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 for only a brief amount of time.
"Salutations to all you fine folks!" greeted David, "We are so delighted to bring another installment of 'This week's noteworthy cards' to you all!"
"Got that right!" agreed Lisa, "But for this week's segment, you won't hear a single word of Japanese from me."
The audience groaned in response, much to David's surprise.
"Am I interpreting that correctly?" blinked David bemusingly, before looking at Lisa, "Lisa-chan, did everybody enjoy hearing you speak in bad Japanese?"
"I guess they did," shrugged Lisa, "It must have been good for a laugh or something," She and David held their arms out at the blackboard with the five cards (still showing their backing) lined up, "Alright, let's find out what cards we're sharing, today."
The five face-down cards on the blackboard all automatically turned over and revealed themselves to be:
-'Black Feather Illusion' (Spell Card)
-'Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin' (Xyz Monster Card)
-'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' (Synchro Monster Card)
-'Noble Arms - Excaliburn' (Spell Card)
-'Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow' (Effect Monster Card)
"Holy-!" exclaimed Lisa, staring at the middle card ('Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder'), "Now this is a sweet-looking card used by James!" She started reading one of the card's effects, "If this card that was Synchro Summoned using only Synchro Monsters attacks, this card gains 3000 ATK during the Damage Step only."
"That means this monster can have up to 6000 ATK during the Damage Step when it declares an attack, allowing it to effectively take down nearly any monster it battles," admired David, before he and Lisa turned to face the audience, "A monster of that caliber will surely be quite the spectacle to witness!"
"Geez! I can't wait to see what other kick butt cards there are in this duel!" came from Lisa, before she and David started waving goodbye, "Have a good night, everyone! Be sure to keep cheering for all of us in our difficult battle with the Dark Signers!"
The audience cheered and clapped in response.
Title: Ruffled Black Feathers
Opening up in the parking lot of Orb, the intense grudge match-like duel between James R. Hogan and Sherry LeBlanc was ongoing, and the standings were as followed:
-James R. (LP: 4000): Controlled 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' (Level: 7/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2000) and 'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall' (Level: 1/ATK: 400/DEF: 600).
-Sherry (LP: 4000): Controlled 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' (Level: 9/ATK: 3000/DEF: 200) and 'Noble Knight Pellinore' (Level: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 500), and it was still her turn.
"Go forth, 'Noble Knight Pellinore'!" commanded Sherry, just as 'Noble Knight Pellinore' charged towards 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' on horseback, "Strike down, 'Raikiri the Rain Shower'!"
With a single strike from the sword, 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' cried out from pain before shattering into shards of glass.
"'Raikiri'-!" uttered James R. in disappointment, "But don't forget that 'Noble Arms of Destiny' is also destroyed!"
The sword and shield ('Noble Arms of Destiny') in 'Noble Knight Pellinore's' hands dissolved after being used.
"I draw a card!" declared Sherry, drawing a card. She saw it was the 'Noble Knight Gawayn' Effect Monster Card, which was added into her hand, "Next, I'll activate the third effect of 'Noble Arms of Destiny'!"
"A third effect?" gasped James R..
"If this face-up card on the field is destroyed…" The voice of Sherry explained, as a card ('Noble Arms of Destiny') ejected from the GY and got grabbed. She then held the retrieved card up for a few seconds before slotting it into her Duel Disk, "…and sent to the GY: I can target 1 Warrior 'Noble Knight' monster I control; I must equip this card to that target."
The familiar sword and shield reappeared—this time in the hands of 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles', who swung the blade around a few times before raising it up with a triumphant yell.
"Now 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' can't be destroyed neither by battle nor card effects once per turn!" reminded Sherry.
"Ngh…" groaned James R., frustrated.
Over with the spectators…
"James…" whispered Matt.
"You know, this really isn't like him," said Sean.
"The last time we saw him get this angry was back in New York City regarding his blow out with Sherry after she lost to me," recalled Lisa.
"Hold the phone!" interrupted Ben, which caused the pink-haired girl to look over, "Are you saying something similar to this happened once before?"
"Afraid so," confirmed Michael grimly, "But, this time, he seems to have become a much more hostile, vengeful person."
"He even assaulted Sherry!" added Janice, "That's wrong on so many levels!"
Ben, Mr. Izayoi, and Mrs. Izayoi each listened before looking back at the field, while Carlie had finished readjusting her hair before putting on her metallic hairpin to keep it in place and make sure her full power was kept sealed. Before long, on the field, James R. made another move.
"Face-down card, open!" he announced, as his first Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be… "Quick-Play Spell, 'Black Feather Illusion', activate!"
"'Black Feather Illusion'?" pressed Sherry, "Are you that desperate to survive this turn?"
"If a 'Blackwing' Synchro Monster(s) I control is destroyed: I must target 1 of those monsters; I must Special Summon it, but negate its effects," explained James R., ignoring the scornful language being thrown his way by the opponent, "Now, I'm certain you know which 'Blackwing' Synchro Monster I aim to bring back, right?"
"It's so obvious," retorted Sherry, "I just destroyed him."
"So you did!" James R. agreed, just as 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' reappeared on the field in a defensive stance (Level: 7/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2000), "Resurrect, 'Raikiri the Rain Shower'!"
"I destroyed him once, and I'll do it again," frowned Sherry, before continuing with her turn, "I activate the second effect of 'Infernoble Knight Captain Roland'!" Throughout the explanation, reappearing onto the field was the spirit of 'Infernoble Knight Captain Roland', who then merged with 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' and causing him to grow stronger (ATK: 3000 → 3500), "During the Main Phase, if this card is in my GY (Quick Effect): I can target 1 Warrior monster I control; I must equip this card to that monster I control as an Equip Spell that gives it 500 ATK."
Over with the audience, Mayura looked really thoughtful over what Sherry aimed to do to try and take down James R..
"That Sherry…" murmured Mayura, "She's trying to make her monster as powerful as possible before striking at James's field."
"What else can Sherry do to do just that?" pondered Juri.
Back on the field…
"Now 'Emperor Charles' has 3500 ATK…" worried James R..
"And there's still more!" cut in Sherry.
"Say what?!"
"I activate an Equip Spell, '"Infernoble Arms - Hauteclere"', from my hand!" The blonde-haired young French woman announced, swinging her right arm about as the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field, "While this card is equipped to a monster: I can target 1 face-up monster I control; this turn, I cannot declare attacks, except with that monster, also it gains the ability…" While speaking, two new swords appeared in the hands of 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles', only then to quickly disappear, "…this turn to make a second attack during each Battle Phase, then destroy this card."
"Grr… Both attacks will completely clean my field of monsters!" thought James R..
"Bataille!" continued Sherry in French, entering her Battle Phase. 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' swung his regular sword around four times before taking a swipe at the opponent's field, "'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles', attack 'Raikiri the Rain Shower' and 'Oroshi the Squall' at the same time!"
Both monsters were struck and destroyed, leaving James R. without anything to protect himself. Thankfully, Sherry was only able to use 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' to attack this turn, meaning he was spared from a potential direct attack by 'Noble Knight Pellinore'—which was in Defense Position, anyway.
"Is that all you got?" growled James R..
"I enter my End Phase," said Sherry, before taking a card ('"Infernoble Arms - Hauteclere"') from her GY and slotting it into her Duel Disk, "However, this will activate the second effect of 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles'!" While going over the effect, the spirit of 'Infernoble Knight Ogier' appeared on the field before merging with 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' and causing him to grow stronger again (ATK: 3500 → 4000), "During the End Phase: I can equip 1 Equip Spell from my hand or GY to this card, then I can equip 1 FIRE Warrior monster from my Deck to this card as an Equip Spell that gives it 500 ATK."
The audience gasped with surprise.
"Now 'Emperor Charles' has 4000 ATK!" realized Asagi.
"And that isn't all," put in Mr. Kisaka, "You know the monster that was equipped? That's 'Infernoble Knight Ogier'."
