Time for the next Duel! Will Judai's group's winning streak continue? Not if David Rabb has anything to say about it!
Yugioh: The Hope of Six
Chapter 37: Kaiser Arc - Part 9
Deep below ground at the Seven Gates, Devil Kaiser sat crossed legged and eyes closed. Resting on his lap was the card Lightning gave him, and the means to restore his full power. He was still weak after breaking the seal and getting the Phantom Demon cards for that fool, Amon. He had been waiting in silence for the card to give him the energy he needed to recover.
Through his card, Devil Kaiser felt his connection to the Domain of Destruction. He felt that two Duels had already occurred and the energy from those Duels were transferred to him. He also felt that two victims had already met their ends, one of them being briefly ensnared by his own creation. But for some reason, their life force was less than what was expected. The energy needed to reenergize him not only came from the Duels, but also from the Duelists that suffered defeat. He kept that fact to himself. The cards he gave Amon's team would provide his sustenance. However, he noticed the life force of the Duelists that had lost were not as a much as he expected. This bothered him. 'A human's life should have more energy than this. Two of them have perished and yet, I hardly feel any of their life force enter me. Something must be interfering with the transfer.'
Devil Kaiser decided to use his card's power to observe the next Duel in the Domain. If whatever was causing the transfer block intervened again, he would make certain he would get the energy he needed… and not let it happen ever again. The malevolent creature smiled like the devil he named himself after. And once his full strength was restored, Sho Marufuji and Judai Yuki would die by his hand… with the former being the first to go.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Yuri and Masumi stood still on the arena and stared at where Chronos was before he vanished from sight. They then turned to each other. Without saying a word, they reminded themselves of Judai's words and that Flame was no doubt working to save everyone from dying here. Of course, they couldn't let Amon and his team catch on.
"Dammit. First Emi, and now Chronos." Yuri muttered in an angry tone.
"I know. I hate this too." Masumi replied glumly before the pair turned and walked back to their group. The pair hoped their adversaries bought their act. Lieutenant David Rabb certainly thought so as he laughed at their "misery".
"Look at those two! Moping off the stage even though they scored a second victory for their team! Talk about pathetic! If it were me, I'd gladly bask in the knowledge that I won! Wouldn't waste a second thought on the loser!"
Commander Reggie MacKenzie clinched her jaw and fists tightly, exercising every bit of self control to not strike the arrogant prick in the face. She wanted nothing more than to shut him up and break his nose. The only thing holding her back was that her superior, Echo, would not approve of such an action and most certainly reprimand her. Perhaps even demote her to a position below the Lieutenant. No way was she going to risk that. Still, it didn't change the fact she hated the guy with a passion. David went on.
"You know, Reggie, you're lucky your old boyfriend isn't dueling with the rest of those chumps. I'd hate to show everyone how weak he is in front of you. Then again, it might do you good to see how lousy your taste in men actually is."
Reggie's eyes widened and her body stiffened. That was the last straw. Screw how her Captain would punish her. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was worth her listening to that asshole insulting Fubuki. She had begun to raise her fist…
POW!
To the shock of everyone on that floating rock, the blow that knocked David off his feet came not from Reggie, but from Echo. Amon actually seemed more amused than the rest. 'Damn Echo. She sure knows how to keep people in line.'
The Commander herself couldn't believe it. She never would have imagined Captain Echo would do that. Neither could David, who moaned from the pain.
"What the hell Captain?!" The cruel man complained while rubbing his now bruised cheek. Echo gave him a hard, cold stare.
"Your mouth is too big and foul for your own good, Lieutenant Rabb. It has gotten you into plenty of trouble in the past. Yet, for some reason I cannot fathom, you have not learned your lesson. I highly recommend you work on keeping that trap of yours shut before you suffer a worse injury than the one I just gave you. Understood?" She instructed in a firm, harsh tone that told David that she was going to have none of it.
The guy got up but did not look Echo in the eye. "Yes, Captain." He muttered.
"Fine then. Since you seem so eager to show everyone how strong you are, how about you step out there next? We've suffered two losses already, so we need someone to tip the scales in our favor. Can you do that, Lieutenant?" Echo asked. At this, David quickly regained his smug confidence and smirked.
"Oh, you can count on me, Ma'am." He then walked onto the arena, Duel Disk already on his arm.
