The previous chapter was light and fun. This one… not so much. You'll see why.
Yugioh: The Hope of Six
Chapter 47: Arcadia Arc – Part 2
As he stepped into the meeting chamber, Divine smiled proudly at the group of 9 individuals standing before him. They all wore the traditional uniform of the Arcadia Movement, which consisted of black and green vests over white long sleeved shirts and pants. None of their faces could be seen, for they were all wearing cloaks red as blood with the organization's stylized "AM" logo on the back.
"Ah, my Elite Psychics. It is truly a blessing to have all of you gathered here again after so long. Truth be told, if a certain person were still with us, the number would be 10." Divine sighed. "But unfortunately, our beloved Black Rose Witch has been brainwashed into believing she is happier without us, her true family."
"It is a disgrace, what has happened to her. Aki should not have deserted us" One of them said with disappointment. Divine nodded.
"On that we can agree. Rest assured, my friends, we will reclaim our lost friend and punish those who turned her from us."
"The Signers." Another growled.
"Exactly… at least for most of them. You all may recall that I have stated my reasons for wanting Ruka to be with us." They all nodded. Divine soured that he never had the chance to get the little girl on his side, thanks to the interference of the Dark Signers. That was then, he knew. This was now.
"Of course, Master." Said a woman among the group. "She could become a useful asset." Divine nodded again.
"Quite right. But remember, neither getting Aki back or "recruiting" Ruka to our ranks are our primary objective." Divine said before getting down to business. "You have all been informed of my grand plan and the roles each of you will play in it. If all goes well by tomorrow's end, Neo Domino City and everyone in it will be the first to feel our terrible wrath. And then... the rest of the world." His group murmured their agreement. Divine could see they were as eager as he was. He then turned to the bulkiest person of the group. "Your assignment begins now."
The man grinned underneath his hood. "Perfect timing, sir. Just before I arrived here, my partner informed me that our two highest priority targets have been spotted riding through the city right now."
Divine grinned. "Excellent. Thanks to your "partner", the prelude for my revenge can commence. But remember, you have only one target tonight. You know which. Do not harm the other. Got it?" The unknown person smirked.
"Understood, Master Divine. He will get a very unpleasant surprise tonight."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The night was clear, bright, and quiet. Most of the city's residents had gone to asleep by this point. In spite of this, two red D-Wheels sped through the streets. One of the riders wore a red helmet, dark a blue jacket and dark pants. The other wore a red and black riding suit to go with their own darker red helmet. Neither said a word as they rode on.
As they passed an empty stadium, a shadowed figure observed the two riders from above. The figure smiled as he tapped a pad on the Duel Disk before him. He got two beeps as a response, telling him the message was received. Now he just had to wait.
The two D-Wheelers continued their ride in silence. All the while, they kept glancing around. Neither of them saw anything out of the ordinary. The pair glanced at one another, thinking the same thing. 'It's far too quiet tonight.' They were sure it wouldn't be long before something happened. They just had to remain alert for it. However, nothing could prepare the duo for what was about to occur.
Several minutes passed before they experienced it. Without any warning, both their D-Wheels inexplicably ran out of power. The riders were instantly thrown off their vehicles and rolled hard on the pavement to reduce injury. Their D-Wheels crashed into a pair of nearby trash cans. Slowly, the two got up. Thankfully their helmets were still firmly in place, so they suffered no head injuries.
"Are you alright?" The male rider asked as he helped his companion to their feet.
"Yeah, I think so. You?" Replied the female rider. The man nodded.
"I'm fine. What happened back there?" He asked.
"I don't know. My D-Wheel somehow went dead on me. I couldn't drive it anymore."
"Same with mine. Let's take a look at them." The pair walked over to their crashed D-Wheels and gave them a quick inspection. "No serious damage. Just a few scratches."
"Mine as well." After getting the D-Wheels upright, they tried to power them up again. They were not successful. "It's no use. I can't get my D-Wheel to work."
"The engines are still intact." The male rider said. "There's just no power in them. How could this be?"
"D-Wheels losing the energy to operate… Wait." The female rider came to a realization. "This sort of thing has happened before. Could it be that…?" Before she could give her theory, a small round object struck the ground hard a few feet away, cracking the impact area. "What was that?!"
The pair looked at the fallen object, which seemed to be a football made of dark orange energy. "What is this?" Asked the male rider. The object then glowed brighter. It's energy appeared to be building up. The helmeted man instinctively knew what was about to happen. He then turned to his companion. "Get down!" He yelled before he pushed his woman friend away… just before the object exploded.
