YuGiOh: Hidden Legacy [Descent into Darkness] [Ch. 29 Reality Check] Posted! NEW!

[Synchronized]

[spoiler=Episode 15: The Takeover Begins]
The heat was awful; almost unbearable as it was clearly not an air-conditioned environment. Tyaro was probably too busy spending his money on cards, fame, and the spotlight to worry about keeping cool. That, Ace figured, or the fact that no one was [i]supposed[/i] to be in the building today, so why keep it on? Besides, he obviously didn't care about his guards, so they were of no concern. Ace took his sweatshirt off and flung it over his shoulder, almost throwing it on the ground but then remembering that people would be more likely to find him if anything that looked suspicious was going on.

The building itself was similar to a high school, as he could best describe it. No, there weren't any classrooms or “main offices”, but the floors were tile, the ceiling tiles styrofoam, and the hallways were lined with rooms, one after another. Many of them were anything but see through; there were very few windows and Ace's best guess as to what might be going on in there was as good as anyone else's. The room he was looking for was supposedly at the end of the hallway on the fourth floor, which was certainly easier said than done. Having to navigate each floor extremely quietly made it difficult to hurry his way through, and the clock was without a doubt dwindling down.

For a second he thought of the duel between Tyaro and that kid – Orii was it? - that he'd glanced at for a few minutes back in one of the control rooms. While it didn't take a Harvard scholar to realize Tyaro was far less talented than they built him up to be, it was interesting to see how easily he was being thrown around, as if Orii had been able to predict the majority of his moves and have counters ready for them. There was something about the kid that made him stand out, but Ace wasn't sure what exactly. Something told him that they'd meet again, though; he could sense it.

He was on the third floor, and it had taken him about two hours to navigate his way there. The second floor was absolutely empty, not even a single guard. Perhaps due to the fact that there was nowhere to go but up or down; there was no way to exit quietly. On the third floor, however, he noticed three guards right off the bat; two shorter guys, though he couldn't get much of an idea on their age. They were facing the other direction, having a conversation about something. The third guard was a little further down, and he had a Deck of cards in his hand. He was looking them over, then shuffling them, then looking them over again. It was somewhat strange.

The issue here was how to get past them. The ones engaged in conversation came across as oblivious, but that could've been a trick for all he knew, and he really wasn't in a position to take chances. There was a stairwell at each end of the hallway; one went up, the other went down. Meaning he’d have to make his way all the way down, then left and up the stairs. The construction of this building made very little sense, and he couldn’t help but wonder if all that was done for security reasons. Tyaro must have known it wouldn’t be that easy to pull this plan off without interruption.

One last glance back and forth would do it before Ace decided to step out from behind the safety of the wall, with all three guards looking away and not focusing on anything for the time being. Quick, swift movements as he made his way down the hallway, with essentially nowhere to hide. And finally, he’d reached the first ones; the two, discussing something. As he stood behind them, he couldn’t quite understand what they were saying, but the entire conversation was on repeat. The two guards kept saying the same thing over and over again, making the same movements...what the?

[i]Something’s not right here...[/i] Were they not real? That wasn’t possible, they were right there in the flesh, and they certainly weren’t robots. No, they [i]had[/i] to be real. So what was going on? This mind trick, what was it? Ace didn’t understand as he suddenly felt a rush of confusion overtake him. It wasn’t weird so much as it was creepy; seeing these two guys just standing there, to the point where they should have noticed him by now, and engaged in a repeating conversation, it was unnerving, and Ace decided he’d take the risk at this point as he reached his hand out to try and get the attention of one of the guards, who exploded into pixels on contact, causing Ace to jump back a few feet.

“What the hell’s going on here?!” He tried to regain his balance against the wall, as the same thing happened to the other two guards, leaving him in an empty hallway. [i]I’m guessing I’m not alone in here...[/i]

“Ace, what took you so long to arrive?” The duelist looked around for the voice, as it seemed to have come from nowhere. And just as he’d located the source of the sound, a figure stepped out from behind the stairwell door, looking so familiar, yet so different.

It was Aurkus. But not the Aurkus he’d come to know.

---

[url="../251715-ygo-hidden-legacy-season-3-episode-10-the-dark-one-rises-part-1-posted-check-this-out/"][img]http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff244/InvertRemix/HLLogo.png[/img][/url]

Episode 15: The Takeover Begins

“Aurkus?” Ace asked, as he tried to put the pieces together and figure out what was going on here. “Man, what’s happened to you? You look...different.”

“I...I’m not really sure,” Aurkus explained. He was slightly taller than Ace had remembered him, dressed in all white, an almost “Society of Light”-esque uniform, which in a way only added to the creepy factor of this whole situation. “Listen, I think I made a big mistake by coming here. I let my emotions get the best of me, and made a decision I shouldn’t have. I need your help.”

“My help?” Ace was puzzled. “With what? Tell me, what did you do?”

“See, I’ve been so furious after what happened with Bryan, and what’s likely to happen to the others, and I thought that coming here I could get my revenge on Tyaro in the best way possible; giving him a virus Duel Disk of his own, and giving him a taste of his own medicine.”

[i]I was afraid he’d end up doing something like this. It was part of the reason I was hesitant to come here in the first place.[/i] “Listen, I understand where you’re feeling. I’ve been in similar situations; I’ve lost people, but you can’t make rash decisions like that, what good does it do if you do the same thing to Tyaro that he’s doing to everyone else? It makes you no better than he is.”

Aurkus was silent for a moment, acknowledging that Ace was right. “I know. I’m already regretting my decision. But there’s still time, we can put a stop to it completely; but I need your help.”

“Right,” Ace nodded. Something was up. As if the entire situation hadn’t been nerve-wracking enough, Aurkus showing up out of nowhere, and those security guards...there was a missing piece to this puzzle. “Of course I can help, but what’s the situation with those security guards? That freaked me out, man.”

“Precautionary measure.” Aurkus, who Ace had remembered as being at least slightly talkative, was awfully quiet here. The entire situation seemed sketchy, for lack of a better term, and Aurkus’ weird actions weren’t helping the cause. “You can see it worked. I know it was just you, but there was no point in taking any chances, right?”

Ace wasn’t sure how to respond as Aurkus forced a smile. “Absolutely, especially not in this environment.” He paused for a second. “So, were all of the guards just holograms, or only on this floor?”

“All but one. The building’s empty, and I took the one guard on duty out when I first got here.” The boy began to advanced towards Ace, who was having trouble grasping the entire situation. “But we don’t have much time – we have to fix this.”

“Fix what?” Ace asked frantically, as he could sense panic in Aurkus’ voice.

“I thought that perhaps by breaking into the control room and modifying the server – I’ve worked here long enough to gain a basic understanding of the system – I could send the Virus feature that Tyaro just recently implemented, straight to Tyaro’s own disk. And if he were to lose today, I could then challenge him – and bring this whole charade to an end.” Aurkus paused for a moment, almost stumbling over his words. “But something went wrong, and as I was trying to activate the system, I triggered a mass release of the Virus, targeted to hit every duel disk in Diamond City – and then some.”

The information hit so fast he couldn’t process it entirely. What Aurkus had just told him—that was exactly what he’d been trying to prevent. And now Aurkus’ rage had done Tyaro’s dirty work for him – Tyaro didn’t even have to worry anymore, because the system had already been activated. There [i]had[/i] to be a way to shut it down, if it hadn’t been installed already. “You...there’s no time for discussing it now, let’s get to the room!”

“Right,” Aurkus nodded, running off in the opposite direction as Ace followed, forgetting for the moment about the uneasy feeling Aurkus’ presence had given him.

---

They reached the room in mere seconds, and Ace could feel his heart beginning to beat stronger, as the fear of knowing that the lives of thousands of people were solely in their hands was becoming far too [i]real[/i]. That’s exactly what it was, too. Aurkus burst through the door; it had already been unlocked and immediately Ace noticed the mass of computer monitors and screens. Ace noticed a green light in the corner of the room blinking over and over again, a loud siren-like noise accompanying it. How had he not heard it before?
“Give me a quick rundown of how this works!” Ace shouted, rushing over to the chair and sitting down as he scanned over the keyboard. “Now!”

“It’s complicated, but each button is labeled, and it’s essentially exactly what you see there, that you get.” Aurkus pointed out a couple of buttons in particular, showing the command as it appeared on the screen. “You can tell by the map on the screen that the routing process has already begun, but based on what I’m seeing here it hasn’t actually begun to infiltrate any of KaibaCorp’s Duel Disk systems.”

Ace pressed a few buttons, somewhat getting the hang of it as he managed to pinpoint his own location, and therefore his duel disk as well. He was safe, for now, but green lines throughout the map showed the virus moving at a fast pace, and they didn’t have much time before it started to reach the first area of duel disks. From there, it would be unstoppable. [i]I have to find the override code...that option has to be here, no data system would leave out something like that.[/i]

“We seem to be safe,” Aurkus explained. “For now, anyway. It looks like the upper part of the city is the Virus system’s first target. That’s in the exact opposite location of where Tyaro’s Duel Challenge is being held. Presumably done intentionally just in case something like this were to happen. Do you think he’d have expected something along these lines?”

“Tyaro’s cruel and remorseless,” Ace looked around, pausing for a moment. “But if you think for a second we’d have been able to outsmart him entirely, you’ve got another thing coming. My best guess is he took the necessary measures to ensure that if someone tried to get involved in his business, they’d do his work for him.”

“And it worked...” Aurkus stared at the floor, wallowing in his own mistakes. “I couldn’t control my own anger, I...”

“Listen, now’s not the time to feel pity, we have to put a stop to this before thousands of people lose their lives, blinded by the popularity and the spotlight that comes with the Word Champion, Aurkus.” There was no time to try and console him; Ace knew he hadn’t done it intentionally, but spending time dwelling on that only took away from the minutes they had left.

“Come on...where’s the damn code?” Ace continued to press the buttons, the imaginary clock in his head reminding him that time was extremely close to running out.

[i]“Code System: Activated. Welcome, Tyaro. Please enter override code to shut down system.”[/i]

“I got it!” It wasn’t as difficult as he’d expected; Aurkus was right in that all of the buttons were labeled, so it was as easy as using common sense to figure out the way the system was formatted. “Aurkus, do you have the code?”

“I do, it’s...hold on a second...” Aurkus paused for a moment; terrible timing, as Ace sat impatiently while the boy took what looked like a cell phone out of his pocket, sliding through it as he looked for the number code. “Here it is! A D 4 6 O 9 9 8!”

As quickly as he heard them, Ace pressed the buttons on the keyboard, entering the code into the system, and the alarm stopped suddenly. Had they done it? Was it that easy?

“System, Activated.” Wait, what? Ace didn’t immediately recognize the machine’s response. System [i]activated[/i]? It was supposed to shut down, not turn back on. Besides, it had already been activated, how could the code have –

“So it worked...” Ace whipped around in his chair; there stood Aurkus with a sinister grin on his face, and it took just a second to realize he’d been tricked; Aurkus had needed him to activate the system, but [i]why[/i]? And how could he have been so foolish to not see through it? “I cannot believe it was so easy, but it worked.”

“Aurkus, what have you done?!” Ace was in disbelief; had Aurkus betrayed them, even after what had happened to Bryan? None of this made any sense, but it at least explained the sketchy outfit and the behavior earlier.

As Ace awaited a response, he found himself disappointed; Aurkus broke out into laughter, a glimmer in his eye that reflected off the white jacket. “I’m sorry to disappoint your little reunion, but Aurkus is no longer here.”

The laughter picked up in intensity, and Ace could begin to notice a different in the tone of voice; Aurkus’ somewhat teenage demeanor, voice, was replaced by one much more bold, and much more [i]evil[/i]. So Aurkus hadn’t betrayed him, someone had taken over his body. But here, in the real world? That meant it had to be a duel spirit of some kind, and that duel spirit had just forced him to activate the Virus system.

“Who are you?” Ace glared into the eyes of the enemy. “What have you done with Aurkus?!”

“I prefer to keep my name anyonmyous for the time being,” he laughed. “But don’t worry, soon enough, there will be no more secrets. As for the boy, I have no more use for him, simply needed him to activate the system. And since his rage was so strong, he was the easiest candidate for the task.”

“So you used his emotions against him?”

“Precisely,” the spirit replied. “That being said, I never expected you would be so careless, either.”

[i]He’s right. I’m supposed to be carrying this out and I walked right into a trap.[/i] Ace clenched his fists, as the siren began to go off again. “I don’t understand, why did you need me to activate the system? Couldn’t you have done it yourself, or at least in Aurkus’ body?”

“I must say, I wouldn’t have minded if it were that easy. However, despite his lack of competence, Tyaro’s actually remotely intelligent, and has programmed his system so that none of the people employed under him can activate or deactivate the system, or any of the computer programs, for that matter. Fingerprint scanning.”

So that’s why he’d needed Ace to do it; because Aurkus’ hands would be instantly rejected by the program. Fear was beginning to build up inside of him; it wouldn’t be long now before the virus had spread to every disk in Diamond City, and with people dueling as often as they did here, half the city’s population would be wiped out by the end of the day. He had to get out of here, somehow.

“You won’t get away with this!” Ace shouted, yet it felt like an empty threat at this point. “I’ve got an idea, why don’t you and I duel, right here? If I win, you tell me how to shut this system down and restore Aurkus’ body, then leave this place.” He swallowed. “If you win, you’re free to go as you please.”

“See, you’re just like the others,” Aurkus said. “You resort to dueling as the solution to everything, making it so easy for this plan to be carried out. Of course, I could only wait for Tyaro for so long, and his ego kept getting in the way. However, I think you pose an interesting scenario. Getting rid of you would save me the trouble later, and be a great test for the virus program, as the first victim.”

[i]He’s right...if I lose, by that time the disk will have kicked in and I’ll be history. But if that’s how it’s going to be, I’d rather it be me than the rest of those people out there.[/i] Ace glanced back at the computer; from what the timer implied, there was about twenty minutes and counting before the Virus would officially spread. If he could beat this...thing, he might be able to turn things around.

“So if you lose, you’ll shut down the Virus system then?” He wasn’t going to be tricked again – absolutely not.

“If that’s the terms of our agreement, then yes.” Aurkus stepped forward. “Should I lose this duel, your friend will be returned to normal and I’ll shut the system down.”

“Well then,” Ace pressed the red button on his duel disk, stepping back as the program activated. “Let’s duel!”

---

“Allow me to go first,” Aurkus said as he drew a card. Placing it on the field, he spoke slyly. “I’ll play the Spell Card Energy Prison!”

[spoiler=Energy Prison]
[b]Normal Spell Card[/b]
This card remains face-up on the field for 4 of your opponent’s turns. During your next Standby Phase after your opponent’s 4th turn, destroy this card and all “Energy” cards you control. If 4 or more “Energy” cards are destroyed by this effect, inflict 4000 damage to your opponent.[/spoiler]

Electrical currents began to fill the room, lining the walls and illuminating what had been a pretty dark room from the getgo.

“Now, since I’ve played Energy Prison,” Aurkus explained, “I can bring out Energy Beast from my hand!”

[spoiler=Energy Beast]
Level 3/LIGHT
Beast/Effect
You can Special Summon this card from your hand if you control an “Energy Prison”. Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by your opponent’s card (by battle or by a card effect).
300/1700[/spoiler]

Ace could literally feel the static charges as bolts shot out from the wall, magnetized in the center of the duel area. From the bolts emerged a saber tooth tiger, comprised half of normal DNA and half of electrical currents. It looked anything but friendly.

“I think I’ll end with a face-down card.” Aurkus calmly stated as he placed a card into the Spell/Trap Zone on the duel disk.

“My draw!” It was time to get things going. “And I Summon, Abyssal Kingshark!”

[spoiler=Abyssal Kingshark]
Level 4/WATER
Fish/Effect
This card cannot be destroyed by card effects that do not target it.
1800/700
[/spoiler]

The fish-knight took the field, readied for battle as it raised its trident into the air. “Now, Kingshark, take out his Sabertooth with Hydro Spear Assault!”

In a moment, the shark flung the weapon across the field, headed straight for the tiger, poised on all fours. Just as it was about to strike, the tiger let out a roar, drawing in energy from the walls around it, and blocking the attack in its entirety.

“How did you stop my attack?” Ace asked, “That tiger should have been destroyed!”

“It’s simple, by using my Energy Beast’s special effect,” Aurkus explained, as the beast settled down. “I can negate its destruction once per turn, by battle, or by card effect.”

“Argh, fine.” Ace reluctantly tossed a face-down, ending his turn. “I’m done for now.”

“As I expected you’d be.” Aurkus added a card to his hand, glancing it over. He seemed pleased with what he saw. “Activate Spell Card, Energy Circuit!”

Ace could feel the static forces beginning to intensify as the charges lining the wall began to form a circuit formation, a [i]figure eight[/i], to put it best, and as that formation was pulled towards the middle of the field.

[spoiler=Energy Circuit]
[b]Continuous Spell Card[/b]
You can only activate this card if you control an “Energy Prison”. All “Energy” monsters you control gain 400 DEF.[/spoiler]

“With this card, my beast’s ability to manipulate the static energy surrounding it becomes stronger.” Aurkus smiled. “Just like electrical currents when they collide with one another, the power picks up, and soon enough you’ve got enough energy to charge any force! Including my Prison Spell.”

[i]So that’s what this is about.[/i] Aurkus was using these cards to charge his Energy Prison Spell, meaning it was somehow relying on the other cards around it. “Interesting; all the more incentive to take it out, then.”

“If only it were that easy,” Aurkus snapped back. “Do you think I would be so foolish as to reveal my plan only to allow you to disassemble it?”

“Probably not, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it my best shot.”

“I look forward to seeing you try.” Aurkus placed another card face-down. “Turn end.”

“Awesome, cause now it’s my turn!” This was his chance to gain the upper hand, Ace thought, as he looked over his cards. ‘Solar Ocean’, the Field Spell, would definitely give his Kingshark enough power withstand any damage from that tiger, but not enough to destroy it. He’d be better off waiting another turn on that one. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t take it out. “I Summon, Fishborg Blaster!”

Fighting thunder with water, in a non-virtual environment the results would be devastating, but he was fine here, as the aqua droid, controlled by a small fish-like creature and wielding a blaster cannon appeared on the field, making a splash as he did so, and firing up the electrical current.

[spoiler=Fishborg Blaster]
Level 1/WATER
Fish/Tuner
If you control a face-up level 3 or lower WATER monster: You can discard 1 card; Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. If this card is used as a Synchro Material Monster, all other Synchro Material Monsters must all be WATER.
100/200
[/spoiler]

“If you think you can beat me with that thing,” Aurkus replied, “You’re in for a [i]shock[/i].”

Ace no-sold the pun and glanced over his hand. “This is where it gets more fun. I activate the Spell Card Dive Down Under!”

[spoiler=Dive Down Under]
[b]Normal Spell Card[/b]
Tribute 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-type monster you control and Special Summon 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-type monster from your Deck with a Level equal to or lower than the Level of the Tributed monster +2.[/spoiler]

“So by sending Fishborg Blaster to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a new monster from my Deck!” Aurkus watched, uninterested, as Ace searched through the cards. “Say hello to Lost Blue Breaker!”

[spoiler=Lost Blue Breaker]
Level 3/WATER
Sea Serpent/Effect
If there is another face-up Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monster on the field: You can Tribute this card to target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target.
1400/0
[/spoiler]

“When Breaker’s summoned, I can send him to the Grave to destroy a Spell or Trap Card on the field!” He declared. “And based on what you’ve told me, my best bet would be to take out your Energy Prison Spell Card! Go, Lost Blue Breaker, take out his energy prison with Aqua Strike!”

The serpent leapt across the field, powered by a virtual water backing that had appeared behind it, headed straight for the source of the electricity – the first Spell Card Aurkus had played.

“Almost, but not quite.” Aurkus pressed the button on his duel disk as his most recent face-down card flipped up. “I thought you might try something, so I set the Trap Card Energy Magnetism!”

[spoiler=Energy Magnetism]
[b]Continuous Trap Card[/b]
You can only activate this card when you control an “Energy Prison”. Once per turn, you can negate the activation and effect of a card that would destroy an “Energy” card you control, and destroy that card.[/spoiler]

The attack was about to hit as the electrical circuit rose up in an almost wave-like formation shocking Lost Blue Breaker and destroying it. Ace tried to hold back frustration – he had to keep a clear mind here. If not, the entire city would fall apart. And worst, he didn’t have much time, as a glance at the timer revealed he had but eleven minutes before the Virus would reach its first target.

“Fine, I end.”

“As I figured you would.” Aurkus, or rather the spirit controlling him, knew for a fact that Ace wouldn’t be getting out of this situation easily. He had quite the surprise in store. “Now then, I’ll summon Energy Brigadier!”

