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
Title: Delta Accel Synchro!
Opening up outside the Orb Duel School, the sun continued to set as everything seemed peaceful as construction workers continued to repair the damage done by the dark duel between Azrael and Discord. Inside the building, however, it was another story.
(inside…)
Inside Asagi's dorm, the three Astray girls were currently suiting up into their female Orb motorcyclist outfits for their upcoming battle against Orga, Clotho, and Shani, with Asagi having found the note addressed to Matt, Michael, and James R. in the first place.
"Okay, girls, this will be our most dangerous fight yet," said Asagi, shown to be in her underwear and green tank top while getting into her motorcyclist outfit and trying her absolute hardest to remain calm and fearless, "Let's be sure to make it back alive."
Already in their motorcyclist outfits and making adjustments to the sleeves and gloves, Juri and Mayura both looked over and nodded in agreement—while they believed that they should tell the Signers about the challenge, deep down they wanted to confront their rivals and settle the score with them once and for all, no matter how bad of an idea it was.
(outside…)
When they were ready, Asagi and her friends emerged from the dorm, hoping to avoid contact with their fellow classmates until they were outside and riding their respective M1 Astrays. But that was easier said than done, since seconds after emerging…
"Hey, you three," The voice of Rin greeted, causing the Astray trio to cringe and look (comically?) freaked out. As curious as she was, she just smiled upon seeing her friends, "What's the occasion?"
"Oh! Err… we're…just…going out for a ride on our Duel Runners," lied Mayura.
"Y-Yeah! What she said," agreed Juri nervously.
Rin lost her smile and frowned, knowing something big was up—perhaps that piece of paper sticking out of the pocket of Asagi's outfit was that reason for it. She (Rin) reached over and took the note from Asagi, much to her (Asagi) surprise and concern. Rin then read through the note to see what the big fuss was all about, and looked scared when she finished reading it.
"Orga, Clotho, and Shani, the infamous Biological CPU of Blue Cosmos, are coming here?" fretted Rin, turning around and beginning to leave "We have to warn Matt and the others about this!"
"Wait! Stop!" cried Mayura, grabbing Rin by the upper left arm and stopping her (Rin), "You can't!"
"We're going out to battle Orga, Clotho, and Shani," Juri pointed out, referring to herself, Mayura, and Asagi, "We're doing this to protect the Signers, our friends."
"Please, Rin, you can't tell anyone," begged Asagi, "Matt's duel with Ms. Simmons is really important to him."
Rin was silent, knowing that even though Asagi Caldwell, Mayura Labatt, and Juri Wu Nien were among some of Orb's best duelists, they were still not as strong as the Signers (including Lisa) were. Still, Matt was in the middle of a duel with Ms. Simmons, and she was likely teaching him something extremely important about being a Coordinator. At last, Rin let out a reluctant sigh and nodded, agreeing to keep quiet about the note and the challenge. Asagi touched the aqua blue-haired young woman's shoulders and smiled gratefully before she and her two best friends left. Rin watched until the three Astray girls were gone before closing her eyes and looking very distressed, hoping she wouldn't forever regret her choice.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the simulation of space, the Turbo Duel between Matt Fudo and Erica Simmons was ongoing with Murasame (Ms. Simmons) now a great distance from Fudo Go (Matt). These were the following stands for both duelists:
-Matt (LP: 1800): Controlled 'Shooting Star Dragon' (Level: 10/ATK: 3300/DEF: 2500) and a Set card.
-Ms. Simmons (LP: 1800): Controlled a newly Delta Accel Synchro Summoned 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' (Level: 12/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000) and a Set card, and her turn was ongoing.
"Delta Accel Synchro… 'T.G. Halberd Cannon'…" thought Matt, "How do I fight against something so new and powerful?"
"We Coordinators always strive to improve our bodies and mind," explained Ms. Simmons, before looking over her shoulder at her opponent, "Matt, I will find a way to help you with improving your own body and mind in order to better learn how to reach Top Clear Mind—but we don't have a lot of time."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Matt.
"My Delta Accel Synchro has destroyed that nearby sun, leaving a black hole behind," Ms. Simmons said, as the black hole (where the sun used to be) slowly began to expand, "If we do not finish this duel soon, it will end prematurely—along with the simulation!" She then motioned her right arm about, "I activate a…" While speaking on, her face-down card reappeared on the field beside her (on her right), flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "…Trap, 'TGX3-DX2'! I must target 3 'T.G.' monsters in my GY; I must shuffle all 3 into my Deck, then draw 2 cards!"
Three cards ('T.G. Catapult Dragon', 'T.G. Metal Skeleton', and 'T.G. Blade Blaster') ejected from the GY, which were then taken as the former two were shuffled back into the Deck and the latter was returned to the Extra Deck. Ms. Simmons then drew two additional cards, which were 'Magnetic Storm' (Trap Card) and 'Buster Blaster' (Union Monster Card). From there, the Battle Phase began.
"'T.G. Halberd Cannon', attack 'Shooting Star Dragon'!" ordered Ms. Simmons, with the swing of her right arm.
'T.G. Halberd Cannon' obeyed, swinging its weapon before combining it with another piece of machinery into a new weapon made for an attack. Using the sniper scope, it aimed the weapon for 'Shooting Star Dragon's' head before firing off a massive plasma blast.
"I activate 'Shooting Star Dragon's' third effect!" announced Matt, as his ace monster glowed a gentle light green before dissolving into dust and causing the attack from 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' to miss, "Once per turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack: I can target the attacking monster; I must banish this card, and if I do, negate that attack!"
Ms. Simmons smirked, "Are you sure about that?"
"What?!" gasped Matt.
"I activate 'Halberd Cannon's' third effect!" continued Ms. Simmons, as her own ace monster glowed yellow for a few seconds before disappearing into the abyss and, a few seconds later, returned with 'Shooting Star Dragon', "When my opponent activates a monster effect that would banish a monster(s), I can negate that effect, and if I do, that monster loses 800 ATK!"
Upon returning, 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' violently slammed 'Shooting Star Dragon' onto the ground, causing it to lose heavy ATK (ATK: 3300 → 2500).
"What's going on?" stammered Matt.
