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
On a stage inside the Orb Duel School, five face-down cards were lined up on a large blackboard. On cue, David Xadashi and Lisa Drake both showed up and began speaking to the audience.
"Get ready for 'This week's noteworthy cards', everyone!" David started off, "Have we got an interesting segment for all of you, today."
"You can say that again, Dave," agreed Lisa, as she turned to face the blackboard with the five cards (still showing their backing) lined up, "Now, let's see what cards we have for all of you."
The five face-down cards on the blackboard all automatically turned over and revealed themselves to be:
-'Fake Feather' (Trap Card)
-'Jester Lord' (Effect Monster Card)
-'Blackwing Armed Wing' (Synchro Monster Card)
-'Discord' (Trap Card)
-'Jester Confit' (Effect Monster Card)
"That's one of Hogan-kun's monsters!" David pointed out, staring at the middle card ('Blackwing Armed Wing'), "I actually quite like that one."
"Same here, Dave," said Lisa, before reading the card's effect, "If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, it gains 500 ATK during the Damage Step only, also inflict piercing battle damage," She and David then faced the audience, "As for the other cards, expect to see them in an 'interesting' introductory."
"This is due to an 'interesting' misadventure Hogan-kun and Mayura-san both get themselves into," explained David, "But why spoil the story? It's better to find things out for yourselves!"
"Got that right," finished Lisa, before she and David started waving goodbye, "And now, have a good night, everybody!"
The audience cheered and clapped in response.
Title: Surely You Jest
Opening up inside an arcade of Hartford, James R., Mayura, David, and Lisa all were hanging out for the day. James R. was having a good time hanging with some of his new friends, but he actually also wanted to spend a little time alone with his crush (Mayura) and continue getting to know her. That was when he got an idea; he eyed David and Lisa for a few seconds and decided to leave them both alone for a little while. James R. whispered his idea to Mayura, who then giggled and accepted it without hesitation.
"Dave, Lisa, I hope you both don't mind, but Mayura and I have to leave, now," said James R., as Mayura stood by his side and smiled cheerfully.
"Why's that?" pondered Lisa, "Don't tell me there's important business for you both to attend?"
"James and I are off to get some ice cream," answered Mayura.
David blinked, "Ice cream?" he asked, puzzled, "But, Mayura-san, doesn't this arcade sell ice cream? You could just get it here."
"O-Oh, we know that!" insisted James R., not losing his smile, "It's just that we want to get ice cream from an actual ice cream parlor, that's all."
David and Lisa both stared long and hard at James R. and Mayura, causing the latter two to become increasingly nervous over the feeling their little lie had been caught onto by the former two. Fortunately, that fear was unfounded when Lisa smiled back and shrugged.
"Okay, sure," The pink-haired girl accepted, "You two go out and get your ice cream, Dave and I'll be okay on our own."
"Lisa-chan?" pressed David.
"Really, it'll be fine," reassured Lisa, before waving her hands at the direction of both James R. and Mayura, "Go on, get the heck outta here, you two! Shoo shoo! We'll see you back at Orb later on."
James R. and Mayura both grinned as they turned and started to leave the arcade. David watched his two friends leave, but couldn't help but wonder about what they were really up to.
"Are Hogan-kun and Mayura-san both leaving on purpose?" thought David, before casting a look towards the cheerful-looking Lisa, "Are they leaving just so Lisa-chan and I can spend time together?" After a few seconds, he smiled and shook his head with some approval, "It's a magnificent idea if I ever heard of one."
Lisa then noticed David staring at her before smiling at him, proving that she approved of the little alone time with David, too.
(outside…)
Outside the building, James R. and Mayura looked at each other and smirked with triumph over their plan working well.
"That was a great idea, James," complimented Mayura.
"But of course," bragged James R., "Everyone knows that I'm a masterful matchmaker, after all!"
Mayura rolled her eyes, "Sure, you are," she retorted, sarcastically yet playfully, "Now, what do you say we go and get some ice cream from the nearest ice cream parlor like we told Lisa and Dave we'd do?"
"Race you there!" challenged James R..
With that said, both young adults began running down the street as though they were racing to be the first one to reach the ice cream parlor.
(elsewhere…)
In another part of town, James R. and Mayura were waiting by a traffic stop, waiting for the light to turn green. Both of them had an ice cream cone with them.
"Yum! This ice cream hits the spot on a hot day!" proclaimed James R., eating his strawberry ice cream.
"It sure does," agreed Mayura, enjoying her chocolate ice cream, "Should we head back to Orb, now?"
No answer.
"James?" Mayura pressed, but got no answer (again). It was then she got a little irritated with being ignored, "James, what the heck is wrong with you? Aren't you going to answer my question?" She then softened herself up when saw her friend frozen and looking very spooked. "James? Are you okay there?"
Mayura then started looking at what James R. was looking so scared of. On the other side of the street, she noticed that Lazar, the assistant of Rex, was looking around in suspicion before crossing the street—seeing as the light was green. This surprised Mayura, since Lazar resided in the city of Albany. What was he doing all the way here in Hartford? Curiosity overcame the tomboyish, red-haired young woman, and she wanted to find out the story.
"James, we're gonna follow that guy," requested Mayura.
"Nu-huh! No way, Jose!" refused James R., shaking her head forcefully, "I want nothing to do with that guy! He looks like a clown, and I'm afraid of clowns!"