As he moved away, Echo moved closer to the flabbergasted Reggie and spoke to her soft enough that only the latter could hear her. "Reggie… I saw that you were about to slug the Lieutenant, no doubt enraged from his last words." Reggie flinched, surprised that Echo had noticed that. "You were struggling to keep your emotions in check, and I am glad you were able to up til now. But what Rabb had said about your old friend… he crossed a line there. I know you care for Fubuki Tenjoin a great deal. Rabb took it too far. Honestly, I really wouldn't mind seeing you punch his lights out."
"Then why did you punch him first Captain?" Reggie asked. Echo softened her expression.
"Because I don't want to punish you for assaulting a fellow officer, even if that officer is a bastard like David Rabb. You have worked too hard to get where you are now to have such a mark on your record. I will not allow you to tarnish that record, Reggie MacKenzie."
"Even after I threatened to leave earlier?" Reggie inquired further. Echo sighed.
"Even then. You are too good of an officer. The circumstances regarding Fubuki were… special enough to warrant an exception. Also…" Echo gave a small smile. "I've been looking for an excuse to hit Rabb myself. It just seemed like the perfect opportunity."
Reggie almost laughed. She felt a great deal of gratitude toward Echo for coming to her defense. "Thank you, Captain." Echo nodded. She had another reason for doing what she did. Echo understood Reggie's feelings of love. If anyone had the nerve to speak to her precious Amon that way, she would do precisely as Reggie would do: Defend him.
On the other end, Judai and his friends were downright stumped about Echo's actions. "Wow, did you see that guys? Echo just knocked that jerk Rabb down on his butt!" Judai exclaimed.
"What could that have been about?" Sho wondered.
"I hardly think it matters." Edo said, strapping on his Duel Disk. "Cause right now, I'm going in for my fight since he's stepping in."
"Yeah, you knock him down too Edo!" Johan told him.
"Don't die out there!" Serena advised. Edo nodded at them all as he headed into the arena.
Once in the center, Edo and David eyed each other. David smiled overconfidently. "The mighty Edo Phoenix! I will take great pleasure in destroying you!"
"I will be the one that wins this!" Edo retorted. At once, both of them activated their Duel Disks and shouted the word.
"DUEL!"
(Edo: 4000) (David: 4000)
"The first move is mine!" David declared as he went first. "My turn! Draw!" He smiled at his opening hand. "I play a Magic card, Replacement Parts! By Sending a "Machine" Monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can add a Level 4 "Machine" Monster to my hand from my Deck! I send my top "Machine", The Big Saturn, to the Graveyard to add Quality to my hand!"
Edo was shocked by this. "What?! He sent his Legendary Planet to the Graveyard?!" He exclaimed, not understanding the Lieutenant's logic.
"Why would he ditch his Ace like that?" Kenzan asked, not getting it ether.
"He might plan on reviving it later on." Ryo believed.
"Maybe." Serena said. Still, it bothered the group, not knowing David's plan.
David smirked. "If you're shocked now, just wait! Next, I Summon Quantity!" (EARTH; Level 1; ATK: 500; DEF: 400) A small one-eyed white robot stood on the Field. "Now I play Scrap Storage! This Magic card let's me choose a "Machine" I control and send any number of copies of that Monster from my Deck to my Graveyard! I'm dumping my other two copies of Quantity!"
"What's he up to?" Sho asked no one in particular.
"Beats me." Asuka responded.
"Time for a little more Magic! I play Quick Switch, allowing me to return a "Machine" Monster I control to my hand and Special Summon another to take it's place in Defense Mode! I Special Summon the Monster I just acquired, Quality!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1200; DEF: 1500) A new robot appears kneeling in Quantity's place, this one a light yellow color. "Then I Set one card facedown and end my turn. Show me what you got, Phoenix!"
Edo was weary of David's opening move. 'I can't let him have the opportunity to Summon his Legendary Planet! Or at the very least, let him have the advantage!' "You just might regret saying that. My turn! Draw!" The cards he held gave him a promising start. "For my first move, I Summon Destiny Hero Diamondguy!" (DARK; Level 4; ATK: 1400; DEF: 1600) A dark man covered in diamond shards and wearing a black cape appeared. "I activate Diamondguy's Effect! Once per turn, I can reveal the top card of my Deck! If it's a Magic card, I can send it to my Graveyard and activate it's effect during the Main Phase of my next turn as long as it's requirements and costs are still met! If it's not, that card will go to the bottom of my Deck! Let's take a look, shall we?" Edo took out his top card… and smiled. "It is a Magic card: Fusion Destiny! Now it goes to my Graveyard and will be used on my next turn!"
