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.
"Welcome one and all!" greeted David, "You will join us for our penultimate segment for 'This week's noteworthy cards'."
"So let's get this show on the road!" grinned Lisa, before she and David held their arms out at the blackboard with the five cards (still showing their backing) lined up, "These are the five cards we have!"
The five face-down cards on the blackboard all automatically turned over and revealed themselves to be:
-'Hyper Psychic Blaster' (Synchro Monster Card)
-'Toon Black Luster Soldier' (Toon Monster Card)
-'Contingency Fee' (Spell Card)
-'Toon Dark Magician' (Toon Monster Card)
-'Assault Mode Zero' (Spell Card)
"Whaaaat?!" screeched Lisa, staring at the middle card ('Contingency Fee'), "Are you kidding me?"
"Your opponent draws until they have 6 cards in their hand, then you gain 1000 LP for each card they drew," read David, going over the effect the Spell Card had, "Refreshing the opponent's hand might seem like a bad effect on paper, but then the user gains 1000 LP per drawn card? That is exceedingly extravagant," He and Lisa turned to face the audience, "With that, our presentation is concluded for today."
"Yeah, hard to believe this is almost over," admitted Lisa glumly, before she and David started waving goodbye, "See you later for our final segment, everyone!"
"(またあとで,) Mata Ato De, (See you again,)" finished David in Japanese.
The audience cheered and clapped in response.
Title: The Simple Art of Murder
Opening up inside Rex's office in Albany, he was having a video conference with General Damas and Jak regarding the Dark Signer attack in New York City.
"And that's what happened!" finished the image of Jak, "That Dark Signer Lazar told us about has captured the souls of several of the city's citizens—including a number of our own troops!"
"It's worse than any of us expected," added the image of General Damas, "Even we can't hold back the growing panic in New York City for much longer as the threat is just too great even for the likes of us."
"I know," mused Rex thoughtfully, before resting his elbows on the surface of the desk with his eyes narrowed, "This is something even 'I' can no longer control… Something has to be done."
The images of General Damas and Jak looked equally concerned with how the future was going to shape up should the Dark Signers succeed with whatever they had planned.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the parking lot of Orb, the members of Team 6D's and many of their friends and allies were trapped within the geoglyph that Azrael summoned seconds ago. Speaking of Azrael, he and Discord faced each other with bitter hatred for the other brewing in their respective hearts. To make matters worse, Sean and Janice both stood beside Azrael and were possessed by venomous spiders, meaning there was nothing the group could do to save them without the risk of retaliation on Azrael's part.
"Discord, my old friend," said Azrael, "I hope you're prepared for our battle, because the loser…" As he (Azrael) finished explaining the conditions of the duel, Discord listened on with utter contempt, "…will vanish. Are you sure you will accept this duel of darkness?"
"Of course, I accept!" retorted Discord, before smiling harshly, "Besides, you'll be deader than dead when I, the creator of Duel Monsters, am through with you."
Nearby with the observers…
"I don't get it… Discord ruined Azrael's family…?" thought Matt, before he turned to his friends, "Guys, do you know what Azrael meant when he said Discord ruined his family?"
"Not a clue," replied Zack.
"This is the first time we're hearing such an accusation," added Carlie.
David, meanwhile, was staring at his two best friends who were standing beside Azrael—who had no intention of releasing them. David, more than anything, really wanted to do something about it, but Azrael would have the toxic spiders bite and kill them if the Signers were to intervene. As a result, as much as David hated to admit it, Azrael was in complete control of the whole thing. Finally, Azrael and Discord activated their respective Duel Disks and began their long awaited match.
"Duel!" Azrael and Discord announced at once (LP: 4000) x2.
Both players drew their opening hands, waiting to see who would take the first turn. After a couple of beats, Azrael, being eager to win it all and to kill Discord, was ultimately the one who made the initial move.
"Allow me the first draw," offered Azrael, drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn One: Muruta Azrael (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Psychic Tracker", "Emergency Teleport", "Psi-Blocker", "Psi-Impulse", "Psychic Path", and "Contingency Fee"
His drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Contingency Fee'.
"Not bad," thought Azrael, adding the card into his hand, "This will be my first card," He took and held up a card and turned it ('Psi-Blocker') over, "I Summon 'Psi-Blocker'!"
Appearing on the field was a tall, humanoid android with glowing green eyes (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 300).
"Is that-?" began Mr. Zimmerman.
"Damn! It's a Psychic monster!" winced Zack, before addressing the rest of the group, "It would seem Azrael's Deck is filled with all sorts of Psychic cards."
"Not to mention it can be a very destructive Deck with all the right cards," agreed Mr. Kisaka, before Ms. Simmons and Mr. Zimmerman both looked at him, "Even someone as good as Discord will run into serious trouble."
"No way!" objected James R., shaking his head and causing Mayura to look at him, "No offense or anything, but listen up; Discord's 'Toon' Deck has been beaten only thrice in his life, and I honestly think that even Azrael can't beat the creator of Duel Monsters."
"James… I hope you're right about that," whispered Mayura.
Back on the field…
"I activate 'Psi-Blocker's' monster effect!" continued Azrael, "Once per turn: I can declare 1 card name; cards with that name, and their effects, cannot be used until the end of my opponent's next turn."
Discord scowled, knowing what that all meant.
"I know a lot about your world famous Deck, Discord," Azrael chuckled smugly, "Your signature cards are 'Toon World' and 'Toon Kingdom', which are used to bring out your various Toon monsters. If I eliminate one of those primary threats, you won't be a match for me. Naturally, I declare 'Toon World'!"
"Not good!" complained Zack, "If Discord tries using something like 'Toon Kingdom', its effects won't be of any help for a little while."
"And there's more!" As he spoke, Azrael took and held another card ('Emergency Teleport') out from his hand, "Quick-Play Spell, 'Emergency Teleport'! I must Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower Psychic monster from my hand or Deck, but banish it during the End Phase of this turn!" A card ('Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit') emerged from the middle of his Deck, was taken, and placed onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "I Special Summon 'Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit' from my Deck!"
Appearing on the field was a rabbit-like creature and young girl with long, grayish white hair and small red horns, being a monster Azrael briefly used against Misty (Level: 3/ATK: 0/DEF: 1800). Discord gritted his teeth, knowing exactly what his opponent was doing.
"I know what you're thinking," interrupted Azrael, still smiling as smugly as ever, "I'm gathering monsters for a possible Synchro Summon… Well, you're correct!" He then held up another card ('Psychic Tracker'), "Next up! If I control a Level 3 monster other than 'Psychic Tracker', I can Special Summon this card (from my hand) in Defense Position!"