"Right, Ledonir," agreed Ms. Simmons, "The first effect of that monster will prevent the equipped monster from being destroyed by card effects."
"And with '"Infernoble Arms - Hauteclere"' equipped again," reminded David, "Sherry-san's monster will be able to attack twice a Battle Phase at the cost of not allowing any of her other monsters attack."
"Whatever James does now, he'd better make it count or he might not get another chance to do that," mused Zack.
"You know, Sherry does amaze me," admitted Lisa, which brought the eyes of the Astray trio and David over to her, "Despite all of her faults, she really is quite a scary duelist to be up against," She closed her eyes, "I can't help but feel that I got lucky against her."
"Bzzt! Wrong!" deadpanned Juri, "You made the duel go longer than expected because you, in true Lisa Drake fashion, screwed up by misplaying when you already had everything you needed to win sooner."
"HEY!" snapped Lisa, with an anger pressure mark appearing on the right side of her forehead as she raged at her intellectual friend, "At least give me some credit since I still won the duel!"
"Yes, you did, Lisa-chan," accepted David, placing a hand onto Lisa's right arm.
Lisa felt much better over David being supportive. Back on the field, an upset James R. looked towards Sherry with a look of hatred on his face.
"Are you satisfied with yourself?" he asked harshly.
"What are you even talking about?" pressed Sherry.
"Are you satisfied with how you've chosen to live your life?" James R. repeated, more fully, "Bringing pain and despair to everyone you come across? Harshly criticizing those you defeat in duels instead of showing humble respect for their efforts? Being the reason Carlie has felt unloved for years?"
A flashback began.
FLASHBACK
After another duel, Flashback Carlie was shown to be called a witch and a monster because of how her powers allowed her to bring her cards to life. Feeling so overwhelmed by the insults, she fashioned her "Black Rose Witch" mask and put it over her face.
"No matter who Carlie dueled," James R. narrated, "every one of her opponents and spectators called her a witch, a freak, and a monster because of her powers. It got so out of hand that, after the both of us, along with Mike and Zack, were adopted by Discord, she closed off her heart from the rest of the world and took up the persona of the "Black Rose Witch" as an escape from all of the pain she was being forced to endure."
In another instance of Flashback Carlie being insulted, Flashback James R. tried fighting back against some of the haters, trying to make them leave her alone. But, alas, his words had fallen on deaf ears. Feeling defeated, the younger brown-haired boy gritted his teeth and clenched his fist bitterly. He knew who was 'really' to blame for all of this.
"Curse you, Sherry…" Flashback James R. growled venomously.
That mere name was enough to put him in a rage. The name of the person responsible for Flashback Carlie's fall into darkness…
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Everywhere Carlie went, she was constantly called a monster," ranted James R., "But I know she's 'not' a monster!" He then pointed towards Sherry again, "The 'real' monster…is none other than 'you', Sherry LeBlanc!"
Another flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
A series of montages began, showcasing every time Young Sherry was being rude or mean to her opponents whenever she won a game, even going into her adult years, constantly putting others down just because they weren't good enough in her eyes.
"You 'intentionally' went out of your way to make people feel bad about themselves just to boost your own overinflated ego," narrated James R., completely forgetting some important facts, "You held absolutely no remorse for hurting those around you to get what you wanted. More than that, you actually 'enjoyed' it."
Having won yet another duel, Flashback Sherry cast a cruel, sadistic smile as she ridiculed her opponent for losing.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, and the slasher-like smile on Flashback Sherry's face morphed into a more somber look on present day Sherry's face.
"Admit it, you 'love' the feeling of crushing people's dreams whenever you win!" accused James R., as Sherry continued to listen glumly, "You love it so much that it gives you endless amounts of pleasure!"
Over with Shinji in the audience, he listened to the hard words aimed at his longtime best friend and became even more unhappy. He (Shinji) believed that James R. should have known by now that Sherry, when she was a young girl, used that front as a cover to hide her pain over losing her parents. Unfortunately, at this point, James R. either didn't realize that or simply didn't care. Sherry remained silent even as more harsh words were being aimed at her.
"Admit that I'm right!" The voice of James R. demanded stubbornly, as he was then shown clenching his right hand into a fist and holding it up, "From the moment you learned of what Carlie was going through in the dueling public, you needed to have the decency to confess to the entire world that 'you' were the one to blame, instead of allowing Carlie to continue being assaulted with verbal abuse from people who aren't trusting towards those who are different from others," The crowd, particularly Carlie and her family, listened to the rage behind those words, "Many have warmed up to Carlie with time and after her heart had been opened again by Matt, but it's like you have no intention of ever doing so! You were a bully then, and you're still a bully now!" He then drew a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Four: James R. Hogan (LP: 4000)
Deck: 50
Current Hand (3): "Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow", "Black Wing", and "Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind"
His drawn card was the 'Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind' Effect Monster Card. Just what he needed, but first, he needed another monster out—and he had the right one in his hand.
"I Special Summon 'Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow' from my hand!" began James R., placing a card onto his Duel Disk.
Appearing on the field was a small bird with brown feathers and a ninja-like cloak (Level: 5/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"Since you control no 'Blackwing' monsters, you were able to bring that monster out," Sherry muttered to only herself, "Because 'Gofu the Vague Shadow' can't be Normal Summoned/Set."
"Then I'll activate 'Gofu the Vague Shadow's' first effect!" He then thrust his right hand out, "If this card is Special Summoned: I can Special Summon 2 'Vague Shadow Token' in Attack Position," explained James R., just before two bird-like ghosts appeared on the field around 'Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow' (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0) x2, "And here they are, now!"
Over with the spectators…
"Amazing!" cried Matt, realizing where this was going, "James is going for a Phantom Synchro!"
"Huh? What's a Phantom Synchro?" asked David.
"It's a really rare type of Synchro Summon," replied Michael, "I suggest watching and seeing for yourself."
Sure enough…
"My Level 5 'Gofu the Vague Shadow' tunes the two Level 1 'Vague Shadow Tokens'!" commenced James R., just before 'Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow' flew into the sky and turned into five Synchro Rings. He then grinned with anticipation as he spoke about the second effect, "If this card is used as Synchro Material, the Summoned Synchro Monster can be in the GY."
The five Synchro Rings hovered over, lowered, and surrounded both 'Vague Shadow Tokens' before turning them into two orbs of light (one for both monsters) as a Summon Chant from James R. followed.
"Spread your ebony wings, and storm forth in tandem with the roaring thunder! A slash of lightning!" chanted James R., as the symbols 1 + 1 + 5 = 7 were shown briefly just before the two orbs of light within the five Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light. He then raised his right hand into the air, "Phantom Synchro! Cascade, 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower'!"
Appearing out of the beam of light and onto the field again, while swinging his sword briefly, was 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' (Level: 7/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2000).
"You just never learn, do you?!" accused Sherry, "I activate the first effect of 'Infernoble Knight - Roland'!" While explaining the effect, the spirit of 'Infernoble Knight - Roland' appeared on the field before merging with 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' and causing him to grow even stronger than he already was (ATK: 4000 → 4500), "(Quick Effect): I can target 1 face-up monster I control; I must equip this card from my hand to that target as an Equip Spell that gives that card 500 ATK."
All in all, 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' now had five different Equip Cards attached to him, three of which were monsters that, all together, boosted his ATK to a massive 4500. In the audience, Lisa couldn't help but admire Sherry for putting together such an effective strategy.
"Daaaamn!" whistled Lisa, "An ATK of 4500 will be difficult for James to overcome."
"It doesn't help that 'Emperor Charles' is practically invulnerable to effects and destruction," recalled David.
"And there's also his first effect," Michael pointed out, "Since an Equip Card was put on him, Sherry can destroy a card on James's field."
Back on the field…
"I activate the first effect of 'Emperor Charles'!" announced Sherry, as 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' stood ready, "If an Equip Card becomes equipped to a monster on the field, even during the Damage Step: I can destroy 1 card on the field."
'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' slashed his sword at 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' once again, but didn't destroy him…yet. And James R. still had more secrets to reveal about his 'Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow'.
