Legend of the White Dragon

[The Warden]

You've been, wait for it... [url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/299580-wait-for-it-heart-breakers-episode-7-the-offender/?p=6192918]HEART BROKEN![/url]

[Serefin]

Am I the only one still waiting for another chapter? Don't leave us hanging!

[MewMew3]

Sorry for the hangup in writing the next chapter. I need to find an internship or graduate school. And I have to refine my character development and duels while I'm at it. I will be back though. I promise.

[MewMew3]

Duel 9 – The Duelist Who Loved Herself

 

Operation Deadlock

September 30, 2004 1:00 PM

MISSION BRIEFING

 

JC towered over his comrades. The gang’s few days of research, planning, and organizing culminated into a grand plan to lure Cristy to her downfall. Jolene and Maya dug up every piece of information they could on Cristy, not that it was difficult to do because, well, Internet. Her profile on The Dueling Network sported an ostensible one hundred thousand followers who leaned on every word she uttered. Not like there was much to hear, like in one of her inane videos: 

 

Girls That Piss Me Off

Quote

[Rap music plays in the background.]

 

All right listen up ladies! If you’re easily offended you might as well stop watching this right now and just leave the Internet. You know what especially makes me want to puke? It’s when one of you goes up and starts complaining about you’re first world problems. “WAAH! I’m tired of gender roles.” “WAAH! I want equal pay!” “WAAH! I wish we had better female duelists!”

 

JUST STOP! You little princesses want to be treated exactly like men but you want men to still take care of you. “I want men to pay on the first date, to open doors for me, pay for my birthday present, pay for my engagement ring.” You want to find a rich guy to take care of them forever, but you want to same rights as a man. Then you sit around and say, “My God, where are all the good men at?”

 

When was the last time you bought you’re man a nice suit or paid for his dinner, huh? You complain about double standards but you hold the biggest double standards of them all. It’s time for a reality check, girls. If you don’t get your shit together – you’re too busy trying your newest pearl necklace or your kaki skirts or your eyeliner – you’ll never find a good man.

 

Jolene and Maya, remembering their favorite video of Cristy’s, still couldn’t help snickering together at times.

 

“I didn’t know I still wanted Yukio to open doors for me.” Jolene chuckled.

 

Cristy fashioned herself as one of the “baddest females”. Her body, shining like bronze from waxing, lotions, and tanning frequently and forcibly greeted them on the many online adds they had to endure against their will. In fact, Maya remembered her as the woman in one of the commercials during her shift at Game Stop. Cristy slathered herself in as much makeup as Maya did but, you see, it was the bad kind, at least in Maya's mind. 

 

“This is what we'll do.” And JC described his plan in his usual over-the-top way. He waved his hand, a general ordering his plumed troops on a critical battle that would win him an epic victory. Cristy's private driver guarded several briefcases full of rare cards for her team. Maya and Jolene would steal it while JC and Yukio would spray paint her house and leave a ransom note. It was perfect.

 

 5:00 PM
Long Island

 

JC and Yukio grinned with malicious intent. They plunged their fists into Yukio’s sack and drew out the spray paint and toilet paper. With reckless abandon they wildly ran and flung the toilet paper over anything he could see. A fiery rush of joy, and power, and rage overtook them. They were powerful, a mighty savage warrior slaying the enemy with flairs of fiery skill and grandeur! They shook the spray paint, loving the sound of each tiny crackle, and spewed the paint on the walls as if it was venomous acid, gauging every horrifying insult he could muster from their imagination. But then a car they recognized as Cristy’s turned around the corner. JC threw the note bribing her to duel at the door, then fled.

 

5:00 PM
Downtown Manhattan

Near Holland Tunnel

 

It was only a matter of time before the large black limousine would arrive. But their window of opportunity was short. The limousine would stay with the engine still running for only five minutes. The limousine would then disappear into Holland Tunnel. Jolene and Maya hid behind a parked taxi, hoping the driver would stay in a porta potty for a long time.

 

A long, sleek black limousine silently parked by a large repair store. The dark, greasy haired young man, Assassin Onion, quickly left, carrying a heavily ornamented black duel disk. One of the bodyguards, wearing a nose brace since Maya’s assault, walked away a few feet to have a smoke. Maya didn’t like that one guard was out there but it was their only chance.   

 

“Time to play some real Grand Theft Auto.” Jolene remarked.

 

“Except without stealing cars or killing any hookers after you rape them.” Maya added. “We’re just stealing trading cards.”

 

They sneaked to the trunk, careful to not make any foot noises. Thankfully the bodyguard’s back was turned, but they kept themselves low just in case. The guard turned around for a brief moment – Jolene and Maya dived to below the trunk, panicking! Did he see them! 

 

A sigh of relief. It was clear.

 

Jolene gestured. Maya rolled her eyes. She always had to do the dirty work no one else wanted to do, from picking up moldy, wet food from the bottom of the sink to manhandling Cristy's cards. Maya locked a sharp knife into the keyhole of the limousine's trunk and jammed it deep in with a hammer. This was it. With a sharp turn, she wrenched the lock open and threw open the trunk.

 

The alarm sounded instantly. With no time to look they scrambled for everything they could pick up. Taking many large, thick metal briefcases and a couple of duel disks they darted as quickly as they could.

 

The bodyguards chased them down with the fury of guard dogs at there heals. But Jolene and Maya were too small and fast. The guards spat on the ground and cursed in defeat.  

 

October 1, 2004 12:00 PM
FDR DRIVE

DAY OF THE DUEL

 

The whole gang was in formation. Everything was taken care of. Because they didn’t have the advantage of KaibaCorp satellites and video technology, Maya had to film the duel with a digital camera sitting on a tripod.  They seriously studied Cristy's deck and strategies and Jolene used their stolen cards to build her own deck accordingly. The briefcases were there to be handed to Cristy if she won, but they were full of blank notecards. Like they would actually give her cards back! 

 

Jolene was ready to duel, to take down her opponent down a notch and deal a heavy blow to the Crusaders. But there was one last detail to take care of. Maya went up to her and said, “Jolene, I know your birthday passed about a month ago, but I thought you should add these cards to your deck. They’re common cards I owned for years, but they’re useful. Happy belated birthday.”

 

Jolene smiled. She put the cards into her deck without question and gave Maya a hug. They gave each other a high five and Maya rushed back to her recorder.

[MewMew3]

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I decided to fuse the characters of Matthew and Sean (Phoenix) into one character. From now on we will have Matthew, who looks like the Matthew from before but has Sean’s personality and status.

 

Duel 10 – Two Mirrors

 

Cristy hated this place. It was just sunrise but the radiant glows of orange light did not comfort her. The light did not warmly embrace her and unveil the beauties of a new day, but coldly and sharply refracted against her body and carved away the skin of the world to reveal an ugly and foreign terrain. Williamsburg Bridge towered above them, an austere cave of stone. The floor was a filthy gray, filled with heaps of trash on one side and bordered by sharp rocks barricading the East River on the other.

 

Standing in her view was her opponent, a petit girl with dirty blond hair wearing a worn hoodie. Behind her stood two boys, both tall and intimidating with piercing eyes, one slim and wasting and the other massive.  On one side a sewer rat of a girl with dark hair and clothes held a video camera on a tripod.

 

But Cristy wasn't alone. She brought her whole team with her, four other girls as radiant with beauty as she was. Let them shine light into this black cave! 

 

“Glad you could come, princess.” Jolene taunted her. “For a moment I thought you were lost without your paparazzi and body guards behind you.”

 

“We chose to come here by ourselves.” Cristy retorted. Her crew gestured with crossed arms and repeated what she said. “It’s a thing called DIGNITY and MANNERS something white trash girls like you will never understand.”

 

“Two can play at that game, rich white princess. I hope you got a good plastic surgeon because after this duel your pretty little face will be wrecked beyond recognition. But that’s OK. Daddy can buy you a new face. Daddy can even buy you a new life."

 

As they readied to duel Maya noticed the irony of Jolene's insults. She came from a upper middle class family like almost every other hipster did. The reason her daddy put her in a public school was to save money.

 

  Cristy: 4000  II  Jolene: 4000

 

CHRISTY'S TURN: Sets 1 monster face down and 1 back row card.

 

JOLENE'S TURN: Draws. Sets 1 monster face down and 1 back row card.

 

CRISTY'S TURN: “You and your team will never darken a doorway again.”I flip Lightsworn Hunter Ryoko. I mill 3 cards to destroy your set monster with its effect!” A snow white wolf leaps out from the face down card and pounces on Jolene’s set monster, shattering it. “I tribute Ryoko to summon Celestia, and I mill 4 cards to destroy your backrow.” The wolf vanishes and a warrior maiden clad in white armor and weaponry emerges. A slash of her sword slices away Jolene’s card. “And I activate Foolish Burial, I mill Lightsworn Wulf to special summon him with his effect.” A snow-white, wolf-like humanoid brandishing a club appears.

 

Jolene Grimaces. “Oh no!”

 

“You and your filthy team mates don’t deserve to live past one more round. I expect my cards back. I attack with both monsters to kill you in one turn!” Cristy’s monsters dart to Jolene, sword and club in hand and smash – a covenant of blue robed priestesses form a barrier with their incantation. The Lightsworn monsters are shoved away.

 

Jolene smiled. "Waboku. Was I supposed to throw the fight to you? Is that what you’re used to, rich white princess? Throw any attack at me and I’ll throw it right back at you.”

 

Cristy admitted she had no moves left. She set 1 card.

 

JOLENE'S TURN: "I set a card facedown. Bring it."

 

CRISTY'S TURN: “It’s on now!" She declares, her team hissing at Jolene. "I summon Ehren the Lightsworn Monk. Her effect won’t allow to use whatever monster your hiding over there. Attack!” The dark skinned woman monk with tight white clothes leap in a spin kick, aiming for the hidden monster.

 

Jolene shouts, “I flip Gravity Bind.” Ehren is pulled straight into the ground, stunned. “Monsters Level 4 and above can’t attack.”

 

“I don’t think so. Royal Decree! I negate all traps.” Cristy retorts.

 

Jolene counters, “I flip Dark Bribe! Royal Decree is negated! You won’t touch me the entire duel.”

 

CRISTY'S TURN: She seethes in frustration but keeps it under control. "Tell me, Jolene, how many good cards can you actually buy? No wonder you only play defensively. I never saw you use a single monster. Are you waiting for me to deck myself out with my Lightsworns? You are the most pathetic and cowardly duelist I ever faced! You know I can easily counter my deck's weakness."

 

"You sure about that. I flip Macro Cosmos, so all your cards will be banished instead of going to the Graveyard.” Cristy banishes 3 cards instead of discarding them.

 

Maya bounces in excitement from the sidelines. She gave her that card!

 

Cristy feels a nervous chill down her spine. How can she play Judgment Dragon if she's banishing her cards instead! What does she do!? Her entire team groans in the worst way possible.    

 

JOLENE'S TURN: “I set one monster face down and I flip Morphing Jar” A stone jar hiding a grinning, one-eyed beast inside pops up from one face down card. “We banish our hands and draw a new one.” The sheep have ben herded. Now it was time to shear them. “I set two face down cards.”

 

CRISTY'S TURN: "Please let this be a good draw." She says to herself. She sheepishly looks at her new card. Yes! Time to break your lock like the way Yugi did against Bakura! I summon Lumina, the Lightsworn Summoner and I discard 1 card to revive Lyla, the Lightsworn Sorceress.” A small, unarmed woman in white robes manifests on the field. She circles the air with her hands, light and energy trailing behind them, ripping open a gate Lyla leaps out from. –

 

Jolene cuts her on the stop. “I play Royal Oppression. I pay 800 to negate your Special Summon.” (LP: 4000 à 3200) The dimensional gate evaporates as quickly as it had appeared.

 

"You won’t lock me down." Cristy insists. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon.” A vortex of air and thunder gathers, zeroes in, and blasts away Gravity Bind. “Celestia, Wulf, Ehren, Lumina, attack! Kill her now!”   

 

“I’m sorry Dave, I can’t let you do that.” Jolene mocks, impersonating the supercomputer Hal. “I activate another Gravity Bind.” And Cristy’s entire army mercilessly crashes to the ground. “Read. My. Lips. You. Can’t. Touch. Me.”

 

Cristy ends her turn, banishing 3 cards for Ehren’s and Lumina’s effects. She has no choice. 

 

JOLENE'S TURN: “I flip summon Morphing Jar #2, we both shuffle our monsters back into our Deck. Then we keep drawing until we have the same monsters as before. If they’re spells or traps they’re sent to the Graveyard. If they’re monsters you can set them face down. However, they must be Level 4 or lower. If their above that mark they are sent to the Graveyard also.”

 

Another jar appears, similar to the first, brandishing the same wide ghoulish grin. The amorphous creature inside the jar snakes outward, swallowing all monsters before vanishing as smoke. Both duelists shuffle their decks. Cristy grimaces. She draws much and banishes Wulf and Celestia along with 3 other cards, finally setting Garoth the Lightsworn Warrior and Lyla, the Lightsworn Summoner. Now Jolene draws, banishes 2 cards, and sets Needle Worm and Neko Mane King. “You’re move.”

 

 CRISTY'S TURN: She now says to herself. “For this entire duel I have been fighting against a wall I can’t break down. Except maybe with this combo I can next turn.” She has no choice but to end her turn. 

 

JOLENE'S TURN: “Just to make sure you rage quit on me I flip Needle Worm, now mill 5 cards!” Jolene commands. Cristy obliges.

 

But Cristy isn't done with her turn yet. She has something on her mind and hasn't said it more than five minutes. "Sometimes I just gotta’ tell what I gotta’ tell and if you’re one of those guys who are easily offended you might as well just shut your ears right now, in fact you might as well just stay off the real world right now and watch like Sesame Street for the rest of your life. Like I’ve never cared and I’m not gonna’ care right now.”

 

“Um, sorry, but did you forget but you’re not blogging!" Jolene rebukes, "Your drooling fangirls are not here to validate every little thing you say!”

 

“Uh-oh. Cover your ears lads," Yukio rebukes, "She’s going on a full blown ignorant-“

 

“Ranting time! I mean seriously, you guys are made up of one hipster white girl, a big fat black dude, a skinny Asian dude, and a weird emo black girl. I mean, OH MY GOD! Someone call the PC Police right now ‘cause I think we just got together the ultimate diversity dream team. Like, I’m surprised Jolene is even on your team. Wouldn't she stop you guys from meeting a diversity quota or something? But I do think Yukio is cute and hot. Maybe he can help me with my algebra homework.

 

JC shakes his head. “No comment. Even from a me, no comment.”

 

Cristy kept ranting, “I mean, look at you Jolene. You’re trying to look all hip and progressive by hanging out with THEM, but then again you’re a hipster. You try to look grungy and hang out with people who got it worse than you but you’re another little rich white girl. You need your little comrades to make you feel good about yourself and to protect you. You need them to tell you who you are.” Her whole team repeats what she says, rewording into something more intense each time.

 

Jolene winces at Cristy's barbs. They strike too close to home. Is she right?

 

Maya knows Cristy is right about Jolene, maybe even right about Maya herself. But there is no time to waste. Jolene has to keep fighting! She speaks up for the first time. "Cristy, who the hell are you talking too? Because you're definitely not talking to any real people. You rant against people who live in your head. They don't exist."

 

CRISTY'S TURN: She doesn't even listen to Maya. "I flip summon Ryoko. I banish 3 cards to destroy Macro Cosmos.” A familiar white wolf leaps from a face down card and pounces on Macro Cosmos. “Now I can monsters in my Graveyard! I tribute Ryoko for Celestia! Next I mill 4 cards to destroy…” The white wolf is swallowed by light. A sorceress in white robes and armor appears, aims her staff and with two lightning bots shatters, “Royal Oppression and your face down.”

 

"Next I play Burial From A Different Dimension, and I return Wulf, Celestia, and Jain to the Graveyard. Now I have four Lightsworn monsters of different names in my Graveyard: Wulf, Celestial, Jain, Ryoko. I summon Judgment Dragon!” Lightning breaks out in all places and celestial vortex of blinding light swirls above. Slowly, shapes and outlines coalesce into a huge reptilian frame, and a huge dragon with sparkling scales and horns touchdowns on the ground.

 

Jolene cannot move. “I pay 1000 (LP: 4000 à 3000) and every card except Judgment Dragon goes bye-bye.” Judgment Dragon roars and stretches its huge wings. Light bursts out into a huge shockwave, instantly vaporizing all of Jolene’s and Cristy’s monsters in a blaze of white flames. Cristy shouts in victory – But, a faint light glows in Jolene’s Graveyard slot in her duel disk.

 

Jolene smirked. “Were you about to attack just now? You forgot about the Neko Mane King face down didn’t you?”

 

 

“ARGH!" Cristy rages, "How dare you! You think that cheap trick will work against me!"

