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, Akatsuki (c) Sunrise
Character of Lisa Drake (c) DaveMan1000
Character of David Xadashi (c) DaveMan1000
Jak and Daxter characters, Spargus, Tough Puppy, Sand Shark, Dune Hopper, Gila Stomper, Slam Dozer, Heat Seeker, Dust Demon, Desert Screamer (c) Naughty Dog
Crash Bandicoot characters, Wumpa (c) Activision
Ratchet & Clank characters, Veldin, Sargasso, Shatterbomb (c) Insomniac
Sly Cooper characters (c) Sucker Punch
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.
"Hello, everyone!" greeted Lisa, "It's time for another segment of 'This week's noteworthy cards'!"
"That it is, Lisa-chan," agreed David, before he and Lisa turned to face the nearby blackboard with the five cards (still showing their backing) lined up, "Reverse cards, open!"
The five face-down cards on the blackboard all automatically turned over and revealed themselves to be:
-'Wind-Up Factory' (Spell Card)
-'Lyrilusc - Recital Starling' (Xyz Monster Card)
-'Heavy Metal Raiders' (Spell Card)
-'Summon Reactor・SK' (Effect Monster Card)
-'Lyrilusc - Bird Sanctuary' (Spell Card)
"Hey, look at that one! It's one of that jerk Vincent's cards!" complained Lisa, staring at the middle card ('Heavy Metal Raiders'), "Why's it even here?"
"Once per turn, if a monster you control that was originally a DARK Machine destroys a card(s) on the field by battle or by card effect: You can Special Summon 1 DARK Machine monster from your hand," read David, going over the second effect of the card, "Vincent-kun always did like using Machine monsters."
"So I can see," deadpanned Lisa, who really didn't like Vincent. She and David then turned to face the audience, "Anyway, I think we'll let you all see what other cards Ashima, Vincent, and, spoiler alert, Gabriella use in this duel," They started waving goodbye to the audience, "Farewell until the next segment! Audios, amigos!"
The audience cheered and clapped in response.
Title: Sadistic Warfare
Opening up inside the basement of Lisa's home, a couple of hours after Carlie and Sherry's duel ended with Carlie winning and then the two becoming friends again for the first time in years, David, Sean, and Juri were working on something big, which seemed to be a Duel Disk. All three were wearing work goggles as they worked on their project.
"Juri-san, hand me that screwdriver, please," David, not looking up from his work, requested.
Juri did as she was told. At some point, David stood tall, removed his goggles, and sighed with relief.
"Complete," uttered David.
"Say, Dave," interjected Sean, "Do you think this is really a good idea? Gabriella is only 6, you know."
"Sean-kun, you worry too much," chuckled David, "My sister has always desired to follow in my footsteps to become a fellow duelist," He looked at the hard work he and the others did, "Seeing as how they do not manufacture Duel Disks for aspiring youth such as her, I intend to make her wish come true myself," He then looked at his two assistants, "With the help of you two, of course."
"That's really sweet of you to do for Gabriella, Dave," smiled Juri.
"And don't forget," added Sean, "that Lisa and Ashima are out shopping for a starter Deck that Gabriella might like to play—after all, it was also Lisa's idea."
David nodded.
"That's Lisa for you," said Juri fondly, "Underneath her tough exterior, Lisa can be a real sweetheart around children," David and Sean both listened to their intelligent friend finish her sentence, "Just don't say that to her face if you know what's good for you."
David and Sean looked at each other and smiled sheepishly, knowing that Lisa had a somewhat nasty temper that was very easy to trigger.
(elsewhere…)
Somewhere in the city of Hartford, cars and people were bustling about. The big Hartford Mall had many cars in the parking lot, with people going in or out.
(inside…)
Inside the mall, Lisa and Ashima had entered the big card store, where the former spent a lot of time and money on new cards for her collection. This time, she was here to get a Deck for a little girl.
"Hmm… What would be good for Gabriella to play?" mused Lisa thoughtfully, looking at the Decks on display, "One that's easy to use and fun?" She looked to Ashima, "What do you think, Ashima?"
Ashima responded by reaching out to touch one of the Decks on display to see what it was, but stopped herself and retracted her hand at the last second when she remembered how badly she failed her own Deck in their time of need and also tried killing Matt, all while she was possessed by the Dark Signers. Lisa saw the sad look in Ashima's eyes and softened up a fair bit.
"You still can't seem to properly pick up a card without remembering that night," sighed Lisa, but then smiled with confidence as she wrapped her right arm around her hurting friend, "But do try to cheer up! I know you'll be able to move past your trauma in due time."
"Lisa…" whispered Ashima.
All of a sudden…
"Aha!" rejoiced Lisa, as her eyes lit up, "This is the one!" She picked up a Deck on the display and looked at the bottom most card ('Wind-Up Arsenal Zenmaioh'), "This Deck is perfect for a beginner like Gabriella!"
(elsewhere…)
A little later in Orb's gymnasium, lots of people, including Mr. Zimmerman, Mr. Kisaka, and Ms. Simmons along with her own son by the name of Ryuta, have gathered to watch as David and Lisa presented Gabriella a pair of gifts.
"For you, my young friend," said Lisa with pride, handing Gabriella the Deck she (Lisa) purchased, "This Deck focuses on the 'Wind-Up' archetype. It's easy to use, and it's filled with a ton of fun monsters."
"Whoa…" breathed Gabriella.
"And from me to you," added David, presenting a child-sized Duel Disk, "Your very own Duel Disk."
The Duel Disk had the same base design as the Boxford Corp mass production version, but the edges were smoothed out to appear more friendly. The main gray color was instead painted metallic blue, with the card slots being silver with metallic red arrow indicators. The usual red GY slot was given a lighter shade of metallic blue to contrast with the base color. It also emanated a soft yellow glow from the gaps between the sections.
"(お兄ちゃん!) O nīchan! (Big Brother!)" cried Gabriella, taking and hugging the Duel Disk tightly, "(ありがとう!) Arigatō! (Thank you!) This makes me want to get started right away!"
"Easy there, kiddo," chortled Lisa, "Dave and I still have so much to teach you regarding the game rules and a lot more. It won't be easy, either, as the game's pretty complicated."
"I won't let you or (お兄ちゃん) O nīchan (Big Brother) down, Lisa-san," promised Gabriella, "I will make you both proud of me."
"I know you won't," David responded, before he affectionately stroked the top of his younger sister's head.