"I activate the third and final effect of 'Gofu the Vague Shadow'!" cut in James R., "If a Synchro Monster that used this card as Synchro Material would leave the field, I must return it to the Extra Deck instead."
'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' exploded from destruction. When the smoke cleared, James R. took his card ('Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower') from his Duel Disk and inserted it into the Extra Deck Zone for later use.
"That's too bad," taunted James R., "You've wasted a perfectly good move. Now the real fun can begin!" He took and placed a card ('Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind') onto his Duel Disk, "Come, 'Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind'!"
Appearing onto the field was a humanoid birdman with purple feathers and wearing a gi and red belt (Level: 4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1200).
"When this card is Normal Summoned while my opponent controls a Special Summoned monster: I can target 1 'Blackwing' Tuner in my GY; I cannot Special Summon monsters…" James R. went on, before holding up a card ('Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall') while explaining his monster's single effect, "…from the Extra Deck for the rest of this turn, except 'Blackwing' monsters, also I must Special Summon that monster, but negate its effects," He placed the 'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall' Tuner Monster Card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "Resurrect, 'Oroshi the Squall'!"
Reappearing on the field was 'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall' (Level: 1/ATK: 400/DEF: 600).
"My Level 1 'Oroshi the Squall' tunes Level 4 'Tornado the Reverse Wind'!" raged James R..
'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall' turned into a single Synchro Ring, which 'Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind' flew into before turning into four orbs of light as another Summon Chant from James R. proceeded throughout.
"Ebony gale, become the tailwind that ties our bonds!" chanted James R., as the symbols 4 + 1 = 5 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the lone Synchro Ring turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Take flight, 'Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm'!"
Appearing onto the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was a second copy of 'Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm' (Level: 5/ATK: 1500/DEF: 2000).
"James, I hate to tell you this, but 'Sohaya the Rain Storm' only has 1500 ATK," reminded Sherry, "That's still 3000 less than that of 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles's' ATK of 4500."
"Well, I'm not finished preparing to kick your butt," retorted James R., before going over his monster's first effect, "If this card is Synchro Summoned using a 'Blackwing' monster as material, it is treated as a Tuner while face-up on the field," He then took and held a card ('Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider') up from his GY for a few seconds before placing it onto his Duel Disk, "I also activate 'Sohaya the Rain Storm's' second effect! When this card is Synchro Summoned: I can target 1 'Assault Blackwing' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon it. Resurrect, 'Sayo the Rain Hider'!"
Reappearing on the field was 'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider' (Level: 2/ATK: 800/DEF: 100).
"My Level 5 'Sohaya the Rain Storm' tunes Level 2 'Sayo the Rain Hider'!" announced James R..
Since it was now a Tuner monster, 'Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm' turned into five Synchro Rings, which 'Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider' flew into before turning into two orbs of light as a familiar Summon Chant from James R. was heard again.
"Spread your ebony wings, and storm forth in tandem with the roaring thunder! A slash of lightning!" chanted James R., as the symbols 2 + 5 = 7 were shown briefly just before the two orbs of light within the five Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Cascade, 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower'!"
Appearing out of the beam of light and onto the field, while swinging his sword briefly, was 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' again (Level: 7/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2000).
"Man, this has to be the third time James Synchro Summoned that monster," commented Lisa.
"Along with 'Blackwing Armor Master' and 'Black-Winged Dragon', 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' happens to be one of his most favorite monsters," said Zack knowingly.
Back on the field, Sherry was left unconcerned, but did remain on alert as to what her opponent might try next. If James R. was able to get 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' back on the field, he was bound to try something to get an even stronger Synchro Monster out.
"Once again, 'Raikiri the Rain Shower' is treated as a Tuner since he was Synchro Summoned using a 'Blackwing' monster as material," James R. pointed out, briefly bringing up his monster's first effect, "However, I'll also use this opportunity to activate the third effect of 'Sohaya the Rain Storm'!" Emerging from the darkness (GY) was the 'Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm' Synchro Monster Card before fading away into oblivion just as quickly, then reappearing on the field was the second copy of 'Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm' (Level: 5/ATK: 1500/DEF: 2000), "During my Main Phase, if this card is in the GY because it was sent there this turn: I can banish 1 other 'Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm' from my GY; I must Special Summon this card."
"Tch! You're going to destroy some of my cards, aren't you?" scowled Sherry.
"I activate 'Raikiri the Rain Shower's' second effect!" declared James R., making himself real clear as 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' flew into the air before slashing his wings twice, sending two rippling waves towards Sherry's field—particularly 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles', "Once per turn: I can target cards my opponent controls, up to the number of 'Blackwing' monsters I control; I must destroy them!"
'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' got struck by one of the ripples, causing the spirit of 'Infernoble Knight - Roland' to get thrown out and destroyed. The remaining ripple struck and destroyed 'Noble Knight Pellinore'. With one less equipped monster, 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles's' ATK fell slightly (ATK: 4500 → 4000).
"You know something, Sherry? I'm actually glad we're dueling," commented James R., "Because I'm going to show you and everyone else watching a monster I've never used up until now."
"Really?" pressed Sherry.
"Yup," James R. confirmed grimly, "I've been saving this surprise entirely for somebody like you!" As he gave the ultimate command to tune, 'Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower' turned himself into seven Synchro Rings, "My Level 7 'Raikiri the Rain Shower' tunes Level 5 'Sohaya the Rain Storm'!"
'Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm' flew into the seven Synchro Rings before turning into five orbs of light as a new Summon Chant from James R. was heard.
"Ebony wings, wield the power of thunder, and resonate through the skies!" chanted James R., as the symbols 5 + 7 = 12 were shown brieflly just before the five orbs of light within the seven Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon!" As the beam of light burst apart, two powerful wings—one of them armored-looking—were shown appearing, "Slice through, 'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder'!"
Now standing on the field, the full body of the new monster was finally shown. It was revealed that 'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' was a humanoid birdman wearing brown/orange armor and wielding a mighty-looking blade shaped like a thunderbolt (Level: 12/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000).
"Holy crap… A Level 12 Synchro Monster!" cried Lisa.
"And has 3000 ATK!" added David.
Even Sherry was surprised by the sight of this monster—but only for a moment, before returning to a more confident posture.
"I guess I'll give you a little bit of credit for bringing this monster out, James," remarked Sherry, before speaking about both 'Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' (ATK: 3000) and 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' (ATK: 4000), "However, even his ATK of 3000 does not hold a candle to the ATK of 4000 that 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' still has!"
"'Onimaru the Divine Thunder's' first effect! If this card is Synchro Summoned using a 'Blackwing' monster as material, it is treated as a Tuner while face-up on the field," explained James R., going over his new monster's first effect (shared by many 'Assault Blackwing' Synchro Monsters). He then went over the second effect, "My monster also has a second effect! It cannot be destroyed by card effects."
"Aren't you even listening to me?!" yelled Sherry, "I just told you that 'Onimaru the Divine Thunder' won't beat 'Emperor Charles' in a straight out fight!"
"That's not the half of it!" said James R., before grimly adding, "The real fun is just getting started!" He entered his Battle Phase, "Battle! 'Onimaru the Divine Thunder'…" 'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' then got ready to attack, "…attacks 'Emperor Charles'!"
"Fool!" insulted Sherry, "If you attack like this, you'll lose your monster and 1000 LP!"
"Next, I'll activate the second effect of 'Black Feather Illusion'!" interrupted James R., causing Sherry to gasp. He then held up a card ('Black Feather Illusion'), "During the Battle Step or Damage Step, when a 'Blackwing' monster I control attacks: I can banish this card from my GY; until the end of the Damage Step, I must negate my opponent's Spell effects, also they cannot activate Spell Cards!"
"What?!" panicked Sherry, just as she looked upward.
A bolt of lightning rained down and struck 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles', causing him to yell in pain before collapsing to the knees as his ATK is brought back down to normal (ATK: 4000 → 3000) due to the power of all of his Equip Cards losing their effects.
