face-down card materialized onto the field in-front of Calamity before fading away for later use, "I Set one card and end my turn!"
Hearing and being called the name 'Former King' did not amuse Michael in the slightest. In fact, it greatly infuriated him, seeing as it made him remember how he lost his champion title to Matt years ago while also realizing the error of his ways while he was the King. The last person (Vinnie Montreal) who called him that term, he was dealt with without mercy. In fact, anybody except for his friends who called him 'Former King' would be crushed by all of his power.
"You have just signed your own death warrant," warned Michael angrily, "To refer to me as the 'Former King' is nothing more than an indignant spit in the face! It's unforgivable!" A flaming aura then began to surround him in response to the anger, "The insult will not go unpunished! As of now, I will show you no mercy!"
"Bring it on!" dared Orga.
Both Duel Runners roared down the track as the audience watched with excitement. From there, Michael drew a card and took his turn.
"It's my turn!" he exclaimed.
Turn Three: Michael Atlas (LP: 4000)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (3): "Assault Revival", "Archfiend Interceptor", and "Assault Mode Activate"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was the 'Assault Mode Activate' Trap Card. Adding the card into his hand, he then held his right hand out.
"As of now, I'm activating the effect of the 'Wandering King Wildwind' in my GY!" continued Michael, as a card ('Wandering King Wildwind') ejected from his GY before fading away into oblivion, "During my Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: I can banish this card from my GY; I must add 1 Fiend Tuner with 1500 or less ATK from my Deck to my hand."
From there, another card slipped from the Deck, which he subsequently took and placed onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk.
"I Summon 'Red Resonator'!" shouted Michael.
Appearing onto the field was the 'Resonator' monster with the theme of red/fire on its form (Level: 2/ATK: 600/DEF: 200).
"When this card is Normal Summoned: I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from my hand," While speaking, Michael took another card from his hand and placed it onto his Duel Disk, "Appear now, 'Archfiend Interceptor'!"
Appearing onto the field was a four-armed 'Archfiend' monster dressed as a Football player (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1600).
"My Level 2 'Red Resonator' tunes Level 4 'Archfiend Interceptor'!"
As the command was being given, 'Red Resonator' hit the tuning fork with its baton. The vibrations turned the Tuner monster into two Synchro Rings, which overwhelmed 'Archfiend Interceptor' and turned it into four orbs of light as a Summon Chant was heard.
"Crimson Dragon, light up the path that calls upon the flaming demon!" chanted Michael, as the symbols 4 + 2 = 6 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the two Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Come forth, 'Red Rising Dragon'!"
Appearing from the beam of light and soon flying above Wheel of Fortune, was what looked like a smaller, weaker-but still powerful, version of 'Red Dragon Archfiend' (Level: 6/ATK: 2100/DEF 1600).
"'Red Rising Dragon'!" growled Orga.
"The first effect of 'Red Rising Dragon' will activate!" proclaimed Michael, taking a card ('Red Resonator') from his GY and readying it, "When this card is Synchro Summoned: I can target 1 'Resonator' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon it. I cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck the turn I activate this effect, except DARK Dragon Synchro Monsters," He placed the card onto his Duel Disk, "Resurrect, 'Red Resonator'!"
Reappearing on the field was 'Red Resonator' (Level: 2/ATK: 600/DEF: 200).
"When this card is Special Summoned: I can target 1 face-up monster on the field; I must gain LP equal to its ATK," explained Michael. He then pointed at 'Chaos King Archfiend', "I will target 'Chaos King Archfiend' and increase my LP by its ATK of 2600!"
'Chaos King Archfiend' and 'Red Resonator' both glowed blue for a moment, causing Michael to also glow blue and gain more LP (LP: 4000 → 6600).
"6600 LP?!" gawked Orga.
"That guy!" growled Shani.
In the stands, Azrael, without saying anything, was not at all pleased with how Orga was faring in the duel so far. Back on the track, the big move had finally come…
"My Level 2 'Red Resonator' tunes Level 6 'Red Rising Dragon'!" declared Michael.
The MC's eyes widened, while there was a big smile on his face as he waited for 'it' to appear. Meanwhile, 'Red Resonator' once again hit the tuning fork with its baton. The vibrations then turned the Tuner monster into two Synchro Rings, which 'Red Rising Dragon' flew into and turned it into six orbs of light as a Summon Chant boomed throughout.
"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power!" chanted Michael, as the symbols 6 + 2 = 8 were shown briefly just before the six orbs of light within the two Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! My very soul, 'Red Dragon Archfiend'!"
Out of the massive beam of light and flying above Wheel of Fortune, was none other than the mighty fiendish dragon (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000).
"It's back again!" wailed the MC excitedly, "The King's ace, 'Red Dragon Archfiend'!"