"What?" frowned Mayura, before trying to talk some sense into her scared friend, "But that Lazar guy is acting pretty suspiciously," James R., with his eyes shut, continued to listen, "If what I fear is true, he could be one of those Dark Signers you, Matt, and the likes were told about by Governor Godwin. If he is one…"
Opening his eyes, James R., hearing the name 'Dark Signer', immediately stopped being afraid. Mayura believes the clown-man (Lazar) is a Dark Signer? If that's the case, then there was no time to be afraid. Realizing the potential danger the city could be under, James R. looked at Mayura and agreed to follow Lazar, which caused Mayura to nod back. Once the traffic light turned green, they were able to cross the street and sneakily follow Lazar to wherever he was going.
(elsewhere…)
After walking a few blocks, Lazar had arrived outside the same park where Ashima and the Astray trio encountered a possessed Grady. Looking around carefully, Lazar entered the park, while, hiding behind a large tree, James R. and Mayura emerged to notice their target entering the park.
"Lazar's gone into the park," mused Mayura, "I wonder what he's going to do there?"
"I-I-I don't k-k-know…" stammered James R., trying to be brave, "But we n-need to check it o-o-out."
Mayura groaned, before taking her friend by his hand and carefully pulling him along into the park. If Lazar really was a Dark Signer in secret, then they needed to stop him before anything horrible could be pulled off.
(elsewhere…)
The search took Lazar to the spot where Ashima and the possessed Grady had their duel. Taking out a device of sorts, the clown-like man began to search for something, possibly clues, as to what might have happened.
"Let me see," uttered Lazar, while letting out his signature snicker, "The governor needs to know what happened here…"
When the investigation started, a twig from a tree could be heard being snapped due to being stepped on, causing Lazar to look up and realize that he was being watched. And, sure enough, he turned and spotted a young man with brown hair (James R.) and a young woman with short, brownish red hair (Mayura). Lazar didn't appear to react in any sort of hostility in seeing the both of them. The former seemed to freak out when he got spotted and tried hiding behind the latter for protection.
"Ugh! Can you at least try taking this seriously for at least a minute?" muttered Mayura in annoyance, before addressing Lazar, "We remember you, you're one of Governor Godwin's most devoted assistants, am I right?"
"And you both are…?" quizzed Lazar, before stopping himself and remembering James R. and Mayura, "Oh yes, now I recall you both…" He addressed Mayura first, "You're Mayura Labatt, one of the duelists we invited from Orb to compete in the governor's tournament—you got eliminated in the first round, if I am not mistaken."
Mayura said nothing back over hre name being mentioned, but James R. then fearfully peeked out from behind his friend as Lazar then addressed him (James R.).
"And you are James Hogan, one of the Signers the governor summoned to fight the Dark Signers," The voice of Lazar claimed. He then put a small, rather creepy, smile on his face and motioned his left hand upward slightly, "And what do I owe the pleasure of you two following me around?"
Gathering all of his courage, James R. emerged from behind Mayura, dusted himself off, and then started speaking to Lazar.
"That's easy, I am a Signer," replied James R., while Lazar didn't look bothered or anything, "And because of that, I will defeat the Dark Signers," He finally pointed at who he was speaking to, "Starting with you, since you're one of them!"
Losing his smile, Lazar blinked, wondering if he should just laugh or groan over such a ridiculous accusation being hurled at him. Both James R. and Mayura looked serious in the former making such a statement, but Lazar simply shrugged it off as though it were a joke or something.
"I have to get back to work," said Lazar, turning around, "I don't have the time to engage in such childish games."
But before he could walk away…
"You're not getting away!" shouted James R., suddenly pulling out rope, "You're staying here!"
He (James R.) hurled the rope at Lazar, lassoing him (Lazar) up and stopping him.
"You're not going anywhere," warned Mayura, "Since you're clearly a Dark Signer, you have to be stopped before it's too late."
"I don't believe this…" Lazar grumbled, growing very annoyed as he raised his voice at the pair, "For goodness sake, I'm not a Dark Signer! It's all a misunderstanding on your pa-!"
"Be quiet!" The voice of James R. snapped, stopping Lazar from speaking, "Since I'm a Signer, I have to challenge you, the Dark Signer, to a duel! I don't care if you have a dirty trick up your sleeve, I will win!"
"My, oh my, you really are desperate," commented Lazar, now grinning with interest, "I suppose you leave me no choice but to accept your duel request."
Suddenly, the clown-like man slipped out of the ropes and leaped like an acrobat a good distance away from James R. and Mayura, pulled a Duel Disk out, equipped it onto his left arm, and activated it. James R., not about to be outdone, activated his own Duel Disk and gave chase, while Mayura stayed behind to watch everything.
"Alright, clowny, let's duel!" dared James R. (LP: 4000).
"Ask and you shall receive," responded Lazar (LP: 4000)
And so, the Dark Duel(?) commenced. Mayura noticed that no flaming ring erupted around where James R. and Lazar both were standing, wondering if the latter was trying to get the former's hopes up before summoning it. Meanwhile, James R. was the first to make a move.
"I'm going first, clown-man!" declared James R., drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn One: James R. Hogan (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Rendering Tuning", "Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind", "Reload", "Blackwing - Bora the Spear", "Urgent Tuning", and "Fake Feather"
His drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Fake Feather', which he added into his hand before taking another card ('Blackwing - Bora the Spear') and readying it.
"Here's my card!" began James R., before placing his card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "I Summon 'Blackwing - Bora the Spear' in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a humanoid birdman with black-feathered wings and tail and a large lance-like spear for a weapon (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 800).