"The fourth effect of 'Onimaru the Divine Thunder' also activates!" continued James R., as 'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' raised his sword and attracted another bolt of lightning, "If this card that was Synchro Summoned using only Synchro Monsters attacks, this card gains 3000 ATK during the Damage Step only."
'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' glowed in a golden aura as he grew stronger (ATK: 3000 → 6000).
"Take this!" shouted James R., as 'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' started warping all across the parking lot, "Thunderbolt Clap!"
'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' immediately charged and slashed 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' three times in (still) succession. There was a moment of silence as everyone in the audience waited to see what would happen next. The mortally wounded 'Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles' uttered a weak groan before finally exploding from destruction. Even though the force of the explosion was extremely strong, Sherry remained on her feet even as her long blonde hair blew around and her LP dropped significantly (LP: 4000 → 1000). With the Damage Step all over with, the effects of a few cards ended. For example, 'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder's' ATK returned to normal (ATK: 6000 → 3000).
"I Set one card and end my turn," concluded James R., slotting the last card in his hand into his Duel Disk and causing a Set card to materialize on the field near his feet, "Now, Sherry, you still haven't done any of what I want you to do. Nor have you admitted that you were in the wrong. I guess you've no intention of ever apologizing to Carlie, or anyone else you've antagonized throughout your life."
Sherry frowned in response, but said nothing.
"In fact, I bet your own parents are watching from the heavens, and I don't think they like what they're seeing you do—watching their child, whom they tried to raise to be a good person, become such a cold, unfeeling bully," scorned James R. harshly, "If they were still alive and saw you now, I think they would have died of shame."
Unfortunately, that part finally got under Sherry's skin—in a really bad way. Sherry clenched her empty right fist in fury at such a comment, remembering that she loved her parents very much before they were killed in a tragic accident. For James R. to bring them up in such a negative fashion…
"You don't know me," snarled Sherry, glaring in anger, "It's not like I ever wanted to act like this in the first place!"
"Is that so?" replied James R., "Well, here's a tip; maybe you should've just learned to stop when you found out your actions were making everyone 'hate' you!"
"James, for once in your life, just shut the hell up!" The voice of Shinji shouted, which caused James R. to look nearby. As expected, the purple-haired young man was not at all happy, "I want you to listen, and listen good!"
"Shinji?" peeped James R..
"Yes, Sherry was responsible for Carlie losing control of her powers. Yes, she had a rather persistent habit of bragging about her victories. And 'yes', she also put others down for losing," raged Shinji, "But you're totally wrong about one thing; Sherry's bragging was 'never' out of malicious intent."
"Are you nuts, Shinji?!" objected James R. in denial, "Of course, it was out of-"
"Idiot!" snapped Shinji, "You've deliberately forgotten that Sherry felt the need to brag about winning because she felt that each time she won a game, she was making her parents proud of her," James R., still on the field, scowled, but listened to his old friend's little speech, "But each time she lost, she was afraid she was letting them down. I'm going to say this now; I sincerely hope…" He then finished his sentence without losing any of his anger and annoyance, "…Sherry defeats you in this duel!"
Back on the field, James R. recoiled in response, while, back within the audience, Mayura pulled Asagi and Juri both aside, far enough to ensure James R. could not hear what she was going to say.
"I also hope Sherry wins against James," whispered Mayura, much to the surprise of her two best friends since she sounded completely serious when saying that, "He needs to learn a huge lesson, pronto," Still frowning, she then took a quick peek towards James R.'s current field, "Not to mention he also really messed up several times in his dueling."
"The second effect of 'Infernoble Knight - Roland' activates," declared Sherry, drawing a card ('Noble Arms - Gallatin') and adding it into her hand, "During the End Phase, if this card is in the GY because it was sent there this turn: I can add 1 FIRE Warrior monster, except 'Infernoble Knight - Roland', or 1 Equip Spell from my Deck to my hand," She narrowed her eyes, still seething over James R. bringing her parents up in such a negative light, "And you say I have anger issues… At least when I lose my temper in a duel, I still remember what all of my cards can do. You've clearly let your own anger and hate blind you and prevent me from losing."
"What are you driving at?" questioned James R. densely.
"Fine, I'll spell it out for somebody like you!" exclaimed Sherry hotly, visibly frustrated over her opponent's dense mind, "Had you even been thinking straight, you would have remembered to use the second effect of 'Oroshi the Squall' when it was sent to the GY as Synchro Material, so you could have changed 'Noble Knight Pellinore' to Attack Position instead of destroying it with 'Raikiri the Rain Shower'!" The audience listened to her (Sherry) explanation, while Mayura looked satisfied that she (Mayura) was right, "Then if you just attacked 'Noble Knight Pellinore' with the 6000 ATK 'Onimaru the Divine Thunder', you would have won the duel."
James R. looked surprised at first, but his surprise instantly became pure horror when he realized that Sherry was completely right about that. He just screwed up royally during his turn by not thinking of using 'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall's' second effect entirely because of his anger and determination to beat down his opponent with one of his most powerful monsters of all. Unfortunately, it was too late to take it all back, and just like Lisa had done in her duel with Sherry, James R. had wasted his prime opportunity to defeat her sooner because of a massive misplay. And don't any of you worry, the irony wasn't lost on Lisa…
"Not. One. Word," Lisa murmured threateningly, mainly towards Juri in particular.
Juri Wu Nien, without saying anything, just rolled her (Juri) eyes over Lisa's little threat—she hadn't planned on saying anything to her reckless, hot-headed friend about that bit, anyway. Back on the field, Sherry, still seriously angry with James R., was still not finished tearing into him.
"Tell me, would you allow that same anger to let you make such a deadly mistake against the Dark Signers?" spat Sherry, "You know, when the lives of every single person on Earth are in the most danger?"
"But I still took down your strongest monster!" argued James R., badly shakened, "And I destroyed all of your Equip Cards."
"You have accomplished nothing!" shouted Sherry fiercely, before motioning her right arm about and pointing at her opponent, "For your incompetence and for pissing me off so much, this turn I will hand you the most thorough and devastating loss you will ever suffer in your entire life!" James R. visibly recoiled when the last part was yelled out by her, "And when I do, you will have no one but yourself to blame for it!"
"The most thorough and devastating loss I will ever suffer?" thought James R., before speaking aloud, "No way! That isn't possible!" He then, while clutching onto straws, spoke about the 'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' (ATK: 3000) still on his field—who also glared at the opposition in Sherry, "I still control 'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder', who has 3000 ATK and is more than powerful enough to fight off any kind of monster you try using!"
"Again you understand 'rien'," uttered Sherry dangerously, before drawing a card with a Destiny Draw, "It's my turn!"
Turn Five: Sherry LeBlanc (LP: 1000)
Deck: 46
Current Hand (4): "Noble Knight Medraut", "Noble Knight Gawayn", "Noble Arms - Gallatin", and "Morgan, the Enchantress of Avalon"
Her drawn card was the 'Morgan, the Enchantress of Avalon' Effect Monster Card, which she would definitely save for later—but for now…
"Appear now, 'Noble Knight Medraut'!" commanded Sherry, holding another card ('Noble Knight Medraut') out.
Appearing onto the field was the blonde-haired knight with a torn cape, and a rather sinister shadow beneath him (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1000).
"'Noble Knight Medraut's' first effect," explained Sherry, "This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field."
"I know," acknowledged James R., "You used that monster against Asagi."
"Then you should also know that I can equip my monster and activate its second effect, yes?" recalled Sherry, before holding up another card ('Noble Arms - Gallatin'), "I will do so by equipping 'Noble Knight Medraut' with this card, 'Noble Arms - Gallatin'!"
A great sword materialized in the hands of 'Noble Knight Medraut'.
"I must equip only to a Warrior monster," The voice of Sherry proceeded, before explaining the second effect of her card just as 'Noble Knight Medraut' grew stronger (ATK: 1700 → 2700), "It gains 1000 ATK. there's also my card's first effect," She explained her activated card's first effect before pointing to a card ('Noble Knight Medraut') on the Monster Zones of her Duel Disk, "I can only control 1 'Noble Arms - Gallatin'. But you remember 'Noble Knight Medraut's' second effect, correct? While equipped with a 'Noble Arms' Equip Spell, this card becomes an Effect Monster with this effect."