And the crowd applauded. What nobody in the gymnasium knew was there was somebody watching the scene—but not anywhere in Orb.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the hideout of the Dark Signers, the crystal globe was showing footage of David and Lisa giving Gabriella her Deck and Duel Disk. And who was watching it play out? Why, Vincent Stevens, of course.
"For you, my young friend," The image of Lisa said with pride, handing the image of Gabriella the Deck she (Lisa) purchased, "This Deck focuses on the 'Wind-Up' archetype. It's easy to use, and it's filled with a ton of fun monster."
"Whoa…" The image of Gabriella breathed.
"And from me to you," The image of David added, presenting a child-sized Duel Disk, "Your very own Duel Disk."
"(お兄ちゃん!) O nīchan! (Big Brother!)" The image of Gabriella cried out, taking and hugging the Duel Disk tightly, "(ありがとう!) Arigatō! (Thank you!)" As he listened, a small, cruel smile formed on Vincent's lips, "This makes me want to get started right away!"
"Oh man, this couldn't be anymore perfect than I planned," chuckled Vincent, before remembering instructions from Rutger earlier on. He simply spat on the ground, "Screw leaderman's orders to standby and wait! I'm not waiting any longer!" His eyes, filled with malice, narrowed, "The best way for me to get revenge on robo-boy is by going after his kid sister—it will make him suffer!"
The crystal globe was displaying footage of David affectionately stroking the top of Gabriella's head after she vowed to not let him or Lisa down in learning how to play Duel Monsters.
"Get ready, you &$#! Because I'm coming for you and your flesh and blood!" The voice of Vincent concluded.
(elsewhere…)
The next day in the yard of Orb, David and Lisa were in the middle of helping Gabriella learn how to play Duel Monsters. Rather than their own Decks, they were using ones given to them by Ms. Simmons in order to help give Gabriella a fighting chance. Watching in the sidelines were the three Astray girls, Ashima, Sean, and Janice.
"Look at them go," admired Janice.
"Even at the age of 6, I think Gabriella is doing okay," put in Sean.
Asagi nodded, but then had a thought about someone in their presence. She (Asagi) turned to face Ashima and asked her (Ashima) a question.
"Ashima, can I ask you something?" The voice of Asagi pressed, causing Ashima to turn and listen carefully, "Do you think you're ready to begin dueling again?" She then winked playfully, "I think Gabriella would love facing your 'Lyrilusc' monsters."
The smile immediately left Ashima's face as she looked away with a solemn expression replacing said smile. The heartbreaking sight made Asagi look very regretful over asking the innocent question, while both Mayura and Juri also felt very sorry for Ashima.
"No," said Ashima sadly, "I still don't feel ready to return to dueling," Once more, she faced her three American friends—this time with distress in her eyes, "Does that make me a coward or something?"
"A coward? Nonsense!" denied Juri.
"It doesn't make you a coward," insisted Mayura, "It takes time to recover from trauma."
Ashima smiled in sadness, feeling at least grateful for having made some wonderful new friends. Back on the field, Lisa was in the middle of having a practice duel with Gabriella, and it was the latter's turn.
"Here!" As she spoke, Gabriella held a card out, "I Summon 'Wind-Up Rabbit'!"
Appearing on the field was a mechanical rabbit colored red and white (Level: 3/ATK: 1400/DEF: 600). Lisa braced herself for whatever came next.
"That isn't all," continued Gabriella, as, without even thinking, she tried placing another card ('Wind-Up Dog') onto her Duel Disk, "I also Summon 'Wind-Up Dog'!"
But nothing even appeared. The Duel Disk didn't even light up.
"Huh? What's happening?" peeped Gabriella, "Why's my monster not appearing?"
Suddenly, her Duel Disk started beeping an anti-cheating alarm, signaling she broke a rule—accidental or not.
"Oh, Gabriella," laughed Lisa, shaking her head with amusement, "Don't you know? You've already Summoned a monster for your turn."
"In Duel Monsters, unless a card effect will permit it, you may only Normal Summon or Set 'one' monster per turn," added David, before directing his attention to Gabriella's field, "Since you Summoned 'Wind-Up Rabbit', you can't Summon 'Wind-Up Dog' until the next turn."
Remembering it, Gabriella felt discouraged over forgetting a very basic rule. David simply smiled and approached the field, causing the duel to end with no results as he walked over to see his sister.
"Do not look so down," soothed David, placing both hands on Gabriella's shoulders, "It was merely a simple error on your part," His sister looked up with hopeful eyes, "By the time Lisa-chan and I are finished, I promise you will go far as a duelist."
Gabriella looked towards Lisa, who simply winked and gave a thumbs up. All of this started to make Gabriella feel much happier—well, at least until it all went downhill.
"Heh! I doubt it, robo-boy," A familiar voice (male) sneered.
Everyone in the area knew who the voice belonged to, and it was one they really didn't want to hear from. Unfortunately, leaning beside a tree with his arms crossed was none other than the now Dark Signer known only as Vincent Stevens.
"It's him!" gasped Sean.
"Not again!" put in Mayura.
"Vincent!" finished David hatefully.
The observers quickly gathered around David, Lisa, and Gabriella. Realizing the potential threat of the new arrival, Gabriella immediately sought protection by hiding behind Ashima.
"You know, kid," taunted Vincent, now beginning to slowly approach while speaking to David's younger sister, "You probably shouldn't be playing Duel Monsters since…" Gabriella listened nervously to the rest of the short statement, "…it's easy to get hurt while dueling more experienced players."
"(お前!) Omae! (You!)" accused David in angry Japanese.
"What the heck are you doing here?" added Lisa in equal anger.
"That's easy, I'm here to duel," bragged Vincent, before stopping and eyeing David with evil intention as he (David) stood and listened to ramblings of a delusional madman, "What do you say? Are you game?"
"I don't know what you're planning this time around, but I have to stop you here and now," said David firmly, "I accept your challenge!"
Vincent grinned in response—before turning tail and seemingly running away from his enemies.
"Hey! Why are you running away?!" yelled Lisa.
"After him!" ordered Asagi, "We can't let him escape!"
David and Lisa immediately started giving chase, while the Astray trio, Sean, and Janice followed suit. Ashima and Gabriella both stayed behind for a short period of time as the former faced the latter, got onto a knee, placed both hands on the little girl's shoulders, and spoke to her.
"Gabriella, please stay by my side at all times, okay?" requested Ashima.
"I will, Ashima-neechan," promised Gabriella.
(elsewhere…)
The chase took David, Sean, and Janice to one part of town.
