Chapter 32
Hero Stand and Diamond of Tenacity
Two duelists, Cyber Man and Gemma from KoH rode on their D-Board through VRAINS Den. They rode freely as the cube Gemma released created an exceptional area that allows them to glide through the air without the winds of the Data Storm.
Claire, news anchorwoman from Den-O News, was following behind them in her virtual helicopter with the cameraman.
"The Speed Duel between Cyber Man and Gemma of Hanoi is about to begin, folks! This is such an unexpected, exciting turnabout!" Claire announced joyfully.
'Joyful or not, he's fighting the Knight of Hanoi!' Cameraman thought worryingly.
"Vile villain you are, I am a man of manner. You may go first." Cyber Man offered.
"How polite of you!" Gemma smirked. "I hope you don't regret it."
Cyber Man vs. Gemma
Cyber Man (4h): 4000 LP
Gemma (4h): 4000 LP
"I start by summoning Gem-Knight Alexandrite!" The first Gem-Knight appeared. "Then, I use its effect to tribute itself to Special Summon Normal Gem-Knight monster from my Deck! Come out, Gem-Knight Crystal!"
Alexandrite turned to sparkle and second a later, bigger, stronger Gem-Knight replaced it, presenting its 2450 ATK.
"Then, I play the Spell Card, Monster Reborn!" She continued. "Resurrection! Gem-Knight Alexandrite!"
"Then, I use its effect again to Special Summon another Gem-Knight monster!" As soon as Alexandrite came out of the Graveyard Portal, it turned into sparkles again and replaced by a new Gem-Knight monster.
"Gem-Knight Tourmaline!" A yellow Gem-Knight appeared, showing off its control of electricity.
"Now! Open the brilliant circuit that shines like a diamond!" The Link Square appeared in front of her.
"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is two Gem monsters! I set my Gem-Knight Crystal and Tourmaline to the Link Markers!" The two said monsters turned into light blue and electrifying yellow twisters, sucking into the bottom-left and bottom-right arrows respectfully.
"Link Summon! Link 2! Gem-Knight Phantom Quartz!" A white armored Gem-Knight presented itself. It had a ghostly-like body, wearing armor made of quartz. It also had white armored wings which were also its shoulder pads. The only physical part it possessed other than the armor was the long, blond hair.
"Gem-Knight Phantom Quartz's effect!" She exclaimed. "If this card is Link Summoned, I can add 1 Gem-Knight card from my Deck to my hand!"
A card slid out of her Deck automatically as she picked it and placed it in her hand. "I add Gem-Knight Fusion to my hand!" She revealed.
'Gem-Knight Fusion!' Cyber Man thought. 'That's must be her trump card. She's planning to Fusion Summon!'
"However, Phantom Quartz's effect isn't over yet!" She claimed. "By paying 1000 LPs, I can Fusion Summon 1 Gem-Knight Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by shuffling the Fusion Materials that are in my Graveyard or banished zone, but the summoned monster cannot attack directly this turn!"
"Say what!?" Cyber Man gasped.
"Unexpected!" Claire gasped, too.
Gemma (3h): 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LPs
"I shuffled my Gem-Knight Alexandrite, Crystal, and Tourmaline and used them for Fusion Summon!" The three monsters appeared briefly until they merged into a swirl of purple, white, and yellow.
"Three souls, three gems, merge into one powerful knight! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Gem-Knight Brilliant Diamond!" The strongest Gem-Knight appeared, presenting itself with 3400 ATK.
"Wow, folks! Gemma of Hanoi Fusion Summoned the most powerful Gem-Knight, Brilliant Diamond!" Claire announced.
"I set a card and end my turn." She finished. "Now, let's see what you can do, Cyber Man, but be quick about it! I am not in a good mood today."
Gemma (2h): 3000 LP
'Incredible! She Fusion Summoned a monster with such high ATK points!' Cyber Man thought about his situation. 'Although, it appears that she is being little… hesitant. Perhaps, I can use this as an advantage.'
"My turn! Draw!"
Cyber Man (5h): 4000 LP
"To fight Fusion with Fusion!" Cyber Man declared. "I play the Spell Card, Polymerization!"
He presented the card to her.
"Oh my! Cyber Man is going to Fusion Summon a Fusion monster, too!" Claire gasped.