"Not only that, I'll also Special Summon this guy from my hand," James R. went on, holding up another card ('Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind'), "Come, 'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind'!"
Appearing onto the field was a black-feathered monster with aqua-colored feathers around the head area (Level: 3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 400).
"If I control a 'Blackwing' monster other than 'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind', I can Special Summon this card (from my hand)," explained James R., before taking one more card from his hand and slotting it into his Duel Disk, "Finally, I'll Set one card and end my turn!"
A face-down card materialized on the field behind both 'Blackwing' monsters.
"Dear me," chuckled Lazar, "You play both a monster and a Tuner and you have yet to Synchro Summon? Well, that is something I cannot allow you to pull off."
"C'mon, it's your turn, now," offered James R., "Do your absolute worst!"
"I do hope that you will not regret your choice of actions," Lazar remarked while sighing, before drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Two: Lazar (LP: 4000)
Deck: 34
Current Hand (6): "Discord", "Jester Confit", "Imperial Manners", "Jester Lord", "Imperial Custom", and "Distrain Card"
Staring at his drawn card, Lazar looked up at his opponent with studying eyes.
"James Hogan is a user of the powerful 'Blackwing' and 'Assault Blackwing' archetypes," thought Lazar, "I see, I see… This will be a very good, if also tough, match," The clown-like man took three cards from his hand and slotted into his Duel Disk at the same time, "I Set three cards and end my turn."
Three face-down cards materialized on the field in-front of Lazar.
"What the-?" gasped Mayura, "He didn't even Summon a monster?"
Back on the field, James R. put a cocky smile on his face, figuring his opponent never drew a Monster Card right off the bat.
"You didn't have any monsters in your hand?" taunted James R., "That's pretty bad—for you, that is!"
"Now, now, let's not be that way," dismissed Lazar, "Besides, it should give you a little comfort that I seemingly didn't draw a monster."
"Grr… Keep telling yourself that," James R. grunted, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Three: James R. Hogan (LP: 4000)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (4): "Rendering Tuning", "Reload, "Fake Feather", and "Dust Tornado"
After adding the drawn card into his hand…
"I want to wrap things up quickly, but those three face-down cards pose an issue," thought James R., but then just grinned with confidence, "Oh well! I'll just have to make a swift attack!" He spoke aloud while entering his Battle Phase, "'Bora the Spear', attack the clown-man directly!" As he announced his monster's attack name, 'Blackwing - Bora the Spear' took to the sky, "Death Spiral!"
'Blackwing - Bora the Spear' charged towards the seemingly defenseless Lazar.
"Tsk tsk tsk…" mumbled Lazar mockingly, before one of his Set cards flipped face-up and revealed itself, "I activate a Trap, 'Imperial Manners'! When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack: I must destroy all Attack Position monsters my opponent controls."
"What?!" cried James R., watching as 'Blackwing - Bora the Spear' returned to his field, "You gotta be joking!" Thinking fast on the draw, he pressed a button on his Duel Disk, "I activate a Trap!" The Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "'Urgent Tuning'!" While going into his thoughts, he managed to look a little more confident by the passing second, "If I can use this to Synchro Summon, 'Bora the Spear' can avoid destruction! Bit of a waste to play my trump, but it can't be helped."
"Oh ho! That is a card that allows you to Synchro Summon in the Battle Phase," remarked Lazar, "That's why you didn't Synchro Summon during your first turn. However, it's quite a shame," He then made his second face-down card flip up and reveal itself, "Continuous Trap, 'Discord'! Neither player can Synchro Summon. Tee hee hee! So sorry for the inconvenience. It means you now receive 'Imperial Manners's' effect!"
"Gah!" wailed James R., as his face-up 'Urgent Tuning' Trap Card sparked due to shorting out before shattering into shards of glass, "That means my monsters…!"
It meant both 'Blackwing - Bora the Spear' and 'Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind' both shattered into shards of glass, too, which left James R.'s field wide open.
"Monster destruction and anti-Synchro Summoning!?" fretted Mayura.
"I knew exactly what you planned to do since you made no attempt to Synchro Summon during your first turn when you had the chance," commented Lazar. He then further taunted his quivering opponent, "Do I scare you so much? Perhaps that's why you Set 'Urgent Tuning'? Because you want to be careful against someone like me?"
James R., trying his absolute hardest to mask his (James R.) fear, scowled in response to the teasing from Lazar.
"I…Set one card and end my turn," James R. said reluctantly, taking a card from his hand and slotting it into his Duel Disk.
A face-down card materialized on the field near his feet.
"Hmhmhm," snickered Lazar, before drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Four: Lazar (LP: 4000)
Deck: 33
Current Hand (4): "Jester Confit", "Jester Lord", "Distrain Card", and "Late Penalty"
Without wasting a second, he slotted the card into his Duel Disk, causing another Set card to materialize on the field.
"I Set one card face-down," began Lazar, before holding up another card for a few seconds, "And then I'll Summon a monster," He turned the card ('Jester Lord') over and revealed what it was, "'Jester Lord'!"
Appearing onto the field was a jester-like monster wearing orange and blue clothing, green boots, and a jester hat (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). James R. flinched with fear over seeing another clown (monster or human). Mayura, on the other hand, was aware that 'Jester Lord' had no ATK or DEF to speak of.
"It's okay, James!" she called out, which got James R.'s attention, "'Jester Lord' doesn't have any ATK. You can destroy it easily!"
That caused James R. to relax a little bit.