Standing on top of a nearby stadium, a shadowed figure chuckled at the scene below. "Hehehe… I love playing ball like that."
Back on the street, the woman groaned and coughed as she got up. She was lucky she kept her helmet on, otherwise she would suffer far worse than the ringing in her ears. Everywhere the woman looked, she saw only smoke and dust. "Dammit. What was that? Where is…" She gasped when she found her friend. He was on his back, unmoving. Fearing the worst, she quickly made her way to him. He checked his pulse, and was relieved. He was alive, but was unconscious from the blast. The female rider realized the true grasp of the situation. 'This is… an ambush!'
The woman scanned the area, but found no visible attacker. Still, she felt the one responsible had to be nearby to launch that strange explosive so close to their position. She also knew that she and her friend couldn't stay out in the open. They had to find shelter until they could get help. After taking a proper look around, she noticed that the two of them had crashed just outside a Rider Duel stadium. It was the nearest place they could hide. She wasn't strong enough to carry her friend, so she had to drag him in by the arms.
As she did, another figure stepped out from the side of the stadium front entrance. He make a quick look to make sure there wasn't anyone else. "No sign of him. Still, he must be close. I have to make sure the lady is safe." The figure said quietly said to himself before heading inside as well.
Not long after, the woman managed to find an empty break room. After checking the coast was clear, she laid her companion on the floor in the room. "Okay. We should be safe now…"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that, little lady." The woman rider sprung to her feet and faced the person who just spoke to her. It was a dark skinned, yellow eyed bald man with huge muscles. He was dressed in some kind of padded sports uniform wearing his own helmet. He had a Duel Disk attached to his left arm. "Looks like you and your boyfriend suffered a really bad fumble back there." He said with a wicked smile.
"Who are you? Why did you attack us?!" The pissed woman demanded. The man chuckled.
"Name's Jordan. As for that foul ball I threw before… I was following orders from my head coach, that's all. You should be glad you weren't on my list tonight, Aki Izayoi."
The woman stiffened. Jordan continued to smile.
"Yeah, I know who you are under that helmet. I also know that's Yusei Fudo himself laying behind you. I recognized your D-Wheels and riding outfits before I made my move tonight. I also knew he would push you aside so you wouldn't get hit like he did. Didn't want you to be the one with bad injuries. Anywho, Head Coach Divine wanted me to send a message to you and your Signer buddies."
"What message?" Asked the angry woman Jordan believed to be Aki.
"No matter what you try, nothing can prevent him from bringing you back to the Arcadia Movement. You belong with us, Aki Izayoi. Unless you want to see more people suffer a penalty for defying him, I suggest you make your goodbyes and come back now." Jordan expected the woman before him to insult profanities for his "cowardly" acts or even try to assault him. Instead, the woman placed her hands on her helmet, finally removing it. Jordan was shocked by what he saw. "What the?! Who the hell are you?!"
Her long blonde hair flowing down as she took her helmet off, Sherry LeBlanc stood before her attacker… her green eyes giving an icy stare. "Just someone who made a complete dumbass out of you." Jordan growled.
"That's my girl." Sherry and Jordan looked to see the unconscious man sit up and remove his own helmet. Once again, it wasn't who Jordan assumed. The light blue haired form of Kiryu Kyosuke smiled while massaging his head. "Boy, that blast really hammered me back there. Thanks for bringing me in here."
"It was no trouble. Are you okay, Kiryu?" Sherry asked. Her man nodded.
"Just need some aspirin and a good night sleep. After that, I'll be right as rain."
Now Jordan was the one who was angry. "I don't believe it! You tricked me?!" Sherry and Kiryu smirked at him.
"Yes, and you fell for it, you muscle bound thug. Did you really believe Yusei and Aki would leave themselves vulnerable like we were?" Sherry asked confidently. "We'll be sure to pass along your message, by the way. Though I doubt it would do any good."
Jordan wanted to smash both their skulls in for their stunt. "You think I'm just going to let you two just walk away?! After what you did?! Hell no! For screwing with me tonight, I'm going to…!"
"You shall not harm Lady Sherry or her lover!" Jordan turned around to see an older, gray haired man in a black dress suit step inside.
"Nice timing, Mizoguchi." Sherry said to her guardian and close friend. Jordan sneered.
"Another player, eh? Well it doesn't matter. Not after this." Jordan then pushed a hidden button on his Duel Disk. A high pitched sound followed. "There. Now no one's going anywhere." Jordan said with a sinister smile.