"I fuse my two monsters in my hand! Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!" The two said monsters appeared before they turned into a Fusion swirl of red and green.
"Hero of wind and hero of fire join forces together and smite the evil! Bring peace and justice to all! Fusion Summon! Appear! Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" The classic hero was summoned to the field, looking ready to fight.
"Then, I play two more Spell Cards! First, the Field Spell Skyscraper and Equip Spell, HERO Belt!" The said Field Spell appeared on the field before it disappeared briefly, and the second Spell Card showed a young man wearing a yellow utility belt with a big H letter in the middle of the belt printed on it.
"I equip this card to Flame Wingman, allowing him to gain extra 500 ATK!" Flame Wingman wore the said belt as it gave him a boost in power.
"Battle!" He declared. "Flame Wingman will attack your Gem-Knight Brilliant Diamond!"
Flamewing flew up into the air and then skydive directly at its target. Gem-Knight Brilliant Diamond wasn't blind as it responded by leaping into the air, with its sword out ready.
"Now, the effect of Skyscraper activates!" He proclaimed. "When Elemental HERO monster attacks a monster with higher ATK, it gains 1000 ATK!"
Elemental HERO Flame Wingman's ATK boosted to 3600. "Skydive Burst!" Flame Wingman set itself on fire as it was skydiving toward Brilliant Diamond.
They collided, but Flame Wingman was able to crack Brilliant Diamond's armor, causing it to crack more until the wearer exploded.
Gemma: 3000 – 200 = 2800 LP
"And now, Flame Wingman's effect activates!" Cyber Man added. "When he destroys a monster, you are inflicted with damage equals to that destroyed monster's ATK!"
"Brilliant!" Claire cheered. "Cyber Man wins this duel!"
"Not quite!" Gemma smirked. "Trap Card, Cracked Gem Formation!"
Her face-down card flipped up, revealing to be a Trap, showing Gem-Knight Zirconia with cracked armor encased inside a huge diamond while the Goblins Attack Force tried to break the diamond, but to no use.
"What's that!?" Cyber Man questioned.
"When Gem-Knight monster is destroyed by battle, I take no damage from it and I can Special Summon it immediately back from the Graveyard!" The same crystal appeared in front of her, shielding her from Flame Wingman's flame burst attack. Inside the same crystal, Gem-Knight Brilliant Diamond was inside until her eyes shined and the crystal cracked, releasing it.
Cyber Man gritted. "I end my turn here and the effect of Skyscraper ends as well."
Cyber Man (0h): 4000 LP
Flame Wingman returned to his side while Gemma smirked, drawing her card.
Gemma (2h): 2800 LP
"Perfect! It seems like my day will be better now, with this card!" She declared. "I play the Spell, Brilliant Fusion!"
"Brilliant Fusion?!" Claire repeated.
"That card!" Cyber Man gasped as everyone who was watching the duel were also shocked and reacted.
"With this card, I can Fusion Summon a Gem-Knight Fusion monster by using the monsters in my Deck as the materials! However, the summoned monster's ATK and DEF changes to zero! I fuse my Gem-Knight Emerald, Crystal, and Lazuli!"
The three Gem-Knights showed up but soon fuse together into a new Gem-Knight. "Fusion Summon! Rise, Gem-Knight Master Diamond!"
Brilliant Diamond's masculine brother appeared, standing beside its sister counterpart, showing off its 2900 ATK, but soon turned to zero.
"In…Incredible…" Claire was speechless but returned to her posture. "But, it was kind of pointless. The monster has zero ATK now!"
"I activate Brilliant Fusion's additional effect!" Gemma continued. "By discarding 1 Spell Card, I can return Master Diamond's ATK and DEF back to its original!"
"No way!" Claire gasped as Cyber Man twitched his eyes in response.
"I discard Gem-Knight Fusion," said Gemma as she discarded it and her second Fusion's ATK and DEF returned to normal.
"Battle!" She declared. "First, I attack with Gem-Knight Master Diamond and destroy your Flame Wingman!"
Master Diamond used its long broadsword made up of different gems and slashed Flame Wingman in half before it exploded.
Cyber Man guarded himself by arm crossing.
"Flame Wingman!" He cried as he took damage.