Appearing onto the field beside was the mechanical monster that appeared to wield a yoyo for a weapon (Level: 3/ATK: 1600/DEF: 600).
"My Level 3 'Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit' tunes Level 4 'Psi-Blocker'!" bellowed Azrael.
'Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit' turned into three Synchro Rings, which hovered over, lowered, and surrounded 'Psi-Blocker' before turning it into four orbs of light as a Summon Chant echoed throughout the process.
"Enchantress with the healing touch, nurture the ones in need while inflicting pain on those who deserve it!" chanted Azrael, as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Come, 'Psychic Lifetrancer'!"
Appearing on the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was a human young woman with long black hair, blue clothing, and very pale skin (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000).
"'Psychic Lifetrancer's' monster effect!" announced Azrael, holding up a card ('Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit') taken from his GY for a few seconds before it faded away into oblivion and he glowed green and gained LP (LP: 4000 → 5200), "Once per turn: I can banish 1 Psychic monster from my GY; I must gain 1200 LP."
He then giggled darkly over now having more LP than ever before, while Discord stayed mostly silent about it. Over with the small crowd nearby…
"That isn't fair," grumbled James R., "Banishing a single Psychic monster isn't much of a cost to gain that much LP."
"Unfortunately," frowned Zack, "its cost is 'perfectly fair'."
And, back on the field, it didn't get any better for our heroes from there…
"From my hand, I'll activate the Normal Spell, 'Psi-Impulse'!" Azrael proclaimed, as the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field. From there, 'Psychic Tracker' faded away in a blue streak as the explanation began, "I must Tribute 1 Psychic monster; I must…" He looked gleeful over what he was going to make his opponent do, "…shuffle all cards in my opponent's hand to the Deck, then they draw 3 cards!"
Discord gasped and looked down at his hand, which contained 'Toon Kingdom', 'Toon Dark Magician Girl', 'Toon Rollback', 'Toon Goblin Attack Force', and 'Toon Mask'—an overall very good opening hand. Azrael, still smirking, just nodded, and Discord reluctantly shuffled his hand back into his Deck, allowing it to shuffle around before drawing three new cards.
"I can hopefully draw something during my Draw Phase that will protect me long enough to activate 'Toon World' or 'Toon Kingdom'," thought Discord, looking at his small, three card hand.
"As much as I want to call it a turn, I still have more to do," Azrael said mockingly, taking a card from his hand and holding it ('Contingency Fee') up, "This is 'Contingency Fee', a Spell Card… My opponent draws until they have 6 cards in their hand, then I gain 1000 LP for each card they drew. So now, Discord, draw three more cards!"
Without much choice, Discord did as he was told; he (Discord) drew three more cards, causing Azrael to begin laughing wickedly as his LP rose by 3000 (LP: 5200 → 8200). Over with the crowd, they were even more unhappy over how powerful many of Azrael's cards were.
"This is so unfair!" huffed Lisa, "'Contingency Fee' is way too broken of a Spell Card!"
"It sure is," Juri agreed, and Asagi silently pouted.
"There's a reason why it's on the current banlist," recalled Mayura.
"Is that so?" The voice of Azrael taunted, causing Lisa and the three Astray girls to look over with irritation. He sent his activated card to the GY while still speaking on, "Normally, that would be true and more—but this is not a tournament duel, meaning it's perfectly fair in duels like these!" Then, to take full advantage of the LP he now had, he took and held one more card ('Psychic Path') out, "I activate the Spell Card, 'Psychic Path'!" It was then his LP took a small drop (LP: 8200 → 7400), "I must pay 800 LP, then target up to 2 of my banished Psychic monsters; I must add them to my hand."
"You only have one banished Psychic monster," remembered Discord.
"I do, and it's all I need for now" acknowledged Azrael, before holding up his right hand and making a card ('Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit') rematerialize, "I return 'Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit' to my hand!"
Over with the spectators…
"Damn it all! It had to be that card!" growled Michael.
"No kidding," agreed Matt, "'Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit' is widely seen as one of the most annoying hand traps in the game."
"Annoying hand traps? What makes you say that?" pressed Sherry.
"When a monster on the field activates its effect, or when a Spell/Trap that is already face-up on the field activates its effect (Quick Effect): You can send this card from your hand or field to the GY; destroy that card on the field," explained Matt, going over 'Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit's' effect.
"Even getting slapped with a hard once per turn ruling doesn't diminish how annoying that card can be," put in Michael.
"Now that you've brought it up, I can agree with you both on that," scowled Shinji, "Anyone got an idea on what Discord can do to stop it?"
"If I come up with something, I'll definitely let you know," deadpanned Zack.
"Not helping, Zack."
And no more on the subject was said. Back on the field, Azrael, since he had no other usable cards in his hand, entered his End Phase.
"I end my turn," Azrael concluded, looking every bit as confident with his dueling as the next person was, "Now, Discord, bring out the fun everyone enjoys!" As he (Azrael) egged on the opponent, Discord looked angry while listening, "After all, Toon monsters are supposed to be fun loving like you supposedly are."
"I will make you regret angering me!" warned Discord, before drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Two: Discord J. Crawford (LP: 4000)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (7): "Toon Harpie Lady", "Toon Bookmark", "Toon Cyber Dragon", "Mimicat", "Toon Dark Magician", "Toon Barrel Dragon", and "Toon Page-Flip"
His hand contained 'Toon Harpie Lady', 'Toon Bookmark', 'Toon Cyber Dragon', 'Mimicat', 'Toon Dark Magician', 'Toon Barrel Dragon', and the drawn 'Toon Page-Flip'.
"Thanks to Azrael, I don't have 'Toon Kingdom' anymore," thought Discord, "But… I now have a little something here that will put it back into my hands," He took a card from his hand, "I activate the Spell Card," From there, he slotted the card into a Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Disk, "'Took Bookmark'!"
The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field.
"Isn't that-?" started Azrael.
"I must add 1 'Toon World', or 1 card that mentions it, from my Deck to my hand, except 'Toon Bookmark'," explained Discord, before drawing a card—which he saw was the 'Toon Kingdom' Spell Card, bringing him a sense of relief, "I choose to add 'Toon Kingdom', which happens to mention 'Toon World'."
Azrael frowned with dark amusement, waiting for the so-called 'fun' to commence.
"I activate the Field Spell, 'Toon Kingdom'!" announced Discord, slotting his added card into his Duel Disk (through the Field Zone).
The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field.
"When this card is activated: I must banish 3 cards from the top of my Deck, face-down," explained Discord, drawing the top three cards of his Deck and throwing them forward, "Like so!"
In a puff of cartoonish smoke nearby, a large pop-up book appeared and opened up, revealing a castle of sorts from within.
