What is the connection between Stephanie and Blizzard? What will ultimately happen to the unfortunate waitress? And who will duel against whom next? This chapter will explain all that. Also, SO sorry for the very long delay. Had to focus on my job search (which I was FINALLY successful in accomplishing!) and had family visiting. Hope this was worth the wait.
Yugioh: The Hope of Six
Chapter 52: Arcadia Arc – Part 7
"Where… am I?"
After sitting up, Stephanie looked around, surprised by her surroundings. She then noticed Rin staring at her. "Hey. I remember you. You're one of my most recent customers at work. What's going on? How did I get here?" She then noticed the clothes she was wearing, surprising her even more. "And why the heck am I wearing this outfit?" She asked.
"You don't remember what happened?" Rin asked, confused by Stephanie's question. She shook her head.
"No. The last thing I recall was leaving work after…" 'After feeling so upset.' She finished in her mind. After failing to confess her feelings to Jack Atlas and hearing his friend's advice about improving herself, Stephanie's memory went blank. She then woke up in this place. It was then she finally noticed a certain statue behind Rin. "Wait. Is that the Duel Shrine?" Rin nodded.
"Yeah, it is. You came here to try to destroy it. Or rather…" Rin hesitated a second before saying, "Blizzard tried to." Stephanie gasped, her eyes widened in shock.
"Blizzard?! She was…?!" The poor woman looked down, lips trembling. "Did she… hurt you?" She asked tentatively. Rin narrowed her eyes.
"She tried to kill me actually." The teen told her, making Stephanie cover her mouth in horror. 'So Stephanie knew about Blizzard…' Rin wondered how this came about, but she something more immediate to ask. "I need to know: Can you still feel Blizzard's presence inside you? Is she still there?" She asked. Stephanie seemed uncertain.
"I-I'll check." She said unsteadily. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out. Rin waited patiently.
From some nearby trees, she saw the squad of police officers about to spring out and arrest the Psychic Duelist that came to attack the Duel Shrine. Rin held up a hand and mouthed "Wait". They hesitated, but the guy in charge seem to have gotten the message. He ordered his men to hold off until they they were told otherwise. Rin was grateful for that.
After over a minute, Stephanie opened her eyes and seemed very shocked. "I… I couldn't find Blizzard. I found no trace of her in my subconsciousness. This has never happened before. She's just… disappeared." She said in a stunned voice.
"What about your ice powers?" Rin questioned.
Stephanie then tried to conjure up a little snowball, but nothing happened. She concentrated, but produced no result. "Nothing. My powers… or rather, Blizzard's powers… are gone too. Both Blizzard and my powers have completely vanished." Rin nodded, having expected that answer.
"I think I know why." The teen then showed Stephanie her bracelet. "This is no ordinary piece of jewelry. It has great power inside it that I don't fully understand. It helped me stay warm while I was dueling Blizzard and showed me how to save you. I think that when I defeated her, my bracelet's pure energies erased Blizzard from your being. In other words…"
"She's gone, along with her ice powers." Stephanie finished, hardly believing it. Rin nodded again. There was silence between the young women. Stephanie was the first to break it after a moment. "Rin, I… I am so, so sorry. I can't believe what almost happened to you. I feel so… ashamed." She said remorsefully.
Rin looked sternly at her. "Don't feel that way. Blizzard was the one to blame, not you." The waitress didn't seem convinced. "Listen, Stephanie… please tell me about Blizzard. I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but I need to know. How did she come to exist? And how could she have controlled you?" Rin questioned. Stephanie slowly shook her head.
"Blizzard had been a part of me my whole life. We've been together since I was a child. This was before I came to Neo Domino City. I lived in a small town a long way from here during my childhood. I first spoke to Blizzard after a certain incident…
Flashback:
"Hey look guys! It's the Ice Witch! Careful not to make her mad or she'll freeze you!" Little Stephanie looked hurt from all the other kids laughing and pointing at her. She was close to bursting to tears.
"Stop that!" She yelled. "I'm not a bad person!" No one seemed to believe her.
"Tell that to our teacher, who slipped and fell on ice that wasn't on the floor a second before!" Another girl said, recalling that event. Stephanie gritted her teeth.
"That wasn't my fault! I didn't do anything wrong!" Stephanie said defensively.
"You made that ice appear after he gave you a poor grade on your homework. Of course it was your fault!" Said the boy that insulted her.
"He ended up hurting his back and was rushed to the hospital! We were stuck with a dumb substitute for weeks! That's all on you, Ice Witch!" Another girl added. Stephanie couldn't take it anymore. It was simply too much for her.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Stephanie screamed, unintentionally causing a big gust of icy wind that blew all the other kids away. They were all laying on the ground, bruised and shivering, but none had suffered serious injuries. Horrified by this, the poor girl turned and ran away. She kept running until she stopped beneath a tree near the park. There she sat and cried. "Why? Why am I like this? Why can't I be normal?"
"They do not understand us, Stephanie. That is their fault." A new, stronger voice said. Stephanie was startled. She looked around the area, but there was no one in sight.
"Who's there?! Where are you hiding?!" She called out. The new voice chuckled.
"I'm here… inside your head." This caused little Stephanie to panic.
"Are you… a ghost?!" She squeaked.
"No. I have no intention of hurting you… unlike those other children. They were cruel to you. They hate you, all because you are different. Because we are different. I could not let their insults stand." Stephanie gasped.
"All those times I made ice appear… that was you?" She asked.
"Yes. Ice and cold are my power… our power. I was protecting you." Stephanie started to not feel so scared.
"Who… who are you?" She nervously asked.
"I am a part of your inner being, your soul. I have watched over you since the day you were born. I will watch over and protect you from any that want to hurt you like those mean children. You have nothing to fear from me. If you want, I can be your friend."
"My friend? Really?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes. Can we be friends?" The voice asked. Stephanie really wanted a friend that wouldn't treat her so awful. Maybe she could finally have one. Stephanie smiled as she wiped away her tears.
"Sure, I'd like that very much. Do you have a name?" The voice's reply was instant.
"You can call me… Blizzard."