 

JOLENE'S TURN: Yes, I do. I activate Dimension Fissure. This continuous spell makes all monsters banished instead of being sent to the Graveyard. I activate Level Limit – Area B, another continuous spell. All monsters Level 4 and above are forced into the defense.” Judgment Dragon is forced to kneel. It pulls its huge wings over its face and scaly body. “I activate Soul Release and banish 5 monsters in your Graveyard.” Cristy’s Graveyard explodes in a dazzle of light. The spirits of 5 of her monsters there, Lumina, Lyla, Ehren, and both Celestias, flee into the field and whizz aimlessly before dissipating.

 

“And finally, I summon Jowgen the Spiritualist.” A man robed in traditional Japanese priestly regalia quietly makes his entrance. “I discard 1 random card, the only card I have, to destroy Judgment Dragon.” The priest wields his staff, bright swirling energy gathering around him before thrusting it at the dragon. The bright light hit Judgment Dragon and in instant it disappeared. “And furthermore.” Jolene concludes. “You can’t Special Summon at all.”

 

“And since Necroface was banished, we both banish 5 cards from our Decks.” Both duelists do so. “I end my turn and D.D. Scout Planereturns since it was banished.” A black spherical robot warped from a dimensional netherworld before hovering close to the ground and shielding itself with its arms.

 

CRISTY'S TURN: "Oh no..." The second Judgment Dragon in her hand is useless. Even if she could return her banished monsters back into her Graveyard she couldn’t Special Summon her dragon anyway. It was pointless. Jolene won. Cristy silently places her hand on her deck. All the holographic monsters and cards disappeared. Her team behind slumps in sadness.

 

Cristy: SURRENDER  II  Jolene: 3200

 

Jolene gasped for air, relieve overtaking her so hard she almost fainted. For the last few days Maya and she spent as much time preparing for this duel. JC broke the silence with a victorious war cry, thrusting his fist into the breaking light of dawn. Yukio happily tackled Jolene, hugging her so lovingly he lifted her off the ground and twirled her around. Jolene clung to him in affection and they happily kissed. Maya would have done all of this herself but she kept the camera fixed into place. “This is going straight onto Daily Motion! Our first defeat of a major team!”  

 

Suddenly tons of people crept out from the woodworks and cheered in support of Team Dark Duelists. JC thrust his fist in the air. "VIVE LA REVOLUTION!" And the crowd roared in approval. Realizing they're completely outnumbered, Cristy and her gang limp away, their tails between their legs. 

 

The throng of people burst into cheers and laughter. A member of a high profile team was thoroughly beat! They hadn’t seen this in years! The riches teams trounced everyone with Monarchs and Chaos as only they could afford them. But now it looked like things could finally change.

 

The crowd rounded on Jolene and Yukio, almost separating them as they tried to high hive and congratulate the winner. JC couldn’t help himself and interjected constantly of course, “Well of course Jolene won. But I was the brain behind the duel and I taught Jolene to play. If it wasn’t for MY LEADERSHIP none of this would've happened."

 

Maya snorted. It was almost endearing.

 

She wasn't ignored. The people of the crowd popped up to pose in front of her camera. A handsome dark-skinned man and a young woman in a shawl approached. “Hey, thanks for filming all of this the duel was awesome! Yay! Let everyone see us on the Internet for this glorious day!” They said. “We are the leaders of team Silent Sword a refuge for duelists against the metagame. We are Hassan and Arifa. Awesome times are ahead.”

 

A pale young woman with raven black hair and piercing ocean blue eyes, wearing her old Obelisk Blue academy uniform was next. “Hello, I am the leader of Team 42. We're the bridge between high class duelists and everyone else. I’m Alexis Burkeheart."

 

Another young woman, small in size, even paler than Alexis and with darker hair, with ruby lips, wearing a black skirt and corset came up. “I belong to no team but I'd love to help, but you can call me Xioayi. 

 

Maya eagerly recorded everything. For this brief moment, all darkness and worries were chased away. Her heart hadn’t felt this light for so long. She was happy to have so many new friends.    

[The Warden]

Hmmm, I thought so: Some of the duel is missing, as Jolene was never written to have had set the Neko Mane. Also, you misspelled Oppression

[MewMew3]

Fixed. Thanks for pointing it out. Writing duels, let alone scripting them, is no easy feat. :P

[MewMew3]

Duel 11 – Sprouting

                                                                                 

“Elemental HERO – Stratos, kill off Maya! Direct attack!” Alexis’s spandex-clad hero wearing a turbine backpack clocked Maya in the jaw, ramming her face-up on the cement. “You lose.”

 

Her breath punched out of her, Maya gasped for a few seconds before slowly pulling herself up and shaking Alexis’s hand. “Good game.” She really needed to get used to this.

 

The gang was at Washington Square Park, the sun bright and shining but the weather beginning to grow cold. J.C. was busy dueling some kids, beating them more easily than taking candy from a baby, and boisterously laughing as he sent the poor shrimps crying to their parents. Yukio and Jolene were dueling each other, Yukio struggling to get past Jolene’s defenses.

 

Maya took a quick look at her new deck. To call it dog crap at the bottom of your shoe was this week’s understatement. She saved up so much money on her structure deck, naively thinking that buying a pre-made deck of strong, rare cards would give her a ticket into the academy. It might have, if only she wasn’t so late and didn’t face Matthew. Either way, she lost it, and the scrap deck she held right now really wasn’t helping. She really needed to radically change things to give herself any chance whatsoever. But how?

 

She took out some folded paper for music. She had dissected the red and green dragon known as her music piece to perform an autopsy. She wanted to prune the growing themes into well-shaped trees and then join them seamlessly in the right four-dimensional road so they would grow in a way she wanted. This was not the first time she wrote a sonata. She wrote piano sonatas, ragtime pieces, and even a little symphony of sorts when she was thirteen. She missed it when she had more time…

 

JC just came back, satisfied with bullying enough kids for today. “Alright my cadre of miscreants, today is Interview The Dueling World day. Today we shall be the gadfly of Athens, the madman with the lantern in the sleeping town. We shall confront every duelist we find and free them from the delusion of religion.”

 

“Excuse me.” Maya objected. “Hoe does telling random people God isn’t real help our cause? You'd think that would turn people against us."

 

“No one speaks more than me so SHUT UP!” JC rebuked. He tossed Maya the camera she used when Jolene defeated Cristy. “You’re the official anonymous camera guy no one remembers or cares about. Let’s go.”

 

Maya hit her face with the camera so hard she thought she killed it. Alexis, who was watching the whole talk, shook her head and snickered. “I pity you… I might as well name you Cassandra.” Maya glared back at her. She talked too much like a third party observer... What if she was secretly with Matthew? 

 

Anyway, JC found his first victim to terrorize. Thanks to Maya and Jolene’s research, he recognized one duelist devoted to the Christian God. He just passed by a young woman who might have been his sister and told her we just went to Church.

 

JC pounced on his hapless victim without mercy. “YOU f***ing MORON DO YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE IN THAT ####TY LIE KNOWN AS GOD!? RELIGION IS STUPID! GOD IS A CONCEPT FOR BABIES! YOU JUST DON’T ACCEPT THE TRUTH BECAUSE OF HOW BRAINWASHED YOU ARE!”

 

The young man staggered back in surprise and horror. “What? Did I offend you?”

 

“SHUT UP! YOU BELIEVE IN GOD, THEREFORE YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN SCIENTIFIC REASON! YOU’RE THE REASON WE HAD THE DARK AGES! YOU BELIEVE THE EARTH IS FLAT AND PEOPLE LIVED WITH DINOSAURS! YOU SUPPORT RAPING LITTLE BOYS AND KILLING GAY PEOPLE!”

 

“Hey wait up!” The young man shot back, indignant. “All I said is I was in church. You’re making a lot of assumptions on what my religious and political beliefs are. And you seem to assume that everyone who is remotely religious is some extremist caricature. Sure they exist and religion has done bad things but it also has good things like the charity work I do at the homeless shelter with my Church every week.”

 

JC looked like he was shot between the eyes. “I think JC just got stumped.” Jolene whispered to Maya.

 

But soon JC was back in full force. “UH-OH! RETARD ALERT! I HONESTLY CAN’T BELIEVE I’M LISTENING TO A PERSON SO STUPID!”

 

“Look,” The young man’s sister retorted. “You’re not going to enlighten anyone by being an irrational and belligerent tool. No one won a debate by calling someone retarded.”

 

“YOU’RE DUMB! YOU THEISTS ARE SO f***ing STUPID! I CAN’T TALK WITH YOU ANYMORE! IF I KEEP HANGING OUT WITH YOU THE RETARD WILL GET ALL OVER ME AND I’LL BE A RETARDED BRAINWASHED IDIOT LIKE YOU!” And JC stormed away in a rage.

 

Appalled, the young man and woman parted ways. “Good riddance.” 

 

Maya turned the camera to herself. “And there you have it. You just saw our party's platform, that is, if I’m insane enough to upload this stuff.” Jolene hogged the camera with Maya to make a random silly face. Maya shoved her away. “Get away. My screen time. I know you hipsters think being random is a virtue and being a rebel but it's not.”

 

The day marched on. JC unsurprisingly drove out every duelist he talked to, squashing any attempt to make allies. After many, many tedious hours, Maya and Jolene had enough. They sneaked away to find duelists of their own. And find duelists they did. They found Xiaoyi sitting by a shanty bodega. An odd, pale, plump man with stubble, wearing a monocle and a top hat, lounged on a chair nearby, taking a nap.   

 

“Why hello there.” She smiled. “Come right in.” She had a large oval head with small porcelain features. Her black hair flowed down to her waist and her ruby red lips, though thin, spread out very wide. Her eyes were wide open, intensely expressive, with a dazed look. “I’m glad you could come for my little tea party." She shook a large bottel of green iced tea.

 

Maya hesitated. Xiaoyi giggled. “Don’t worry silly, the tea isn’t spiked, or anything. But I'm hiiiiiiiigh as fuck." 

 

Maya began, her words carefully chosen. “We want to go against the Shining Crusaders. You know, Matthew's team? So we're trying to make friends with other teams."

 

“You know I don't do teams. And you're banned anyway. How will you and your aspiring team of grasshoppers ever climb the social ladder?”

 

Maya pointed to the plump, sleeping man. "What about this fine, young capitalist. He's as strange and silly as you are."

 

Xiaoyi leaned very close to Maya, so much Maya could see the bags underneath her eyes, the only blemishes on her otherwise flawless face. “Tell me, Maya. What is this little war between you and Matthew really about?”

 

“I really don't know." Maya admitted. "There's no Freudian tension if you seriously think that." 

 

“You and your motley comrades, peasants who live in dirt and never saw the light, fight another group of peasants slightly better dressed. And what after all this struggle? You live in massa's house but massa' will never let you own it."

 

Maya boiled with impatience. She hadn't opened the floodgates of her heart in a long time. “Enough riddles! We need to defend ourselves against the Crusaders. Will you help us?

 

“What is music, Maya?”

 

“What?”

 

“I see you writing music all the time, but do you understanding what you are writing?”

 

Maya seriously wanted to leave, but didn’t. For some reason Xiaoyi's question was very important. She didn't want to fail it. So what was music? The textbook definition, recognizable patterns of sounds, didn’t work. She sometimes thought music was really made of silence, like the majority of the universe is made of dark matter and dark energy. And there, she thought, was where it’s true nature probably lied.

 

She answered, "It is the silence between sounds." 

 

Xiaoyi grinned like a cheshire cat, clearly pleased. "Close." She leaned towards, whispering to Maya's ear. “Music is a secret, but it is behind a locked door. Everyone has the key but they have to find it. You will find it. The serpent sleeps in the earth, dormant for millennia, but will soon awaken and will return all to the earth. She will know, you will know, when the time has come. Maya, sharp as the sword in the stone, a long forgotten sword whose blade will be used again under a darkened sky. In the halls of time doors keep opening while doors keep closing, closing to the one door we must enter but fear. The egg burns apart and breaks and the burning yolk leaks. And the highest of levels is the starry vault, the Underworld; always the last world, the last stage, where the dragon dwells beyond the gate.”

 

Jolene nudged Maya. “What is she saying? She's nuttier than JC."

 

Maya nodded. "You can say that again."

 

“Would you like a blot?” Xiaoyi offered a tine square. “It's not your average cookie to go with tea but still have a bite.”

 

"No thanks.” Maya curtly retorted. "We only smoke weed. Bye, Anne Sexton! You should turn that into a slam poem." 

 

“We don’t the harder stuff.” Jolene explained.

 

“And onnnnne moooore thing.” Xiaoyi mimicked a heavy Chinese accent. She revealed a tongue split down the middle. “Grow a forked tongue.”

 

Jolene said to Maya when they were out of earshot, "Did you seriously get suckered by a stoned chick?"

 

Maya shrugged, perplexed. "It was... an interesting experience."

 

“You’re ever the optimist.”

 

“Oh stop it you.”

 

The rest of the search was more fruitful. Maya and Jolene managed to find both Hassan and Alexis at Washington Square Park, right by the chess husslers. Hassan got the message and promised they would do everything they could. Alexis seemed to have the most information and gave them a memory stick of every team out there. Good, some useful allies.

 

Speaking of which, JC and Yukio just came back. “Where were you lousy slacks at!” JC boomed. “I wanted you to record my master debating skills, not drug addicts playing chess!”

 

 Jolene shouted. “Guys look!” She gestured to her laptop and the gang gathered round. It was an email, directed at all of them.

 

Quote

Team Dark Duelists,
I saw your uploaded duels against Miguel and Cristy and I was most impressed. I am Jones Dupre, Senior Legal Advisor of KaibaCorp New York. I heard the Shining Crusaders banned your team. Your team has a lot of potential and it would be a complete shame to see it go to waste. I can put your team back on the Dueling Network and make you rise to the professional level. Below is the address to my office and my business numbers. We would be glad to have you call.

Best of luck,

Jones Dupre

Senior Legal Advisor

[The-Nemian-Lion]

sorry but I had to show you this all I really think its important     http://www.deviant.com/art/Hulk-vs-Wonder-Woman-395551693 please post it all over yugioh card maker and I would like it :)

[MewMew3]

Duel 12 – The Devil Is In The Details

 

Zack was a well off boy of only fifteen years who lived in the Upper East Side. Both of his parents were doctors, which gave him enough money to waste on whatever hobby he wanted, so he chose Duel Monsters. Now he was getting in trouble because people took the game so seriously they ruined it. 

 

“Giant Orc, attack him directly!”  Steve the bully shouted. His hulking, brutish monster bashed Zack in the head, plummeting his Life to 1400. “Second Giant Orc pummel him to win the game!” The second orc brought down his massive club over Zack's head – the monster suddenly shrunk to half its size. The blow hit Zack hard but he was still alive.

 

“I active Shrink just before your attack connected.” Zack explained. “I still have 300 points left.”

 

Steve huffed as his two orcs now crouched defensively due to their effects. Both boys faced off in a basketball court with a crowd of kids and teenagers around them. The arena was intense, the crowd divided on who to root for and who to hate. Steve spouted, “Face it retard, you fail. Everyone knows I’m gonna’ win and those who don’t will learn their mistake. You think you can root Team Dark Duelists and get away with it?” He revealed his hand. “I have Chaos Sorcerer in my hand. Attack one of my Giant Orcs I’ll summon him. You can’t beat a Chaos Deck.”

 

A duelist with black hair, dark clothes with chains, and fiery dark eyes approached him. She said to him, "You don't have to duel like him to be a good duelist or even to win." Zack heeded her call to action. For the first time in his life he felt he could take charge of himself and do something truly unique. He was now ready to try.

 

Time to begin the biggest play he ever made. “I set a monster face down and play Book of Taiyou to flip it face up.” A woman dressed in blue and red robes appeared. “Magician of Faith lets me fetch Dark Magic Curtain from my Graveyard. I activate it (and don’t have to pay Life Points because I have Spell Economics in play). I summon Dark Magician!” The famous and iconic monster Yugi used from his first days as a duelist, a purple armored sorcerer appeared. The crowd heated to more intensity. “I activate Emblem of Dragon Destroyer to add Buster Blader from my Deck to my hand.”

 

“And now Polmerization! I fuse Dark Magician and Buster Blader to make Dark Paladin!” A bulky, mighty warrior appeared but not for long. The magician and warrior liquified and fused together, blending into a melting pot together until they solidified into the shape of a gleaming, dark cloaked magician wielding a huge blade. “And I play Big Bang Attack. My monster gains 400 ATK points and deals piercing damage! You'll lose the game even if your Orcs are defending you. I attack with Dark Paladin to win!” The warrior-sorcerer thrust its blade in the air, releasing a silver wave that slashed the orcs to pieces.

 

Steve couldn't believe his loss. The game was over.