"This is the one place where all of the fun is had," revealed Discord, as the pop-up book loomed in the background behind him along with many of his Toon monsters, "It's one of my all-time favorite cards, and has plenty more tricks like its second effect! This card's name becomes 'Toon World' while in the Field Zone."
Over with the spectators…
"Best of all," James R. was telling everyone else, "it has a third effect… Your opponent cannot target Toon monsters you control with card effects!"
"There's also a fourth effect," recalled Carlie, "If a Toon monster(s) you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can banish 1 card from the top of your Deck, face-down, for each of those monster(s) instead."
"Discord-senpai really created such a treasured card," admired David.
"That, and its weaker counterpart in 'Toon World'!" corrected Lisa.
Ms. Simmons nodded in agreement, knowing this because she initially worked for Industrial Illusions in San Francisco as a card designer before moving to Hartford in order to become a teacher at Orb. Back on the field, Azrael was now a little miffed, but was well aware that the effects that the 'Toon Kingdom' Spell Card possessed were not available for Discord to use at the time.
"Those are Continuous effects your card has," said Azrael scornfully, "However, the fourth effect that protects your Toon monsters from being destroyed currently doesn't have that luxury, because the effect of 'Psi-Blocker' prevents that effect from being activated this turn."
"I'm aware of that," retorted Discord, before taking and holding another card ('Toon Cyber Dragon') out, "Come, 'Toon Cyber Dragon'!"
Appearing on the field was a cartoonish version of mechanical dragon called 'Cyber Dragon' (Level: 5/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1600).
"That's supposed to be a Toon monster?" blinked Sherry.
"Yup! And there are plenty more where that came from," corrected James R..
"If my opponent controls a monster and I control no monsters, I can Special Summon this card (from my hand)," Discord said, going over his monster's first effect.
"I can tell you've been busy creating new Toon cards for yourself," remarked Azrael, unimpressed.
"Is there a problem with that?" teased Discord, but before a response was given, he took another card ('Toon Harpie Lady') from his hand and placed it onto his Duel Disk, "Come, 'Toon Harpie Lady'!"
Appearing on the field beside 'Toon Cyber Dragon' was a cartoonish 'Harpie Lady' (Level: 4/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1400).
"'Toon Harpie Lady's' second effect," continued Discord, "If I control 'Toon World': I can Special Summon this card from my hand," As the explanation continued, 'Toon Harpie Lady' and 'Toon Cyber Dragon' looked at each other and giggled over a little plan they thought of, "then, if I control another Toon monster, I can destroy 1 Spell/Trap my opponent controls!"
"Too bad I don't have any Spells or Traps," The voice of Azrael pointed out.
'Toon Harpie Lady' and 'Toon Cyber Dragon' overheard that statement and silently fumed in dismay.
"That's okay, I have many more cartoonish tricks to show you," reassured Discord, just as 'Toon Harpie Lady' and 'Toon Cyber Dragon' blew raspberries at Azrael before fading away in streaks of blue, "I Tribute 'Toon Harpie Lady' and 'Toon Cyber Dragon'…" He held up another card, "…and Tribute Summon 'Toon Dark Magician'!"
In a burst of cartoonish magic and smoke, appearing on the field was a cartoonish, child-like version of 'Dark Magician' (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100).
"Is that Billinton-san's famous monster?!" gawked David.
"I can't believe there's a 'Toon' version of 'Dark Magician', too!" agreed Lisa.
"Unfortunately, most Toon monsters have effects where they can't attack the turn they're Summoned," reminded Mr. Kisaka.
"No attacks?" whined Asagi, "Ugh! That's so unfortunate…"
"Don't be so sure of that," cut in Juri, "There are actually a couple of Toon monsters that are able to attack even during the turn they show up," She continued to look hopeful, "Maybe Discord will bring one of them out?"
Let's find out… Back on the field, Discord had more he wanted to share with everyone.
"I activate 'Toon Dark Magician's' third effect!" announced Discord, as he took a card ('Toon Barrel Dragon') from his hand and sent it to the GY, "Once per turn: I can discard 1 'Toon' card, then activate 1 of these effects."
These were the effects written on the Monster Card in-question:
-"I must Special Summon 1 Toon monster from your Deck, except 'Toon Dark Magician', ignoring its Summoning conditions."
-"I must add 1 'Toon' Spell/Trap from my Deck to my hand."
From there, 'Toon Dark Magician' raised his scepter and fired a blast into the sky, which flew around before striking the top of Discord's Duel Disk, with the LP gauge flashing the words 'Toon monster' repeatedly.
"Oh! Good choice!" gushed Discord, "It seems 'Toon Dark Magician' wants me to add another friend to my line-up!"
"Disgusting 'Toon', get out of my sight!" yelled Azrael in response, before holding out his final card ('Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit'), "I discard and activate the effect of 'Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit', destroying your monster!"
Upon discarding the card, 'Toon Dark Magician' found himself growing numb before dropping his scepter, falling to his hands and knees, and exploding from destruction.
"My Toon monster…!" gasped Discord, but quickly recovered, "No matter, the third effect resolves since it wasn't negated," He took a card from his Deck and held it ('Toon Black Luster Soldier') out, "Appear now, 'Toon Black Luster Soldier'!"
In a burst of light in the night sky, a shadowed, humanoid figure jumped further upward until he was in front of the moon.
"'Toon'…" began Asagi.
"…'Black Luster Soldier'?" finished Mayura.
Suddenly, the shadowed figure flailed about in midair and fell, collapsing on the ground in a goofy fashion. As the dust cleared away, the monster in-question was shown to be a small, cartoonish-looking 'Black Luster Soldier', and his eyes were swirling from the hard landing—but he luckily returned to his feet and heroically posted with his sword and shield (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).
"Well… that was an epic fail of an entrance, but it's still a big win for Discord!" rejoiced Lisa, immediately getting over the comical entrance for 'Toon Black Luster Soldier', "Unlike other 'Toons', 'Toon Black Luster Soldier' doesn't have an effect that prevents him attacking on the turn he's Summoned!"
Back on the field, Discord still had more he wanted to use against Azrael, and he had the perfect card to do so…
"I activate the Spell Card, 'Mimicat'!" began Discord, holding out another card ('Mimicat'), "If I control 'Toon World' and a Toon monster: I must target 1 card in my opponent's GY; if it is a monster, I must Special Summon it to my field, or if it is a Spell/Trap, Set it to my field!"
Suddenly, emerging from the card held out by Discord was a stretchy, mischievous-looking cat with a cream-colored face and dark blue fur. He moved all across the field and briefly interacted with the crowd before stopping beside Discord with an eager grin.
"Now, my furry friend, what card are you interested in snagging?" asked Discord brightly.
'Mimicat' whispered into Discord's ear before giggling, causing the jolly young man to look particularly excited.