"I hope that card is a good one." Grace said.
"Me too." Gloria replied. Neither of them knew enough of this Edo to be sure how good he was compared to the one they knew.
"Next I play Polymerization to Fuse Destiny Hero Dashguy and Destiny Hero – Dark Angel in my hand! Fusion Summon! Come on! Destiny Hero Destroy Phoenixguy!" (DARK; Level 8; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2100) Edo's Fusion Monster appeared in a fiery blaze on the Field. It was covered in black and red armor, mostly resembling a dragon, especially with it's long tail. The black wings on it's back, on the other hand, looked like those of a phoenix.
"That's a hell of a Monster!" Masumi exclaimed.
"I'll say. The Edo Phoenix we knew didn't have something like that." Yuri told her.
"Oh yeah! Bring out the new stuff Edo!" Judai said, excited to see a Destiny Hero he never saw before.
"My Destroy Phoenixguy's Monster Effect can take away 200 Attack Points from all your Monsters for each "Hero" Monster in my Graveyard! With two in there, your Quality is weaker than it already was!" Edo said, pointing to David's robot.
(200 x 2 = 400)
(Quality's ATK: 1200 - 400 = 800)
"Like that matters." David said cockily.
"If that doesn't get you worried, then this will! I activate another Effect of Destroy Phoenixguy! Once per turn, I can destroy one card I control and one card on the Field! I'll destroy my Diamondguy and your facedown card!" Edo declared, both his Monster and David's card incinerated by black fireballs. "With another "Hero" in my Graveyard, your Monster is now even weaker!"
(Quality's ATK: 800 - 200 = 600)
Still, his opponent remained unconcerned. In fact, he actually smiled a little.
"That jerk is up to something. Just can't figure out what." Johan said, trying to guess David's strategy.
"Whatever he's planning, I'm sure Edo's got it covered." Judai assured him.
"Hope you're right." Serena said.
"Now your Monster is defenseless! Battle! Destiny Hero Destroy Phoenixguy, attack Quality! Phoenix Inferno!" A swirling vortex of fire erupted from the gauntlets of Edo's Fusion Monster, completely burning away David's Monster into nothing.
David smirked. "Knew you would do that! By destroying Quality, you triggered it's own Effect! Now I can Special Summon as many copies of "Quantity" from my Graveyard as possible, which is two!" Now two white robots appeared in the place of their destroyed counterpart.
"My Phoenixguy's Effect makes your toy robots as weak as can be!" Edo told him, both of David's Monsters losing all their Attack Power to the Fusion Monster.
(Both Quantity's ATK: 0)
"So what? Am I shaking in my boots? No! You'll have to do way better than that to get me to lose my nerve!" David said, his arrogance evident. Edo snorted.
"Believe me David… I'm barely getting started. I Set one card facedown and end my turn."
"So was I! My turn! Draw! I activate Card of Sanctity, letting both of us to draw until we hold six cards!" David then chuckled in an unsettling way after drawing. "The warm up is over, and now it's time to play hard ball! I Sacrifice both copies of Quantity to Advance Summon this bad boy: The Grand Jupiter!" (DARK; Level 8; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2000) The new Monster was a humanoid in green scaly armor and had a claw in each hand.
"A second Legendary Planet?!" Edo shouted, not expecting this.
"He's got two of them?!" Sho said, also in shock. Clearly no one anticipated this twist.
David chuckled from everyone's reactions. "Whoever said we each only had one, aside from Amon and that chump, Chronos, who had none at all? It will be so much fun to see you suffer!"
"Just shut up! Incase you've forgotten, my Monster can weaken yours considerably!" Edo retorted as Destroy Phoenixguy did it's work.
(The Grand Jupiter's ATK: 2500 - 600 = 1900)
"Of course I didn't forget! I discard two of my cards to activate The Grand Jupiter's Effect! Once per turn, I can take a Monster you control, Equip it to mine, and it gains that Monster's Attack Points until the end of the turn! I'm taking your Destroy Phoenixguy!" David revealed with a crazed smile.
"What?!" Edo said in shock. 'That thing's Effect is similar to my own Ace Monster…'
"And with your Monster Equipped to mine, it's Effects are gone and it gains back all it's Attack Points before it gets even stronger!" David said in twisted glee. He and Edo watched as The Grand Jupiter ensnared Destiny Hero Destroy Phoenixguy and absorb it into itself to gain it's power.
(The Grand Jupiter's ATK: 2500 + 2500 = 5000)
"5000 Attack Points?!" Rei said, not quite believing it.