Flashback End
"After that, Blizzard and I talked a lot and had gotten along pretty well. We were like best friends, maybe even sisters. It was mostly just us. Whenever I felt sad or depressed, Blizzard would cheer me up by teaching me how to control my powers. Before long I went from making snow flurries in my room to freezing a whole fountain. I actually had fun." Stephanie smiled from the happy memories. "It was some of the best times of my life. At least… that was how it started out." She admitted.
"Did something happen to cause a rift between you two?" Rin asked. Stephanie nodded with a frown.
"Over time, Blizzard started to change. She became… possessive, selfish, and even angry. Whenever I got close to someone other than her, she would do something to make that other person leave and never come back. Blizzard wanted to keep me all to herself. I argued one day that if she truly cared about me, she would allow me to have other friends besides her. She did not take that very well." Stephanie said with a sigh. "Eventually I gave her a "timeout" and locked her up in my mind for a while to cool off. I thought things would get better after that. But…"
Flashback:
"So, what was it you wanted to show me Stephanie?" It was many years after Blizzard introduced herself to Stephanie, who had grown to be a young woman. She was dating a cute, caring guy named Derek. He had short brown hair and soft grey eyes. They had been going out for over two months. They were alone in a secluded forest outside town, away from prying eyes.
During all that time, Stephanie had kept her powers, and Blizzard herself, a secret. She feared he would react like those children that tormented her all those years ago. Still, he made her very happy. She felt she could share a part of herself with him. Ultimately she took that chance on their two month anniversary of their first date. "Watch this. Just please don't freak out." Stephanie said as she held out her hands.
Derek watched with surprise and amazement when he saw a small snowball formed in her hands. He looked up at her. "H-How did you do that?" He said in a stunned whisper. Stephanie smiled.
"It's something I was born with. I can do a lot of stuff with snow and ice. I used to have a hard time with it when I was little, but I've gotten the hang of it now." She threw the snowball above them, where it "popped" and started snowing around them. Derek was in total awe.
"Wow! Stephanie… this is… amazing!" He then looked back at her. "How come you haven't told me about your cool power before?" His girlfriend looked down, appearing sad.
"I was afraid, Derek. Afraid that you would reject me and push me away. That you would see me as a freak of nature…" Next thing Stephanie knew, Derek pulled her in for a hug.
"Stephanie Cloud, you are no freak of nature." He said softly in her ear. "You are a kind and loving person with an incredible gift. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a total jerk."
"Derek." Stephanie muttered as she returned the hug. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me. I love you Derek Brighton."
"I love y… ack!" Stephanie flinched when she heard her boyfriend gasped in pain. She stared up at him, concerned.
"Derek, what's…" The girl gasped when she saw him cough up blood. She look down and nearly screamed. Buried in Derek's stomach was an icicle in the shape of a sword, and it was being covered by his blood. "NO! Derek!"
Derek stared at her in total disbelief. "Stephanie… Why?" He coughed up more blood before falling to the ground. Stephanie knelt before him, crying.
"No! It wasn't me! I swear! Stay with me Derek! Please… stay with me!" She pleaded as she tried to melt the icicle and cover the wound. However, nothing happened. Her powers weren't working. "No! No! Derek! Don't leave me! Please don't!" Derek coughed once more before he looked up into her eyes. He tried to say something else, but the words never came. He gave one more gasp… and his life gave out.
Stephanie covered her mouth in horror, tears filling her eyes. "Derek… noooo." She knelt there, hurting from her terrible loss, and cried. She cried for a long time before her grief turned into anger. Stephanie knew who was to blame. "Blizzard… why? Why did you…?" The voice Stephanie knew all to well responded as cold as the ice that killed her boyfriend.
"He was trying to take you from me. Plus, it was payback for you locking me up earlier." Stephanie couldn't believe that her oldest and closest friend had done this evil act.
"You killed Derek! I loved him and you killed him! I never thought you would cross that line!" She shouted, outraged.
"And I thought you would have learned by now that you belong to me… and no one else." Blizzard replied. Her tone sent shivers down Stephanie's spine that had nothing to do with cold.
"Is this… who you really are? Someone who doesn't care about anyone's feelings other than your own? Does my happiness mean nothing to you?" Blizzard groaned.
"I thought you were happy when we first became friends? Was that not enough for you?" Stephanie shook with fury.
"I was happy, happier than I had been at the time. But that still doesn't give you the right to hurt others! You've done a lot of wrong things, but what you did tonight was the worst thing you could possibly do! Derek didn't deserve to die!" Stephanie protested. Blizzard sighed with exasperation.
"It seems like it is now your turn for a "timeout", Stephanie. In time, I hope you will come to realize that I am the only one you'll ever need."
"What do you… Ah!" In that instant, Stephanie found herself in what appeared to be her bedroom. She knew better. Blizzard just did to her what Stephanie had done before. Cursing, she immediately ran to the door and banged her fists on it angrily. "Hey! Blizzard! Let me out! This is my body! Let me out now! Right now! BLIZZARD!" Her once closest friend didn't respond. She kept pounding on the door and demanded to be released, but was not successful. She had no choice now but to sit and wait to be set free…
Flashback End
"Stephanie..." Rin said, shocked by the horror Stephanie had experienced. She couldn't believe the terrible ordeal the poor woman had gone through. The waitress rubbed her eyes and sniffed.
"Blizzard crossed a line that night. Derek was a great guy. He deserved so much better than what happened." She took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. "After locking me up in my own mind, Blizzard began living her own life in my body. I saw everything she did, but I couldn't do anything about it. First thing Blizzard did was having us run away and eventually arriving in Neo Domino City. It was there that she first met the leader of the Arcadia Movement…"
"Divine." Rin said. Stephanie nodded.
"Yeah, him. During their first meeting he revealed to Blizzard that, like all Psychic Duelists, her existence came from someone named Salazar Arcadia."
The name surprised the girl. 'His last name's the same as Divine's organization. I don't think that was a coincidence.' She thought with suspicion. "Salazar Arcadia. Who was he? What became of him?" Rin asked. Stephanie shrugged.
"I didn't hear much about him, other than he was the ancestor to every Psychic Duelist in existence. I don't know the specifics, but he died a long time ago due to an "unspeakable incident". Divine didn't want to elaborate on it for some reason." She paused a moment. "Anyway, Divine was immediately impressed with Blizzard's powers and took her in. He didn't seem to care about me being her "prisoner"." Stephanie said with disdain. "Not long after, he appointed her to be one of his Elite Psychics. Blizzard did a lot things for him that I would never have approved. She had hurt a lot of people and didn't care about all the pain she caused. All I could do was watch. I hated not being able to fight back..." Stephanie said angrily.