"Nice!" accepted Discord, before winking and giving a thumbs up, "That's a good idea!"
"Huh?" blinked Azrael.
"The card my 'Mimicat' has decided to get is your Spell Card, 'Contingency Fee'," Discord said to the confused opponent, not pleasing Azrael very much. He then snapped the fingers of his right hand, "Go on, my mischievous cat!"
And 'Mimicat' lunged towards Azrael, looping around him before entering his Duel Disk's GY to find the card it so desperately wanted from him.
"H-Hey! Get out of there, you pesky feline!" exclaimed Azrael.
'Mimicat' emerged from the enemy GY, taking the 'Contingency Fee' Spell Card with him. The cartoonish cat merely laughed and blew a raspberry at Azrael before returning to Discord's field to hand him the card it took.
"That's a good bad kitty," chortled Discord, before facing Azrael once more and holding the card ('Contingency Fee') given to him, "Looks like this 'banned' card is now mine to use, Azrael," He slotted the card into a Spell & Trap Zone, causing it to materialize face-down on the field near his feet, "But I have to Set it rather than keep it in my hand."
Azrael seethed in silence.
"Oh, but would you look at this? I also have this card here," joked Discord, holding up another card and waving it about before turning it ('Toon Page-Flip') and revealing it, "Quick-Play Spell, 'Toon Page-Flip'! If I control 'Toon World': I must reveal 3 Toon monsters with different names from my Deck, my opponent…" The 'Toon Kingdom' book started flipping random pages before releasing three different cards, "…randomly picks 1 for me to Special Summon, ignoring its Summoning conditions, also shuffle the rest into my Deck!"
The three random cards floated above Discord and turned themselves over to reveal what they were:
-'Toon Dark Magician Girl' (Toon Monster Card)
-'Red-Eyes Toon Dragon' (Toon Monster Card)
-'Toon Ancient Gear Golem' (Toon Monster Card)
"As you can see, I got access to three very powerful 'Toons', but can only Summon 'one' of them," Discord went on, before motioning his arms in a shrugging manner, "Now, choose wisely, because picking the wrong one can definitely hurt you more than it'll hurt me."
"Grrr…" growled Azrael, while in his mind… "From what I remember about her, that 'Toon Dark Magician Girl' is the only one that can attack on the turn she's Summoned, making her the biggest threat of the three. Obviously, I won't pick that one," He then spoke aloud, "I pick the middle one, 'Red-Eyes Toon Dragon'!"
Discord smirked, while in midair the 'Red-Eyes Toon Dragon' Effect Monster Card suddenly turned into the 'Toon Dark Magician Girl' Effect Monster Card, much to Azrael's frustration.
"I did say you had to pick a random card," laughed Discord, "Unfortunately, you got the one card that can hurt you at this time," He swept his right arm about, "Appear now, 'Toon Dark Magician Girl'!"
In a puff of pink smoke, appearing on the field was a young, cartoonish-looking 'Dark Magician Girl', who cheerfully posed with her wand (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1700).
"Would you look at that," smiled Shinji, "Discord has two Toon monsters that can attack during the turn they are Summoned."
"Battle!" announced Discord, entering his Battle Phase, "'Toon Dark Magician Girl', do give Azrael his lumps!" As 'Toon Dark Magician Girl' jumped into the air above 'Psychic Lifetrancer', he explained his monster's second effect, "It can attack my opponent directly, unless they control a Toon monster, in which case this card must target a Toon monster for its attacks!" He then announced his monster's attack name, "Black Burning!"
'Toon Dark Magician Girl' obeyed, pointing her wand forward (if not also downward) and firing off a magical blast, striking Azrael directly and making him yell in pain while take major damage (LP: 7400 → 5400).
"It's not over!" boomed Discord, "'Toon Black Luster Soldier'!" While he (Discord) explained the first effect of his remaining monster, Azrael listened with annoyance before becoming outright shocked, "While I control 'Toon World' and my opponent controls no Toon monsters, this card can attack directly!" As he announced his monster's attack name, 'Toon Black Luster Soldier' raised his sword, "Chaos Blade!"
'Toon Black Luster Soldier' obeyed, and, with a high-pitched yell, swung his blade and struck the ground, sending out a shockwave that 'Psychic Lifetrancer' avoided, but resulted in Azrael getting hit. Azrael yelled once more as he was thrown back before slamming into the wall of fire and landing on the ground as his LP took another heavy beating (LP: 5400 → 2400). Needless to say, the spectators were cheering over the two successful direct attacks.
"Discord practically has the duel won!" whooped Carlie.
And it was going to get even better…
"Face-down card, open!" declared Discord, as his Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "'Contingency Fee', activate!" He smiled smugly and explained the effect before pointing at his opponent, "My opponent draws until they have 6 cards in their hand, then I gain 1000 LP for each card they drew. Now, Azrael, have a taste of your own medicine!"
Azrael, returning to his feet, gritted his teeth and drew six new cards, while the smiling Discord closed his eyes and gained 6000 LP (LP: 4000 → 10000). Upon gaining his LP, he opened his eyes, folded his arms, and further mocked his opponent.
"Oh dear, and I was expecting a much tougher challenge than that," said Discord, pouting playfully, "Is that really all the newly gained power you, a Dark Signer, can muster against little ol' me, the creator of Duel Monsters?"
Needless to say, Azrael reached his breaking point with his old enemy—he (Discord) obviously didn't know the amount of pain his (Discord) Father caused his (Azrael) family years ago, so he (Azrael) would remind him of it.
"Discord, damn you! You've been a thorn on my side for too long!" snarled Azrael, causing Discord to ease up slightly as the ranting resumed, "I can never forgive you nor your Father for firing my own Father from the Crawford family business!"
Nearby, the founding members of Team 6D's (Matt, Michael, Carlie, and James R.) and Zack all looked surprised by such a statement.
"Discord's Father fired Azrael's Father?" stammered Michael, "They used to work together in the Crawford family business?"
"That means Discord and Azrael really do know each other going way back," realized Zack.
"What an obvious plot twist I did not see coming," joked James R., doing so in a non-joking way.
Azrael closed his eyes as a flashback to his past began.
FLASHBACK
Set many years ago in Las Vegas, well before Discord J. Crawford traveled to Egypt and found the ancient Egyptian carvings that inspired Duel Monsters, Discord J. Crawford Sr. was a wealthy man, who managed casinos in many parts of the city—all being very successful, and brought in nearly millions of dollars a year.
"As we all know, Discord's Father was a very successful business man who managed casinos all across Las Vegas," narrated Azrael, as Flashback Discord Sr. and Flashback Mr. Muruta stood side-by-side and led the grand opening of its newest casino, "My own Father, Neo, worked for the Crawford family."