"And he's got no defense!" Kenzan said in alarm.
"If you're going to attack, Lieutenant, just get it done already!" Edo boldly told him. David smirked.
"Oh I will, Phoenix… right after I do this! I banish the card you destroyed before, a Trap called Ghost in the Machine! With it, I can Special Summon a "Machine" Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode! I'm bringing back Quality!" One of David's weaker Monsters returned to aid it's master. "Then I play Prototype Development! This handy Magic card allows me to Sacrifice a "Machine" I control to Special Summon another one from my Graveyard! I send Quality back to the Graveyard to Special Summon my other Ace! Come to me, The Big Saturn!" (DARK; Level 8; ATK: 2800; DEF: 2200) David's other Legendary Planet was a big silver and black metallic sphere with two detached arms and surrounded by a glowing energy ring.
"This… looks pretty bad." Fubuki said nervously.
"It can't get worse than that, can it?" Yusuke asked. He was about to get his answer.
"Now I activate the Effect of The Big Saturn! Once per turn, I can pay 1000 Life Points to increase my Monster's Attack Points by 1000! End of Cosmos!"
(David: 4000 - 1000 = 3000)
(The Big Saturn's ATK: 2800 + 1000 = 3800)
"You had to say it." Manjome berated Yusuke, who sweat dropped from embarrassment.
"Come on Edo! Don't let him beat you!" Judai said interjected. David smiled even wider.
"In my point of view, all that matters is victory by using even the most extreme measures! Now I will make my point! Battle! The Grand Jupiter, Direct Attack! Great Red Spot!" The green armored creature formed a giant red energy ball above it's head before throwing it toward Edo. "You're done!"
"Edo!" Serena yelled. Edo wasn't about to give up so soon.
"Too soon to gloat! Trap card open, Draining Shield! This will stop your Monster's attack and I gain Life Points equal to the Attack Points of your attacking Monster!" A protective barrier covered Edo just before the giant red ball could reach him.
(Edo: 4000 + 5000 = 9000)
"Oh yeah! I knew he wouldn't throw in the towel so soon!" Judai cheered. David scowled.
"So you managed to stop that one. I can still take a chunk out of you! The Big Saturn, Direct Attack! Anger Hammer!" The planet like mecha lifted it's massive arms up before crashing them down. With nothing on the Field this time, Edo was forced to take full the brunt of the assault. The impact nearly made him collapse, but he still manage to stay standing.
(Edo: 9000 - 3800 = 5200)
"You okay Edo?!" Judai called out.
"I've been though worse. I'll kick his ass. Trust me on that." Edo assured him, though he also moaned from the pain.
"I highly doubt that!" David said, now sounding annoyed. "Because a "Machine" Monster I control has damaged you in battle, I banish my Machine Back-Up Trap card from my Graveyard to draw two cards and gain 1000 Life Points!"
(David: 3000 + 1000 = 4000)
"He had to have discarded that when he used The Grand Jupiter's Effect." Ryo guessed.
"That is the only logical explanation." Misawa chimed in. David wasn't quite done yet.
"You may have survived to live another turn, but on my next turn I will obliterate you! Until then, I play a Continuous Magic card, Obstructive Curtain! You'll see what this does later. Then I Set my remaining three cards facedown and end my turn. And at this time, the Monster Equipped to The Grand Jupiter goes to the Graveyard and it's Attack Power returns to normal."
Edo was bound and determined to take down that arrogant bastard, and he would show it. "I won't lose to cards my father made or to someone like you! My turn! Draw! Because Destroy Phoenixguy was sent to the Graveyard last turn, I can Special Summon a "Destiny Hero" in my Graveyard during my Standby Phase! I Special Summon Destiny Hero Dashguy!" (DARK; Level 6; ATK: 2100; DEF: 1000) A black warrior apparently built for speed materialized before it's master.
"That thing won't hold a candle to either of my Monsters!" David said. Edo smiled.
"I know, but I have something else that can! Remember that Magic card I sent to the Graveyard on my previous turn? Well now that it's my Main Phase, I'm activating it now! Fusion Destiny allows me to Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck that mentions a "Destiny Hero" as a Material! And the great part about it is that I can use Monsters either in my hand or in my Deck! From my Deck, I Fuse Destiny Hero Die Hard Guy, Destiny Hero Divineguy, and Destiny Hero Defendguy! Fusion Summon! Come on! Destiny Hero Dominateguy!" (DARK; Level 10; ATK: 2900; DEF: 2600) Edo's second Fusion was a far more ominous sight. It was a caped, heavily dark armored warrior with an enormous spike on each shoulder, carried a big broad sword with a hole near the tip of the blade, and had a red "D" on it's chest.