 

The crowd clamored in a cacophony of joyous whoops coming from some and angry shrieks of denial from others. Zack basked in glory, turning to the girl who helped him. “You really helped me win. You are the best duelist I have met."

 

Maya shook her head. “No. It was you all along. You just needed a little boost." JC  gestured imperiously. It was time to meet the lawyer. Maya bumped Zack's fist with her own. "Keep it real my man."

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The personal office of Jones Dupre Esq. was small but meticulously clean and beautiful space. A stuffed bookshelf and expensively framed digital copies of famous paintings rested against the walls. A single large window opened out to the huge city twenty stories below. In front rested a polished mahogany desk and behind it sat its owner.

 

“Good afternoon and welcome to my office. I’m Jones Dupre, J.D. from Harvard and Senior Legal Advisor of KaibaCorp NYC, specializing in corporate and intellectual copyright law. Have a seat.” JC and Maya took the only two vacant chairs.

 

Dupre set a lengthy contract before them. He quickly leafed over the many pages, letting his clients only a cursory glance. “Since you’ll be sponsored by KaibaCorp NYC you regularly receive allowances from us. You gain unlimited access to rare cards, include the legendary Chaos cards I might add. You get unlimited access to duel disks, card sleeves, card vaults, and you can own one unused KaibaCorp building as you please. And, last but certainly not least, KaibaCorp will put you back into the Dueling Network.”

 

JC stroked his frazzled beard. He pretended to be brooding but wasn't. He never stroked his beard when he really brooded. He was just full of himself. "Thing is, what’s the catch?”

 

Dupre chuckled pleasantly. “ I just become your manager and I take care of all the dull paperwork business so there’s nothing to worry about.”

 

Maya took the contract and read over as much fine print as she could, furiously trying to find said catch.

 

“There isn’t some dreadful clause hidden somewhere in there that will make signing this contract a fatal error. I promise.” Dupre reassured her.

 

Maya didn't buy it. She asked, “What do you see in us? There are so many other teams better than we are? Why do you want us?”

 

“You managed to beat some pretty high tier decks with unusual strategies. You’re team has potential. To call you inspiring would be quite an understatement.”

 

Maya still looked skeptical.

 

JC requested the team talk about the contract privately. Dupre politely obliged. JC whispered, "I get everyone's worries but it’s the only way we can get ahead and beat the Shining Crusaders. As long as we're banned we can't enter or win any tournaments. We need to get back in.”     

 

Maya noticed JC was truly brooding now and appreciated it. She voiced her thoughts on the matter, "Dupre not only manages our team but he also owns it, as does Kaibacorp. We’d be legally bound to do what they tell us, who we duel, what cards we duel with, even who we can team up with. Dupre is acting like we're equals to him but we're not. You rant how evil corporations are all the time, JC, and now you’re going to join one of them?”

 

"Plus KaibaCorp will make us the next target market." Yukio added. "Even if we beat the Crusaders we'll just replace them. Being a Dark Duelist will be the new hot thing. That's what Sneaky Weasel Esq. is really after."

 

“We don’t have to do this.” Jolene objected. “We're making a deal with the Devil. We can wait. We should wait.”

 

Maya cast a look of sadness and frustration but remembered her humiliating loss from Matthew. And she remembered how little Zack would've lost too before she helped him. How many people would she let down if she didn't accept Dupre's offer? Not even that. What about her home and father? They'll stay poor forever if she doesn't go pro. 

 

"You thinking of that little kid?" JC asked her. "If we don't become pros we can't smash the door open. New duelists like us will come flooding in and the metagame will be a much better place. No more Chaos. No more Monarchs. And outcasts like us, "He pointed at Maya and Yukio for extra emphasis." Can make it big.

 

There was no getting around it. They had to take a gamble for the dueling world. Hopefully they would win. 

 

“Let’s sign it then!” JC barked. “We have no choice!”

“Wait!” Maya held his arm back. She glared at Dupre, trying spot any signs of fraud. “We accept but under two conditions. One, you can’t make use a Chaos or a Monarch deck and two, you immediately register us for the New York City Cup. Matthew's stooge, the one with the giant earphones and pedo glasses, will be there. We can catch him by surprise and break a Crusader.”

 

Dupre was unreadable. “Of course.”

 

“Woah…” Yukio looked in beleaguered amazement. It was like he was stoned. “How do you know this stuff?”   

 

“Me and Jolene do these things called ‘research’ and ‘know your enemy’.”

 

JC cracked his neck. He had enough of Maya's craven, womanly diplomacy. That little snake needed to shut up before he mistrusted her. “Let’s duel this already!” And they all signed.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Maya’s new piece was now finished, not just the first movement but the whole animal, the whole ride. She deliberated on its instrumentation. She changed it from viola to only piano before finally finishing it off as a trio, a piece for cello, piano, and clarinet. The clarinet was a more lovely, soulful, and pure instrument, more “sacred”, its roots traveling as far as ancient Egypt. And, it gave the whole piece a more lovely quality. The piece was no longer for middle aged philistines but for Jolene. But Maya didn’t like her work very much. There wasn’t a single work she actually did like. But the trio was completed and was in her portfolio.

 

Father came into her room without asking as usual. He never sat on the floor with her or even sat on her bed. He always stood above her.

 

“How was school?” He asked.

 

“Great.” Maya beamed up at him with innocent, bright eyes, trying to turn the conversation to a light mood. 

 

“And what about the SAT? Do you know when you’re taking the test?”

 

“My SATs are OK. I study a bit every day after school. I even registered for the next test in December.”

 

“Just OK?”

 

"You know what I mean."

 

Father clenched his fists tightly. His intolerance was high today and his anger was slowly rising. “You really, really need to think of your future and devote more time to the SATs. You need to stop fantasizing with you music, stop hanging out with those friends of yours, and do the SATs.”

 

Maya learned since childhood to gauge her father's wrath as if it was on a barometer. She always feared the explosion, the moment the barometer broke Why did every conversation have to be so tense and boring at the same time? She took a deep breath and answered calmly, “Dad, I’m doing very well. My practice tests show a score of 1900 out of 2400. And my score will get even better as I practice. In college they evaluate more than your SATs. They look for someone who is talented and interesting to accept.” 

 

“And you are someone talented and interesting?”

 

"I was a child prodigy at the piano. How many kids can say that?”

 

“And look where that got you. You won a few awards and stopped performing after mother died. Your talents were wasted. I want you to go to a real school and not some liberal arts school run over by thugs and druggies and owned by Jews.”

 

 

"Dad, you are a Jew. Your own family in Russia disowned you when you rejected the faith and a doctor's career."

 

She saw his eyes glint with anger; the barometer rose by two degrees. Maya kept her face a stone cold mask - she wouldn't dare reveal him any weakness - but her stomach lurched.

 

“If you break your promise I’ll lock you in your room.” Father stated flatly and loudly shut the door.

 

Maya really missed her mother, when she felt a real connection with someone, when a relationship was more than a power struggle. It felt that way with JC and even with Jolene a bit. They always tried to show off who was the quirkier, cooler girl, like it was a battle between punk and hipster. She really hated father, a hatred that knotted inside her like black serpents. 

 

She put her books and music away and checked her phone. Jolene had just texted her.

 

Quote

hey u got your homework done. i did

 

Quote

yeah :))

   

Maya had one final thing to do. It was Yukio. She really liked him. Maybe it was his daredevil, rockstar attitude, or his goatee, or his music playing, or... Maya flushed at the thought but her heart dropped. Yukio loved Jolene. He would never love someone as worthless, disgusting, and evil as her.

 

She only wanted to call him. It was OK. She wasn’t going to hit on him or anything. She dialed Yukio’s number. Each ring seemed to last a minute.

 

YUKIO: “Hey, who’s this?”

 

MAYA: “It’s me…”

 

YUKIO: “Who?”

 

MAYA: “Maya.”

 

YUKIO: “Oh hey Maya, what’s up?”

 

MAYA: It takes her every bit of strength to say these words. Her heartbeat pounds in her ears. Did he like that she called him? What if he was making out or even having sex with Jolene and she was bothering him? – She just says, “I just wanted to tell you good luck on the whole City Cup Tournament. I hope you win everything.”  

[MewMew3]

Duel 13 – Battle Royal

 

Trump Tower was a building as big and self-important as it sounded. It was one of the buildings of New York City, perhaps not as iconic as the Empire State or the Chrysler buildings, but no less lavish or important. At the top of the building was the most illustrious feature of all. The Carter family bought the condos at the very top of the building and even renovated the entire place into a miniature duel stadium! Giant corporate logos smattered the walls and everywhere newscasters and live cameramen leered up on the duelists from any angle they could. Anything for publicity, which meant views, which meant subscriptions and ratings, which meant money.

 

A giant television screen glared green and graphed every duelist; all thirty-two of them, into a spot in a six by eight square, assigning them their matches. Phillip was thankfully far away for all of them, meaning one of them wouldn't face him until the final round.

 

A short, thin man with flagrant red air, the judge and commentator known as Maximus, seized everyone's attention, booming in a microphone,  “And now for our first match in the New York State Championship! JC; the newcomer who spearheaded the iconoclastic Team Dark Duelists versus Arifa; founder of Team Silent Sword!"

 

JC and his opponent for the moment shot up through the elevators to the stadium at the very top floor. The seats were completely stuffed with the noisy masses and every wall held a logo of some kind. The mass wasn’t too enthusiastic. The mass jeered, “Hey look it’s a bitter Dark Duelist versus a failed duelist!”

 

True to the spirit of the Dark Duelists, JC wore black sports pants and a black silver studded jacket. Arifa wore something of a high class purple Roman robe along with her hijab. “We’re allies, but now let’s see how we stack up against one another.” JC challenged. DUEL!

 

Arifa: 4000 || JC: 4000

 

ARIFA'S TURN: “Good luck JC. Let us hope we both improve our skills.”

 

JC rejects, “Yeah whatever. Courtesy is for the weak.”

 

Arifa shrugs it off. “I summon Magician’s Valkyria!” An armored woman wielding a green scepter appeared. “I set two facedown cards. It’s your move.”

 

JC'S TURN: “I summon Gladiator Beast Laquari!” An armored and upright tiger reared, ready to attack. “Let’s just say the spoils of Jolene’s victory gave us Dark Duelists a major upgrade.

 

Maya and Jolene almost died from embarrassment. He broadcasted their theft to the whole world!

 

"Laquari, attack!” The tiger pounces to its target.

 

“We’ll see how you stack up to this. I activate Magical Dimension to sacrifice Valkyria!” A sarcophagus, adorned in violet and gold, bound by chains and holding within it secret spells, hovered over Valyria, just ready to close in on it – “You’re not summoning anything!” JC abruptly halts her. “Enemy Controller! Second effect: A, B, C, Up, Up, Down!” Almost all of the large buttons of the large white game controller punch in and flare brightly. The Laquari shatters and Valyria pops in his place just as quickly. The purple magician’s coffin, with nothing to encase, wastes away…

 

“You’re pretty skilled JC.” Arifa remarks. “No wonder you’re their leader.”

 

JC rebukes, “Hold your flattery. I’m not done yet. You’re Valkyria will now destroy you. Valkyira, attack directly!” The magician lifts her staff, absorbing and broiling the green-colored material to make a devastating spell.

 

But Arifa interrupts, “You forgot a detail, my last card, Magician’s Circle! Since you’re attacking with a Spellcaster I can activate it, and I summon from my hand Magical Marionette.” The two duelists are surround by a whirling, glowing pink boundary encasing a pentagram, that through its magical energy manifests a large, gangly puppeteer, himself ironically a puppet. Vakyria fires her destructive spell before she can call it off, and with the swipe of its hand the Marionette bounces the spell back to her, destroying her. (JC LP: 4000 à 3700) JC grunts and sets three cards facedown. Valkyria returns to Arifa's side.

 

The Announcer declares the situation, “Will you look at that folks! It seems like its Gladiator Beasts versus Spellcasters! Gladiator Beasts unleashes a premature assault and loses this little scuffle!” The audience rings with ridicule.

 

ARIFA'S TURN: “JC, this duel reflects your team and your actions. You're strong but also rash. You need to moderate your extreme approaches and learn better ways to oppose injustice, and then your team will flourish.”

 

JC rebukes her, “I don’t need your advice, woman. My team is good enough as it is. Make your move already.”

 

“If you insist." Arifa sighs, "I summon Magical Exemplar.” A green robed woman with long raven hair appears. “I activate Magical Endymion.” The whole stadium vanished in a white light and in its place a large white city towered by a tall and narrow citadel manifested in its place. Two glowing orbs appeared on top of Exemplar. “With spell card activated my monster gets two spell counters. I will add six more by activated Toon Table of Contents to search and activate another Toon Table and another Toon Table and finally search for Toon Dark Magician Girl. Now that Exemplar has eight counters, I remove six of them to summon a six star monster, Toon Dark Magician Girl!” The hovering orbs vanished and in a dazzle of white light appeared the iconic duel monster, complete with golden hair, purple and pink armor, and her trademark cute smile and large breasts.

 

“If you have any good back row cards I advise you to use them now. Direct attack with all my monsters!”

 

JC counters, “I activate Waboku.” A coven of heavily robed priestesses made a wall to protect him. They all lifted a gold relic they each owned and all of Arifa's spells bounced off them. Then the priestesses disappeared as quietly as they came.   

 

“JC, your dueling skills are commendable but I must make my argument against you.” Arifa said. “There is something much bigger than ‘pwning’ people in duels if you want to bring justice to the dueling world.  When I see the way you order your team around I can’t help but be disappointed. The only opinion that truly exists is yours."

 

JC growls, bouncing back, “Now it’s time for me to get into pwnage mode! Listen here! All I hear from people like you is a bunch of whining without doing anything You think pretending to be the goddess of reason and wagging your little finger at goons like the Crusaders is actually going to stop them. Yeah right! They'll totally go, ‘Oh dear! I can’t believe I was a horrible asshole this whole time.' News flash sweetheart, they decided to be assholes a long time ago and as long as they have the power they will continue to be assholes. The only option is to rip power right out of their cold dead fingers!”

 

“Speaking of assholes.” Jolene comments.

 

Maya remarks, “It doesn’t matter how big or small the asshole is. They're all full of shit.”

 

JC'S TURN: "Let me show how to really duel, with raw skill and aggression. I flip my facedown, Fire Formation – Tenki to search for Equeste, and activate Fire Formation – Tensu. You know what this does, Arifa? It allows me to summon one more monster.” Arifa frowns and hunches slightly in defense and worry. “That’s right! Brace yourself! I summon Gladiator Beast Equeste and Gladiator Beast Bestiari. And I return them to my deck to Fusion Summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus.” An armored and winged centaur and an armored upright red and brown bird appeared only to dissolve and melt into each other to create a large, brawny, heavily armored eagle that made a deafening screech. “Gyzarus will now destroy two cards, mainly your Marionette and Dark Magicial Girl.” And just like that Arifa's two monsters shattered.

 

You’re so cheap!” Arifa just had to complain.

 

“Bitch, cheap is my middle name! I attack Valkyria with Gyzarus!” The mighty eagle-headed beast beats its massive wings, crushing the armored magician with the boom from the blast. “Gyzarus will now separate into two Gladiator Beasts from my Deck: Gladiator Beast Hoplomus and Gladiator Beast Darius.” Gyzarus dissolves and split, forming large and rotund four-legged beast of heavily plated armor and an upright horse, which uses its own power to summon Laquiri from the grave.

 

ARIFA'S TURN: “You are deaf to reason. I have no choice but to stop you then. I banish a LIGHT and DARK monster to summon Chaos Sorcerer. “White and purple beams of light shoot out from her grave and merge together into a tall magician in tight black leather robes. “And I use his effect to banish your Darius.”

 

JC rebukes, “Not going to happen. I activate Gladiator Beast War Chariot.” A large chariot embedded with vicious spikes shot from the holographic card and collided with the sorcerer. “Your sorcerer’s effect is negated and it is destroyed.”

 

“I could have summoned my supreme Endymion monster.” Arifa says to herself in all too much disappointment. She simply didn’t have the time to get enough spell counters. She switches Examplar to defend and ends her turn.

 

JC'S TURN: “There is a reason I’m the God of the godless. I am a toughest duelist there is and I can lead other tough duelists to victory. We’re gonna’ take out the Shining Crusaders out one by one!

 

"I play Smashing Ground!” A giant fish flies in the air and slams into Exemplar. “I fuse Hoplomus, Darius, and Laquari to summon Gladiator Beast Heraklinos!” All three beasts merge together to form a giant leonine monster with a magnificent mane, wielding a mighty axe and shield. “My two Fire Formations give Heraklinos an extra 200 ATK. My victory is complete. Suck on this! Heraklinos, attack her directly!” The giant lion swung it’s humongous axe, slashing Arifa across the middle. (Arifa LP: 3100 à 0)

 

Arifa: 0 || JC: 3700

 

“There you have it folks!” The Announcer Maximus declared. “JC wins with a perfect score!” The audience clapped and some people even cheered, but the reception was lukewarm. “That was an amateur duel!” One fan shouted his derision to the rooftop. “We want more Monarchs!”   

