Yu-Gi-Oh! CHRONIXII Chapter 25: 1-25: The Knight of Itzamna, Uranus, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Our story continues at the abandoned power plant outside the city limits of Royal Woods.

Earlier that day, Lincoln had escaped the Loud household upon hearing about the unexplained absences of his sisters: Leni, Luna, and Luan. Prior to that, the boy was given strict orders by his parents to not leave house boundaries out of concern for their children's wellbeing, dully prompted after the discovery of Lincoln's dangerous duel against Puck. But after learning about his sisters' absences, Lincoln saw an opportunity too good to pass up. Not only would it be a good opportunity to go out and singlehandedly search for his sisters, but it would be the perfect opportunity to get a chance to use "High Card Paladin, Ace Savvy Slash" – a card he had been longing to use ever since acquiring it.

Thus, Lincoln defiantly escaped the household dressed as his superhero idol, Ace Savvy. He was accompanied by his friend, Clyde, who was dutifully cosplaying as One-Eyed Jack, as per Lincoln's request. After deducing that Lincoln's sisters might have been kidnapped and where they would be held hostage, the two boys arrived at the entrance of the abandoned power plant. From there, they were confronted by Caliban – a Pawn of Itzamna who previously attempted to duel Lynn before Mira's interference – making Lincoln suspect that he was responsible for what happened to Lincoln's sisters, which Caliban confirmed. But it wasn't long before Lori found the two boys and angrily confronted them, only to be abducted by Caliban as well.

This prompted Lincoln to duel Caliban. Lincoln came out victorious, but just barely, as the duel proved to be dangerously intense – perhaps, even more so than Lincoln's previous duel against Puck. Caliban's loss ultimately cost him his soul, and he lay at the entrance, unmoving. With no further obstacles blocking his path, Lincoln would freely continue in his quest to rescue his sisters.

But there was uncomfortable silence as Lincoln stared at the entrance to the abandoned power plant. His ally, Clyde, was left rather shaken after witnessing his friend nearly losing his life in the duel. "Lincoln…" he finally spoke, nervously, "I might regret asking this, but… what happens now?"

"What else?" Lincoln said, not even looking at his friend. "We're gonna go in and rescue my sisters!"

"But Lincoln!" Clyde argued. "You saw how powerful Caliban was, and you know how strong Puck was, too! So who knows what kind of powerful robot duelists are gonna be inside!?"

"I know," said Lincoln, clenching his fists. "But I made it this far, and I'm not stopping now! And if it means having to face more of those mechanical freaks… then so be it!"

This made Clyde feel even more uncomfortable over his friend's safety. It further increased as Lincoln darted into the power plant, prompting Clyde to hurryingly tag along behind. But as Lincoln ran inside the power plant, little did he expect that it would lead to an event that would drastically change his life.

YU-GI-OH! CHRONIXII

LEVEL 1-25
THE KNIGHT OF ITZAMNA, URANUS

Earlier that day, roughly around the time Lincoln and Clyde first arrived at the power plant, the rest of the Loud children – save for Lisa, who had informed the others she was working on something in her bedroom – were leisurely hanging around in the living room, with Mira and Kero there to supervise them and ensure their safety while the parents were away. Lucy was reading through her collection of poems; Lana was playing with her pet lizard, Izzy; Lola was having a tea party with her dolls; and Kero was engaged in a game of Candy Land against Lily.

As she was carefully supervising the household children, Mira looked back and forth from the children to her D-Gear's clock, anxiously awaiting the return of either Lori or the Loud parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Loud have been gone for a while…" she murmured. "I hope nothing bad's happened to them."

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about it!" Lana lightheartedly reassured Mira. "If Mom and Dad are capable of raising eleven kids, then there's nothing they can't handle!"

"I hope you're right," Mira worriedly replied, "'cause like I've been telling Lincoln and some of your other sisters, those robot things we're up against are more dangerous than you'd think!"

But no sooner had she finished speaking those words when the door opened, the Loud parents entering the living room in distress. "We've looked everywhere," Lynn Sr. distraughtly spoke, "but we can't find Leni, Luna, or Luan anywhere!"

"What's worse," Rita frightfully confessed, "we can't find any traces of Lincoln or Lori, either!"

Hearing the names of their brother and the firstborn Loud heavily startled Lana, Lola, and even the deadpan Lucy. "Wait, you mean Lori and Linky are gone, too?!" Lola cried.

"That's terrible!" Lana wailed.

"I know!" Kero complained, throwing his hands. "I'm losing to a BABY!" Sure enough, he was having the misfortune of losing the game to the smiling Lily, who was giggling and clapping her hands.