(elsewhere…)
Lisa, Asagi, Mayura, and Juri were searching in another part of town.
(elsewhere…)
Unfortunately, Ashima and Gabriella weren't quite as lucky—by unlucky, I meant they found Vincent successfully standing on a bridge with a small river canal below, but was looking as though he was waiting for them to come directly to him.
"Vincent!" shouted Ashima.
With his trap sprung, Vincent smiled when he figured his plan was a huge success and motioned his right arm across his chest, causing the purple birthmark of the Dog to begin glowing as he summoned a ghostly wall of fire, trapping himself, Gabriella, and Ashima each inside. In the sky, the wall of fire spread until it formed the geoglyph of the Dog.
"W-W-What is all this?" A scared Gabriella stammered, looking at her (Gabriella) new surroundings while clutching onto Ashima's waist before looking back at the smiling Vincent, "Why do you want to hurt us?"
"Why, you're asking?" slurred Vincent sinisterly, "It's because you're my ticket to fighting robo-boy… so what better way to make him suffer than through you?" He then eyed Ashima and addressed her, "Oh yes, there's also you. Are you feeling any better ever since you got freed from our control?"
"Don't you dare lay a hand on Gabriella!" warned Ashima sternly.
"Oh no, I wouldn't dream of it," lied Vincent, waving both hands while showing the palms, "Rather than fight with my hands…" He then activated his Duel Disk, "I'll let my cards do the fighting for me! And besides that," There was another sneering tone in his voice as Ashima listened to him, "What are you even going to do now that you're nothing but a useless bag of nerves who can't even duel to save your own life?" The spiky black-haired young man grinned very cruelly, "Nothing, that's what!"
Although she tried not to show it, Ashima was greatly affected by the words aimed at her since Vincent was right about her; as a result of her PTSD, she had a hard time dueling and even picking up a card.
"You're a big bully!" insulted Gabriella childishly.
"Well, how about you do something about it?" dared Vincent, "Why don't we have a duel here?"
"Sure!"
"Gabriella, no!" protested Ashima, touching the top of Gabriella's Duel Disk and causing her (Gabriella) to look up, "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into; Vincent is not like the other people we've met."
"He's different?" peeped Gabriella.
"Damn right, I'm different!" The voice of Vincent boasted, causing Gabriella and Ashima both to look over. He was looking absolutely confident and cocky (as usual), "I also have complete control of the situation, and none of us can ever escape from the flaming circle until the battle royale comes to an end."
"Hold on, this is a battle royale?" gasped Ashima, surprised, "But I never agreed to join any kind of duel!"
"Seeing as your young friend is a beginner to the game, she'll need all the help she can get to beat me, the 'Level-up King'!" snickered Vincent, before looking very smug, "Well, it looks like you've volunteered to help her out. What do you say?" A very nervous Ashima listened while not knowing what to do, "It all sounds very fair, doesn't it?"
(elsewhere…)
Back in another part of Hartford, David, Sean, and Janice stopped to catch their breath when the Mark of the Dragon on David's right forearm started glowing and reacting.
"Agh!" grimaced David, clutching his forearm, "The Crimson Dragon is warning me of a duel involving…" He gritted his teeth in pain, "…the Dark Signers!"
Sean and Janice didn't like the sound of that, and their fears grew when they looked up into the sky and saw something—with the former letting out a startled yell. In the sky was a geoglyph of what appeared to be a dog.
"What is that?!" The voice of Janice shrieked.
"Great trouble," answered David gravely.
"I had a feeling you'd say that," fretted Sean.
(elsewhere…)
David, Sean, and Janice weren't the only ones to discover the geoglyph in the sky… Lisa and her three Orb friends also noticed the thing in the sky, and were most alarmed by it.
"It looks like trouble's brewing," frowned Lisa, "I'm heading over there to help out," The three Astray girls listened as she gave them their instructions, "You three head back and get Matt and the others."
"Got it," obeyed Asagi, before looking at the two young women standing on her left (Mayura) and right (Juri) and giving them their orders, "Mayura! Juri! Let's go!"
"Mm!" Juri and Mayura agreed at the same time.
The three left the area as fast as they could run, while Lisa left in the opposite direction.
(elsewhere…)
Back at the river canal, Ashima and Gabriella both faced Vincent inside the wall of ghostly fire, who giggled wickedly at his trapped prey.
"Well, I think it's time to begin the duel, wouldn't you agree?" teased Vincent.
Gabriella and Ashima both activated their Duel Disks in response. Before long, the two-vs.-one battle royale commenced.
"Duel!" Vincent, Ashima, and Gabriella announced at once (LP: 4000) x3.
The three players drew their five card hands and looked them over. Gabriella knew that this was going to be her first big duel, and she (Gabriella) would not let Ashima down.
"Now then, the 'Level-up King' gets to go first!" gloated Vincent, drawing a card, "Being yours truly."
Turn One: Vincent Stevens (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Summon Reactor・SK", "Trap Reactor・Y FI", "Extreme Air Raider"(!), "Dark Ruler No More", "Spell Reactor・RE", and "Heavy Metal Raiders"
His drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Heavy Metal Raiders', which he was hoping to get on his first turn.
"This will be a good start to showing off my new strength," thought Vincent snidely, before slotting his card ('Heavy Metal Raiders') into his opened Duel Disk's Field Zone, "Field Spell, 'Heavy Metal Raiders', activate!"
"'Heavy Metal Raiders'?" pondered Gabriella, as the Field Zone of Vincent's Duel Disk closed up, "What does it do?"
Ashima frowned, knowing how bad things were going to get down the road since an 'Earthbound Immortal' monster needed a Field Spell to function.
"Then I'll play this card," Vincent went on, before taking and showing off another card ('Spell Reactor・RE') from his hand, "'Spell Reactor・RE'!"
Appearing onto the field was the familiar red robotic creature that looked like a serpent/dragon with metallic claws for arms (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 900).
"'Spell Reactor・RE'," thought Ashima, "An already dangerous monster that, when combined with the other two parts, can bring an even more powerful monster out. Vincent must be going for it straight away."
"I then Set one card and end my turn," finished Vincent, as a face-down card appeared on his field, "Now, you two, come at me—if you dare!"
Ashima felt very unnerved.
"Ashima-neechan," The high voice of Gabriella cut in, causing Ashima to look over at the determined little girl, "If it's okay with you, I'd like to take the first turn."
"Alright, but please take care," pleaded Ashima, "This duel is not like any other, considering it has our lives on the line—especially if what Matty said is true, and this guy has access to an 'Earthbound Immortal' monster."