"I beg to differ," cut in Lazar, before going over his monster's only effect. While juggling three balls during the effect explanation, 'Jester Lord' let out a creepy giggle, "While this card is the only monster on the field: It gains 1000 ATK for each card in the Spell & Trap Zones."
"Agh! I have a Set card and you have three cards!" recalled James R., before making an insult towards his opponent, "Keep the joking to your 'face'!"
"Yes," confirmed Lazar, as 'Jester Lord's' ATK rose significantly (ATK: 0 → 4000), "That means 'Jester Lord's' ATK will rise to 4000!"
"I'm gonna be attacked directly guaranteed," thought James R., unhappily, "I'll have to reduce the amount of Spells and Traps being on the field to at least soften the blow," While speaking aloud, his Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "I activate a Trap, 'Dust Tornado'! I must target 1 Spell/Trap my opponent controls; I must destroy that target, then I can Set 1 Spell/Trap from my hand."
"With two Trap Cards going away, 'Jester Lord's' ATK will drop to 2000," thought Mayura, relieved, "James will take damage either way, but he'll be able to Synchro Summon next turn!"
"You think you can destroy 'Discord' that easily? My, my, you're truly naive," scoffed Lazar, "I activate a Continuous Trap, 'Imperial Custom'!" His next Set Card flipped face-up and revealed itself on command, "Face-up Continuous Traps cannot be destroyed by battle or card effect, except 'Imperial Custom'."
"No way!" protested Mayura.
James R. watched as his face-up 'Dust Tornado' Trap Card created a whirlwind, which swept over towards the face-up 'Discord' Trap Card. When the whirlwind died down, the face-up Discord' Trap Card remained standing. With one Spell/Trap Card gone from the Spell & Trap Zones, 'Jester Lord's' ATK fell only slightly (ATK: 4000 → 3000).
"Now, 'Jester Lord', attack James directly!" ordered Lazar.
'Jester Lord' obeyed, causing the balls he was juggling to turn into fireballs, which he hurled at James R.. Poor James R. got hit by the fireballs, causing him to get thrown to the ground while taking really high damage (LP: 4000 → 1000).
"But there's more," laughed Lazar, taking a card ('Jester Confit') from his hand, holding it out for a few seconds, then placing it onto his Duel Disk, "I have another playmate for you… Come, 'Jester Confit'!"
Appearing onto the field was another jester monster, but this one was short, stocky, and looked more like a clown than 'Jester Lord' did.
"I can Special Summon this card (from my hand) in Attack Position," explained Lazar.
"Don't forget though," interrupted Mayura, "With another monster on the field, your 'Jester Lord' loses all of the ATK he's gained."
'Jester Lord's' ATK dropped back to nothing (ATK: 3000 → 0).
"However, there's a reason I brought this monster out," Lazar pointed out, "It's to get access to his second effect."
"Second effect?" James R. and Mayura both said at the same time.
"That's right," replied Lazar, "If Summoned this way, during my opponent's next End Phase: I must target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls; I must return both that target and this face-up card to the hand."
"Well, that's just great," thought James R., "That means if I do get a monster onto my field, I'd have to hurry and take 'Jester Confit' out before the end of my turn. Otherwise, I'll be left at the mercy of 'two' scary clowns!"
The 'two' clowns he was referring to were both 'Jester Lord' 'and' Lazar.
"Although I shouldn't tell you this, I actually will," continued Lazar, "I know much about your 'Blackwing'/'Assault Blackwing' Deck, so it won't be difficult to disrupt any strategy you attempt on me."
He then snickered his trademark snicker, which caused Mayura to look very annoyed. James R., meanwhile, was more nervous than annoyed.
"My situation is not so good," James R. thought to himself, "I guess I'll have to try and make the most of it, and try to improve upon my lousy luck," He finally drew a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Five: James R. Hogan (LP: 1000)
Deck: 52
Current Hand (4): "Rendering Tuning", "Reload, "Fake Feather", and "Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn"
Unfortunately…
"Continuous Trap Card, open!" announced Lazar, as his final Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "'Late Penalty', activate! If my opponent controls no monsters during their Standby Phase: I must skip their Battle Phase this turn."
"I-Impossible!" flinched James R., "I needed this turn to get rid of your 'Jester Confit'!"
"Correct," agreed Lazar, before pointing forward using his right hand, "You need to destroy my monster before your End Phase, since any monster you Summon would return to your hand by then. But now, you can't even attack this turn."
"Tch! I can't let myself fall further behind!" grunted James R., readying his drawn card ('Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn') in order to use its first effect before placing it onto his Duel Disk, "If my opponent controls a monster and I control no monsters, I can Normal Summon/Set this card without Tributing!" As the device lit up, he swung his right arm about, "Come, 'Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn'!"
Appearing onto the field was a humanoid birdman with two large black-feathered wings and tail, plus sharp claws for hands (Level: 5/ATK: 2000/DEF: 900).
"I'll also play one more card!" As he said that, James R. slotted a card into his Duel Disk and caused a face-down card to appear on the field, "Except I'll Set it face-down."
"I assume you'll end your turn here?" figured Lazar.
"Not even close, bub," denied James R., which caused Lazar to look up slightly. He then was shown holding another card ('Reload') up, "I activate the Spell Card, 'Reload'! I must shuffle all cards in my hand into the Deck, then draw the same number of cards that I added to my Deck."
"He only has a single card in his hand," thought Lazar, "It must have been useless to use. I guess I cannot be worried since he would only be able to draw a single card," The clown-like man spoke aloud, "Please proceed."