[spoiler=Energy Brigadier]
Level 4/LIGHT
Warrior/Effect
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, select 1 “Energy” card you control; as long as this card remains in your Graveyard, that card cannot be destroyed by card effects.
1500/0[/spoiler]

The magnetic forces picked up once more, pulling the currents together towards the center of the figure eight to take the shape of a warrior, sword and all. “Thanks to the effect of my Energy Circuit, Brigadier gains additional defense points, but I won’t be needing those.”

[i]What’s he planning? That thing’s not strong enough to take down my Kingshark...[/i] Ace tried to come up with a possible scenario but could find nothing that made enough sense for him to have played that card.

“Now, Energy Brigadier, attack his Abyssal Kingshark with Static Slash!” The warrior traveled across the field, attempting to attack with its sword of thunder, but it was no match for the Kingshark’s trident, and soon fell to its knees.

[b]Aurkus’ Life Points[/b]: 3700

[i]I don’t get it, he just sacrificed his own monster for no reason at all.[/i] He looked down at the ground for moment. [i]There’s got to be more to this.[/i]

“I see you doubting yourself,” Aurkus went on. “Allow me to explain why I made that move, see when my Brigadier is destroyed by battle and sent to the card Graveyard, I can select a card on my field and give it invincibility! And as you might expect, I’m choosing my Energy Prison!”

[i]So now there’s no way to destroy that thing?![/i] He looked at the clock – seven minutes. Not much time at all, and Aurkus wasn’t rushing his turns by any means. At this pace, he only had two turns left; this one, and the next. “What’s so special about that Trap Card of yours? Tell me!”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” He simply laughed. “But the clock is running out, I’d make your next move.”

“Ask and you shall receive!” There weren’t too many options in terms of getting through to Aurkus’ Life Points, especially not with that beast having invincibility, and ‘Energy Magnetism’ giving it additional protection. But he could get there. “You want me to kick this duel into high gear? You’ve got it! I summon Royal Swamp Eel!”

[spoiler=Royal Swamp Eel]
Level 4/WATER
Fish/Effect
If this card is used as a Synchro Material Monster, all the other Synchro Material Monsters must be Fish-Type.
1700/1200[/spoiler]

[i]He’s planning something big with that Energy Prison, and not only do I have to worry about that, there’s the whole “fate of the entire city on my shoulders” thing, too. There has to be a way to take him out. Wait...[/i] With the Spell Card ‘Shining Waterfall’, Ace could bring out Aqua Knight – Celestios, who would most likely be able to deal the damage needed to win if he combined it with the ‘Dual Strike’ Trap Card he’d set last turn; that combo would allow Celestios to attack twice [i]and[/i] do piercing damage, which would most likely be enough to take this guy out. But if that didn’t work – he’d be out of time. What other options did he have, though? Only one more turn to wait until he could make that move.

“I’ll end with a face-down.” He stared at Aurkus, who gladly drew his card. Six minutes left on the clock; not exactly the best in terms of luck.

“When you agreed to this duel,” Aurkus explained. “Perhaps the one thing I forgot to mention was the fact that regardless of your victory, your friend’s body will hardly have enough life left to support himself. His chances of survival are very slim, and I must say I just didn’t want to disappoint you any further.” He laughed.

“Now then, with my set-up the way it is, I see no reason why I shouldn’t just end my turn.” Aurkus looked over his hand, then nodded. “After all, only a few minutes left.”

Awesome, he hadn’t done anything. Nothing had gotten in the way of Ace’s plan to end this one, meaning he could pull of his combo as easy as that. Now to bring out his Synchro Monster. “I activate the Spell Card Gift of the Waterfall!”

[spoiler=Gift of the Waterfall]
[b]Normal Spell Card[/b]
Select 1 Level 4 or lower Fish-Type monster you control. Halve its Level until the End Phase, and draw 1 card. If the card you draw with this effect is a monster card, you can discard it to allow all Fish-Type monsters you control to inflict piercing damage this turn.[/spoiler]

“So by splitting Royal Swamp Eel’s Level in half, I can draw one card!” Ace explained his move as he made it. “And look here, it’s Golden Flying Fish! Meaning I can send him to the Graveyard to ensure all my monsters inflict the difference in battle during this turn only!”

“WARNING! SYSTEM NEAR ACTIVATION! THREE MINUTES REMAINING!”

Aurkus burst out in laughter, and at a such a random time. Ace clenched his fists; this guy was sickening. “What’s so funny? If I were you, I wouldn’t be laughing right about now!”

“I think now’s a fair time to fill you in on what I’ve been putting together throughout this duel.” He paused for a moment. “You see, when Energy Prison was first activated, it began keeping track of your individual turns, this one being your fourth. And you see, at the end of the fourth turn, immediately following my draw, Energy Prison’s effect kicks in, destroying every “Energy” card on my field and dealing four thousand points of damage directly to you!”

[i]No...there’s no way![/i] Had he really been so clueless yet again?

“The entire time you’ve been trying to figure out my strategy, while the whole time it’s been right in front of your eyes!” Aurkus began to laugh once more, as the timer was beginning to near the two minute mark. “No matter what you do this turn, actually winning this duel will be impossible, because you’ve been doomed to fail from the getgo!”

If he somehow managed to beat the timer with this move, even bringing out Celestios at this point wouldn’t ensure victory; there was a chance the effect would only mill a few cards, leaving him with not enough attack points to end this. And if he were to lose...

The Virus would go widespread and change Diamond City forever.

[b]To be continued...[/b][/spoiler]

[Synchronized]

16's all done - should be posting it before the end of the night. Some responses guys?

[Agro]

@.@ woah ur going too fast for me to keep up

oh, well, i'll try...

[Synchronized]

[quote name='AggroDrago' timestamp='1316974294' post='5539909']
@.@ woah ur going too fast for me to keep up

oh, well, i'll try...
[/quote]

It's been five days since I've posted anything. XD

I'm trying to make the episodes slightly shorter so it won't take as long for people to have to catch up.

[Synchronized]

[spoiler=Episode 16: Chaos Breaks Loose][i]I have to be able to take him out this turn; if I end, and he’s got any of those cards left on the field – but more specifically that Energy Prison Spell, this duel’s over, and the chances of our survival are virtually nonexistent.[/i]

“You can ponder all you want; really, I don’t mind.” Standing confidently, Aurkus simply waited; he was in no rush, and understandably so. “After all, you’ve got a mere three minutes left. Perhaps there’s someone you’d like to call and say goodbye to before I rid you of this world forever!”

“I would, but I’m not one to admit defeat so easily.” He had one shot; it all rested on this next play. “Let’s just see what happens! Now, since Gift of the Waterfall split Royal Swamp Eel’s Level in half, I’ve got exactly enough here to perform a Synchro Summon! From the dark abyss comes a shining savior! Synchro Summon, Aqua Knight – Celestios!”

[spoiler=Aqua Knight – Celestios]
Level 7/WATER
Fish/Synchro/Effect
"Fishborg Blaster" + 1 or more non-Tuner WATER monsters
This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Synchro Summon. When this card is Special Summoned, send the top 5 cards of your Deck to the Graveyard. For each Fish-Type monster sent by this effect, this card gains 400 ATK. Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 Fish-Type monster in your Graveyard to destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card on the field.
2300/0[/spoiler]

His sense of control was still there, yet even Aurkus was taken aback by the intimidating presence as the scaled warrior emerged from a virtual typhoon, floating above the electrical circuit as if to show his dominance over the field. He stood strong – Ace’s most powerful monster being a powerful representation of the duelist himself.

---

[url="../251715-ygo-hidden-legacy-season-3-episode-10-the-dark-one-rises-part-1-posted-check-this-out/"][img]http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff244/InvertRemix/HLLogo.png[/img][/url]
Episode 16: Chaos Breaks Loose

“The same card I used to defeat Bryan, I’ll be using to defeat you!” Except this was under different circumstances. “Just as Bryan dueled because he had no other option, I understand you do the same, Aurkus, but the fate of the entire city is resting on my shoulders, and I have to do everything I can to win!”

“Save you heroic speech,” the spirit controlling Aurkus interjected. “He can’t hear nor communicate with you at all, don’t you understand that? Victory is unachievable, for you have just begun to grasp my power! Now finish your last move so I can finish this off!”

“Oh, I’ll finish my last move alright, but it won’t just be my last move, it’ll be the last move of the duel!” Celestios nodded in agreement, and Aurkus scowled. “It’s time for Celestios’ special ability to kick in! When he’s Special Summoned to the field, I send the top five cards of my Deck to the Graveyard, and for each Fish-Type monster sent with this effect, he gains a four-hundred point power boost!”

Ace explained his move as he grabbed the cards from atop his Deck, placing them in the Graveyard. ‘Aqua Jet’, ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, ‘Deep Sea Diva’, ‘Deepsea Macrotrema’ – and the last one, for some reason, completely threw him off guard. ‘Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth’. His Celestial Guardian, which in a sense reminded him what this was all about. [i]Was he dueling…?[/i] No, it couldn’t be. The cards themselves took a virtual form and – illuminated in a blue light – were absorbed by Celestios, increasing his attack points to thirty-five hundred.

Even if he were to strike that Tiger, which wouldn’t be destroyed, he’d do a grand total of twenty-eight hundred points of damage, not enough to take that out, even once he activated his ‘Dual Strike’ Trap he had waiting in the wings. But there was one last card. The final card in his hand, ‘Floatation Ring’, would negate the effects of an equipped monster, meaning he could take out the Tiger on the first shot. And with Celestios’ second ability, the ability to banish a Fish and destroy a Spell or Trap Card, he could take out ‘Energy Magnetism’, meaning he’d have a clear shot at the Life Points. He could do this. One minute left on the clock – he could stop the system.

“It’s time to end this! First, since I milled exactly three Fish-Type monsters, Celestios gains twelve-hundred attack points, making the power boost even better than I’d expected!” Aurkus had no response. “And next, I’ll activate his second ability! By banishing Fishborg Blaster from my Grave, Celestios can take out a Spell or Trap Card on the field! Go, destroy Energy Magnetism!”

“No way!” Aurkus replied as he placed the card in the Graveyard. “You’ll pay for that!”

“Just hold up – it’s only gonna get worse from here.” Ace smiled, for the first time in the duel actually having a sense of confidence. “Next I’ll activate my face-down card, Dual Strike!”

[spoiler=Dual Strike]
[b]Normal Trap Card[/b]
You can only activate this card if you have 2 or less cards in your hand. During this turn, 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monster you control can attack twice. In addition, no other monsters you control can declare an attack this turn.[/spoiler]

“So there you have it, with Dual Strike, Celestios can deliver not one, but two attacks to your Life Points!” The timer was dwindling – there couldn’t have been more than thirty seconds left at this point. “Celestios, attack with Spear of the Solar Ocean!”

A spear comprised of a fluorescent blue energy materialized within the creature’s hand, and he hurled it straight across the field at the Sabertooth. “Your attack may hit, but with my monster’s effect, he –”

“Not this time around, cause I’m activating the Quick-Play Spell Card Flotation Ring!”

[spoiler=Flotation Ring]
[b]Quick-Play Spell Card[/b]
Banish 2 Fish-Type monsters from your Graveyard to select 1 monster on the field. During this turn, the selected monster cannot declare an attack and its effect(s) are negated.[/spoiler]

“By banishing Royal Swamp Eel and Abyssal Kingshark from my Grave, your tiger’s been declawed till the end phase!” The tiger quickly found itself floating upwards, as a ring of water surrounded it, restricting its movements and holding it in place – an easy target now. The spear connected, and the tiger shrieked in pain before it was gone for good.

[b]Aurkus’ Life Points[/b]: 2300

“And here’s the best part, thanks to Dual Strike, I’ve got an open shot at your Life Points!” Ace yelled out, trying to catch Aurkus’ reaction but couldn’t quite see him as the knight leapt into the air, hurling a second spear across the field, and striking Aurkus directly in the chest. That would do it.

[b]Aurkus’ Life Points[/b]: 0

---

He’d done it. With literally seconds to spare, Ace had managed to win the duel, saving the city in the process, though he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of duel it would have been had he been really dueling Aurkus, as opposed to the spirit that had taken him over. And that spirit – he had an idea of who it had been – but the possibility of that, and the destructive alliance that could slowly be forming around them, was too much to comprehend. At least for a few minutes.

There was quiet for a moment as the smoke cleared, the duel disks shutting down. He looked towards Aurkus, who was on all fours, until the boy looked up and began to laugh, that deep, controlling voice still very much evident. As the time passed, the laughter got worse, and he spoke no words. “You lost, now pay up on your deal as we agreed!”

“I am a man of my word,” the spirit replied. “Therefore, you can have your friend back; he’s of no further use to me. But as for the Virus; I’m afraid you’re too late.”

“What?!” He [i]would not[/i] be fooled again, no matter what. If he had to take action, he would – but then again what difference would it make? He’d only be hurting Aurkus. “You son of a b****!”

“No need for the harsh words,” Aurkus faked offense. “After all, just like the rest of what’s happened here, it’s [i]your[/i] fault, and [i]your[/i] responsibility.”

Those words struck hard. Because for the most part, they were right. He’d been so foolish, and endangered thousands in the process. “How is it my fault? You said you’d shut down the system, now do it!”

“I’m afraid it wouldn’t matter.” He stood up, brushing off his coat. “You see, the system wasn’t quite activated yet, and I fully intended upon stopping it should you win – which I did not believe was possible.”

Ace watched with frustration as the spirit continued to explain.

“But you proved me wrong, and thankfully I didn’t need to take those measures. You see, the energy generated from your Synchro Summon and the conclusion of our duel was just enough to send the Virus program over the top; [i]you[/i] activated it and now that it’s begun to reach disks, there’s truly no way to shut it down.”

It couldn’t be. Every system had a deactivation method; toys, you could take out the batteries, computers, you could unplug, this was after all just a virtual system; he [i]had[/i] to be able to shut it down. Ace rushed over to the monitors, pressing every button on the keyboard that he could, trying to make something work, but there was no response; it continued to show the map, and worse, the Virus’ path, as it continued to spread at a rapid pace. It really was too late.

“Now do you see?” The spirit asked. “You’re wasting your time. But, I am a man of my word, and per our agreement I shall be taking my leave. My work here is done.”

“No, wait!” Ace called out, but again, it was no use. Aurkus dropped to the ground and the spirit was gone. The somewhat more muscular appearance of the duelist returned to normal; Ace could sense he was breathing, but wasn’t sure how much longer that would last, especially after what he’d just been through. Even if he were to survive, would his anger get in the way again, causing him to lose a duel, and his life?

“A...Ace-” Aurkus tried to form the word, calling out to Ace as he began to regain his senses. It was obvious he was in great pain, even bleeding from his mouth a bit. Ace couldn’t help but wonder how that had happened.

“Man, you’ll be alright, just hang in there for a few minutes, we’ll get some help.” Ace tried to reassure him, but Aurkus wasn’t convinced.

“There’s...no hope for me.” The boy managed to form a sentence. “I have no energy left, I’m running on pure minutes here. But that’s okay...at least if I’m not here, I won’t be able to cause any more problems, right?”

The friendly smile on Aurkus’ face brought tears to Ace’s own; to see another person end like this, because of one person’s selfish actions; it made him all the more driven to take Tyaro out, to end this reign of madness. “It’s not like that at all, don’t give up on yourself, we can get you to a hospital, we can restore your life!”

“It’s better this way.” Aurkus explained. “I caused this, not you; regardless of what he said, it was my fault, my fault for not being able to control my own emotions. Now tons of people are going to suffer because of me, and it’s only fair I share their fate.”

“Aurkus...”

“But listen, there’s something you must know.” He was beginning to fade, but tried as hard as he could to hold on for just a second longer. “That spirit...Tyaro...it’s only the beginning; everything we’re experiencing now; it’s just the start. When that spirit took over my body, I saw another dimension, another world; perhaps it was the Spirit World, but I couldn’t be sure. It’s torn to ruins, chaos and destruction are present everywhere. I can only guess that same future awaits our world, here on earth. Please, for Bryan’s sake, and the sake of the people of this city, please stop them.”

“You have my word.” Ace wiped the tears from his eyes, and that was that; Aurkus began to vanish, slowly, but the last image Ace saw was the smile on his face. His sacrifice would not go in vain.

Ace stood up, facing the window. [i]Tyaro, your reign of terror ends now![/i]

---

[i]”And for those of you just joining us, we’re in the final duel of World Champion Tyaro Kiminari’s Open Duel Challenge! We’ve seen some incredible duels throughout the day, and this final challenger, a young lady by the name of Melissa, has tried her hand, yet her self-proclaimed “super fan” status seems to be distracting her just a bit! And now we’re back live!”[/i]

“I still can’t believe this,” the girl exclaimed, jumping around in delight. “I’m such a big fan of yours, and to be dueling you, it’s just so exciting!”

“Heh,” Tyaro mumbled under his breath. “Well I’m honored to be dueling you.” He faked a smile.

“But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to win, right?” She smiled, and Tyaro nodded, pretending to be interested. He was just glad this was finally over, or about to be, anyway. “Now, Luster Dragon #2, attack with Emerald Wing!”

As the sapphire dragon on the girl’s field took flight, Tyaro braced himself for impact. Unfortunately for her, this would be the end of the game. The dragon propelled itself towards Tyaro’s Medium of the Ice Barrier. “I activate the Trap Card Reflection Barrier!”

[spoiler=Reflection Barrier]
[b]Normal Trap Card[/b]
Activate only when an “Ice Barrier” monster you control is selected as an attack target. For this battle, that monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of the attacking monster.[/spoiler]

“With Reflection Barrier, your dragon’s attack is stopped in its tracks, and my monster gains attack points equal to your own!”

There was a moment of brief disappointment on the girl’s face as the dragon’s attack was blocked, and she took the damage instead. But that disappointment soon turned to a smile – she’d been able to duel her idol, and she hadn’t expected to win in the first place.

[b]Melissa’s Life Points[/b]: 0

[i]“That’s the end of it! Tyaro’s Open Duel Challenge had officially concluded, and not one duelist was able to defeat the Champion! What’s this?”[/i]

The fans were silenced as the girl dropped to her knees, and a green light emitted from her duel disk. She let out a scream – one of fear – and collapsed to the ground. Tyaro recognized it instantly; no, no way. She...

The Virus system had been activated—but by who? Had it been the Wanderer? Could he not wait any longer, and thus violated the terms of their agreement? This girl’s life was of no importance to him, and if it had been activated, then so be it. His own duel disk was safe from harm. Someone had been interfering in his business. As people all around rushed up to the fallen girl’s side, Tyaro took the opportunity to escape.

He took out his cell phone and placed a call.

[i]ring...[/i]
[i]ring...[/i]

“Yes sir?” Came the voice.

“Are you watching?” Tyaro snapped. “Did you see what just happened?!”

“I did, sir. I’m working on finding out exactly what’s going on, I’ll report to you as soon as I get information. All we can confirm is that the Virus system has been activated, and is now in full effect.”

At first, he felt anger; then, he realized, his work had been done for him. He could carry ahead with the plan and not waste any more time. “Excellent. Do me a favor and prepare me something to eat. I’m practically starving after the day I’ve had.”

“As you wish, sir.” Tyaro could hear the dial tone again as the person on the other line hung up. Now to truly put his plan into action.

---

“What is it?” The man snapped as he heard a knock on the door; he wasn’t in the mood to be bothered, yet apparently that was a recurring theme here.

“Zane, we need to talk.” The voice caught him off guard; it was extremely familiar – definitely not someone from around these parts, that much was for sure. “Ya gotta minute for an ol’ friend?”

“I never thought I’d see you around these parts,” Zane replied, not turning around to face the speaker but letting him know he was listening intently. “You never seemed too interested in working around here.”

“Ah, it ain’t like that, man.” The southern-drawl made it certain – though Zane had known who it was from the second he’d spoken. “I just don’t think y’all could handle it up in my neck of the woods. The people are a bit demandin’.”

He had a point; at least here the people were just basic, middle class people, mostly duelists, and he’d been able to handle any issues without too much trouble. “So what it is then, Jesse?”

“I ain’t sure if you remember, but a couple’a years ago I spent a few months down in Diamond City, y’kno, a few months after I graduated from the Academy.” Zane turned around to face him – he took had been to Diamond City once, and under circumstances that were anything but reassuring.

“I know the place.” Zane said dryly.

“Well, they’ve got some trouble goin’ on down there.” Jesse explained. “When we formed this group – the three of us, me, you, and Aster, we each agreed on a certain city, saying we’d watch over it just like the hundreds who have joined after us – so there’s someone everywhere.”

“Your point?” Zane knew exactly what he was talking about. Once Aster and Jesse had graduated from Duel Academy, Aster had proposed the idea of creating an organization – Duel Guard, that would see a professional duelist in each city – provided they could manage to set that up – to ensure that city’s safety; not related to the government at all, sort of undercover, if anything. That’s why Zane was here, and why he spent the majority of his time here to ensure the safety of these people. Jesse had originally chosen this city, only to change his mind later. Perhaps too low class; but either way, things had been fine for the past three years—Zane had it under control.