"Even as powerful as it is, 'Shooting Star' can't escape from me that easily," taunted Ms. Simmons, much to Matt's dismay as the Battle Phase resumed, "And now, 'Halberd Cannon', destroy 'Shooting Star Dragon'!"
'T.G. Halberd Cannon' readied its weapon again.
"I won't let you, Erica!" cut in Matt, as his Set card reappeared on the field in-front of Fudo Go, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I activate a Continuous Trap, 'Enduring Soul'!" As he explained the effect of his Trap Card, 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' fired off another massive plasma blast, this time hitting the weakened 'Shooting Star Dragon' as it got energized with a protective power of sorts, "If a face-up Attack Position monster I control would be destroyed by battle: I can activate this effect; that monster is not destroyed by this battle, and if I do, it loses 800 ATK after damage calculation."
"And you believe you've come out unscathed?" remarked Ms. Simmons, looking over her shoulder again while grinning, "You still take the damage, Matt!"
Using his right arm to try and cover the bright light, Matt winced as his LP dropped to very low levels (LP: 1800 → 300). Then, due to the effect of the 'Enduring Soul' Trap Card, 'Shooting Star Dragon' found itself growing even weaker (ATK: 2500 → 1700).
"Matt, you only have 300 LP left!" reminded Ms. Simmons, "By learning how to surpass my limitations, I have gained a huge lead!" She then took a card from her hand and slotted it into her Duel Runner, "I Set one card and end my turn!"
(elsewhere…)
Outside the simulation, everyone watched the monitor as the image of Matt winced as his LP dropped to very low levels (LP: 1800 → 300).
"Boy, Matt's in such a bind," worried Carlie, "There's 'Halberd Cannon', who's third effect can negate the third effect of 'Shooting Star Dragon' and lower its ATK by 800, Matt can't play defensively because 'Enduring Soul' does not prevent destruction if the attack target is in Defense Position, plus Matt would still take damage from battle if his monster is in Attack Position, and he only has 300 LP left."
"Isn't there anything Matty can do?" protested Ashima, "Erica will definitely attack again on her next turn, and he needs to do something to prepare for it."
There was no response, because no one had any idea on what Matt was able to do to fight 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' if 'Shooting Star Dragon' was weakened and would continue to get weaker during every attack made by Ms. Simmons.
"Wait a sec!" realized James R., bringing all eyes to him, "Has anyone seen Mayura and Juri? They were here a few minutes ago."
"No clue," replied Zack, "Maybe they left to get something to drink or eat? I'm sure they'll be back soon."
And no more was said about it.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the simulation…
"It's my turn!" declared Matt, drawing a card.
Both players gained another Speed Counter:
-Matt: 4 → 5
-Ms. Simmons: 4 → 5
Turn Six: Matt Fudo (LP: 300)
Deck: 47
Current Hand (3): "Sonic Chick", "Devoted Gardna", and "Revenge Return"
Speed Counters: 5
Matt's drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Revenge Return', which he added into his hand before taking another card out to use.
"I Summon 'Sonic Chick' in Defense Position!" he went on, placing the card onto his Duel Runner.
Appearing on the field was the pink roadrunner-like monster (Level: 1/ATK: 300/DEF: 300).
"It cannot be destroyed by battle with a monster that has 1900 or more ATK!" revealed Matt, going over his monster's only effect, "This means 'Halberd Cannon' won't take it down so easily!"
"That's pointless!" rebutted Ms. Simmons, as Matt gasped again, "I activate 'Halberd Cannon's' first effect! While this card is face-up on the field, I can negate the Summon of a monster(s), and if I do, destroy it!"
"You can simply negate the Summon of one of my monsters!?" flinched Matt.
"I can!" confirmed Ms. Simmons. As she announced the effect name, 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' motioned both arms to its chest before holding them out, "Close Summon!"
'T.G. Halberd Cannon' fired off a beam of red plasma, striking poor 'Sonic Chick' and destroying it.
"What a powerful monster!" admitted Matt.
(elsewhere…)
Outside the simulation, the group had witnessed the Close Summon effect from 'T.G. Halberd Cannon'.
"Close Summon is like a more powerful version of 'Stardust Warrior's' Cosmic Sanctuary," affirmed Carlie, "Instead of only stopping Special Summons, it cancels 'any' kind of Summoning!"
"Man, oh man, Matt is not in a good spot," groaned James R..
"That's the understatement of the summer," frowned Zack, as the monitor showed an image of 'Shooting Star Dragon', "'Shooting Star' is a sitting duck for an attack by 'Halberd Cannon'."
(elsewhere…)
Inside the simulation, Matt was thinking the same thing Zack was telling the others.
"Any monster I try to Summon will be destroyed," thought Matt, "There's nothing I can do about that."
"There is one thing you can do; you can switch 'Shooting Star' into Defense Position," suggested Ms. Simmons, "But by doing that, your monster won't have the protection of your Continuous Trap, 'Enduring Soul'. Furthermore, you can leave 'Shooting Star' in Attack Position, allowing you to use 'Enduring Soul' to reduce its ATK by 800 after damage calculation to negate its destruction," She smirked ruthlessly, "However, you'd still take damage and lose the duel."
Matt thought long and hard at his strategy, deciding to take a huge risk.
"I'm leaving 'Shooting Star' in Attack Position!" proclaimed Matt, before swinging his right arm about and causing a face-down card to appear on the field in-front of Fudo Go as it faded away for later use, "And then, I'll Set one card and end my turn!"
(elsewhere…)
Back outside the simulation…
"Leaving 'Shooting Star' in Attack Position?" repeated Ashima, clearly not happy with the situation, "I hope Matty knows what he's doing."
"Unfortunately, Matt would lose either his monster or the duel either way," said Mr. Kisaka, "He obviously needed to pick the lesser of two evils. The question though," He narrowed his eyes a little bit, "did he pick the right choice?"
(elsewhere…)
Back in the simulation, Ms. Simmons was wondering the same thing her friend was telling the group. Deciding to find out, she began her turn.
"It's my turn!" boomed Ms. Simmons, drawing a card.
Both players gained another Speed Counter:
-Matt: 5 → 6
-Ms. Simmons: 5 → 6
Turn Seven: Erica Simmons (LP: 1800)
Deck: 49
Current Hand (3): "Double Type Rescue", "Buster Blaster", and "Forbidden Scripture"
Speed Counters: 6
Ms. Simmons saw her drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Forbidden Scripture'. Deciding to save it for later, she pressed a button on her Duel Runner.