James R. shuffled his only card into his Deck, shuffled that, then drew a single card.
"Judging from your disappointed expression, you didn't get what you needed to blow 'Jester Confit' off my field," remarked Lazar.
"Don't be so sure about that," retorted James R., before slotting his card into his Duel Disk, "I Set one card…" Another face-down card materialized on the field, "…and end my turn!"
"Hmm… Judging from what I know about him, the card he likely Set is 'Fake Feather'," thought Lazar, grinning with anticipation as though he knew what card was just Set by the opponent, "By sending a 'Blackwing' monster from your hand to the GY and targeting a Normal Trap in your opponent's GY, the effect of this card will be same as the targeted Normal Trap. A very good card to use in cases of emergency, but it will not be of any help against a tricky duelist like myself," He spoke aloud, "The effect of 'Jester Confit' activates! This monster and your 'Sirocco the Dawn' return to our respective hands!"
'Jester Confit' started doing some tricks on a ball he was standing on, before glowing purple and going *POOF!*, which was followed by 'Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn' also going poof. Both players got their respective cards (Lazar: 'Jester Confit', James R.: 'Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn') back into their hands.
"Hold on," remembered James R., "Now it's back to 'Jester Lord' being the only monster on the field, which means…"
"Indeed," nodded Lazar, "It means 'Jester Lord's' monster effect returns," As 'Jester Lord' started juggling more balls (now five in total) while evilly giggling and growing stronger (ATK: 0 → 5000), the explanation went on, "Combined with the cards you just Set face-down, there are five Spell and Trap Cards in total. In other words, 'Jester Lord's' ATK will equal 1000 times 5 for a grand total of 5000 ATK."
"If James doesn't find a way to defend himself from the impending attack," thought Mayura, "he'll be defeated!"
Speaking of James R., he was still shivering while trying to put on a brave face over going up against what appeared to be a clown. Meanwhile, Lazar was ready to finish the duel—but first he had one more card to activate, as well as draw his next card.
"It's my turn! Draw!" he exclaimed, drawing a card.
Turn Six: Lazar (LP: 4000)
Deck: 32
Current Hand (3): "Distrain Card", "Jester Confit", and "Spirit Burner"
His drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Spirit Burner'; it was handy, but would be used in a little while. For now…
"Spell Card, 'Distrain Card'!" declared Lazar, making the mentioned Spell card materialize face-up on the field, "When my opponent controls 2 or more Set cards in their Spell & Trap Zone: I must target 1 of them; it cannot be activated this turn, also inflict 800 damage to my opponent each time they activate a Set Spell/Trap Card, until the end of this turn," He pointed at James R.'s field—mainly the face-down card on the left side, "I choose to seal your left Set card!"
A blue beam shot out of the face-up 'Distrain Card' Spell Card, striking James R.'s left face-down card and turning it to stone, leaving it unable to be activated for the duration of this turn.
"There… Now you're completely sealed off," said Lazar, very pleased, "There is nothing you can do to survive my final attack."
That did it.
"Oh my God!" screamed James R., with both hands on the sides of his head. He shut his eyes tightly and started flailing in a panic, "This can't be happening! I can't believe I'm being creamed by a scary clown-like man!" As he rambled onward, Mayura listened and felt sorry for him, "Am I really losing my touch as a duelist, and am I really useless against the Dark Signers?"
Lazar giggled, "And now," he remarked sinisterly, "I do believe it is about time you step off the stage."
"Hey!" The voice of Mayura yelled out, which caused Lazar to look nearby. She looked quite unhappy with how the seeming Dark Signer was rattling her friend in his moment of weakness, "Why don't you just continue with your turn and not push James around?!"
"But of course," accepted Lazar, but then stopped for a moment, "Mmm?"
He (Lazar) was watching James R. very closely, and he (James R.) was wailing and ranting about how scared of clowns he was, and how he was completely worthless against the Dark Signers because of said fear. Despite having the means to win, Lazar initially seemed to hesitate in putting an end to things, but then smiled to himself.
"A nice try of panic on your part, but I won't be fooled by the behavior you're displaying," dismissed Lazar, as James R. had his head bowed and both hands on the temples, "I'm too smart to fall for such an obvious ruse on your part," He entered his Battle Phase, "Go, 'Jester Lord'! Attack James directly and pull the curtain down upon him."
'Jester Lord' obeyed, hurling all five balls, now fireballs, towards James R..
"James, no!" cried Mayura.
Just when it seemed like James R. would be defeated, he looked up…with a small, pleased smile on his face instead of a look of utter fear.
"Gotcha now…" thought James R., before speaking aloud and making a move, "Face-down card, open!" The untouched Set card (on the right) flipped face-up and revealed itself, "'Fake Feather', activate!"
Mayura was surprised.
"What was that!?" gasped Lazar, shocked.
"I must send 1 'Blackwing' monster from my hand to the GY, then target 1 Normal Trap in my opponent's GY; the effect of this card will be the same as the targeted Normal Trap," explained James R., now sounding more confident than ever. He then took the last card ('Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn') from his hand, held it out, and then discarded it, "It's all thanks to you returning 'Sirocco the Dawn' to my hand!"
"Then that means you Summoned 'Sirocco the Dawn' and returned him to your hand on purpose!" realized Lazar, "But it's not possible! I figured out it had been Set after the first card was Set."