“The World Champion, Tyaro Kiminari,” Jesse said. “He’s staying there for the time being, but there’s something bigger going on than those people will be able to handle. I’ve received contact from our representative there, and things aren’t lookin’ good.”

“So this is where we come in?” Zane inquired, and Jesse responded with a nod of his head. “If it’s a chance to get the hell out of here for a few days, count me in. Let’s get up to date with this.”

“You got it, but we outta go somewhere else – I’m not sure who can trust anymore.”

[b]To be continued...[/b][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Episode 17: Chance of Restoration - Absolute Zero!]
Lines of employees stood – they were using the storehouse in the basement – in straight lines, dressed in Sector Security uniforms, outfits which made them almost impossible to distinguish from one another. Tyaro took his place above them, looking down from the balcony, placed above them. The champion, on the other hand was dressed in a bizzare outfit – a black vest, leather it looked, best described as “badass hero”, yet it was completely opposite in presentation.

The only other one on the balcony next to him was Lon. Lon was a fat, to put it subtly, gentlemen dressed in a fine black suit, with hair like a sumo wrestler, just a single braided ponytail in the back; strange, for sure. It wasn’t that Tyaro respected him – the reason he got his position was due to his strength, and his intimidation factor that so noticeably accompanied him. The employees were [i]afraid[/i] of him, and in turn, that made them [i]afraid[/i] of Tyaro. Besides, all Lon asked for was money; and Tyaro had plenty of that to throw around.

To put it simple, Lon’s presence gave Tyaro the ultimate sense of control. No one underneath him would dare try and beseech him – for fear of their own lives. Lon took off his sunglasses and stared down, signifying that it was time for silence as the mumbling amongst the employees was ceased immediately.

“The silence is appropriate for such a moment,” the champion spoke, pride and dominance in his voice. “All of you must stand, and understand that the achievement I have spent my whole life trying to accomplish is upon us! I’ve had to wait for so long, but by becoming the World Champion and establishing this empire I’ve finally been able to reach it!”

There were scattered cheers amongst the crowd from respectful employees – a few scowls from others, perhaps those who disagreed with the plan but went along with it because they needed the money, and that which Tyaro had promised them made it worth it, regardless. It was widely accepted that he was insane, but who were they to strike back?

“It is understood by all that I shall be rewarding you with a hefty sum for your assistance here,” he called out. “After all, I won’t be a part of this world much longer – I’ve no use for it anyway. For those of you wishing to earn that sum, I have but one final request.” There were unanimous cheers this time around – for the money, no doubt.

“You’ve all been summoned here, in proper attire as I can see and am proud to, no less, to carry out this task.” Tyaro quieted for a moment, almost randomly. “Someone has been so kind as to activate our Virus program before I planned to – but all it means is we can now move forward with the plan further. You must play the role of Sector Security – go, find and reassure the citizens of this city that Ace Diamond is a criminal, that it was [i]he[/i] who activated this system, and that there is nothing worry about – we’ve shut it down. Then, you must challenge them to a duel, tell them you’ll do it to prove all is okay. From there, just win, and before we know it the collection will begin to build up. How fantastic this will be.”

Tyaro burst out laughing, a sinister, evil laughter as the employees nodded their heads – it may have been wrong, but greed trumps morality. And this time was no exception.

---

[url="../251715-ygo-hidden-legacy-season-3-episode-10-the-dark-one-rises-part-1-posted-check-this-out/"][img]http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff244/InvertRemix/HLLogo.png[/img][/url]

Episode 17: Chance of Restoration - Absolute Zero!

The video had already flashed on the jumbotron in the center of the city square about five times. No more than two minutes in length, Ace had managed to record it, modify it, and use Tyaro’s own programming to hack it into the system. People would likely think he was crazy, lying; anything of the sort, but at least the message was out there. He zoomed in using the touchpad on the monitor; the cameras showed large gatherings of people throughout the city, watching as it felt like the calm before the unavoidable storm.

“Those of you watching this…I’m not a government official, I have no authority here – I’m just like the rest of you, although you could say I’m trapped. The event you witnessed just hours ago with the young girl who partook in the final duel of Tyaro’s open challenge – it’s just the beginning of what will happen if people continue to duel. A Virus system has been activated and I have proof that Tyaro and his people are behind it. Whether or not you choose to believe me is your own cause, but I’m pleading with you – do not duel. Until the system is able to be shut down, people will be dropping like flies and no one will realize it until it’s too late. With my intentions, this may well be the last you ever hear of me, but at least I was able to do something meaningful in my last few minutes.”

The feed cut out, the crowd gathering around the city scrambling, talking, shouting to one another as the people – young and old – tried to figure out what they had just heard, and whether or not it was something they should believe. For most of them, dueling was a lifestyle, and this unknown was asking them to give that up, for something at the hands of an honorable champion like Tyaro no less? Many of them shot it down right away, though there were certainly some considering it. A couple of people even took off their duel disks, folding them up and placing them somewhere safe – it wasn’t worth it to take the risk, even if it wasn’t true. Besides, they had seen what happened with the girl at the Duel Square – she’d lost, then vanished only minutes later.

“People, people, you have no reason to worry!” The crowd made way as a Sector Security official squeezed his way through, attempting to get to the center. “This is all a plot, hatched by that very man you just saw on the screen. The Sector Security is working on finding him, but we want to assure you that the system has been tested with our own members and everything is fine!”

The official was rather young – early twenties. He had a buzz cut, not much hair at all, and his outfit was the same as the others. It was definitely evident that a few in the crowd weren’t sure how to handle his appearance, but the majority of the people had already begun to calm down – it was just as they suspected; their champion would never do something like that. It must have been an accident of sorts. “Now please folks, to avoid chaos, we need the crowds to part, return to your lives, there is no reason to worry! Let’s go, move it!”

He made motions, even pushing his way through trying to get people to separate and return to whatever they were doing before the video had come on, until he noticed a man in a hooded sweatshirt facing the lamppost, not moving despite the orders that had just been given. “Listen kid, you need to scram! I said, it’s an official Security order – we need people off the streets!”

Some people stopped to watch as the man turned around, his face still hidden by the cloak of the sweatshirt. “Oh, I heard you – no need to worry.” He took a step forward, as the Security official reached for the baton on his side. “It’s just I don’t believe a word you’re saying.”

“What?!” The guard snapped, about ready to pull the weapon to his side. “Why I oughtta -!”

“But I tell you what, if the duel system’s working just fine then, perhaps you’d have no complaints about a duel with me?” The man reached for his duel disk, placing in onto his arm and activating it as he already knew what the guard’s answer would be. “To, you know, show the people of this area that they have no need to fear?”

He showed a sign of fear at first, but the official quickly wiped it away, replacing it with a smile. Perhaps this would work to his advantage. “Fine, you’re on; people, feel free to stay and watch, just to understand that everything is as good as we can make it for you!”

Almost instantly the bustling crowds ceased movement and began to gather around the duel. This would show them exactly what they were dealing with here – and how honest the security team was being.

“I hope since everything’s fine and dandy, you won’t mind me making the first move,” the hooded man spoke. “You know? Only because, I’m so anxious to make sure we’re working properly.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Excellent.” He pulled down the hood, revealing an incredibly familiar face, one the people recognized without even trying. It took the official a second, but once he caught on… “Allow me to introduce myself formally. The name’s Aster.”

---

On the southern side of the city, similar crowds had been gathered, though they weren’t as prominent as before, since some time had passed. A young man named Kaito had taken the stand, asserting himself and attempting to calm the people down as best he could. He had started by acknowledging his lack of qualification for being up there, but he was a good a choice as any if he could manage to at least calm them down. Many people had thrown their duel disks to the ground, some even recognizing Ace.

“I think I can take it from here,” the confident, almost seductive voice caught the people’s attention immediately, ripping them from Kaito’s presence as a beautiful woman with long, flowing brown hair and wearing the same security uniform that seemed all-too familiar.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Sanya, and I’m here representing Sector Security for this division. I’ve been asked to notify the public that the viral video going around is far from true. As a matter of fact, it’s supposed to distract us so that the culprit can get away with a plot of some sorts – though we’re not completely caught up on the details yet. It’s being asked that you resume your day just as you were and - please – try to avoid large crowds or gatherings.”

“Hold on a minute,” Kaito chimed in. “What makes you so qualified? It’s been less than an hour – I find it hard to believe Sector Security knows for a fact that everything’s good.”

“Don’t be naïve, boy.” Sanya replied with a sigh, taking a couple of steps toward the duelist to assert herself. “Of course this is a very serious matter, and we’ve come to the conclusion that after very serious testing everything is absolutely alright. Now if you please, leave the matters to the real leaders, sweetheart.”

“I would, if you could find a real leader.” He snapped back. “Because you’re not fooling anyone with your fake efforts.”

“You trying to threaten a law official? I’ll have you locked up so fast—”

“Wait just a minute there!” Both Kaito and Sanya turned their attention to the west as a figure emerged from the crowd. “Listen Kaito, I think I can get it from here. Ma’am, since you seem ta be so sure of ya’self, whatt’ya say we throw down, right here, to show the people there ain’t nothin’ to worry about?”

The southern drawl, bluish hair was recognizable instantly as Pro Duelist Jesse Anderson stepped out of the crowd, making himself known. He pressed a button on his duel disk and activated it, as the girl scowled but did the same.

“Hey, is that?!”
“It looks like it is man!”
“But what’s he doing here?!”

Just some of the voices from the crowd as scattered conversations ran amuck.

“Your status doesn’t intimidate me,” Sanya growled. “Let’s do this.”

“Game on!”

---

“Since I’m the official, I’ll be making the first move.” The man drew his card, looking over his hand of the ‘Police’ themed Deck he was playing. The city goers gathered round, paying close attention to ensure their safety above all else. “And I’ll start with Alert Hound in Defense Mode!”

[spoiler=Alert Hound]
Level 3/EARTH
Machine/Effect
Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 3 “Alert” monster from your hand in Defense Position.
0/800[/spoiler]

There was the brief whistling of sirens as the robotic canine settled on the field. It howled, causing a card within the officer’s hand to illuminate. “When my pet is brought to the field, I can call in some backup in the form of Alert Soldier!”

[spoiler=Alert Soldier]
Level 3/EARTH
Machine/Effect
When this card is Normal Summoned, you can destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card you control to draw 1 card. Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 2 “Alert” monster from your hand in Defense Position.
900/0[/spoiler]

A robotic warrior clad in armor made of clunky metal, with a semi-automatic machine gun for a right arm knelt down on the field beside the hound.

“I’m impressed,” Aster said with a smirk.

“Well you should be, because there’s more where that came from!”

“Oh, the excitement,” he replied sarcastically.

“With Alert Soldier’s effect, I can bring out another monster from my hand! Alert Cannon! Then, I can Tribute Alert Cannon to bring out two more!”

[spoiler=Alert Cannon]
Level 2/EARTH
Machine/Effect
You can Tribute this card to Special Summon 2 “Alert Cannon” from your Deck in Defense Position. Then, place 1 “Alert Counter” on all face-up “Alert” monsters you control. Monsters with “Alert Counters” cannot be destroyed by battle.
0/0[/spoiler]

[i]Four monsters in one turn? That’s a bit more than I’d expected.[/i] Aster examined the field as his opponent – obviously one of Tyaro’s henchmen, stood confident with the success of his opening move.

“Since Alert Cannon’s effect activated, all four of my monsters gain invincibility!” The people watched, and they were interested in the duel without a doubt. Anything to take their mind off the chaos. “Now then, why don’t you see if you can take me down after that?!”

“I have to be honest, that was far from a bad opening,” Aster said as he looked over his hand. What was the best way to approach this? “I Summon Elemental HERO Stratos!”

[spoiler=Elemental HERO Stratos]
Level 4/WIND
Warrior/Effect
When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, select and activate one of the following effects:
· Add 1 “HERO” monster from your Deck to your hand.
· Destroy a number of Spell or Trap Cards on the field equal to the number of “HERO” monsters you control
1800/1000[/spoiler]
A gust of wind struck the field as the air-propelled, muscle-clad warrior landed on the field. “With Stratos’ effect, I can take a “HERO” monster from my Deck and add it straight to my hand, and I think I’ll choose Elemental HERO Ice Edge!”
“See folks?” The officer turned to the crowd. “We’re dueling and everything’s absolutely fine!”
Some fans cheered, while others were still unsure, or perhaps processing the appearance of Aster Phoenix – a much bigger dueling celebrity than Tyaro for that matter – in [i]their[/i] city.
“Everything might not be fine for you, though!” Aster shouted out as he placed a Spell Card, ‘Miracle Fusion’, from his hand into his Spell/Trap Card Zone. “Because now I’m activating the Spell Card Miracle Fusion!”

[spoiler=Miracle Fusion]
[b]Normal Spell Card[/b]
Remove from play, from your hand, your side of the field, or your Graveyard monsters listed on an “Elemental HERO” Fusion Monster and Special Summon that monster from your Extra Deck.[/spoiler]

“So by removing Stratos and the Ice Edge in my hand from the game, I can bring out Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!”

[spoiler=Elemental HERO Absolute Zero]
Level 8/WATER
Warrior/Fusion/Effect
1 “Elemental HERO” monster + 1 WATER monster
This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. When this card is removed from the field, destroy all face-up monsters your opponent controls.
2500/2000[/spoiler]

It had been only a few minutes after Jesse’s confrontation with Zane that they had contacted Aster. He’d never been here personally, but he knew the place well enough – there weren’t too many people who hadn’t heard of Riley Storm’s accomplishments. Instantly though, he’d been up for it. Nothing exciting ever happened back home and he’d never really had the chance to test out these new HERO cards – two birds, one stone.

Or in this case – the entire assault unit.

“I gotta say, Sector Security was pretty quick to handle the situation, no?” Aster inquired, not expecting much of an answer. “Now the only question left to ask is whether or not I can handle you quicker than you tried to mess with the rest of us! And I’ll do that with the Spell Card Sword of the Falling Rains!”

[spoiler=Sword of the Falling Rains]
[b]Normal Spell Card[/b]
Select 1 “HERO” Fusion Monster you control. This turn, it can attack each monster your opponent controls once each. Any Battle Damage your opponent would take from the selected monster is reduced to 0. During the End Phase, return the monster to the Extra Deck and draw 1 card.[/spoiler]

Zero thrust his arm upwards as a sword materialized from above. The fans began to rally behind Aster, confirming the beliefs that things weren’t as okay as the securities were trying to make them seem. “Now with this, Absolute Zero can attack each monster you control once each! Unfortunately, during the End Phase he’ll be going back to the Extra Deck, but this should be more than enough to clear your field!”

“I hate to burst your bubble, but for a pro you sure don’t pay much attention.” The officer remarked, a snide confidence in his voice. “Thanks to Alert Cannon, none of my monsters can be destroyed by battle!”

“You’re right, which is why I’ve still got one last card to play!” Aster knew the duel was over – the guy had swarmed the field with monsters but hadn’t bothered to set anything, leaving him wide open once this next card hit the field. “Now I play Ice-Shattering Spear! This card allows my monster to gain 200 attack points for each monster on your field!”

[spoiler=Ice-Shattering Spear]
[b]Quick-Play Spell Card[/b]
Select 1 Warrior-Type monster you control and increase its ATK by 200 for each monster your opponent controls, until the End Phase. During this turn, if the selected monster battles an opponent’s monster, you can choose to negate its destruction and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the total ATK gained by this effect. In addition, when that monster is removed from the field, both players take damage equal to the total ATK gained.[/spoiler]

“Zero, bring the pain to all four of his monsters! Go, Ice-Shattering Spear!” The warrior’s sword vaporized, then froze on contact turning into a lightning-bolt shape comprised of solid ice. Swiftly, he leapt into the air and hurled it forward as it ricocheted off each monster, none of them feeling the full effects of the battle.

“I don’t understand the point!” the officer called out. “Your monster didn’t even scratch my barricade!”

“That’s what you think, but what I’ve really done is establish a crack in the armor!” Feint sirens began to sound as the battle lines were weakened. The monsters were still there, but the spear had made its mark. “See, since Absolute Zero battled four different monsters this turn, the effect of Ice-Shattering Spear kicks in four times, allowing me to inflict damage to you equal to the total attack points Absolute Zero gained, times the number of monsters it battled! Now I’m not sure if you’re a math whiz or not, but that’s a grand total of 3200!”

“Say what?!” The officer cried out – unable to block the assault.

[b]Officer’s Life Points[/b]: 800

“Even then, I’ve still got 800 points left, whereas your monster’s about to return to your Deck, leaving your Life Points wide open for a direct assault!”

“You’d think so, wouldn’t ya?” Aster asked jokingly, even laughing to himself, ironically as it wasn’t much of a laughing matter. Nonetheless, he proceeded. “Now Sword of the Falling Rains kicks in, returning Absolute Zero to the Deck!”

The frozen warrior began to vanish, leaving nothing but a gust of wind and snow in its place. “But now, Absolute Zero’s effect kicks in, destroying all four monsters on your field, and when you combine that with the effect of Ice-Shattering Spear, since Zero’s leaving the field, we both take damage equal to the total amount of attack points he gained, which is a grand total of 800!”

“But if it’s 800, that means this duel – this duel is over!”

“Precisely.” Aster replied. “But according to your logic, that should be fine, right? If the system’s just a false alarm and everything.”

“No—I”

[b]Officer’s Life Points[/b]: 0

The guard dropped to his knees and cried out in pain, as the crowd gathered around to witness a green light emerge from the duel disk, draining his energy. And seconds later, he was gone, leaving nothing but a duel disk and a pile of scattered cards around.

People began to panic – Aster could sense the fear rising and knew he had to do something to keep them from getting out of hand – otherwise things would get even worse.

“Listen up everyone! The so-called “Sector Security” are not who you think they are! We’re talking about a bunch of people working for Tyaro under this Virus system disguised as security officers to get you to duel! I know he’s the World Champion and you believe him to do no wrong, but if you continue to duel, you’ll end up just like that one! We have to put a stop to this before it completely destroys the city!”

But even he wasn’t sure if they could control it. He could only hope Jesse and Zane would be able to hold down their part of the mission.

This would be hard enough.

[b]To be continued...[/b][/spoiler]

[Umbra]

[font=Courier New][center]R E V I E W

I N C O M I N G[/center][/font]

Today's subject is the latest four chapters; spanning from Chapter 14, which concludes Tyaro's duel with Orii, to Chapter 17, where Tyaro mobilizes his troops but meets unexpected resistance. We will start chronologically, with 14.

[b]Chance or Fate?[/b]
Well, it seems to be fate. Ice Barriers versus Vision Heroes, two archetypes I know fairly little about, clash in a very well-paced battle. Boss monsters are thrown around a lot, as would be expected in a one-shot duel such as this one. However, there seems to be a formatting problem: Tyaro's thoughts aren't italicized, which make them hard to distinguish from the rest of the text.

I only have one complaint with the duel itself: Ice Whirlwind. Seeing as Tyaro intended to summon Gungnir later that turn, he could have used Gungnir's effect to destroy Trinity directly, without giving Orii his other monsters back. It seems like an awfully bad strategy, even for someone of Tyaro's limited intelligence.

We learn a bit more about Orii in this chapter, although it raises more questions than it gives answers. He serves a secret master, who supposedly knows about Tyaro's intentions with the Virus system. However, the other characters - that's you, Ace McCoolname - shouldn't know about this yet; somehow, he seems perfectly aware that Tyaro's going to kill everyone. Maybe that's just me.


[b]The Takeover Begins[/b]
While the duels keep going on outside, Ace has been going all Deus Ex on us by sneaking into Tyaro's main offices - a building that supposedly looks like a high school, despite being described as your average office space - to shut down the Virus system from within. The illusory guards were a nice twist, and also explain why the AC was turned off.

You use dramatic irony in the cliffhanger, I suppose - Aurkus hasn't changed much from when we last saw him, other than being slightly taller (I don't suppose you've read a book called Desperation?) and a wardrobe change - hardly enough to support "not the Aurkus he knew". We later learn in-story that this as a matter of fact isn't Aurkus, but a powerful Duel Spirit in disguise - mayhap one of the Dark Wanderer's sidekicks? I guess we'll find out later. Let's get back on track, shall we?

Aurkus "accidentally" triggering the Virus system was unexpected, but a good twist; it puts some pressure on Ace to solve the thing, as opposed to the "days" it would take for it to start up normally. Aurkus knowing exactly how to operate the mainframe is a bit suspicious, but Ace not picking that up is justified by the stress. (The simplicity also makes sense, as Tyaro's not exactly the brightest of individuals.)

Him expecting Aurkus to have the access code for the Virus system was a bit weird, though. Aurkus is, after all, a fairly lowly employee, and this seems like the kind of thing that would be reserved to Tyaro. Aurkus knowing the code is actually less of a surprise considering what happens next.