 

JC saw red like a bull does and even tried to climb up the seats to attack the worm who dared insult him. It took three goons in dark green suits to drag him down and haul him out the arena.

[MewMew3]

Duel 14 – Prickly Friends

 

Our heroes  gave each other high-fives. Yukio beat some Crusader supporter who was really big in the Midwest and Jolene defeated some random grapeboi who spend more time flirting with her than dueling. Maya’s match was the most amusing. She fought against a 12 year old who constantly cussed and thought he was hardcore from playing Call of Duty, watching South Park, and listening to Eminem. Let’s just say Maya had to send him back to mommy to spank him. 

 

Jolene couldn’t help but notice how quiet Yukio was the whole time. He sat alone on a cheap folding chair. Jolene gently held his shoulders. “Is something wrong?”

 

He could have been made of stone, as if Jolene didn’t exist. After what seemed like five minutes, he finally seemed to notice her. “What?”

 

“You’re so quiet in this tournament sweetie. I’m worried. What’s bothering you?”

 

“Phillip.” His dark eyes burned with red blames and black embers. “I have a feeling as if I’m meant face him in the final round. It’s not destiny or anything stupid like that. I just feel I have to face him and… overcome something and say a message.”

 

“What do you mean? What do you have to overcome?” Jolene prodded, silently desperate for an answer but all Yukio gave her was silence.

 

It was now time for the next round, as Maximus the annoying announcer was all too eager to let them know. “Now for the next rounds of the Round Robin!” He read off the list of duelists, and the team picked up two duels. “Jolene the unbeatable wall goes against the strange and dreadful Xiaoyi! …”

 

Maya and Jolene gave each other a hug before setting out their own ways. Jolene now stood face to face to the strange and frankly creepy Xiaoyi. Why Xiaoyi was even an ally was frankly beyond her understanding. When she and Maya came for help all she did was speak in riddles and mock them… while high Jolene might add! From across the field, Jolene could see a sinister and teasing light in her opponent’s eyes. 

 

Jolene: 4000  ||  Xiaoyi: 4000

 

JOLENE'S TURN: “Alright Alice in Wonderland, I set a monster and two facedown cards. You’re move.” She waited for Xiaoyi to attack…

 

XIAOYI' TURN: Sets a monster and two facedown cards.

 

JOLENE'S TURN: “What the hell are you pulling?”

 

Xiaoyi repeats, “What are you pulling?”

 

Jolene is indignant, “Why don’t you try something original, coward?”

 

Xiaoyi echoes, “Why don’t you try something original, coward? I’ve played Stalling Decks long before you picked up the game. So why don’t you come at me and break the cycle, unless you’re afraid."

 

Jolene loses her temper. “Fine! You want me to attack you here I come! I flip my facedown Soul Absorption, summon Banisher of Radiance, and flip Needle Worm!” An angel of abstract mechanical form and a fat worm are borne. “And from Needle Worm’s effect you discard – no banish – five cards from your deck, and Soul Absorption gives me 2500 Life Points.” 

 

Xiaoyi laughs in her face, “So you didn’t attack after all. I’m not surprised. You’re really no better than that Cristy after all. Both you have no true sense of self-worth. so you rely completely on your friends can give you a self-image you can’t find on your own. Whether you're a queen bee or self-absorbed hipster is of no difference.”

 

Jolene ignores her taunts, even though they bruise her. “I flip my own facedown monster, Swarm of Locusts!” The plague of insects patters at Ivy’s card and shatter it while battering Ivy herself. “Locusts’ effect takes care of your healing plan. Now for the monsters: I flip a face down Level Limit – Area A and activate Stumbling.” Ivy doesn’t know what it means. Stumbling forces summoned monsters to defend rather than attack, and Area A forces all low level monsters to attack.

 

Xiaoyi continues, “I summon Rescue Cat, and banish it to summon two Blade Rabbits from my deck.” An otherwise nondescript cat with a yellow hardhat vanishes as instantly as it appears to be replaced by two small but sinister rabbits. The rabbits crouch to defend – and as they do so they throw their knives, killing Ivy’s monsters – and go right back to an offensive stance. Lilly commands, “All monsters, direct attack!” The locusts and wicked rabbits swarm and puncture and slash Jolene. (Jolene LP: 6500 à 4700) “I set one card and return my Locusts facedown. The Rabbits die because of how they were summoned.”

 

“Now these are some strange monsters right here. Definitely not things we see everyday.” Announcer Maximus compulsively comments, “Can we call this an indie duel of sorts? I think so. Both duelists are using some interesting low-level decks.”

 

JOLENE'S TURN: Jolene notices Xiaoyi is not like most opponents she beats. Most try to beat you down with strong monsters, especially monarchs. But Xiaoyi also uses low-level monsters, sneaking past Jolene's wall. Jolene hopes she can hold Xiaoyi of a little longer. “I activate Dimensional Fissure. All monsters are banished instead of going to the Graveyard. I set a monster and another card.”

 

XIAOYI'S TURN: "I flip Locusts again. Bye-bye facedown” The locusts devour Jolene's Mirror Force. “Next I summon Dream Clown.” A clown of pink and red, wearing a purple robe and cape, made its appearance, crouching in defense – and gassing Ivy’s facedown monster to dissolve into nothingness – and readying itself to offense again. With a twitch of her finger Xiaoyi sicks her monsters on her opponent. (Jolene LP: 4700 à 3500) “I set one card facedown.”

 

JOLENE'S TURN: She draws Pulling the Rug, a card good against monarchs but useless here. She doesn’t know what to do. Her options, and her fighting spirit, slowly fade away until only a small faint light spot remains. In a mirror in her mind she sees Cristy reflected back. “Can I be just as bad as the opponent I beat?” She asks herself.

 

“Snap out of it!” Maya insists from the sidelines. Xiaoyi's spooking you out with amateur mind games. You’re not like Cristy. You’re smart and truly beautiful and want make the world a better place. You want more than to enjoy your privileges. Don't listen to her. Just play.”

 

"Beautiful lies, Maya." Xiaoyi whispers to herself. "But they won't save her."

 

Jolene snaps out of her stupor. "I can still knock you down a notch. In the end a shield and patience is all I need. I play Dark Hole!” The familiar vortex cycles around the field, starting to draw in BlueLilly’s monsters. But Lilly won’t let her have a single morsel. “I chain with Magic Drain.”

 

The light of inspiration that bore Jolene up now became a meteor's flame, crashing to the ground in wreckage. Her last measure failed. Cristy once more stared back at her through her inner mirror. “I set one facedown card. Maybe I can still live next turn.”

 

XIAOYI'S TURN: The woman grins widely, her thin lips parsing as a snake's mouth before swallowing its prey whole. “No such chance, Cristy. I flip my Locusts again,” and they destroy Jolene's final facedown. “And summon Rescue Commando and banish it to special summon two Dream Clowns from my deck.” A short, stocky man with the trademark hardhat materializes to be replaced by two more purple robed clowns, making the clown count up to three. “All monsters, direct attack!” And that is how Jolene dies from a thousand paper cuts.

     

Jolene : 0  ||  Xiaoyi: 4000

 

Maya ran to pick Jolene up, using her own body as a shield against the humiliation the crowd fed, taking the smattering of hotdogs, cheeseburgers, and buttery popcorn. Once Maya successfully escorted Jolene away, Maximus announced, “Well that was a huge catfight out there, wouldn't you agree?” The audience cheered, "YES!!!" Maya was nauseated, embers inside her burning with anger.

 

“And now for our next fight, the seditious Maya versus Jonathan, a frequent dueler 'round these parts. Is God dead? Let's find out!"

 

//no mood!!!//

 

The audience buzzed and roared happily as the duelist named Jonathan made his entrance. A loud and grungy song from Nirvana battered in the background and the audience beat their own hands and feet in with the rhythm. Jonathan was none other than the young man JC harassed a while ago after he left church. He was a man of pleasant and modest features, light brown hair and sunny brown eyes, and his simple clothes further reflected this.

 

Maya, needing to “perform” on the stadium, amplified her usual wardrobe: a black jacket embalmed by a pink flame, a black skirt with a black belt, and black boots. But she was in no mood to perform, least of all in a genial way. Her usual prickly and guarded approach was always best.  

 

Jonathan approached Maya and offered her his hand. Maya didn’t know what to make of his gesture. Was he trying to loosen her up with a false friendship so he could catch her off guard? In spite of her suspicion, Maya yielded and shook his hand. Jonathan nodded and said, “Let’s have a good game.” He returned to his side of the field and they began “DUEL!”

 

Maya: 4000  ||  Jonathan: 4000

  

“What’s with the goth chicks with daddy issues this month?” The audience bemoans. 

 

“Ladies first.” Jonathan gestures.

 

MAYA'S TURN: “How chivalrous. I set a monster and a facedown card.”

 

JONATHAN'S TURN: “Big mistake. You made yourself vulnerable on the first turn. That will cost you the game. I summon Maurauding Captain, and with his effect summon another warrior, Mataza the Zapper from my hand.” A blonde-haired warrior with a long sword and scarlet cape materializes and is shortly accompanied by an unmasked samurai, blade drawn out. “I equip Mataza with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade.” The samurai blade dissolves and his hand pulses and grows into a brilliant sword itself.

 

"Captain, attack her monster.” The Captain swiftly slashed at the monster underneath, green and veiny creature, shattering it. Zarathustra uses her monsters effect, sending two WATER monsters to the graveyard. “Now Mataza, attack her twice and finish the duel.” Zarathustra snaps into action. “I activate Dimensional Prison!” And Mataza vanishes in a flash of light.

 

"You were saying." Maya taunts him.

 

Jonathan shrugs it off. "I set two cards facedown.”

 

MAYA'S TURN: “I special summon Treeborn Frog from the graveyard.” The familiar winged and innocent leaf-green frog sprouts from the ground. “Now here comes Swap Frog. I discard a WATER monster to special summon it and I can mill a low-level Aqua-Type to bounce a frog to my hand and normal summon an extra frog monster so I can repeat the cycle.” Maya plays through the cycle twice but doesn’t return Swap Frog the second time. “I tribute my two monsters to summon Light and Darkness Dragon!” Both frogs vanished and a great dragon, half of its body white, and half black, flew into the air and radiated the field with its spread wings.

 

“Woah! What kind of deck is this!?” Announcer Maximus boomed. “Maya's using frogs all right but she’s just using them for some greater purpose.” The audience, surprised, watches Maya with keen interest.

 

Jonthan says, “Nice job getting out that monster, but sorry. I play Bottomless Trap Hole!” The dragon, however, shielded itself in a white sphere and the trap just vanished. “My Dragon loses 500 ATK each time you play a spell or trap. Now my Dragon, destroy Marauding Captain.” The dragon fires a blinding lightning bolt… Dogma activates Sakuresu Armor, only to have it fail like his last one, and his Captain is burned to ash. (Jonathan LP: 4000 à 3900)

 

Phillip, who can’t be bothered to watch pathetic low-level duelists desperately trying to survive, sees the screen broadcasting the duel by accident. He freezes in shock. The Dark Duelists are banned! There is no way they can be here! He accosts the tournament manager, demanding to know how banned duelists can enter an official tournament.

 

“No, they can’t be in the Dueling Network!” Phillip can’t believe what the manager is saying. “We banned them and for good reason!”

 

Back at the arena, Jonathan says, “Nice dueling so far Maya. But I got you right where I want you. Look at your dragon. It’s so weak now I can kill it with any monster I choose.”

 

“Look,” Maya says, “You’re clearly a smart, decent person. Why would you ever support a group like the Shining Crusaders?”

 

“Why should I not?" Jonathan replies. "They stand for every good value in the dueling world: courage, honor, fairness, and respect. They’re not like you Dark Duelists, especially not like your amoral leader JC. Matthew is a crises man, Maya. He knows how to keep his team together no matter what happens.”

 

"The Shining Crusaders punish people who don’t fit their ‘perfect’ vision of the world but it's all a ruse. It's all about power and keeping themselves upper class. The Crusaders are mob bosses who use their power with impunity, not leaders. Now make your move already!”      

 

Jonathan obliges her, “Fine. I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!” A warrior entirely encased in black iron armor appeared. “Attack Light and Darkness Dragon!” Gearfried launched itself and with its blades for arms cut off the dragon’s head. (Maya LP: 4000 à 3500) Then from the vapors of its disappearing corpse a mighty purple and gold sea dragon crystalized, Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragon.

 

Maya smiles somewhat maliciously. "Touche." Jonathan grunts and sets a card facedown.

 

MAYA'S TURN: “I summon Treeborn Frog from my grave. But more is to come. I banish two frogs in my graveyard to summon two Ronintoadin.” Two wizened turquoise frogs upright in meditation materialize together. “I tribute Treeborn to summon Sea Lancer, and equip the banished Dupe Frog and Poison Draw Frog to it.” A green, scaly serpent with arms wielding a trident appears. “I attack with my two big monsters!”

 

“I play Mirror Force!” Jonathan counters. Poseidra shatters under its own blast but Sea Lancer remains safe, for Maya destroys a frog instead, and then draws a card. 

 

“But Sea Lancer can still attack.” She declares. “Destroy Geafried.” And the sea serpent impaled through the knights armor with its spear. (Jonathan LP: 3900 à 3400) She sets one monster facedown, ending her turn.

 

JONATHAN'S TURN: “Here goes nothing…” Draws. “The Heart of the Cards rewards my faith! I activate Graceful Charity!” He draws three cards and discards two. “And activate Monster Reborn to summon Gilford the Lightning!” The crowd roars and cheers as a signature card of the legendary Joey Wheeler arrived in a flash of lighting. “Gilford, attack Sea Lancer!” The great warrior sliced through Sea Lancer with its huge sword but only the equipped Dupe Frog bit the dust.” (Maya LP: 3500 à 3000) “No matter how much you push me back I will fight! I will defend the Crusaders!”

 

MAYA'S TURN: She pities him as much as she almost hates him. When JC and Jolene dueled they bickered terribly with people on the same side. Now she duels against someone who downright supports the Crusaders yet they both remain civil. It was as if how you were a Dark Duelist was more important than if you were one.

 

“Now time to play a Dupe Frog.” Jonathan says, “But Dupe Frog is in your graveyard, not your hand.”

 

Maya shoots back, “My graveyard is my second hand. I activate Salvage to retrieve Dupe Frog and Swap Frog to my hand, and I summon Dupe Frog!” A pale blue frog, strangely wearing a graduate cap, surfaces. “I activate Des Croaking, with my two Ronintoadins and Dupe Frog as three substitute Des Frogs! Your whole field is destroyed!” The three frogs croak in unison so loudly as to be a roar. The wave of the sheer force of sound overpowers and kills Gilford.

 

“I tribute my three frogs to summon Poseidra from my Graveyard.” The frogs vanish into a mist out of which emerges the purple and golden dragon. “Sea Lancer and Posiedra, finish this!” The two creatures of the deep summon a wave that crashes into Dogma and renders him no more.

 

Maya : 3000  ||  Jonathan: 0

 

“And the winner is Maya!" Maximus celebrated to everyone in the arena. Some members in the audience were disgruntled, but others applauded Maya for her superb dueling.

 

Maya was no mood to be friendly but she knew she had to make a gesture, then high-tail it out of here. She shook Jonathan's hand. “Good game. I disagree with you but you're a good guy.” Jonathan was about to say the same thing but Maya left before he could even form a sentence. It was the last time he met her and the last time she ever saw him.

 

The team rallied up together to share their experiences and stories so far. But hardly could they begin when Philip stormed in, his ice-cold surface almost destroyed by the craziest rage. “Count yourselves saved you, sporty, because you now have the privilege of dying by my hands. None of you stand a chance against me and my Dark Armed Dragon!"

 

And true to Molotov’s word, none of the Dark Duelists stood a chance. He bulldozed over Maya and JC, even smacking Jolene around for good measure. By the time the Round Robin was complete, only Yukio, Phillip, and two other duelists won enough points to enter into the tournament finals. Yukio and Molotov promptly disposed of the two other finalists, leaving only each other to duel for the final prize, the New York City Cup.

 

Here was the fulcrum of the scale. If the Dark Duelists secured their first major tournament victory, their values of freedom and creativity would reach all across the city and they would have the first true chance to flourish. If the Shining Crusaders won, the Dark Duelists would return to obscurity and ruin.