"But why would Lincoln just run off like that?!" Lola cried. "I thought Mom and Dad told us to not leave the house!"

"Our guess is that he was desperate to use a special new card he acquired earlier today," Lynn Sr. grimly replied. "But finding out where he is will definitely be a leap of faith!"

"But once we do find him," Rita growled, "he's gonna be in serious trouble! He should know better than to defy our orders and give us a heart attack like this!" Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "Oh, great, who could it be now?!"

She frustratingly headed to the door and opened it. Standing before her were two black-haired people of Hispanic descent – a teenage boy and a young girl around Lincoln's age. "What do you want?!" she harshly greeted them.

"Well, it's nice to see you, too, Mrs. Loud!" the insulted boy rudely remarked. He was dressed in a cream-colored T-shirt underneath an unbuttoned green plaid shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes with multiple white stripes. As for the girl accompanying him, she wore a purple hooded jacket, dark blue jean shorts, and dark purple flats with light pink socks worn high. Her other noticeable features included her hair being fashioned in a ponytail, and having two buck teeth. The D-Gear she wore had a purple dial with light pink trim.

Rita immediately recognized the two and quickly realized her mistake. Sighing through her nostrils, she said, "I'm sorry – things have gotten so crazy lately, I guess I let my frustration get the better of me…"

"Yeah, Lori told me that she and the rest of the Loud kids were kinda confined to your house for the time being," the teenage boy said.

Hearing Lori's name prompted Mira to join Rita at the door. "Oh, you must be Lori's boyfriend, I take it," she said. "'Bobby,' right?"

"Why, yes!" the mildly perplexed Bobby replied, shaking Mira's hand. "Who might you be?"

"I'm Mira Yukiko, and I've been a guest here for some time," Mira introduced herself. Pointing to Kero in the living room, she added, "And that's my friend, Kero Nobuyuki – he's a guest, too." Hearing his name prompted Kero to regroup with Mira at the door.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Bobby's little sister, Ronnie Anne!" the girl chirped, eagerly shaking Mira's hand. "But Lori probably mentioned me and my brother already, huh?"

"Yeah, she did mention you at one point," was Mira's response.

"Okay, now that introductions are out of the way," Bobby interrupted before shifting his attention to Rita, "why are you so upset, Mrs. Loud? I mean, I'm sure whatever these 'crazy things' that have been happening are nothing to laugh at, but you're acting like someone's gone missing since you've told everyone not to leave the house!"

"There's more than just 'someone' missing," Lynn Sr. grimly corrected Bobby as he approached the doorway. "We have plenty of people in this household missing – everyone from Lori to Lincoln!"

Hearing this greatly startled the two visitors. "Are you for real?!" Bobby breathlessly cried.

"Yes," Rita said. "Lynn actually texted us earlier to let us know she's safe and sound while she's at practice, but Lincoln and the rest of our older daughters are missing, and we don't know where!"

"How did all that happen?!" Ronnie Anne urgently asked.

"I don't know about the rest of Lincoln's older sisters," Mira explained, "but we strongly suspect that Lincoln ditched the house because he really wanted to use the card he got from Ace Savvy earlier today!"

"But where he could be is anyone's guess," the Loud father added. "Lori texted us to say she was looking for him, but we haven't heard from her since! And if anything, I don't think even Lisa could come up with a logical solution for where Lincoln is!"

"You called, biological fatherly relative?" Lisa said, who was shuffling across the floor to join up with the rest of her family.

"Lisa!" Mira exclaimed. "What are you doing here? …Wait, do you know where Lincoln is, after all?"

This made Lisa just as startled as Bobby and Ronnie Anne. "You mean Lincoln's missing from this household, too?!" she exclaimed.

"Him and Lori," Rita said. "And we were kinda hoping you'd be able to use your observations to figure out where Lincoln and Lori went like you did when Lucy went missing last night."

"Unfortunately, I cannot pinpoint where Lori and Lincoln would be at this time," Lisa said. "And actually, I wish to speak with Mira and Kero."

"Speak to us?" Mira suspiciously asked. "About what? 'Cause now isn't really a good time-"

"I'm aware of that," said Lisa. "But I want to let you know that I'm ready to update both of your Disks!"

Kero immediately brightened upon realizing what Lisa was referring to. "Oh, you mean you're done with the-" he began, but was immediately silenced by Mira placing a hand over his mouth.

"Lisa's done with what, exactly?" Rita asked, suspiciously raising an eyebrow. "Lisa, what exactly are you planning on doing with Mira and Kero's Disks?"

"Yeah, tell us!" Lola demanded.

"Oh, just a special feature I've successfully programmed," Lisa replied, almost sheepishly. "Nothing for you to worry about."