"Unfortunately, Matt, your tactic won't work against me!" yelled Ms. Simmons, "I activate a Trap, 'Magnetic Storm'!" As she spoke on, her Set card reappeared on the field behind Murasame, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "If this is the only card in my Spell & Trap Zone: I must target 1 Set Spell/Trap my opponent controls; I must destroy that target. My opponent cannot activate Spell/Trap Cards in response to this effect's activation!"
"What?!" exclaimed Matt.
"What I gather from this is that your Set card is meant to reduce the damage you receive. In the event it is, it has to be an effect meant to deal with 'Halberd Cannon's' attack," explained Ms. Simmons, as Matt listened in stunned silence, "Assuming, of course, you were able to think that far ahead. This is you we're talking about. It's only natural for you to assume I've already read through it."
"Ngh…" Matt grimaced, knowing he was in deep trouble.
"So, you're probably planning to use that card as a bluff to stop me from attacking," figured Ms. Simmons, as her face-up 'Magnetic Storm' Trap Card turned into a twister of sorts, "I will now destroy your Set card!"
The twister struck and destroyed the reappearing Set card—but not before it flipped face-up and revealed itself, allowing Ms. Simmons to catch a glimpse of what it was before the card shattered into shards of glass.
"That was 'Revenge Return'," teased Ms. Simmons, before going over what the card did, "If a monster you control is destroyed by battle: Draw 1 card," She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head with amusement, "I knew it was a bluff," As she continued to egg on her opponent, Matt listened stoically, "Matt, you only have 300 LP left," The brown-haired woman entered her Battle Phase and swung her right arm about again, "This is the end! 'Halberd Cannon', vanquish 'Shooting Star Dragon'!"
'T.G. Halberd Cannon' obeyed, aiming its weapon at 'Shooting Star Dragon' once more.
"I activate 'Shooting Star Dragon's' third effect!" announced Matt, as his ace monster glowed a gentle light green before dissolving into dust in an attempt to avoid and stop 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' from destroying it and finishing its master off, "Once per turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack: I can target the attacking monster; I must banish this card, and if I do, negate that attack!"
"Didn't I tell you 'Shooting Star' can't escape from 'Halberd Cannon'?" sighed Ms. Simmons, as she looked towards 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' while explaining the third effect and it started glowing yellow before fading away into oblivion, "When my opponent activates a monster effect that would banish a monster(s), I can negate that effect, and if I do, that monster loses 800 ATK!"
(elsewhere…)
Within another dimension of sorts, 'Shooting Star Dragon' thought it had escaped from 'T.G. Halberd Cannon'—but it was wrong; it suddenly got grabbed by the wings and neck by the mighty Delta Accel Synchro Monster before being pulled away.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the simulation, 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' reappeared with 'Shooting Star Dragon' in tow before roughly punching it to the ground and reducing its ATK even further (ATK: 1700 → 900).
"You don't know when to give up!" bellowed Ms. Simmons, "This time, you won't escape defeat, Matt!" From there, as she gave the order to attack, 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' locked onto 'Shooting Star Dragon', ready to blast it right into kingdom come, "'Halberd Cannon', attack 'Shooting Star Dragon'!"
And 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' fires off another massive yellow plasma blast, looking certain to take Matt and 'Shooting Star Dragon' out.
"I think not!" interrupted Matt, holding up a card ('Devoted Gardna'), "I activate the monster effect of 'Devoted Gardna'!" He discarded the card, causing the spirit of a humanoid male monster wearing a black suit and purple tie to appear on the field, merging with 'Shooting Star Dragon' and enhancing its power enough to withstand the plasma attack, "When a face-up monster I control with 1000 or less ATK is targeted for an attack: I can send this card from my hand to the GY; I must reduce any battle damage I would take from this battle to 0!" The face-up 'Enduring Soul' Trap Card also activated, striking the attacked monster with an arrow of light and further energizing it and allowing it to survive being destroyed, "And there's also 'Enduring Soul'! If a face-up Attack Position monster I control would be destroyed by battle: I can activate this effect; that monster is not destroyed by this battle, and if I do, it loses 800 ATK after damage calculation!"
Now safe, 'Shooting Star Dragon's' ATK fell even further (ATK: 900 → 100). Ms. Simmons didn't say a word, but she was impressed that Matt was able to counteract her game-winning attack.
"I see," she thought to herself, "In order to activate 'Devoted Gardna's' effect, he deliberately made 'Shooting Star's' ATK fall below 1000 using 'Enduring Soul' and 'Halberd Cannon's' effects… That was well played, Matt."
"Erica is very skilled," Matt was saying mentally, "She's one of the strongest duelists I ever faced in my career. Her Delta Accel Synchro is definitely giving me a ton of problems, and she knows a lot of my strategies… What can I do about it?"
(elsewhere…)
Back in Hartford, the three Astray girls were busy searching for the spot that told Matt, Michael, and James R. to show up at. Stopping their M1 Astrays at the appointed area, the three young women removed their helmets, got off their Duel Runners, and looked around the area for a sign of their rivals-now-Dark Signers, but, for some reason, they weren't there yet.
"Where are they?" wondered Juri.
"I don't know, but keep your eyes open for any sign of them," requested Asagi, "Their note said they would be in this area."
Before long…
"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" The voice of Orga Sabnak called out, mockingly, "You three losers aren't our targets!"
Gasping at the same time, the Astray trio looked around for the source of the voice.
"You're not looking in the right direction!" The voice of Clotho Buer criticized haughtily.
"Just look up, idiots," The voice of Shani Andras finished.
Asagi, Mayura, and Juri each turned and looked up. Standing on top of an old building, decked out in their motorcyclist suits and helmets, were Orga, Clotho, and Shani, the longtime rivals of the three Orb-based girls. The way the three young men were smiling signaled they were pleased—and that also meant deep trouble for the Astray trio.
"Clotho…" began Asagi.
"Shani…" put in Mayura.
"Orga!" finished Juri.
"Well, if it isn't our counterparts from Orb," remarked Orga.