[MewMew3]

Duel 15 – Break On Through Bravery

 

Yukio Fukiwara was just about to enter the arena for the final duel. His defeat would strike a heavy blow against the Shining Crusaders. After him, only Daniel and Matthew himself remained. He felt a warm embrace around him. It was Jolene. She took his hands and her green eyes matched his dark brown. “I am so proud of you, Yukio. I know you can beat him and give our team the win. Good luck.”

 

“Thanks. I feel it is my duty to win. Every person, whether they are a duelist or a musician or otherwise, should have the right to express themselves and grow as people. I can’t have the Crusaders violate people’s core parts of themselves, their last inch. If there was a soul it would be that.”

 

“Don’t worry. You’ll do fine. Even if you lose, I will always be proud of you and I will always love you.” Jolene drew herself near to him and gave him a long kiss. She put her tongue in her mouth and wrapped her leg around him, drawing his hands over her breasts.

 

Yukio walked out to the arena, catching a glimpse of Maya behind the corner ahead. Her face appeared warm and supportive but her eyes smoked with the dangerous green light of envy. Yukio had no choice but to ignore it. He gave her a thumbs up and entered the light and into the arena.

 

The crowd buzzed with mixed noises of anticipation. Maximus himself was all over the place, his voice booming ahead. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, champs and basement-dwellers, the final match of the New York City Cup Tournament is up! Already standing on the arena, guarding his title, is esteemed champion of Team Shining Crusaders, Phillip Jackson! And entering to challenge him is the envoy of the audacious Team Dark Duelists, Yukio Fujiwara!”

 

The crowd gave a mixed roar, some cheering for Yukio, others for Phillip. Either way it was almost deafening. They shuffled each other’s decks per the norm. Phillip looked horrible to Yukio, like the unassuming but deadly serial killer in a horror movie. Still, Yukio wished him good luck. But inside, Yukio shuttered in disgust. It was time to put him in his place.

 

Phillip: 4000  ||  Yukio: 4000

 

PHILLIP'S TURN: “Time to see what you’re made of, sporty. I summon Armageddon Knight!” A night clad in a dark red scarf and black armor materializes. “And I mill a DARK monster with his effect. I set one card facedown.”

 

YUKIO'S TURN: “I draw. Your winning streak ends now! I summon Shining Angel and order it to attack your Knight!” A simple white robed angel comes in a flash of light and darts to the knight. Both explode in light. “Since my Angel died in battle, I summon Silent Swordsman LV3from my Deck!” A tiny warrior appears. It looks like only a child, awkwardly in shining blue and white clothes too big for it and wielding an oversized sword. “Swordsman, sick on him!” Yukio commands. His monster slashes across Phillip's chest, forcing him to back in pain. (Phillip LP: 4000 à 3000) “You became overconfident, which is why you didn’t protect yourself. I set four facedown cards.”

 

PHILLIP'S TURN: He seems to lean towards Yukio. His voice is softer and lower than usual but even deadlier. "Don't mess with me, sporty, or you'll regret it."

 

"I'm not one of the little kids you rape right after church." Yukio strikes back. "Treat me like an adult."

 

Phillip chuckles in the creepiest way possible. "Then I will oblige you. I activate from my graveyard Destiny Hero – Malicious, I banish it to summon another one from my deck, and I tribute it to summon Caius the Shadow Monarch.” A man covered in black armor and what looked like gargoyle wings appears and vanishes to be replaced by a giant in heavy black-clad armor. It was the all too familiar monster JC faced. “And with its effect Caius will banish your little Swordsman so he can never see the light of day again!”

 

Yukio counters, “I activate Torrential Tribute.” And the huge tidal wave sweeps away both Swordsman and Caius. 

 

Phillip is completely unfazed. "Thanks. You let me summon my greatest monster, Dark Armed Dragon!” Out of the darkness and shadows from a gathering storm emerges a dragon of huge claws and scales as black as volcanic ash. Phillip gestures a slit throat. "Dragon, sick him!” The huge dragon slashes at Yukio, throwing him hard on the floor. (Yukio LP: 4000 à 2200) “I set two cards facedown.”

 

But Yukio isn’t done yet. “I activate Limit Reverse.” And the Swordsman returns from the graveyard.

 

YUKIO'S TURN: Gets back on his feet, draws his card. “This is by Standby Phase, so my Swordsman evolves to Silent Swordsman LV5.” The Swordsman glows and grows to twice it’s height into an adolescent boy, his outfit and sword fitting him much better now. “I activate Level Up!! To make Silent Swordsman LV7.” The Swordsman grows into a tall adult, fully formed and wielding his large sword with full confidence. "And I set a card facedown. Come and get me, Mr. Rogers. The altar boy is waiting for you." 

 

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During this whole time, Maya was busy in her task. She pointed out the headsets Phillip always wore to Jolene who, reading Maya's mind, affirmed her suspicions. Maya knew it was time to act. It very well could save Yukio the duel. She spotted two goons in the typical dark green suits peering down from the arena’s terrace high above. She needed something, anything, she could use to take them out, and JC’s creepy serial killer van was probably full of things. She couldn’t think. She could only act, and she just knew where she needed to go.

 

JC sat on a chair below the stadium, watching the game; nervous about the final duel and at the same still angry he lost to Molotov. His keys dangled on a clip on his belt, an all too tempting and easy prize. Maya crept below the table just behind him and – click – it was over. It was hers now.

 

He ran into the elevator and almost shattered the buttons with the force she used to jam them. Now! Now! She then dug through all the dirty and moldy boxes in the van, searching in vain through the wreckage of paraphernalia as random as one could imagine. Finally, Maya found firecrackers, a very big and long chain of them. She carried a lighter in her pocket. Perfect.

 

Back up in the stadium she scaled up the steps behind Yukio full of screaming people. It was all she could do to push them away and not be torn apart. She was at last at the top step and just above, the terrace! Now the goons could be seen up close. They were the exact same goons by Matthew’s side at the mall many weeks ago. The one with white skin still had his nose brace from the blow Maya gave him.

 

Apparently they didn’t learn their lesson yet. Maya lit the firecracker chain and threw it up, landing right on them. The goons screamed as the firecrackers blew up right in their faces, running hysterically in every direction, desperately trying to tear away the chain erupting on them, even almost falling off the terrace. The two headless chickens ripped it away from them as they fled. Maya couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of delight as she saw the two insects scream in fear, pain, and cowardice, unworthy of their pitiful lives.

 

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Back in the arena, Phillip screams loudly, throwing his earphones to the floor. Maya and Jolene had turned up the volume to ear-shattering levels. A man's voice in the earphones gave everything away, disclosing the cards in Yukio's hand.

 

“I can’t believe this.” Maximus is flabbergasted. “Phillip is in fact cheating. I hate to tell you this folks but Phillip must be expelled and temporarily banned from any future tournaments.”

 

“No. Let him duel.” Yukio says. “I want to beat him at his own game. I insist!”

 

“Very well then.” Maximus accepts. “It would be pitiful to end the final round of the tournament that way.”

 

PHILLIP'S TURN: "Sure getting ahead of yourself, aren't you, sporty? I activate D.A.D. I banish Caius in my grave and pick your Imperial Iron Wall just behind your Swordsman!”

 

Yukio counters, “Not so fast. I play Divine Wrath, discarding my only hand card to negate and destroy D.A.D.

 

Now Phillip counters, “I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit! I pay 1000 Life to negate your trap.”

 

But Yukio has one more trick up his sleeve, “I activate my own Seven Tools of the Bandit.” The two Tools erode away and a mighty bolt of lightning burns D.A.D. to ashes.

 

But Phillip isn't done yet. “I summon a second Dark Armed Dragon from my hand!”

 

Yukio 

 

 “Here, you want my Imperial Iron Wall, you'll get it! I activate it!”

 

“That’s not where you set it!” Phillip insists."The guy said -" Then he remembers he cheated.

 

“You’re right, it’s not.” Yukio answers him. “I switched the cards around when you were distracted.

 

Philip returns to the duel. "I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device and I target Silent Swordsman!”

 

Yukio's response: “I play Interdimensional Matter Transporter, I banish Silent Swordsman until next turn.”

 

"You’re clear for a direct attack. Now it’s time to punch you back into the dirty street curb you belong to. D.A.D., finish him!” The massive black dragon erupts a volcanic blast of red flames from its mouth, aiming right at Yukio – but the attack doesn’t make it. An armored warrior rises above the ground; Necro Gardna, and with its huge shield deflects all of the heat away from its master.

 

Phillip grunts at his setback but realizes his situation is watertight. “What can you do now, sporty? Our monsters will just kill each other if you attack.”

 

YUKIO'S TURN: “Simple. Kamikaze. I’m not a coward like you who cheats and only attacks when everything is safe.Dueling is not about me. It’s all about the other people’s lives I touch. Silent Swordsman, attack D.A.D.!" The Swordsman runs straight at the dragon, with no fear in its eyes. 

 

Phillip realizes Yukio saw through his bluff. He squirms, making his final desperate moves. "I activate Shrink and Enemy Controller!” His two spells spark yellow, malfunctioning, and shatter.

 

Yukio shows a card in his hand, a card Phillip never knew about, and discards it. “Honest!” Two white wings, blazing with light, appear on the Swordsman’s back and his ATK skyrockets to 5200. With one swift blow the Swordsman cuts right through the dragon’s thick hide, severing his head.

 

Phillip: 0  ||  Yukio: 1200

 

Maximus announced, “And the winner of the New York City Cup Tournament is Yukio Fujiwara from Team Dark Duelists!” The crowd screams half in applause and half in anger. “What a shock! A green team we didn’t even know about a few months ago just took out one of the biggest teams in the state and won themselves a major tournament! Congratulations! You win the prize of $10,000 and a case full of vintage rare cards that haven’t seen the light of day since 1998.”

 

The entire arena darkened and our heroes were put under the limelight. Vain and repetitive victory music trumpeted from every corner. Maximus himself left his pedestal and solemnly marched on stage with two of his own bodyguards. The bodyguards handed the team a large golden trophy, which JC snatched away immediately. Then the bodyguards gave two briefcases, one with the cash and the other with the cards.

 

When the team went to the parking lot they saw to their surprise the police had swarmed JC’s car and slapped a ticket on the front window for parking in the wrong place. JC became furious and the rest of the team had to do everything they can to avoid a confrontation, but even this couldn’t take away their rare feeling of glory. With luck it wouldn’t be the last.  

[MewMew3]

Duel 16 – A Day Without God

 

The amazing victory Yukio scored for the Dark Duelists scored them no less than ten grand. In the true spirit of victory JC went headstrong to fulfill his dream and immediately set out to rebuild an abandoned warehouse he found on the west side. While he spent his time wandering around the city having Dupre hire crew and buy computers the three of his underlings, Yukio and Maya, were left alone and could do whatever they wanted.

 

So they spent their time in their relatively spacious hideout-basement. It had a perfect grungy feel to it. The walls were covered in a kaleidoscope of graffiti with vivid and at times explicit images, the few chairs and couches were loafy and moth-eaten, and the whole place reeked with the musty yet pleasant smell of old age. All the instruments for Yukio’s concert were set up and Yukio’s band, originally named Blood Velvet, were out taking a break. Yukio himself sat on a stool, fiddling with a guitar.

 

Maya hovered around the band instruments with her video camera, silently exploring the guitars, drums, and electric piano. She sometimes touched them and played them a bit as if feeling them out for their musical potential, like striking them with a tuning fork to see if they were whole or hollow or casting a rock down a cave tunnel to see how deep it went. She occasionally voiced some insight or judgment, just a few words. This process did involve her poking at Yukio a few times, who didn’t seem to mind.

 

 Jolene suddenly came down and poked her head in front of the camera. “Hey, how are you doing? Happy Halloween peeps!” She waved in front of the camera and Maya did the same. Jolene sported very short pants and a beige tank top, decorated with cheap bracelets and fake tattoos. “I’m a hipster for Halloween. What about you?”

 

“Aren’t you always a hipster?” Maya herself wore purple and black striped leggings with a dress and sweater of similar design. “I’m a sort of necromancer-ghoul-Goth-metalhead thing.” Maya laughed, embarrassed. “I just like dark and bold colors! I honestly don’t know what fake subculture I belong to.”

 

Jolene waved it aside. “Doesn’t matter. Hipsters and metalheads for life.” And they hugged each other.

 

Jolene and Maya had helped to set up the gear and instruments earlier that day and it was exhausting; Jolene had a little “surprise” for them both. She procured a small knot of a green plant while Maya had the grand honor of tearing out pages of the duelist manual Matthew gave out and wrapping them around the plant into thin funnels. Jolene lit them up and they both inhaled and reclined on the largest and lumpiest couch in the basement.

 

A soothing and tingling sensation washed over Maya’s body. Her muscles became softer and the pain from her shaving cuts shrank away. Her mind also washed away into the blue, blue ocean. All of her pain, the gripping vice crushing her brow and chest, the bleak phantom that enclosed in on her, and all of her worries of her father and of getting into college just faded away like smoke.  

 

Maya tried to suppress a giggle, but in vain. “What?” Jolene nudged on her.

 

“Nothing.” Maya shook her head. The thought was a precious nugget she didn’t want to let go of.

 

“Come on, what are you thinking about?”

 

“Nothing, nothing.” Maya shook her head, still giggling, and shook her head. “OK, fine. I just thought for a moment what if we are all characters in a book or in some guy’s imagination. It almost as if nothing here is real.”

 

Jolene cracked a smile from her small mouth. “Okay there, I think you had a little too much.”

 

“No, I’m not being a hippie or straw nihilist here. It’s not what you think it means. It’s more like everything is kind of a product of people’s creativity. You’re not just a character in some guy’s story but you’re a storywriter yourself. Human existence is mostly cultural. It’s all a story we make up. We can change that story. We don’t have to be trapped in a pitiful life we did not choose.”

 

Jolene rolled her eyes. “Sounds pretty hippie to me or some kind of continental philosopher out of touch with reality. Whatever. How are you going to change the story?”

 

“I don’t know. I haven’t found the pens and brushes yet.”

 

“You know,” Jolene suggested with a twinkle in her eyes. “How much are you willing to bet the guy who wrote us is some sexually frustrated angsty teenager with bad acne who lives in his mother’s basement. Think about it. He’s a bit shy, bit of a weebo, can’t get a girlfriend, and really wants to be good in Duel Monsters.”

 

“So he created us to fulfill his wishes and be objects of his affection.” Maya concluded for her. “It’s sweet and sad at the same time. No wonder God, Matthew, and Yugi want people to do nothing worship them. They’re all just as desperate and sad as we are.”

 

“If anyone is sad it’s JC. Pass the cookie dough, cher?”

 

Maya unwrapped the cookie dough in the middle of the cough between and both started munching on it. “I know,” Maya laughed. “If anyone is a straw nihilist it’s definitely JC. This guy is the perfect example of a Nietzsche-wannabe loser. I mean the first time we became a team he grapeing ranted about corporate masters and slave morality, and how we are going to destroy Matthew’s little theocracy.”

 

“So you think he’s completely full of shit?”

 

“Half full of shit. He’s right with a lot of things but he goes so over the top with everything it becomes ridiculous. He’s a lot like the gods we fight against. Everything is he versus the world and he just tells us what not to do more than what we should do.”

 

“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.” Jolene quoted.

 

“He forgot to read the most important passage. I’m not surprised.” Maya inhaled from the self-made cigarette deeply and let the air blow out, long and drawn out. “How’s Chip?”

 

“Oh, the little dumpling is fine. You know, when we just came to America we used to watch Daria. Oh my God, that was the best time ever. And Chip would come down and watch too and he couldn’t say her name right so he kept calling her Dar-Dar.”

 

They both laughed deeply. “And we used to watch Interview with a Vampire, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and all the stupid things angsty teenage girls watch.” Maya said.

 

“You know, how much are you willing to bet that one day someone is going to come along and just ruin the vampire genre forever.” Jolene speculated.

 

“Probably in the near future. The vampire genre is a train wreck waiting to happen.”

 

“So how are things doing with your dad?” Jolene edged closer to Maya and started pulling her sleeves. “You don’t need to wear your sweater indoors.”

 

Maya instantly pulled herself away, clinging hard to her sleeves, and fell silent.

 

Jolene lifted her hands up defensively. “Ok. Ok. Forget about it. I’m sorry.”

 

A few minutes of silence that felt as long as the light-years of void in space to them. But eventually Maya struck up the conversation again.

 

Yukio was simply with his guitar, playing a few chords, then the songs we was planning to play tonight, with only Jolene and Maya as the rare audience here, occasionally watching the two girls talk to each other. Maya’s sharp ears picked up to the music. His harmonies were dark and undulating, yet had the occasional splash of florid colors, like some kind of neon painting on a black canvas that glowed in the dark. A lot of the chords he played were diminished or half-diminished, with the occasional distant major and Neapolitan key. The music on the whole was hard to read. It seemed to keep skipping from one place to the next, like a man travelling through wormholes around the cosmos.