"You actually guessed my strategy partially right," corrected James R., "You correctly figured out I had 'Fake Feather' Set, but still guessed wrong at which Set card was which," Faded clips of his last turn was superimposed over him as he explained himself, "Before I activated 'Reload', I Set 'Fake Feather'. And before I ended my turn, I Set a different card—which you thought 'was' 'Fake Feather'."
"But… but… but you should be afraid of me!"
"Believe me, I am," The brown-haired young man proclaimed, "However, since you're also a Dark Signer, I'm not afraid to kick your butt!" He then pointed forth, "Now then, I'll be using the effect of your GY-bounded 'Imperial Manners', if you don't mind!"
Lazar watched as the mentioned Trap Card emerged from his GY and floated over to James R.'s field until he caught the card and held it out.
"When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack: I must destroy all Attack Position monsters my opponent controls," reminded James R., "You're attacking me with 'Jester Lord', so that means…"
"It means my monster is destroyed!" shrieked Lazar, before 'Jester Lord' shattered into shards of glass, "Eeeeeeek!"
The fireballs still approaching James R. all died down before they could even touch him. Leaving Mayura to let out a deep sigh of relief that the duel had not ended with James R.'s loss, since that would have been terrible and she'd have a lot of explaining to do to her friends.
"Even though you might have great knowledge on my Deck, it's still pretty crummy data since my 'animal-like' instincts are much sharper," bragged James R., before, again, pointing at his opponent, "And even though you are a clown-man, I'll still defeat and prevent you from doing who knows what to the world."
"So, you were pretending to dance like a puppet, but you utilized it to your favor instead?" uttered Lazar, looking up with a mad smile on his face, "All to deceive me!"
"So, what kind of dance are you gonna show me?" teased James R..
"How interesting," remarked Lazar, looking and sounding impressed, "To think there existed duelists such as yourself? As I've seen and heard, you're as strong as Matt Fudo and Michael Atlas, but at the same time, you fall behind them in terms of skill," He then held up his 'Distrain Card', "To prove that, you failed to remember that my Spell Card, 'Distrain Card', has the effect to inflict 800 damage to my opponent whenever they activate a Set Spell/Trap Card!"
Purple electricity fired from the mentioned card held by Lazar, electrocuting James R. and making him cry out while being sent to dangerously low LP (LP: 1000 → 200).
"Now, I'll again Special Summon 'Jester Confit' from my hand!" continued Lazar, placing his next card ('Jester Confit') onto his Duel Disk.
Reappearing on the field was 'Jester Confit' (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"There he is again…" mumbled James R..
Before long, a Spell Card known as 'Spirit Burner' materialized face-up on the field behind 'Jester Confit'.
"I'll also equip 'Jester Confit' with 'Spirit Burner'!" The voice of Lazar went on, as the above scenario played out. He removed the two fingers from the Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Disk and explained his card's effect, "Once per turn: I can change the battle position of the equipped monster to Defense Position."
'Jester Confit' went into a defensive stance (ATK: 0 → DEF: 0).
"I guess you still have a few tricks left," acknowledged James R..
"However, you now have another problem to overcome, and it's 'Spirit Burner's' second effect," Lazar pointed out, "When the equipped monster is returned from the field to the hand, and this card is sent to the GY: I must inflict 600 damage to my opponent."
With Lazar's turn over, the petrified facedown card returned to normal. Over with Mayura nearby…
"That means with only 200 LP left, James will be defeated once 'Jester Confit' returns to the hand," Mayura thought to herself, "If that should happen, something horrible will happen to him!" She then spoke aloud, "Hey, James! You'd better not lose!" James R. looked over his shoulder at his friend and crush, even Lazar did, too, as she spoke on, "You're a Signer, so you should be able to defeat that Dark Signer! If you were to lose, who knows what might happen to the both of us, and maybe to this part of the city!" Done ranting, the tomboyish, red-haired young woman looked more calm yet remaining firm-sounding, "You know that, don't you?"
"I totally get it," confirmed James R., before resuming his dueling stance, "Which is why I'm going to turn things around on my turn! Come on, Lazar! Let's have some fun!" He drew a card with a Destiny Draw, "It's my turn!"
Turn Seven: James R. Hogan (LP: 200)
Deck: 51
Current Hand (1): "Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North"
Upon seeing his drawn 'Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North' Tuner Monster Card…
"It's here!" thought James R..
"Need I remind you about 'Late Penalty'?" reminded Lazar, gesturing to his face-up 'Late Penalty' Trap Card, "If my opponent controls no monsters during their Standby Phase: I must skip their Battle Phase this turn."
"Are you sure about that?" smiled James R..
Lazar gasped.
"You were mighty sharp earlier!" continued James R., "This face-down card was my special, secret plan for winning!" When his stunned opponent said nothing back, he pressed a button on his Duel Disk, "I activate a Trap, 'Trap Stun'!" The remaining Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "I must negate all other Trap effects on the field this turn" He kept on grinning, "That means your three Continuous Traps…are stopped!"
Lazar watched as all three of his Trap Cards ('Discord', 'Imperial Custom', and 'Late Penalty') hardened up and became useless.
"Now I'll Summon this fellow!" As he spoke, James R. placed his drawn card ('Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North') onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "'Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North!"
Appearing onto the field was the white/blue-colored bird monster (Level: 2/ATK: 1300/DEF: 0).
"I activate 'Blizzard the Far North's' monster effect!" declared James R, taking a card ('Blackwing - Bora the Spear') from his GY and holding it out, "When this card is Normal Summoned: I can target 1 Level 4 or lower 'Blackwing' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon that target in Defense Position."