"But you eventually got free and got your body back, didn't you?" Rin asked, remembering the days she and Yugo went to the café, where Stephanie sometimes served them. She didn't act like she was pretending to be someone else. The waitress nodded.
"Yeah, but it wasn't by Blizzard's choice. During the Dark Signers' assault at the Arcadia Movement base, she got hit hard in the head by a large piece of debris that fell from the ceiling. That jarring blow knocked her unconscious and weakened her hold over me, allowing me to finally escape and reclaim my body. I then locked her up again in a deeper part of my mind, this time making sure she couldn't get out again. Even though my head throbbed and the rest of me ached, I just barely made it out of the building before the whole thing collapsed. I then went to the hospital to get my injuries looked at. After that, I used some money Blizzard had stored in a private account to find a place of my own and tried to rebuild my life."
'She really has been through more than most people should.' Rin said in her mind. Stephanie sighed when she looked over at the statue again.
"Once I healed and everything was normal again, I decided to take a visit to the Duel Shrine. I actually gave it some of Blizzard's cards, wishing that my life would become better and meet a guy that I would love. At least half of my wish came true." Stephanie said, still sad about Jack Atlas not noticing her. "Eventually, I got my waitress job at Cafe la Geen. I had not heard a word about Divine or any of the other Arcadia Movement members since."
Rin was amazed that Stephanie had survived that ordeal in one piece. "Stephanie, you are a strong woman to survive all that and get your life back together." The waitress gave a sad smile.
"Not really. If I was as strong as you say, I never would've let Blizzard lock me up in the first place. Or rather, I wouldn't have let her take control of me again later on…"
Rin shook her head. "You were vulnerable and in a lot of pain. None of that was your fault." Stephanie didn't respond. Rin then looked her in the eye. "Stephanie, When and how did Blizzard return?" The teen girl questioned. Stephanie frowned.
"I think it was around the time I left work yesterday after feeling upset over a… personal matter." She said delicately, not wishing to discuss her unrequited feelings for Jack. She then recalled something a bit more… vague. "Wait, I think there was one other time she might have controlled me. I went to sleep last night and had a very strange dream. I think what really happened was Blizzard somehow took control of my body while I was asleep. My guard must have been weak enough for her to come back. I dreamt that I was standing with Divine and the other Elites, apparently reuniting for the first time since we all scattered months ago. One of them, Jordan, said that his partner detected two targets to be eliminated…"
'Kiryu and Sherry!' Rin thought in shock. "Stephanie… that was definitely not a dream." She then explained to her about the attack on her friends the previous night. Stephanie was shocked.
"Oh no. That's awful." She said. "I'm really sorry to hear about your friend. He sounded like he was a brave and strong man…" Rin nodded slowly.
"Mizoguchi was a great person." Stephanie held her face in both her hands.
"I'm sorry for everything, Rin. I am so sorry…" She said before starting to cry. Rin then hugged Stephanie, comforting her. The latter was stunned by Rin's kind act.
"You've got nothing to apologize for. You were the victim, not the culprit. I don't blame you for any of it." Stephanie's crying softened a bit from Rin's words.
"Thank you." She whispered, sounding broken. "And thank you for saving me."
"I'm glad I was able to." Rin told her kindly. When Stephanie sounded calmer a little later, Rin wanted clarification about something else as she released the waitress. "During my Duel with Blizzard, she made it clear that she had every intention of destroying the Duel Shrine. She didn't believe the stories about it. She seemed to think it misled and disappointed you in some way. What did she mean?" Stephanie sighed deeply.
"Superstitions and myths were never a favorite topic for her. Blizzard never believed in anything except her own power. She convinced herself that anything that was said to grant wishes was total nonsense. My belief in the Duel Goddess and the Shrine likely made her think it would one day devastate me when my wish wouldn't come true. Although…" She hesitated before finishing. "That wish I made about finding a great boyfriend hadn't happened. Maybe it never will..." Rin held the woman's shoulders and stared hard into her face.
"Don't say that. You're a great girl, Stephanie. You just need to find the right guy to give you a shot." Rin was suddenly struck by a flash of inspiration. "In fact, I think I can actually help you make that wish become a reality…"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
It was close to midnight. Yugo knew he didn't have much time before the action would start. He had to warn Yusei's friends and get to the recycling factory as soon as possible if he was going to intercept the incoming Elite Psychic. He pulled his ride over at a small condo where Yusei told him his old Satellite crew was staying. When he got there and knocked on the door, no one answered. He then tried turning the door knob, and to his surprise the door opened. Yugo knew that wasn't a good sign. "Man, I've got a bad feeling about this." He said to himself as he cautiously stepped inside.
The place was trashed. Everywhere Yugo looked, something was out of place or broken. "Damn. What happened in here?" He muttered while he looked around. "Hello? Anybody here?" Yugo called out, but got no response. How could no one be here at a time everyone should be in bed? The boy was liking this less and less. After checking all the rooms to make sure it was really empty, Yugo rushed back outside and rode away on his D-Wheel toward the factory. In his haste, Yugo failed to notice a rather large cicada hanging out just above the entrance. After Yugo left, the bug started to make a loud noise with it's wings…
Yugo finally arrived at the recycling factory less than 5 minutes before midnight. "This must be the place." He said as he got off his D-Wheel and removed his helmet. The place seemed deserted as far as he could tell, but the rider knew he couldn't afford to let his guard down. He knew that Divine's Elite had to be somewhere nearby; it was close to the time he or she would strike.
As he walked to the front entrance, Yugo heard a loud buzzing sound nearby. Actually, it sounded like a lot of buzzing noises… like a swarm of bees. He figured there had to be a nest somewhere close. "That's weird. Yusei didn't say anything about bees buzzing around here." Yugo said to himself. Curious, he moved around toward the docking area where the trucks would wait for their shipments to be loaded and offloaded. He stopped before he got too close, shocked by what he saw. "What the…"
He had been right: A nest was nearby. Only there wasn't just one. There were at least 4 big nests, 2 above each docking door. What was worse was that the nests didn't belong to typical honeybees. Half of those nests contained wasps and the other half were covered with hornets. They were all crawling and flying around like they were keeping guard over intruders.