"You three goodie-goods weren't invited to come here and duel with us, you know," said Clotho dismissively, "We specifically requested to see and duel Matt Fudo, Michael Atlas, and James Hogan."
"Too bad!" yelled Mayura defiantly, "We're not gonna let you hurt them!"
"You guys might be Dark Signers now, but we can still take you on!" added Juri.
"After all, we've beaten you three plenty of times back when Duel Monsters became a huge hit here in America," reminded Asagi, "This time will be no different!"
"Oooh, what brave words," slurred Shani, before reaching into his motorcyclist suit's pocket. There, he pulled out a card, "You girls still want to duel us even though we now have…these?"
With that said, the three Bio-CPU boys held out three cards. As soon as Asagi, Mayura, and Juri each saw what the cards were…
"No way!" cried Asagi.
"It can't be!" recoiled Mayura.
"T-Those cards are-!" stammered Juri.
The new Monster Cards in the hands of Orga, Clotho, and Shani were as followed:
-Orga: 'Earthbound Immortal Aslla piscu'
-Clotho: 'Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu'
-Shani: 'Earthbound Immortal Chacu Challhua'
"That's right!" confirmed Orga arrogantly, "Since we're Dark Signers, we were given these mighty 'Earthbound Immortal' cards like how Rutger, Headmaster Azrael, and even the late Vincent each have one!"
"You've seen the 'Earthbound Immortals' in action once before," Shani pointed out, "When Rutger used his against Matt, and Headmaster Azrael took out Discord with his own!"
A pair of flashbacks ensued.
FLASHBACK
During Flashback Matt and Flashback Rutger's duel…
"Now is the time for your Advent! My God, 'Earthbound Immortal Uru'!" chanted Flashback Rutger.
The heart in the sky exploded as the purple beam ended, causing an earthquake to ensue as the rest of the Signers and their friends all cried out in shock. The ghostly flames started rising through the earthquake as the shadow of a huge monster could be seen coming outside—starting with a pair of glowing red eyes.
"It's here, huh?" grunted Flashback Matt.
"This is one of the demons that was sealed in the Nazca Lines?" flinched Flashback Michael.
"This…is an 'Earthbound Immortal'?" stammered Flashback Carlie.
The full body of 'Earthbound Immortal Uru' was that of a gigantic spider, with skin tone matching that of the 'Earthbound Servant' monsters with a few key differences in color (Level: 10/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000). Everyone else who was not Flashback Rutger knew nothing of what to expect from such a powerful being unlike anything they've ever seen.
(new scene…)
During the battle between Flashback Discord and Flashback Azrael…
"Oh man… Where are we?" asked Flashback Sean groggily.
"The last thing I remember is hearing the news that a Dark Signer appeared in New York City and killed Megan," remembered Flashback Janice, before shutting her eyes and wincing from a headache, "After that-"
"Sean-kun! Janice!" The voice of Flashback David called out, causing the both of them to look over. He was looking very scared for his two best friends, "Get away from Azrael! Hurry!"
Flashback Sean and Flashback Janice blinked before looking over to their left and gasping. Flashback Azrael was holding up a very familiar card ('Earthbound Immortal Cusillu').
"I sacrifice the souls of these spirits!" chanted Flashback Azrael, before placing his card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "Advent, 'Earthbound Immortal Cusillu'!"
As those final words left his mouth, an earthquake in the area began. Within the sky, something was seen emerging from the geoglyph in the sky. It looked like the same huge, stone heart that appeared when Flashback Rutger dueled against Flashback Matt, and when Flashback Misty dueled Flashback Megan. The three Astray girls, Flashback Ms. Simmons, Flashback Mr. Kisaka, Flashback Mr. Zimmerman, Flashback Sherry, and Flashback Shinji all huddled around the Signers in order to prevent their souls from being taken as an offering to the 'Earthbound Immortals'. Unfortunately, there were some souls they were unable to save, and two very unfortunates were Flashback Sean and Flashback Janice…
"David! Everyone! You must defeat the Dark Signers!" called Flashback Sean.
"Please save us!" begged Flashback Janice.
With that said, the souls of both teenagers were ripped from their bodies and rose towards the heart high in the sky like purple mist. Flashback David was so shocked by the sight that he was not able to speak up about it, but when was finally able to, all he could do about it was scream.
"SEAN-KUUUUUUN! JANIIIIIIICE!" cried Flashback David, heartbroken.
Slowly, the heart began to beat in response to the souls that were offered, and, soon enough, it exploded with power. Finally emerging from the ghostly flames was a gigantic monkey creature with black and yellow skin, and a long tail. This monster was none other than Flashback Azrael's 'Earthbound Immortal' monster, 'Earthbound Immortal Cusillu' (Level: 10/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2400). Flashback Discord and everyone else stared up at the monster in complete terror; despite doing his absolute best, Flashback Discord failed to stop the appearance of 'Earthbound Immortal Cusillu' and had no way to defend himself from a likely direct attack.
"Kneel before the 'Earthbound Immortals', Discord J. Crawford!" roared Flashback Azrael in triumph, entering the Battle Phase, "'Cusillu', attack directly!"
Because there was a Field Spell ('Earthbound Geoglyph') on the field, the 'Earthbound Immortal' monster was allowed to strike the opponent due to its third effect, which was shared by the others. Anyway, 'Earthbound Immortal Cusillu' obeyed, raising a fist and, with a loud, screeching shout, brought it down. In a final attempt to save Flashback Discord, both 'Toon Black Luster Soldier' and 'Millennium-Eyes Restrict' soared into the sky and attempted to attack the enemy monster right back, but they were unsuccessful; only getting destroyed by the fist despite being stronger than 'Earthbound Immortal Cusillu' in terms of ATK. Flashback Discord, looking up into the sky at the incoming attack, knew he failed Cynthia.
"No…" Flashback Discord whispered, then, as the gigantic fist got closer to striking, let out a huge scream, "NOOOOOOOOOO!"
The fist from 'Earthbound Immortal Cusillu' was merely a second away from connecting.
*BOOM!*
The impact of the attack was so powerful that the whole area shook from the impact, while the group of spectators was thrown back and out of the geoglyph (even the non-Signers).