 

Yukio seemed to read Maya’s mind for he said, “It’s non-linear. Through the heart and the mind and the fire of the serpent’s eye I go home to myself through the backdoor and wide front yard fire den. I return home with a full heart, I dive to the ocean’s deep, I open all doors and here I am back again.”

 

“Sounds a bit like slam poetry and Walt Whitman?” Maya guessed.   

 

“Close.” Yukio nodded. He put his guitar down. “You play any music?”

 

Maya blushed, tightening her body but nevertheless said, “I play piano. I am ashamed to say I play mostly classical and jazz.”  

 

“What’s wrong with classical. It’s good music, very strong and dramatic. It allows a lot of expression while keeping everything together. That’s something I’d like to do.”

 

“You’re doing it pretty fine.”

 

“Thank you.” Yukio gestured to the keyboard. “Would you like to play something?”

 

Maya accepted. The electric keyboard felt flimsy and awkward under her hands, which had wide palms and long fingers that radiated like a spider’s legs. Their force, Maya knew all to well, was never to be underestimated. She wanted to impress him and play a wonderful piece, so she chose…

 

The Tempest. Dark and gloomy yet as variant as he. A soft dreamy air encircles, the softness and mystery of a dark place underwater. She is underwater, even the sounds around her are muffled. It agitates a little, then boils over and – She leaps from the water into the storm and the weeping woman and once more becomes king of the sky. The tornado languishes for hours, and then… the recitativo, blurred under the ocean’s surface, infinitely gloomy.

 

Distance, the chaos is distant. A soft and warm song, lovely and golden like the sunset clouds. Still the beast of darkness rumbles beneath, just below the earth. Was this melody midway Miranda? She guessed… As sweet and lovely as the prairie. Then the storm returns, but less lightning and more swirling, swirling, swirling, the repetition almost nauseating. The sharp pangs of pain are sharper but aren’t as deep, for they are just slapping waves. And then, swirling and swirling less and less, the waves disappear. The dreamy ocean is almost there yet can never return.

 

Yukio and Jolene applauded. Maya was shocked. Her journey through the Tempest Sonata seemed to last for hours on end. Though she was by all accounts in another world she could still see her hands in the mundane world below and hear errors in the music. She hadn’t practiced the Tempest in a while so her speed was slower and still there were a few mistakes throughout.

 

“Please, please.” Maya covered her face with her arms. “Ah God, I suck at taking compliments! Seriously, I made mistakes. I haven’t played that piece since forever.”

 

Yukio sat on his stool again and took the guitar. You know how to play any rock songs?”

 

“Honestly, all I know are the Beetles, Velvet Underground, Nirvana, and the Doors. I know the most songs from the Doors.”

 

“The Doors are my favorite. Can’t beat Jim. He’s the king. Should I lead?”

 

“Yes.” Maya was alive and activated, and she mimicked as much of the keyboard and drums she knew by heart.

 

And the two of them, no longer existing, become colors and lights. And Yukio’s voice rings through from a cave with a deep voice, Jim’s voice from speaking beyond the grave, cutting through all stone and metals and filling the void of colors and lights with its reverberation. The lights are intense and glaring and all over the place like the refracted light of a disco ball except there is no source here except everywhere.  

 

And now the music stops and slows down and expands horizontally into the horizon of the lonesome dessert of the west, the sun in sunset or sunrise? And a flowing peace everywhere. Not mundane contentment, but a sort of enlightenment, almost an acceptance of fate, of infinity, of death. The snake appears, each of her scales a mirror showing every event that ever existed, exists, and will exist from every universe unfolding. And somewhere in this infinite dessert, lived Maya and Yukio, in a speck of sand among infinite.

 

It was over. Jolene applauded enthusiastically, kissed Yukio, and gave Maya a hug. Time was truly warped. Was it the evening or night now?

 

Maya’s question was answered when three guys about Yukio’s age entered downstairs. They all wore skinny jeans and had a tattoo of some sort or another. Now the real party could begin.  

 

Maya’s cell phone rang. She opened it. Father. He probably wanted her back home now, back to the small black coffin. “I have to go.”

 

“No!” Jolene clumg to Maya tightly. “Stay, please!”

 

“It’s my dad.”

 

“To Hell with him. He never has done anything good for you and you know it. Please stay, pretty, pretty please.” Jolene’s bright green eyes sparked a sharper and more sinister greener shade, and Maya noticed it.

 

“It would be awesome if you could stay.” Yukio offered. “Come on. We don’t have JC around. Let’s just have fun.”

 

Maya weighed the options and let her father fall to the floor for once. Let her be damned the next morning!

 

Jolene nudged her. "What are you reading now, cher?"

 

Maya took a "book" of stapled paper she printed at high school; A Tale of a Tub. "Think of it as Encyclopedia Dramatica before Encyclopedia Dramatica was cool."

 

Jolene laughed at the joke. “How many layers of sarcasm does it take to make a Swift satire?”

 

“The same number of licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Which means..." Maya paused for a moment. "An infinite or unknown number of sarcasms with no reference to the original thing you're mocking, so you have no idea what to take at face value."

 

The two girls laughed together. "That is some postmodern shit right there!"

[MewMew3]

Duel 17 – Forbidden Fruit

 

It was next morning and though Maya never became drunk she experienced the closest thing she imagined to what a hangover must be like. Father didn’t say anything in the morning but only gave her an icy cold stare, which made the already cold room even more frigid. Autumn began to set in, green trees became red and yellow as their leaves died and littered the chilling earth.

 

And the family didn’t dare spend their money on heating, so they wore warm sweaters even while indoors. Father’s fears had gotten the better of him, even though he broke out of his long cycle of dead-end jobs under the DIViant Bros. The Serbian bread Maya fried, soaked with battered eggs now broiling in the pan, was the only warmth the small apartment.

 

It ended all too soon. Maya presented themselves with breakfast. He simply ate with frosty silence. It was terrible. He was terrible. Maya didn’t say anything, hoping he wouldn’t say anything and forget about it, but knowing him she knew he would never forget it. Even months later he would dig these things up from the grave to beat her with.

 

But Maya’s wish was not granted. He grunted, “You didn’t show up last night. Why did you miss my call? Were you crazy or absent minded or did you just forget?”

 

“I’m sorry. I missed your call. I was helping Jolene with her homework.” Maya replied. “I only missed one night. I have only obeyed you and did what is best for us.”

 

She prayed the alibi would work but it didn’t. Father stalked to her room and threw down a large package of wrapped hundred dollar bills. “Where did you get this?”

 

“Aren’t you ha–“

 

“Where did you get this!”

 

The KGB wouldn’t let up, Maya thought. She had to tell the truth. “My team won a major tournament and we divided the spoils.”

 

“I think it’s time I took your duel disk and broke it with a sledgehammer. I’m tired of your hobby and you hanging out with drug-addicted losers. You stash money away from me. I have a zero policy for your secrets Maya.”

 

“Isn’t that what you want!? I’m raising this money for us so our lives can be easier!! This is why I duel!”

 

“What about your job? What about your SAT and your college? What happens to those plans of yours of going to a music school only to end up working in McDonalds when you play trading card games with your druggie friends? YOU ARE IRRESPONSIBLE!”

 

“I studied for my SAT this whole time. A little begrudgingly, yes, but like many things I do it all the same. Please understand that I duel to help us with the money I win. It does not conflict with my SAT or my grades at school. My grades are all As the way they always are.”

 

Father leaned in as if to find every little flaw he could find on her face and turn it into a molehill. “And your job?”

 

“I…” Maya could only sigh, exasperated and helpless, as she did so many times around him. “I quit, because dueling made more money.”

 

Father shrugged sarcastically. “There you have it. Once I find your cards I will burn them. I don’t know where you hid them but I will find out sooner or later.”

 

“You’re really making me depressed.” Maya’s voice almost choked. “I literally feel pain in my head and chest because of you.”

 

“Don’t whine to me about therapy, girl. First, we don’t have money. Second, even if we did I’m not going to waste three hundred dollars an hour for you to be brainwashed by Jews.”

 

Maya’s sadness boiled to intense anger. “You’re insane. You have no connection to reality whatsoever. You’re no different that Drinking Molotov. You’re nothing but a miserable, lonely bigot. You’re a failure at your job and at life, and you are a horrible human being, but instead of seeing your own faults you blame some scapegoat. The only things conspiring against you are your own hatred and incompetence.”   

 

Any other words Maya would have said were cut short. Father struck her hard on the face, throwing her off her chair and onto the floor. Maya hardly rubbed the struck area of her face, already burning red, when father leaned down and pulled her gaze upward. “Do you want me to get nasty?”

 

Maya shook her head, reduced to silence.

 

He let her go. “Good. I didn’t think so.”

[MewMew3]

Duel 18 – From Beyond the Grave

 

Two years ago Matthew’s grandfather, the illustrious Sir Leon Percival Spencer-Carter, passed away. Son of an English countess, historian and man of letters of the British Royal Society, secret agent of the allies during the Second World War, and in his later years a curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he was one of the highest and noblest men of modern times. Matthew had only the faintest memories of him when he was but a child of three but the affectation, warmth, and simplest nobility from his grandfather would stay in his memories forever as a sun, bright and steadfast.

 

His grandfather glowed with an effortless aura of natural lordship, which sprang from the bygone temperaments of a better era of modesty, humility, zeal, restraint, and piety, all recognition of things greater than himself. In the modern world, full of vulgarity, vanity, constant change, shrieking sentimentality, shallowness, and, ultimately, barbarism, his grandfather was a rare ancient treasure in a time when human dignity hardly existed.

 

Then he died.

 

Matthew turned his mind to the final moments of grandfather’s funeral. The death left a void in Matthew’s heart. Even nature seemed to weep that day. Matthew saw the massive puddles of rain splattering on the black coffin before it was sealed in a stone sarcophagus. Only he and his mother were left, and the wizened, hoary ghoul that was the undertaker. His father was nowhere to seen. Selfish, grandiose, and greedy, father was nothing more than a mockery of grandfather. Seeing how he failed to live to the family name and wasted the family fortune no wonder mother divorced him.

 

Matthew hated his father, and swore he would do everything to wash away the stain of father’s blood and prove that he was truly the son of his grandfather. He wanted to be a true nobleman as grandfather was, a generous being of light, not an arms-dealing, death-dealing mogul like father. Those who rejected tradition and just authority, the combined light and life that secured and preserved our human existence, were savages who needed to culled lest they tempted others to their self-ruination. The Dark Duelists were creatures of the dark, dregs and subversives who through their envy could only drag everyone down to their level. Like hardened criminals, they could not become civilized into decent people who served their caste and the greater culture. If they had their way they would drag all the dueling world to Hell. 

 

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“Is this it?”

 

“Yup.” Maya was certain Long Island Cemetery housed Sir Carter’s tomb, countryside of rising tombstones eerily cast by a full moon. Maya herself was born on a full moon, as was Yukio apparently. Well, about ninety six percent full in Maya’s case. Close enough.

 

Maya took out a notebook scarred with compact sketches of weeks of research she and Jolene did and spoke softly to herself, “He was an interesting guy. Could have lived for a hundred years but died when he was only eighty. The autopsy report was never released. Seems he was murdered, and furthermore, murdered by people he may have had less than savory dealings with, dealings he and his associates don’t want to reveal.”

 

Jolene adjusted a heavy dirty bag on her shoulder. “He was killed by the Ghouls, right?” She asked, referring to the famous crime syndicate. The Ghouls were famous for "typical" organized crime like drug dealing and sex trafficking but also stood apart by stealing and bootlegging Duel Monsters cards. The card game was so popular and grossed so much income for bodies like Kaibacorp criminals could even create a black market. 

 

Maya nodded. “Probably. All the data seems to point in that direction. Our noble knight Sir Carter controlled a portion of the Ghouls. The exploitation and crime he committed made a big chunk of his wealth. Pegasus Crawford, creator of Duel Monsters, entrusted him with some really rare Egyptian artifact and some new cards created for a metagame far ahead of their time. A faction of the Ghouls wanted the artifact. The Don Carter said no and his own foot soldiers iced him. I think he gave the artifact back to Pegasus. But he may have the rare cards still with him.”   

 

“So that’s our mystery game, Ms. Exposition.” Jolene finally said, “We’re raiding the tomb of a not so poor old man so we can steal some nice cards to get ahead in a petty battle against some stuck up rich kids?”

 

Maya adjusted her own heavy bag on her shoulder and cast a devilish grin. “Exactly.”

 

Together, they threw their bags over a tall foreboding black fence and helped each other climb over it. Jolene pushed Maya to the spiky top of the fence, where Maya then hopped to a stone pillar that made one half of the cemetery gates. Maya cast a rope and Jolene climbed it. Once they were on top together they jumped down below, almost breaking their legs in the impact.

 

Grabbing their bags, they pulled out their flashlights and started searching the sea of tombstones. Each colorless grave represented a separate life, Maya thought to herself. A person's life was an entire universe and when a person died her universe collapsed in on itself. A being vanished, never to be seen again, unable to be replaced. Like her mother, gone forever. As if to add insult to injury, it was mother's birthday today. She would have been forty two. 

 

The afterlife is insane. As Mark Twain understood it in Letters From Earth, only the most cowardly lunatic could invent it. Maya was sure mother wasn’t in an afterlife and was all the more glad for it. Mother returned to the earth, her life force given to other creatures who deserved the same chance she had. She could now rest in peace, freed from the pain and humiliation of lung cancer and chemotherapy. 

 

Her death left a deep shadow over the family, breaking it. Father lost his self-control at work and at home. He broke Maya's arm the day he got fired. And since then he could only work odd jobs. Maya used to be a wild child, hot-tempered and prone to mischief, but bright and strong-willed. Ever since mother died and father broke down, Maya retreated into a shell, a thick hide but light still remained inside. Ever since Jolene befriended her, she helped bring that light out again. One day, the light would be free.

 

She cast her flashlight over a humble tombstone, illuminating the austere and banal letters. It was her mother's very tombstone. Father was kind enough not to engrave a Star of David or a Star and Crescent on the stone. In life mother was outcast by her family for eloping with father. In death she deserved to be free from the sects of men.

 

ARIFA MASRI

Nov. 19, 1962 - Jun. 30, 1997

REST IN PEACE

 

Jolene drew back visibly in awe and respect. "Oh, she's a Scorpio! A really superior being! So that's where you get your intensity and depth from!"

 

Maya had no time for this drivel. To think so many people believed in it. "She was an ordinary woman, you superstitious idiot. That was what made her great.”

 

Jolene looked visibly hurt. Maya apologized for her harsh and rash words, explaining how sensitive talking about her mother was, even hugging Jolene. Her friend accepted - no need to fight on a loved one's grave - and even joked. Maya was sensitive?  

 

The two journeyed onward until they found the grave they were looking for. True to form, Sir Leon Percival Spencer-Carter’s tomb was a monument, embellished with ancient Greek temple themes, marked with soothsaying Latin proverbs, crowned by a magnificent statue of the archangel Michael; the one who smites the Devil. The door, or what “should” have been the door, was sealed shut by a wall of stone.

 

Jolene and Maya took out hammers and chisels from the bags. They felt the wall up close and, on finding a small weak spot, wedged the chisel on the fatal hole and hit it with a hammer. The work was long and toilsome but they had all night. Over many hours, the stones finally gave way and fell off, giving them a small space to squeeze through. Pushing with all of their might, grinding stone against stone, they pushed open the sarcophagus lid. Only the coffin remained.

 

The whole operation was Maya’s idea so she did the honors. Jolene reeked away in fear and Maya didn’t blame her. Corpses, especially the bloated, half-rotten types, were scary. She breathed deep, pushing her fear away, and swung it open –

 

There was no body. Only a small gold key remained in the empty coffin. “It’s not here.”

 

Disappointment sank in deep in Jolene and Maya’s hearts, but they pursued their quest in the graveyard. The key meant a keyhole, which could lead to their treasure. Maya caught a few peculiar indentations on the earth. “Footprints?” Surely they were. Did someone get the cards before they did? Where could they be now?

 

They followed the footprints up a winding path. The prints were widely spaced and deeply set, which meant the person was running, and snaking pattern, that he was trying to dodge someone chasing him. The path abruptly stopped a well. “The cards are in there?”

 

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Jolene objected. “The tomb door was sealed. How could this guy make it with the cards and what, drop them down a well nearby? It doesn’t make any sense.”

 

“Whatever people that guy was with could have just resealed the tomb. As for why he put it in a well, I don’t know.”

 

“I don’t know about you Nancy Drew but I’m tired and it’s really cold out. Please let’s go back. There’s nothing there to find, nothing but death.”

 

“Let me go in the well.” Maya suggested.

 

“What? Are you crazy?”

 

“Yes. We should explore every good hiding place. The well right now seems to be the only one. If I fail this gamble, we go home.  I promise.”