"I can see how "dominating" Edo's Monster is." Fubuki said, earning himself a look from everyone that said "Lame". "Hey, I couldn't resist." He argued, but realized it was for naught and kept quiet.
"Dominateguy is a powerful Monster in my arsenal, but due to being Fusion Summoned through Fusion Destiny, it will be destroyed during the End Phase of the next turn! Also, for the rest of this turn, I can only Special Summon DARK "Hero" Monsters! I promise you, I intend to make good use of him before he goes!" Edo said confidently.
"It doesn't matter what he does! I will still blast you to smithereens!" David retorted with his crazy smile.
'He's about to lose it again.' Reggie thought with trepidation, as did Echo. They both knew that when David gets this confident in his victory, it will not be a pretty sight for his opponent.
"Destiny will decide that! Speaking of which, I activate Dominateguy's first Effect! Once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can look at the top five cards of either my Deck or my opponent's! After that I will place them back in any order I choose! I'll look at my own cards here!" Edo said as he got out his five cards. He was very pleased a certain card was among them. So when he placed his cards back in his Deck, he made sure "that" card would be the very next one he drew.
"Whatever card you plan to draw next turn, it won't work! Especially since you won't have a next turn!" David said, now sounding overconfident.
"Don't be so sure of it David! Now I Normal Summon D Cubic!" (DARK; Level 1; ATK: 0; DEF: 0) A robotic cat appeared with a noticeable "D" on top of it's head. "Once, whole D Cubic is face-up on the Field, I can discard up to two more copies of my robo kitty to give it a different effect! I'm discarding the second copy! Now the one on my Field can be used as two Materials for the Summon of a "Destiny Hero" Monster! Now I Sacrifice Destiny Hero Dashguy and D Cubic, which is now treated as two Sacrifices, to Special Summon Destiny Hero Dogmaguy from my hand!" (DARK; Level 8; ATK: 3400; DEF: 2400) A brown, bat winged warrior descended onto the ground, sword in hand. "Next I play D – Soul Burst! By cutting the Attack Points of a "Destiny Hero" Monster I control in half, I can inflict damage to both of us equal to the Attack Power that was lost! My Dogmaguy will be…"
"Not so fast! Quick-Play Magic open, Backfire! When my opponent activates a Magic or Trap card, I can change it's Effect to another one! Specifically, I'm changing it's Effect to "Destroy one Monster on the Field."! Now you have to choose a Monster to get rid of instead!" David said with a laugh.
"But won't that still give Edo a chance to eliminate a dangerous Monster?" Grace asked. Gloria thought differently.
"Something tells me it won't be that simple." She said to her sister.
Edo cursed under his breath. "Damn. Alright. If I must choose… than I'm destroying The Big Saturn!" He confirmed, believing it would be the more dangerous of the two due to it's Attack Power increase effect. David's smile widened, making him look deranged as he laughed once again.
"Why the laughter?" Edo asked. David's expression was reminiscent of a killer about to see his victim in violent torture before ending his life.
"Because you made the wrong choice! See, when The Big Saturn gets destroyed by an opponent's card effect, we both take damage equal to it's Attack Points! Double Impact!" He revealed before laughing insanely again.
"What?!" Edo barely blustered out before a big explosion covered both Duelists. As it cleared after a moment, it showed both Duelists who weren't looking so good.
(Edo: 5200 - 3800 = 1400)
(David: 4000 - 3800 = 200)
"Oh crap! That one really had to hurt!" Yusuke said after seeing Edo's worsening condition.
"I may have fewer Life Points than you Edo, but not for long! Trap card open, Mechanical Emergency! When I receive damage from the effect of a "Machine" Monster, I get back half the Life Points I just lost!"
(3800 / 2 = 1900)
(David: 200 + 1900 = 2100)
Even after suffering further injuries, Edo still did not drop. "That won't matter much after this! Battle! Destiny Hero Dominateguy, attack The Grand Jupiter! Destiny Slash!" Dogmaguy raised it's sword and prepared to strike…
"I activate the Effect of Obstructive Curtain! When a card I control would be destroyed by battle or an opponent's card effect, I can have my Magic card take the fall in it's place!" David countered and watched Edo's Monster sliced Obstructive Curtain in half.