"What did you just do?" Kiryu demanded.
"I have just engaged an energy dome around this stadium! Nobody comes or goes unless I lose in a Duel!" Jordan turned to the older man. "And since you were so insistent on butting in old timer, I'm taking you down first!"
"Hold on. I'm more than a match for someone like…" At that moment, Sherry suddenly felt woozy and dropped to her knees. She also held her stomach, feeling a bad cramp. She felt she was going to be sick. 'Oh come on! Of all the times to come down with some illness!' Sherry felt humiliated showing weakness in their current situation.
"Sherry!" Kiryu shouted as he and Mizoguchi knelt beside her. "What's wrong?" Sherry gritted her teeth, clearly in pain.
"I… don't know." She grunted. "I feel weak and my stomach hurts."
Kiryu sneered up at their captor. "Bastard! What the hell did you do to her?!" Jordan shrugged.
"Not a damn thing. I was instructed to not harm her… at least, that was when I thought she was Aki Izayoi. If she's feeling under the weather, it ain't my fault."
Mizoguchi didn't hesitate as he slipped on his Duel Disk.
"Leave them be. I will accept your challenge. Let us take this outside." He insisted. Jordan gave an evil smile.
"Game on then, gramps." He looked back at the couple. "You two can just chill while me and the geezer duke it out. I'll know right where to find you after I win." Jordan then marched out of the room. Mizoguchi got up and moved after him. Before he stepped out, he turned back to Kiryu.
"Keep Lady Sherry safe." He instructed firmly. Kiryu nodded.
"I will." With that reassurance, Mizoguchi followed Jordan out the room, toward his battle.
Sherry grunted frustratingly, hating that she couldn't duel their enemy. "Dammit." Kiryu could feel her anger.
"Don't worry. I'm sure Mizoguchi can handle him." He told her.
Sherry didn't reply as she tried to get up again when her cramping subsided. However, another wave of nausea had hit her. Kiryu caught her this time before she collapsed.
"We should get you to the hospital as soon as we escape." He said, clearly concerned. Sherry smiled as she sat down on a nearby chair.
"No need, Kiryu. I'll be fine. Probably still feeling the after effects of crashing our D-Wheels and surviving that blast. I just need to sit down and rest for a bit, that's all." She said. "Besides, you should be the one that needs a doctor. You were the one that got knocked out by an explosion."
"I'll see the doctor… if you will do the same." Kiryu compromised. Sherry sighed in defeat. He was clearly as stubborn as she was.
"Deal." She said in resignation. Kiryu smiled with relief as he held her.
Suddenly, the TV screen in the room automatically turned on, showing the open field of the stadium. At the center of the field were Mizoguchi and Jordan, about to begin their Duel. Both Kiryu and Sherry watched as the battle unfolded. Sherry still felt concern for her old friend. 'Mizoguchi… don't go easy on that asshole.'
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
As they stepped out into the main part of the stadium, Mizoguchi saw that Jordan wasn't bluffing. A dark orange energy barrier covered the entire perimeter, blocking all possible exits. Even the area above was sealed off.
'No escape from what I can tell. Looks like beating him is the only way we're getting out.' Mizoguchi thought. As they got into their respective positions, Jordan chuckled.
"Last chance to back out, geezer! 'Cause when I duel, I always play hard ball!" Mizoguchi scowled as he readied himself.
"I have no intention of backing off! I will fight at my hardest to protect who I care for deeply!" Jordan gave a derisive laugh.
"Alrighty then! Bring it on!" With that, the two got their battle started.
"DUEL!"
(Mizoguchi: 4000) (Jordan: 4000)
"You make the first play, old man." Jordan said, confident he could win no matter who went first.
"As you wish. My turn! Draw!" Mizoguchi was wary of his opponent, so he acted accordingly. "I will start by Summoning Marauding Captain!" (EARTH; Level 3; ATK: 1200; DEF: 400) A medieval blonde man wearing armor and holding a sword appeared. "Because Marauding Captain was Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Monster from my hand! I Special Summon a Tuner Monster, Rose, Warrior Lady of Revenge!" (FIRE; Level 4; ATK: 1600; DEF: 600) A woman with long red hair wrapped in a pony tail and wearing a black jumpsuit emerged next to Mizoguchi's first Monster.
'Planning a Synchro Summon already, is he?' Jordan thought, not really concerned.