(elsewhere…)
Outside the city, 'Earthbound Immortal Cusillu' could be seen hunched over with many buildings surrounding it after punching whoever was in its way, but then stood tall and let out a roar before fading away after doing its job.
(elsewhere…)
Back in Orb's parking lot, it was a complete mess in terms of damage as the fire wall belonging to the geoglyph died down with the duel being over. There was a blanket of smoke covering the area, and when it did clear away, there, laying under some concrete rubble, was a fatally wounded Flashback Discord, bleeding heavily from his face as the last of his LP ran out (LP: 200 → 0).
"Discord!" called Flashback Matt, standing back up and running over.
"Matt…?" groaned Flashback Ms. Simmons, weakly sitting back up.
She came to regret looking in the direction Matt was running towards, because she gasped the second she saw Discord J. Crawford, her old friend, buried, battered, and broken. Before long, everyone else was shown to be okay as they looked in the direction Flashback Discord was in. Flashback Matt reached the buried Discord and held him (Flashback Discord) in his (Fashback Matt) arms.
"Discord, Discord! Hang in there!" begged Flashback Matt.
Flashback Discord weakly opened his eyes, knowing there was no way he could ever apologize to his adopted children for failing them.
"M-Matty-boy… I'm so sorry," Flashback Discord apologized sadly, "I dueled the best that I could, but Azrael's new Deck was too much for me to handle."
"Don't say that! You'll be alright!" objected Flashback Matt, trying to remain strong, "You'll live! We'll get you to the hospital and save your life!"
"It's no use," rebutted Flashback Discord, "You heard what happens after being defeated; the loser of this duel has to disappear as a penalty… But this is for the…best, since it means I'll…be reunited with my darling Cynthia in the afterlife," He smiled weakly, "Matty-boy… you and the others…are the world's last…hope. I know you can… I-I know you can…"
Flashback Discord never got that further, as his eyes closed and his body became lifeless. Greatly upset, a desperate Flashback Matt shook the body repeatedly for a response, but never got one. To make matters all the sadder, Flashback Discord's whole body turned into a stone-like color before breaking apart and leaving nothing behind except for the specks to be blown away by the wind. Flashback Matt remained in his place and on his knees in stunned silence. Finally realizing that Flashback Discord, his adopted Father, was gone forever, he shut his eyes with emotion and did the only thing he could do about it—which was scream in grief.
"DISCOOOOOOOORD!" Flashback Matt wailed out.
END FLASHBACK
The flashbacks ended.
"We were all there to see Dave's friends get sacrificed along with Discord's death," recalled Clotho, "You all know just how powerful and dangerous the 'Earthbound Immortals' truly are, yet you still wish to face us even though none of you possess the means to truly fight our own Gods?"
"We 'will' face them!" accepted Asagi, "More importantly, we will 'defeat' them and the three of you!"
"Yeah!" agreed Juri.
"Orga, Clotho, and Shani, prepare yourselves for a Turbo Duel!" requested Mayura, pointing upward at her enemies, "We three will show you the true power of the Orb Duel School."
Shani chuckled, "So, you're gonna go through with the duel?"
"I don't know if you girls are being brave or stupid, maybe a combination of both," cracked Clotho.
"Either way, we accept your challenge!" proclaimed Orga.
From there, he and his two best friends turned and walked away from the edge of the building. Seconds later, the roar of a Duel Runner was heard, and the three Astray girls saw Calamity, Raider, and Forbidden each jumping off the building and landing a good distance away from the three M1 Astrays.
"To make things interesting, why don't we make this a duel to the death?" offered Clotho, "We will have a battle royale Turbo Duel. The first group to eliminate the other group wins."
"In other words, if you bitches defeat us, then you win the battle royale," added Shani, "Of course, if we defeat you three, then we win. Is that fair enough?"
"You three have extremely good teamwork, so it should be easy enough for you to win," teased Orga.
"Of course, we accept!" cut in Mayura, putting her helmet back on.
"Get ready, you bastards!" Asagi added confidently, "As Matt would say…" She then put her helmet back on, "Let's rev it up!"
"And for Mike… Let's kick this Turbo Duel into overdrive!" concluded Juri, also putting her helmet back on.
The Biological CPU trio simply grinned.
(elsewhere…)
Back in the simulation, Fudo Go and Murasame had just entered a meteor shower, and Matt looked back to see that the meteors they passed were getting sucked into the black hole and starting to compress. Ms. Simmons took a card from her hand and slotted it into her Duel Runner.
"I Set one card…" As she said that, a face-down card ('Forbidden Scripture') materialized on the field beside Murasame (on its right) before fading away for later use, "…and end my turn! You still haven't proved you can further surpass your own limitations!"
"I know," acknowledged Matt, "Your Delta Accel Synchro is really strong, and you know all of my strategies," He then looked more determined than ever before, "But I haven't given up the fight, and I have no intention of doing so!"
"How fascinating… Even in an unwinnable situation like this, you choose to continue dueling with me?" observed Ms. Simmons, before smiling again, "Impressive. I admire your courage and dedication. Then go! Go and prove you can overcome my power!"
'Shooting Star Dragon' let out a roar, signaling it was accepting the challenge.
"Here I come, Erica!" thundered Matt, drawing a card, "It's my turn!"
Both players gained a final Speed Counter:
-Matt: 6 → 7
-Ms. Simmons: 6 → 7
Turn Eight: Matt Fudo (LP: 300)
Deck: 46
Current Hand (1): "Angel Baton"
Speed Counters: 7
Matt's drawn card was a second copy of the 'Angel Baton' Spell Card.
"Spell Card, 'Angel Baton', activate!" began Matt, before being shown drawing two cards, "I must draw 2 cards, then discard…" He sent one of the cards ('Necro Defender') to the GY, "…1 card!" The dirty blonde-haired young man then made a move, "Next, I'll activate the first effect of 'Wild Heart'! When a monster is sent from the hand to the GY: I can Special Summon this card from my hand!"
Appearing on the field was a neanderthal-looking human monster (Level: 4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000).