"Damn! Where the hell's an exterminator when you need one?" Yugo said, stunned by the sight. He wondered why there were so many stinging bugs all over the factory where… It had hit him. Yugo remembered Aki mentioning that one of Divine's Elite Psychics could control insects. If that was true, then that particular bastard was already here, in the building. Yugo started to think the guy nabbed Yusei's friends and held them hostage when he showed up. That would explain the trashed condo and everyone being gone. Aki also said "that" Elite had a "sick sense of humor". Yugo shuddered to think what the guy was doing to his prisoners. He had to find a way inside, and fast, without getting stung to death. He glanced back at Clear Wind… and grinned.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"So tell me. Do you like my little friends?" The short, green bug masked man in biker clothes asked with a sickening laugh. Before him were four people, sitting in front of a conveyor belt, unable to move due to fear of being stung by the little scorpions surrounding them.
"Not in the least!" Rally Dawson said defiantly. He was a young boy with pale grey eyes and long, dark red curly hair wearing a docker cap on his head. He wore a light blue coat that seemed a little big for him.
"Man, I hate scorpions!" Nerve complained. He was one of the three older young men captured with Rally. He had dark green eyes and short brown hair underneath a blue bandanna.
"You're not the only one." Taka said in disgust. He was the most muscular of the group, his bulky body being proof of it. He had short brown hair that stuck out and wore a sleeveless brown vest over a t-shirt.
"Guys, don't do anything that could provoke them to attack." Blitz advised in worried tone. Bright green eyes behind glasses and with long purple hair in a ponytail, he was the one most troubled by their situation.
Stinger snickered. "Too bad you feel that way. Bugs have always been my favorite companions." He said while stroking a cicada on his shoulder with a finger.
"What's your deal pal?! Why did you capture us and brought us here?!" Rally demanded angrily.
"You guys are friends of Yusei Fudo, and all of you used to work here together. Well, I'm going to take all that away from him." Stinger waved a hand at the power generator close by, with it being surrounded by hundreds of ants. "At the stroke of midnight, my army of crazy ants will enter that generator and cause complete havoc with it's circuitry. When they do, all power will be cut… which will trigger this little beauty." He pointed to a small device connected to the generator. "That bomb is hot wired into the factory's power generator, feeding on it's electricity. It was designed so that if at any point the power gets cut, it will automatically detonate, which will blow this place sky high! And the best part is that you morons will get front row seats for the event! How great is that?!" Stinger laughed again to the group's horror.
"You sick bastard!" Nerve insulted. Stinger was unbothered by the insult.
"It's over for you losers. Dear old Yusei won't be able to save you lot this time, since he has no idea what's about to place."
"No…" Rally muttered in despair. His friends felt the same way. They could do nothing while the scorpions were still watching them.
Stinger checked his watch. "About a minute left. Time to go…" Just then, the cicada on his shoulder buzzed frantically. Stinger glanced at it, seemingly surprised. "What? What do you mean there's an intruder?"
"INCOMING!" A loud voice called out from outside the docking area, getting everyone's attention. Before their eyes, Yugo came flying in on his D-Wheel. "You guys need some help?" Yugo asked as he spotted the hostages.
"Who the hell's this guy?!" Stinger shouted in shock. He couldn't believe someone got past all his wasp and hornet patrols outside!
"Who is that?" Nerve asked in surprise.
"No idea, but it sounds like he's on our side!" Rally replied with relief, which was short lived. He remembered their predicament before pointing at the problem. "Hurry! There's a bomb attached to the power generator over there! It's about to go off!"
Yugo looked over to where Rally was pointing and saw the bomb. He knew what to do.
"Got it!" He raced toward the generator at top speed, squishing the majority of Stinger's crazy ants in the process. He grabbed the bomb, ripped it out of it's socket, and turned Clear Wind on a dime before tossing the device outside. Seconds later, an explosion could be seen and felt by everyone inside. Yugo saw that the blast also burned up all the stinging bugs guarding the exits. "Hell yeah! That was a blast!" He grinned triumphantly.
Stinger was stunned and outraged. Both because his plan was foiled and because a lot of his insect servants were just unceremoniously killed. "My precious bugs! Squashed and burned to a crisp! This wasn't supposed to happen!" The pissed Elite turned to the one responsible for messing up everything. "You imbecile! Do you know what you've done?!"
Yugo got off Clear Wind and took off his helmet before facing the Elite, frowning. "Yeah, I do. I just stopped you from blowing up this place and killing Yusei's friends inside! Seriously sick move, Stinger!"
"He knows Yusei?" Rally asked in surprise. Nerve, Taka, and Blitz were just as surprised. Stinger was the most shocked of all.
"You know who I am and my plan?! How?!" Yugo smirked.
"Your old pal Aki filled me in about you and your other Elite buddies. I then decided to come here to kick your ass and save the day." Stinger growled.
"That traitor! But I'm not beaten yet, and you haven't saved anyone! Take another look!" Stinger pointed at his hostages. Yugo then saw the numerous scorpions keeping them from going anywhere.
"Scorpions!" Yugo exclaimed.
"Not just any scorpions! Those are Deathstalkers, the most venomous species of scorpion on the planet! While normally found in the Middle East and North Africa, this dangerous bunch came to me after I've summoned them with an amplified call of my unique powers. One sting from them, and those helpless fools will die a very painful death, with the younger brat dying first!"
"Low life!" Rally protested.
"Why you!" Yugo yelled, preparing to pound the asshole. Stinger held up a hand.
"Not so fast! Those Deathstalkers will instantly kill them if you take a single step toward them or me! If you want to save those Satellite punks so bad, why not duel me for their freedom? All my bugs see me as their leader. If you somehow manage to win against me in a Duel, then they might back down and let all of them go. But I don't see that happening! What do you say, Mr. Bug Killer?" Stinger challenged as he slipped on and activated his Duel Disk. Yugo did the same.
"You're on, bug bastard! And by the way, the name's Yugo!" Yugo corrected before their battle began.
"DUEL!"
(Yugo: 4000) (Stinger: 4000)
"This first turn is mine! My turn! Draw!" Stinger saw a good way to get tings started. "First, I'll Set a Monster in Defense Mode! Then I Set 3 more cards facedown and end my turn! Come at me, bug killer!"