"I'll be careful," promised Gabriella, before facing her opponent, "Okay, you big bully, it's my turn!" She drew her first card, "Draw!"
Turn Two: Gabriella Xadashi (LP: 4000)
Deck: 34
Current Hand (6): "Wind-Up Factory", "Zenmailstrom", "Wind-Up Dog", "Wind-Up Knight", "Overwind", and "Wind-Up Magician"
She looked at her hand, which contained 'Wind-Up Factory', 'Zenmailstrom', 'Wind-Up Dog', 'Wind-Up Knight', 'Overwind', and the drawn 'Wind-Up Magician'.
"(お兄ちゃん,) O nīchan, (Big Brother,) please lend me your strength," Gabriella thought with hope, before taking another card ('Wind-Up Factory') from her hand and holding it out, "I activate the Continuous Spell, 'Wind-Up Factory'! Once per turn, if an effect of a 'Wind-Up' monster is activated (except during the Damage Step): I can add 1 Level 4 or lower 'Wind-Up' monster from my Deck to my hand."
Ashima gasped, knowing that, already, Gabriella made a misplay due to Vincent controlling 'Spell Reactor・RE'.
"No, Gabriella!" Ashima cried out, "Don't play that card while 'Spell Reactor・RE' is on Vincent's field!"
"Huh?" flinched Gabriella, "Did I already mess up?"
But it was too late… The 'Wind-Up Factory' Spell Card materialized face-up on the field.
"Ha! What an idiot!" laughed Vincent, "By playing a Spell Card, you've activated the effect of my monster!"
"What?!" panicked Gabriella
"Once per turn, when my opponent activates a Spell Card (Quick Effect): I can destroy that card, and if I do, inflict 800 damage to my opponent," explained Vincent, before giving a command to his 'Spell Reactor・RE', "Destroy 'Wind-Up Factory'!"
'Spell Reactor・RE' obeyed, firing off several missiles, striking the face-up 'Wind-Up Factory' Spell Card and destroying it in an explosion, causing poor Gabriella to scream as she got thrown near the fire wall by the explosion's backlash before falling onto the ground and her LP took a hit (LP: 4000 → 3200).
"Gabriella!" hollered Ashima.
"W-What…" winced Gabriella, weakly sitting back up, "…was that blow I felt?"
"Noob!" snorted Vincent, unimpressed that one of his opponents already forgot the rules of the whole duel, "The 'slave girl' just told you this duel is different from others," He smiled like a shark, "In this duel, damage inflicted on both sides becomes real!"
Gabriella looked terrified upon learning this, but decided to keep on dueling to save herself and Ashima. She quickly gathered her dropped cards, carefully returned to her feet, and decided to play something else—maybe something like a monster? However, Vincent first had something he needed to do…
"I activate the second effect of my Field Spell, 'Heavy Metal Raiders'!" declared Vincent, "Once per turn, if a monster I control that was originally a DARK Machine destroys a card(s) on the field by battle or card effect: I can Special Summon 1 DARK Machine monster from my hand," He placed another card ('Summon Reactor・SK') onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "Come, 'Summon Reactor・SK'!"
Appearing onto the field was the humanoid, army green painted plane with two arms and two shoulder cannons (Level: 5/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1400).
"(別の恐ろしいモンスター!) Betsu no osoroshī monsutā! (Another scary monster!)" thought Gabriella in Japanese, looking at her hand, "I should protect myself with my own monster," She took and held a card from her hand upward, "I Summon 'Wind-Up Knight' in Defense Position!"
She placed the card onto her Duel Disk (sideways), and appearing on the field in a defensive stance was a small Knight-like monster (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200).
"Now I can defend myself from an attack from one of your two scary monsters," bragged Gabriella.
Ashima, however, had to disagree with that notion.
"Gabriella, 'Summon Reactor・SK' isn't a monster to be trifled with!" she tried protesting.
"She's right, kid," The voice of Vincent acknowledged, causing Ashima to look over. He looked very gleeful over the second mistake in a row one of his opponents made, "'Summon Reactor・SK's' first effect activates! The first time a monster(s) is Summoned to my opponent's field: I must inflict 800 damage to my opponent."
The propellers on 'Summon Reactor・SK' turned on and let loose a powerful blast of wind, striking Gabriella directly and throwing her against the wall of fire again (LP: 3200 → 2400).
"Gabriella…" thought Ashima, "Without checking to see if Vincent's monsters have any dangerous effects, she went and made two rookie mistakes that cost her 1600 LP already."
Gabriella again got back onto her feet, weakly, and then looked down at her hand one more time. Deciding to try Setting a card or two, she took two of them and looked up at Vincent.
"I-I…Set two…reverse cards," panted Gabriella, slotting the two cards into her Duel Disk, "I end my turn."
Two face-down cards appeared on the field near her feet.
"Man, you're so gullible!" insulted Vincent, feeling more and more pleased by the minute, "I'm really glad you're a weak opponent like your teammate here!"
(elsewhere…)
"What the hell?!" yelled Matt, "Are you sure?"
Back outside Orb, the three Astray girls had made it back in time to tell Matt and the others the bad news—another Dark Signer duel had begun somewhere in the city.
"We're sure about it, Matt," confirmed Juri.
"The Dark Signer is none other than that damned creep, Vincent," cried Asagi.
"Is Dave or Lisa dueling him?" pressed Carlie.
"We oughta find out," suggested James R., before he took off running, "Let's go!"
The group then followed the brown-haired young man out the door.
(elsewhere…)
Back inside the wall of fire, Ashima weakly stared at her opponent as she listened to what he wanted to tell her.
"Alright, it's your turn, now!" The voice of Vincent offered, before he was shown smiling some more, "That is, if you can even duel like before."
Luckily, Ashima did draw a card, and she did so without saying anything since Vincent wasn't worth retorting against.
Turn Three: Ashima Nilgiri (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow", "Xyz Import", "Lyrilusc - Bird Roost"(!), "Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail", "Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler", and "Lyrilusc - Bird Sanctuary"
Her drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Lyrilusc - Bird Sanctuary'. Ashima studied her opponent's field, completely aware that Vincent controlled 'Summon Reactor・SK' and 'Spell Reactor・RE', which would inflict damage to her should she Summon a monster ('Summon Reactor・SK') or activate a Spell Card (Spell Reactor・RE'). She then looked down and studied her hand, which contained 'Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow', 'Xyz Import', 'Lyrilusc - Bird Roost', 'Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail', 'Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler', and 'Lyrilusc - Bird Sanctuary'.