 

Jolene finally conceded. She shrugged and took out the rope and tied one of its ends on a pole nearby. Maya stripped and grabbed tied the other rope end around her waist. The soil beneath her feet was soft but very cold and the chilling night wind already shivered her bare body to her bones. “If I tug the robe three times, you pull me up.”

 

“Maya this is crazy. You’re going to get sick. I like how brave you are but this is just stupid.”

 

“Sometimes you just have to be stupid.” Maya replied. She climbed down the well, Jolene gradually lowering her down. The well had a dank, moist, musty smell to it and the ice-cold walls already dirtied Maya’s hands and feed black. Maya climbed down, down, down, what seemed like an bottomless hole. She shone her flashlight down. A seemingly infinite void.   

 

A chill shivered her arms and rattled her bones, but it did not come from outside. She once more took a deep breath, hardened her nerves to steel, and swallowed her fear. She went further into the void, down, down, down. It never seemed to end. Her felt her hands and feet go numb. She imagined her lips becoming blue as she shivered. She wondered how much longer she could last. Then she felt a something cold and wet. Ice-cold water enveloped her and almost her entire body went numb. Still she ignored the warning signs and swam down. Even with her flashlight it was almost impossible to see.

 

Then some light, which meant only one thing, a floor for the light to reflect off of. Maya caught a faint glimmer down below. As she grabbed it she could see it for what it was, a large steel case with a keyhole. Triumph filled Maya’s heart, temporarily banishing the numbing cold. She did it! – She felt something soft and mottled. Her light caught it and – A skull, a pale yellow-white under the gaunt light, wobbling afloat in the water, still crowned by wispy snow-white hair. Maya wished she could open her mouth to scream but gurgled instead, inhaling the water. She choked and writhed, her lungs on fire. For a moment she thought she was dead.

 

She compulsively flailed and kicked everywhere around her until she somehow reached the surface. She gasped for the air and violently coughed, and tugged the rope three times. As the rope pulled her up, she clawed at the stone walls with her hands and feet, coughing heavily the whole time. She swung over the well wall and landed face-first onto the soft, sweet dirt. Jolene screamed as if a zombie just came out and Maya laughed at her, still coughing.

 

“Maya, your lips are blue!” Jolene gasped. She tore one of the bags and wrapped it around Maya like a blanket. Maya wrapped the makeshift blanket around herself, shivering and violently clattering her teeth but smiling. Beside her, Jolene saw a large silver case with a keyhole. She did it. Jolene threw Maya’s clothes at her. “Put these back on before you die in a graveyard!”

 

Maya did as she was told, still clattering, “H-How fitting!” And wrapped the blanket around herself again. They didn’t have much time. The wind howled and tore at them both. It was frighteningly cold and Maya couldn’t last much longer. They ran as fast as they could and climbed over the gates again. Maya barely made it and almost fell. If she did it would have been the end of her.   

 

Maya hobbled in the cold, Jolene pulling her so she could keep up. Maya’s world seemed to glitter in stars. Her vision became black.  Jolene shouted and waved her hands fanatically so any car could pick them up. Any car! Please, any car! Maya fainted and Jolene screamed, the concrete dissolving into the void of the well below…

 

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A soft, white bed sheet. A soft white blanket wrapped around her. A small, white room. Blankness. Nothing. Was she dead?

 

Maya’s throat was on fire. Her heavy burned and stung her. She couldn’t breath. She was alive.

 

“You woke up! Thank God!” Jolene rushed, almost jumping on Maya, giving her a huge hug. Just behind her was her father, a kind and plump man, a father Maya only dreamed she could have, and a tiny, cute blond-haired urchin, Chip.

 

“What happened?” Maya’s voice was little more than a hoarse whisper.

 

“I took you to the ER in a taxi and called my dad. It was all I knew what to do. The doctors took take of you. Thankfully didn’t get any pneumonia. They said all you got was a nasty cold. I told your dad you were mugged and left in the cold for a while so he wouldn’t kill you.”

 

“Thanks. Does your dad know you lied?”

 

“Yes, but he went with it. I told him how awful your dad is. The cards are with me. You can take them whenever you want. You earned them.”

 

Little chip peeped up with his bright, sweet blue eyes. “Will Dar-Dar be OK?”

 

Jolene knelt down and rubbed his head affectionately. “Yes, she’s fine. She’ll just stay for a day or two and then we can all watch Dar-Dar together.”

 

“I’m Dar-Dar?” Maya was somewhere between reality and… somewhere else.

 

“Yes. He also thinks you’re ‘Dar-Dar’ from the show.”

 

Jolene’s father wrapped his large and warm hands around his children. “Let’s go. She’s been through a lot and isn’t with us right now. Her dad will come check up on her soon.”

 

“No…” She wished she never had to see father again. If only mother was here, in his place.

 

Sometime later, a tall, sinewy, lanky man with gray mustache and hair, father, came. He gently laid flowers by Maya’s side and held her hand. “I’m sorry.”

 

Maya said nothing. She lost her trust in him a long time ago. There wasn’t a single day in which he didn’t ruin her day. He would needlessly criticize, then he would control her hours, then he would scream, then he would strike her. Then he would say sorry. Maya didn’t know what to make of it. Did he really love her after all? But one thing she didn’t do was trust him.   

 

But his anger, his frustrations, and sorrow, still cut deep into Maya’s heart. They were both so pathetic. It was hard to imagine a family more broken, more unloving, than theirs. She wished father would be happy and would finally be in peace. She wished he would one day never be hurt or sad or angry again. Maya’s heavy eyes grew even more hot and wet but she held the tears back. “I know.”

[MewMew3]

Duel 19 – The Nature of Bravado

 

 

Ouch!

 

It was the day to take the SATs. Maya had studied more months beforehand. She couldn’t afford those wonderful private classes that would have made things so much easier for her so she had to learn the tricks on her own. As she walked her way to the test center she recalled in her mind the tips she would need to get the best possible grade. The most useful, at least to her anyway, was that the test did not test knowledge in any way. It was to test your ability to sit in a cubicle and follow your bosses’ orders to heart, down to the technique.

 

Now she was there, sitting at a desk, minutes before test time, she had a revelation of sorts. The test was just another puzzle, no different than a person. She simply had to make her way to the heart and operate from there. The proctor announced, “You may now open your tests and begin.”

 

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“Man this sucks.” Miguel grumbled as he stuffed himself with a hamburger and chicken nuggets at McDonalds. “I grapein’ hate that Maya bitch. I should have been the one to make it to the New York Tournament.”

 

“Tell me about it.” Miguel best friend, a pimple-faced shrimp with frizzy orange hair named Jimmy-Z, nodded.

 

“’Aight.” Miguel's other friend, Terminator flashed a gansta’ sign. Terminator was as pale as Jimmy-Z, his blond hair covered by a sideways baseball cap. 

 

“Listen bros.” Miguel gave the closest thing he was capable to an exposition. “'Dat Maya bitch lives one floor above me. I say we go over there and steal that bitch’s deck and best cards. I’d like to see her try to beat me without all her best cards, right?”

                                                                                                                     

“YU-YEAH!!!” His underlings chorused in agreement.

 

“All right! Let’s do this!”

 

The three made their way up to Maya’s apartment, up to the third floor. “You got this?” Miguel said to Jimmy-Z.

 

“Yeah.” Jimmy-Z applied a device he himself created into the lock. He fiddled with it for a minute or two before it finally came loose.

 

Miguel barged into the room. All he saw was a small circular table and an old couch in the time square-shaped room. The kitchen was even a part of the room itself. Ahead was nothing more than two small bedrooms. It was so tiny. Miguel huffed and toppled the small table over, including the small black-framed picture that rested on it. The glass protecting the picture cracked. The picture was of a beautiful dark-eyed woman wearing a black shawl. “Some terrorist bitch.” Miguel mumbled.

 

“I didn’t found her deck but I found a box full of cards.” Terminator reported as he gave Miguel a large cardboard box and an aquamarine colored deck-case.

 

“’Dat’s good.” Miguel walked into Maya’s room. His veins boiled at seeing her personal things. That bitch broke his winning steak and took away his title as mall tournament king! He had to make her suffer! He tore Maya’s clothes from her closet and slashed them into pieces with a knife, then stomped on her electronic piano until it broke.

 

The deed was done. “Now time for phase two. We go to Union Square and wait for her to show up. I wanna’ see that bitch lose with the whole world watching. I can’t wait to see that bitch cry after knowing her best cards are gone. Let’s see if she can beat me now!” And to Union Square they went. His dastardly scheme of revenge, he chuckled as he thought to himself, was almost about to be complete. A thin man with short, spiky hair and a goatee approached him. “Who the hell are you?”  

 

“I’m not surprised, seeing you’re so stupid you have the memory of a goldfish with amnesia. I’m Yukio, the guy who kicked Phillip and won the New York City Cup, just in case your pencil butt head couldn’t remember.”

 

Yukio put on his duel disk and allowed it to swing into action. “You’ll be dueling me in Maya’s place. You think you could just post your video and no one would do anything about it you troglodyte? Big mistake. Now everyone knows of your crimes and your epic fail whining for that matter.”

 

“You asked for it.” Volcano readied himself to duel. “Once you lose, Maya’s next.”

 

Miguel: 4000  ||  Yukio: 4000

 

MIGUEL'S TURN: “I activate Foolish Burial to mill Treeborn Frog. I set a monster and a card facedown.” He grins smugly, as if holding some great secret. “My strategy is just about complete.”

 

YUKIO'S TURN: “Well of course it is, you knob head! Treeborn Frogs and Monarchs are one of biggest decks around, let alone one of the easiest to use. Even a complete moron like you knows how to use it. Anyone could be you if they just stuck a crayon up their nose far enough to give them brain damage. When you're not bullying people you jack off to porn, eat pizza, and play video games with white kids who wish they were black.’”

 

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon.” The familiar vortex of space wind shatters Volcano’s only trap, Mirror Force. “I activate Graceful Charity. I draw three and discard two. I now play Monster Reborn to resurrect Silent Swordsman LV5!” The adolescent swordsman introduces himself a second time, complete with blue and white armored long coat and oversized sword.   

 

“I now activate Reinforcements of the Army to search for Exiled Force in my deck. I summon Marauding Captain.” A battle-scarred but proud captain appears, as does a platoon of renegade soldiers, the Exiled Force, per the Captain’s effect. “I use Exiled’s effect to destroy one monster one your field, your face down one.” The platoon charges head first onto the card and explodes, taking the card with it.

 

“You destroyed my Sangan.” Miguel interrupts. “I can search a monster in my deck and add it to my hand, so I choose Yata Garazu.”

 

"You will never get to use your broken card. I activate Level Up!! To jump my Swordsman to Silent Swordsman LV7!” The Swordsman grows to his full height, his clothes and his sword no longer cumbersome to carry to fitting perfectly with his grown frame.

 

“No!” Miguel shouts.

 

“You knew this was coming. You never had a chance. Swordsman and Captain, attack!” Yukio's two warriors slash Volcano to pieces. It is over.

 

Miguel: 0  ||  Yukio: 4000

 

Miguel sank to the ground. He threw his duel disk away in disappointment. “There’s no way I could lose to a orangegot like you!”

 

“Man this is bullshit!” His cronies groaned with him.

 

Yukio towered over his victim. “Now give back Maya’s cards.”

 

“I’m never gonna’ give that bitch her cards back! Prepare to go down!” But before Miguel could stand up, Yukio swiftly kicked him in the groin, again and again without mercy. Miguel groaned but wasn’t given even the permission to bend over in pain. Yukio smashed his face with his fists, knocking him out cold. His attack was cheap but it worked.

 

He spat on the floor in disgust. “Yukio: One. Pencil Butt: Zero.” He turned his piercing gaze to Miguel's cronies. “Now get out of here or you’ll end up just like him!” The cronies ran for their lives.

 

Yukio opened Maya’s box of cards to take a peak, just in case actual cards were inside. He was shocked. All the cards inside were the most lowly and useless common cards imaginable. Griffore and Killer Needle? He suspected it was some Maya's trick

 

A crowd of people had gathered to watch the short duel but dispersed in fear when Yukio became violent. It wouldn’t be long before someone would call the cops, so Yukio fled with Maya’s deck and card box. He dialed his cell phone to tell her everything.

 

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Maya was in shock. Yukio had told her everything. Yukio gave her back her cards and Maya thanked him dearly. Now she was back home.

 

The SAT almost didn’t matter now. She felt at least confidant when she took it, but that didn’t matter now either. She picked up the broken pieces of her piano. A pang of sadness hit her nerve-rackingly hard, straight to the heart. The piano was her companion from childhood, ever since she was five. Her vision washed with the memories of the Mozart violin sonatas she transposed and played and the popular jazz tunes she improvised with. At times her piano was the only friend she had. Now it was dead.

 

Maya picked up her mother’s picture. The picture itself was thankfully fine, even though the glass broke. She pressed the picture to her heart and tenderly hugged it as if her mother was still alive. “Don’t worry. You’re safe.” Maya spoke to it. Mother suffered loneliness, grief, and abuse in life. It was not fair for her to endure more of it in death. At times Maya would imagine mother cradling her in a warm embrace like mother used to when she was alive. But it did not happen this time.  

 

Maya’s cell phone rang. It was father. Yes, Maya took the test and she thought she did well. Yes, she still made money working at GameStop. Yes, she would meet him at the subway after work.

 

She silently picked up her broken viola and slashed clothes and threw them in an outside trashcan. She erected the small table and set mother’s cracked picture back on it. Then she mopped the floor as thoroughly as she could until the wretched smell of piss was completely erased. Even the stupid were clever when it came to being evil. Even VolcanoMan knew exactly how to hurt her.

 

She then went to meet father in the subway. It was petty and meanspirited crap from him as usual, like him complaining about his job and then chastising Maya for irresponsible things she did not do. Maya’s anger burned inside her, building up pressure, broiling in the volcano inside her. Maya wished how much she could just kill father, to smack him in the face with a shovel and watch him bleed. She wished she could burn Miguel to death, but she had the next best idea.

 

Later that night, she took her video camera and VolcanoMan’s duel disk and deck to an ally nearby. She dropped the duel disk and deck into the trashcan doused it with whisky, then set it on fire. She recorded the whole thing. Basking in the glow of the fire, she shrugged as if amused by her own sorrow and anger. One less problem in the world.   

[MewMew3]

Duel 20 – Strike!!!

 

Matthew allowed himself to be comfortable sitting across from the chancellor of Duel Academy. He always had, and why shouldn’t he? Was it not the only Academy in America? He chuckled to himself. Usually students came to the chancellor’s office to review their grades and progress. Matthew was the Academy’s star student and was personally connected to the chancellor’s family. To review his grades would be a joke.

 

The chancellor lay back on his large chair and uneased his belt. “This is your senior year kid. Where to after?”

 

Matthew cocked his head leisurely. “Oh, I was thinking of defending my title of National Champion. Then I’ll go after my grandfather’s and leave Greg to be my successor. I cannot abide the corporate work my father does. Work is unethical and destroys the spirit of a free man.”

 

“I heard you’re dealing with a little pest problem in New York.”  

 

Matthew grimaced as if one of his favorite paintings was marred with black ink. “There’s a group of dregs called Team Dark Duelists who are giving me a little problem. Don’t worry. It’s under control. I just gave them a little breathing room.”

 

The chancellor sighed. “Kids will be kids. It’s a tradition as old as time. Sooner or later they'll settle down. Academies are just like college, really. Kids think they’re going to be the next Yugi, Kaiba, or Joey, but they don’t and adapt to the workforce. All in good time.”

 

Matthew’s cell phone rang. “Excuse me chancellor.” It was an informant. Specifically, it was the informant Matthew placed to watch over the Dark Duelists. Maya and Yukio were accepted to the Regionals in New Jersey. The informant also knew where their “secret hideout” was and would take care of any Dark Duelists leaving the city.

 

When Matthew was done, he said, “I hate to get my hands dirty but it seems I have to fix my pest problem myself. Chancellor, may I?”

 

The chancellor waved his hand, bidding Matthew permission. “I have no doubt you’ll be back.”

 

As soon as Matthew made it to New York he regrouped with all of his Crusaders and agents. He took the best students of the Academy with him just for good measure. Matthew amassed his small army in the proctor stadium in the city. He briefed them the plan, and the army dispersed all over the city, to duel and humiliate every sympathizer to the Dark Duelists that existed. Matthew heard their hideout was a dirty graffiti-filled basement. 

 

As Matthew’s division closed in on the Dark Duelist’s hideout, a rotund middle-aged man with a black beard wearing a cheap tuxedo, top hat, and monocle confronted Matthew. Matthew recognized him from the Dueling Network database as WormMartini from Team Hate Club. Every blight Martini had from his cheap suit to his monocle to his silly username revealed his pseudo-intellectualism. How pastiche!  