Yugo smirked. "Don't mind if I do! My turn! Draw!" He was confident he could break through the guy's defenses and he would show it. "Since I have no Monsters on my Field, I can Special Summon Speedroid Beigomax from my hand!" (WIND; Level 3; ATK: 1200; DEF: 600) A line of sharp spiking tops appeared before it's controller. "After that, I'll Normal Summon Speedroid Shave Boomerang!" (WIND; Level 4; ATK: 2000; DEF: 0) A yellow and black robot with arms shaped liked boomerangs emerged next to it's fellow Monster. "Take this! Battle! Speedroid Shave Boomerang, attack that facedown Monster!" With two swipes of it's blade arms, Stinger's only defense was destroyed. However, the Elite wasn't perturbed.
"Idiot! By destroying my Howling Insect in battle and sending it to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon an "Insect" Monster with 1500 Attack Points or less from my Deck! I'm choosing to bring out my Tuner Monster, Hell Mimic Worm!" (DARK; Level 1; ATK: 100; DEF: 300) A dark green worm with a black sphere in the center of it's metallic body took the place of the destroyed Set Monster.
"A Tuner. He's gotta be planning a Synchro Summon on his next turn." Blitz figured.
"That doesn't scare me." Yugo retorted.
"I'm just getting warmed up! After it lands on the Field, Hell Mimic Worm can change it's Level to be the same as the Level of one of your Monsters! It will be Level 3 like your pathetic top!" Stinger explained as his Level 1 Monster now became a Level 3. "Now for my next move! Trap card open, Synchro Material! For the rest of this turn, both of us can use each other's Monsters as Materials for a Synchro Summon!"
"What's he up to?" Nerve asked himself.
"But it's still my turn! You can't Synchro Summon yet!" Yugo pointed out. Stinger chuckled.
"I can with this! Trap card open, Bug Tuning! It allows me to Synchro Summon during my opponent's turn if I'm Summoning an "Insect" Synchro Monster!"
"What?!" Yugo yelled in surprise.
"You murdered my servants, so now I will remove one of your Monsters as the start of my payback! I am Tuning your Level 3 Speedroid Beigomax with my now Level 3 Hell Mimic Worm! Insect Rider from the far East! Descend and swarm against your adversaries! Synchro Summon! Rise up, my Synchro Tuner: Desert Locust!" (EARTH; Level 6; ATK: 1500; DEF: 2400) A shrouded figure holding a sword and riding a giant brown locust buzzed onto the Field.
'A Synchro Tuner?!' Yugo thought, surprised even more.
"The Effect of Desert Locust activates! If it is Synchro Summoned, the turn player has to discard a card from their hand… and guess who that is!" Stinger laughed. Yugo cursed as he sent one of his cards to the Graveyard.
"Cheap shot! He wanted to Summon that during Yugo's turn so he himself wouldn't have to lose a card!" Blitz insulted.
"How's that for a turn around? I made you lose a Monster and a card in your hand in one move! That's gotta sting, right?" Stinger chuckled again. Yugo was beginning to feel annoyed by his opponent.
"I'm not quitting yet bug breath! I Set a card facedown and end my turn."
"Goody! Time for me to have more fun! My turn! Draw!" Stinger loved what he planned to do next. "I Summon Spin Mosquito!" (WIND; Level 2; ATK: 500; DEF: 500) An brown armored mosquito materialized before it's master. "I activate Spin Mosquito's Monster Effect! Once per turn, by discarding a card from my hand, it can attack you directly! Go give him a good blood sucking bite!"
"Damn!" Yugo cursed again before the bug flew over his remaining Monster and and struck him in the shoulder, making him yell in pain and fall down on his back.
(Yugo: 4000 - 500 = 3500)
"Did that hurt? Don't worry; it's only going to get worse for you! I play Hell Gift since it is the only card left in my hand! It let's me draw 3 more cards!" After drawing his cards, Stinger smiled beneath his mask. 'These will REALLY give him a bad time!' He thought with twisted pleasure. "The only drawback for playing Hell Gift is that I will take 3000 points of damage if I don't Summon a "Hell" Monster this turn! Lucky for me, I got one ready to come out and play! Continuous Trap open, Call of the Haunted! With this, I can Special Summon the Monster I discarded earlier from my Graveyard! Show yourself, Hell Centipede!" (DARK; Level 7; ATK: 2600; DEF: 1300) An enormous dark red centipede appeared next with the other Insect Monsters. "As long as my Trap is in play, so is my Monster! I'll finish things up by Setting 2 cards facedown and end my turn."
Yugo grimaced as he got up again, holding his shoulder. 'Damn! That really hurt! These Psychic Duelists don't mess around! I gotta take him down and save everyone here!' He was determined to not lose to that sicko. "One little bug bite isn't gonna keep me down! My turn! Draw!" With the cards in his hand, he felt he could fight back now. "I activate Shave Boomerang's Effect! Once per turn, I can switch it to Defense Mode and lower another Monster's Attack Points by 300! I'm aiming my Monster's Effect on your Hell Centipede!" Stinger smirked under his mask.
"Nice try, but that won't work! Trap card open, Memory Loss! When the Effect of a face-up Attack Mode Monster is activated, that Effect is negated and that Monster is switched to Defense Mode! While you still got your only Monster to defend you, you failed to weaken my own creature one bit! Hehehe!" Stinger snickered, infuriating Yugo.
"Shut up! This next move will…"
"I now activate the other Effect of Desert Locust!" Stinger interrupted.
"Say what?!" Yugo protested.
"You heard me! Once per Chain, during my opponent's Main Phase, I can Synchro Summon using my Synchro Tuner as Material!"
"What's he bringing out now?" Blitz said with great worry.
"I am Tuning my Level 2 Spin Mosquito with my Level 6 Desert Locust! Great winged dark predator with wings! Use your great claws and capture your inevitable victim! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Diabolantis the Menacing Mantis!" (DARK; Level 8; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2200) A huge black and dark red praying mantis emerged in the place of Stinger's previous Monsters.
"Is that his Ace?" Yugo wondered.
"Now for the Effect of Diabolantis! If it is Synchro Summoned, I can send "Insect" and/or "Plant" Monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard equal to the number of non-Tuners I have used for it's Synchro Summon! I used only 1 non-Tuner, so I am sending only my Armored Bee to the Graveyard!"