This was the additional effect written on the Monster Card in-question:
-"This card becomes DARK and its Level is increased by 1. Once per turn, if I control no other monsters: I can Special Summon 1 'Noble Knight' monster from my Deck in Defense Position, except 'Noble Knight Medraut', and if I do, destroy 1 Equip Spell I control."
"Yup, I thought so," grimaced James R..
'Noble Knight Medraut's' body darkened considerably as his Attribute changed (Attribute: LIGHT → DARK) and his Level went up slightly (Level: 4 → 5).
"Now, I'll use this additional effect to Summon 'Noble Knight Drystan' from my Deck," As she said that, Sherry held out a card ('Noble Knight Drystan') taken from her Deck before placing it onto her Duel Disk (sideways), "Come, 'Noble Knight Drystan'!"
Appearing onto the field was a red-headed male warrior wearing armor, a cape, and carrying a harp (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 800).
"By using this effect, I'll destroy 'Noble Arms - Gallatin'!" declared Sherry.
The great sword in 'Noble Knight Medraut's' hands shattered like glass, and so his Attribute (Attribute: DARK → LIGHT), Level (Level: 5 → 4), and ATK each returned to normal (ATK: 2700 → 1700).
"Now, I'll Special Summon 'Noble Knight Gawayn' from my hand!" Sherry went on, placing another card onto her Duel Disk (sideways). Appearing onto the field during the effect explanation, was a human male wearing golden armor and wielding a sword (Level: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 500), "If I control a LIGHT Normal Monster, I can Special Summon this card (from my hand) in Defense Position," She then gave the command, "I overlay Level 4 'Noble Knight Medraut' and 'Noble Knight Gawayn'!"
"I should have known something like this would come out at some point!" complained James R..
The Overlay Network appeared in the center of the field and absorbed both 'Noble Knight Medraut' and 'Noble Knight Gawayn'. Pretty soon, a Summon Chant began.
"Successor to the great throne! Bring pride and honor to your predecessors, and protect the holy realms!" chanted Sherry, as something exploded out of the Overlay Network, "Xyz Summon! Come out! Rank 4! 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin'!"
Appearing onto the field was an armored Knight with short brown hair and a red cape (Rank: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 2500). Lisa narrowed her eyes upon seeing that monster, since she faced it in her (Lisa) Turbo Duel with Sherry during the tournament.
"Next, I'll activate the second effect of 'Infernoble Knight Captain Oliver'!" reminded Sherry, as a card ('Infernoble Knight Captain Oliver') ejected from her GY, "During my Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: I…" She picked up the card and showed it to her opponent, "…can target 1 Warrior monster I control; I must Special Summon this card from my GY as a Tuner, and if I do, equip that monster I control to this card as an Equip Spell that gives it 500 ATK," The card was placed onto a Monster Zone on the Duel Disk, "By targeting 'Noble Knight Drystan', I'll Special Summon 'Infernoble Knight Captain Oliver' and equip it with my monster!"
Reappearing on the field was 'Infernoble Knight Captain Oliver' (Level: 5/ATK: 2000/DEF: 500). From there, 'Noble Knight Drystan' turned into a spirit and became one with 'Infernoble Knight Captain Oliver', causing the Summoned monster to grow slightly stronger (ATK: 2000 → 2500). James R., meanwhile, was not too impressed.
"Boring!" The brown-haired young man yawned boredly.
The reason he was saying that was because he remained convinced that his 'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' was able to overcome anything that Sherry tried to throw at him.
"Boring, you say?" said Sherry unhappily, unconvinced, "I think you'll change your mind when I activate 'King Custennin's' first effect!" A material floating around 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin' faded away as he drew and raised his sword in preparation to attack, "I can detach any number of materials from this card, then target that many cards your opponent controls; I must return them to the hand."
"W-Wait a moment!" realized James R., flinching, "'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' can't be destroyed by card effects, but he can certainly still be returned to the Extra Deck!"
'Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin' slashed his blade, creating a wave of light that struck and turned even the mighty 'Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder' into a ball of light and sending him into James R.'s Duel Disk (most notably the Extra Deck Zone). James R. was not happy he lost his best monster just like that, but then eased up and realized that 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin' didn't return his Set card to his hand, so he still had a small chance for survival. Sherry, meanwhile, had a briefly curious look on her face as she continued with her turn.
"I activate the second effect of 'Noble Arms - Excaliburn'!" announced Sherry, holding up a card ('Noble Arms - Excaliburn') taken from her GY, "During my turn, except the turn this card was sent to the GY: I can banish this card from my GY, then target 1 'Noble Knight' Xyz Monster I control; I must Special Summon from my Extra Deck, 1 'Noble Knight' Xyz Monster with a different name, by using that target as the material. (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Transfer its materials to the Summoned monster,)" The card in-between her fingers dissolved into dust, "I banish 'Noble Arms - Excaliburn' and target 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin'!"
The Overlay Network returned again and, this time, absorbed 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin'.
"Obtain the strongest power of the paladin king, and defeat those who threaten the majestic kingdom!" chanted Sherry, just as something else exploded from the Overlay Network, "Xyz Evolution! Appear! Rank 5! 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus'!"
Appearing onto the field was the even more evolved version of 'Noble Knight Artorigus' (Rank: 5/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2200). The sight of the monster brought back memories for Asagi and Lisa respectively—the former remembered not faring very well against 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus', and the latter remembered having beaten 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus' outright.
"I activate 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus's' first effect!" began Sherry, holding up two ('Noble Arms - Gallatin' and 'Noble Arms of Destiny') cards taken from her GY, "When this card is Xyz Summoned: I can target up to 3 'Noble Arms' Equip Spells with different names in my GY; I must equip those targets to this card," She slotted both cards into her Duel Disk at once, "I equip both 'Noble Arms - Gallatin' and 'Noble Arms of Destiny'!"
For the second effect of the 'Noble Arms - Gallatin' Spell Card, 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus' grew much stronger (ATK: 2200 → 3200). For the second effect of the 'Noble Arms of Destiny' Spell Card, 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus' could not be destroyed by battle or by card effects once per turn. The audience was in suspense over the overwhelming advantage Sherry had.
"Sherry can wipe completely James out with both those monsters!" Zack was saying.
Back on the field, although Sherry was more than capable of defeating James R. now, she decided she wasn't ready to strike down her opponent just yet.
"Then I'll activate the second effect of 'Infernoble Knight Captain Roland'!" While speaking, Sherry held up a card ('Infernoble Knight Captain Roland'), "During the Main Phase, if this card is in my GY (Quick Effect): I can target 1 Warrior monster I control; I must equip this card to that monster I control as an Equip Spell that gives it 500 ATK," She slotted her card into a Spell & Trap Zone on her Duel Disk, "I equip 'Captain Roland' to 'Captain Oliver'!"
Reappearing on the field was the spirit of 'Infernoble Knight Captain Roland', who then emerged with 'Infernoble Knight Captain Oliver' and made him stronger (ATK: 2500 → 3000). Controlling two monsters in 'Infernoble Knight Captain Oliver' (ATK: 3000) and 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus' (ATK: 3200) with at least 3000 ATK, Sherry was finally ready to attack.
"Bataille!" hollered Sherry in French, entering her Battle Phase, "Feel the unmatched power of the sacred sword belonging to God!" Holding her right hand out and giving the order, 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus' charged into battle, "'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus', attack the opponent directly!"
Before 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus' was able to strike at James R. and send him to 800 LP…
"It's not over yet, Sherry! activate a Trap, 'Black Wing'!" declared James R., as his only face-down card flipped up and revealed itself, "When an opponent's monster declares an attack: I must banish 1 'Blackwing' monster from my GY; I must negate the attacks of opponent's monsters with 2000 or more ATK this turn."