"Damn it…" muttered Orga, knowing he was in for a very rough battle.
From there, Michael made his Wheel of Fortune turn around to face the opponent (while still moving forward on the track itself).
"Battle!" The lime green-haired young man thundered, entering the Battle Phase while growing more vicious by the passing second, "Pathetic clown! Accept the honor of being crushed by the power of the King! 'Red Daemon's', attack 'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor'!" While announcing his monster's attack name, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' opened its mouth and letting some flames out to light its right fist on-fire, "Absolute Powerforce!"
And from there, 'Red Dragon Archfiend' flew forth and tried to slash its flaming claw at the chained up 'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor'.
"Hold it right there!" interrupted Orga.
"Hm?" pondered Michael.
"I wanted you to attack, y'know?" Orga went on, taking a card ('Gladiator Beast Vespasius') from his hand and showing it for a few seconds, "At the start of the Damage Step, if my 'Gladiator Beast' monster battles a monster: I can Special Summon 'Gladiator Beast Vespasius' from my hand," He then placed the card onto his Duel Runner, "Come forth, 'Vespasius'!"
Appearing onto the field was a Sea Serpent-like creature dressed in armor and brandishing a sword (Level: 7/ATK: 2300/DEF: 0).
"Best of all, this monster has an additional effect that will make my monsters a lot stronger," grinned Orga, "While I control this card, Special Summoned by the effect of a 'Gladiator Beast' monster, all monsters I control gain 500 ATK."
'Gladiator Beast Vespasius' (ATK: 2300 → 2800) and 'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor' (ATK: 2400 → 2900) both grew stronger.
"It's not enough!" snapped Michael, before giving his ace monster another order, "'Red Daemon's', destroy 'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor'!"
'Red Dragon Archfiend' resumed its attack on the entangled 'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor'. Just before the former's Absolute Powerforce could strike the latter…
"It won't be enough, is that what you're you say?" taunted Orga, "You're an idiot, 'Former King'! Do you really believe that I'm stupid enough to allow your reckless attack to even hit me? Hardly!" He then made his face-down card reappear on the field in-front of Calamity, "Face-down card, open! 'Defensive Tactics'!"
The Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself.
"If I control a face-up 'Gladiator Beast' monster: For the rest of this turn, monsters I control cannot be destroyed by battle, and any battle damage I take is reduced to 0," Orga explained, before letting out a evil laugh, "Your soul now can't destroy my monsters NOR damage me! Just watch!"
'Red Dragon Archfiend's' flaming fist was about to collide with the entangled 'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor' when a magical barrier formed around the enemy monster, eventually pushing 'Red Dragon Archfiend' back.
"My monster survived, and I took NO damage!" boasted Orga. He then took his card and placed it into the bottom of his Deck, "Then after 'Defensive Tactics' resolves, I must put it on the bottom of my Deck. This means I can Set and use my card again if I draw it."
"Oh my! This is really bad!" panicked the MC, "The King is now in a really difficult position! If 'Chaos King Archfiend' does not attack, it will be destroyed at the end of this turn because of 'Red Dragon Archfiend's' second effect!"
In the stands, over 90% of the audience appeared distressed over the bad situation Michael appeared to be in.
"What will he do about it?!" The voice of the MC finished urgently.
"I bet I know what will happen," said Clotho smugly, "Mike will likely end his Battle Phase and destroy 'Chaos King Archfiend' at the End Phase, therefore wasting a perfectly good card."
But to his surprise, Michael, after driving Wheel of Fortune to a nearby Action Card and picking it up, had other plans…
"I will attack 'Gladiator Beast Vespasius' with 'Chaos King Archfiend'!" he announced.
"What?!" gawked Orga.
In the stands, a good portion of the audience didn't think they heard that right; was Michael really going to attack an enemy monster that was stronger than his own? Even if he found a way to raise 'Chaos King Archfiend's' ATK or lower 'Gladiator Beast Vespasius's' ATK, the attack itself would still not destroy Orga's monster nor inflict any actual damage.
"Well, this is a surprise," remarked Azrael uncaringly, "Despite knowing his attack won't be of any effect, he's going for the suicide route anyway."
Back on the track, 'Chaos King Archfiend' finally charged forth with both flaming wings towards 'Gladiator Beast Vespasius'.
"What do you think you're doing?!" A surprised Orga demanded.
"As of now, I'll activate the effect of 'Chaos King Archfiend'!" continued Michael, ignoring the question, "When this card declares an attack: I can switch the current ATK/DEF of all face-up monsters my opponent controls, until the end of the Battle Phase," He then pointed forth, "Both your monsters will have their stats switched, right now!"