"A monster with 1000 ATK… What are you thinking of?" pondered Ms. Simmons, but gasped for a second and figured out the plan, "Ah, I see. 'Wild Heart' has three more effects…" As she went over the card's second effect, an enlarged image of the 'Wild Heart' Monster was shown in the background, "This card can attack directly, and if it does, destroy it at the end of the Damage Step. And the third effect… When this card on the field is destroyed by a card effect, except its own: You can Special Summon it from the GY. And the fourth effect… Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this card is Special Summoned this way: Banish it," Her focus then went to 'Shooting Star Dragon', "And 'Shooting Star Dragon's' second effect… Once per turn, when a card or effect is activated that would destroy a card(s) on the field (Quick Effect): You can negate the effect, and if you do, destroy it."
"That's right!" confirmed Matt, "In other words, if 'Wild Heart' destroys itself and is negated by 'Shooting Star', 'Wild Heart' can be Special Summoned once again," As he continued explaining the plan, 'Shooting Star Dragon' found itself fighting alongside what appeared to be an army of 'Wild Hearts', "which would complete an infinite loop of direct attacks!"
"Despite this dire situation, you've created an impressive combo," admired Ms. Simmons, before becoming fierce-looking, "But I won't let you use it!" She went back to focusing on what was up ahead while holding her right hand out, "I activate 'Halberd Cannon's' first effect! The Summon of 'Wild Heart' is negated, and the monster is also destroyed!" As she announced the effect name, 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' fired another red plasma beam from its chest, "Close Summon!"
'Wild Heart' was hit and destroyed, preventing Matt from completing his plan to win the duel.
"If 'Wild Heart's' Summon is negated, its effect can't activate," uttered Matt.
"Then it looks like you're out of options," Ms. Simmons pointed out.
"Not yet! I'm just getting started!" insisted Matt, "I activate the second effect of 'Revenge Return'!"
Ms. Simmons raised an eyebrow, "That's a card I destroyed earlier."
"The Trap Card, 'Revenge Return'!" began Matt, as the mentioned Trap Card reappeared face-up on the field in-front of Fudo Go, "I can banish this card from my GY, then target 1 monster in my GY that was destroyed by a card effect this turn; I must Special Summon it!" From there, his face-up 'Revenge Return' Trap Card faded away into oblivion, "I banish 'Revenge Return'!" And, as he finished speaking, 'Wild Heart' reappeared on the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000), "Resurrect, 'Wild Heart'!"
"Matt, your plan won't work!" scolded Ms. Simmons, "'Halberd Cannon's' first effect can be used up to the number of Synchro Materials used for its Synchro Summon!" As she announced the effect name, 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' fired another red plasma beam from its chest, "Close Summon!"
'Wild Heart' was hit and destroyed again.
"Since three materials were used, it means 'Halberd Cannon's' effect can be used up to three times!" realized Matt
"That's right!" confessed Ms. Simmons, as Fudo Go and 'Shooting Star Dragon' followed from behind, "Matt, you have no more cards in your hand, no other cards Set, and have a 100 ATK 'Shooting Star Dragon'! You also only have 300 LP. What more can you do?"
"It's true that I don't have enough monsters to use the technique that surpasses Accel Synchro, the Delta Accel Synchro," Matt went on, not giving up the fight, as Ms. Simmons, looking over her shoulder, listened, "But you taught me yourself! 'If you believe in your own potential, you can surpass your own limitations! That you can go beyond your own limitations!'!"
"Matt…" whispered Ms. Simmons.
"I activate 'High Speed World's' third effect!" announced Matt, as the monitor of Fudo Go showed the Speed Counter gauge going down to nothing, "Once per turn: I can remove 7 Speed Counters of my own; I must draw 1 card!" He braced two fingers on top of his Deck, "My future will depend on this draw!"
Matt drew his card, which was revealed to be the 'Balance Blaster' Effect Monster Card. The second Matt saw it caused him to realize a full, game-winning combo involving it, the 'Shooting Star Dragon' Synchro Monster Card, the 'Necro Defender' Effect Monster Card (in his GY), his face-up 'Enduring Soul' Trap Card, and five other unknown cards (Tuner monsters). It was the exact same combo he used to defeat Sergey Volkov, and it would work here, too.
(elsewhere…)
Outside the simulation, everyone, watching the monitor, saw footage of Matt drawing his final card.
"Guys, what can Matt do with only a single card?" wondered James R..
"And a 'Shooting Star Dragon' with only 100 ATK?" put in Lisa.
"I think we're about to find that out and much more," urged Carlie, "Look! Matt's making a move!"
(elsewhere…)
In the simulation…
"I Summon 'Balance Blaster'!" began Matt, placing his card onto his Duel Runner.
Appearing onto the field was the dark red Machine monster with a blaster-like head, two arms, and no legs (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). Ms. Simmons appeared to look only mildly unsettled by the appearance of that monster.
"I have everything I need to win!" As Matt spoke on, he held up a card ('Necro Defender') taken from his GY, "I activate the effect of 'Necro Defender'!" The spirit of the mentioned monster briefly appeared on the field, "During my Main Phase: I can banish this card from my GY, then target 1 monster I control; until the end of this turn, I take no battle damage from battles involving that monster!" The spirit of 'Necro Defender' merged with 'Shooting Star Dragon', and the face-up 'Enduring Soul' Trap Card activated once more, energizing his ace monster, "And with 'Enduring Soul's' continuous effect, I can negate 'Shooting Star's' destruction through battle by reducing its ATK by 800 after the damage calculation!"
"And there's 'Balance Blaster'…" remembered Ms. Simmons, knowing all about 'Balance Blaster', "If a face-up monster you control would lose ATK because of a card effect, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the amount of ATK it would have lost instead," As she continued speaking, Matt listened carefully, "Normally this would be a complete stalemate, but now I'll take 800 damage when you declare an attack with 'Shooting Star Dragon'!" Even so, she remained completely fearless, "But I still have 1800 LP, meaning that won't be enough to beat me!"
"I'll 'end' the duel this turn!" corrected Matt, "I activate 'Shooting Star's' first effect! Once per turn: I can excavate the top 5 cards of my Deck, shuffle them back in, also this card's maximum number of attacks…" Focus went onto his Deck, "…per Battle Phase this turn equals the number of Tuner monsters excavated."
(elsewhere…)
Back outside the simulation, footage from seconds ago was playing out on the monitor for the group to watch.