"I am Tuning my Level 3 Marauding Captain with my Level 4 Rose, Warrior Lady of Revenge! When two blades meet, the blade of loyalty will appear here! Answer to me! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Determined Daredevil!" (EARTH; Level 7; ATK: 2400; DEF: 2100) Replacing both Monsters was a blue green haired man wearing green upper armor and white pants. He wore a metal mask over his mouth and held a blade in each hand. "Then I Set 2 cards facedown and end my turn."
"Mizoguchi brought out his Ace Monster right away." Kiryu said.
"He's taking that guy seriously." Sherry replied, having complete faith in his abilities.
Jordan snickered. "Playing with samurai and swords, eh? That's seriously old school! Let me show you how a real man plays! My turn! Draw!" The man's confidence grew with what he held. "I activate my Field Magic card, Ultra Athlete Stadium!" The stadium around them changed, becoming much more futuristic. It's overall design was now sleek grey with yellow and blue lines with a larger holographic projected floating above. It showed up-close looks of the two Duelists. Mizoguchi observed the new Field card with little interest. Jordan, on the other hand, was basking in it. "While you prefer the ancient past, I have accepted the way of the future! Not just in looks, but also in ability! Check this out! I Summon the first player to my Field, Ultra Athlete Libero Spiker!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1800; DEF: 1800) A man wearing a green jumpsuit with grey and yellow high tech armor appeared.
"What is so threatening about him?" Mizoguchi asked.
"Oh, it's not him you should be concerned about. The Effect of Ultra Athlete Stadium kicks in! Because I Normal Summoned an "Ultra Athlete" Monster to my Field, I can take an "Ultra Athlete" Monster from my Deck and add it to my hand! I'm adding Ultra Athlete Player Manager to my roster! That's not all! My new Monster can be Special Summoned from my hand when an "Ultra Athlete" Monster is Normal or Special Summoned! Come out to play, Ultra Athlete Player Manager!" (EARTH; Level 8; ATK: 2000; DEF: 2600) A man wearing a dark jumpsuit and holding a energy baseball bag materialized next to Libero Spiker.
"Your new athlete is no match for my "ancient" samurai." Mizoguchi stated calmly. Jordan smirked.
"Not for long! I activate my Field card's second Effect! Once per turn, when one or more "Ultra Athlete" Monsters are Special Summoned to my Field, all Monsters I control gain 500 Attack Points!" Mizoguchi silently cursed as his opponent's Monsters grew stronger.
(Ultra Athlete Player Manager's ATK: 2000 + 500 = 2500)
(Ultra Athlete Libero Spiker's ATK: 1800 + 500 = 2300)
"It doesn't matter how much stronger they are. Mizoguchi's Ace was made to handle higher Attack Point Monsters." Sherry stated. As if he heard her, Jordan revealed another advantage of his.
"Time to throw you a curve ball! When Player Manager is Special Summoned, I can either target and destroy 1 card on the Field or negate the Effects of all face-up non "Ultra Athlete" Monsters on the Field until the end of the turn! I'm going with the latter! Whatever Effects your Ace may have had are out the window!" Mizoguchi scowled from this.
"Damn him!" Sherry shouted.
"This guy's definitely not messing around." Kiryu noted.
"Sweating yet, old man? Not me! I'm still just warming up!" Jordan boasted before he played his next card. "I Equip Player Manager with Ultra Athlete Powered Jersey! This gives my Monster 1000 Attack and Defense Points!" The bat wielding Monster glowed blue from it's power up.
(Ultra Athlete Player Manager's ATK: 2500 + 1000 = 3500; DEF: 2600 + 1000 = 3600)
'He's trying to finish me on his first turn!' Mizoguchi realized.
"Time to deliver the pain! Battle! Ultra Athlete Player Manager, attack Driven Daredevil! Home Run Hit!" A tiny red energy ball appeared in the Monster's hand before it was tossed up and then hit by the bat. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot to mention that when the Equipped Monster battles an opposing Monster, the battle damage you take is doubled!"
"What?!" Mizoguchi wasn't prepared for the heavy blow. The projectile slammed him hard in the lower chest, knocking him flat on his back.
(3500 - 2400 = 1100)
(1100 x 2 = 2200)
(Mizoguchi: 4000 - 2200 = 1800)
"Mizoguchi!" Sherry yelled at the screen.
"Is he hurt?" Kiryu said, now starting to really worry about the old man.
Mizoguchi felt all the air got knocked out of him as he held his stomach. 'I… can hardly breathe. His attack hit… much harder… than it should have.' Jordan laughed at his opponent's suffering.