Sherry frowned, "So, James," she huffed, unfazed by the counter strategy, "you believe it's that easy to block my attacks?"
"Of course!" insisted James R., "I'm proving it, right here and now!"
"Face reality!" scolded Sherry sharply, "It's not as easy as you believe it to be!" To prove that, she took the final card ('Morgan, the Enchantress of Avalon') from her hand and held it out, "I activate the monster effect of 'Morgan, the Enchantress of Avalon'!"
Taking a step back, James R. cried out in shock.
"When my opponent activates a card or effect," explained Sherry, just before sending her 'Morgan, the Enchantress of Avalon' Effect Monster Card from her hand to the GY while the face-up 'Noble Arms - Gallatin' Spell Card sank into the ground and reduced 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus's' ATK to normal (ATK: 3200 → 2200), "while I control a 'Noble Knight' monster and a 'Noble Arms' Equip Spell (Quick Effect): I can send this card from my hand to the GY; I must destroy 1 'Noble Arms' Equip Spell I control, and if I do, negate the activation," The face-up 'Black Wing' Trap Card sparked and did not properly activate before going into the GY, while James R. watched helplessly and being unable to do anything to stop it. She then held her 'Noble Arms - Gallatin' Spell Card up again, "And finally, I'll activate the third effect of 'Noble Arms - Gallatin'! If this face-up card on the field is destroyed and sent to the GY: I can target 1 Warrior 'Noble Knight' monster I control; I…" The card was then slotted into a Spell & Trap Zone on her Duel Disk, "…must equip this card to that target!"
'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus', regaining the power boost (ATK: 2200 → 3200), finally struck his target with his sword, throwing a yelling James R. to the ground as his LP dropped below 1000 in an instant (LP: 4000 → 800). In the audience…
"Now I see!" remarked Shinji, "Sherry purposefully didn't return 'Black Wing' to the hand with 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Custennin's' effect because she intended to give James a false sense of hope only to prove that, no matter what he tries, her victory has already assured before her turn even began."
"And that means there is absolutely nothing James can do to save himself from Sherry's direct attacks!" added Lisa direly.
Carlie, who had spent most of the duel being quiet and watching the intense match, stared at her long time friend (James R.) and rival (Sherry) respectively as the duel was about to come to a close.
"Sherry… James…" whispered Carlie.
"This loss should be enough to teach James a lesson," thought Mayura.
Back on the field, James R. tried to stand back up, but it was only in enough time to look up and witness Sherry announcing her final attack on him.
"'Infernoble Knight Captain Oliver', attack James directly!" ordered Sherry.
'Infernoble Knight Captain Oliver' obeyed, raising and slashing both of his flaming swords at James R., causing him to scream from the flames scorching him before standing still as the fire died down and he expressed disbelief at the loss he sustained (LP: 800 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Sherry LeBlanc wins!
As the audience watched the duel finally end, there were some very mixed reactions to the final results; there were those (Asagi, Mr. Zimmerman, Ben, Mr. Kisaka, etc.) who were genuinely surprised over James R.'s defeat, and there were those (Matt, Shinji, Mayura, etc.) who were not at all surprised that he had been beaten. James R. finally sank to his hands and knees, unable to accept the fact that he thoroughly lost to Sherry of all people. Grabbing part of the destroyed pavement, he slammed it down before looking up at his triumphant opponent.
"No…" hissed James R., feeling truly sickened by the loss and stubbornly refusing to accept it, "It's not over… I refuse to say it's over," He got back onto his feet in complete desperation, "Again! Duel me again! I want a rematch!"
"Do you see now, James?" said Sherry coldly, ignoring the request for a rematch, "By losing to a non-Dark Signer like this, you've just proved my point; the Signers can never truly defeat the Dark Signers unless they get stronger," She closed her eyes and sighed, "Listen, you can duel me as many times as you want, but until you've grown stronger the results will be the same."
Her blunt advice, however, only drove James R.'s anger even further past the boiling point, taking it as Sherry insisting that she's superior to him and his friends no matter how hard they tried. The spectators all were worried over which direction the situation would lead to next, as James R. and Sherry both looked like they would get into an even worse argument that could escalate into possible further violence. But Carlie, finally at her breaking point, decided to do something about it before it happened; she ran away from the crowd towards James R. and Sherry.
"Carlie-?" pondered Mr. Izayoi in shock.
"What are you doing?!" protested Ben.
Carlie didn't listen to her Father or brother; she just continued running towards James R. and Sherry, wanting them to stop fighting like this.
"STOP IT NOW! THAT'S ENOUGH!" screamed Carlie.
James R. and Sherry overheard Carlie yelling out to them, and they turned to face her…
*SMACK!*
…only to be met with being slapped incredibly hard, pushing the both of them back a little bit as their full attention was gotten. The sight of Carlie slapping James R. and Sherry greatly surprised not only the two feuding duelists themselves, but everyone else watching. At this point, Carlie didn't care about that; all she cared about was getting James R. and Sherry to stop fighting each other—but, more importantly, she wanted the former to realize the big mistake he had been making the entire time.
"W-What was that for?" asked James, looking a little hurt since Carlie yelled at and slapped him, "I was only trying to protect you from-"
"Save it," The voice of Carlie interrupted, stopping James R. from digging himself a deeper hole. She sternly looked at her friend, "I've heard more than enough out of you, enough to, quite frankly, kick you where it truly hurts," From there, she got into his face, "I want you to listen good; you've been so much of a ham-fisted jerk in response to every single word Sherry has said, and for even throwing her parents into this when you know how much of a sensitive topic that is for her."
"Carlie…!" stammered James R..
"Since you brought Sherry's parents into this, let me ask you… What would 'your' parents think if they saw you acting like this?" pressed Carlie, delivering an Armor-Piercing Question, "Do you think 'they' would like what they see regarding you?"
James R. was stunned by the question, being unable to find any way to answer it. Before long, the rest of the group approached to see Sherry, James R., and Carlie, with Matt being the first one to speak up about the duel and everything else.
"I want you to know that I'm in complete agreement with Sherry, James," Matt said firmly, as a couple of faded stills of him Turbo Dueling Ashima (possessed), Summoning 'Majestic Dragon', and then tuning 'Stardust Dragon' and 'Stardust Xiaolong' with it to Synchro Summon 'Majestic Star Dragon' were superimposed over him, "When I was dueling Ashima when she was possessed, I was struggling to defeat her and only barely won when the Crimson Dragon gave me the power of both 'Majestic Dragon' and 'Majestic Star Dragon'."
"And when I was facing Grady when he was possessed, I had a difficult time dueling him," recalled Ashima, "I got seriously lucky with my win over him."
James R. started to open his mouth.
"Don't even bother speaking, James!" refused Shinji in a hostile tone, not wanting James R. to say something and likely make things far worse for himself, "You've already said and done quite 'enough' harm for one day."
"He sure has," The voice of Mayura agreed heatedly, as she stepped forward to deliver her own 'What the Hell, Hero?' speech, "You know something, James? Up until now, I'd been warming up to you quite a bit, thinking you were really cool and even cute. But now?" As she finished up, James R. listened in shock over hearing such a thing from a girl he liked a lot, "Now I realize that you're no different than Shani back when I used to date him!" Tears started to form in her eyes, "I was such a fool to ever like a stupid jerk like you!"
From there, the tomboyish, red-haired young woman tearfully turned and angrily stormed off for the main building.
"Mayura!" called Juri, as she followed.
Asagi stayed behind to face James R.; like Mayura, she (Asagi) was not too happy with him at the moment, but, like Juri, she (again Asagi) was luckily a bit more sympathetic towards him and his feelings at the moment.
"It looks like you've a lot to think about, James," sighed Asagi grimly, "Come find us after cooling your head off."
She then turned and headed after Juri and Mayura. Heartbroken, James R. fell to his knees again as everything said by both Carlie and Shinji finally sunk into his head; because of his increasingly hostile attitude towards Sherry, he ended up alienating several of his friends—especially Mayura.