"I'll 'end' the duel this turn!" The image of Matt corrected, "I activate 'Shooting Star's' first effect! Once per turn: I can excavate the top 5 cards of my Deck, shuffle them back in, also this card's maximum number of attacks…" Focus went onto his Deck, "…per Battle Phase this turn equals the number of Tuner monsters excavated."
"As Erica just said, she has 1800 LP," remembered Ashima, "It means Matty needs to excavate three Tuners in order to defeat her."
"That's really risky," commented Carlie.
"Ha! Don't forget that 'risk' is practically Matt's middle name!" boasted James R., "If anyone can overcome odds like those, it's him."
Just then, everyone heard the nearby doors burst open, revealing a very panicked Mr. Murdoch and a very guilty-looking Rin.
"Kojiro… Rin… What's going on?" demanded Mr. Kisaka.
"I…" murmured Rin, "I have some really bad news."
(elsewhere…)
Back in the simulation, Matt began excavating cards.
"The first card!" began Matt, drawing a card. It was the 'Turbo Synchron' Tuner Monster Card, "The Tuner monster, 'Turbo Synchron'!"
That was one Tuner monster…
"The second card!" continued Matt, drawing a card. To his dismay, it was a Trap Card called 'Starlight Road', "It's not a Tuner…"
Maybe the third draw?
"The third card!" As Matt said that, he drew a card. It was the 'Drill Synchron' Tuner Monster Card, "The Tuner monster, 'Drill Synchron'!"
Ms. Simmons waited patiently.
"The fourth card!" shouted Matt, drawing a card. Unfortunately, it was a Spell Card called 'Synchro Dilemma', "Ugh…"
"With a third Tuner, you'll be able to drain the rest of my LP," acknowledged Ms. Simmons, but, deep down, she was unworried about it, "Will you be able to excavate it?"
Matt closed his eyes, "The truth is I don't know," he replied, before opening them, "But I will surpass my limitations even without Top Clear Mind or Delta Accel Synchro!"
"Matt!" hollered Ms. Simmons, as both she and her opponent started to feel the area shaking, "This whole area-!"
"What's happening?!" quivered Matt.
"We are about to be caught in the middle of the black hole!" Ms. Simmons answered urgently, as the black hole (where the sun used to be) began expanding, "Once the accretion of the circular core begins, anything within its radius will instantly be forcefully robbed of all its light," She looked over her shoulder at Matt one last time, "If you're not able to draw a Tuner in your next draw, we'll both be forcibly ejected from the simulation before either of us can run out of LP!"
Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, Matt understood and looked back at his Deck, needing to draw a Tuner monster. He then drew his final card with a Destiny Draw. The final card was revealed to be the…'Steam Synchron' Tuner Monster Card.
"Yes!" rejoiced Matt, "The Tuner monster, 'Steam Synchron'!"
"I-Impossible!" Ms. Simmons flinched (secretly not worried), "You're actually able to attack three times?!"
"Battle!" roared Matt, entering his Battle Phase as he motioned his right hand into the air, "'Shooting Star Dragon', attack 'Halberd Cannon'!" Before he announced the attack name of his monster, 'Shooting Star Dragon' let out a roar of its own and got energized with power before flying around and splitting into three colorful copies of itself, "Stardust Mirage!"
The red copy of 'Shooting Star Dragon' attacked first, only to get sniped down by a plasma blast from 'T.G. Halberd Cannon'. The blue copy tried to take revenge by attacking next, but 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' used its weapon to block the dive bomb and destroy the enemy monster copy. The yellow copy then flew in and grappled hands with 'T.G. Halberd Cannon'.
"Gooooo!" howled Matt.
The face-up 'Enduring Soul' Trap Card made a spirit of 'Balance Blaster' appear, which fired off a burst of blue energy, hitting the yellow copy of 'Shooting Star Dragon' and enhancing its strength to break the weapon in 'T.G. Halberd Cannon's' hands before backing off and firing what appeared to be Cosmic Flare. As the attack got closer and closer to striking, Ms. Simmons suddenly smiled to herself and uttered a few short, calm words…
"I win, Matt."
Matt gasped in horror, wondering if Ms. Simmons had a final strategy waiting in the wings. Sure enough, she made such a move.
"I activate a Quick-Play Spell!" declared Ms. Simmons.
Her final face-down card reappeared on the field in-front of Murasame and started to flip face-up, but as it finished revealing itself, the card disappeared before the artwork was even seen.
"What?!" cried Ms. Simmons, "My card has-?"
Not only that, 'T.G. Halberd Cannon' also faded away before it was hit by 'Shooting Star Dragon's' final attack, and that was followed by 'Shooting Star Dragon' disappearing.
"'Shooting Star'-!" recoiled Matt, as the simulation around him and Ms. Simmons started overloading, "What in the world is going on?!"
His answer was never given, as he and Ms. Simmons then screamed while they were sucked into the black hole and everything went black, ending the simulation and duel before a winner could be decided.
DUEL RESULTS: No results!
Outside the simulation, the pods were shut down in a hurry by the engineer, and they opened up and allowed Matt and Ms. Simmons to emerge.
"Augh…" grimaced Matt, feeling like he had a throbbing headache, "Damn, my head…"
"It seems we were too late to end the duel properly," came from Ms. Simmons, also looking a little pained, "I'm afraid there were no final results."
The engineer looked over the pods and sighed, knowing there were a few bugs that still needed fixing. Oh well, easy come, easy go. Suddenly, the nearby door slammed open by a very freaked out-looking James R..
"James?" blinked Matt.
"Get out here! There's big trouble!" requested James R., as Matt and Ms. Simmons both wondered what was going on, "Asagi and her friends have left Orb to go confront Orga, Clotho, and Shani!"
The horrible news shocked and frightened the both of them. It turned out that the simulation's abrupt ending couldn't have happened at a more opportune time.
(elsewhere…)
On the streets of Hartford, the three Bio-CPU boys and the three Astray girls, all riding their Duel Runners, were waiting for the traffic light to turn green. A makeshift geoglyph had already appeared and trapped everyone inside.
"You three know there's no shame in backing out; there's still time for that," teased Orga, as Asagi Mayura, and Juri each scowled and listened to him rambling and the likes, "You can always leave the dueling to your big, stronger boyfriends."