(new scene…)
In 2001, there were some recent restructures in the family business, meaning some people had to be let go. One of the unlucky workers to be fired was…
"Unfortunately, just weeks after I joined the business, I learned my Father got fired from the job," Azrael went on, as his younger self (22) stared in complete shock from the news before he (Flashback Azrael) started arguing with Flashback Discord Sr. futilely, "I tried protesting to Discord Sr. about rehiring my old man, but he wouldn't budge his decision."
Flashback Discord Sr. just shook his head sadly, and said if the restructuring never happened, he (Flashback Discord Sr.) would have gladly kept Flashback Mr. Muruta. However, what's done was done, and there was no going back. Furious, Flashback Azrael turned and stormed out of the room, shoving Flashback Discord aside when he (Flashback Discord) entered while looking pretty confused about the whole thing.
(outside…)
In the hallway, Flashback Azrael looked back at the room he left in hatred.
"When it became clear my Father wasn't going to be hired back, I stormed out of the meeting and silently vowed revenge," finished Azrael.
(new scene…)
Later during a party in October, Flashback Discord was announcing his engagement to Flashback Cynthia, and there would be a special wedding ceremony on the 26th. Nearby, a bored Flashback Azrael listened to the speech before thinking to himself that this would be the perfect opportunity for him to get back at the Crawford family by secretly murdering their heir to the family business.
"Look out, kid, because you're not going to have a future for much longer," thought Flashback Azrael bitterly.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Azrael… He's really been after me since my Father fired Neo," Discord told himself, remembering something else from a long time ago as a faded still of his (Discord) younger self tried to befriend the younger Azrael to no avail was superimposed over him (Discord), "Even when he hated me, I still tried my hardest to become his friend because, in my eyes, it was the right thing to do."
"That's right!" confirmed Azrael, overhearing his opponent, "I hated your family to the point I wanted you dead—no matter what happened to me! I would have succeeded, too, had there not been a last minute switch."
"Last minute switch?" repeated Discord, "What are you talking about?"
"So you don't know?" Azrael mocked, amused by Discord not knowing the truth, "Let's just say someone else unwittingly took the fall for you."
Discord blinked a couple of times, wondering who else could have died in place of him when the answer hit him.
"Wait…" uttered Discord, "There was one possible person… Oh my God, were you the one who…?"
"Since nobody else here knows, I'll tell you what happened," offered Azrael remorselessly.
The flashback resumed.
FLASHBACK
At last, it was October 26th, the day of Flashback Discord and Flashback Cynthia's wedding. There was a huge party in the ballroom of Flashback Discord Sr.'s grand hotel, and even though Flashback Mr. Muruta had been fired, he was still invited as a guest. During the ceremony, Flashback Azrael, while nobody was looking, took out a small vial of poison from his jacket pocket and sneaked a few drops into a glass of punch and stirred it up. There was a very malicious glare in his eyes as he did it before he eased up, turned around, and looked nearby to Flashback Discord.
"Discord!" called Flashback Azrael, causing Flashback Discord and Flashback Cynthia both to turn and look over, "Before you and your new wife exchange your vows, why don't you make a toast to your new life?"
"What a wonderful idea!" smiled Flashback Discord, approaching, "Besides, I've heard that in parties like this, someone has to give a toast," He was handed the tainted glass of punch, "I guess that will be me."
Before he could make the toast, Flashback Azrael stepped in and touched his right forearm.
"No, no, let me do it," offered Flashback Azrael.
Mr. and Mrs. Crawford both patted their son on the back, while Flashback Mr. Muruta handed both Flashback Cynthia and his own son a glass of punch. Finally, Flashback Azrael raised his glass.
"I propose a toast to Discord J. Crawford and his new wife, Cynthia Crawford," announced Flashback Azrael, before he looked at the engaged couple, "I hope you both live a long, happy life together, and may God watch over you for always."
"Thank you, Azrael-boy," praised Flashback Discord, despite Flashback Azrael being five years older.
Unfortunately, Flashback Azrael didn't mean a single word behind his little speech, because once Flashback Discord drank the tainted glass of punch, the Crawford family would lose its heir, and his revenge would be complete. But it was not meant to go the way he wanted… Just as Flashback Discord was going to take a sip of his punch, Flashback Cynthia suddenly stopped him.
"Cynthia? What's wrong?" blinked Flashback Discord.
Flashback Cynthia just smiled and held up her own glass, telling her new husband, without actually using any words, that he took 'her' glass by accident. Realizing his possible mistake, Flashback Discord sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and gave his new wife the glass as she drank it all up. Flashback Azrael, meanwhile, silently cursed on his luck, but also figured that despite failing to kill the Crawford family heir, killing Flashback Cynthia will hurt Flashback Discord so much more. Later on, the happy, young couple were at the altar. Flashback Discord had slipped a ring on Flashback Cynthia's finger as the crowd applauded.
"I now pronounce you two husband and wife," The voice of the minister echoed, "You may now kiss the bride."
Flashback Discord and Flashback Cynthia were just about to kiss when, very tragically, the latter fell to the ground, unresponsively.
"Oh no! Cynthia!" cried Flashback Discord frantically.
The crowd was absolutely confused and horrified over what just happened—with an exception to Flashback Azrael, who merely slipped away without anyone seeing him.
"As we all know, poor Cynthia didn't make it," concluded Azrael with a sneer, as his younger self left the ballroom, "She passed away at only 17-years old."
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, and Discord almost felt sick in the stomach over what he heard, finally realizing for the first time ever that Cynthia didn't die from an illness like he always thought, but had died because her punch had been spiked with poison by someone he tried to call a friend.
"It's all true!" confessed Azrael madly, "For my Father being ruined, I wanted to take it all out on you—either by having you killed, or even killing the single most important person of your life, Cynthia!"
Hearing this story greatly sickened the audience—Lisa in particular, since she had a vendetta towards Muruta Azrael stemming all the way back when he tried to get Orb shutdown when she first started attending, and also when he had the three Bio-CPU boys (along with Vincent) kidnap Carlie and then he and his scientists put her through cold-blooded shock torture in order to corrupt her Mark of the Dragon and briefly turn her against the group. The pink-haired girl clenched her hands into fists.
"Azrael… I've always known he was a horrible man from the get go, but this?" hissed Lisa, as Asagi, Mayura, Juri, Ms. Simmons, Mr. Kisaka, and Mr. Zimmerman all listened to her, "After hearing this story, I think he's so much worse than I initially believed him to be!"