Cyber Man (0h): 4000 – 300 = 3700 LP
"Now, Brilliant Diamond shall direct attack you!" Brilliant Diamond jumped and strike down with her sword out.
"Not so fast!" Cyber Man countered. "HERO Belt's second effect activates! When the equipped monster is destroyed, I take half of the damage for the rest of this turn!"
Brilliant Diamond pierced Cyber Man, making him gasp.
"Gaaaaahh!" He cried painfully as the sword pierced directly through him and then pulled the sword, leaving a red unfragmented part of his virtual body.
Cyber Man: 3700 – 1700 = 2000 LP
Gemma looked disappointed. "You fool! I was going to finish you this turn with my last attack but feel slow pain then! Go, Phantom Quartz!" Her Link Monster attacked, giving a sucker punch at Cyber Man, causing him to lose balance and fell off from his D-Board.
"Tom!" Yu yelled as he jumped into the teleporter mat machine. "Rossy, we're logging-in!"
"Yes, Master Yu!" She obeyed as she transformed into her duel disk mode.
Back to the duel, Cyber Man hit a virtual tree, acting as a cushion before he landed on the pavement, lessening the impact.
"Uuuuhh…" He moaned as he slowly got back up.
"I am not done yet! Take my last attack! Phantom Quartz!" Gemma stated as her Link Monster attacked him directly.
Cyber Man got punched in his stomach, pushing back, but standing tall and clutching his stomach.
Cyber Man: 2000 – 725 = 1275 LP
"That's just cruel! He just got back up from the last attack!" Claire complained.
"Claire, we're on the air," The cameraman reminded her.
"Giving up?" She said.
"Never!" Cyber Man responded besides that he threw up a little.
"Good! I'm still not done with you!" She said. "I end my turn."
Cyber Man got back on his D-Board and slowly, but surely resumed the duel.
"My, gah, turn!" Cyber Man put his finger on the top of his Deck, thinking deeply to himself. 'This draw will determine this duel. If I don't draw the right card…. No, just like what Morse would do, I must believe in my Deck, into its heart!'
"I draw!" He drew strongly and then looked at it. "Yes, my Deck responds to my call! I Normal Summon Cipher HERO Prof. Upload!"
A brand-new Cipher HERO appeared. This one had a bold head in dark blue and yellow skintight suit with a strange halo above its head, red visor lens for the eyes, and Cipher HERO's symbol on the silver belt buckle.
Cipher HERO Prof. Upload-Level 4, LIGHT, Warrior/Effect, 2000 ATK, 800 DEF.
It looks like a cross-version of Professor X and Cyclops from the X-Men.
"Cipher HERO Prof. Upload's effect!" He declared. "Once per turn, by reducing its ATK by half, I can Special Summon 1 HERO monster from my Graveyard with increased ATK by 500 points and its effect negated! Resurrect Upload!"
The said HERO used its red visor to shoot a beam of green light, "uploading" something.
"What!?" Gemma gasped.
"Alright! Cyber Man is turning the table!" Claire cheered.
"I resurrect Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!" The classic HERO monster materialized by Prof. Upload as it moved and posed for its return. "Then, Prof. Upload's secondary effect activates! When its ATK is changed from its original ATK, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Cipher HERO monster straight from my Deck!"
Prof. Upload shot a blue beam of light to create a portal. "Join the fight! Cipher HERO Data-Dog!"
This new Cipher HERO wasn't humanoid, like the other Cipher hero. This one was a dog with cybernetic enhancements for the legs, feet, tails, and eyes. It had a red visor for the eyes, two pointy black ears, and the cybernetic parts of the body were all silver metal with multi colorful lines flowing through those parts.
Cipher HERO Data-Dog-Level 2, LIGHT, Beast/Effect, 700 ATK, 500 DEF.
"Now, I will…!"
"Cyber Man!" He got interrupted when they looked up to see Codebreaker just hovering above them.
"Codebreaker!" They were all surprised.
Gemma looked angry at him. "You! Codebreaker, Yu Akira! Watch as your ally, Cyber Man, be defeated by my hand! After I do, I will do you next!"
Codebreaker ignored her warning as he looked at her opponent. "Cyber Man stop this! This is too dangerous even for you!"