"You done yet?" Yugo complained. He was getting tired of his opponent pulling surprise moves like that when it was still his turn.
"Not quite! Because an "Insect" was Special Summoned, I can Special Summon Armored Insect Combination Zexstagger from my hand!" (WIND; Level 8; ATK: 1500; DEF: 2600) A mostly light brown robot that seemed to be made of multiple bugs appeared on the Field. It had two butterflies on it's legs, two ladybug pauldrons on it's shoulders, two insect wings, a green bug face on it's chest, and a bee's stinger on it's left wrist. The bug mecha's right hand held a very big sword.
"Heh. That thing may look cool, but it ain't that tough!" Yugo taunted.
"Look again! Zexstagger gains 300 Attack Points for each "Insect" on the Field besides itself! With Diabolantis and Hell Centipede, that's 600 more points for my big bot!"
(300 x 2 = 600)
(Armored Insect Combination Zexstagger's ATK: 1500 + 600 = 2100)
"If that guy gets enough bugs on his Field, it could have 3000 Attack Points!" Nerve said.
"That would be a big problem." Rally commented. Yugo still wasn't worried.
"Like I'll let that happen! Since I control a WIND Monster, I can Special Summon Speedroid Taketonborg from my hand! I Special Summon it in Defense Mode!" (WIND; Level 3; ATK: 600; DEF: 1200) A blue and yellow humanoid bug robot materialized. "Then I Normal Summon my own Tuner Monster, Speedroid Party Horn Kid!" (WIND; Level 4; ATK: 1000; DEF: 1000) A little green haired puppet boy appeared wearing a small hat with three large feathers attached and held a party horn in one of it's hands. "By Summoning it, I can excavate cards from the top of my Deck equal to the number of other WIND Monsters I control and add one of them to my hand, while the rest go the bottom of my Deck! Aside from Party Horn Kid, I got 2 WIND Monsters, so I excavate 2 cards and take 1!" Yugo then added a card to his hand that could be very handy later.
"Ha! You did just bring more Monsters out, you dumbass!" Stinger said to his opponent. Yugo looked confused as well as annoyed.
"Can't you see through that stupid mask? None of my Monsters are "Insects"!" Yugo corrected.
"This will change that! Continuous Trap, DNA Surgery! While this card is active, all Monsters on the Field will have their Type changed to "Insect!" Stinger revealed.
"Oh come on!" Yugo said in frustration.
"Thanks to this, your 3 Monsters make my Zexstagger even stronger!" Stinger gloated with another laugh.
(300 x 3 = 900)
(Armored Insect Combination Zexstagger's ATK: 2100 + 900 = 3000)
"Just like you said." Taka told Blitz, who groaned in response.
"Looks like you're just all talk but no bite! You have no actual chance at beating me! What a pathetic loser!" Stinger laughed at Yugo's disadvantages. Yugo's face hardened.
"Shut the hell up already. This "loser" is about to bite back! I am Tuning my Level 4 Speedroid Shave Boomerang with my Level 4 Speedroid Party Horn Kid! Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path it's light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" Everyone stood in shocked surprise at seeing the all too familiar Level 8, 2500 Attack Point Monster.
"STARDUST DRAGON?!" Nerve, Taka, and Blitz shouted.
"Why is that guy using Yusei's Ace Monster?!" Rally said in complete disbelief. 'Does this mean… that Yugo and Yusei somehow know each other?'
"What is this?! How can you be in possession of Yusei Fudo's dragon?!" Stinger demanded. Yugo smiled.
"I ain't telling you, bug bastard! Zexstagger's Attack Points go down a bit since there's now one less "Insect"!" Stinger growled as his bug mecha's power was reduced to 2700.
"It is still too strong for you destroy through battle!" Stinger pointed out.
"I'm not going after him!" Yugo told him. "Time for me to play a Trap of my own! Trap card open, Speed Turn! Because I control Taketonborg, a "Speedroid" Monster, Speed Turn forces one of your face-up Attack Mode Monsters into Defense Mode and takes it's Defense Points down by 500! You can't protect your Hell Centipede this time!" Yugo proudly declared as Stinger gritted his teeth in annoyance
(Hell Centipede's DEF: 1300 - 500 = 800)
"Now Yugo's fighting back!" Taka said, hoping the new kid could actually win.
"Take this! Battle! Stardust Dragon, attack Hell Centipede! Shooting Sonic!" With it's sparkling attack, Stinger's Monster and Call of the Haunted Trap were obliterated. Now Zexstagger's Attack Points went down to 2400. Yugo chuckled. "Pretty soon I'll squash all your nasty bugs! Until then, I end my turn."
"Bugs always come back, even though you try to get rid of them! Zexstagger has one more Effect! During the End Phase, once per turn, both of us can Special Summon an "Insect" Monster from our hand or Graveyard but with it's Effects negated! I'm reviving my Spin Mosquito!" Stinger's smaller Monster returned, which increased Zexstagger's Attack Points back up to 2700.
"I've got none in my hand or Graveyard." Yugo said. Stinger chuckled, expecting as such.
"Figured you didn't. My turn! Draw! I play Pot of Greed, which lets me to draw 2 more cards!" Stinger liked what he drew. "I next activate Monster Reborn to Special Summon the Armored Bee I sent to the Graveyard earlier!" (WIND; Level 4; ATK: 1600; DEF: 1200) A silver metallic bee that had a yellow and black stripped abdomen with a stinger sticking out appeared. With it's Summon, Zexstagger's Attack Power is at 3000 once more.
"This is bad." Taka said with great nervousness.
"Get ready to feel the sting! I activate Armored Bee's Monster Effect! Once per turn, it can cut an opposing Monster's Attack Points in half until the End Phase! I'll be aiming it's stinger at Stardust Dragon!" The bee shot it's stinger at the dragon and struck it in the chest, making it moan in pain.
(Stardust Dragon's ATK: 2500 / 2 = 1250)
Yugo also felt the sting, even though he wasn't attacked. "Crap. These Psychic Duelists really can make damage real." He said to himself while moaning.
"That's really bad!" Nerve added.