"I hope not," said Lynn Sr., "because we're already worried about where about half of our children might be right now!"

"Yes – I, too, am worried about the wellbeing of my older siblings who are absent," said Lisa. "But right now, I request that Mira and Kero lend me their Disks so that I can properly update them."

Mira and Kero obediently took off their Disks and handed them to Lisa. But just as Mira handed Lisa hers, the necklace underneath Mira's shirt shone once again, widening her eyes as another vision ran through her head. This time, she saw a Game Duel taking place at some kind of power plant. The duel was between a male stranger with gelled electric green hair, and Lincoln, who appeared to be broken and distraught. A sickly yellow portal was above both duelists, with various parts of rusted machines swirling in the vortex. Mira could also tell that Itzamna's Spirit Battle was in play, as well.

"Behold, foolish Lincoln, for this is the last monster you will ever see!" the green-haired stranger maniacally bellowed. It wasn't long before a mechanical beast whose body parts resembled those of various animals violently arose from the floor, unleashing a frightening roar. But that was when the vision ended, and Mira snapped back into reality.

"Jeez, Mira, are you okay?!" Lynn Sr. cried, attempting to comfort Mira. "It looked like you blacked out for a minute there."

"I'm fine," Mira frightfully said, "but Lincoln isn't – he's in danger!"

"We know that," said Rita, "but that doesn't explain why you stared blankly into space like that!"

"She must've had another vision!" Kero excitedly explained. Upon noticing the resulting confusion from Bobby, Ronnie Anne, and most of the Loud family, he innocently explained, "She… always does that whenever she has visions of danger like that…"

"Well, what'd you see this time?" Lynn Sr. hastily asked.

"And you said that Lincoln was in some kind of danger," Rita added. "Did you happen to see where it was happening?!"

"Let's see…" Mira said, trying to remember the exact details of her vision. "I think… I think it took place at what looked like some power plant-"

"That's it!" Bobby cried. "There's a power plant outside city limits that was abandoned when Royal Woods converted to a different energy source. It's been a historical landmark ever since."

"I'll bet that's where Lincoln is!" Ronnie Anne excitedly added. "With any luck, that might be where his sisters are, too!"

"But why would he wanna go there, of all places?" Mira asked.

"He was probably trying to throw us off track when he left," Lynn Sr. replied. "But now that we have an idea of where he might be, let's go get him!"

"I think you should stay here and watch the kids," Bobby suggested. "Ronnie Anne and I will go to the power plant and find Lincoln!"

"Alright, sounds like a plan," said Rita. "At least the kids will be safe while you're gone."

But while they were discussing the plan to bring Lincoln back, Mira remembered what Giichi told her about the 'gateways' scattered throughout the worlds, which needed to be activated. Perhaps the abandoned power plant was one of them. "Wait!" Mira shouted just as Bobby and Ronnie Anne were about to leave. "I'm coming too!"

"You?!" cried Ronnie Anne. "What for? You won't have your Disk on you in case any thugs try to stop us!"

"I know," said Mira. "But let's just say there might be something I have to do while I'm there – something very important!"

"I don't know what you're going on about," said Bobby, "but if you wanna come, too, then who am I to stop you?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Can I come too?" Kero excitedly pleaded, bouncing while waving one of his raised hands. "I wanna save the world, too!"

"Sorry, Kero, but you're gonna have to stay here," Mira said, placing her hands on his shoulders. "We can't risk the lives of you or the rest of the Loud kids!"

"Aww, no fair!" Kero whined.

"Kero, your friend's right," Rita said firmly. "Five of our children are already missing, and we can't lose any more!"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Mira said reassuringly.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Bobby. "Let's go out and look for Lincoln!"

"Yeah!" Ronnie Anne cheered, raising a fist in the air. And so, the trio consisting of Mira, Bobby, and Ronnie Anne embarked on their quest to rescue their friend.

Meanwhile, back in the present, Lincoln and Clyde had just entered the inside of the power plant, and were now searching for anything that would indicate where Lincoln's sisters were being held captive. Despite the power plant being a historical landmark, no one was allowed entry due to safety concerns, and thus no one knew exactly what was inside since its closure. It was certainly a challenge for the two boys, even with the flashlight features installed in their D-Gears.

"Lincoln, I don't like this," Clyde said with a shudder as he loyally trailed behind his friend. "We don't know where to look first, 'cause no one's been here since it shut down! And what if we run into more of those robot things?!"

"Well, we haven't crossed any of 'em yet," Lincoln said with simultaneous bravery and fear. "But don't worry – if we do, I'll be sure to take 'em out!"