"There isn't much choice on my end," thought Ashima, "I have to step into Vincent's damaging trap to get a monster out," She spoke up, "I activate the first effect of 'Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler'!"
"Hm?" pondered Vincent, as he listened.
"If I control no monsters, I can Special Summon this card (from my hand)," The voice of Ashima explained, just as the small, female humanoid bird-like warrior wearing a yellowish bodysuit and with two large yellow wings for arms appeared on the field and posted heroically (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100), "Come, 'Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler'!"
"So, you've Summoned a monster despite knowing you'll take 800 damage?" huffed Vincent, "Fine, I can live with that," He gave the command to 'Summon Reactor・SK', "Go forth, 'Summon Reactor・SK'! Strike the 'slave girl' next!"
'Summon Reactor・SK' obeyed, firing off another wind blast and striking Ashima, pushing her back a little bit as her LP took a moderate hit (LP: 4000 → 3200).
"But my monster has a second effect!" retorted Ashima, making Vincent scowl. She then took a card ('Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail') from her hand and held it up for two seconds before placing it on her Duel Disk, "If this card is Special Summoned from the hand: I can Special Summon 1 'Lyrilusc' monster from my hand or GY. Come, 'Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail'!"
Appearing on the field was the small, female humanoid bird-like warrior wearing a black and gray bodysuit and with two large gray wings for arms (Level: 1/ATK: 200/DEF: 0).
"Tch! I can only use the effects of my 'Reactor' monsters once per turn," Vincent told himself unhappily, "Meaning I can't hit Ashima twice with 'Summon Reactor・SK'!"
"Furthermore, I'll activate the first effect of 'Celestine Wagtail'!" announced Ashima, drawing a card and looking at it. The card was a Trap Card called 'Lyrilusc - Phantom Feathers', "If this card is Special Summoned: I can add 1 'Lyrilusc' Spell/Trap…" As soon as she finished her explanation, she looked up at her opponent, "…from my Deck to my hand. And that isn't all!" As the main command was given, the Overlay Network appeared in the center of the field, "I overlay Level 1 'Turquoise Warbler' and 'Celestine Wagtail'!"
'Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler' and 'Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail' were absorbed into the Overlay Network. Something then started to emerge from the Overlay Network, which was an adult-like, female humanoid bird-like warrior with dark blue/black arm-like wings, helmet, and battle-like dress—all while a Summon Chant from Ashima followed.
"Majestic song of night! Sing out and shatter the glass of confinement!" chanted Ashima, "Xyz Summon! Rank 1! 'Lyrilusc - Recital Starling'!"
The new monster posed on the field for battle (Rank: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). Vincent merely smiled, as he remembered how Ashima dueled since he and the three Bio-CPU boys watched her and Matt had their heart wrenching Turbo Duel that fateful night.
"Hey, you 'Indian slave girl'!" laughed Vincent, "Do you still have access to 'Fusion Parasite'?" As he taunted her, Ashima flinched from the reminder, "You know, it's a card I lent you!"
Nothing by Ashima was said as a flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Seated on the chair and still unconscious, was none other than Flashback Ashima. All of a sudden, her eyes snapped open while glowing purple, and a spider birthmark appeared on her right forearm. She appeared to be a little groggy from waking up.
"Where am I…?" groaned Flashback Ashima (possessed), before, in her POV, she finds four Dark Signers standing nearby and staring at her, "You four…?"
"Our boss, Rutger, has a request for you," began Flashback Dark Signer 1, "He wants you to defeat Matt Fudo of the Signers."
"Can you do that?" pressed Flashback Dark Signer 3.
"Matt…Fudo…?" uttered Flashback Ashima (possessed), before grimacing for a few seconds, "I remember his name, but…there's something about me that…" She continued struggling to speak as the four Dark Signers listened, "…I can't seem to remember."
"Oh really?" deadpanned Flashback Vincent, before grinning, "Well, maybe I can help you with getting your memory fixed up."
With that said, he walked over to Flashback Ashima (possessed), reached into his cloak, and pulled out a card while handing it over.
"Take this card," Flashback Vincent offered, "It might help you out."
Curious, Flashback Ashima accepted the card and looked at it. It was a Monster Card known as 'Fusion Parasite', an Effect Monster. As Flashback Ashima (possessed) stared at the card, it appeared to energize the darkness that had appeared in her heart.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, and Ashima was barely able to keep her concentration on the duel over that cruel reminder.
"I activate 'Recital Starling's' first effect!" she blurted out, while beginning to talk about 'Lyrilusc - Recital Starling', "If this card is Xyz Summoned: I can target 1 face-up monster on the field; it gains 300 ATK/DEF for each material attached to this card."
"Ashima-neechan, are you-?" wondered Gabriella.
"That's right, Gabriella," confirmed Ashima, just as 'Lyrilusc - Recital Starling' motion her arms/wings out and fired an energizing wind blast at 'Wind-Up Knight', striking it, "I target Gabriella's 'Wind-Up Knight' and increase its ATK and DEF by 600!"
'Wind-Up Knight' grew more powerful (ATK: 1800 → 2400/DEF: 1200 → 1800).
"Do I look worried about that to you?" snorted Vincent.
"Then, I'll activate the second effect of 'Recital Starling'!" cut in Ashima, just as 'Lyrilusc - Recital Starling' made one of its materials fly around the area before landing on top of the Duel Disk belonging to her, "Once per turn: I can detach 1 material from this card; I must…" She took a card ('Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow') that emerged from the middle of her Deck and looked at it, "…add 1 Level 1 Winged Beast monster from my Deck to my hand."
"What else will she do?" thought Gabriella, admiring her teammate.
"I activate the first effect of 'Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow'!" continued Ashima, holding up two cards ('Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow' and 'Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow'), "If I control a Winged Beast monster: I can Special Summon both this card and 1 Level 1 Winged Beast monster from my hand."
"Is that second monster 'Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow'?" guessed Vincent.
"You seem to know me well," answered Ashima, before placing both cards onto her Duel Disk, "Appear now, my two monsters, 'Cobalt Sparrow' and 'Sapphire Swallow'!"
Appearing onto the field were two more monsters… One was the small, female humanoid bird-like monster wearing all brown and came with two large brown wings for arms (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 200), and the other was the small, female humanoid bird-like warrior wearing a black bodysuit and two large blue/white wings for arms (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 0).
"If 'Cobalt Sparrow' is Special Summoned: I can add 1 Level 1 Winged Beast monster from my Deck to my hand," explained Ashima, going over 'Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow's' first effect while drawing a card and looking at it, "It's as simple as that."