And the Orb representatives all voiced words of agreement. Unfortunately, Lisa wasn't the only one who was angry with Azrael over his murder of Cynthia…
"Azrael!" yelled Matt, causing Azrael to look over with curiosity. Even with his head bowed, he was shown shaking with anger, "You bastard…! You killed Cynthia just because your old man was fired by Discord's Father over workplace restructuring?" He raised his head and dispelled the shadow over his furious eyes, "Out of all the excuses I've ever heard from other people who do bad things, that's got to be the most petty and stupid reason to want Discord either dead or have his life ruined!"
"So what if it is?" raged Azrael, smiling evilly while not caring at all, "With the power of the 'Earthbound Immortal' under my control, I will help Rutger destroy you Signers, your allies, and the whole world, making every single living person pay for kicking me while I was down!"
"Azrael… y-you… Years ago, I tried treating you as a possible friend," Discord, who had been silent for the final part of the story, whispered before uncharacteristically raising his voice in a fury, "But you spat on my kindness and killed Cynthia!" He tried taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down, but wasn't having much luck in clearing his head, "In my deceased wife's name, I will defeat you! I end my turn!"
"I just dare you to try it," spat Azrael, before drawing a card, "Draw card!"
Turn Three: Muruta Azrael (LP: 2400)
Deck: 46
Current Hand (7): "Psychic Blade", "Assault Mode Zero", "Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode", "Psychokinesis", "Krebons", "Psychic Sword", and "Psychic Bulwark"(!)
His drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Psychic Bulwark', and his new hand contained also 'Psychic Blade', 'Assault Mode Zero', 'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode', 'Psychokinesis', 'Krebons', and 'Psychic Sword'.
"Although my card has given you 10000 LP, the cards I've drawn through your insistence will knock them down a peg," promised Azrael, "But first I'll regain some LP of my own; I activate 'Psychic Lifetrancer's' effect!" He held up a card ('Psi-Blocker') taken from his GY and let it fade away into oblivion, "Since we all know how it works, I'll banish 'Psi-Blocker' from my GY and gain 1200 LP!"
Glowing green again, Azrael recovered some heavy LP (LP: 2400 → 3600).
"Having more LP won't be of any help!" countered Discord hotly, as focus went to his two monsters as they glared in a non-goofy fashion, "So long as I control a 'Toon World', my Toon monsters are able to attack you directly if you don't have a 'Toon' of your own!"
"And now…" From there, Azrael, ignoring his hated enemy, took and slotted a card into his Duel Disk, "I activate the Spell Card, 'Psychokinesis'!" The mentioned Spell Card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "If I control a Psychic monster: I must target 1 card on the field; I must destroy it, and if I do, take 1000 damage."
"He's going to try and destroy 'Toon Kingdom'," thought Discord, "I won't let him do it!" He spoke aloud, "Stop!"
"What now?" frowned Azrael.
"I activate the second effect of 'Toon Bookmark'!" continued Discord, just as he made a card ('Toon Bookmark') emerge from his GY for a few seconds before dissolving into specks of blue dust, "If a 'Toon World(s)' I control would be destroyed by card effect, I can banish this card from my GY instead!" He leaned his right hand back and thrust it out, "This will protect my 'Toon Kingdom' from being destroyed!"
With nothing to target, the face-up 'Psychokinesis' Spell Card shattered into shards of glass.
"Hmph!" scoffed Azrael, before taking another card from his hand and placing it onto his Duel Disk, "I Summon 'Krebons'!"
Appearing on the field was a jester-like android monster (Level: 2/ATK: 1200/DEF: 400).
"My Level 2 'Krebons' tunes Level 7 'Psychic Lifetrancer'!" announced Azrael.
'Krebons' turned itself into two Synchro Rings, which hovered over, lowered, and surrounded 'Psychic Lifetrancer' while turning it into seven orbs of light as a Summon Chant echoed throughout.
"Charge the cannons of mental strength, and open fire on the weak minded!" chanted Azrael, as the symbols 7 + 2 = 9 were shown briefly just before the seven orbs of lights within the pair of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Come forth, 'Hyper Psychic Blaster'!"
Appearing on the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was a huge, white android armed with two hand blasters (Level: 9/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).
"Then, I'll equip my monster with 'Psychic Blade'!" The voice of Azrael boomed, just as his 'Hyper Psychic Blaster' tossed both blasters aside and took hold of a sword that appeared in-front of it. He then paid up a heavy amount of LP (LP: 3600 → 1600), "I must pay LP in multiples of 100 (max. 2000); I must equip this card to a monster. It gains that much ATK and DEF. By paying 2000 LP, 'Hyper Psychic Blaster' gains 2000 ATK and DEF!"
'Hyper Psychic Blaster' was energized with power as its stats shot up considerably (ATK: 3000 → 5000/DEF: 2500 → 4500). Far from being done from making his monster even more unstoppable, he took and slotted another card into his Duel Disk.
"I also activate the Equip Spell, 'Psychic Sword'!" As Azrael spoke, a second sword appeared in the left hand of 'Hyper Psychic Blaster' and caused it to swing both weapons and pose for a quick, painful battle, "I must equip only to a Psychic monster. While my LP is lower than my opponent's, the equipped monster gains ATK equal to the difference (max. 2000)!"
With Discord (LP: 10000) and Azrael (LP: 1600) having such a difference in LP, 'Hyper Psychic Blaster' grew even stronger than it already was (ATK: 5000 → 7000).
"7000…ATK?" gawked Michael.
"This is big time bad news!" croaked Shinji, "Even with 10000 LP and 'Toon Kingdom', Discord won't last long against a monster that strong!"
"Is this the true power of the Psychic monsters?" worried Asagi.
Unfortunately, it seemed to be so. And the Battle Phase soon commenced.
"Go forth, 'Hyper Psychic Blaster'!" commanded Azrael, as 'Hyper Psychic Blaster' raised both swords and slashing them at 'Toon Dark Magician Girl', "Strike at 'Toon Dark Magician Girl'!"
Feeling the hard blow, Discord, glowing red, sustained heavy damage from the attack (LP: 10000 → 5000), but was quick to rescue his Toon monster from defeat.
"The fourth effect of 'Toon Kingdom' activates!" declared Discord, drawing a card ('Flying Elephant') and letting it get banished, "If a Toon monster(s) I control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can banish 1 card from the top of my Deck, face-down, for each of those monster(s) instead."
'Toon Dark Magician Girl' stretched her body away from 'Hyper Psychic Blaster's' swords and sighed in relief that she managed to barely live through the killer attack.
"Your torture is far from being over!" ranted Azrael viciously, "In fact, it hasn't even begun!" To prove it, he took and held a card ('Assault Mode Zero') out, "From my hand, I'll activate the Quick-Play Spell, 'Assault Mode Zero'!"
"It can't be!" cried Ms. Simmons, looking very shocked, "Not that card!"