'Morse…' He thought, but he gave a serious, yet sincere look behind his helmet mask. "Sorry, but this is something I must do!"
"Why? I'm warning you to not get hurt!" Codebreaker argued.
"No, Codebreaker! I am not doing this just to stop this vile villain, but I'm here…to help a good friend of mine," he admitted.
"Friend?" He asked.
"He is a good, no great friend of mine, but he is sad. So sad that he doesn't want to come out and do the things he loves. He doesn't even want to see me or anyone else. That is why I'm here, to show him that he should not give up and continue fighting, no matter what happens!"
'Tom…' Yu thought.
"I don't have to mention it, but it seems that Tom…or Cyber Man is doing this for you, 100%, Master," Rossy said.
"If you're done with your sappy moment, I will end this duel right here and now!" Gemma interrupted.
"Shut up, you villain!" Cyber Man responded, making Gemma flinched a bit. "You do not interrupt someone's conversation and for your record, it is I, Cyber Man, who shall end THIS duel!"
"Now, open the circuit of justice!" The Link Square appeared. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is two HERO monsters! I set my Cipher HERO Prof. Upload and his canine partner to the Link Markers!"
The two Cipher heroes turned into yellow twisters, absorbing into the arrows.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Xtra HERO Wonder Driver!"
A blue hero with red visor, golden staff, and long pants cape appeared brilliantly as it posed heroically with random explosions happened in the background.
"A Link HERO monster!? Now, this is a SCOOP!" Claire exclaimed.
"I activate Cipher HERO Data-Dog's effect from the Graveyard!" Cyber Man declared. "If this card is used for Link Summon, I can Special Summon it next to the summoned monster's Link by reducing its ATK to zero! Come out, my trusty canine partner!"
The cybernetic canine reappeared as it barked strongly for a fight with zero ATK. "And, when its ATK is different from the original ATK, I can draw 1 card!"
"Now, Wonder Driver's effect activates!" He continued. "If a HERO monster is Normal or Special Summoned to a zone this card points to, I can target 1 Polymerization card in my Graveyard and set that target!"
"What are you planning to do?" Gemma asked, looking a bit concerned.
"This!" He answered back. "I activate my set Polymerization to perform Fusion Summon by fusing my Extra HERO Wonder Driver with Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"
The two said heroes formed into a swirl of red, green, and blue color.
"When two heroes unite, a new justice is born! Bring peace to all and send all evildoers to their knees! Fusion Summon! Appear! Dream HERO Mighty All-Man!"
A heroic-looking man appeared in a cool blue, a red, and white costume that looked very American style. His body was big and muscular and wore a pair of white gloves with a yellow star on them. Red and white belt tightened his red-spangle skintight pants. The hair was blond with split bangs that made a letter V shape. His eyes glowed in bluish-green color.
Dream HERO Mighty All-Man-Level 8, LIGHT, Warrior/Effect, 2800 ATK, 2000 DEF.
This monster looks awfully familiar….
"It still is weak against my Gem-Knights!" Gemma pointed out.
"True but wait till you see this!" Cyber Man said. "Dream HERO Mighty All-Man's effect! For every HERO monsters in my Graveyard, he can attack multiple times this turn during the same turn it was Fusion Summoned!"
"What!? Impossible!" Gemma gasped.
"Go! Mighty All-Man! Dream Array Punch!" Cyber Man declared as his new Fusion began its attack. Its eyes glowed with a strange wisp followed as it moved in lightspeed.
"But, even so, your monster is still weak!" Gemma claimed.
"I activate the Quirk-Play Spell I drew via Cipher HERO Data-Dog's effect!" Cyber Man revealed. "HERO Stand!"
The said Spell showed Cipher HERO Gigavolt standing tall as it protected a frightened little girl holding a puppy as the hero gets pummeled and attacked by villainous monsters.
"When a HERO monster attacks or is attacked, it gains 1000 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase and cannot be destroyed this turn!" He explained.
"That means that Mighty All-Man's ATK becomes 3800…" said Claire.
"And since there is a total of five HERO monsters in his GY currently, that would mean his monster can attack five times," Rossy finished.
Mighty All-Man punched Brilliant Diamond, smashing her armor though. Then, it punched Master Diamond straight as its punch pierced through its thick armor before it exploded.