"You still have more to show off, don't you, 'slave girl'?" figured Vincent.
Ashima simply looked at her added 'Lyrilusc - Ruby Phoebe'(!) Monster Card before glaring at Vincent and making another move.
"As a matter of fact, I do!" retorted Ashima hotly, "I overlay Level 1 'Sapphire Swallow' and 'Cobalt Sparrow'!"
The Overlay Networked reappeared and absorbed both mentioned monsters. Another new monster started to emerge from the Overlay Network, which was another adult-like, female humanoid bird-like warrior with long dark purple hair, white/blue-colored skin, blue feathers, and even a skimpy-looking outfit—all while a Summon Chant from Ashima followed.
"Graceful wings of the night! Flap through the breeze of adversity and sing the chorus of victory!" chanted Ashima, "Xyz Summon! Fly from the heavens! Rank 1! 'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin'!"
The new monster posed in the darkened sky for battle (Rank: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"'Ensemblue Robin's' first effect! It gains 500 ATK for each material attached to it.," revealed Ashima. From there, 'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin' gained some strength as a result of having two materials attached (ATK: 0 → 1000), "This gives my monster 1000 ATK, but it isn't enough to overcome 'Summon Reactor・SK's' 2000 ATK!"
"Feh! Several of your 'Lyrilusc' have effects that give your Xyz Monsters additional effects," recalled Vincent, "Am I right or wrong?"
"Yes," replied Ashima, narrowing her eyes, "I know you and the other Dark Signer scum watched me and Matt duel during the night I never want to remember."
"Hey now, that's a nice change!" chuckled Vincent, amused by the insult aimed at him, "You're usually very polite-spoken. You actually said such a nasty term—around a 6-year old child no less."
"The second effect of 'Sapphire Swallow'!" declared Ashima, ignoring the sickening taunts, "A WIND Xyz Monster that was Summoned using this card on the field as material gains this effect."
This was the effect written on the 'Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow' Effect Monster Card:
-"If it is Xyz Summoned: I can target 1 'Lyrilusc' monster in my GY; I must attach it to this card as material."
"That's one effect…" uttered Vincent.
"And the second effect of 'Cobalt Sparrow'!" added Ashima, "A WIND Xyz Monster that was Summoned using this card on the field as material gains this effect."
This was the effect written on the 'Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow' Effect Monster Card:
-"My opponent cannot target this card with card effects."
"And that's the second one," Vincent mused quietly.
"I attach 'Celestine Wagtail' from my GY to 'Ensemblue Robin'!" commanded Ashima.
Appearing on the field briefly was the small, female humanoid bird-like warrior wearing a black and gray bodysuit and with two large gray wings for arms—and she immediately turned into an orb of light and started floating around 'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin'.
"With a third material attached, my monster gains another 500 ATK!" reminded Ashima.
'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin' grew stronger again (ATK: 1000 → 1500).
"Now, once again, I'll step into your damaging trap!" As she said that, Ashima took a card ('Xyz Import') and held it out, "From my hand, I'll activate the Quick-Play Spell, 'Xyz Import'! I must target 1 Xyz Monster I control and 1 monster my opponent controls with ATK less than or equal to it; I must attach that opponent's monster to my monster as material!"
"Ha! You make this too easy!" boasted Vincent, before issuing a command to 'Spell Reactor・RE' as it got ready to attack, "'Spell Reactor・RE', do me a favor and hit the 'slave girl' harder than you hit the &$# girl!"
'Spell Reactor・RE' obeyed, firing off another series of missiles and destroying the activated 'Xyz Import' Spell Card on contact. The explosion injured Ashima slightly as she withstood it and took another large hit (LP: 3200 → 2400).
"But my card's effect still resolves!" retorted Ashima.
"Huh? It does?" quizzed Gabriella, "But when that bully destroyed my 'Wind-Up Factory', I didn't get to use its effect," Her focus shifted to the face-up 'Xyz Import' Spell Card owned by Ashima, "So, why does Ashima-neechan get to use her card and I couldn't?"
"Well, Gabriella, that's because 'Xyz Import's' effect activates immediately," explained Ashima, just as a thought bubble materialized and showed footage of Gabriella attempting to activate her 'Wind-Up Factory' Spell Card and 'Spell Reactor・RE' using its effect to destroy it, "In the case of 'Wind-Up Factory', it wasn't activated immediately because it wasn't triggered, but the effect of 'Xyz Import' triggers immediately when played—and it wasn't negated."
The bubble popped, and Gabriella seemed to better understand.
"And now, I'll target my 'Ensemblue Robin' and your 'Summon Reactor・SK'!" proclaimed Ashima, while Vincent gritted his teeth, "Your strong monster now becomes material for my Xyz Monster!"
'Summon Reactor・SK' made no effort to fight against the effect of Ashima's card; it turned into an orb of light and floated over towards 'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin', becoming one of her materials. With a fourth material, she grew stronger still (ATK: 1500 → 2000).
"So what?!" growled Vincent, "You've clearly forgotten all about 'Heavy Metal Raiders'—which has plenty of powers that I will love using on both of you!" He then took a card from his hand, "A DARK Machine monster was destroyed by card effect, meaning I get to Special Summon a monster from my hand," The card ('Trap Reactor・Y FI') was turned over and shown to the opposition, "This one will do nicely. Come, 'Trap Reactor・Y FI'!"
Appearing onto the field was the green robotic bombing machine with arms for wings (Level: 4/ATK: 800/DEF: 1800).
"Another scary monster that can hurt me and Ashima-neechan," worried Gabriella.
"Don't worry, Gabriella, I'm prepared for this," reassured Ashima.
"Eh?"
The black-haired young Indian woman nodded, "Just watch this," she requested, before looking back at the opponent, "Get ready, Vincent!"
"What are you gonna do?" dared Vincent.
"Simple, I'm going to activate 'Ensemblue Robin's' second effect!" answered Ashima, as one of the materials floating around 'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin' faded away and she started to do something—name unleash a blast of wind with the wave of her arms/wings, "If my opponent Special Summons a monster(s) (except during the Damage Step): I can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 of those Special Summoned monsters; I must return it to the hand."
Vincent watched as his 'Trap Reactor・Y FI' got hit and returned to card form, which was put back in his hand.
"Starting to get pretty sick of you," hissed Vincent, "However, wasting one of her materials will reduce 'Ensemblue Robin's' ATK!"