"But Lincoln!" Clyde frightfully argued. "Do you even remember your duels against those robot freaks from before?! Puck was pretty darn strong, and Caliban was probably even stronger than Puck was!"

"I didn't forget," said Lincoln. "But with Ace Savvy Slash, I'm sure I'll take out anyone who gets in my way!" Clyde said nothing, but gulped as the two kept searching for something that would indicate where his sisters would be.

Finally, after about a minute or two, the search paid off. After Lincoln peered out of a corridor, he noticed a light coming from a room – the first lit room he saw since the search began. "Clyde, look!" he cried, pointing to the lit entrance. "There's a room with a light on, over there! That must be where my sisters are being held! C'mon!"

He began running towards the entrance, and found himself inside a room with a row of unused diesel generators. He was about to explore the room further, but Clyde caught him by the hand. "Lincoln, are you nuts?!" Clyde cautiously argued. "This could be one of those traps where a bunch of those robot things could jump you! Seriously, you should know about these kinds of clichés by now!"

"Cliché or not," Lincoln determinedly declared, "I'm still ready for whatever comes my way!"

"Are you, now?" a snooty adult male voice taunted. "Well, see how you fare against me!"

A cluster of spring green digital pixels formed before the two boys. The cluster exploded in a brief flash, and standing in its place was Uranus, fearlessly facing the two frightened boys. "A pleasure to meet you at least, Wielder," he greeted Lincoln.

"Jeez, what is with you people calling me a 'Wielder?!'" the annoyed Lincoln shouted. "Like I told your other bucket o' bolts, I'm not a Wielder! I don't even know what one is!"

"Ah, typical Wielder, trying to conceal his true identity," Uranus said with a chuckle. "I mean, who else would be able to take out two of my minions the way you did?"

The mentioning of Uranus's 'two minions' made Lincoln think about what Caliban previously told him – more specifically, where he was 'following his master's orders' when abducting Lincoln's sisters. That's when the realization hit him. "Are you the mastermind behind all this?!" he demanded, viciously pointing a finger at Uranus.

"Maybe not the mastermind of this entire operation," Uranus replied. "But yes, I am the one who's been orchestrating the capturing of your relatives. Behold!"

Three virtual screens popped before Lincoln, each one displaying Leni, Luna, and Luan either tending or finishing their respective activities, only to be intervened by Caliban. Leni was just leaving her friend's house after their makeover, Luna was finishing with band practice, and Luan was performing a comedy routine at a neighbor's bar mitzvah. All three of Lincoln's terrified older sisters were struck by the same green electricity Caliban used to vaporize Lori into pixels – and Lincoln certainly hadn't forgotten about what Caliban did to Lori.

"Yes, Caliban was quite the trooper, wasn't he?" Uranus remarked.

"Enough talk!" Lincoln shouted. "I wanna know who you are and why you took my sisters, and I wanna know NOW!"

"I'll gladly tell you who I am," Uranus said. Striking a hammy pose, he boldly declared, "I am Uranus, Knight of Itzamna – one of the greatest Knights to ever exist!"

"Yeah, I'm sure of that," Lincoln muttered.

"And as for why I have abducted your sisters," Uranus resumed, ignoring the boy's remark, "I'll be willing to tell you that, as well… but only if you fight me!" He raised his arm, and a green blade was projected next to the crystal in his gauntlet.

"Man, you guys just never learn, do you?" the morbidly unimpressed Lincoln commented as he projected his Disk's orange blade.

"Lincoln, think about what you're doing!" Clyde loudly warned him. "Puck and Caliban were pretty strong duelists, so as hammy as this guy is, he might be much stronger!"

"I'm sure he's strong," Lincoln solemnly spoke, "but I've made it this far, and I'm not stoppin' now! Let's go, Uranus!"

A Game Duel Field moved up to the center of Lincoln's touchscreen, the artwork depicting a bleak wasteland – the same Game Duel Field used during his duel against Caliban. "Now activating Game Duel Field: Game World, Wasteland," the female voice announced during this sequence. After the card's activation, some traces of blowing sand formed, while the inside of the generator room remained intact.

"Game Duel, game start!" both duelists shouted.

URANUS: 4000 LP / LINCOLN: 4000 LP

But as the duel began, little did anyone, especially Uranus, expect that Jupiter was observing the beginning of the duel through a holographic projection at the Mesoamerican altar. She was paying close attention to Uranus, not forgetting about the prophecy involving him, as previously presented to her by Itzamna.