"We three can duel just as well as the boys, and we'll show you such dueling here," retorted Asagi, before raising the index finger of her right hand, "Field Spell…"
"'High Speed World'…" put in Juri, also raising the index finger of her right hand.
"Set on!" finished Mayura, also raising the index finger of her right hand.
They each pressed a button on the monitors of their M1 Astrays, causing a whole new Spell Card to be materialized and activated.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the three Duel Runners, "Manual Mode activated."
From there, the M1 Astrays became surrounded by a purple dome as Manual Mode activated. Amused, the Biological CPU trio went and did the same thing.
"Field Spell…" began Clotho, raising the index finger of his right hand.
"'High Speed World'…" added Orga, also raising the index finger of his right hand.
"Set on!" Shani concluded, also raising the index finger of his right hand
They each pressed a button on the monitors of Calamity (Orga), Raider (Clotho), and Forbidden (Shani), causing a whole new Spell Card to be materialized and activated.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the three Duel Runners, "Manual Mode activated."
From there, the three Duel Runners became surrounded by a purple dome like the M1 Astrays as Manual Mode activated.
"You three asked for it," hissed Clotho, "That means you'll get it! Because in this duel, anything goes!"
The traffic light was about to turn green, meaning the duel was about to start.
"Turbo Duel!" started Asagi.
"Acceleration!" finished Orga.
All six Duel Runners roared to life and raced down the road. The first person to make the first turn would get to go first, followed by the second person, and so forth. Being last, Shani knew how to remedy that; he pressed a button on the dashboard of Forbidden, transforming the Duel Runner into its High-Speed Assault Form, greatly boosting its speed and allowing him to pass everyone and make the corner up ahead, followed by the pink M1 Astray (Mayura), Calamity (Orga), the purple M1 Astray (Juri), Raider (Clotho), and the basic M1 Astray (Asagi).
"Duel!" The three Bio-CPU boys and three Astray girls announced at the same time (LP: 4000) x6.
And so, after Forbidden turned back into its Duel Runner form, the battle royale commenced.
"I'm going first!" bragged Shani, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn One: Shani Andras (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Gishki Vision", "Gishki Beast", "Execution of the Contract", "Torrential Reborn", "Gishki Shadow", and "Focused Aquamirror"
Speed Counters: 0
His drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Focused Aquamirror'.
"Oh, I like this card!" Shani said creepily, holding out his card for a few seconds and slotting it into his Duel Runner, "I activate the Normal Spell, 'Focused Aquamirror'!" The mentioned Spell Card flipped face-up on the field in-front of Forbidden, "I must add 1 'Gishki' monster from my Deck to my hand!"
"His 'Gishki' Deck…" thought Mayura, remembering her rival and ex-boyfriend's Deck really well, "It focuses on Ritual Summoning and, on the rare occasion, Xyz Summoning… We'd better be careful."
Shani, meanwhile, looked at his added 'Gishki Grimness' Effect Monster Card. It was a good card, but it wasn't enough. Luckily, he had much more to use.
"Next, I'll activate 'Gishki Shadow's' second effect!" continued Shani, sending the mentioned card to the GY, "I can discard this card; I must…" He drew a card, "…add 1 'Gishki' Ritual Spell from my Deck to my hand."
The card he added was the 'Gishki Aquamirror' Spell Card—a Ritual Spell, that is. Now he needed a particular Ritual Monster. And what luck; he had just that card to get it into his hand.
"I also activate 'Gishki Vision's' second effect!" snickered Shani, readying the mentioned card in his right hand. He, while explaining the effect, discarded the card before taking a card that slightly slipped from his Deck, which was the 'Evigishki Gustkraken' Ritual Monster Card, "I can discard this card; I must add 1 'Gishki' Ritual Monster from my Deck to my hand."
"Oh man… I bet Shani's already going to go for a Ritual Summon," fretted Mayura.
She was wrong about that…
"I Summon 'Gishki Beast'!" proclaimed Shani, placing a card onto his Duel Runner.
Appearing onto the field was the fish-like beast (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1300).
"When this card is Normal Summoned: I can…" explained Shani, going over his monster's only effect, "…target 1 Level 4 or lower 'Gishki' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon that target in face-up Defense Position!" He held his right hand, "I Special Summon 'Gishki Shadow'!"
Appearing on the field was a humanoid fish wearing royal clothing and wielding a scepter of sorts (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1000).
"And now, I'll activate the Ritual Spell, 'Gishki Aquamirror'!" boomed Shani, as the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field behind Forbidden, "This card can be used to Ritual Summon any 'Gishki' Ritual Monster. I must also Tribute monsters from the field or my hand whose total Levels equal the Level of the Ritual Monster I Ritual Summon!" He grew maniacal, "But instead of doing that, I'll activate 'Gishki Shadow's' first effect!"
"I had a feeling about that," muttered Mayura.
"If I Ritual Summon exactly 1 WATER Ritual Monster with a card effect that requires use of monsters," The voice of Shani was saying, sending the 'Gishki Shadow' Effect Monster Card to the GY, as he looked triumphant, "this card can be used as the entire requirement!"
The field started to get all watery, which allowed for the 'Gishki Shadow' Effect Monster Card to sink beneath. This caused a large explosion of water to emerge and reveal a new monster.
"Jet-black samsara returns to the ocean, after emerging from the dark abyss! Messenger of terror, pierce through the chaotic whirlpool!" chanted Shani, "Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 6! Evigishki Gustkraken!"
The monster had many tentacles like an octopus or squid, but the upper body was a humanoid woman, wore black and gold armor, and wielded a scepter (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1000). Orga Sabnak snickered to himself, but then burst into loud laughter.
"With this monster out, one of you…" While he ranted, the three Astray girls listened while unsettled, "…is about to receive a huge handicap!"
"Big time!" agreed Clotho Buer.
Shani Andras smiled savagely, knowing he was going to enjoy torturing his former girlfriend and her two best friends.
"You're such a pest!" hissed Shani, before raising his voice, "Disappear!"
Asagi Caldwell, Mayura Labatt, and Juri Wu Nien each remained defiant, not about to back down from this personal Turbo Duel against their longtime rivals. Would the three of them be able to hold their own and win against the Dark Signers? Sadly, it's too early to tell, seeing as the duel had only begun.