That was true; with one less material attached, 'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin's' ATK was lowered (ATK: 2000 → 1500).
"But didn't you know?" teased Ashima harshly, "The material that went into my GY is none other than 'Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail'! And her second effect activates!" As she explained the effect, 'Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail' reappeared on the field briefly before turning into an orb of light, "If this card is in my GY: I can target 1 'Lyrilusc' Xyz Monster I control; I must attach this card to it as material."
The orb of light was now floating around 'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin', who's ATK then went back up (ATK: 1500 → 2000). Ashima was about to say something else when she heard familiar voices from a distance behind her.
"It's this way!" The voice of Michael echoed.
"I hope we're not too late!" The voice of Mayura added.
Ashima turned around to find Team 6D's and some of their friends arriving.
"Uh-oh, guys! Look who's dueling inside the barrier!" gulped Sean.
Matt and David both recoiled over who was dueling inside the geoglyph, and they were Ashima and Gabriella respectively.
"Matty!" called Ashima.
"(お兄ちゃん!) O nīchan! (Big Brother!)" added Gabriella.
And the Dark Signer was Vincent, who was extremely pleased to see the Signers—but, more importantly, David.
"Well, look who the cat dragged in," greeted Vincent, "It's about time you showed up for the performance of a life-time!"
"Vincent, (貴様!) kisama! (you bastard!)" cursed David in Japanese, "Why drag Gabriella, my younger sister, into the fight?"
"Why?" repeated Vincent, looking like he was going to laugh, "Why?! Because I want to torture you before I take you down! And what better way to do it than to kill one of the most important people in your life?"
"Only an absolute 'coward' would attack a defenseless child instead of facing their true foes head on," accused Lisa, "You're the most pathetic bag of puss I have ever seen in my life!"
"Besides," continued Vincent, as a slimy smile formed on his face, "aren't you even the least bit proud?" David gritted his (David) teeth while listening to his (Vincent) rambling about nonsense, "You should be honored your kid sister is standing up to me, the 'Level-up King'!"
"This is not at all good," frowned James R., causing David to look at him, "Ashima and Gabriella are currently in pretty bad shape—because the former is still suffering from PTSD, and the latter is just starting out in the game."
"James, this is no longer a game," corrected Michael, "The stakes are extremely high, and they both can't afford to lose," He then brought up a bright spot, "Luckily, it's still Ashima's turn."
"Ashima…" whispered Matt.
Within the geoglyph, Ashima turned back around and continued with her turn; there was a perfect card in her hand she needed to activate, and with the effect of 'Spell Reactor・RE' used up for the turn, she was able to safely activate it without getting it destroyed.
"Continuous Spell, 'Lyrilusc - Bird Sanctuary', activate!" announced Ashima, taking and slotting a card into her Duel Disk. This caused the mentioned Spell Card to materialize face-up on the field, "One of my favorite cards has been played, and I'm going to activate its first effect!"
Vincent scowled silently.
"I can target 2 Winged Beast Xyz Monsters I control; I must attach 1 of those monsters to the other as material. (Transfer its materials to that monster,)" Ashima went on.
"That's a smart move!" commented Lisa, "Seeing as Ashima also controls 'Recital Starling', she can attach it to 'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin' and give it 1000 more ATK!"
Sure enough, that was what happened; 'Lyrilusc - Recital Starling' started glowing white before splitting apart into 'Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler' and 'Lyrilusc - Celestine Wagtail'—who then turned into two orbs of light and found themselves drawn to 'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin', giving her more materials to work with and more ATK to boot (ATK: 2000 → 3000).
"Look at that, 3000 ATK!" cheered Janice.
"Now she and Gabriella have the advantage!" added Sean.
Unfortunately…
"You're aware that in a battle royale, no player can attack on the first turn, correct?" reminded Vincent.
"I know that," accepted Ashima, "I use this moment to activate the second effect of 'Lyrilusc - Bird Sanctuary'," She drew a card and looked at it, "If I control an Xyz Monster with 3 or more materials: I can draw 1 card."
Gabriella watched with worry, wondering what else Ashima would do if she couldn't attack just yet. Ashima stared at the cards in her hand before taking hold of two of them.
"I Set two cards…" The voice of Ashima said, slotting the cards into separate Spell & Trap Zones on her Duel Disk. This caused two face-down cards to materialize on the field, "…and end my turn."
Outside the geoglyph…
"'Ensemblue Robin' can bounce any monster Vincent Special Summons back to his hand," recalled Carlie, causing Janice, Mayura, and James R. each to look over as they listened, "With six materials attached, she can use that effect six times."
"Using a material lowers her ATK by 500," Michael pointed out, as he carefully watched the duelists inside the geoglyph, "Ashima will need to keep finding ways to attach more materials to 'Ensemblue Robin' to keep her ATK high."
"But if we know Ashima-san, she will figure out those ideas," The voice of David assured, as focus first went to Gabriella and then Vincent, "And she can protect Gabriella from Vincent's terrifying onslaught and stop 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' from appearing."
"Heh! You're stupid for thinking this will prevent me from getting any powerful monsters out," sulked Vincent, "I'll have one of my best monsters out before too long!" He drew a card, "Draw!"
Turn Four: Vincent Stevens (LP: 4000)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (3): "Trap Reactor・Y FI", "Dark Ruler No More", and "Overlay Dark Reincarnation"
He added the drawn card into his hand, took another, and held it out.
"I'm gonna do something about your crappy monster," proclaimed Vincent, "I activate 'Dark Ruler No More'!"
"Oh no!" cried Matt.
"Not that card!" added Michael.
"I must negate the effects of all face-up monsters my opponent currently controls, until the end of this turn, also, for the rest of this turn after this card resolves, my opponent takes no damage," explained Vincent, "Who needs to inflict damage when your Xyz Monster's gonna give me no end of trouble?"
"Not good," thought Ashima, "'Dark Ruler No More's' effect and activation can't be prevented by any player."
"But, you know, 'Ensemblue Robin' wouldn't be able to be targeted thanks to one of its materials," mocked Vincent, "But it's too bad that 'Dark Ruler No More' doesn't target because it affects all of your monsters!"
Within seconds, 'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin' found herself falling to the ground in exhaustion as her ATK dropped all the way to nothing (ATK: 3000 → 0). Ashima gritted her teeth in frustration, and Vincent continued to egg her.
"C'mon, cheer up!" dared Vincent, "You can't take any damage this turn, which means you can sit back and watch…" Gabriella listened fearfully to the conversation between her opponent and her teammate, "…me torture that &$# girl as much as I want!" He then took and slotted a card into his Duel Disk, "I activate the Spell Card, 'Overlay Dark Reincarnation'!"