"What's wrong? Didn't expect that kind of an impact? That's what happens when you duel against a first class Psychic Duelist like myself!"
"Psychic… Duelist?" Kiryu muttered.
"So then, Jordan is like Aki and Divine? He can make card effects real?" Sherry asked aloud. If he could, Mizoguchi was in more danger than any of them realized.
Very slowly, Mizoguchi got back up. "A Psychic Duelist, are you? That is… most unexpected." Jordan sniggered.
"What, you thought I was just some hired thug Head Coach Divine paid off? Hell no! And guess what? It's about to get worse for you! Powered Jersey gives my Ultra Athlete another Effect! If it destroys a Monster in battle, it can attack again in the same Battle Phase!"
"Again?!" Kiryu said.
"Here comes the finishing blow! Player Manager, Direct Attack! End him!" Jordan ordered as his Monster prepared to strike again.
"Mizoguchi…" Sherry whispered. Luckily, her old guardian wouldn't go down like that.
"You won't succeed this turn! Trap card open, Peace of Bushido! Since a "Warrior" Monster I control was destroyed by battle this turn, the Battle Phase automatically ends!" The second energy ball vanished before it could land a hit.
"Hey, no fair! That's a foul!" Jordan complained. Mizoguchi smiled.
"Not for me. My Trap also allows me to draw a card!" He was pleased, knowing it would be helpful to him later.
"You may have survived this round, but the game's far from over! I Set a card facedown and end my turn."
"Looks like winning that Duel has become more complicated." Kiryu said, knowing of Jordan's ability to inflict real damage.
Sherry gritted her teeth, her hand still clutching her stomach. 'Dammit. If it weren't for whatever is hurting me, I would be the one kicking that bastard to the ground.' She knew her family guardian was strong, but he was not spring chicken either. She didn't know how much more of that kind of abuse Mizoguchi could take.
Mizoguchi himself was thinking the same thing. 'The situation has become more serious than I expected. I need to end this quickly.' He looked at his hand and saw that he lacked only one card for his plan to work. He prayed he would get the remaining card he needed. "I will not let you win this battle! My turn! Draw!" Mizoguchi felt elated when he saw his drawn card. 'Just what I needed!'
"I decide who wins this thing! Right now, I activate the Effect of Libero Spiker! During my opponent's Main Phase, I can shuffle a Level 5 "Ultra Athlete" Monster from my hand into my Deck, then Special Summon an "Ultra Athlete" Monster from my Deck with a different name! I shuffle the Level 7 Ultra Athlete Blockbacker from my hand to my Deck! With that, I Special Summon Ultra Athlete Dreadnought Dunker from my Deck!" (EARTH; Level 7; ATK: 2500; DEF: 1800) A spiky blond man wearing shades and a dark blue and grey sleeveless uniform appeared. It was also holding a glowing orange basketball. "After bringing out my new player, Libero Spiker returns to my hand!" Jordan declared just before his weakest Monster disappeared.
'He's increasing his offensive capabilities.' Mizoguchi thought wearily.
"With a "Ultra Athlete" Special Summoned, my Stadium's Effect activates again!"
(Ultra Athlete Player Manager's ATK: 3500 + 500 = 4000)
(Ultra Athlete Dreadnought Dunker's ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000)
"Not looking good." Kiryu said in worry. Sherry didn't reply.
"So tell me, geezer! How are ya planing to get past my tough players to get to me?" Jordan asked cockily. Mizoguchi frowned.
"This should answer your arrogant question. I Summon the Tuner Monster, Bushido Apprentice!" (EARTH; Level 3; ATK: 1000; DEF; 700) A smaller, red armored version of Driven Daredevil appeared before it's master. "With it's Monster Effect, I can Synchro Monster a "Warrior" Synchro Monster using non-Tuners in my hand! I am Tuning my Level 5 Bushido Servant in my hand with my Level 3 Bushido Apprentice on my Field! Warriors of the feudal era, join your blades to carve a path to victory! Synchro Summon! Rise up, Bushido Master!" (EARTH; Level 8; ATK: 3000; DEF: 2600) A golden armored man wearing a straw hat and holding gold handled katana in it's hands materialized for battle.
"I'm not impressed by what I see." Jordan said rudely. Mizoguchi ignored him.
"Next I Equip Fusion Sword Murasame Blade to Bushido Master! This not only grants my Monster 800 more Attack Points, but also protects it from being destroyed by card effects!"
(Bushido Master's ATK: 3000 + 800 = 3800)
"That's it, Mizoguchi." Sherry said softly with a smile.