"You still take the damage!" Edo reminded his enemy. David smirked.
"Wrong again! Trap card open, Scrap Block! When I'm about to take battle damage during the turn a "Machine" Monster was destroyed, I can negate the damage and end the Battle Phase!"
Edo scowled and gritted his teeth. "Dammit! You can't keep blocking me forever! I Set one card facedown and end my turn."
David's face suddenly turned nasty. He stared back at Edo with a vicious snarl. "Those were a poor choice of words, Edo. And very soon you'll die regretting saying them."
"Which words?" Edo asked, not understanding what he meant.
David then glanced back at where Amon and the others were, specifically at Reggie. He sneered at her with hateful eyes. "The part where you said I can't keep blocking you forever." As he locked eyes with the Commander (who matched David's hateful stare with her own), David thought back to how he came to despise Reggie MacKenzie…
Flashback:
David Rabb had issues since he was a teen. Always cussing, losing his temper, getting into fights. He never once thought things through before he acted. He had gotten into so much trouble because of it. His parents tried to teach him to be better, but all he did was push them away. His behavior became so bad that he was forced to attend military school. His parents hoped that would straighten him out. However, what his parents called discipline, David called it an opportunity.
They never understood him. No one did. David's violent tendencies were actually the result of him learning that he was adopted, and that his "parents" never told him. He happened to have heard them talking alone one night and heard how he was found after his real parents abandoned him as a baby and was brought in at the local orphanage. His adoptive parents took him a few months later. His adoptive mother convinced her husband it would be better for David to not know the truth. They thought it was for the best. They were wrong.
After overhearing them, David became so angry they had kept this secret from him all his childhood. He especially hated his so called "mother" for suggesting the idea to him in the first place. It made him hate women in general, whom he believed could never be honest about anything. He came to accept that if they didn't want to be honest with them, then he wouldn't either. David never told them he found out from eavesdropping, for nothing about them mattered to him. He didn't become interested in finding his real parents, but wanted to get away from the ones that lied to him and never told the truth. Hence, military school.
Now away from the people that lied and kept secrets from him, David Rabb actually thrived through the much tougher life he was thrown into. He quickly gained a reputation as the toughest cadet around. No one wanted to mess with him. Those that made the mistake of doing so would instantly regret it. David had set his sights on becoming Captain one day. He thought no one would dare get in his way… but before long he met his rival: Reggie MacKenzie.
She arrived about a year after he did. At first, he paid her no mind. Nor she him. David never once believed that a mere woman would be a hindrance to his ambitions. How wrong he was. She seemed just as driven to succeed in her upcoming career as he was. Everything he did, she actually did better. Whatever was driving her clearly made her outpace David in every way. The fact that it was a woman outdoing him made it even worse. It infuriated him to no end.
One day, he finally confronted her personally after training was done. Reggie was on her way to her quarters when David called out to her. "Hey! MacKenzie! Hold it!" Reggie stopped and turned to face a clearly pissed off David, who approached her. They were alone.
"You. It's David, right? David Rabb?" She asked in a calmly tone. David stopped a few feet from her. The young woman was stunned by the look on his face.
"Oh, so you know my name? How very nice of you to remember who I am." He said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.
"Is there something I can help you with?" Reggie asked. David snarled, which stunned her.
"Yeah, one thing. Stay the hell out of my way." His reply stunned her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded, now sounding defensive.
"No woman will outperform me. Not even you. So don't even try to be better than me… because you're not." Reggie narrowed her eyes.
"I have done nothing to offend you. If you have nothing nice to say, then just keep it to yourself. Now if you excuse me, I have to take a shower." Reggie tried to excuse herself, but David unexpectedly grabbed her arm. "Hey! Let go!" She told him. David's grip tightened.
"Didn't you hear a word I said?! I won't let you beat me!" He shouted, apparently not listening to anything Reggie had said.
Reggie reacted instantly. With her other hand she elbowed him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. The blow made him release Reggie's other arm. She quickly pulled both arms behind his back and kicked his backside, making him fall face first into the dirt.
"I don't know what your deal is, but I won't allow myself to be bullied by someone like you." She said before walking back to her cabin. David stared after her, hate clearly visible.
"Screw you! You can't keeping blocking me forever, MacKenzie! You will NEVER be above me!"