"This must be what the prophecy was referring to: this battle between Uranus and… that child," Jupiter remarked, now focusing her attention towards Lincoln. "Let's see how this battle plays out, and just exactly how essential Uranus's foolishness is…"

"I'll make the first move!" Uranus declared, pompously drawing his opening hand. "I activate the Spell Card, Pot of Greed!" After swiping the card through one of his blade's horizontal slots, a BLACK MAGIC Spell Card depicting the infamous grinning pot of green and blue materialized. "It lets me-"

"Yeah, everyone knows what it does!" the annoyed Lincoln interrupted. "It lets the player draw two cards – we've seen that card a bajillion times, so there's no need to tell us what it does!"

"Well!" the insulted Uranus pouted as he drew two cards. "I'll bet you haven't seen this card, though: the Field Spell, Xibalba Void!"

A virtual slot slid out of his blade, and he placed a BLACK MAGIC Field Spell onto it. Its artwork simply depicted a sickly yellow portal formed above a dark red sky. But as the slot closed up, there was a rumbling underneath everyone as a stone stairway leading to a small Mesoamerican altar formed underneath Uranus, with its user standing at the top. On each side of the railing were two giant unlit fire bowls. Only then did the yellow portal form above Uranus.

Regardless, both boys were startled by this sudden formation. But no one was more startled about this than Jupiter. "Xibalba Void!" she gasped. "But that card can only be used for when… No, impossible – there's no way Uranus could possibly be this defiant! …And yet there's still no denying of Itzamna's prophecy that Uranus's foolishness is essential! Uranus, just what are you up to…?!"

"If you think you're amazed now, just wait!" Uranus cackled, back in the duel. A card materialized in his hand, but it was not from among the cards in his playing hand. With all his might, he flung the card into the air, and it twirled until it stood upright, just above him. The card was facing the two boys, and they could see it was another rusted card, much like 'Itzam Incarnate' and 'Itzamna's Spirit Battle'. But unlike the aforementioned cards, there was no text displaying its name or effects, and it had no real artwork.

"It's another rusted card!" Clyde breathlessly cried. "But… it's blank!"

"What does that card do?!" Lincoln demanded.

Uranus chuckled and replied, "I'm afraid that's an answer neither of us will know for the moment. But I'll be more than happy to tell you what my Field Spell does! Every time one of my monsters gets destroyed, it'll be sent directly into the void above, instead of my Graveyard – nothing more, nothing less!"

"That's it?" Clyde dumbfoundedly asked. "That's all that card does, send his monsters into that portal up there, and nothing else?"

"Boy, that doesn't make much for a Field Spell, does it?" the unimpressed Lincoln remarked.

"Well, looks can be rather deceiving," said the unphased Uranus. "But you'll see what I mean, momentarily! Behold, as I summon Itzam Gear Prisoner, Angry Jaguar, in Attack Mode!"

He slapped the card onto one of his blade's floating zones. But instead of a portal appearing, there was the sound of rusted gears grinding. Rising up from the upper right fire bowl was a rusted mechanical statue of a jaguar humanoid, its wrists chained down to the bottom of the bowl. Once it was fully visible, both its eyes and its accents shone red. [ATK: 800] "And since we're dueling under the 'Wasteland' Terrain, my Machine-Type Angry Jaguar gains a two-hundred-point power boost!" [ATK: 800 – 1000]

"I'll place this card face-down, and end my turn!" After swiping a card through one of his blade's horizontal slots, a card materialized at the bottom of the altar before disappearing.

'Okay, this guy's opening move was very amateurish,' the unimpressed Lincoln thought. 'Game Duels let duelists summon as many monsters as they possibly can, so why did he only summon one? And why would he end his turn with three cards left in his hand, when each turn you get to draw until you have five cards?' Determination quickly crossed his face. 'I don't know if he has a bad opening hand or if he's up to something, but I gotta finish this duel if I wanna rescue my sisters!'

"Alright, it's my turn!" Lincoln shouted, drawing his opening hand. But as soon as he did, a cluster of green pixels formed a fair distance away from Lincoln. The clusters exploded in a flash, and there stood his sister Lynn, her hands tied tightly behind her. Her regular jersey was replaced by a red soccer polo shirt with white trim. Keeping watch over her was an android around her height. His body armor was primarily green with silvery white accents, and he wore a white Kakama with red lights shining through the eyeholes and an emerald planetary symbol of Uranus on the forehead.

But Lincoln was surprised just to see his sister. "Lynn!" he cried. "What are you doing here?!"

"I'm here because of this weirdo!" Lynn exclaimed, glaring at her cybernetic captor. "But… what are you and Clyde doing here? And who the hell's that guy you're dueling?!" She was obviously referring to Uranus.

"He's apparently the culprit behind all the attacks that's been happening in town," Clyde hastily explained, "and he's responsible for kidnapping Leni, Luna, and Luan!"