"Battle! Bushido Master, attack Ultra Athlete Player Manager! Honor Bound Strike!" The armored Monster raised it's blade and charged forward.
Jordan appeared baffled by this move. "Have you lost it, old timer? My Monster is still above yours!"
Mizoguchi smirked. "Bushido Master's Monster Effect! When it battles another "Warrior" Monster, that Monster loses 500 Attack Points!"
(Ultra Athlete Player Manager's ATK: 4000 - 500 = 3500)
Jordan sneered at his opponent. "You planning on taking out my top player? That's a penalty right there! Continuous Trap open, Ultra Athlete Penalty Box! When my Monster battles an opponent's Monster during the Damage Step, Penalty Box banishes the opposing Monster until my opponent's 2nd End Phase! You can't touch neither him or me now!"
"I disagree!" Mizoguchi told him, confusing the Psychic Duelist. "The Synchro Monster that used Bushido Follower as a Synchro Material cannot be targeted by my opponent's card effects!"
"Damn you!" Jordan cursed loudly just before his Player Manager got destroyed.
(3800 - 3500 = 300)
(Jordan: 4000 - 300 = 3700)
"Mizoguchi sure turned the tables on him." Kiryu said with a smile. Sherry nodded.
"That is not all, Jordan! Bushido Master's next Effect activates! When it destroys a Monster by battle, I can destroy 1 face-up card you control! I am choosing to rid the Field of your Penalty Box!"
"No!" Jordan protested just before his Trap was destroyed. Mizoguchi still smiled.
"This "old timer" has more than one trick up his sleeve! You would do well to remember that! I end my turn."
Jordan was beginning to get more than a little annoyed with his opponent. "I have my own tricks too, you know! And I'll use them to beat the crap out of you! My turn! Draw! First, I banish Ultra Athlete Penalty Box from my Graveyard to add a "Ultra Athlete" Magic card from my Deck to my hand! I'm taking Ultra Athlete Locker Room, which I activate now!"
'Now what's he doing?' Sherry wondered.
"Ultra Athlete Locker Room allows me to take either a "Ultra Athlete" or "Formula Athlete" Monster from my Graveyard and add it to my hand! By doing that, I gain 500 Life Points! I return Player Manager to my hand!"
"Formula Athlete?" Mizoguchi said confusingly as Jordan's Life Points went up.
(Jordan: 3700 + 500 = 4300)
"Now for Locker Room's other Effect! I can reveal any number of "Ultra Athlete" and/or "Formula Athlete" Monsters in my hand, shuffle them into my Deck, then draw cards equal to the number of shuffled cards! In my hand are Ultra Athlete Player Manager, Ultra Athlete Libero Spiker, and Formula Athlete Whip Crosser! These players get shuffled back in my Deck so I can draw 3 cards!" Jordan grinned widely when he saw his drawn cards. 'Alright! With these, that old man will go down hard!'
"Why do you have a Monster that isn't an "Ultra Athlete"?" Mizoguchi asked his enemy. Jordan smirked at him.
"Let's just say it's an agreement between me and my partner."
"Who is your partner? Where is he?" Mizoguchi questioned further, seeing that no one else was present.
"I'm not telling ya nothing." Jordan replied rudely before proceeding with his turn. "Next, I Summon the Tuner Monster, Ultra Athlete Mascot!" (EARTH; Level 2; ATK: 200; DEF: 200) A little red haired boy wearing a glowing white uniform with a big red "M" on it's chest appeared. "As we know, I can add a "Ultra Athlete" Monster from my Deck to my hand via Stadium's Effect! I'm adding a second copy of Mascot! Next up, I'm Tuning my Level 7 Ultra Athlete Dreadnought Dunker with my Level 2 Ultra Athlete Mascot! A powerfully built sportsman and a lively costumed motivator, allow both your best qualities to become a true champion on the playing field! Synchro Summon! Step out to play, Ultra Athlete Ball Slammer!" (EARTH; Level 9; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2500) Now in place of the previous Monsters was a man wearing a neon purple uniform with pads on the knees and elbows, along with a helmet with a face guard. It also held a long, metallic hockey stick.
"He brought out his own Synchro Monster." Mizoguchi noted to himself.
"You know what happens next, right? Stadium gives my Special Summoned Monster with 500 more Attack Points!" Jordan reminded his enemy while his new Monster grew stronger.
(Ultra Athlete Ball Slammer's ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000)
"It's still no match for Mizoguchi's." Kiryu said. That statement would not hold true for long.