Flashback End
After that encounter, David worked his ass off to get to his current position. Of course, to his fury, Reggie advanced higher than him. He never understood how she could have achieved that high ranking position while he was still a Lieutenant. It should be the other way around in his point of view. It bothered him even more that Echo, a woman herself, was his Captain. He was strongly convinced men should be in this line of work, not lowly women who think they are superior. When this whole affair with Amon Garam was said and done, he would settle things with that damn Reggie. Until then, he had a Duel to win… and an enemy to destroy. He then turned back to Edo.
"I am as tough as any guy you'll ever meet, and I'll show you by blowing you apart! My turn! DRAW!" David was about his next card when…
"I activate Dogmaguy's Monster Effect! During each of your Standby Phases, I can cut your Life Points in half! Life Absolute!" Edo shouted to David's annoyance.
(David: 2100 / 2 = 1050)
"Seems Like Rabb is pissed off again." Echo noted, sounding neutral. She had known him enough to know when his buttons had been pressed.
"Doesn't really take much to do it." Reggie said to her superior in total agreement.
"I play Card of Demise! Now I draw five more cards, but I have to discard my entire hand during my fifth Standby Phase after it's activation!" David proceeded, his eyes red with rage. "Now I activate The Grand Jupiter's Effect again! By discarding two cards, I'll have it Equip Destiny Hero Dogmaguy and add it's Attack Points to my Monster's!"
(The Grand Jupiter's ATK: 2500 + 3400 = 5900)
"Here we go again." Rei muttered.
"I figure your other Monster has another Effect that helps you if it's destroyed… but that Effect won't help you if you lose! Now Edo Phoenix! This is where I finish you! BATTLE! THE GRAND JUPITER, ATTACK DESTINY HERO DOMINATEGUY! GREAT RED SPOT!" Once more, a giant red ball appeared above he arena, ready to destroy it's target. "NOW DIE PHOENIX!"
Fortunately, Edo was prepared. "Not this time! Trap card open, D-Counter! When a "Destiny Hero" I control has been selected for an attack, the attacking Monster gets destroyed!"
"DAMN YOU!" David shouted, furious that his Monster got destroyed instead.
"Sweet move!" Judai cheered.
"You can say that again!" Johan said, also cheering.
"I'm not done! I play Monster Reborn to Special Summon The Big Saturn back from the Graveyard!" David's other Legendary Planet returned. "Then I activate The Big Saturn's Effect! I give up 1000 of my Life Points to make my Monster 1000 Attack Points stronger!" Once again, David's Monster's Attack Power went up to 3800.
(David: 1050 - 1000 = 50)
"That guy is relentless." Kenzan saw.
"So is Edo." Asuka said, confident he can still win.
"Next I play Machine Revitalize! When I control a "Machine" Monster, I gain Life Points by the same amount as it's Attack Points! Now you won't be able to finish me!" David declared, determined to not be defeated.
(David: 50 + 3800 = 3850)
"He's trying very hard to ensure his victory, no matter what." Serena said.
"He obviously doesn't like to lose to anyone. Something I can relate to." Manjome said, feeling somewhat understanding of David. But not quite as much. He still wanted him to be beaten.
"Lastly, I Equip Saturn Armor to The Big Saturn! This protects it from being destroyed in battle! My turn is now over!" David said.
"And with your turn ending, my Dominateguy will be destroyed by the Effect of Fusion Destiny!" Edo reminded David, who snorted.
"I won't let you get the advantage! When my opponent's card would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can banish Objective Curtain from my Graveyard instead!" Edo cursed under his breath again. "You see it now, don't you? I can't be beaten with my Legendary Planets! Not by you! Not by ANYONE!"
Edo frowned before clenching his fist. "You clearly have your issues, David Rabb. Well so do I! Those Legendary Planet cards you and your teammates are using were made by my father! Now you're using them to hurt people and I will not stand for it! My turn! DRAW!" As he expected, his Ace was the next card he drew. "I now activate Brutal Destiny! It destroys a "Destiny Hero" I control, like my Dominateguy, and we both take 1000 points of damage!" Edo and David got hit by yet another explosion, this one caused by Edo.
(Edo: 1400 - 1000 = 400)
(David: 3850 - 1000 = 2850)
It was evident that both looked a little worse for wear after that blast. At this point, both Duelists were both breathing heavily and barely able to stand.
"They both look like they could collapse anytime." Sho said in worry.
"Let's just hope Edo can hang in there." Grace said.
"Because Dominateguy was destroyed, I can Special Summon three Level 9 or lower "Destiny Hero" Monsters with different names from my Graveyard! I'm bringing back Destiny Hero Destroy Phoenixguy, Destiny Hero Diamondguy, and Destiny Hero Dashguy!" All of Edo's previous Monsters returned to his Field for his final move.