Another piece of evidence for Tyaro's obfuscating stupidity - his safety measures only protects the mainframe against his own employees, as opposed to, say, an industrial spy who wanted to access it, or someone bent on duelist genocide. As the entity apparently knows this, it could've made better choices than possessing one of the few people on Earth that cannot activate the mainframe by themselves.

Perhaps this can be blamed on stress as well, but I honestly can't believe Ace didn't read Energy Prison's effect at some point during the duel. It should've become clear to him once his opponent started protecting it with everything he had that it might just be important to their strategy.


[b]Chaos Breaks Loose[/b]
We conclude the Ace vs Aurkus duel with not one, but two twists; Ace turning the duel around in his favor and actually winning, only for his opponent to casually admit that by doing so, he caused the Virus to break loose. However, is Aurkus supposed to be a duel spirit? I was taken back a bit when he just "faded away" rather than, you know, dying from exhaustion. I definitely love the Duel Spirit's response - everything just screams "Nice job breaking it, Hero" and rubs it in Ace's face like nothing else. Brilliant, nothing short of it.

The switch back to Tyaro killing one of his fans definitely puts a grim perspective on the whole thing: the heroes have failed, that much is obvious, and we're now officially in the recovery phase. Then we have our Big Damn Heroes moment with... GX characters. I know they're a part of the Hidden Legacy canon, and you know that I'm not a fan of GX, so I'll leave that to that.


Tyaro's line also implies that the Duel Spirit to be none other than the Dark Wanderer himself - certainly an interesting turn of events, the two big bads getting involved in each others' affairs. A common goal further down the line, or just a temporary alliance? We shall see.

[b]Chance of Restoration - Absolute Zero![/b]
We're officially past the event horizon - there's no coming back from here. Tyaro full-out mobilizes everyone he can muster as "Sector Security" - the police force in 5D's, which makes me wonder exactly when this is supposed to take place. Is this what will eventually become that force? I'm a subscriber to the theory that a few hundred years pass between GX and 5D's, what with the technology that's available, and it seems unlikely that Aster and the others would be alive. Then, on the other hand, it's your story - it doesn't have to be in the canon.

Lon seems to be an interesting character, if perhaps a little one-dimensional. He makes sense as a character, but I'd wish there was something more to him than just a blindly loyal servant. I hope you'll expand upon him in future chapters - something tells me you will.

This is probably one of the more realistic descriptions of an "evil army" I've seen lately without them being driven insane or brainwashed. These guys know that they're going to end up killing a lot of people, but they also know there's a lot of money involved - and with seemingly little risk, they all step up to the task.

Ace portrayed as an enemy of the public was a brilliant touch, and the subsequent disbelief in Security that follows is another. It all connects in a way that makes sense, which is always great.

There seems to be a few hours of a timeskip here; Tyaro organizing the troops and spreading them out, the Big Damn Heroes - Aster and crew - getting to Diamond City, and everything else that happens. This isn't explicitly stated - I think that would deserve a mention.

The duel wasn't very interesting, to be frank. Aster apparently using Absolute Zero rather than the D-Heroes he's more known for seemed odd, (and yes, I know he used E-Heroes for a few episodes, but Absolute Zero wasn't one of them) and the situational support just threw the whole thing off. The highlight of the duel was actually the Alert archetype, which seems solid and very playable.


[b]Conclusion[/b]
In general, the four chapters were good. The high point here was definitely Ace versus the Wanderer, and the banter following the duel. The Wanderer is quickly shaping up to be my favorite character in this story. (funny how that always seems to happen with the villains) The low point would be Aster versus AlertGuy: OTKs are to be used sparsely, and executed in this manner... it just felt too quick.

I feel like you could've painted some more gray on the people - maybe have someone actually believe in Tyaro, which actually seems to be the logical thing as everything he said works out given what they know - but their defiance against Security is inspiring in itself.

Hidden Legacy is getting better and better by the chapter, and I look forward to seeing where you will take the story next.

[Synchronized]

[spoiler=My Responses][quote name='Umbra' timestamp='1317236564' post='5546010']
[center][center] [/center][/center]
[center][center]R E V I E W

I N C O M I N G


Today's subject is the latest four chapters; spanning from Chapter 14, which concludes Tyaro's duel with Orii, to Chapter 17, where Tyaro mobilizes his troops but meets unexpected resistance. We will start chronologically, with 14.

[b]Chance or Fate?[/b]
Well, it seems to be fate. Ice Barriers versus Vision Heroes, two archetypes I know fairly little about, clash in a very well-paced battle. Boss monsters are thrown around a lot, as would be expected in a one-shot duel such as this one. However, there seems to be a formatting problem: Tyaro's thoughts aren't italicized, which make them hard to distinguish from the rest of the text.

[i]That seems to happen a lot. Sometimes, it's as simple as me forgetting to add "[/i]" to the end of the sentence, or missing it somewhere else in the story that messes it up. I can go back and take a look at that and try to fix those issues to make sure that it makes more sense to new readers (if they exist).[/i]

I only have one complaint with the duel itself: Ice Whirlwind. Seeing as Tyaro intended to summon Gungnir later that turn, he could have used Gungnir's effect to destroy Trinity directly, without giving Orii his other monsters back. It seems like an awfully bad strategy, even for someone of Tyaro's limited intelligence.

[i]I'll be honest and say that was more of a plot device than anything else - it was done as a way for Orii to get his monsters back to the field for the purpose of, the duel wouldn't be too interesting if Tyaro just squashed him, right? So I wanted to make it as competitive as possible.[/i]

We learn a bit more about Orii in this chapter, although it raises more questions than it gives answers. He serves a secret master, who supposedly knows about Tyaro's intentions with the Virus system. However, the other characters - that's you, Ace McCoolname - shouldn't know about this yet; somehow, he seems perfectly aware that Tyaro's going to kill everyone. Maybe that's just me.

[i]Ace knows about the Virus system (briefly) from his conversation with Rayori which I thought I explained, but maybe I didn't. Ace doesn't know what Tyaro plans to do with the Virus system aside from activate it, though. I don't think I expanded upon Ace's knowledge of the system beyond that.[/i]


[b]The Takeover Begins[/b]
While the duels keep going on outside, Ace has been going all Deus Ex on us by sneaking into Tyaro's main offices - a building that supposedly looks like a high school, despite being described as your average office space - to shut down the Virus system from within. The illusory guards were a nice twist, and also explain why the AC was turned off.

[i]I wanted to give it that almost creepy feel, as to why the guards were repeating themselves over and over. When I meant High School, I was just going for the "tile floor, styrofoam ceiling tiles, offices all throughout the hallway" thing. Perhaps it was a bad description. There are tons of offices, each with their own door, etc.[/i]

You use dramatic irony in the cliffhanger, I suppose - Aurkus hasn't changed much from when we last saw him, other than being slightly taller (I don't suppose you've read a book called Desperation?) and a wardrobe change - hardly enough to support "not the Aurkus he knew". We later learn in-story that this as a matter of fact isn't Aurkus, but a powerful Duel Spirit in disguise - mayhap one of the Dark Wanderer's sidekicks? I guess we'll find out later. Let's get back on track, shall we?

[i]I'm not familiar with Desperation. It wasn't that "Aurkus he knew", but I was going for the "changes are so significant that something definitely stands out" sort of thing. Right, it turns out to not be Aurkus at all - just his body.[/i]

Aurkus "accidentally" triggering the Virus system was unexpected, but a good twist; it puts some pressure on Ace to solve the thing, as opposed to the "days" it would take for it to start up normally. Aurkus knowing exactly how to operate the mainframe is a bit suspicious, but Ace not picking that up is justified by the stress. (The simplicity also makes sense, as Tyaro's not exactly the brightest of individuals.)

[i]Right, before we figure this out all we really know is Aurkus has a lot of built-up frustration because of everything that happened, which is reason to believe he might go do something like this. His knowledge of how to operate the mainframe, but not "his" at all. The Wanderer is not stupid by any means - he has quite a grasp on human technology. With Ace's sense of panic, his goal at this point was just to shut the system off, however he had to.[/i]

Him expecting Aurkus to have the access code for the Virus system was a bit weird, though. Aurkus is, after all, a fairly lowly employee, and this seems like the kind of thing that would be reserved to Tyaro. Aurkus knowing the code is actually less of a surprise considering what happens next.

[i]Remember here that Tyaro is being portrayed as a "stupid genius". He's very intelligent in some respects, but when it comes to common sense, he's not. The thing is, Aurkus told Ace he might know how to fix it, so Ace is under the impression that Aurkus aleady knows what he's doing. It's not Aurkus who actually knows the code, it's The Wanderer.[/i]

Another piece of evidence for Tyaro's obfuscating stupidity - his safety measures only protects the mainframe against his own employees, as opposed to, say, an industrial spy who wanted to access it, or someone bent on duelist genocide. As the entity apparently knows this, it could've made better choices than possessing one of the few people on Earth that cannot activate the mainframe by themselves.

[i]As the Wanderer explains, Aurkus' anger made it not only easy for him to do so, but there would be no questions if Aurkus was wandering (*shot*) the building, because he works there, he's a normal employee.[/i]

Perhaps this can be blamed on stress as well, but I honestly can't believe Ace didn't read Energy Prison's effect at some point during the duel. It should've become clear to him once his opponent started protecting it with everything he had that it might just be important to their strategy.

[i]In this sense, Ace continued to focus on the timer, knowing that as soon as it ran out, the system would be activated. Logic wasn't really a factor here until the end, and even then, he was just sort of throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what stuck.[/i]


[b]Chaos Breaks Loose[/b]
We conclude the Ace vs Aurkus duel with not one, but two twists; Ace turning the duel around in his favor and actually winning, only for his opponent to casually admit that by doing so, he caused the Virus to break loose. However, is Aurkus supposed to be a duel spirit? I was taken back a bit when he just "faded away" rather than, you know, dying from exhaustion. I definitely love the Duel Spirit's response - everything just screams "Nice job breaking it, Hero" and rubs it in Ace's face like nothing else. Brilliant, nothing short of it.

[i]That one I knew would be somewhat confusing. Aurkus is himself, but the Wanderer has basically taken over his body. That's easy enough to understand. What this Virus system does is actually takes all the energy, body included, which is why Melissa disappears in 17, and Aster's opponent does as well. The entire body just goes away, and by the time Aurkus had lost, the system had already been activated. The Wanderer is anything but unintelligent, and this is somewhat his character to actually use his smarts to his advantage. He would have fulfilled his agreement, but there was truly nothing he could do, yet he knew this would happen from the beginning. It was a win-win.[/i]

The switch back to Tyaro killing one of his fans definitely puts a grim perspective on the whole thing: the heroes have failed, that much is obvious, and we're now officially in the recovery phase. Then we have our Big Damn Heroes moment with... GX characters. I know they're a part of the Hidden Legacy canon, and you know that I'm not a fan of GX, so I'll leave that to that.

[i]The GX Involvement is something I felt obligated to do given what happened in the first two seasons when I was writing as a "fanboy" more than anything else. Jesse Anderson played a big role in Season 1 and 2, and to exclude him with that in mind doesn't make sense from a logical standpoint. That being said, as we discussed the GX Heroes with the exception of Zane won't be playing much of a role at all beyond this Arc. I just wanted to get that out of the way so people don't think this is some kind of Duel Academy re-write.[/i]

Tyaro's line also implies that the Duel Spirit to be none other than the Dark Wanderer himself - certainly an interesting turn of events, the two big bads getting involved in each others' affairs. A common goal further down the line, or just a temporary alliance? We shall see.

[i]Yes, it is the Wanderer, and he decided that waiting for Tyaro to fulfill his end of the bargain wasn't worth it, therefore decided to step in and get things going. Why? Well, that I won't spoil.[/i]

[b]Chance of Restoration - Absolute Zero![/b]
We're officially past the event horizon - there's no coming back from here. Tyaro full-out mobilizes everyone he can muster as "Sector Security" - the police force in 5D's, which makes me wonder exactly when this is supposed to take place. Is this what will eventually become that force? I'm a subscriber to the theory that a few hundred years pass between GX and 5D's, what with the technology that's available, and it seems unlikely that Aster and the others would be alive. Then, on the other hand, it's your story - it doesn't have to be in the canon.

[i]I like to think that Sector Security can really be used in any sense, I just chose the name because it's something YuGiOh fans could connect to. This takes place after GX but before 5D's. It wasn't like they were running around on Duel Runners - basically, just to kind of place the image in the heads of the readers, which explains why Aster and the others are alive. Synchros are new here, well, relatively so anyway.[/i]

Lon seems to be an interesting character, if perhaps a little one-dimensional. He makes sense as a character, but I'd wish there was something more to him than just a blindly loyal servant. I hope you'll expand upon him in future chapters - something tells me you will.

[i]Lon's "claim to fame" will be coming very shortly, in 18 and 19 to be specific. We'll learn who he is, why he does what he does and why - if he's so strong and smart - he works under Tyaro as opposed to trying to take over for himself. [/i]

This is probably one of the more realistic descriptions of an "evil army" I've seen lately without them being driven insane or brainwashed. These guys know that they're going to end up killing a lot of people, but they also know there's a lot of money involved - and with seemingly little risk, they all step up to the task.

[i]Exactly. It's already chaotic, and these people are doing this because it pays well and they need the money; the payoff appears to be worth it in their minds, and they can't really back out at this point.[/i]

Ace portrayed as an enemy of the public was a brilliant touch, and the subsequent disbelief in Security that follows is another. It all connects in a way that makes sense, which is always great.

[i]That's what I was going for . Riley is well-known but Ace was much more of a sidekick than anything else, so it's only logical that people wouldn't really recognize him as much. Kaito's confrontation with the Security Guard and standing up to her is to show that some people aren't going to fall so easily into the trap.[/i]
There seems to be a few hours of a timeskip here; Tyaro organizing the troops and spreading them out, the Big Damn Heroes - Aster and crew - getting to Diamond City, and everything else that happens. This isn't explicitly stated - I think that would deserve a mention.

[i]The impression I meant to give is that Aster, Jesse, and Zane (Duel Guard is their official title and something that will be explained upon a bit more in upcoming chapters) took off at the end of 16. Tyaro starts to organize the troops and they're already here, but there is an hour or two of timeskip, which I don't think hurts, because of the sense that I used a line break to get us there, which I generally do for a change of setting.[/i]

The duel wasn't very interesting, to be frank. Aster apparently using Absolute Zero rather than the D-Heroes he's more known for seemed odd, (and yes, I know he used E-Heroes for a few episodes, but Absolute Zero wasn't one of them) and the situational support just threw the whole thing off. The highlight of the duel was actually the Alert archetype, which seems solid and very playable.

[i]It was filler, no more, no less. Aster as a character has no relevance to Hidden Legacy, nor has he ever. I just needed someone to cover the ground of that area of the city. Simply put, the "Duel Academy" GX-era heroes are "Professional Duelists" now, and well-known, which is why they're so recognizable, with Zane being the most of the three. Aster wasn't meant to have a prominent role at all, just to notify that are aof the city and quickly make an example of the opponent. I did an OTK on purpose because it would just be wasting time to go further into that duel when it has no relevance to the main plot at all.[/i]


[b]Conclusion[/b]
In general, the four chapters were good. The high point here was definitely Ace versus the Wanderer, and the banter following the duel. The Wanderer is quickly shaping up to be my favorite character in this story. (funny how that always seems to happen with the villains) The low point would be Aster versus AlertGuy: OTKs are to be used sparsely, and executed in this manner... it just felt too quick.

[i]Yeah, like I said it was meant to be quick in terms of the fact that Aster's not really important at all. Ace versus the Wanderer I definitely enjoyed writing, and the Energy Archetype is something I'd be interesting in expanding upon. Though, if you're wondering, it's not the Wanderer's actual Decktype. Using that would give way too much away this early in the story.[/i]

I feel like you could've painted some more gray on the people - maybe have someone actually believe in Tyaro, which actually seems to be the logical thing as everything he said works out given what they know - but their defiance against Security is inspiring in itself.

[i]That part's coming, too. Jesse's duel against Sanya is a bit more relevant which is why I gave Sanya a name and didn't bother to name Aster's opponent. But since Jesse/Aster/ aren't from Diamond City, their disks don't have the Virus program installed, so they're basically proving to the people that the Sector Security is being anything but honest.[/i]

Hidden Legacy is getting better and better by the chapter, and I look forward to seeing where you will take the story next.
[/quote][/spoiler]

I appreciate you taking the time to do such a long review, and I hope my responses to your points actually help you to get a better understanding of everything.


[/center][/center]

[Synchronized]

[spoiler=Chapter 18: A Rainbow Reunion]
[b]Chapter 18: A Rainbow Reunion![/b]

There was nothing but silence as Zane wandered through the streets. They were empty for the most part, with only a few areas of the city being populated due to the chaos and hysteria that Tyaro and his people had been so kind as to spread. He could hear nothing but the sound of his own footsteps, but he could feel the urge to duel burning up inside of him – this had been such a long time coming. After spending such a long time sitting there doing nothing, the opportunity for a challenge was right around the corner, and he intended to jump on it.

For the most part, the people had gathered to two sections of the city, which they’d separated into North and South for mission purposes. Jesse had taken the South, and Aster had taken the North, for no reasons in particular. With that decided, Zane had the most difficult of tasks. Though, this was the one reason he’d accepted the request to tag along – to settle an old score. Plus, he wasn’t as much of a people person as the others – this was definitely the most effective way to keep things calm. One or two cars drove by, but he paid them no attention as nothing would deter his focus at this point; he continued to walk towards the Headquarters building which was becoming more clearly visible by the second.

A quick glance to his left above a pile of shattered glass revealed the window of a media shop which had been broken into, recently by the looks of it. The window had been shattered entirely, and the inside of the store was a mess – piles of televisions, radios, even computers everywhere, many of them with cracked or broken screens. There was an uneasy feel to the entire place, like something straight out of a horror flick. The city appeared darker than usual and the panic which had spread among the people would without a doubt make things worse. Once Aster and Jesse won their duels, it would reveal to the people that the Virus system was in fact completely real and in turn, would cause even more destruction.

He rattled his mind attempting to figure out what Tyaro’s main goal was – playing this character on television and in front of crowds that was a city hero, yet here he was using the same people he catered to for his own gain. A genius, no doubt, but not something that could go allowed unpunished. What was his use for the people here? Why the Virus system, a collection of sorts? Was he planning on using the energy he’d gained to make himself stronger? Or were there greater forces at work? They were walking into an enemy battleground with little to no knowledge of what they were up against. The only one who truly knew was Ace, and they had no idea as to his whereabouts – that video had shown nothing but his face.

With Tyaro’s people now aware of the situation and likely trying to keep things as quiet as possible – Ace must have gone into hiding, at least for now. He mentioned something about having a plan he’d put together, and one that might be the end of him. Perhaps he was planning to duel Tyaro, which would make sense and definitely appeared to be the only plan of action for him at this point. If he was caught, he’d probably be done away with quietly. As badly as Zane would have liked to duel Tyaro himself and get a real challenge of a duel, but that wouldn’t work. Not this time. As much as he hated to say it, he had to stay in the background for now – with what Ace had begun to accomplish, he was someone the people could get behind. Messing up what might be the only sense of leadership right now didn’t make much sense.

He’d reached the outside of the building minutes later. Whether or not they knew he was coming made no difference at this point. With most of the employees in disguise as Sector Security, they’d be out of the building anyway. But the person he was looking for – that person was here without a doubt.
And it was time to duel.

---

“Let’s go, sweetheart. I’m interested to see what you’re made of.” Sanya scanned the crowd, a somewhat twisted smile on her face.

“Don’t mind if I do!” Jesse had no intention of denying the girl was certainly beautiful, but it wasn’t going to distract him from their goal. He had to win, no matter what the cost. Even though victory would mean she would be no longer of this world, if the people didn’t see what was going on before it was too late, it truly would be too late to stop this. “I’ll start with Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise in Defense Mode! Come on out pal!”

[spoiler=Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise]
Level 4/WATER
Aqua/Effect
Once per turn, you can select 1 “Crystal Beast” monster you control and change its Battle Position. When this card is destroyed while in a Monster Card Zone, you can place it face-up in your Spell/Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.
600/2000[/spoiler]

“But don’t think I’m quite finished yet!” The large, emerald-crystal clad tortoise appeared on the field and retreated within its shell. “Cause now I’m activating the Spell Card Crystal Tree!” A multi-colored tree emerged from the pavement, lighting up the area with a rainbow of fluorescent crystals.

[spoiler=Crystal Tree]
[b]Continuous Spell Card[/b]
When a “Crystal Beast” monster you control is destroyed, place 1 “Crystal Counter” on this card. Each time a “Crystal Counter” is placed on this card, select 1 “Crystal Beast” monster from your Deck and place it face-up in your Spell/Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card.[/spoiler]

“I’ll end it with two face-downs! It ain’t gon’ be easy to break through my defenses!”