Suddenly, Orga's monsters both glowed in red auras as they became stronger and weaker (ATK: 2900 → 3000/DEF: 3000 → 2900)(ATK: 2800 → 0/DEF: 0 → 2800) respectively. 'Chaos King Archfiend' slashed at 'Gladiator Beast Vespasius' with both flaming arms, but was forced back when the attack didn't faze the enemy monster. Most importantly, Orga took no damage like before.
"With my Battle Phase over," Michael proclaimed, entering the Main Phase 2, "the effect of 'Chaos King Archfiend' ends!"
'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor' (ATK: 3000 → 2900/DEF: 2900 → 3000) and 'Gladiator Beast Vespasius' (ATK: 0 → 2800/DEF: 2800 → 0) had their stats returned to normal respectively.
"You knew your attack would not destroy my monsters or damage me, yet you attacked anyway," chastised Orga, "What the hell is the matter with you? You claim you're a 'King', yet you made a very amateurish move!"
"Who says it's amateurish?" replied Michael harshly, causing the mustard yellow-haired young man to ease up slightly. He then looked at the 'Chaos King Archfiend' Synchro Monster Card on his Duel Disk for a moment, "'Chaos King Archfiend' was given to me by a new friend, and I will use her card for as long as I can—namely when 'you' least expect it."
Back within the audience, the eyes of Asagi, Juri, Mayura, Ms. Simmons, and Mr. Kisaka finally came upon Lisa, who simply leaned back in his seat, rested both hands behind her head, and silently smiled in confirmation.
"Lisa, was that one of the cards from your collection?" asked Asagi.
"Maaaaybe?" teased Lisa.
"I knew I recognized it from somewhere!" realized Mayura.
"What made you decide to lend it to Mike for that duel?" wondered Mr. Kisaka.
"Well, I thought he might need a little help against Orga," Lisa said with a shrug, thinking back to her decision to give her friend the 'Chaos King Archfiend' Synchro Monster Card, "I'm his friend, he's my friend, and friends help each other out. You guys taught me that."
"Yes, we did," remembered Ms. Simmons, smiling slightly.
"Alright, but what about Dave?" cut in Juri, delivering an armor-piercing question, "You'd do the same thing for him if he were the one dueling Orga instead, right?"
Lisa froze for a moment, before frowning and looking down at her clenched hands on her lap. When no answer was given, the three Astray girls began to get the idea that something was very wrong.
"What's going on between you and Dave? Is there a possibility you…hate him?" asked Mayura slowly, "All because of, and I'm sorry to bring this up, him accidentally touching you inappropriately during your oh so brilliant plan to go and free Matt, Mike, and James from jail? Yes, it might have been wrong of him, but it was still technically an accident on his part."
"Look, I don't 'hate' Dave," insisted Lisa hotly, trying everything in her power to deny hating David, "It's just he…really annoys me in a way I can't actually explain. Now, can we stop talking about him for a little while and just get back to watching the duel? I really wanna see Mike kick Orga's sorry ass."
And nothing more, for now, was said. Back on the track, both Wheel of Fortune and Calamity crossed the finish line and began another lap.
"I activate the third effect of 'Gladiator Beast Vespasius'!" announced Orga, "At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card battled: I can shuffle this card into the Deck; I must Special Summon 1 'Gladiator Beast' monster from my Deck, except 'Gladiator Beast Vespasius'."
"No, you don't!" interrupted Michael, causing Orga to look up. He then held his picked up Action Card out, "I activate my Action Spell, 'Detour'! I must negate the effect of 1 monster my opponent controls, and if I do, inflict 500 damage to my opponent," He then (again) made Wheel of Fortune turn around to face the enemy duelist (while still driving down the track), "I negate the effect of your 'Gladiator Beast Vespasius' and inflict 500 damage!"
Both 'Gladiator Beast Vespasius' and Orga glowed purple for a moment, with the latter taking some minor damage (LP: 4000 → 3500).
"Amazing!" The voice of the MC rejoiced, as Orga recovered, "The King managed to prevent Orga from shuffling 'Vespasius' back into his Deck, but dealt damage as well!"
"Pathetic!" shouted Michael, still with Wheel of Fortune turned towards his opponent (whilst still driving down the track), "That's the best you've got? You'd best try harder than that!" He turned his Duel Runner back around before taking a card from his hand, "I know what true power is, and I'll use it to crush you!" The lime green-haired young man placed the card into his Duel Disk, "I Set one card and end my turn!"
On cue, a face-down card materialized on the field in-front of Wheel of Fortune before fading away for later use. From there, Wheel of Fortune (with 'Red Dragon Archfiend' and 'Chaos King Archfiend' following) roared further down the track, while Calamity (with a chained up 'Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor' and 'Gladiator Beast Vespasius' both following) managed to barely keep up. The battle between the two duelists was not about to get less intense, especially with Michael's vow/promise to defeat Orga without taking any damage. It was anybody's guess on who would be the winner of this battle.