"How can those second rate Monsters possibly help you now?!" David angrily challenged. Edo smirked.
"They can let me bring out my Ace! I Sacrifice all three of my Destiny Heroes to Special Summon the centerpiece of my Deck and my father's last creation before his demise! Come on! Destiny Hero Bloo-D!" (DARK; Level 8; ATK: 1900; DEF: 600) Edo's own Ace was a humanoid wearing dark purple and black armor, one of his hands was a dragon's head, had large wings and a tail, and had three enormous spikes sprouting from behind it.
"How's that Edo's Ace? It's much weaker than both of his Fusion Monsters." Serena asked.
"Wait and see." Judai told her.
"Time for you to have a taste of your own medicine! I now activate the Effect of Bloo-D! Once per turn, I can take an opponent's Monster, Equip it to mine, and give it half of that Monster's Attack Points! Gravity Blood!"
"YOU DARE?!" David shouted as Bloo-D's dragon hand grabbed The Big Saturn and sucked it inside of itself.
(3800 / 2 = 1900)
(Destiny HERO Bloo-D's ATK: 1900 + 1900 = 3800)
"Edo's got him! If he attacks now, he will win!" Misawa exclaimed.
David snarled at first, but then he laughed hysterically. "You dumbass! You just ensured my victory!"
"What?!" Edo said, not believing what he just heard.
"Saturn Armor has another Effect! When it goes to the Graveyard, we both take damage equal to the Monster it was Equipped to! That means we both lose!" He laughed further as a sliver sphere with the letter "S" on it appeared and began to turn red.
"It's going to be a draw?!" Gloria said.
"No it won't!" Edo said.
"You can't stop this!" David told him.
"You're half right! I can't stop your card from causing damage, but I can banish Brutal Destiny from my Graveyard! By doing that, I won't take any effect damage this turn while I control a "Destiny Hero"! Thanks to having Bloo-D, your last card can't touch me!"
David's face now showed absolute shock. "N-NO! I CAN'T LOSE HERE! NOT TO SOME NOBODY LIKE YOU!" He screamed. Edo frowned.
"Sorry "Lieutenant", but that's not your destiny today." David barely registered his words before Saturn Armor blew up and covered David in a thick cloud of smoke. Edo, however, was covered by a light purple shield that protected him from the blast.
As the cloud cleared, David was shown to have his uniform thoroughly torn and covered in burns. Seconds later, he collapsed.
(David: 0)
"Way to go Edo!" Judai and Johan said, glad their friend won.
"This Edo Phoenix is definitely strong like ours is." Serena noted.
"No arguments there." Gloria added.
'He had that coming.' Reggie thought, no pity for the man she hated. Echo and their remaining Duelists gave no comment. Their only thought being that they suffered yet another defeat. Amon's thought was still that of his brother, who he still fully intend to revive.
David struggled to get back up, severely wounded. He sneered at the Duelist who bested him. "Damn you, Edo Phoenix." He muttered hatefully. Before he could say or do anything, both his Legendary Planets returned on either side of him. The Big Saturn grabbed and held David tightly, while The Grand Jupiter slammed both it's hands on the Lieutenant's chest. He then started to scream, feeling more pain than he ever felt, even during the Duel.
Like last time, Flame got to work in the console. Even though David Rabb proved himself to be a psychotic bastard, he was still human. It was his obligation to help humans, even those that didn't deserve to be saved. He had locked onto David's signature and was about to send him back when something happened he had not anticipated.
The same entity that attacked Chronos appeared once again above everyone and wrapped it's tentacles around David's Monsters. Now they had taken on a much darker glow. "What is this?!" David yelled, horrified by the sight.
"Hey, whats going on in there?!" Masumi shouted.
"The thing that came for Professor Medici came back for more!" Yuri said, also shocked by the thing's return.
Flame then detected the same energy that tried to take Chronos. Only this time, it was much stronger. "Something is different. The creature has much more power than last time! It's overriding my transfer codes!"
Flame tried to compensate, but even his own abilities just weren't fast enough this time. David's screams intensified as darkness consumed him. All eyes watched his form dissolve into blackness that was instantly absorbed by the energy tentacles. And then, the Monsters and the unknown creature retreated from sight.
A horrified Zweinstein and Misawa glanced down at their console and saw a new message:
"I failed. David Rabb is dead."
To be continued.