“I’m sure you’re all bark, and no bite.” Sanya replied casually. While that may have been true, her ‘Gene-Warped Warwolf’ was quite the contrary. “Unlike my precious beast! Come out, Gene-Warped Warwolf!”

[spoiler=Gene-Warped Warwolf]
Level 4/EARTH
[Beast-Warrior]
[i]This warwolf was given incalculable strength through horrific genetic manipulation. Its gentle nature was completely wiped out, and it now lives only to unleash destruction.[/i]
2000/100[/spoiler]

As the genetically-modified, four-armed wolf-warrior took the field, it let out a howl so piercingly loud that even those standing around took a few steps back, not wanting to be anywhere near such a figure.

“That thing sure don’t look friendly!” Jesse called out.

“You haven’t even begun to see what he’s capable of,” Sanya let out a slight laugh as she placed a Spell Card into duel disk. “Because now, I equip him with the Spell Card Mage Power!”

[spoiler=Mage Power]
[b]Equip Spell Card[/b]
The equipped monster gains 500 ATK for each Spell/Trap Card on your field.[/spoiler]

A red veil consumed the wolf, who in turn embraced the power behind this newfound energy. “And by placing another card face-down, my monster gains a total of 1000 attack points!”

([b]Gene-Warped Warwolf: 2000 + 1000 = 3000[/b])

“Ouch, this one could hurt a bit!”

“A bit is more certainly an understatement!” Sanya batted her eyes, almost menacingly. “You dared talk down to me, and now you’ll pay for it, just like all the others.”

“Bring it on!” Jesse welcomed the challenge.

“Gene-Warped Warwolf, destroy his putrid reptile with Silver Claw!” As the warwolf jumped from the pavement, lunging forward, claws emerged from all four of its arms, which it so vigorously swiped at the shelled creature with.

“Almost, but not quite, see I’m activatin’ the Trap Card Crystal Replication!” Jesse interrupted just in time, as the creature held off its assault for a moment, the turtle emerging its head from the protection of the large shell atop its back and letting out a sigh of relief.

[spoiler=Crystal Replication]
[b]Normal Trap Card[/b]
Tribute 1 “Crystal Beast” monster you control. Then, Special Summon 3 “Crystal Beast Tokens” to your field in Defense Position, with an ATK, DEF, Level, Attribute, and Type that are the same as the Tributed monster. When a “Crystal Beast Token” you control is destroyed, destroy all “Crystal Beast Token(s)” on the field.[/spoiler]

“What’s this?” Sanya chimed in. “You think your little gems will save you?”

“I don’t think, I’m sure of it!” Jesse called out as the turtle was gone in a flash and replaced by three identical copies of itself, except these were noticeably less lively – almost stone-like. “My Turtle’s sacrifice won’t go wasted, as now I’ve got three monsters as opposed to just one!”

“It doesn’t matter if the pond has one minnow, or twenty,” Sanya let out an innocent laugh. “The big fish will destroy them all! Now, Warwolf, take out the one in the middle with Silver Claw!”

The beast wasted little time, packing even more of a punch as payment for being forced to wait, and the stone turtle exploded in seconds. As the wolf settled back down into position, the other two turtles exploded as well, throwing Sanya off guard ever so slightly.

“What gives?” She asked. “I only attacked the one in the middle.”

“See, by playin’ Crystal Release I didn’t stop your attack at all,” Jesse explained. “In reality, what I did was give myself three monsters to destroy as opposed to just one, allowing Crystal Tree’s effect to kick in three times!”

As Jesse explained his move, the people watched in anticipation, their eyes drawn to the large tree towering above them as three crystals within it lit up. One of cobalt, one of Amber, and one of Ruby, all three releasing a glow of similar color, which shot up into the air. “And by doin’ that, I’m allowed to take and crystallize three “Crystal Beast” monsters from my Deck, thanks to the effect of my Crystal Tree!”

Crystals matching the colors of the ones highlighted on the tree materialized on the field; three in total.

“Come on out, Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle, Amber Mammoth, and Ruby Carbuncle!” The fans cheered as these familiar creatures took their crystallized forms on the field, ready to be called into battle if need be.

[i]He’s got a full back row; I might be able to make good use of this.[/i] Sanya smiled, somewhat, though it was more so to herself. “I guess that’ll do it for me.”

“That means it’s my go? Don’t mind if I do!” Jesse drew his next card, adding it to his hand as he pressed the red button on his duel disk to reveal the card he’d set face-down. “I’m gonna kick things off with the Spell Card Rare Value!”

[spoiler=Rare Value]
[b]Normal Spell Card[/b]
Send 1 “Crystal Beast” monster from your Spell/Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard and draw 2 cards.[/spoiler]

“So by sending Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle to the Graveyard,” Jesse explained. “I can draw two more cards! Next, I’m callin out a reliable pal! Come on out, Crystal Beast Sapphire Peagsus!”

[spoiler=Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus]
Level 4/WIND
Beast/Effect
When this card is Summoned, select 1 “Crystal Beast” monster from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard and place it face-up in your Spell/Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card. When this card is destroyed while in a Monster Card Zone, you can place it face-up in your Spell/Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card instead of sending it to the Graveyard.
1800/1200[/spoiler]

The winged horse exploded from the card within Jesse’s hand, galloping into the air and settling upon the field with a grunt of its nose, eyeing the creature on the opposing field. “With Pegagus’ effect, I can take another Crystal Beast monster from my Deck and crystallize it! So say hello to Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat!” Sanya had no response as an amethyst-colored crystal materialized alongside the other two.

“Excuse me if I seem arrogant,” Sanya formed a smile. “But what exactly is your collection of colorful rocks supposed to do to help you here?”

“I’d hate to ruin the fun by giving the whole thing away, ya know?” Jesse asked with a smile. “So I think I’ll toss one card face-down and call it a turn.”

[i]This brat’s planning something – such a complicated move only to end? That doesn’t make sense.[/i] “It appears great minds think alike, because I to will set another card face-down, giving my Gene-Warped Warwolf an additional 500 attack points!” As she set the card, it materialized behind her monster, whose aura began to increase in size.

([b]Gene-Warped Warwolf: 3000 + 500 = 3500[/b])

“Why waste any time, right sweetie?” Sanya’s arrogance and display of personality for a security officer left the people surrounding with an uneasy feeling; [i]perhaps Jesse was right[/i]? Then again, there were others, many of them teenagers, girls in particular, who continued to believe their hero Tyaro could do no wrong, despite glaring tendencies. She wasn’t carrying herself like a security officer should in any way, her seductive mannerisms serving only to lower the people’s opinion of her character. “Warwolf, clip that horse’s wings with Silver Claw!”

“I don’t think so, I ain’t quite feelin’ that!” Jesse pressed the red button on his duel disk, revealing the Trap Card he’d just set last turn. “I’m activatin’ the Trap Card G-Force!”

[spoiler=G-Force]
[b]Normal Trap Card[/b]
Activate only when a “Crystal Beast” monster you control is selected as an attack target. Select and Special Summon 1 “Crystal Beast” monster from your hand. That monster becomes the new attack target.[/spoiler]

“Now I can bring out the last card in my hand, Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger, and he feels thew blow of your attack instead!” Jesse shouted as the tan beast, complete with a dangerously sharp silver horn atop its head appeared on the field, facing the wrath of the wolf’s claw no soon than he’d gotten there. “Sorry pal, but thanks for takin’ one for the team!” Jesse spoke to the card as he placed it in the Graveyard.

“No crystal this time?” [i]But why[/i]? This guy was unlike anyone she’d ever faced – he seemed carefree in personality and yet when the chips were against him showed absolutely no fear at all. Something wasn’t making sense. And yet she couldn’t avoid the consequences of what would happen should she lose this. She’d never been a big follower of professional dueling, at least not to the point where she’d recognized this guy, but the Crystal Beast cards – she’d heard of them before. [i]He must be the boy that these cards were specifically designed for...[/i] But wasn’t there a bigger monster, something that required them all? She could swear she’d heard of it, but her mind was coming up empty.

“Ugh, fine!” She snapped. “I’m done for this round.” The denial in her mind, that possibility of losing this duel and knowing full well what would happen, she had been able to put it aside with the expectation that she’d be facing a couple of amateur city brats, not some pro. And while the reality was she was doing this for money – very good money for that matter – that was all so inferior now. Her life was at stake and she had no way to back out. Winning was essential, but the more the duel progressed the less sure she became. Why couldn’t she damage him?

Listening closely, Jesse could hear some of the scattered voices of the people behind him.

“I dunno dude, I’m getting an uneasy feeling about this already...”
“Yeah, what if that Ace guy was right – could we all be on the fast track to destruction?”
“What will happen to our city?”

Just a few samples – there was no dueling rush this time around. He wasn’t dueling with excitement. The reality had set in that these people were literally in fear for their lives, and they should be, with what was going on. Winning the duel wasn’t his main concern, more so the fact that this girl’s life – be the person that she may – was very limited, and that within minutes she’d be gone. It was not a choice he wanted to make or carry out by any means, but it was either these goons or an entire city.

[i]This ain’t gonna be easy to watch...[/i] Jesse drew a card, the only one in his hand. ‘Rainbow Path’, exactly what he’d been hoping for. With this, once her warwolf attacked his Pegasus, he could send Amethyst Cat to the Graveyard to negate the attack, then take ‘Rainbow Dragon’ from his Deck and place it in his hand. Her confidence had worked against her, allowing him to quickly establish the setup to bring the Dragon out. It was just a matter of time now... “One face-down, and I’ll change Sapphire Pegasus to Defense Mode. Your go.”

There was a noticeable change in Jesse’s actions, one even the people began to pick up on. Sanya wasn’t quite sure why, but her focus had to be on victory, and nothing else. After all, this kid had the nerve to call her out; she’d teach him a lesson. Yeah, that’s it. Embarrass him for his actions.

“It’s about time we pick up the intensity, it’s not safe for these people to be out and about while our investigation is ongoing,” she said. “This duel will end soon enough. And I’ll get that started with the Spell Card Grizzly Instincts!”

[spoiler=Grizzly Instincts]
[b]Normal Spell Card[/b]
Select 1 Beast or Beast Warrior-Type monster you control and increase its ATK by 500. During this turn, that monster inflicts Piercing Battle Damage. If it destroys an opponent’s monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, draw 1 card.[/spoiler]

“Now my warwolf’s power increases even further, and hiding in Defense Position will not help you in the least! Take out his Pegasus with Silver Claw!”

Onlookers cringed as the attack was about to hit – that was a significant amount of damage, after all. Yet Jesse shrugged, and almost hesitantly revealed his face-down card. “I activate Rainbow Path, and with this, I can send Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat from my Spell Card Zone to the Grave to negate your attack!” A barrier formed around the Pegasus with an identical color to the cat’s crystal, keeping it safe from harm, as the warwolf jumped back to Sanya’s side of the field. “And I hate to make matters worse on ya, but now I can take my ultimate beast to my hand! Come on, Rainbow Dragon!”

There was almost a sense of surprise and identical interest around the area. The name clicked within Sanya’s head immediately. [i]It was THAT card.[/i] The outline of the colossal winged beast could vaguely be seen in the background, as she closed her eyes hoping it would go away. She was just now realizing what she’d gotten herself into.

“I hope you know I ain’t doin’ this because I want to!” Jesse called out. He could see the fear in her eyes. She wasn’t a malicious person; she was doing this for the same reason the others were. She had bought into Tyaro’s goals and though many of them probably wouldn’t show regret until the last second, he could see the shaking in her eyes, the trembling. It was all there. Yet there was no other move he could make. “Since I have all seven Crystal Beast monsters on the field or in the Graveyard, I’m allowed to Special Summoned from my hand, Rainbow Dragon!”

The pavement began to shake as light radiated from all around, so bright that onlookers shielded their eyes for safety. The monstrous dragon descended from the skies, its aqua blue wings creating an incredibly strong presence in the winds. As it settled just above the field, large enough for people on the other side of the city to see over the tops of the buildings, Jesse let out a slight sigh.

[spoiler=Rainbow Dragon]
Level 10/LIGHT
Dragon/Effect
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned, except from your hand while you have 7 "Crystal Beast" cards with different names on the field or in your Graveyard. ● Send all "Crystal Beast" monsters you control to the Graveyard; this card gains 1000 ATK for each card sent. You can activate this effect during either player's turn. ● You can remove from play all "Crystal Beast" Monster Cards in your Graveyard to return all cards on the field to their owners' Decks.
4000/0[/spoiler]

“That creature...it’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Sanya looked up in admiration, shaking from head to toe as she knew the inevitable was just around the corner.

“And now I activate one last card, Crystal Overdrive!”

[spoiler=Crystal Overdrive]
[b]Normal Spell Card[/b]
Destroy all “Crystal Beast” monsters you control. Then, destroy a number of Spell/Trap Cards your opponent controls equal to the number of monsters you destroyed by this effect. In addition, if 3 or more “Crystal Beast” monsters are sent to the Graveyard by this effect, you can double the ATK of 1 “Crystal Beast” monster OR “Rainbow Dragon” you control, until the End Phase, but that monster cannot attack your opponent directly.[/spoiler]

“So by sending to the Graveyard my Sapphire Pegasus, Ruby Carbuncle, and Amber Mammoth, I can take out all three of your Spell and Trap Cards!” Sanya gritted her teeth as the cards were destroyed in an array of light. “Then, since I destroyed exactly three of my own cards, Rainbow Dragon’s attack points increase, to a grand total of 8,000!”

([b]Rainbow Dragon 4000 x 2 = 8000[/b])

“Now I think the rest of this is academic!” Jesse raised his arm into the air, preparing his monster for attack. “Rainbow Dragon, destroy her Gene-Warped Warwolf with Rainbow Overdrive!” The crystals along both sides of the creature lit up, charing a beam of energy which materialized in the dragon’s mouth, and was promptly fired across the field at the wolf warrior, which stood no chance.

[b]Sanya’s Life Points[/b]: 0

“Holy s***!”
“That was unbelievable!”

Jesse tuned out the crowd for a moment, rushing over to Sanya as he fell to her knees, grasping her right arm. “Are you alright?”

“Heh,” she replied, almost carelessly. “Don’t kid yourself. You and I both know full well what’s about to happen.”

“There’s gotta be a way around it, if you can just hold on for a few more minutes!” He tried to reassure her. She was a person, after all; they could save her, somehow get the duel disk off. That would stop the Virus from activating, he thought.

Yet he knew he was just trying to throw himself off. Sanya did as well. “It’s over for me, sweetheart. But listen, there’s a way to stop this.” She began to cough, having trouble forming her words. “Tyaro…he-he wasn’t always like this. He used to be such a good friend. Until it happened…”

“Until what happened?!” Jesse was starting to panic, he could sense she was slipping away.

"We've been friends for years," she managed to say. "I came here with him to Diamond City to follow him in his hopes of competing in the pro league. I didn't really want to move, but I didn't want to be without him, either, so I came here. And I started to get into it, the pro league - it was awesome, you would know. But he..." She stopped again. "He became obsessed with it, obsessed with this goal of becoming more powerful, [i]the most powerful[/i] as he put it. It was never like him. Sure he'd always been a bit arrogant but that was part of his nature. This crazed person you see today is nothing like he used to be."

"So this is why you worked for him?" Jesse asked, as it was beginning to make sense now.

"I tried to convince myself I was doing it for the money and distance myself from him as much as possible, but the reality set in that somewhere in there was the guy I'd..."

"Sanya, wake up, hold on, you can do this!" Jesse grabbed her arm, trying to help her stay up, but she was fading, and fast. She had been fighting for Tyaro the whole time, to restore him, and yet he was taking her life just like the others.

"It's probably better if I'm not here anyway," she said. "But you can save him. I know you can."

"That's not my position." Jesse suddenly became more serious. "If anyone can save him, that's Ace's forte. I'm far from perfect myself, and there's no way I'd be able to beat him; I've been out of the pro leagues for a while. But we're gonna do everything we can to make sure Ace's path to him is clear, so we can put an end to all of this."

"Tha...thank..." she dropped to the ground, but not before managing to form a genuine smile. The green light that had become familiar shot out from the duel disk, and she vanished, leaving only her cards behind.

---

"Sir, there's someone here to see you." A frightened guard spoke as he approached Lon, sitting within a throne-like chair, bejeweled on both sides. The room was made entirely of marble, white in color, and obviously belonged to someone with large amounts of cash. Lon fit the bill.

Lon, on the other hand, was anything but frightened. He was annoyed. Who would be interrupting him now, when he'd demanded that the others leave him alone to rest, and work on his Deck somewhat. He had just begun going through his cards when this lowly guard entered the room. But if he had company, he'd entertain them. "What is it?"

"I've...I've personally never seen him before, sir, but he wishes to duel you." The guard relayed the information, careful with his delivery of every word as though he were carrying a rare piece of glass, that could break and shatter at any moment.

A duel? Lon couldn't help but laugh at the thought. He wasn't out with the rest of the security, but if someone was going to come to him, well, after all his hard work he deserved to have a little fun. He wonderered who it could be. After all, it was getting late, and with the viral video going around people would be sure to doubt the safety of dueling.

Ace, perhaps? No. Tyaro had orderered that no one gets involved with Ace except the boss himself. He wanted to take care of that business on his own. "Let him in."

As he issued the command, the obese, well-shaven man sitting within the chair never expected what would come next. He took off his glasses and stared across the room towards the doorway.

"Well whattya know?" The man asked. "Lon Fijimari. Long time no see."

[b]To be continued...[/b][/spoiler]

[Synchronized]

Four episodes left until the end of the arc. Hoping to get 19 posted by the end of the night but I might end up posting it tomorrow during the day instead.

[Cthonian]

Just read Chapter 1 and I really like it... that one kid really needs an attitude check, but so did Seto, Chazz, and Jack. Can't wait to read the rest.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Cthonian' timestamp='1317474842' post='5552325']
Just read Chapter 1 and I really like it... that one kid really needs an attitude check, but so did Seto, Chazz, and Jack. Can't wait to read the rest.
[/quote]

Oh, he most certainly gets one, but I'm not sure it's in the way you're expecting. I'd try and catch up soon before we get to the real good part of the arc!

[Cthonian]

Just got done with Chapters 2 & 3 and can't wait to read more about Bryan and his story.

[Synchronized]

[spoiler=Episode 19: Cyber Clash (Part 1)]
Episode 19: Cyber Clash (Part 1)

"Sir, there's someone here to see you." A frightened guard spoke as he approached Lon, sitting within a throne-like chair, bejeweled on both sides. The room was made entirely of marble, white in color, and obviously belonged to someone with large amounts of cash. Lon fit the bill.

Lon, on the other hand, was anything but frightened. He was annoyed. Who would be interrupting him now, when he'd demanded that the others leave him alone to rest, and work on his Deck somewhat. He had just begun going through his cards when this lowly guard entered the room. But if he had company, he'd entertain them. "What is it?"

"I've...I've personally never seen him before, sir, but he wishes to duel you." The guard relayed the information, careful with his delivery of every word as though he were carrying a rare piece of glass, that could break and shatter at any moment.

A duel? Lon couldn't help but laugh at the thought. He wasn't out with the rest of the security, but if someone was going to come to him, well, after all his hard work he deserved to have a little fun. He wonderered who it could be. After all, it was getting late, and with the viral video going around people would be sure to doubt the safety of dueling.

Ace, perhaps? No. Tyaro had orderered that no one gets involved with Ace except the boss himself. He wanted to take care of that business on his own. "Let him in."

As he issued the command, the obese, well-shaven man sitting within the chair never expected what would come next. He took off his glasses and stared across the room towards the doorway.

"Well whattya know?" The man asked. "Lon Fijimari. Long time no see."

---


“You!” Lon fired back, staring straight into the cold, emotionless eyes of his challenger, a man similar to himself in many ways. Yet the shock of seeing him, it left Lon almost speechless; for this was something he could truly say he’d never expected to happen.

“I must say I’m disappointed,” Zane interjected. “And to think I was under the impression you’d actually be happy to see me.”

Zane Truesdale. One of three men he’d never been able to defeat in a duel, no matter how hard he’d made the effort. They had been rivals on the Professional Circuit for some time, well-known battles, no less. It was a modern day Yankees – Red Sox, only now this was in a completely different ballpark. This rivalry had begun about three years ago, in a North American Tournament – a traveling tournament that saw each round take place on a different part of the continent. They started in Canada, Ontario to be specific. Both Lon and Zane had managed to crush their respective competition in no time, acknowledging a “new challenge” with a nod of their heads as they walked by – one that made news on media outlets around the world.

Of course, Lon had been an established pro in the States, whereas Zane was representing the Japanese side of things, so they were both celebrities in their own right. To the fans, the potential of America’s “big bad” versus Japan’s “big bad”, to put it simply, had people in an uproar. As the tournament continued, the two continued to win their duels with relative ease, continuing to garner attention as they both played a Cyber-Style Deck, yet had never faced one another. The mirror match would be unbelievable had they ever been able to reach that point. As the weeks went on the finals were slowly being setup, only for the tournament instructors to throw a curveball and announce that the final duel would be conducted in a four-way.