Reappearing onto the field in a defensive stance was 'Blackwing - Bora the Spear' (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 800).
"I Special Summon 'Bora the Spear'!" The voice of James R. announced, as the above scenario played out, "Alright, it's time for today's leading role to take center stage!" He then swung his right arm about, "My Level 2 'Blizzard the Far North'…" Both 'Blackwing' monsters awaited the command to tune, "…tunes Level 4 'Bora the Spear'!"
'Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North' turned itself into two Synchro Rings, while 'Blackwing - Bora the Spear' flew into the air and entered them as he turned into four orbs of light while a Summon Chant from James R. was triumphantly heard throughout.
"Pitch-dark power, lodge in its great wings and stir up the divine winds!" chanted James R., as the symbols 4 + 2 = 6 were shown very briefly just before the four orbs of light in the two Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Gust fiercely, 'Blackwing Armed Wing'!"
Appearing on the field, as the Synchro Summon ended, was a humanoid birdman with two large, armored black wings while wearing black armor with his solid abs being left bare. In his hands was a realistic-looking rifle of sorts (Level: 6/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1000).
"I finally allowed him to Synchro Summon, huh?" worried Lazar, "But my 'Jester Confit' is in Defense Position for just such an emergency! Meaning even if you attack and destroy it, my LP will not take any hit!"
"Hmph! You might wanna think again," rebutted James R., before entering his Battle Phase, "Go to it, 'Blackwing Armed Wing'!" He continued speaking as 'Blackwing Armed Wing' took aim with his rifle and started firing wildly, "Now, 'Jester Confit', dance like you've never danced before!" While explaining his new monster's effect, 'Jester Confit' was dancing, but mostly trying to avoid the bullets being fired at him—mainly at his feet, "If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, it gains 500 ATK during the Damage Step only, also I must inflict piercing battle damage!"
"'What'?!" wailed Lazar, terrified.
"Take this!" The voice of James R. hollered, as 'Blackwing Armed Wing' stopped firing from his rifle at 'Jester Confit', grew stronger (ATK: 2300 → 2800), and simply raised his weapon, "Black Charge!"
With a swipe from the gun, 'Jester Confit' got hit and shattered into shards of glass as Lazar screamed loud and long while his LP finally took a big hit from the piercing effect (LP: 4000 → 1200). All James R. could do was smile with triumph over how his (James R.) and Lazar's LP were almost even, while Mayura closed her eyes, brought both hands towards her chest (where the heart was), and let out another relieved sigh over her friend's successful comeback. Despite being deeply shocked, Lazar regained his composure and smiled wickedly, nearly insanely, at his opponent.
"Well, how interesting is this? It looks like I've been underestimating your dueling this whole time!" sneered Lazar, almost looking deranged by now, "To decide which of us will be the real clown… This shall be the part that counts!"
"Bring it on!" accepted James R..
Before Lazar could draw his next card, he overheard a beeping sound coming from his coat pocket. Taking the device out, the clown-like man noticed there was an urgent message from his boss Rex.
"It's a message from the governor!" realized Lazar, before looking up at James R., "I'm sorry, but it looks the duel will have to end here," While he (Lazar) spoke on, James R. listened on, "It seems I have more important matters to attend to."
"What?!" exclaimed James R., as Mayura walked up beside him.
"Hey, you! What's so important that you're leaving the duel even though you're a Dark Signer?" added Mayura hotly.
Lazar sighed, "I was sent to Hartford by Governor Godwin to investigate the park after learning of a duel unlike any other," he explained, revealing the whole story to his clueless stalkers, "I was about to begin searching for clues when you both showed up unannounced."
"A duel unlike any other?" thought Mayura, walking up to James R., "Lazar must be talking about the one between Ashima and Grady when the latter was possessed of sorts."
"Hold on a second," cut in James R., as he brought up his right hand and used the thumb and index finger to massage his forehead, "If you were so busy carrying out Rex's orders, why didn't you just tell us this info right from the start?"
"That's what I tried to do!" The voice of Lazar snapped in response, which caused both James R. and Mayura both to cringe over being yelled at. He then pointed forth using his left hand (with the Duel Disk) while looking highly miffed, "But, apparently, your fear of clowns and distrust in me got in the way, James!"
"Err… well…" murmured James R. sheepishly.
"And you!" Lazar ranted, before shifting his finger pointing towards Mayura, "As for you, Mayura, you simply refused to listen to the explanation!"
With solid proof that Lazar wasn't really a Dark Signer, James R. and Mayura both became very embarrassed and equally guilty over their misjudgment of Rex's most trusted assistant. With the duel ending without any results, 'Blackwing Armed Wing' fizzled away.
DUEL RESULTS: No results
Lazar turned and started to resume his investigation into the Dark Duel that went on in the park. And with the duel and misunderstanding being over, James R. and Mayura knew they had some serious apologizing to do for attacking Lazar like that.
"We're really sorry, Lazar!" began James R..
"We were wrong to accuse you of being a Dark Signer without listening to your side of the story!" put in Mayura, "I swear it will never happen again!"
Lazar turned around and glared at the two young adults, but, when he saw how truly sorry they were for their mistake, he softened his stance up a bit and gave them a nod of acceptance.
"Very well, I'll accept your apology, and let our little encounter and tussle slide only once," accepted Lazar, which relieved James R. and Mayura, "But I need you two to still stay out of my way as I conduct my investigation."
James R. and Mayura both nodded, and they turned to leave the park. Once Lazar was alone once again, he simply brought his right hand to his forehead and let out an exasperated sigh.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…" The clown-like man groaned to himself, "Is this what the governor has been complaining about lately? About the people of this world not using their common sense?"