"Because Mascot was used to Synchro Summon a "Warrior" Synchro Monster, I can Special Summon my second Mascot in Defense Mode!" The copy appeared next to Jordan's Synchro Monster. "Now for Ball Slammer's Monster Effect! It gains 500 Attack Points for each "Ultra Athlete" Monster on my Field and in my Graveyard! With 1 one my Field and 2 in my Graveyard, that's a whopping 1500 point boost!"
"Never mind." Kiryu sighed.
(500 x 3 = 1500)
(Ultra Athlete Ball Slammer's ATK: 3000 + 1500 = 4500)
'Even if he attacks now with that, I'll still survive for my next turn.' Mizoguchi thought. Jordan must've picked up on that based on what he said next.
"If you think you'll still have a chance, you thought wrong! By returning Mascot, an "Ultra Athlete" Monster, to my hand, I can Special Summon another heavy hitter from my hand! Feast your eyes on this! Ultra Athlete Field General!" (EARTH; Level 8; ATK: 2600; DEF: 2000) A well built football player with neon orange lines on it's uniform appeared, carrying a glowing orange football.
Sherry and Kiryu recognized the energy ball the new Monster was holding. "Kiryu! That's what caused the explosion!" Sherry exclaimed.
"Yeah. Jordan must've used that Monster to attack us earlier." Kiryu replied with a growl. 'And nearly killed me.'
Mizoguchi also made the connection. "That Monster! You used that to attack Lady Sherry and Kiryu!"
Jordan smirked. "That's right old man! But this time, I'm not planning on sparing anyone! Battle! Ultra Athlete Ball Slammer, attack Bushido Master! Now to activate Field General's Effect! When another "Ultra Athlete" Monster I control declares an attack, it can give 800 of it's Attack Points to that Monster!"
"He's making that Monster even stronger by weakening his other one?!" Kiryu said in surprise. Sherry kept quiet as the couple watched.
(Ultra Athlete Field General's ATK: 2600 - 800 = 1800)
(Ultra Athlete Ball Slammer's ATK: 4500 + 800 = 5300)
Jordan laughed. "Check it out! When my ultra strong Ball Slammer kicks your Monster to the curb, my Field General will finish the job! Time for you to go down, you old fart! Do it Ball Slammer! Goal Strike!" Jordan's Synchro Monster formed a bigger purple ball before it and raised it's metal stick to whack it straight toward Mizoguchi.
Mizoguchi, however, didn't feel like calling it quits. "This battle will not turn out the way you had hoped! When a "Warrior" Synchro Monster I control attacks, I can banish Bushido Apprentice from my Graveyard to make that Monster's Attack Points the same as the one it is battling!" At that point, Bushido Master's blade smacked Ball Slammer's projectile aside and collided with the metal stick. The two Monsters were now in a fierce stalemate.
"Now both Monsters will be destroyed!" Sherry said. Jordan scoffed.
"Damn fool! You'll still lose your Monster and my Field General will finish you off! You didn't change anything!" He protested.
"Yes I have, Jordan!" Mizoguchi said with a confident smile. "When Bushido Master destroys a "Warrior" Monster in battle, the destroyed Monster's original Attack Points are dealt to you as damage!"
"Say what now?!" Jordan said just before both Monsters were destroyed.
(Jordan: 4300 - 2500 = 1800)
"Now their Life Points are the same!" Kiryu said in amazement.
Sherry nodded. "And if I know Mizoguchi, he has that blockhead right where he wanted him." Sherry added.
"You still haven't won! Like I said before, nothing has changed! When I attack you with my Field General, it's over for you!" Jordan declared angrily. Mizoguchi still smiled.
"I'm afraid you won't get that chance."
"Meaning what?!" The Psychic Duelist demanded heatedly. The older man pointed down at his Field.
"Did you forget that I have another facedown card? I am activating it now! Trap card open, Retrieved Sword! This can only be activated during the turn an opponent's Monster was destroyed by battle! Now I can target a face-up Monster on the Field with a Level lower than the destroyed Monster's and destroy it! Your Field General falls as well!"
"You wretched old geezer!" Jordan screamed, furious from losing his other Monster.
"Retrieved Sword has one more Effect! After the targeted Monster is destroyed, we both take damage equal to it's Attack Points!" Jordan's jaw dropped. He knew what that meant, and he didn't like it at all.
"No! You dirty son of a…!"