"You have knowledge of this Spell Card, Erica-senpai?" questioned David.
"I do," Ms. Simmons confirmed, "It functions similarly to 'Assault Mode Activate'…" As she explained what the card initially did, a large, faded image of the 'Assault Mode Zero' Spell Card was superimposed over her, "Tribute 1 Synchro Monster; Special Summon 1 '/Assault Mode' monster from your hand whose name includes the Tributed monster's name. (This is treated as a Special Summon with 'Assault Mode Activate'.)"
"If he has access to such a card, then Azrael has to also use '/Assault Mode' monsters," guessed Michael.
"'/Assault Mode' monsters always have a much stronger version of the original Synchro Monster's effect," recalled Matt, "Take 'Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode', for example… Normally, 'Stardust's' first effect can only be used if a destruction-based card or effect is activated—but when upgraded to the '/Assault Mode' form, the improved effect lets it be used against any card or effect."
"And unfortunately, 'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode' should be no exception to this rule," David grimly pointed out.
"I'm afraid so," said Zack unhappily, as a faded image of the 'Hyper Psychic Blaster' Synchro Monster Card was superimposed over him, "'Hyper Psychic Blaster' has two effects… The first lets it deal piercing damage, and the second, if it attacks a Defense Position monster, has Azrael gain LP equal to the dealt damage in surplus."
"I fear how much stronger and scarier the '/Assault Mode' version is," shivered Juri.
"We'll find out shortly," replied Sherry, "But I will also say this… It would have to be worth getting rid of a 'Hyper Psychic Blaster' with 7000 ATK."
"That's a good point…" acknowledged Lisa.
Back on the field…
"I offer 'Hyper Psychic Blaster' as a Tribute!" began Azrael, before removing a card ('Hyper Psychic Blaster') from the Monster Zone on his Duel Disk and replacing it with another card ('Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode'), "I Special Summon 'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode'!"
'Hyper Psychic Blaster' dropped both of its swords and transformed into what looked like a bigger, more armored version of itself as its stats were modified to reflect the change (Level: 9 → 11/ATK: 7000 → 3500/DEF: 4500 → 3000).
"My Battle Phase is ongoing!" reminded Azrael, as he started addressing his new monster, "'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode'," As he gave the command for an attack, 'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode' raised both new blasters in its hands, "attack 'Toon Black Luster Soldier'!"
Four energy blasts were fired from the guns, striking 'Toon Black Luster Soldier' and causing Discord to, again, glow red and take battle damage (LP: 5000 → 4500). Wincing, Discord drew a card.
"'Toon Kingdom's' fourth effect activates again…" he uttered, letting his drawn card fade away into oblivion, "My 'Toon' is unharmed from your attack."
But Azrael just snickered quietly to him, getting louder and louder before he (Azrael) was maniacally laughing over just how naive Discord was regarding 'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode's' true power.
"What's so funny?" frowned Discord.
"You just don't get it, do you?" taunted Azrael, "You don't know anything about my monster's true power!"
"True power?"
"Yes, and attacking with 'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode' is the key to it," The ruthless blonde-haired man confirmed, "The first effect activates!" While explaining said effect, focus went onto the 'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode' Effect Monster Card on the Monster Zone, "If this card battles a monster, at the end of the Damage Step: I must inflict damage to my opponent equal…" He kept up his slasher smiling as he finished speaking, "…to that monster's DEF, and if I do, gain LP equal to its ATK!"
Discord gasped, but was too late to do anything about it when 'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode' raised both blasters again and opened fire—this time directly at Discord, hitting and making him yell in agony from the effects of the dark duel before falling to his knees as his (Discord) LP took a massive hit (LP: 4500 → 2000), while Azrael gained LP from the damage dealt (LP: 1600 → 4600). The crowd nearby watched with shock over how Azrael, in one turn, inflicted 8000 damage and then regained massive amounts of LP. With his Battle Phase finally over, Azrael took the final card from his hand and held it up for a few seconds.
"I Set one card…" finished Azrael, as he slotted the card into his Duel Disk. This caused a Set card to materialize on the field near his feet, "…and end my turn!" Once again, he began to ramble and express hatred regarding the world, "I don't care if you're the creator of Duel Monsters, I'm going to win the duel and then make everyone in this world pay for mistreating me!"
Over with the spectators…
"That damned Azrael… He's a really dangerous duelist," grumbled Zack.
"He is the headmaster of the Blue Cosmos school, so it shouldn't come as any surprise he'd be very skilled in dueling," reminded Mayura.
"He also acts somewhat like a manchild," commented Lisa, "He absolutely hates losing, is petty in a majority of his actions, and he treats everyone around him like crap."
"Discord…" murmured Mr. Zimmerman, before looking in the direction of Muruta Azrael and talking in a more hateful tone, "Azrael…"
Speaking of whom… Back on the field, Azrael continued grinning to himself, while Discord was busy fuming to himself.
"I'm not in a good spot," thought Discord, looking at his field, "Sure I still have 'Toon Kingdom', 'Toon Black Luster Soldier', and 'Toon Dark Magician Girl'… but I lost 8000 LP from Azrael's attacks and I'm now down to just 2000 LP," He then looked at Azrael's field, "Even more, Azrael has 'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode', which can help him further damage me and recover his lost LP," The creator of Duel Monsters took one more look at his field before shutting his eyes, "My Toon monsters can still attack directly, but there's no way Azrael isn't expecting me to do just that. What am I going to do? My dear Cynthia, I'm so sorry for failing to avenge you…"
"Discord…" A female voice echoed.
"Huh?" flinched Discord, opening his eyes.
(elsewhere…)
Within the darkness of his mind, Discord J. Crawford looked around, wondering who it was who called out to him. However, he saw nobody around…yet.
"W-Who's out there?" called Discord, before a bright light shined, "Ugh!"
When the light up ahead died down (not all the way, but just enough), Discord saw someone up ahead and started running up to whoever it was. Once he was close enough, he stopped dead in his tracks as a look of shock appeared on his face. Standing in front of the shining light was a beautiful young woman with long blonde hair and wearing a lovely wedding dress—a dress that Discord recognized all too well.
"C-Cynthia?" whispered Discord.
"Discord… I'm so happy to see you," The young woman, Cynthia, greeted, "But what are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be…" As she went on, Discord listened on in stunned silence, "…fighting to defeat Azrael?"
"Cynthia… It really is you," realized Discord, before breaking into tears, "Oh, Cynthia, I've missed you so much… When you died on our wedding day, I fell into a depression I couldn't escape from until I went to Egypt and-"
"Shh… Don't say anything more," soothed Cynthia, approaching her still grieving husband, "I'm here with you again, so don't be sad," After a moment of silence from both sides, she went on, "I must tell you something really important—something I never got the chance to tell you due to my untimely death…"
Discord backed away from the embrace, wondering what it was his deceased wife wanted to tell him. At last, Cynthia allowed those words to escape from her mouth.