"What have I…done?" groaned James R., before staring at the palms of his hands in sadness, "I was an absolute fool throughout… Not only was I not acting like a True Duelist, I even ended up alienating a girl I really like."
He shut his eyes tightly and clenched both hands into fists, only to then feel a hand being placed on his shoulder. The person who did it was Matt, and while he (as usual) looked stern and stoic, he obviously felt bad for his friend.
"I do understand your feelings, James," reassured Matt, before shaking his head, "But even though you admit it now, it's far too late to take it all back," James R. looked up and listened to the rest of the sentence, "You're going to have to work really hard to win back the trust of those few friends—specifically Mayura."
Standing nearby, Shinji nodded in full agreement, while James R. just looked down again, being unsure on how to respond to a statement like that. All of a sudden…
"Get up, James Hogan!" The voice of Sherry requested, getting James R.'s attention. She had seen quite enough and wanted him to snap out of it, "Are you just going to stand there and give up without even putting up a fight?"
"Why bother?" pouted James R., "Mayura has made it perfectly clear that no matter how hard I try to make it up to her, she will 'never' forgive me."
Unfortunately, that kind of statement only made Sherry angry again; before now, James R. stubbornly didn't want to give up in trying to defeat her (Sherry) in a duel, and yet when Mayura got mad at him he suddenly decided to just give it all up? Before he knew it, James R. got grabbed by the shirt collar and was forced back up in order to face Sherry directly as she furiously raised her voice.
"You bastard!" shouted Sherry, before slapping James R. across the face.
James R. stared at Sherry for a few seconds as his other cheek turned red from being slapped. Finally, he lost his temper—although it was in a more comical fashion.
"What the heck!" exclaimed James R. in annoyance, "What's with women slapping me so much?!"
"Stop being such a baby!" Sherry countered in response, roughly throwing James R. onto the ground. She then, while placing her hands on her hips, stared in disgust, "I didn't know you were a man who'd throw away your duelist's pride so easily!"
Before James R. could say anything back, he was kindly helped back up by both Carlie and Ben—with the former having a fair bit she wanted to say to him.
"Look, James, I want you to know that while you have good intentions, you're very much wrong about one thing," stated Carlie calmly, "While Sherry 'had' pushed me too far into losing control of my powers, it was just as much my fault for what happened."
"Huh?" gasped James R..
"If I had just ignored Sherry's bragging like the other children did, I would have never gotten so upset with her and my powers wouldn't have gotten out of control," continued Carlie. She shook her head, before casting a glance towards her left (where Sherry likely was), "But, instead, I chose to let Sherry's words get to me, and here we are today," While she (Carlie) spoke on, Sherry looked over with curiousity, "It's 'my' responsibility to make amends with Sherry, and I will do so no matter how long it takes."
James R. looked like he wanted to say something else. However, no words came out of his mouth, and thus he decided to be silent and let his longtime friend finish speaking.
"So, you see… Even though I failed at making amends the first time, unlike your situation with Mayura, I intend to keep trying to become friends with Sherry again," insisted Carlie, before closing her eyes, "I will not let anything or anyone stop me from doing that."
With that said, Sherry turned around and started to leave without a word of response towards Carlie's declaration. Shinji then decided to go with her, just to see if she would be okay despite being aware she would indeed be alright. James R., meanwhile, still did not say anything back, even as Michael spoke up and tried to throw in some reassuring words of his (Michael) own to cheer him (James R.) up.
"Hey, James, if it makes you feel any better, Mayura didn't say anything about staying angry with you forever," said Michael truthfully, "This means that, with enough time, she may start to forgive you for your mistake."
The seriously depressed James R. Hogan still paid no attention; he just turned and walked away from his friends in order to go to the nearest donut shop to try and drown his sorrows. The rest of the group watched James R. depart looking extremely glum—what with his pride having taken a massive hit from the combination of the huge, and quite frankly humiliating, duel loss of his own doing to Sherry, and Mayura being very angry with him over having been an enormous jerk.
"Hogan-kun…" whispered David with sympathy.
"We might as well leave him alone for a while," suggested Lisa gravely, "He needs some time to himself in order to properly think about his actions."
"Mm," accepted Michael.
And it was agreed to by everyone else. Meanwhile, not too far down the other end of the street, Sherry and Shinji both were walking to get their Duel Runners from the parking lots. When they climbed onto them (Sherry: Sturm und Drang, Shinji: Killer Wasp), Shinji looked towards where Sherry got punched (by James R.) and slapped (by Carlie).
"Hey, umm, I hope you're okay," pressed Shinji with concern, "I mean, you were punched and slapped pretty hard."
"You don't need to worry about it, I'm just fine," Sherry brushed off the concern, "I've handled injuries so much worse than this," Rather than put her helmet on, she held it in her hands and unhappily stared long and hard at it, "Somehow, I had a feeling James's resentment towards me was bound to get to this point, but I didn't think he'd go as far as to getting my parents involved."
"Sherry…" murmured Shinji. Hoping to change the subject, he smiled slightly and brought up Carlie, "But you know? The way Carlie defended you from James was really mature of her."
"Yes, it was," agreed Sherry, managing to genuinely smile a bit. She then looked at her best friend with the smile now looking a little cheesy, "Still, I didn't think she'd ever have it in her to slap me like that—it was more painful than when James slugged me."
"I bet it was more painful," joked Shinji, chuckling, before putting his helmet on, "Come on, let's return to the hotel. Elsworth will need to patch you up a bit."
Sherry put her own helmet on. Seconds later, Sturm und Drang and Killer Wasp both roared into life and drove out of the parking lot. Quite the end to an eventful day, wouldn't you agree? But there was still a little more to see.
(elsewhere…)
Speaking of patching up… Inside Matt's dorm later that night, Matt was still feeling injured from his brutal duel with the corrupted Carlie, so Ashima was present and helping patch him up. He was shirtless with bandages being wrapped around his chest with a few band aids being seen on his face to help cover the mild cuts he also sustained from the extremely violent match. Matt and Ashima both were silent throughout the procedure, but eventually Ashima broke the silence in the saddest way possible.
"You know, Matty, I was scared," Ashima admitted sadly.
"Scared?" repeated Matt.
"Yes…" confirmed Ashima, "I was so scared."
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
During the duel between Carlie and Matt in Orb's parking lot…
"Feel the agony I've felt for years," hissed Flashback Carlie, entering her Battle Phase, "My 'Black Rose Dragon' attacks 'Stardust Dragon'! Hate Rose Whip!"
Roaring out in a fury, 'Black Rose Dragon' released several thorn whips and sent them out to attack both 'Stardust Dragon' and Flashback Matt.
"MATTY!" screamed Flashback Ashima.
The vines then slapped and impaled 'Stardust Dragon' repeatedly. One last vine smacked into Flashback Matt and sent him flying across the parking lot whilst screaming before landing on his front, badly injured as his LP took a huge drop (LP: 2600 → 800). The viewers all gasped in horror. This was what Flashback Misty saw when she met with Flashback Carlie and some of the group at the beach in New Haven.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"You have no idea how worried I was for you throughout your duel with Carlie," berated Ashima, as her eyes watered slightly, "Seeing you getting so hurt by Carlie's merciless attacks when she went insane just…" While she tearfully rambled on, Matt listened calmly and gently to his hurting love interest, "…made it all the more worse—especially after what 'I' had put you through not too long ago."
"I'm sorry, Ashima…" apologized Matt softly. As more bandages were being wrapped around his chest, he remembered something and reached over, "Wait a moment…"
He picked up a card from the nightstand and looked at it. It was the newest Synchro Monster he got during the duel, 'Stardust Warrior'. Ashima stopped her work and curiously looked at the card in Matt's hands.
"Isn't that-?" mused Ashima.
"Yeah," nodded Matt, "'Stardust Warrior'… It was the power of Clear Mind that gave me this card to help save Carlie and restore her true memories."
Before anything else could be said, there was a knock on the door.