Both superstars having huge egos and wanting to beat one another in the spotlight, they decided on a temporary alliance to eliminate the opponents from the duel so they could face one another one-on-one. With Zane’s ‘Cyber Twin Dragon’ and some assistance from Lon’s ‘Limiter Removal’, both opponents were taken out clean in one shot. From there, the duel continued, with Lon’s ‘Cyber Virus’ cards battling Zane’s ‘Cyber Dragon’ cards, in a clash for the ages. The cash prize of the tournament was tremendous, one Lon planned to use to truly establish himself as a man of greatness.

It was a back and forth battle no doubt, and as the final turn came around, Lon used his ‘Cyber Virus Network’ to take control of Zane’s ‘Cyber End Dragon’, effectively creating a new monster, ‘Cyber End Virus Dragon’. This powerful beast was on the edge of eliminating Zane from the tournament and providing Lon with lifelong fortune, until Zane used his ‘Cyber Hacking’ Spell, allowing both players to select a spell or Trap Card from the opponent’s hand and activate it immediately. Zane chose Lon’s only card, ‘Threatening Roar’, whereas Lon chose the only card Zane had left – ‘Limiter Removal’. As Threatening Roar’s effect activated instantly, Lon could no longer attack. Limiter Removal boosted his dragon’s points to insurmountable levels, but at the turn’s end, his entire field was destroyed.

The fans saw him as a laughing stock, allowing such a powerful setup to be destroyed and devastated by his own card – he hadn’t prepared or played like a real champion, and they mocked him for it. On his next turn, Zane used ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive his Cyber End Dragon and attack for game. Upon winning the tournament, he announced that he had no interest in the cash price, and opted to donate it to a charity of some sorts, saying he didn’t care at this point what they did with it, he just wanted the victory, which made him even more of an admirable star duelist in the eyes of the fans.

Yet Lon was forced to drop out of the Pro Leagues – no one took him seriously anymore. All that money had gone to waste, to no-good charities no less. Had that money been his, he wouldn’t be stuck here working for a nutjob like Tyaro, one he had far more intelligence than in the first place. Yet he couldn’t take over the operation himself even with his own smarts because he no longer had the world’s respect – they wouldn’t pay him, they wouldn’t work with him, nothing. So he was forced to hide in secrecy, hiding his shame. And it was all because of him. Seeing Zane again brought up this feeling of fire within his heart, this burning hatred. He could destroy Zane – he could beat him and he knew it. And then not only could he begin to gain some self-respect, Zane would be gone from this world forever and forced to spend an eternity suffering.

How the tables had turned.

“Oh, Zane, it isn’t like that at all.” Lon smiled; something which he made no effort to hide. “As a matter of fact, your appearance here has significantly brightened my day.”

“I wish I could say the same, but then I’d be lying.” Zane smirked to really let the point sink in. “We’re not fooling anyone by saying we’re unsure as to why we’re here, so what do you say we get this show on the road?”

“You want a duel with me?” Lon inquired. Perhaps he’d drag this out a bit, try to humiliate Zane the same way that Zane had humiliated him. “What makes you think I’d agree to that, especially under these circumstances?”

“Because, Lon, I know how you are.” Zane explained. “It’s killing you inside to think that my success means your failure, and to know you were so close to having it all only to fall from grace into this pitiful excuse for a job. You accepting my challenge has never been in question; you’ve got nothing else to fight for.”

How could he address him like that? Lon could feel the ferocity building up inside of him, and it would only serve as an additional incentive to destroy him and rid the world of Zane Truesdale once and for all. And once he won, he’d sell all of Zane’s prized cards for some additional cash; that would teach him. But Zane was right, working for Tyaro had made him money, but his relevance had never gone up. The money he was making now would be nothing compared to the riches and glory he would achieve as the World Champion, once he got back there.

“Fine, Zane.” Lon stood up from his chair, taking a few moments to do as his large size was anything but helpful in the matter. The spacious marble room was more than large enough to house a duel, as the two egomaniacs headed straight for one another, leaving enough room in between as they activated their respective duel disks.

“Game on!”

---

“I think since I’ve been gracious enough to accept your challenge, it’s only fair I can make the first move.” Lon didn’t wait for a yes or no answer as he placed a monster from his hand face-down on the duel disk. An ominous look on his face, he handed the turn over to Zane. “I think a face-down monster should be more than enough to get things going.”

“Oh, without a doubt.” Zane drew his card with a hint of conceit about him. “It should be plenty, as now since you control a monster, I can immediately Special Summon Cyber Dragon from my hand to the field!” Lon simply shrugged as the metallic snake-like dragon emerged onto the field.

“Zane, always so predictable.” Lon smirked. “Two years later you’re playing the exact same battle.”

“Predictable?” Zane asked the rhetorical question. “Maybe so, but what else is predictable is the end result. Attack with Strident Blast!” A stream of light fired from the creature’s mouth, wiping the away the face-down card with ease, but not before it flipped to reveal the ‘Cyber Virus Searcher’ monster card.

[spoiler=Cyber Virus Searcher]
LIGHT/Level 1
Machine/Effect
FLIP: Add 1 ‘Cyber Virus Network’ from your Deck to your hand.
100/0[/spoiler]

“Why thank you, see Zane the monster you destroyed was my Cyber Virus Searcher, one I set with the intention of crushing you!” Confidence flowing through him, Lon searched his Deck for the Field Spell and placed it in his hand, as he waited for Zane to finish his move.

[i]I remember that Field Spell. That infection card, he used it to turn my own Cyber End Dragon against me.[/i] Zane held his ground – Lon had failed with it the first time, and he’d no doubt fail with it again. Still, they were playing for much higher stakes now. He couldn’t afford to take anything lightly, which he acknowledged with two face-down cards. “You’re up.”

“As it should be, and I shall start my turn by activating the Cyber Virus Network Field Spell!” The delicate marble walls of the tremendous room became covered in a web-like formation, dark purple in color. This ‘virus’ resembled the mainframe of a computer, with different lines connecting to one another. Ironic given the situation.

[spoiler=Cyber Virus Network]
Field Spell Card
“Cyber Virus” monsters you control gain 300 ATK and DEF. As long as you control this card, you can send a “Cyber” monster you control that you are not the original owner of to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 “Cyber Virus” monster from your hand, Deck, or Extra Deck with the same name as the sent monster. When a Level 10 or higher “Cyber Virus” monster is removed from the field, destroy this card and all “Cyber Virus” cards you control.[/spoiler]

“For someone who called me out on predictability, I find your move ironic, too.” It was puzzling – this was the exact same way their first duel had started, nothing was different up to this point. On his next turn in the original duel, Zane had drawn into Power Bond and used it to bring out Cyber Twin Dragon, which had attacked and (on the second attack) was taken over by that Virus Card, thanks to ‘Cyber Virus Butterfly’, which Lon had set. Making the same move again would be a big mistake.

“It gets better from here, Truesdale.” Lon set another monster from his hand, face-down on the field. “But for now I enjoy keeping my moves in the shadows. I’ll place one monster face-down in Defense Mode, and I’ll place a face-down card while I’m at it to end my turn.”

“My draw!” He looked at the card, and strangely enough, there it was. ‘Power Bond’. The second Cyber Dragon was in his hand, he could make the move that would potentially end the duel in one turn. But this duel wasn’t going to play like the last one. Lon was counting on that move, Zane knew for sure the card he’d set was ‘Cyber Virus Butterfly’ and the Trap, ‘Infection Blast’, which would strike him for damage equal to the Level of the monster he’d taken times two-hundred. That’s what had happened the first time around. So this time, he was changing it up.

“Keeping your moves in the shadows does make it more fun, doesn’t it?” The tension in the room was incredible, as Zane tried to assess the situation. To go swinging wildly into this attack would be a mistake – he knew that much. “But I’m not in a fun mood right now, so I think I’ll change that up! Cyber Dragon, attack his face-down card with Strident Blast!”

This burst of light was fired with even more impact than the first one, revealing the monster card ‘Cyber Virus Spider’, a small mechanical arachnid complete with the dark purple lines from around the room. So it wasn’t the butterfly like Zane had expected. This threw him off slightly, and Lon’s subsequent laughter didn’t help things.

“Zane, do you think I’m that foolish?” Lon asked. “To think you’d continue the same strategy? Of course not. And yet if you had done so – this duel would have been over already. Thankfully for myself, I know how you are.”

[spoiler=Cyber Virus Spider]
LIGHT/Level 2
Machine/Effect
When this card is destroyed by battle with a Level 6 or lower “Cyber” monster, you can take control of that monster.
600/700[/spoiler]

“Ah, well played.” Zane replied.

“Why thank you for the compliments, but it’s only going to get better!” Lon exclaimed. “For now, I activate the effect of my Cyber Virus Spider! Since your Cyber Dragon destroyed my spider in battle, I’m allowed to seize control of it!”

The spider re-emerged on the field, apprehending the dragon in a quick maneuver. After a moment, the dark network began to connect, causing the creature to grow in size significantly. “And finally, Cyber Virus Network kicks in, replacing your Cyber Dragon with the far more powerful Cyber Virus Dragon!”

[spoiler=Cyber Virus Dragon]
LIGHT/Level 5
Machine/Effect
Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must first be Special Summoned by the effect of “Cyber Virus Network”. When this card’s ATK is different from its original ATK, it gains the following effect:
· When this card destroys an opponent’s monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, inflict 600 damage to your opponent.
2100/1600[/spoiler]
([b]Cyber Virus Dragon: 2100 + 300 = 2400[/b])
[i]By trying to play around him, I walked right into his trap. This one’s not going to be as easy to turn around as I thought it was.[/i] Zane wasn’t worried – he still had two face-down cards, one of which, ‘Dimensional Prison’ would negate an attack should the situation arise.
“Now, feel the wrath of your own monster, as it’s my draw!” Lon picked up a card, adding it to his hand. He smirked as he prepared to command his monster into battle. “Cyber Virus Dragon, take out his Life Points with Strident Virus Blast!"

“Almost, but not so much,” Zane yelled out, revealing his Trap Card as he did so. “Because I’m activating the Trap Card Cyber Reconstruction Fusion!”
[spoiler=Cyber Reconstruction Fusion]
[b]Normal Trap Card[/b]
Select 1 “Cyber” monster in your Graveyard listed on a “Cyber” Fusion Monster in your Extra Deck. Discard from your hand monsters listed on that Fusion Monster, and Special Summon it from your Extra Deck. It is destroyed during the End Phase.[/spoiler]

“With Cyber Dragon in the Grave, I can send Proto-Cyber Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard and in doing so, I’m allowed to Special Summon Cyber Twin Dragon!”

The infected dragon was about to strike as a burst of light exploded from the card in front of it, revealing a dual-headed dragon looking like two Cyber Dragons intertwined, yet with a more powerful appearance to it. Lon looked somewhat concerned.

“You wanted me to feel the wrath of my own monster, but what fun is that when you can feel it instead? After all, you already launched an attack, so the battle’s been waged!” A glimmer of light began to collect in both mouths, as the dragon prepared to fire back. “Attack with Dual Strident Blaze!”

The virus-enhanced beast stood no chance, as it burst into thousands of small pixels. Lon was far from pleased.

[b]Lon’s Life Points[/b]: 3600

“Don’t get too confident because you got one shot in.” The fat man had a smug look to him; one attack didn’t mean a thing. “I’m still going to win this duel and get rid of you like I should have two years ago!”

“I’d like to see you try,” Zane smirked. He welcomed the challenge. After all, this was what dueling was all about. “But since your turn is at its end, Cyber Twin Dragon goes to the Graveyard, and I can draw!”

What to start with? He looked over his hand, knowing he had a variety of options. The problem was, Lon still had a face-down card, and if he were to bring out something powerful, Lon would be able to simply take control of it and turn it into a ‘Cyber Virus’ monster. There had to be a way to counteract this. His face-down, ‘Call of the Haunted’, could revive Cyber Twin Dragon and give him the chance to finish the duel in one shot, but if it backfired...Zane clearly remembered battling his own Cyber Twin Dragon on the other side, and it almost cost him the game. The best move was to play defense for a turn and see what Lon would use to counterattack.

“I think I’ll summon Cyber Phoenix in Defense Mode!” A swirl of fire rose up from the field, as a phoenix, slightly larger than human size with its glossy wings reflecting off the marble floor, appeared on the field, folding its wings over its chest to defend itself. “That should be enough.”

[spoiler=Cyber Phoenix]
Level 4/FIRE
Machine/Effect
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, draw 1 card. Machine-Type monsters you control cannot be targeted by the effects of Spell, Trap, or monster effects.
1200/1600[/spoiler]

“Playing defense already?” Lon inquired, adding a card to his hand. “I must say, the bird’s interesting, I’ve never seen that one before. I wonder if it’s anywhere near as much of a coward as its owner.”

“Why don’t you attack it and find out?” Zane taunted.

“Be careful what you wish for, Zane.” Lon placed a monster card onto the duel disk, covering it with his hand for a moment. “For I Summon, Cyber Infection Humanoid!”

[spoiler=Cyber Infection Humanoid]
Level 3/LIGHT
Machine/Effect
When this card is Normal Summoned, draw 1 card. In addition, if this card attacks a Defense Position monster, you can destroy it immediately with this card’s effect. When this card destroys a “Cyber” monster with this effect, you can take control of that monster.
500/0[/spoiler]

([b]Cyber Infection Humanoid = 500 + 300 = 800[/b])

A human-like figure, comprised of a metallic-esque slime began to meld itself on the field, taking the form of an army commander, with an automatic machine gun in his right hand, made of the same metallic material, as Lon drew to replace the monster. “First, I’m allowed to add another card to my hand, but next, I’m allowed to attack your monster!”

The humanoid raised the gun to a straight position, pulling the trigger as a stream of bullets were fired, straight at the phoenix which seemed to no-sell them at first. Suddenly though, a crack began to form in its wing formation, spreading throughout the rest of it, before it exploded. “What?! But how is that even possible?!” Zane yelled out.

“That, Zane, is the ability of my Cyber Infection Humanoid, which allows it to automatically destroy any monster you control in defense mode.” Lon laughed, basking in his superiority. “And it gets better, because you see if the monster by Humanoid battles is a “Cyber” monster, I’m allowed to take control of that monster under my Virus Network!”

Zane cringed as the phoenix which had just rested on his field made its re-emergence. Only this time, it was fighting for the other team, and it looked anything but friendly as the purple lines of the virus encompassed it.

[spoiler=Cyber Virus Phoenix]
Level 4/FIRE
Machine/Effect
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card must first be Special Summoned by the effect of “Virus Network”. When this card’s ATK is not equal to its original ATK, it gains the following effect:
· You can Tribute this card and 1 “Cyber” monster to Special Summon 1 Machine-Type monster from either player’s Graveyard. Any ATK points that monster gains while it is face-up on the field are doubled.
1200/1600[/spoiler]

([b]Cyber Virus Phoenix = 1200 + 300 = 1500[/b])

[i]There has to be a way to destroy that Field Spell. If I can get rid of that, I can stop him from controlling all of my monsters and using them against me.[/i] Zane looked at his hand, then back at the field. But how could he do it?

“Zane, it only gets worse from here on out, for now I’ll activate the ability of my Cyber Virus Phoenix!” Lon beckoned the monster to his side as it took flight, hovering behind him. “By sending Cyber Virus Phoenix and Cyber Infection Humanoid from my field to the Graveyard, I can select a monster from either Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field. And I think I’ll choose your Cyber Twin Dragon!”

The two monsters were pulled into a vortex, as a tornado of energy struck the field, the twin-headed dragon crashing onto the field. It wasn’t there for long, though, as the virus began to overtake it, creating a beast of incredible power.

[spoiler=Cyber Virus Twin Dragon]
Level 8/LIGHT
Machine/Fusion/Effect
“Cyber Virus Dragon” + “Cyber Virus Dragon”
This card can only be Special Summoned from your Extra Deck by the effect of “Virus Network”. When this card’s ATK is different from it’s original ATK, it gains the following effect:
· This card can attack three times per Battle Phase.
2800/2000[/spoiler]

([b]Cyber Virus Twin Dragon = 2800 + 300 (*2) = 3400[/b])

Zane watched with a gut-wrenching feeling as the dragon, this new creature, not the creature he’d used for so long, settled behind its new master. A monster capable of three attacks each turn, with more than enough attack points to end the duel in one turn.

“Do you see now, how long I have waited for this opportunity?” Lon asked. “And it paid off, for now you have finally challenged me! I will reclaim my spot and my respect, and I will do so at your expense, Zane Truesdale! There is no excuse for the torment I was forced to suffer because of you! Now prepare to die!”

Zane placed his hand atop his duel disk. The fate of this duel was hanging on his next draw.

And so was his life.

[b]To be continued...[/b][/spoiler]

[Divine Chaos]

Ooh, Zane's getting pushed into a corner. Not a bad alternative to your previous two duels, where GX veterans just smashed the opposition. The plot's moving on nicely, too. I'll be following this, so you've got a returning reader.

Note: Dueling for the sake of revenge is a little too common nowadays. Not exactly the best way to emphasize Zane and Lon's rivalry, but hey, it's done quite nicely.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Divine Chaos' timestamp='1317643861' post='5557129']
Ooh, Zane's getting pushed into a corner. Not a bad alternative to your previous two duels, where GX veterans just smashed the opposition. The plot's moving on nicely, too. I'll be following this, so you've got a returning reader.

Note: Dueling for the sake of revenge is a little too common nowadays. Not exactly the best way to emphasize Zane and Lon's rivalry, but hey, it's done quite nicely.
[/quote]

The purpose of this rivalry isn't necessarily done for revenge. The reason for the duel taking place (and Zane's appearance at all) is to give Ace a logical explanation for finding Tyaro and making it so that I'm not writing ten chapters of Ace dueling every Guard/Officer Tyaro's got. By having the Duel Guard somewhat take care of business, it makes things flow more nicely and gives the story a hint of nostalgia at the same time.

I'm glad to have a new reader.

[Synchronized]

Hoping to finish up the new episode tonight or tomorrow and post it!

[Aviv: D's Knight]

A-maz-ing-ly-Awe-someness-cool-greaT!!!!111!!! Not everyone can do a review.

[Synchronized]

[spoiler=Episode 20: Cyber Clash (Part 2)]
Episode 20: Cyber Clash (Part 2)

He had boarded himself within the room, learning the computer’s system and entering a code which would keep the door locked, unable to be overridden, for about four more hours. This was pretty much the only time he had to prepare before the fight which could very realistically be his final stand. Whether or not it would be solved with a duel, or a fight, or both, Ace couldn’t be sure, but he knew without a doubt that he’d be ready for it.

Not really knowing what he’d be stepping into before this, all he’d brought was a backpack, which contained a couple of snacks, some spare cards, a zip-up sweatshirt jacket, and some wrist tape. While it’s true he was a duelist, Ace had actually grown up garnering a very strong martial arts background, skilled in a variety of different fighting techniques, and more often than would actually prefer solving his problems via the fist as opposed to the duel disk.

That’s not to say he didn’t enjoy the art of the duel – it had a lot of techniques similar to fighting, at least in terms of needing skill, the ability to outmaneuver your opponent and strike back harder, and command a bunch of different moves. The majority of people in this world either didn’t believe or refused to accept the fact that Duel Monsters was more than just a game; the spirits were real. He knew that first hand, what with his Celestial Guardian and all. In actuality, the events in the real world were connected to the Spirit World, which is what made this so much more difficult because Tyaro’s reign of tyranny was only the beginning.

As to what was going on, on the outside, he had little to no idea – the cable connection died out about an hour ago. He had received a strange phone call a few hours before, today, with an unrecognizable voice on the other side. All he heard was:

“Help has arrived .”

What it meant, he wasn’t quite sure. But he had a feint idea. At least, he knew, he’d have a clear path to Tyaro.

It was game time.

---

“I have no choice but to end my turn this time around, but my dragon will have no problem wiping the floor with you next time around!”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Zane drew a card. He didn’t have much of a play to make. If he summoned another “Cyber” monster, Lon would just take control of it and use it against him, which would do nothing but make it worse. The problem? His Deck didn’t have many non-Cyber monsters. But there was one card...’Morphing Jar’. The rock monster would allow him to refresh his hand, and if he combined it with the ‘Cyber Negation Barrier’ in his hand, provided he was able to draw a LIGHT monster, he’d be able to stop the dragon’s attack. Essentially, this was the only shot he had. He needed to draw something new to turn this around before it was too late. “For now, I’ll place two cards face-down, and summon a monster face-down as well!”

“That’s the best you can pull off? Ha!” Lon beckoned to his dragon. “Before I allow my dragon to tear you apart, I’m playing the Spell Card Cyber Shockwave!”