"I knew Azrael wanted to kill you," she confessed, much to Discord's surprise, "He never forgave your family for firing his Father, and wanted revenge by getting rid of you, the heir to the Crawford legacy."
"You knew?" pressed Discord, "Cynthia, I don't understand… How did you know about his plan?"
"It was during our wedding day," explained Cynthia, as faded clips of the tragic day were shown superimposed over her, "As we danced, I caught a glimpse of Azrael doing something at the refreshment table. When he suggested giving you a toast and handed over the glass of poisoned punch, I wanted to speak up and expose Azrael for whatever his assassination attempt on you was—but because his good publicity was too great, I feared if I were to speak up about it, he would deny doing such a thing and nobody would believe me."
"You didn't-" said Discord, but then froze. Of course, it all made perfect sense to him as he added something else in, "Then that's why…" As he finished up his question, Cynthia looked very sad herself, "…you stopped me and switched drinks before drinking the poisoned punch. You killed yourself just to try and save me."
"I'm so sorry," apologized Cynthia, "In actuality, I should have just pretended to trip and spilled it all, but I wasn't thinking too clearly at the time," She shut her eyes, "I never should have hurt you like this, Discord… You have every right to want to hate me."
"But I don't hate you," The voice of Discord comforted.
Cynthia looked up, as Discord took hold of her hands and stared into her eyes.
"We all make mistakes in life—sometimes we do so when we're in-love," continued Discord, "But if you hadn't done something, I wouldn't be here today, I never would have gone to Egypt, Duel Monsters wouldn't have been created, and I wouldn't have made so many wonderful friends."
"Friends?" repeated Cynthia.
"My Toon monsters, Thomas-boy, Matty-boy, and the likes," answered Discord cheerfully, as an image of Thomas Billinton (left) and Matt Fudo (right) respectively appeared behind him, "It was as if fate made this all happen," The images faded away as he looked solemn once again, "Maybe it's also fate that I'm to fail in avenging you."
"No, Discord, I refuse to let you think that way," protested Cynthia, not wanting her husband to act in that sort of manner, "As much danger as you're in, I believe you can pull through as you always have," She smiled gently, "I believe in you, Discord, and I always will—just as much as I love you."
Discord, listening to those words of deep encouragement, was not able to say anything as more and more light filled the void of darkness, causing him to shut his eyes once more.
(elsewhere…)
Upon opening his eyes, Discord found himself back in the parking lot of Orb, trapped inside the geoglyph of the Monkey, with Matt and the others watching the duel behind him. He was still facing Azrael, who had Sean and Janice by his side and under the control of some poisonous spiders.
"You seemed to have blacked out there for a moment," scoffed Azrael, "I can't fault you for that, seeing as you're in a position where you can't win," He spread his arms out, "The evil Gods have given me new, unsurpassed power! With it, I'll finally get rid of you!"
"If you can," interrupted Discord.
"What did you say?" Azrael quizzed in response.
"Being revived from the dead seems to have done something to your brain, Azrael," retorted Discord, "What makes you think you'll defeat me? I might be down, but I'm certainly not out," The crowd listened to his words of passion, "If it weren't for Cynthia taking the fall, I wouldn't be here today… As much as her death pained me, it played a huge part in me traveling to Egypt, discovering those ancient carvings, and, as a result, the creation of Duel Monsters!" He pointed at Azrael once more, "Do you know the difference between you and me?"
"And that difference is what?" pondered Azrael with disinterest.
"I have true friends and loved ones," exclaimed Discord, "You? You only have your top students, Vincent, and Rutger in your company—but they aren't really friends of yours."
"What's your point about that foolish belief?"
"My point is so long as my friends believe in me, and I continue to believe in them, I'll overcome even the hatred and destructive power of you Dark Signers!" The jolly young man answered, "Especially the likes of you… Muruta Azrael, former headmaster of Blue Cosmos and killer of Cynthia Crawford!"
"Tch! You really don't know when to give up," grunted Azrael in annoyance, "Very well, let's continue with the duel!"
The audience watched in silence, hoping that Discord had some kind of backup plan. Then again, Toon monsters weren't the only archetype he ran; he also ran a series of 'Illusion' monsters. From there, with renewed vigor, Discord began his next turn.
"It's my turn!" announced Discord, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Four: Discord J. Crawford (LP: 2000)
Deck: 45
Current Hand (1): "Pot of Greed"
"Stop right there!" shouted Azrael, causing Discord to stop short of activating his drawn card. From there, his (Azrael) Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be… "Continuous Trap, 'Psychic Bulwark'(!), activate! My opponent's monsters cannot attack directly!"
"Say what? No direct attacks?!" cried James R..
"And there's a second effect to go with it," warned Azrael, "My opponent cannot target Spells/Traps on the field with effects, except this one. That means all you can do is hack away at 'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode', and even 'Toon Black Luster Soldier' isn't strong enough to do that!"
With the small crowd…
"Dammit! That cheating bastard!" cursed Lisa, "Now Discord can't make use of direct attacks with his monsters!" She stomped on the ground, "Isn't there 'anything' he can do to overcome that cheap trick?!"
"Don't be alarmed, Lisa," The voice of Discord reassured, causing the pink-haired girl to look up with some relief. He didn't look worried anymore, "Despite the setback, this will be the turn where I alter the course of this duel!"
Was Discord right about that? Would his turn be the one to turn things around in his favor? It's hard to say, as 'Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode' is extremely powerful, and there's a face-up 'Psychic Bulwark' Trap Card on the field, preventing any and all direct attacks from Discord. What would he do about it? You'll find out the answer next time, Duel Monsters fans!
This is it, fellow readers, we've reached part 1 of the two-part finale of the second arc. Boy, what started out as a mixed bag of filler in order to give our heroes and their allies some much needed time in the spotlight and/or character development before the big stuff with the Dark Signers commenced. And if there was ever a reason to hate Azrael instead of liking him, then his petty, unforgiving action from his early adulthood long ago (being behind the murder of Cynthia, or Cecelia if you're an English dub fan, that is) would definitely do just that, just like "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" Azrael who hates Coordinators all because he was bullied by some when he was a child and, as an adult, started a war by launching a nuclear assault on the Coordinator homeland. Discord, meanwhile, is understandably enraged by the revealed truth, and vows to defeat his enemy and avenge his deceased wife. The end of the grudge match is coming, and nobody knows if Discord or Azrael will win out—only we, the writers, know. Stay tuned, and be sure to remain safe during these very troublesome times.