"And Lori! We saw it happen with our own eyes!" Lincoln added. "But don't worry, I'm gonna kick his butt and get our sisters back!"

"What?!" Lynn cried in disbelief. "Lincoln, dealing with jerks like him is a job for big sisters and professionals like Mira, not you! What were you thinking?!"

However, Lynn was a big sister herself, so she knew that ensuring the safety of her younger siblings was top priority. "Alright, whoever you are!" she vowed. "I don't know what's going on or why you captured our older sisters, but you'd better call off this duel and free them NOW!"

But Uranus ignored that threat and shifted his attention towards Lynn's captor. "Trinculo, you fool!" he shouted from the top of the altar. "I strictly ordered you to capture the girl with the Capture Transfer feature, just like I ordered the other Pawns!"

"Sorry, boss," was the android's excuse. "Believe me, I was about to, but this girl's got guts! I swear, just when I was about to zap her, she slammed a fist on my wrist that must've disabled that feature! I'm just lucky to apprehend her to begin with!"

Uranus quickly calmed down. "Well, in any case," he said, "the girl should consider herself lucky – she'll have an up-close experience of her Wielder brother's futile attempt to try and rescue those closest to him!"

"'Wielder?' The hell's this guy talking about?" Lynn asked.

"I dunno," Lincoln replied, "but that's what he's been calling me, and it's getting a bit annoying. Anyway, I'm gonna go ahead and end this duel, quick!" Looking at his opening hand, he determinedly thought, 'And I have just the cards to do it!'

"I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Attack Mode!" Lincoln shouted, slapping the card onto one of his blade's floating zones. An orange portal appeared, and a warrior dressed in a white cape and body armor in different shades of blue flew out of it. His main weapon was a small water cannon attached to his right forearm. [ATK: 800]

"You're not the only one with cards that let you draw! Since I have no other monsters on my field when he's summoned, I get to draw two cards!" Two stacked cards materialized halfway through his ring's topmost ridge, which he valiantly drew. 'Yes!'

"I now summon Doron in Attack Mode!" After slapping another card onto one of his blade's floating zones, another orange portal materialized, and the pitch-black shadowy warrior with red markings leapt out of it. [ATK: 900]

"Next, I sacrifice Bubbleman to call out Flame Swordsman!" The blue-suited aquatic hero dissipated into orange pixels. Afterwards, another orange portal appeared, and the blue-suited swordsman in red body armor wielding the flaming sword leapt out of it. [ATK: 1800]

"Now I'll sacrifice both of my monsters to call out my deck's top star!" Lincoln bellowed as both of his warriors dissipated into orange pixels. But instead of a portal, a searchlight with a black spade with an 'A' in the center shone above the audience. "The one and only – High Card Hero, Ace Savvy!"

Lincoln's ace red-suited hero leapt out of nowhere and landed at the bottom of the altar, his hands proudly at his sides. [ATK: 2100]

"I use Ace Savvy's effect to send the top card of my deck to the Graveyard!" Lincoln announced after the summoning of his ace. A card shot out of his ring's topmost ridge before it dissipated into orange pixels.

"Now Ace Savvy will gain Attack Points equal to the combined Attack Points of all the monsters in my Graveyard with different Levels of one through five, multiplied by one hundred, until the end of your next turn! Right now, I have just three monsters of Levels Two, Four, and Five – but it'll be plenty!" Eleven Level Stars appeared around the red-suited hero and were absorbed into his chest. [ATK: 2100 – 3200]

"And I'll top everything off by activating the Field Spell, Glorious Grandopolis!" The virtual slot slid out of his own blade, and Lincoln placed the WHITE MAGIC Field Spell with the Vegas-esque scenery onto it. As soon as the slot closed up, various light patterns of the four card suits formed around both duelists.

"Now the battle damage Ace Savvy inflicts on Uranus will be doubled!" Clyde exclaimed. "Man, Lincoln's really set on ending this duel, isn't he?"

"Whether or not he is," the unimpressed Lynn said, "he's in big trouble when we get home!"

But Lincoln was too excitedly proud to listen to Lynn. Fearlessly facing up at Uranus, he shouted, "It's game over, Uranus! Ace Savvy, take out his Angry Jaguar! Suited Showerstorm!"

The red-suited hero unleashed a barrage of suit-shaped projectiles that struck both the jaguar statue and Uranus. The attack resulted in a massive explosion on top of the altar, covering it with a thick smoke.

"Well, that takes care of him!" Lincoln pompously spoke. "C'mon, let's untie Lynn and get outta here!"