[spoiler=Cyber Shockwave]
[b]Normal Spell Card[/b]
Activate only if you control a “Cyber Virus” monster. Neither player can Special Summon a monster(s) until the End Phase of this turn.[/spoiler]

“Just in case one of those face-down cards were intended to protect you from my attack, I’ve just nullified that possibility,” Lon explained. He’d covered all his ground, and there was no way he’d lose now. “Cyber Virus Twin Dragon, destroy his face-down monster with Dual Virus Burst!”

“Thanks for doing that, because the monster you attacked is Morphing Jar!” Lon was noticeably thrown off as the monster flipped up, revealing a stone jar with a hollow spirit inside. The monster shot outwards, striking the cards out of his hands. “I knew if I summoned another “Cyber” monster you’d just take it, so I set Morphing Jar to throw you off, and just as I expected, it worked rather well.”

[spoiler=Morphing Jar]
Level 2/EARTH
Rock/Effect
FLIP: Both players discard their hands, and draw 5 cards.
700/600[/spoiler]

Zane drew with anticipation, only to be shocked by what he saw. [i]Not a single Cyber monster?![/i] He’d drawn five Spell and Trap Cards, no monsters at all. That meant his ‘Cyber Negation Barrier’ was useless, and worse, Cyber Twin Virus Dragon could strike him directly.

“What’s the matter?” Lon asked. “I must say you look somewhat disappointed. Didn’t get what you were hoping for? What a shame. Oh well, let’s see how you withstand this, attack him directly, Dual Virus Burst!”

Despite his best efforts to brace himself for the oncoming strike, Zane could to nothing to shield himself from the intense pain, real pain as the creature’s attack struck him right in the chest. With the Virus system in full effect, he could feel his own energy being slowly drained; a mere four-hundred points left.

[b]Zane’s Life Points[/b]: 400

[i]All those years of underground dueling and still, the pain doesn’t even compare. This is absolutely real.[/i] That strike was a devastating one, and there was virtually no chance of surviving another. If he was going to win this duel and set things right, he had to tough it out and break through Lon’s defenses, all of which gained power from that Cyber Virus Network Field Spell. If he could destroy the Field Spell, he’d have a clear shot. At least the cards he’d drawn had been useful in that respect. Then again, there was still one more attack to endure.

“You don’t look so good,” the fat, overwhelming man bellowed. “I suppose you’ve suffered enough, now I shall put you out of your misery! Cyber Twin Virus Dragon, finish this duel with one last attack!”

“Not so fast, I reveal the Trap Card Flashbang!”

[spoiler=Flashbang]
[b]Normal Trap Card[/b]
Activate only when your opponent’s monster declares a second direct attack in the same Battle Phase. Negate the attack, and end your opponent’s turn.[/spoiler]

As the dragon’s blast was about to make contact, it was pulled into the ground by static forces, with Zane narrowly escaping defeat. He wasn’t used to playing this defensive, and he could feel himself getting weaker as the game continued. “With my Trap Card’s effect, your second direct attack during the same Battle Phase is negated, and you have no choice but to end your turn. So it’s my draw!”

And it was exactly what he needed. “I’ll start by Summoning Cyber Dragon in Defense Mode!”

[spoiler=Cyber Dragon]
LIGHT/Level 5
Machine/Effect
If your opponent controls a monster(s) and you control no monster(s), you can Special Summon this card from your hand.
2100/1600[/spoiler]

“And I’m far from done, because next I’m summoning Cyber Kirin in Defense Mode!”

[spoiler=Cyber Kirin]
Level 3/LIGHT
Machine/Effect
You can Tribute this card to make any Effect Damage you take this turn 0.
300/800[/spoiler]

A four-legged machine, baring similar resemblance to a dog and constructed of the same material as the dragon which sat next to it, appeared on the field, and knelt down. “Two face-down cards should do it.” Zane said, his total now at four.

“Alright,” Lon said. “I draw!”

“And when you do, I activate the Trap Card Cyber Magnetic Force!” Zane called out as one of his face-downs revealed itself. “This card allows me to bring out another monster from my hand, and I think I’ll choose my Cyber Valley!”

[spoiler=Cyber Magnetic Force]
[b]Normal Trap Card[/b]
Activate only during your opponent’s turn before your opponent’s Main Phase 1. Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower “Cyber” monster from your hand.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Cyber Valley]
Level 1/LIGHT
Machine/Effect
Once per turn, you can select and activate one of the following effects:
· When your opponent selects this card as an attack target, remove this card from play to end the Battle Phase and draw 1 card.
· Remove from play this card and 1 face-up monster you control to draw 2 cards.
· Remove from play this card and 1 card in your hand to select 1 card from your Graveyard and place it on top of your Deck.
0/0[/spoiler]

“It doesn’t matter how many monsters you bring to the field, Zane.” Lon continued. “Don’t you understand this is how it was meant to happen? Sure, you won the first time around, but that was all a lead-up to this point, for me to reclaim the honor and respect that had once been mine!”

“You can’t reclaim something you never had in the first place,” Zane replied sarcastically. “But I welcome the challenge, if you think you can finish me off, with a mere four-hundred Life Points no less, then try. After all if I can’t beat you I don’t deserve to be here.”

“That’s all you are, Zane, an overconfident jerk!” Lon shouted. “And I don’t care if you donated that money to charity, when it’s obvious you did it to improve your standing in the public eye! You’re no better than Tyaro, the same person you’re trying to stop!”

The thought almost sunk in for a moment – was Lon right? Was he really no better than that? No, that wasn’t it at all. And he knew he wasn’t just attempting to reassure himself to better his own image. Perhaps he did have some of those tendencies, but the one thing that set him apart was the fact that he would never hurt anyone, no matter the cost. After his days of underground dueling, and the person he’d started to become, he’d devoted his life to helping those in need and becoming a figure that people could look up to, not be scared of, or afraid to reach out to. Yet he had to maintain that tough personality because he was the one having to stand up for others. When the world was on the line, the fate of the people, he couldn’t afford to let them down. Lon had no care for anyone but himself. It made sense now – Lon was calling Zane out on being the same person that Lon himself truly was. While part of what he’d said – Zane didn’t need the money and figured donating it to charity would be the best bet – but that was two years ago, he’d matured significantly since then.

None of that mattered now. All that made a difference now was getting it together and stopping him, for the sake of Diamond City. But it wasn’t just Diamond City, either. Tyaro – and whatever force from the Spirit World was assisting him – wouldn’t stop at just Diamond City. If the first Chaos Wars had been any implication, they were going after the entire world, one step at a time. This Virus could spread at a rapid pace and had already been able to connect to Zane’s own duel disk, meaning anyone inside the walls of Diamond City was at its mercy. How long would it be until anyone everywhere was affected? The Duel Guard had a different representative in each city, but the chances of them being able to spread the word to everyone before people continued to duel…there was no way. As a matter of fact, Jesse and Aster had only taken the north and the south. While Ace’s video might have helped some, to think everyone would believe or even see it was foolish. Lives had already been lost; that much was a fact.

“But you’ll get exactly what you’re asking for,” Lon said. “You said yourself, you don’t deserve to be here if you can’t beat me, well allow me to remove you from here with one last attack! Cyber Virus Twin Dragon, obliterate his Cyber Valley with Dual Virus Burst!"

“Almost, but not quite,” Zane replied as his smaller snake-like creature vanished from the field. “See when you target Cyber Valley for an attack, I can remove it from the game to negate that attack and end your Battle Phase! And on top of that, I get to draw an additional card from my Deck!”

“How much longer will you try to hold on like this?” Lon asked, the frustration within himself beginning to build. Normally, he’d rely on his brute strength and intimidation to scare his opponents into defeat. Obviously, that wouldn’t work with someone of Zane’s caliber. While he detested him, he ‘d be delusional to try and make the claim that Zane had no talent. He was an exceptional duelist, perhaps the only issue being that there was no one quite as exceptional as Lon himself. In Lon’s own mind, anyway.

“I don’t see it as holding on,” Zane explained. “I’m just giving you a chance to pull out all the stops before I make a huge comeback and finish you off! And since it’s my turn, I’m going to do just that!”

“Give it your best shot,” he scowled.

“Thanks for the invite, don’t mind if I do! Now I activate the Trap Card Tribute Recycle!” The marble floor began to shake, as a large metal hand shot upwards and clutched the two-headed dragon, pulling it down underneath the ground. Lon watched on in shock; what had happened?

[spoiler=Tribute Recycle]
[b]Normal Trap Card[/b]
Select 1 Monster on the field that was Special Summoned by the effect of a card(s) that involves sending a monster(s) from the field to the Graveyard. Return that monster to its owner’s hand and Special Summon the monster(s) used to Summon that monster.[/spoiler]

“With this Trap, I can send your dragon back to the scrap heap from which it came, and return to the field the true Cyber Twin Dragon!” Zane called out as the original monster returned to Lon’s field, letting out a roar to establish its presence on the field.

Zane was about to continue his move when Lon burst into laughter. “I don’t understand, have you lost it completely? Sure, you got rid of my monster but in doing so you’ve returned to me your Cyber Twin Dragon, which is more than enough to finish the job! I’d be more than proud to crush you with your own monster just as you did to me!”

“In normal circumstances, you’d be right, but see I’m activating the Spell Card De-Fusion!” Lon knew it instantly – ‘De-Fusion’ would destroy Cyber Twin Dragon and return both Cyber Dragon and Proto-Cyber Dragon from the Graveyard to Zane’s side of the field. And that meant...

“This card returns my monster to me, and in its place I’m bringing back Cyber Dragon, [i]and[/i] Proto-Cyber Dragon!”

The two monsters rejoined Zane’s side of the field, leaving his field nearly full, while Lon’s was entirely empty. How he’d managed to turn it around, he couldn’t quite explain, but it was academic from here. “I’ve got one last card in my hand and if you know my style as well as you say you do, you know exactly what it is.”

Lon said nothing. He did know. The last card in Zane’s hand was the ‘Power Bond’ Spell, and he’d use it to fuse his two Cyber Dragons and Proto-Cyber Dragon to bring out Cyber End Dragon. But he was ready. Lon’s face-down, ‘Cyber Virus Implosion’ would destroy his ‘Cyber Virus Network’ intentionally, allowing him to bring out his most powerful monster. And Zane would never see it coming.

---

The time to be a part of this world was slowly vaporizing – he wouldn’t be here much longer. Tyaro looked around, scattering through the papers on his desk, looking for the key to the drawer that held his most prized cards. This power, the energy from the Virus which had so quickly begun to fill and empower him, it was unbelievable. He could feel his strength growing like never before. The fact that this would happen, he’d never realized when they made this agreement how much was really in it for him. The Wanderer’s decision to activate the system early was a beneficial one. Tyaro had been afraid to make any hasty moves for the sake of ruining everything, but patience was a thing of the past now.

Years of waiting, years of being forced to act like he was the same as everyone else, finally, no more. His genius and superiority would finally have its chance to shine – he had excelled far greater than the limits of this world, of the human race. Lon’s duel with Zane, it was evident how that would end. Truesdale would wipe the floor with him. None of them mattered anymore, none of his pawns, of the employees who would so bend their will at the sight of money. The sense of greed that drove the human race to break every moral boundary was just one of the reasons he was above this world; to stoop to such low levels...it was despicable.

He supposed in fairness he’d been responsible for many of the deaths that had been caused, even over the past day as duels had still been racking up, moving the energy flow much, much faster than he’d originally expected. Regardless of the outcome of the duel, Zane and/or Lon would be the last bit of energy he needed to finally do away with this pitiful universe and claim the territory that was so rightfully his. Even the Wanderer, a powerful figure and certainly not lacking in the intelligence department himself, would stand no chance once the plans had been set into motion. The Wanderer was under the impression that he was in control of things, but that was just an illusion, too. He had but one final battle here, one he knew he would be unable to avoid. Ace would come after him and the two would most certainly fight, yet the manner in which they’d do so, he didn’t quite have a duel on his mind. He’d just toy with Ace until he was too physically exhausted to continue, then kill him.

Simple as that. Tyaro smiled at the thought. Only a few hours left, and then the entire life’s work would pay off...

---

“This game’s gone on far too long, let’s end this! I use the Spell Card Power Bond, and with it,” Zane yelled out. “I’ll fuse my two Cyber Dragons and Proto-Cyber Dragon to call out the most powerful monster in my Deck, Cyber End Dragon!”

[spoiler=Power Bond]
[b]Normal Spell Card[/b]
Send, from your hand or your side of the field Fusion Material Monsters listed on a Machine-Type Fusion Monster in your Extra Deck to the Graveyard, and Special Summon that monster. Its ATK is doubled. During the End Phase, take damage equal to the original ATK of the Summoned monster.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Cyber End Dragon]
Level 10/LIGHT
Machine/Effect
“Cyber Dragon” + “Cyber Dragon” + “Cyber Dragon”
This card inflicts piercing Battle Damage.
4000/2800[/spoiler]

(Cyber End Dragon = 4000 * 2 = 8000)

Duel energy surged throughout the entire room, shaking the place as a three-headed beast, a metallic dragon significantly larger than any of the others before it, appeared on the field. Zane could feel the strength returning to his body as the dragon towered above him. It would take only one shot to end this.

"Now, I'm done playing around! Let's end this! Cyber End Dragon, attack with Super Strident Blaze!"

"My my, how close you've come only to fall down when it counts the most," Lon said, pressing the red button on his duel disk and revealing a Trap Card. "For now I activate Cyber Virus Implosion!"

[spoiler=Cyber Virus Implosion]
[b]Normal Trap Card[/b]
You can only activate this card if the only other card you control is "Cyber Virus Network". Destroy all "Cyber Virus Network" on the field and Special Summon 1 "Cyber Infection Dragon" from your hand or Deck.[/spoiler]

[i]What's this? He's got another monster?![/i] Zane had assumed the attack would be the end of it - what could Lon be bringing out now, especially when he wasn't using one of Zane's own cards to do it?

"With the effect of my Trap Card, I'm allowed to resort to desperate measures! By destroying my own Network Field Spell, I call upon the might of Cyber Infection Dragon!"

A monsoon of generated energy, being drawn straight from the now-destroyed Network field spell - the room returning to normal - began to build itself up in the middle of the field; a force so strong Zane almost lost his balance. A winged dragon, comprised of a sleek metal structure, a wingspan of almost twenty feet respectively, lowered itself down onto the field. It was marked with biohazard symbols, the same dark purple color which had represented the 'Cyber Virus' Field Spell, and the creature itself was almost equal in size with Zane's own monster.

[spoiler=Cyber Infection Dragon]
Level 8/LIGHT
Machine/Effect
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by the effect of "Cyber Virus Implosion". During the turn this card is Special Summoned, double its ATK. Once per turn, you can discard 2 "Cyber Virus" cards to allow this card to attack your opponent's Life Points directly. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, Special Summon that monster to your field in Defense Position. You can discard 1 card to negate this card's destruction.
3300/900[/spoiler]

"Well whattya know?" Zane asked, mockingly. "You actually have a powerful monster of your own, that you didn't need to rely on my cards to summon. I'm impressed. Unfortunately," Zane continued. "It's lacking a bit in the attack department."

"Zane, always so quick to judge," Lon replied, silencing him for a moment. "You see during the turn my dragon is called to the field, its attack points are doubled!"

(Cyber Infection Dragon = 3300 * 2 = 6600)

That's incredible! Over six thousand attack points! Zane tried to cut the admiration quick and realize he was about cornered. He hadn't expected something like this, not at all.

Lon could see, and appreciate for that matter, the surprise on Zane's face. In all his confidence, his almost untouchable ego, his opponent had never taken the time to consider that maybe all of his moves were leading up to something. Playing mind games with Zane - after all why would he use the same strategy he used in their original duel if the end result was anything but successful? It had all happened following their original duel.

Distraught with his own embarrassment, Lon had taken to dueling on the underground scene, trying to use his might to intimidate weaker, insignificant opponents for the rush it gave him. At first, it had paid off; he almost thought he could return to the Professional Circuit and completely erase what had happened earlier. But it was not to be. He signed up for a North American tournament, but was denied entry. In a matter of weeks, he'd gone from the most renowned duelist in the world to a complete joke.

It was then he set to work on a project - one to design his own set of cards. If they were to keep him from entering the tournament scene, then there were no officials to tell him otherwise. He had begun to do so, creating additions to the 'Cyber Virus' cards. Originally this was done to set up a potential rematch with Zane, to have the absolute perfect counter to his Deck. But then he began to take it further, creating modification cards that would allow the Virus Deck to take on any challenger, not just Zane. He wanted his revenge but he had to prepare before he could get there.

For a while, it had worked with brilliance. He won duel after duel, and none of his opponents would complain due his own intimidation factor. He stumbled upon a program, one that would allow him to modify his own cards to make them...more realistic, per se. It was using this technology that he was able to create the very Virus that Tyaro had unleashed upon Diamond City. And using that Virus, finally, he had been able to create the ultimate card. 'Cyber Infection Dragon'.

Now that card would serve its intended purpose and bring an end to this duel.

"Eh, not really." Zane laughed it off. "Since a new monster has appeared on the field, I'll call off my attack. And just to be safe, I'll send Cyber Kirin to the Graveyard to make the damage from Power Bond zero. You're up."

"I have waited so long for this, and now I will finally achieve my goal!" Lon drew a card, sending it to the Graveyard along with another card from his hand. "With my dragon's effect, I can send two 'Cyber Virus' monsters from my hand to the Grave, and its allowed to strike you directly!"

This is it; one last shot. "I activate the Trap Card Cyber Negation Barrier!"

[spoiler=Cyber Negation Barrier]
[b]Normal Trap Card[/b]
Reveal 1 "Cyber" monster in your hand OR Tribute 1 "Cyber" monster you control to negate the attack of an opponent's monster.[/spoiler]

"Cyber Negation Barrier allows me to get rid of a "Cyber" monster to block an attack, and I'm going to do just that - by removing my Cyber End Dragon!" Zane shouted, and Lon looked almost happy with the result.

"That's your last big move? Pathetic!" Lon replied. "You've just given up your one chance of victory and now you're truly helpless! Don't forget, I can simply strike you directly next turn, only this time you won't have the means to save yourself!"

"Let's just see about that, because now it's my turn!" Zane tried to keep his confidence about him. And one way or another, it's the last one I'm making.

There were two cards within his hand, and one face-down. 'Call of the Haunted' on the field, 'Cyber Force' and 'Cybernetic Zone' in his hand. He could use 'Call of the Haunted' to bring Cyber End Dragon back to the field, and combine it with 'Cyber Force' and 'Cybernetic Zone', which would force Lon's monster into attack, and hit him for more than enough damage. Finally, this game was done.

"I'll use my last face-down card, Call of the Haunted, to bring Cyber End Dragon back to the field!" Zane explained as the cybernetic behemoth returned to the field, the urge to rip into the monster which opposed it quite evident, yet it could do nothing until commanded to do so.

[spoiler=Call of the Haunted]
Continuous Trap Card
Special Summon 1 monster from your Graveyard. If this card is removed from the field, destroy that monster. If that monster is destroyed, destroy this card.[/spoiler]

"You'll never learn, will you?" Lon asked. "Just like you, your monster can come back again and again and it will hold the same irrelevance, as my Cyber Infection Dragon will end this duel in just moments!"

Zane knew he could win - that much had never truly been in doubt, as he'd done everything he could to keep his head on straight. The problem now was how weak he'd become, and he could play it off no longer. The duel had taken an immense physical toll on his body, and win or lose, he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. To say he'd expected a level of difficulty was one thing, but to think it would be this bad...he'd never even considered it. And now it was probably too late. But he'd give it his best shot to end this game while he still had the chance. "Let's just see about that. Before I end, I'm activating the Spell Card Cybernetic Zone!"

[spoiler=Cybernetic Zone]
Quick-Play Spell Card
Remove from play 1 Machine-Type monster you control. During your opponent's Standby Phase, return it to the field and double its ATK. Destroy it during the End Phase.[/spoiler]

"This card takes my monster out of the game, and now I'll hand the turn over to you with one final card!"

"Well, Zane, it's been a blast. But now I guess there's nothing more to say." Lon drew a card and placed it within his hand, but paid no attention to it.

"There is one more thing," Zane interjected. "See Cybernetic Zone's effect kicks in now, returning my dragon to the field with double its attack points!"

"Normally, that would be an impressive feat, and one to be proud of at that," Lon said. "However by discarding two cards I can activate my dragon's ability, allowing him to attack your Life Points directly! Now, Cyber Infection Dragon attack him and send him to the afterlife!"

The dragon took flight and launched its attack, but found it wasn't headed for Zane. Rather, Zane's own monster did the same, firing a beam of energy much larger than the opposition. What was happening? Lon searched for the answer, and found it in the form of Zane's final face-down card.

"See, I know your Deck well and even though I didn't know you had this last card, I knew you'd be stupid enough to fall into my Trap." Zane continued. "So I activated the last card I have, Cyber Force!"