"This will definitely hurt! Battle! Armored Insect Combination Zexstagger, attack Stardust Dragon! Swarm Sword!" The mighty Signer Dragon was sliced in two before it blew apart.
(3000 - 1250 = 1750)
(Yugo: 3500 - 1750 = 1750)
"Stardust Dragon!" Yugo yelled, lamenting the destruction of his friend's Ace. Just then, he too felt the powerful strike of Stinger's bug mecha, making him fall down and scream painfully.
"It's not over just yet! Armored Bee, attack Speedroid Taketonborg!" One strike from it's stinger and Yugo's remaining Monster was gone. Destroying both Monsters made Zexstagger's power drop to 2400. "You're up, Spin Mosquito! Direct Attack!" Yugo yelled in more pain as he was being struck while still down.
(Yugo: 1750 - 500 = 1250)
"Yugo!" Nerve yelled.
Stinger laughed. "I could've finished you then with my Synchro Monster, but I wanted to see you squirm with pain a little more!"
"That's cruel!" Rally shouted, outraged.
"So what?" Stinger said to the younger boy before focusing back on his adversary. "Guess you really were pathetic! Time to finish you off, loser! Diabolantis the Menacing Mantis, Direct Attack! Praying Slicer!" The huge black bug hopped in the air, claws raised and began to descend toward Yugo…
"I'm not going down like that! When I'm being attacked by an opponent's Monster, I can banish Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice from my Graveyard to negate the attack!" A ghostly version of Yugo's purple triangle Monster rose up and pushed back the big mantis. Stinger stomped his foot in frustration.
"No! No fair! You should have lost!"
"That must've been the card he was forced to discard from Desert Locust's Effect!" Blitz guessed.
"Yeah, no other way it could've gotten there!" Taka agreed. Stinger scoffed.
"You got lucky, that's all. But your luck just ran out! I Sacrifice my Armored Bee and Spin Mosquito to Advance Summon Great Poseidon Beetle from my hand!" (EARTH; Level 7; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2300) A white armored, humanoid beetle holding a trident appeared in the place of the two smaller Monsters. "I end my turn, and thanks to Zexstagger's Effect, I Special Summon Hell Centipede back from the Graveyard!" With the arrival of those Monsters, Zexstagger's Attack Points went up to 2400. "Now I have 4 strong bugs to protect me, while you got squat! Even though you used the Ace Monster of a champion Duelist, it failed you! In other words, you've failed Yusei Fudo! Truly pathetic! But it won't matter much longer! On my next turn, you'll be dead! And soon, Yusei will follow!" Stinger declared with another mad laugh.
Yugo gritted his teeth and groaned as he struggled to get up again. "I told you… to shut the hell up!" He yelled back. Furious from Stinger's words, he recalled learning the truth about Yusei's status as a Duelist…
Flashback:
"Yugo, we need to talk." Yusei said to the younger Duelist. It was the day after the latter's Riding Duel with Jack. He invited Yugo to a private conversation with him at a certain location, a spot where they could see the full view of Neo Domino City. Curious, Yugo accepted and accompanied Yusei there.
"Something wrong?" Yugo asked. Yusei hesitated for a brief moment.
"Listen. There's something I should tell you. I hope you can forgive me for not telling you before now."
"Tell me what?" Yugo inquired further. He had no idea what Yusei was talking about. Right then, Yusei finally told Yugo his little secret.
"Yugo… Jack Atlas isn't the Riding Duel King in this world. I am."
Yugo's jaw nearly fell to the ground. He stared at his friend in shock. "W-What?! Yusei! You are the King?! I thought it was Jack!" Yusei shook his head.
"He was several months ago. He then lost his title to me in the final match of a Riding Duel Tournament called the Fortune Cup. I've had that title since."
"But Yusei... when Rin and I first met him, Jack said he was the King! He said we should respect him as a King, and we have!" Yugo argued, struggling with this revelation.
"Jack said you two were in the presence of the King and you must show respect to that King. Those were his exact words. Jack never once said "he" himself was the King." Yusei told him.
"But..." Yugo tried to argue further before he stopped. He thought back to that meeting, and eventually realized that Yusei was right. Jack really did not call himself "King", and Yusei was there during the whole thing. The boy could hardly believe it. Sure, he saw Yusei kick the ass of the Duelist Crusher back on his world, but he never imagined he watched a King take him down. In fact, he still couldn't quite believe Yusei actually defeated the Jack Atlas of his world. He had no idea what to say or think. Eventually, he did ask two questions that really mattered. "Why didn't you tell me the truth before? Does Rin know?"
"She knows. Rin found out shortly after we came back from your world." Yugo gasped, surprised even further.
"Why did you tell her but not me?!" Yugo demanded.
"I didn't. Carly told her about me defeating Jack. I did not find out she learned the truth until later. Please don't be upset at Rin. She felt I should be the one to tell you. It was my secret to tell, not hers. That's why she didn't tell you herself. Also..." Yusei hesitated for a second before he went on. "She didn't want you to be discouraged before your Duel with Jack."
Yugo gazed down at Windy's eyeball form in his Duel Disk, still attached to Clear Wind. "Did you know too, Windy?"
"I did overhear Yusei and Rin talking about it while still in the garage." The Wind Ignis confessed. "I chose not to say anything because Yusei agreed to tell you himself."
"I see." Yugo said softly while looking away. "Everyone was in on it... except me?"
"They did agree to keep it to themselves until I decided to tell you both myself." Yusei paused for a moment. "As for why I kept this from you and Rin, it was because I never really cared about that championship title to begin with. I felt it would be better that you two thought Jack was the King like in your world." Yugo didn't say anything. Yusei sighed. "Yugo, I'm sorry I wasn't honest about that. If you want to be mad at me, that's fine. Just don't take it out on Rin."
Yugo didn't reply right away. He just kept his gaze on the horizon, seemingly in deep thought. After another long moment, Yugo finally looked back Yusei and... to Yusei's surprise, he smiled.
"Yusei, you're the guy that saved Rin from being captured by that asshole, Yuri. You helped save me when Zarc was killing me from the inside. We're both alive and well because of you. How the hell could I be mad at you for keeping one little secret?"
"Yugo..." Yusei really hadn't expected the younger Riding Duelist to be so understanding. He smiled back. "Thank you."
"No man... thank you." Yugo told him.