"Excuse me, Matt?" The voice of Ms. Simmons called from outside, "May I come in and speak to you?"
"Erica?" realized Matt, briefly looking down at himself and remembering he was still shirtless. Believing it would be alright for the visitor, he called right back, "Y-Yeah, the door's open!"
The door to the dorm opened, and Ms. Simmons walked inside. She smiled when she saw Matt and Ashima—especially the new card remaining in Matt's fingers.
"I'm relieved you're not hurt that badly," began Ms. Simmons, which caused Matt to briefly nod, "Anyway, I'm here because I want to properly commend you for your incredible performance and rescuing Carlie."
"Huh?" quizzed Ashima.
"Is that so?" pressed Matt.
"I was particularly impressed by you summoning a brand new Accel Synchro Monster in 'Stardust Warrior'," continued Ms. Simmons, as Matt handed her the new card ('Stardust Warrior') to look at, "You're the only other person I know who can achieve Clear Mind and use more than one Accel Synchro Monster," She looked down at the 'Stardust Warrior' Synchro Monster Card with great interest, "Being 'Shooting Star Dragon' and 'Stardust Warrior'."
"Backup a moment, please," interrupted Ashima, "How do you know so much about Clear Mind and Accel Synchro, Ms. Simmons?"
"Well, Ashima, that's easy; Erica here knows so much about them because she's also capable of reaching Clear Mind," revealed Matt, causing Ashima to curiously look towards him, "A part of the reason is she's a Coordinator like I am," He then looked back at the visitor, "Still, I've never actually seen her in a duel before, but I heard she's supposed to be really good at the game if she has a teaching position here at Orb."
"That makes sense, I guess," Ashima admitted.
"Here," offered Ms. Simmons, giving Matt his card back. Even then, she was far from finished with her questions, "Matt, I have to know… During your duel with Carlie, you had 'Cosmic Flare' in your GY when you Tributed 'Stardust Warrior' for his effect, right?" Neither the dirty blonde-haired young man nor Ashima said anything back, allowing her to continue speaking, "If you used 'Cosmic Flare's' second effect to banish itself instead of Tributing 'Stardust Warrior' to destroy 'Black Rose Dragon', you would have still been able to…" With her arms folded, she continued to remember everything from the duel, "…use that effect a second time to prevent Carlie from potentially being able to Summon another monster on that same turn while also ensuring that 'Stardust Warrior' would still be on your field when your turn came around," A wink then followed, "Well? Is that true or not?"
"Yeah, it's true," replied Matt stoically.
Ashima and Ms. Simmons both were amazed by how far ahead Matt had thought out during the duel. Sensing the notion, he decided to elaborate on his explanation a bit.
"After the Dark Signers planted one of their cards into Ashima's Deck, I already prepared myself for what other unknown cards they threw at me," corrected Matt, but then eased up as he remembered the events of not too long ago, "Even then, the others and I are still going to need to become stronger if we're to stand a chance against them in a real battle."
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
During Flashback Matt and Flashback Rutger's duel…
"Now is the time for your Advent! My God, 'Earthbound Immortal Uru'!" chanted Flashback Rutger.
The heart in the sky exploded as the purple beam ended, causing an earthquake to ensue as the rest of the Signers and their friends all cried out in shock. The ghostly flames started rising through the earthquake as the shadow of a huge monster could be seen coming outside—starting with a pair of glowing red eyes. The full body of 'Earthbound Immortal Uru' was that of a gigantic spider, with skin tone matching that of the 'Earthbound Servant' monsters with a few key differences in color (Level: 10/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000). Everyone else who was not Flashback Rutger knew nothing of what to expect from such a powerful being unlike anything they've ever seen.
"That monster is humongous!" staggered Flashback Janice.
"Part of me wishes I stayed back at Orb," whined Flashback Sean.
(new scene…)
After briefly finding a weakness in 'Earthbound Immortal Uru' using 'Stardust Dragon' to attack, Flashback Matt took two cards from his hand.
"I set two cards face-down…" finished Flashback Matt, as two Set cards ('Shooting Star' and 'Cosmic Blast') materialized on the field, "…and end my turn!"
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"You're referring to your battle with Rutger in the junkyard, aren't you?" guessed Ms. Simmons.
"I am. Before our duel ended without any results," answered Matt, before Ashima and Ms. Simmons both listened to the rest of the explanation, "I was in a position to win using my two Set cards, but it was only because Rutger was holding back against me throughout the match. He still managed to Summon 'Earthbound Immortal Uru' during the duel—and that's what worries me the most," He frowned with grave concern, "If Rutger had been dueling with his full strength instead of toying with me, would I have even won against him?"
"Matty…" sympathized Ashima, placing a hand on her boyfriend's upper back, "You must be taking Sherry's words to heart, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am," Matt confirmed once again, "We, I, have to get stronger if we hope to defeat the Dark Signers."
After some silence from the three duelists in the room, Ms. Simmons got an idea on how to help Matt prepare himself for the battles ahead.
"Matt, would you care to have a Turbo Duel with me?" she offered.
"Huh?" wondered Ashima.
"Erica?" came from Matt.
"Not right away," Ms. Simmons corrected herself, "I mean only if you feel you're ready for such a challenge."
"Oh…" said Matt thoughtfully, before looking at Ashima before she nodded without a word. He then looked up and nodded himself, "Erica, I accept your offer for a Turbo Duel when I become stronger."
Ms. Simmons looked very pleased that her offer was agreed to, and looked forward to the day she and Matt would duel—she had so much she wanted to teach him in their match. She would also make sure their duel would be Matt's hardest battle to date.
(outside…)
Outside Orb later into the night, a light was seen coming from one of the dorms on the upper floors. The light was coming from none other than Mayura Labatt's dorm, where she could be seen resting her head in her arms while looking out the opened window at the night sky.
(inside…)
Inside the dorm, Mayura was shown currently wearing pajama shorts and a sports bra (showing off some good-looking legs and nice-looking abs), having just changed into them after taking a shower. Throughout her time looking up at the sky and moon, she said absolutely nothing, looked deeply unhappy, and even sighed in a slight depression. As it should be crystal clear by now, she was still very upset over what she had witnessed James R., a guy she'd been warming up to most recently, acting like a complete jerk, and she had spent the last hour-and-a-half or so in Orb's gym beating on a large punching bag to try and relieve some steam over it—witnessing James R. act like he did towards Sherry brought back some very unpleasant memories of when she (Mayura) was younger. Also present in the dorm were Juri and Asagi, both wearing their own sets of pajamas in order to have a friendly sleepover with their best friend of so many years and hopefully console her. As expected, both young women felt sorry for poor Mayura.
"Mayura…" said Juri, before approaching Mayura from behind and carefully wrapping her (Juri) arms around her (Mayura) torso just below the chest, "Come on, cheer up. Asagi and I don't think James is a jerk, at all. He merely made a couple of really bad choices in trying to defend a friend from what he thought was bullying."
The sad-looking Mayura simply remained wordless and paid little-to-no attention to Juri's words about James R.—nor towards those soft hands of Juri's now moving around and touching her (Mayura) bare tummy in an attempt to massage it and help console her.
"James was only defending Carlie, but he definitely could have handled things with Sherry much better than how he chose to do it," The voice of Asagi was saying, with her not even realizing that she was saying a little too much, "I mean, using violence on a woman was bad enough, but to bring up Sherry's parents like that was totally stepping out of line!" She stopped at last and covered her mouth before feeling really bad, "Oops! Oh, Mayura, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of that."
(outside…)
Again, Mayura didn't say anything in response. If anything, Asagi's accidental slip of the tongue only caused her (Mayura) to let out another depressed sigh while continuing looking out the window at the night sky with no intention of stopping that for a long while. She also continued to replay the scenes of James R.'s furious rants towards Sherry in her (Mayura) head. Would Mayura get over being angry with James R.? Would James R. be able to win back Mayura's trust and the likes? Well, I'm afraid that's something I have no idea about.