[spoiler=Cyber Force]
Normal Trap Card
Activate only during your opponent's Main Phase 1. Select 1 "Cyber" monster you control. During this turn, your opponent must attack the selected monster with all monster(s) they control, if able.[/spoiler]

This...will be my final stand, as well. Both creatures exploded in a huge burst of light, spanning throughout the entire room, in silence. Neither man spoke, yet both knew their futures were bleak. Zane dropped to the ground, using what little energy he had left to stare up towards the sky. He hadn't lost, but his body didn't have the energy to fight the Virus Disk any longer. At least...the duel had been a challenge, he reassured himself.

However the worst, that was yet to come.

---

[b]To be continued...[/b][/spoiler]

[b]Okay so just to be clear, this was terrible. I can understand (and wouldn't be surprised, really) if any of you feel the same way. I thought it had started off well, but it just dragged on and on, and I was just doing everything I could to finish it.[/b]

[b]The only part that I thought came out alright was Tyaro's part, which realistically made sense from a storyline context, whereas this duel just went on an episode too long.[/b]

[b]At least the next two episodes are the arc finale, and I can guarantee they'll be worth the read. For, this will be one YuGiOh Arc that may or may not end with a duel...[/b]

[Synchronized]

No responses? I'd like to have 21 done by tomorrow.

[Aviv: D's Knight]

Nice!

[Synchronized]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][spoiler=Episode 21: The Barren Wasteland][/font][/size]
[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Episode 21: The Barren Wasteland[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]A chilling breeze whisked across the barren city streets, as if comprised from the empty souls of those recently tormented, destroyed by the ruthlessness of selfish human ambition. Tyaro Kiminari walked down these now empty streets, partially so because of the Virus system, which had wiped out at least half the city's population in a matter of two days. That just goes to show how popular the game of Duel Monsters had advanced, and it was something the "smarts" genius had taken into consideration, knowing these people would blindly bend to his will and allow themselves to be so easily manipulated. [/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Those that were left, the few thousand of them that there were, had chosen to seek refuge in the now-panic stricken city. In the chaos, people had destroyed buildings, stolen things for their own protection, locked themselves away to be as safe as possible, while seemingly ignoring the fact that if they'd simply chosen not to duel, there would be nothing to fear. But their egocentric personalities wouldn't allow them to see that, to take any of the blame themselves. This was all Tyaro's fault. In some ways, it was, and he didn't care one way or the other, but the levels people would stoop to before just owning up to their faults was laughable at that.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Ironically enough, Tyaro hadn't done any of this with the intention of destroying or even damaging the city. His goal had nothing to do with Diamond City itself - rather the people. To escape this world, and begin to create and shape his own world, a new world, all his own. The one he was destined to manage from the beginning. Using Duel Generators, another project of his own creation (though there was some slight assistance from Lon, so it was fair to say the man wasn't completely useless), he was able to take the energy ripped from the now lifeless bodies of the fallen duelists and collect it, to the point now where he could harness and absorb it as his own.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The duel between Lon and Zane, as entertaining as it had been, was guaranteed to be the final nail in the coffin. Regardless of who had won or lost, the energy he required to open a portal to the land of ice, Aisubaria, as it had come to be known, yet only to a select few. A cold, devoid world full of creatures of incredible power, those which resided in his own Duel Monsters Deck, Except in Aisubaria, they were not monster cards - they were real. Of course, differences were and had been established from the Duel Spirit World, two completely different places with similar concepts, only these beasts of ice had been around since the beginning of time, ancient and with far more strength than anything the Spirit World had to offer. With the right leadership, they could be led and harnessed into an army that could destroy and consume everything else.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]And now that everything was said and done here, he could bid this world adieu.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]---[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The goal was to focus all of the energy he'd now consumed and centralize it within his own body. Doing so would allow him to gather and harness it from one spot, giving him an almost limitless supply of power. It was exciting, the thought that once he was able to open the portal and enter Aisubaria, he could do whatever he pleased, with absolutely no repercussions at all. All the waiting, all the hard work, all of it had paid off, and now it was time to sit back and enjoy the rewards.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]All that was left now was to commence with the opening of the portal. He had brought himself to a remote location, one where outsiders wouldn't possibly see and pose questions, or even try to enter the portal themselves; something like that was far from a risk worth taking. Tyaro placed his feet apart, about five inches from one another, firmly focusing himself on the ground. As he exhaled, he could feel the energy beginning to circulate inside of him, and continued to focus as he tried to draw it towards his hands, where he could use that generated power and the space in front of him to create an opening in the dimension.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The wind in the outlying areas began to pick up in intensity, creating an almost visible cyclone of energy around him, yet not quite noticeable with the human eye; any Duel Spirit could have seen such an energy instantly. It was an incredible power level, the strength building at a rapid pace as the forces within him made their way throughout his entire body - he could sense it was nearing his hands, that it was almost time to go. A radiant turquoise glow consumed his hands, spreading up his arms to an extent as well.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Placing his palms together, he closed his eyes and tightened his grip, commanding the energy as it began to release from his hands and towards the ground, rising upwards once it struck, that same turqouise radiance now visible right in front of him. The energy began to take a circular formation, creating a model slightly larger than Tyaro himself. He could see it on the other side. Nearly there now.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]It was done. And somehow, his power had only grown, despite using a massive amount of energy to create the portal. This energy was even more mysterious than he'd originally thought it was. One last glance, and -[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The World Champion nearly fell forwards into the portal as a shuriken, teeth sharp as a razor, struck the pavement in front of him, creating a larger than normal hole within the concrete.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]A second glance was unnecessary; Tyaro had seen him as he stopped himself from falling. The one guy he'd known would pursue him regardless of this quick escape tactic. Standing atop the building to his left, overlooking the alleyway below, was the same duelist responsible for the activation of the Virus System. Clad in black jeans, a white t-shirt with what looked like bloodstains and dirt, sneakers of some sort, and fighting tape around both fists, Ace Diamond stood about fifty feet above his target. One thing Tyaro noticed that truly stood out was the boy's lack of a duel disk - it was nowhere to be seen.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Was he planning a fight? The Champion knew he couldn't handle a martial artist in the slightest - strategy was his weapon, and he looked to be disarmed here. The only option he had was to try and escape into the portal, but with a ten second open time following entry, there was no way to stop Ace from following him. But maybe...maybe that was exactly what he needed to happen. If Ace could follow him into Aisubaria, he would be at Tyaro's mercy, and Tyaro's energy, power, and manipulation would be fully present. Kid wouldn't stand a chance.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]With that, he gave his challenger a smile, and took off into the portal.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]---[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The determination was surging through his body like a power cord as Ace stood atop the building, watching as Tyaro with an almost "shift of confidence" on his face plunged forward into the opening. What was that? He couldn't see it too well from here, but he could vaguely make out what looked to be a mountain range, ninety percent of it covered in ice. He'd been following him for a while, waiting for the right moment to strike, but it looked as though he'd missed his target.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]That didn't leave much in lieu of options, really. But he couldn't let Tyaro get away; that much was a fact. Realistically, the only option left was to follow him, wherever he'd gone. There was no point staying here, anyway. He climbed down from the top quickly, using the fire escape lining the side of the building for assistance. It looked like a portal of sorts, which was the only logical explanation as Tyaro had literally vanished from sight.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Running up to it, he closed his eyes, pressed his hands against it, and let himself fall forward, just as Tyaro had done.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]---[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Everything had gone black from the second he entered. Had it killed him? Was this some sort of "end", something he'd rushed into without thinking? Tyaro had known he was cornered, so maybe this was his quick out to avoid conflict and pain? Or at least that's what it felt like. He could barely move, yet he had a sense of feeling, he could still feel his arms, his legs, the rest of his body as well - it was slowly recovering. Fear began to rush up inside him, flowing through him like a monstrous ocean wave, nearly uncontrollable.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]It was still black, and he couldn't tell whether his eyes were open, closed, or what. It was cold, that much he could tell. Blisteringly, mind-numbingly cold to the point where it had practically frozen his entire body to the ground, in every way but literally. His arms and legs had become immensely sore, unable to move at all due to the pain. Slowly and almost desperately, to reassure himself he hadn't lost complete control, he made a fist with his right hand, grasping at the air and pulling it as tight as he could manage.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The pain was not easy to describe, because if he lay still, absolutely still and didn't move even the smallest muscle, he felt nothing. His body was completely numb to everything with stillness, but the slightest movement made him feel heavy, heavy beyond human limitations, and it scared him, afraid that he would never move again, that wherever he had ended up would be his resting place.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]He hadn't come this far to stay down and accept defeat, no matter where he had ended up. If this fight with Tyaro would kill him than so be it, but not until he'd been able to stop the evil that had wiped out nearly the entire city. Tyaro's actions, from taking Bryan's life, to Aurkus', to thousands of innocent people in Diamond City, would not go unpunished, such was the promise he made to Bryan before he...[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The anger and frustration building up inside of him began to give him strength, he could feel it. With each image of Tyaro's heinous acts in his head, he gained a little more energy, and that numb feeling was slowly ripping itself away, so much so that he was able to make a fist with his left hand as well. Grasping both, refusing to let go no matter what, he forced his arms into the air and slammed them down against the floor beneath him, not caring what he hit, but just trying to wake his body up and possibly find out where he was at the same time.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Soon, he realized exactly where he was. Location wise, he was clueless, but the impact of the floor, the blistering cold, and the darkness was explained in one word - cave. Ace was sure of it, he'd somehow ended up in a cave of sorts, which looked nothing like the mountain ranges in the portal's image. How that worked, he was unsure, but at least he knew he was still alive, and after a few more minutes his eyes should begin to adjust to the darkness.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]"Tyaro!" He called out, hearing nothing but the echo of his own voice, rattling down the cave walls for what appeared to be miles. "Where are you?!"[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]He had shouted, but not expecting an answer. Tyaro was here - [i]somewhere[/i] - but finding him wouldn't be that easy. It never was in these situations. At least hearing himself talk restored some sanity. The question now was how to get out, because light was nowhere near him. He had ended up in the middle of the cave somewhere, with pathways on both sides of him, and nothing but solid stone wall on the others. A light of some sorts would have been awesome. Unfortunately, he hadn't taken his duel disk; there was no plan to end this in a duel. However if he'd taken it, he could've used the light to at least find his way around.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][i]I have...to stand up.[/i] Ace pressed his fists against the ground, trying to propel himself to a standing position, at least leaning against the wall if it took his body another minute to fully regain function. But the longer he laid down, the weaker he felt, and the more of a toll it would take on him. He wouldn't quit, no matter what happened. For too long he'd always sat on the sidelines while the people with the credentials took care of things. Well no more, this was his fight and he was going to see it through to the end. [/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]With that, he stood, almost losing his balance as his right knee gave out. He leaned against the wall, and found it instantly cold to the touch. Heat rises, sure, but how could it be [i]this[/i] cold in the cave? That much didn't make sense, rock could only get so cold before it would begin to crack, and it felt completely solid. He looked up, still not seeing much though his eyes were beginning to adjust. How could he possibly escape?[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]It all happened at once. As he began to readjust himself to at least try and navigate somewhere, the wall he was leaning on shattered entirely, with rays of light bursting into the room at a breakneck pace, revealing a land covered in ice, snow, and other nature elements of which he only had a second to identify before he was blown back against the opposite wall. There was no time to process, only to fear, as a beastly tiger, overwhelming him in size and clad in a black and gold armor that covered the majority of its upper torso, leapt up and into the crevice which had been created, staring him down.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][i]What is that?[/i] Were the only words he could form, completely paralyzed with fear. It could kill him in an instant, given that even one of its claws was the size a kitchen knife, extending from a paw the size of a dinner plate. But it looked strange, simply waiting, breathing heavily. If it had wanted to strike him, it was safe to assume it would have done so already, rather than just stand there. He was making no effort to run – it would have been worthless and if anything hindered his chances of survival.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The walls, he could see, were comprised entirely of ice, which explained why they had been so cold upon contact. The size of the hole the tiger had created led him to believe that it was an energy-based attack of some sort; those claws were huge, but there was no way they'd make that big of an opening. He wanted to back away. Maybe there'd be a crevice, or a turn, or something he could begin to make an escape in, but it seemed worthless, if only for the fact that the Tiger had jumped up in less than a second – the speed it possessed was incredible.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“Why have you come here?” It spoke, but took Ace a second to realize where the voice was coming from. “I said why?! Why are you here?! Have you no sanity? Humans do not belong here, they are not welcome here!” The madness in its voice was evident, as the tiger took a few steps towards Ace, who was unsure as to whether or not he was to provide answers.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“I-I didn't come here by choice,” he explained, “I'm after another human, Tyaro Kiminari, though I doubt you know of him. He created a portal into this world and I followed him, trying to stop him, but it looks like I was too late.”[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The tiger looked towards the ground, as if wondering whether or not to believe Ace's words. “The words you speak, regardless of whether or not they are to be true, make no difference.” The beast dug its nails into the ice, clawing at it with ease, for no other reason than to subdue the anger. “You are not welcome here, and you -” [i]Could this be? Is the prophecy revealing itself? Right before our very eyes? Tyaro, is he the one which the prophecy claims will harness and destroy this world? My memory's somewhat faded now, but I can recall a second human, a “chosen one” who stands but a chance to stop his reign of tyranny. I do not believe this boy is him, though I do believe his story is an accurate one. He is not the chosen one, he is not the one who can save our world.[/i][/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“I what?” Ace interrupted. “Listen, I don't know who you are, and I'm sure trying to speak for myself is a stupid move, but at this point it's all I've got! I didn't come this far to be slowed down now, I can beat him, I know it!”[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“This confidence, what makes you so sure you stand any chance at all?”[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“I've spent so much time as the sidekick, leading people to doubt that I had any experience at all.” Ace went on, clenching his right fist and battling back the cold. “This is my battle, and one I intend to see through to the end, regardless of the final outcome. I have a chance to stop him and put an end to this craziness once and for all, and I'm going to do it.”[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The stern look in the boy's eyes was certainly interesting, Dewloren thought, as he tried to get a read on him. Even if he wasn't the one who was supposed to come here and do this, he was already here, and he stood no chance of survival one way or the other. What harm was there in allowing him to go free and at least try? If he'd come this far, at least he stood a chance at weakening him. “We have heard of Tyaro's quest to rule this land, the realm of Aisubaria. I'm fairly certain you have no idea where you are, or how you got here, for that matter. You are no longer in the human realm, or the Spirit World, for that matter. Aisubaria is a completely seperate entity, a world derived from Duel Spirits who had no place in the Spirit World, and so we parted from our own planet upon its destruction and created this world, where we have lived in relative peace for years. Yet we knew this peace would not last forever. The Prophecy speaks of a chosen one who would come to our world and save it from its destruction, but it is evident you are not that someone.”[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“I don't get it,” Ace continued, “Who are you, and how is it you're sure I can't save this world?”[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“My name is Dewloren, and I am the ruler of this realm,” he explained. “The King of Aisubaria, the Ice Barrier. Now if you wish to try and fight Tyaro, you may, but you will not succeed. This is not a game of Duel Monsters, what you see here is real. The power he possesses is greater than any of us are able to handle, he can summon and control creatures at will. That's not to say your Duel Monsters cards can't be of use to you here. To call upon monsters and use the magic of Spells and Traps here, you must use your own life energy, and have enough strength to control these creatures or else you will die instantly. This is not a game. And I don't see that strength in you, which is why I believe you are doomed to fail.”[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“Believe whatever you will,” Ace gritted his teeth as he turned his head upwards and stared Dewloren straight in the eyes, a true majesty of a beast. “I've never had the belief of the faith of anyone, yet that's never stopped be from fighting the ongoing fight. What Tyaro has done, and the lives he's taken, that is inexcusable and though you may not care about that here, I do! I don't care if I have to fight him here, or if I have to do it on Earth, but wherever it is, I will fulfill my promise and make him pay for the things he has done! You can doubt me all you like, it doesn't matter anymore.” [/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Ace stepped slowly towards the opening in the cave wall, while Dewloren remained in place. “I'm willing to accept the fact that I may not survive here, but I refuse to die until I've taken Tyaro down with me. My friends are in danger, and this is my goal, this is my part in the whole scheme, to make it possible for them to fix things. If I have to sacrifice my own life than so be it, because anyone who truly cares is willing to give up their own lives to save the lives of those close to them! That's right, and that's why...that's why nothing is going to stop me from defeating Tyaro and ending this battle!”[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Dewloren said nothing, simply watched as Ace climbed down from the crevice and out into the barren tundra, covered in ice and seemingly devoid of any life at all. [i]Perhaps I was wrong...only time will tell.[/i][/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]---[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“Tyaro! I know you're out there, somewhere!” This wasn't a bluff; Ace could sense his enemy was nearby, not too far away at all. The area seemed to heighten his overall perception, making it all the more easier to familiarize himself with his surroundings. Something felt off, though. He could tell he was being watched, by Tyaro himself no less. But where was he?[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Then came the sinister, snarky laugh. “How observant of you, you weak-minded fool!” Ace glanced straight upwards, and just as he'd expected, the voice came from none other than Tyaro himself. The expectation of finding him sooner, rather than later, helped him stay calm, until he processed the rest of the image. Tyaro was not alone; he was riding atop a treacherous dragon, entirely blue in color and comprised of solid ice, wings and all. Covered in spikes from the top of its head to the end of its tail, it looked anything but friendly, and about ready to tear into whatever it could find. Did Tyaro truly have this much energy? Had that been what this was all about? Absorbing all this power, only to use it to come to this world? How could someone take that many lives, be that selfish and inconsiderate? Just the thoughts made him sick to his stomach, until he quickly realized that if he didn't prepare himself with some sort of defense, he'd be out of it in seconds.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“It's such an honor to have you here, in my new kingdom!” Tyaro bellowed out, Ace hardly able to make out the words as a hailstorm began to pick up, blowing shards of ice right into his face. This had to be Tyaro just toying with him, yet there was no doubt of his ability to control the elements here. Dewloren said the creatures of this land had known Tyaro would come, but his power had been too overwhelming for them. “I'd like to introduce you to my pet, the mighty Brionac!” As his master called out, the dragon let loose a screech so powerful, the ice lining the sides of the valley began to crack, falling downwards. “You thought you could outsmart me, but in my realm, there's no match at all!”[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][i]Come on...I gotta do something, and quick! [/i]Ace reached into his pocket and grabbed a monster card from his Duel Monsters Deck. Dewloren said it took real life energy to summon the monsters, right? That meant he had to focus, gather his strength, summon...“Go, Big Jaws!” Ace literally watched as the energy from within him became visible, appearing in front of him and taking the form of a treacherous shark, lined with metal plating and a sharp horn atop its forehead. And nearly instantly, he felt weaker. At least now, he had a form of defense. [/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“You sure picked up on that pretty quickly, but it won't matter!” Tyaro screamed. “As a matter of fact, I doubt you have the strength to even play anything else! It looks like my pet gets an appetizer before the main course! Go, destroy him!” Ace rolled backwards as the dragon shot down, destroying the fish in one bite. It never stood a chance. Now much lower to the ground, the duo set their sights on Ace himself, who was defenseless. [/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][i]Can I play something else? I know I have the strength to keep fighting, I may not be the chosen one but I refuse to let this end so easily![/i] He grabbed another card, [i]Royal Swamp Eel[/i], and tried to perform the same tactic as earlier, only to find that Tyaro was right. He truly didn't have the strength to bring something else out. With each passing second the dragon neared closer to him, and he began to feel the fear, and the adrenaline. [/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“What's the matter? Not so confident anymore, are you?! Now die!” With Tyaro still holding on, the dragon spun in a cyclone formation, forming a spear with its own body. Heading straight for Ace, the creature more than ten times his size struck him straight into the chest, flying backwards into the middle of a mountain. It cracked, and having lost all sense of feeling, he fell backwards through it, into a body of water.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The dragon returned to normal as Tyaro simply watched Ace's lifeless body drop into the water, sinking fast. Ace had no time to process his own thoughts, feelings, it had all happened so fast. He gasped for air, but there was none to be found.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]And so he took his last breath.[/font][/size]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][b]To be continued...[/b][/spoiler][/font][/size]

[Aviv: D's Knight]

Great!

[Divine Chaos]

Whoa, Tyrao controlling Ice Barriers, particularly Brionac, is just awesome. (Even though Tyrao is an evil megalomaniac using my fave archetype). Can't wait to see what, if anything, can stow him down now. Ace is out of the game, or is he? Either way, only a miracle (or something called Duel Monsters) can save the world now!

[Synchronized]

I'm working on the finale for this arc as we speak, hopefully I'll be able to get it posted today so we can finally move on to the next arc, but I can't make any guarantees yet. Any more comments, perhaps?

[Synchronized]

Definitely going to continue to update this; I've already done some work on Chapter 22. But this week is looking like a busy week for me, so I'm not sure if we'll be getting a new installment or not, it might be next week instead.

Still, stay tuned!