Gemma (0h): 2800 – 400 – 900 = 1500 LP
Gem-Knight Phantom Quartz was the only left. Mighty All-Man threw multiple punches as Phantom Quartz did the same to it, but the former punched faster and harder for every hit.
"This is something I learned from watching a certain anime," Cyber Man said. "Go beyond!"
His Fusion punched directly at Phantom Quartz's ghostly stomach, which somehow hit it.
"PLUS ULTRA!"
The Link Monster was punched all the way up to the sky before it exploded, leaving a beautiful rain of sparkles.
"Nnnnnnnooooooooooo!" Gemma cried.
Gemma: 0 LP
Cyber Man WINS!
The Speed Duel ended. The victor and the loser stopped at a rooftop of the building. Codebreaker joined in after.
"Cyber Man!" Codebreaker jumped off from his D-Board and walked over to him.
Cyber Man looked at him and noticed that he was smiling. They gave each other a good high-five for a victorious, inspiring duel.
"You…. Damn you all!" They looked at Gemma as she slowly stood up. "All of you…will regret this! You all have no idea what's coming!"
"What are you blabbering about?" Cyber Man questioned.
Gemma just snickered and then laughed hysterically. "Only time will come!"
She logged out immediately after that.
Later that day, both boys logged out too and hang out in their basement HQ.
"That was an awesome duel, Tom!" Yu cheered.
"Thanks, but I should be thanking you, Morse," Tom said. "I only got this strong because well, you are my inspiration."
"And, according to my calculation, Master is 100% well!" Rossy stated.
"Yeah! Let's celebrate this with some food!" He decided.
Tom chuckled. "OK, OK. I will call Jeffery and let him know that."
However, the duel that broadcasted everywhere didn't just inspire the boys themselves, but it also inspired others who saw it, including a certain young woman, but we will save for that in the next chapter…
New Cards Cheat Sheet
HERO Belt-Type: Equip Spell, Effect: Equip it only to a HERO monster. It gains 500 ATK, if the equipped monster is destroyed by battle, you take only half of the damage this turn.
Cracked Gem Formation-Type: Normal Trap, Effect: If Gem-Knight monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you take no damage from it and immediately Special Summon the destroyed Gem-Knight from your Graveyard.
Cipher HERO Prof. Upload-Level 4, LIGHT, Warrior/Effect, 2000 ATK, 800 DEF. Effect: Once per turn, you can reduce this card's ATK by half to Special Summon one HERO monster from GY to the field, with its ATK increased by 500 points and its effect negated. If this card's ATK is changed from its original ATK, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Cipher HERO monster from your Deck to your side of the field.
Cipher HERO Data-Dog-Level 2, LIGHT, Beast/Effect, 700 ATK, 500 DEF. Effect: If this card is used for Link Summoned, you can reduce this card's ATK to zero, then Special Summon it next to the summoned monster's Link. If this card's ATK is changed from its original ATK, you can draw 1 card.
Dream HERO Mighty All-Man-Level 8, LIGHT, Warrior/Effect, 2800 ATK, 2000 DEF. Effect: Two HERO monsters with different names. When this card is Fusion Summoned, it can attack multiple times for every HERO monsters in your Graveyard.
HERO Stand-Type: Quick-Play Spell, Effect: If a HERO monster you control attacks or is attacked, it gains 1000 ATK and cannot be destroyed this turn.
Hey, folks! A fast and new update for this story is available now and I hope you enjoyed reading it. So, what did you think of this duel? This duel is a bit of inspiration of the last duel happened in the episode 54 of Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS, in the duel between Playmaker and Blood Shepherd. What did you think of that episode? Until next time, here is a preview for the next chapter.
Trust or Lie...Friend or Foe...This is something that young Charisma Duelist, Blossom Star has on her mind. Does she really think Codebreaker is an enemy or not? In the meantime, she is facing against an old foe who seeks a grudging revenge on her!
Blossom Star: Codebreaker, are you really a bad person that SOL Tech and others claim to be? Or is everything good thing I heard about you all hoax?
Doctor Gear: Hey, do not ignore me, you insolent girl!
Blossom Star: Oh, right! I got to focus this first!
Next time in Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS Codes of Secrets, Gear of Fate!
Playmaker & Codebreaker: INTO THE VRAINS!