"But Field General's Attack Points dropped to 1800 from it's Effect being used. Both Mizoguchi and Jordan's Life Points are 1800 as well!" Kiryu said, coming to the same conclusion. Sherry also knew.
"This Duel… is a draw."
Ultra Athlete Field General blew itself up, and the blast it created blew back both Duelists. At the same time, the energy field surrounding the stadium finally dissipated.
(Mizoguchi: 0)
(Jordan: 0)
"Man, your old friend sure knew how to go down fighting." Kiryu mused as he helped Sherry on her feet.
"He probably had no other choice." She said.
"Yeah. You feeling better?" Kiryu asked his girlfriend.
"I'm okay. The pain is gone now. Let's go get Mizoguchi and get out of here." Sherry told him. Together, they left the break room and headed out to the open field.
As he lay on his back outside, Mizoguchi lamented that he couldn't get an outright victory against Jordan. 'He was a more difficult opponent than I first realized. A draw was best I could hope for under the circumstances. At the very least, Jordan lost as well.'
Jordan was fuming as he lay down, disgusted by his inability to win against some old codger. 'Damn that guy. I'm one of Master Divine's elite Psychic Duelists! One of his best! How the hell did end up being beaten like this?!' He felt there was no way he could go back to his master and be punished for this humiliation. Jordan then remembered he had one other function on his Duel Disk he "forgot" to mention to any of those three morons. He slowly smiled again. "Oh, what the hell? If I'm going to Hell…" he slowly pressed another hidden button, making his Disk blinking red. "I'm taking all of you with me."
By that time, Mizoguchi got up and noticed blinking red lights around the inside of the stadium. He also saw that they were steadily blinking faster. "What is this?" He asked. Jordan chuckled.
"It's me pulling one last move before the buzzer sounds the end of the game. In less than 3 minutes, no one inside will be around to play another round. Get the drift?"
Mizoguchi summed puzzled at first… then Jordan's meaning became clear when he looked up. The red lights were starting to shine upward, then spread back down in a widening arc. "Dammit!" He cursed as he started running back towards the interior of the stadium. Jordan continued to chuckle evilly.
Just as Sherry and Kiryu stepped outside, Mizoguchi had run up to them. "Lady Sherry! Kiryu! We must leave at once! The stadium will explode in less than 3 minutes!"
"What?!" Kiryu shouted.
"Then let's get moving!" Sherry ordered fiercely.
The trio headed to the stadium exit as quickly as they could. Mizoguchi knew that once the red light had completely covered the stadium, it would be all over for them.
Miraculously, they reached the doors that led out to the parking lot. But before they could exit, Mizoguchi faltered and leaned on a wall for support. The intense Duel had clearly taken more out of him than he thought. "Mizoguchi! Are you okay?" Sherry asked her old friend. He nodded.
"Just tired, my lady. Maybe I am starting to get too old for all this…"
"Come on! I can see the red light out there! If we don't exit now, we won't leave period!" Kiryu said, pointing out the window. The red energy was rapidly descending to the ground. They had to move.
"Come on Mizoguchi. We have to… Gah!" Sherry then felt the bad stomach pain return again. "Not again! Not now!" She complained through gritted teeth.
"Sherry!" Kiryu yelled as he kept her upright, preventing her from taking another fall.
Mizoguchi looked back out. They were nearly out of time. The red energy was coming down at an alarming rate. He was weakened by the Duel, but Sherry's predicament was more immediate. With hardly any time left, he knew what he had to do. He may have failed to save Sherry's parents, but he won't fail their daughter. "Go now!" He shouted as he forcibly pushed the couple out the door and out far enough to not be harmed by the upcoming blast. His push was so strong and unexpected, Sherry and Kiryu nearly stumbled.
"Mizoguchi!" Sherry shouted. By the time she and Kiryu turned around, they knew it was too late. The red light had cut them off from the stadium door… with Mizoguchi trapped inside. "Kiryu! We have to get him out!" She tried to back, but Kiryu held her in place.
"Sherry, stay back! There's nothing we can do!" Sherry wouldn't hear of it, her eyes starting to water.
"No Kiryu! We have to…!" Sherry protested, unable to break free. She then locked eyes with her family guardian one last time.
The old man smiled and gave a final bow before a great inferno engulfed him and the building. Kiryu covered his girlfriend, bit they were both blown back by the explosion. When they next looked, a raging fire had begun consuming the stadium and it's two victims. Tears streaming down her anguished face, Sherry let out a painful scream that pierced the night. A scream… that came from a terrible loss.
To be continued.