"Don't celebrate just yet, Wielder!" Uranus shouted through the smoke, leaving the two boys perplexed. As the smoke cleared, they were shocked to see that the jaguar statue remained intact despite being struck by the projectiles. Even more startling was the amount of remaining Life Points Uranus had. [LP: 3600]

"Your monster wasn't destroyed?!" Clyde gasped.

"And your Life Points didn't drop to zero?!" the equally astonished Lincoln cried. "How's that even possible?!"

"My, so many questions you two have," Uranus smugly remarked. "Let me answer your second question first, alright? If I would've taken more than four hundred points of damage from my battle involving Angry Jaguar, the damage I take immediately gets reduced to four hundred!"

"Okay, but why wasn't your monster destroyed?!" Lincoln demanded.

"Oh, you've destroyed it, all right," Uranus sinisterly remarked. "Or should I say… you've destroyed her…"

"'Destroyed… her?'" the confused Lynn asked. "What's he talking ab-"

"Guys, look!" Clyde interrupted, pointing to the jaguar statue. Its helmet began to slowly crack until it eventually shattered into pieces. But underneath the helmet was a human face – a human face of a blonde-haired teenager everyone immediately recognized.

"LORI?!" Lincoln, Clyde, and Lynn cried.

Indeed, underneath the destroyed jaguar helmet was the unconscious but unmistakable face of Lori, the eldest of the Loud children – the same eldest sister who had previously confronted Lincoln and berated him for his reckless behavior. But it wasn't long before Lori slowly opened her eyes, only to shot open wide as she saw the unfamiliar scenery around her, and the unusual predicament she was in.

"Wha?! Where am I?!" she cried, struggling to free herself from her chains, but to no avail. "How the hell did I end up like this?!" During her struggle, she eventually recognized Lincoln from below. "LINCOLN!?"

"Lori!" Lincoln cried to his oldest sister. "I don't know what's going on, but once I beat this guy, I'll rescue you and the others!"

"'Rescue' me!?" Lori screeched, anger flaring through her eyes. Her rage intensified as a red aura suddenly shrouded her. "LINCOLN LOUD, I'M IN THIS MESS BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Wha?! Wh-What are you saying?!" Lincoln cried, visibly startled by his sister's wild accusation.

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT, YOU SELFISH BRAT!" Lori screamed. "I cannot BELIEVE you had the NERVE to sneak out of the house when Mom and Dad clearly told you to stay put!"

"Lori, ya gotta understand!" Lincoln shouted, his voice starting to break. "I was only trying to rescue our sisters!"

"OH, SURE!" Lori loudly berated. "You wanted to rescue our sisters, and not show off your brand-spankin' new card you were so desperate to use! Don't think I wasn't there when you had that argument with Mom and Dad!"

"Lori, please…!" Lincoln whimpered, tears welling in his eyes.

"And once you learned that our sisters were gone," Lori lividly continued, "you just couldn't resist playing hero, which would give you the chance to use that fucking card of yours, could you?! Well, congrats – you did! And it's not like we truly matter as much as your new card, RIGHT?!"

Without any warning, her body transformed into red ectoplasmic energy as it flew up into the textless rusted card. As for the statue she was imprisoned in, it broke apart into pieces and was sucked into the portal, flying into the vortex. A red flame was automatically lit in the same fire bowl the statue was previously in.

Seeing what just happened to Lori left the wildly aghast Lincoln and Clyde shaken to their cores – even more so than when they saw Lori being vaporized by Caliban. Lynn was just as terrified, but also felt strongly contempt for Lincoln. "Lincoln… I can't believe you…" she said, almost breathlessly.

"L-Lynn, d-d-don't say that!" the trembling Lincoln cried, starting to hyperventilate. "I didn't think something like that would happen!"

But as Jupiter oversaw what happened, as well, her contempt towards Uranus significantly increased. "So, he would do such a thing!" she hissed, clenching her fists. "But why would he even commit such an atrocity?! What makes him think that the child he's dueling is one of the Wielders we seek?! I don't know, myself, but once I find out, I'll have something to say to him!"

Back at the duel, Uranus laughed at Lincoln's misfortune. "I told you that looks would be deceiving!" he cackled. "And I'm afraid this is only the beginning of your end, Wielder! But if you really want to see where the rest of your sisters are, allow me to oblige!

"I activate the Trap Card, Level Retribution Wall!" A BLACK MAGIC Trap Card materialized, its artwork showing five comical ghosts appearing before a trembling Catapult Turtle. "Since your monster just destroyed my monster in battle, I can now Special Summon any number of monsters from my hand, just as long as their combined Levels are equal to or less than the Level of the monster you just attacked with!