The mentioned Spell Card flipped face-up and revealed itself.
"An anti-Xyz support card!" realized Carlie.
"I must send 1 random material from an Xyz Monster my opponent controls to the GY, then, if that material was a DARK monster, Special Summon that monster, and if I do, draw 1 card," explained Vincent, "Otherwise, I must halve my LP," He smiled with satisfaction and chuckled wickedly, "But I'm not worried about that side effect, since I already know what material will be going to the GY!" The spiky black-haired young man pointed at Ashima, "Because you, 'slave girl', took it from me not long ago!"
All six materials stopped floating around 'Lyrilusc - Ensemblue Robin' and rose up to form a circle. Everyone watched with concern, and only Vincent was looking happy about it.
"I send the top left material to the GY!" declared Vincent.
From there, the picked material orb began to take the shape of…
"It can't be!" gasped Ashima.
"Seriously?!" wailed Janice.
The material turned out to be 'Summon Reactor・SK', which was a DARK monster—and this caused Vincent to laugh triumphantly as the monster went away to his GY.
"I knew it! I was right!" he hollered, before doing the peace sign, "Score one for the 'Level-up King'!"
Reappearing on the field was the humanoid, army green painted plane with two arms and two shoulder cannons (Level: 5/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1400).
"Since I Special Summon that DARK monster, I'll draw my card," insisted Vincent, drawing a card.
Outside the wall of fire…
"Damn… All that jackass now needs to do is Summon 'Trap Reactor・Y FI'," complained Lisa, "Once that happens, everything will go all the way to Hell."
"Vincent was surprisingly accurate in guessing he would pick 'Summon Reactor・SK'," admitted Janice.
"Vincent-!" hissed David in hatred.
Back within the geoglyph, Vincent knew he needed to bring out just one more monster, and then he would tear his victims to shreds. But first, he needed to get more cards into his hand, and, lucky for him, he had access to such a card to allow for it.
"From my hand, I'll activate 'Iron Draw'!" began Vincent, holding a card ('Iron Draw') up, "If I control exactly 2 Machine Effect Monsters and no other monsters: I must draw 2 cards. For the rest of this turn after this card resolves, I can only Special Summon once," He drew his two cards and added them into his hand, "But that's okay since I only need to Special Summon a single monster, anyway."
(elsewhere…)
Inside one room with the hideout of the Dark Signers, the door opened and revealed Orga, Clotho, and Shani.
"Huh?" uttered Orga, "Where the hell has Vincent run off to?"
"Wasn't he supposed to be waiting here?" added Shani.
The three students of Blue Cosmos walked inside and noticed the crystal clone, displaying footage of Vincent activating his 'Iron Draw' Spell Card.
"From my hand, I'll activate 'Iron Draw'!" The image of Vincent began, holding a card ('Iron Draw') up, "If I control exactly 2 Machine Effect Monsters and no other monsters: I must draw 2 cards. For the rest of this turn after this card resolves, I can only Special Summon once," He drew his two cards and added them into his hand, "But that's okay since I only need to Special Summon a single monster, anyway."
"What does he think he's doing out there?!" snapped Clotho.
"The fat bastard!" swore Orga.
"He knows we all have our orders to standby and wait," agreed Shani, "Instead, he goes and deliberately disobeys them."
He (Shani) and his two best friends were about to leave and go find Rutger and Azrael in order to report Vincent's disobedience, but then curiosity overcame them.
"Still…" mused Orga.
"I can't help but wonder who's going to win," admitted Clotho, "Why don't we stick around for a little longer and see for ourselves?"
And so, the three of them decided to watch the duel and see if Vincent would at least earn them another victory, or lose and be out of their hair for good.
(elsewhere…)
Back within the geoglyph at the Hartford river canal, there was a long, tense silence as the heroes noticed that Vincent was smiling evilly—like he knew something they didn't.
"Let me guess… He already has 'Trap Reactor・Y FI' in his hand, doesn't he?" fretted Mayura.
Sure enough…
"I Normal Summon 'Trap Reactor・Y FI'!" howled Vincent, placing his card onto his Duel Disk.
Reappearing on the field was the green robotic bombing machine with arms for wings (Level: 4/ATK: 800/DEF: 1800). To Ashima and Gabriella's horror, this gave Vincent the three monsters he needed to take things up a notch and make things go straight to Hell.
"Now that I have my three monsters out, I'll activate 'Summon Reactor・SK's' third effect!" boomed Vincent, as attention went to his three monsters, "I can send 1 face-up 'Trap Reactor・Y FI', 1 face-up 'Spell Reactor・RE', and this face-up card I control to the GY; I must Special Summon 1 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' from my hand, Deck, or GY!"
From there, the three Machine monsters rose into the darkened sky as it became filled with a bright light.
"Since I can only Special Summon one more time this turn, this will be my monster!" remembered Vincent, before spreading both arms out, "Come before us, 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE'!"
Descending from the light towards the field, was the combined form of the three reactors. Again, 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE' was a massive, greenish gray-painted plane with two mechanical arms (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).
"The big nightmare has returned," murmured Lisa.
"First it was against me," said David direly, "Then it was Lisa-chan, and now it's Gabriella and Ashima-san."
"That's right!" cackled Vincent, "I'm going to savor all of the agony I intend to inflict on you lousy Signers—and especially you, David Xadashi!"
In a frozen still and slow zoom out, he started to laugh loudly, long, and insanely, as Ashima and Gabriella both faced him and the airborne 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE'. Was this really the end? Would Ashima and Gabriella, both not doing so hot in the match, be able to survive the assault of a Dark Signer? Would Gabriella be able to prove to David she could duel, and would Ashima be able to properly duel despite her trauma in order to save herself and David's younger sister? Stay tuned to find out.
Happy 2023, everyone! A new year means a new chapter of this story has been posted! And it's a duel against one of the biggest hate sinks ever, Vincent Stevens. Gabriella, David's younger sister, is one of the people dueling him, but she's only 6-years old and a complete beginner to Duel Monsters. Ashima is luckily helping her with the duel, but she's also still emotionally distraught over her possession by the Dark Signers to the point of holding back her true dueling power out of fear of potentially hurting someone (yes, she's even afraid of hurting Vincent). Who do you all think will be the winner of this match? I can't say for sure, but what I can say is someone's going to get hurt in this duel.
Once again, a happy 2023 to all of you, and stay safe in these tiring times.