Flashback End
Yugo flashed an angry and determined glare at his hated enemy. "I haven't failed anyone, especially Yusei! He's one of the closest friends I've ever made! He believes in me! He's done more for me than you will ever know! For Yusei and all my friends, I won't and can't quit! Not now! Not ever! MY TURN! DRAW!" At that moment, a bright green glow shined from his Extra Deck…
"How can he beat all those tough bugs?" Taka asked.
"He seems to think he can. Let's believe in him too!" Rally replied, confident in Yugo's abilities.
"Because I've got no cards on my Field, I can play Speedraw! This will let me draw 2 more cards, but then I have to send a "Speedroid" Monster from my hand to the Graveyard! I'm sending Speedroid Bamboo Horse!" He did so after drawing his cards… both of which he needed. "Next I play Speedroid Roulette! I discard a card, then roll a six-sided die! After that, I can Special Summon 1 or 2 "Speedroid" Monsters from my hand and/or Deck whose total Levels equal the result but negate their Effects! If I don't Special Summon, I instead lose Life Points equal to the result times 500! Speedroid Roll!" A blue die rolled onto the Field, which landed on a 3. "Awesome! This means I can Special Summon this Level 3 Tuner Monster from my Deck: Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke!" (WIND; Level 3; ATK: 1200; DEF: 600) An elaborately dressed toy figurine appeared. "Now for my last card, Step on Shadow! It allows me to Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck with a Level less than or equal to one of your Monsters, but has it's Effects negated! Your Diabolantis is a Level 8 Monster… just like Yusei's Ace! Return, Stardust Dragon!" The white and light blue dragon returned.
"He brought back Stardust Dragon!" Nerve said excitedly. Stinger snickered.
"You're still an idiot! All your little comeback did was make one of my Monsters stronger!" He was right as Zexstagger's Attack Points once again became 3000. Yugo wasn't concerned.
"Oh yeah? Guess what? This next move will kick your bug ass big time! I am Tuning my Level 8 Stardust Dragon with my Level 3 Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke! Wheels of the cutting wind! Break through the speed limits and leave your enemies in the dust! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 11! High-Speedroid Clear Wing Rider!" (WIND; Level 11; ATK: 3500; DEF: 2000) A dragon version of Yugo's D-Wheel with an antenna in the rear rolled onto the Field in place of both of his Monsters. "With this new bad boy in play, your bug bot's power goes down again!" Yugo declared as Zexstagger's Attack Points dropped to 2700.
"Woah!" Rally, Nerve, Taka, and Blitz were amazed by Yugo's new Synchro Monster. Stinger, however, wasn't.
"Big deal! You may have a more powerful Monster now and one of mine is slightly weaker, but you will hardly put a dent in my Life Points no matter which of my Insects you attack!" Yugo smirked big time.
"Who said I'd be attacking any of them?" He asked, confusing his opponent.
"Meaning what?" Stinger questioned. Yugo pointed at his Monster.
"This! I activate the Monster Effect of Clear Wing Rider! Once per turn, during my Main Phase, I roll another die and shuffle WIND Monsters from my Graveyard back to my Deck equal to the result! Clear Wind Roll!" A green die appeared and rolled around a big before it landed on…. "5! With that, I'm returning Speedroid Beigomax, Speedroid Taketonborg, Speedroid Bamboo Horse, Speedroid Party Horn Kid, and Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke to my Deck!"
"None of that does anything to help you beat my Monsters!" Stinger said indignantly. Yugo's grin widened.
"My Monster's Effect ain't done! For each of my cards that I return… your own cards get destroyed!"
"WHAT?!" Stinger shouted, aghast.
"That's right! With 5 Monsters back my Deck, all 5 of your cards get blown away! Wind Phantom!" A bright white silhouette emerged from the Monster's antennae, resembling Yugo's Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. With a great roar, it's light shined brightly as it disintegrated Stinger's cards one by one until his Field was empty.
"Alright! All 4 of his Monsters and his DNA Surgery Trap card are toast!" Rally said with a big smile.
"What a turnaround!" Blitz said, admiring Yugo's dueling tactics.
Stinger stood there, enraged by Yugo's latest stunt. "Not again! NOT AGAIN! You conniving bug killer! I swear, I will make you suffer an excruciatingly painful defeat on my next turn!"
"Hate to break this to ya… but you got no next turn." Yugo told him confidently.
"What do you mean?!" Stinger demanded heatedly.
"There is one more part to my Monster's Effect! Until the end of this turn, Clear Wing Rider gains 500 Attack Points for each of your destroyed cards! Since I just got rid of 5 of your cards, my dragon bike gets 2500 Attack Points!" Yugo revealed.
"WHAT?! NO!" Stinger said in terror as Yugo's Monster powered up.
(500 x 5 = 2500)
(High-Speedroid Clear Wing Rider's ATK: 3500 + 2500 = 6000)
"With that many points, Yugo will take down Stinger in one attack!" Nerve said.
"Yeah! Do it Yugo! Finish him!" Rally cheered. Yugo did just that.
"You bet! Battle! High-Speedroid Clear Wing Rider, Direct Attack! HELL WIND OVERDRIVE!" The dragon bike burned rubber and charged forward.
"NO! NO! THIS WAS NOT THE PLAN! THIS CAN'T… GAAAAH!" The bug Elite Psychic screamed as he was hit from the powerful attack and slammed his head against a control box, knocking him out.
(Stinger: 0)
"Yeah! Take that, bastard!" Yugo said triumphantly. With the Duel over, he instantly ran toward Rally and the others. He then grabbed a nearby broom and used it to quickly swipe all the now confused scorpions away before squishing them with his boots. Thankfully, nobody got stung.
"Dang, that sure was close! Thanks Yugo!" Rally thanked. Yugo nodded with a smile.
"No problem." He said. Once everyone was safe, Yugo walked back over to Stinger. "Alright bug brain. Let's see your real face." He then pulled his mask off. The gang gasped at the boy laying on the ground.
"Wait! Is that…?" Taka stared, not quite believing it.
"I don't believe it!" Blitz exclaimed.
"No way!" Nerve said with total shock.
"It's been him all along?!" Said Rally.
"What? You know that scum bucket?" Yugo asked, surprised by the reactions. Rally gave the answer.
"His name is Sect Ijuin… and he used to be one of us."
To be continued.