"From my hand, I Special Summon three more Itzam Gear Prisoners: Doubtful Monkey, Sad Crocodile, and Anguished Eagle!"

He grabbed the last three cards in his hand and slapped them onto all of his blade's floating zones. As was the case with Angry Jaguar, instead of portals appearing, more rusted gears began grinding as three more rusted humanoid statues rose from the three unlit fire bowls, each one with chains attached to their wrists. The one on the upper left had a helmet resembling a New World monkey, the one on the lower right had one resembling a crocodile, and the one on the lower left had a helmet resembling an eagle, as well as a pair of eagle wings sticking out of its back. After they were fully visible, the monkey-based statue's lights shone white gold, the crocodile-based ones shone blue, and the eagle-based ones shone green. [ATK: 800 – 1000] [ATK: 800 – 1000] [ATK: 800 – 1000]

"Now, Wielder, take one last look at your precious sisters!" Uranus bellowed. Each of the statues' helmets cracked and then shattered, revealing the unconscious faces of Leni in the monkey statue, Luna in the crocodile, and Luan in the eagle. As soon as they came to, Leni's expression was sad and doubtful, Luna's was merely sad, and Luan was visibly anguished. All three of them were staring down at Lincoln with their respective negative emotions.

"No… No, why are you looking at me like that!?" the trembling Lincoln cried, his agony intensifying by the second. "Please, stop looking at me like that! I didn't do anything wrong, I swear!"

"I believe you have, Lincoln," Uranus taunted, "and now you're about to pay the ultimate price!" Uranus maniacally cackled as Lincoln fell to his knees and stared at the ground, gradually crushed by despair. As he did, the frowning Lynn also stared at Lincoln, fully ashamed of his recklessness and what it led him to.

The agonized Lincoln himself started to question if sneaking out to use his upgraded ace was truly worth it in the end. But more importantly, would he be able to rescue the rest of his sisters without them meeting the same unusual fate as Lori?

FEATURED CARD – LEVEL 1-25

Itzam Gear Prisoner – Angry Jaguar
FIRE/Machine – Effect/2/800/0
This card is always treated as an Itzam card.
REQUIREMENT None
CONTINUOUS EFFECT This card cannot attack. If you would take more than 400 damage from a battle involving this card, the damage you take becomes 400.

GIICHI CORPORATION CARD DATABASE

Pot of Greed
BLACK MAGIC/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT None
EFFECT Draw 2 cards.

Xibalba Void
BLACK MAGIC/Field Spell Card
REQUIREMENT None
EFFECT While this card is face-up in the Field Zone, if a monster(s) on your field is destroyed by battle or card effect, that monster(s) is placed into the void (placed directly underneath this card) instead of being sent to the Graveyard.

Elemental Hero Bubbleman
WATER/Warrior – Effect/4/800/1200
REQUIREMENT You have not activated the effect of "Elemental Hero Bubbleman" this turn, and you have no other cards on your field during your Main Phase that you Normal Summoned or Special Summoned this card.
EFFECT Draw 2 cards.

Level Retribution Wall
BLACK MAGIC/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When a face-up monster on your field is destroyed by battle with an opponent's attacking monster.
EFFECT Special Summon any number of monsters from your hand whose combined Levels are equal to or less than [the Level of the opponent's monster that destroyed your monster in battle].

Itzam Gear Prisoner – Doubtful Monkey
WHITE MAGIC/Machine – Effect/2/800/0
This card is always treated as an Itzam card.
REQUIREMENT None
CONTINUOUS EFFECT This card cannot attack. If you would take more than 400 damage from a battle involving this card, the damage you take becomes 400.

Itzam Gear Prisoner – Sad Crocodile
WATER/Machine – Effect/2/800/0
This card is always treated as an Itzam card.
REQUIREMENT None
CONTINUOUS EFFECT This card cannot attack. If you would take more than 400 damage from a battle involving this card, the damage you take becomes 400.

Itzam Gear Prisoner – Anguished Eagle
WIND/Machine – Effect/2/800/0
This card is always treated as an Itzam card.
REQUIREMENT None
CONTINUOUS EFFECT This card cannot attack. If you would take more than 400 damage from a battle involving this card, the damage you take becomes 400.

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! CHRONIXII…

Seeing what happened to Lori has shaken Lincoln to his core, and he must do whatever it takes to keep the rest of his sisters from meeting the same fate. But new destinies shall await for both Lincoln and Uranus as the Game Duel reaches its climax! What are the ultimate fates for these two duelists, and will Lincoln be able to protect the rest of his sisters? See what happens in the season one finale, Level 1-26: The Proof of His Selfishness! Game Duel, game start!