Deciding to not worry about it, Lazar resumed his investigation, aiming to report to his boss as soon as he was able to.
(elsewhere…)
As Mayura and James R. emerged from the park entryway, they were still not looking too good over what they accidentally tried to do to a high-ranking member of Rex's own cabinet committee. In fact, they were incredibly lucky that Lazar didn't even have them arrested for a combination of interference with the government, harassment, and attempted assault.
"James, I don't know about you, but I feel lousy," said Mayura sadly.
"You're not the only one with the feeling," agreed James R., "C'mon, let's head back to Orb before everyone worries where we are."
(elsewhere…)
Outside the Orb Duel School an hour or so later, James R. and Mayura both finally arrived back after a very eventful day. What started as a day at the arcade, turned into a small matchmaker sidestory before going from a small trip to an ice cream parlor into a massive misunderstanding with Lazar in the park. Hopefully, their friends wouldn't be too mad at them for attacking one of Rex's cabinet members without knowing the truth. Suddenly, Mayura recalled James R. initially being afraid of Lazar because of a clownphobia, and decided to playfully tease him over it.
"You know, James," she began, finally managing to smile for the first time in a little while, "I figured out a lot of things about you since we met a month or so ago, but I never knew you had a fear of clowns. You never bothered to tell me that?"
"I'm not afraid anymore," interrupted James R., causing Mayura to stop, "During the duel, I actually managed to face my fears and overcome them in the final turns," He looked at his tomboyish, red-haired friend and smiled sheepishly, "I guess…I have Lazar to thank for that."
Mayura blinked a couple of times, but then managed to smile warmly at James R., growing more fond of him as she learned more and more about him and his personality. Before both young adults could enter the building, James R. stopped Mayura for a moment.
"You know, I never got the chance to tell you about how I got my fear," commented James R., "If you want, I can tell you the story?"
"Hmm… Actually, I could use a good story to help make me laugh," Mayura agreed, before adding in a quick joke along with a goofy expression on her face, "In fact, I bet the way you got your fear is likely stemming from an incident at your fifth Birthday party or something."
Silence…
"Ha ha ha—no," frowned James R., laughing slightly at the crack in good humor, "It…sorta occurred when I was living at the orphanage with Mike, Carlie, Zack, Shinji, and Sherry," He looked upward into the sky slightly as he finished his sentence, "Also, I had Shinji to 'thank' for it."
"This I got to hear," grinned Mayura.
"It started when we were allowed to visit a circus that temporarily made a stop a couple of blocks away from the orphanage…"
James R. then opened the door, and allowed Mayura to walk inside first, before he followed while explaining the incident from long ago to her. For someone who initially got annoyed whenever James R. flirted with her, Mayura sure was starting to enjoy having him in her company.
(elsewhere…)
That evening, somewhere in the city of Albany, lots of people were roaming around a monument in a small park. They were just minding their own business when all of a sudden…
"The Crimson Dragon has been called forth," The voice of a young man echoed out.
This got the attention of some of the citizens just minding their own business. Standing by the monument were three young men wearing cloaks. Unknown to the people, these three young men were actually Dark Signers.
"The legendary Crimson Dragon appeared to spread despair across the land, in search of crimson blood," proclaimed Dark Signer 2.
"To eliminate this crimson light, do come and stand tall alongside us!" offered Dark Signer 3, speaking in a creepy monotone way. He seemed to be more of a teenager rather than a young adult, "With a deep darkness that will envelop the light!"
Some of the people watching and listening to the rants seemed to believe the three cloaked figures were crazy, part of a cult, or something else. Unknown to any of them, small spiders were lowering themselves from silk threads onto the back necks of the unlucky citizens. This signaled that there was going to be big trouble brewing in the near future.
(elsewhere…)
Inside his office in New York City, Rex was waiting for Lazar's report on the activity that ensued in Hartford not long ago. He started to get up from his desk and go make himself a cup of coffee, when his computer monitor lit up and a short, evil laugh echoed. Unfazed, Rex walked back over to the desk and sat down to stare at the computer monitor. On the monitor screen was the very same cloaked figure leading the Dark Signers.
"The time has finally come…" Rex said solemnly.
"You have played your part well," complimented the cloaked man, "It has taken 5000 years, but now that the Dark Signers have awakened, and the Signers have been brought back together, the unique war between our parties will soon begin anew!"
Rex nodded, "Yes," he acknowledged, "This is the unavoidable destiny that awaits this world, and I have done everything I can to fulfill the role that has been bestowed upon me. By gathering the six awakened Signers together and revealing their true objective."
"Correct, Rex," agreed the cloaked man, "Regardless of which side wins the war, the Signers and Dark Signers are prisoners of destiny who cannot break away from their role until the battle comes to a decisive end—no matter the cost."
With another sinister chuckle from the cloaked man, the monitor screen shut itself off, leaving Rex very serious yet very worried. Did Rex happen to know that cloaked man? Was Rex…somehow involved with the Dark Signers in a way? So many questions, with answers to them due to come in the future.
For John Wikins: You're most likely talking about the Yu-Gi-Oh! movie "Bonds Beyond Time", which features Yugi Muto/Atem, Jaden Yuki, and Yusei Fudo (the "Stardust Dragon" user) each facing Paradox (the main antagonist of the film) in a three-on-one duel. If you wanna talk to me about it and more, you know that I have a DeviantART account.