 

“Hey rich kid, this is our part of town! Get your goons out of here!”

 

Matthew spun his duel disk into action. “Since you sympathize with the Dark Duelists you will be dealt with. Let your casualty be a warning to them and every dreg like them.”

 

Martini: 4000 || Matthew: 4000

 

MARTINI'S TURN: “I summon The Bistro Butcher.” A tall blue-skinned dressed as a gourmet chef materializes on the field. “And I set three face down cards.”

 

MATTHEW'S TURN: He lets himself enjoy the duel, specifically the feeling of being aloof and superior to his opponent, who is now an insect in front of him. He breathes it in like fresh meadow air. “I just love duelists like you. I used to know a kid who wanted to be the greatest duelist in the world yet he would never use a meta deck. He would always try to find an original deck that was also competitive. He failed because, guess what, there isn’t one. I activate Card Destruction!”

 

“I chain with Appropriate!” Martini counters.    

 

“Your second mistake.” Matthew reprimands. “You can’t draw extra cards when you just activated it.”

 

“I know that dude. It’s for when you draw more cards next time.”

 

Matthew smirks condescendingly. “My pseudo-intellectual friend with bad taste, there won’t be a next time. I activate Monster Reborn to revive Witch of the Black Forrest.” A witch with black robes and brown and black hair appears. “Now I remove one LIGHT and one DARK monster from my graveyard to summon Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End!” A white and black orb flies out of his graveyard and swirl together, blackening the clouds, ripping open a portal where a huge black and bronze armored dragon with a long red mane descended to Earth.”

 

Martini grimaces, “A Chaos Deck. Of course.”

 

“What did you expect from a top tier deck? I activate C.E.D.’s effect, I pay 1000 to destroy all cards on the field and hand and you take 300 damage for each one.” Athena’s life points drop to 3000 and his dragon engulfs everything around it in violent flames, burning Bistro Butcher and Martini’s back row to ash. (Martini LP: 4000 à 700)

 

“I’m not done yet. Since Witch was destroyed I can search for Yata-Garazu. And I summon it!” The rarest of birds, a crow of deep blue feathers, flies in from the netherworld. “Yata direct attack!” And the bird pecks at Martini’s face. (LP: 700 à 500) “I just accomplished what could be called the Yata Lock. Yata prevents you from drawing next turn. You have nothing on the field or in your hand. There’s no way to defend yourself. You lose.” Matthew ordered the bete noir of Duel Monsters to peck his opponent to death, and the bird obliged. 

Martini: 0 || Matthew: 3000

 

Martini seethed in resentment from his loss. He yelled and made a lunge at Matthew who just dodged. Martini tripped over himself and fell on one of Matthew’s agents, who made quick work of him, beating him to the edge of his life.

 

Martini gasped in utter aguish. He managed to eek out a few brittle words. “Wait until I tell the police.”

 

Matthew smirked. “I am the police.” Then he caught a pretty, doll-like woman, on the corner of his eye. "You're Xiaoyi, aren't you?"  

She smiled coyly, her body barely covered by a white dress leaning against the wall. Was she trying to seduce him? Pathetic! Matthew wouldn't be fooled by such a cheap trick. He violently shoved Xiaoyi against the wall, boring her face with his eyes. "Where are the Dark Duelists!" He demanded.

Xiaoyi gave a fey smile. - She smashed her forehead against his face. Matthew fell to the ground, shouting in agony, blood coming from his nose. He commanded his cronies to go after the woman who dared offend him, but she disappeared before they could even chase her.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It was lunch break at the high school but Maya stayed in class as she often did these days, sitting at the back, gazing out the window and jotting something in her notebook. It was a week before Christmas, three days after Maya's eighteenth birthday. Autumn had yet to turn into winter. Her favorite scene from American Beauty, which she watched with Jolene countless times, was when Ricky Fitts shows Jane his favorite video. It was a film of a plastic bag tumbling in the wind, yet in that innocuous scene Ricky found what could only be called the deity or the sublime. He described the atmosphere as just before snowing, as having electricity in the air.

 

That was the weather now, and in every waning day of autumn Maya waited for the moment. She didn’t dare blink lest she missed it. And then it happened. The first snow. It went by so fast like any ordinary thing and just vanished into obscurity. Maya had no music that could express this moment, only perhaps the idea itself of music, of life, arising from silence. It was the best belated birthday present she could ask for. She was eighteen, old enough to vote and die as cannon fodder but not old enough to drink. Strange world. 

 

Good thing Jolene wasn't here. She would talk about Western astrology, then Chinese astrology, then Sidereal astrology. Apparently people weren't the zodiac sign they thought they were after all, but as soon as Maya dared suggest such a statement Jolene would zealously defend her worldview. "Astrology is based on the seasons, not about constellations!" She would insist, begging the question why zodiac signs and their characters were based on constellations in the first place.     

 

And thanks to Jolene, Maya knew everyone's date of birth. Jolene was born on September 13, 1987. Yukio was born on May 23, 1986. JC was born on February 20, 1985. And Maya? December 15, 1986.

 

Mr. Feynman came inside the classroom. He gestured for Maya to come to his office. Maya nodded and propped up a chair just across his desk.

 

Feynman cleared his throat. “It is important that we bring up your school, Maya. I know you make good grades but your conduct is a problem. Your records show it always has been. You don't pay attention in class. You skip classes. You steal school supplies." He flipped through the records. "When you were five you couldn't sit still and follow directions. You hit a peer over the head with a metal toy when he wouldn't share it with you. When a teacher wagged her finger in front of you and told you needed for self control, you bit her finger until it bled."   

 

This talk again. Maya said, “I don’t see the problem. As long as I get decent grades so no child gets left behind I've my duty as processed meat."

 

Feynman shook his head. “Going to school means more than getting good grades. It's a way to prepare you for the social world of adults, a world you reject whenever you can. We’ve talked about it so many times. I really don’t know what to say. I wonder if you joined a gang or started doing drugs.”   

 

“Other than harmless pot smoking, no. One girl tried to get us to do LSD but she was bonkers, even by our standards.”

 

“Is everything all right at home? Sometimes you arrive at class with bruises. You keep saying they’re accidents but I don’t believe you.”

 

Maya said nothing. What was she going to say? Even if she wanted to talk, to tell him everything, the words just wouldn’t come out. It was almost like confessing a crime she did and not her father did. She felt that it was all her fault.

 

Thankfully, Jolene saved her at the right moment. “Maya, the Crusaders destroyed our hideout. They tore up and burned everything and they’re after our heads.”

 

Maya erupted from her seat so intensely she toppled her entire desk over and in a flash the two of them were gone. Feynman ran after them, calling their names, but it was too late.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Lower Manhattan was in complete chaos. Crusaders and Academy students brawled whatever duelists they found in their way. Matthew’s agents quickly put any duelist who fought back in their place.  

 

Jolene and Maya ran searching for JC and Yukio wherever they could. They found everyone engaged. Hassan and Arifa thankfully were holding off against some Academy elites. Xiaoyi seemed to be enjoying the chaos everywhere. The other duelists were not so lucky. Alexis was nowhere to be found.

 

JC and Yukio dashed at Jolene and Maya. Thank goodness they found each other! "To the van!” JC panted. “NOW!”

 

They ran to JC’s van as fast as they could but were stopped dead in their tracks by Phillip, eager to beat JC a second time, and get revenge at Yukio. JC ordered them to split up but just before they could several agents flanked in between them, cutting off Maya and Jolene from Yukio and JC.

 

Yukio threw the van keys to Maya. “Don’t worry about us! Go to the Regionals on your own!”

 

“No Yukio, you can’t!” Jolene and Maya cried, but it was too late and they were forced to flee.

 

Some agents tagged after them. They darted in every corner like wild hares but could not deter them. The only option was oncoming traffic. They held each other’s hands and dived in with reckless abandon, right into the dizzying noises of car horns and screeching tires. They even jumped on a car that would have otherwise hit them. They made it through. The agents, however, weren’t as lucky.

 

Jolene and Maya leapt into JC’s van and fired up the engines and drove off into the Jersey shore and into the state as quickly as they could. Once they drove the highway inland, into the wide green plains and forests, they thought they could relax a bit. They were wrong.

 

The police suddenly leapt at them from behind and then in front of them until they were completely surrounded. The police pulled them both, handcuffed them, and threw them on their knees.

 

“Thank you officer. Now let me deal with them.”

 

The two girls looked up. It was Alexis! They were struck stupid.

 

Alexis saw the confusion and shock on their face for she said. “Yes, I was Matthew’s informant. And no, I don’t go to the Academy anymore but I do miss it sometimes.” She gave them a sympathetic look. “I actually liked you two and wished it didn’t have to come to this. I was only following orders.”  

 

“Yeah you cared so much about us you decided to betray us.” Jolene spat in disgust.

 

Alexis kneeled down and pulled Maya’s hair to see her face better. “Our future rock star was so close to winning her big break but her date with destiny was cancelled. I heard you and Yukio played some of The Doors’ songs together, then listen well you wannabe iconoclast. Mr. Mojo is dead."

 

She gestured to the cops strictly, “Arrest them.”

 

“And what? Without a duel?” Maya came the closest she could to a smirk in this stressful time. “What about this thing about the duelists’ honor Matthew always talks about?"

 

“I’m a realist.” Alexis cut her off curtly.

 

“Maybe there’s hope for you after all. But if porky arrests us, I'll tell everyone Greg was too scared of losing to me.”

 

“No one would believe you.”

 

“They will when they find out t a former elite student like him turned down a local pothead. You may not believe me but the world isn’t high school. It doesn’t bow down to the popular kids.”

 

"And what do you know about life outside of high school." Alexis gestured to the police. "Uncuff her. If she loses, send her home." 

 

Maya brought her Duel Disk from the van, prepared for battle.

 

Alexis: 4000 || Maya: 4000

 

ALEXIS' TURN: “This duel will be over soon. I summon Elemental Hero – Stratos!” A purple-clad superhero wearing a flying contraption made of fans emerges. “With its effect I search Destiny Hero Disk Commander from my deck. I set two cards facedown. Turn end. I guarantee you that throughout this entire duel I won’t lose a single life point. Consider it an honor for a grungy piece of trash like you to duel me. I'm Matthew’s equal. For all intents and purposes, you’re facing Matthew himself.”

 

MAYA'S TURN: "Really?" She checks her hand. Yes! A new winning combo is possible! "You're right. You won’t lose a single life point, but it isn’t your life points you should be worrying about.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I thought bullies in fancy suits would know other ways to break someone. I activate Graceful Charity, I draw three cards and discard two. Next, I activate Monster Reborn to revive Soul Absorbing Bone Tower.” The familiar ankh glowed and materialized into the tower of skeletons. “I activate Inferno Reckless Summon next, so all copies of my Bone Towers in my deck are special summoned.” And special summon them Maya does.

 

Alexis mills the top two cards of her deck. She knows their effects. Each time a zombie is special summoned she must mill two cards for every Bone Tower there is. And Maya already has three out…

 

"No response, Matthew 2.0? If you are his equal then I do have an easy job ahead of me after all. I normal summon Zombie Master and use his effect. I discard one card to resurrect Pyramid Turtle.” A boy sorcerer in tattered robes casts his spells to the ground and out of the earth crawls out a huge turtle carrying a pyramid on its back. “Pyramid Turtle, attack Stratos!” The turtle fires a ray of pure flame from a mirror on the front side of the pyramid only to have the superhero deflect it and break the turtle in a single punch. (Zarathustra LP: 4000 à 3400)

 

“Through my Turtles effect I summon another Pyramid Turtle to attack.” The second turtle barely appears when it fires it’s own ray of flame only be destroyed (LP: 3400 à 2800), thus bringing out the third Pyramid Turtle, that too attacks and is destroyed. (LP: 2800 à 2200) Since Zarathustra doesn’t have any more Turtles she summons a new monster, Necro Cavalier, a skeleton riding a decayed, reanimated steed. Texcy can only watch in horror as the three Bone Towers swarming Zarathustra’s field do their dirty work and chip away at her deck, six cards at a time. Already less than half of her deck exists.

 

One of the cops watching the duel scratches his head. The girl with the punk clothes kept killing off her monsters but for some reason Alexis was nervous.

 

“Now Cavalier, attack Stratos!” Maya orders. The Cavalier brandishes its fencing sword only to be shattered to pieces by Texcy’s hero as all the zombies before it. (LP: 2200 à 1400) “Cavalier lets me special summon another Necro Cavalier when destroyed by battle.” And so another skeletal horseman materializes, and it too attacks and is destroyed Stratos’ backfire. (LP: 1400 à 600) And so Zarathustra summons another Necro Cavalier, albeit in defending position.

 

“You had 32 cards in your deck after I summoned my Bone Towers. That would mean I would have to special summon six zombies to wipe out your deck, which I did. I activate Pot of Avarice, shuffling three Turtles and two Cavaliers back into my deck and draw two cards. The cycle can once more repeat itself. It is done.”

 

Alexis can only stare at her Deck wide eyed in horror. “I lost in the first turn…”

 

Alexis: DECK OUT || Maya: 600

 

Maya turned her back on Alexis to return to the van. “The pot head beats the prom queen. Let’s go Jolene!”

 

Jolene was almost shocked by the sharpness and might behind Maya’s voice throughout the entire duel. It was if Maya, through using her new deck, had gained some great new power, or was it power buried inside her, merely given “permission” to erupt.

 

“Cops, arrest them!” Alexis shouted. “Offenders should still be punished!”

 

The cops were just about to handcuff them again when a voice screamed, “STOP!”

 

To Maya and Jolene’s great shock it was no other than Cristy! She just arrived to the scene in a police car with a decorated policeman who looked like the chief!

 

Alexis turned furiously to the intruder. “Who are you to tell me what to do? You have no authority in this matter!”

 

“I have his authority.” Cristy rebuked, pointing to the older, decorated policeman. “He is the chief and he is my father. I told him Matthew and you were coercing the police into doing something illegal behind his back. If anyone should be arrested it’s you.”

 

The chief stepped up to the middle of the brawl. “Those two girls broke no law. They did nothing to provoke arrest or even a fine so much as speeding. They’ve been given enough trouble for one day. As for Alexis, arrest her and take her into holding!”

 

Alexis screamed and kicked at the cops indignantly as she was handcuffed and dragged into a car. She protested to the sky, crying for Matthew to use his wealth and power to save her, but they were all met in vain. The cops shut the door in front of her face. Her cold, sophisticated, aloof mask gave way to an arrogant and petulant child. Maya wondered if Matthew was the same way.

 

While she stored that information away, Jolene approached Cristy. “Thank you.” Her gratitude was genuine. “You’re not one of the Crusaders. You're smarter than that."

 

Maya prodded Jolene. "Go home with Cristy."

 

"But you'll be in danger alone." Jolene protested.

 

“Exactly. I have to be alone and in danger. Facing Greg at the Regionals is a crucial moment. Don’t worry about me.”

 

Jolene was about to protest again but Maya didn’t her give the opportunity. She already sped away in the van. The chief gave his orders and all police disappeared from the highway, taking Jolene and Cristy with them. Maya could still see Jolene’s wistful face watching her from the car window. And it hurt.

 

But she put her feelings for Jolene aside. She had to. She could only be strong. And with that attitude she drove onward deep into New Jersey, deep into the gathering snow ahead.

[MewMew3]

Oh, and I forgot that I created a new card for the Zombie Deck. The picture isn't ideal but it does give you some idea of what I was thinking of, artistically. 
 

 

And here is a card I thought of using but didn't. 

 

[MewMew3]

Duel 21 – Stretching New Wings

 

“Greg.” Matthew and Onion stood in the center of a mighty open stadium in Trenton, New Jersey, where a huge crowd of duelists gravitated to see the final match of the Regionals. A huge number of them were Greg’s own huge fan base, a legion of infatuated teenage girls, came just to see him win.

 

Greg cocked his long greasy black hair, revealing bright green eyes. “Yo.”

 

“Too many good duelists survived. Team Silent Sword survived. That weird Xiaoyi chick survived. All the Dark Duelists survived. You’re just about to face a Dark Duelist who will win the Regionals if she beats you.” Matthew bore down Onion’s eyes with a frightening glare. “I hope you know what that means, to have our region usurped by them. Think about it.” 

 

Greg shrugged. Matthew was such a prick who cared way too much about his image. He blew a kiss to one corner of the stadium and the fan girls went wild. If his adoring followers weren’t what was good in life he didn’t know what was.

 

And then, the Dark Duelist Maya climbed up the arena, her wild dark hair and piercing dark eyes as chilling as the snow falling around them. “Couldn’t fix your medusa hair today, princess.” Greg taunted as they shuffled each other’s decks. 

 

“Thanks. Glad you don’t like me.” And the duel began.

 

Greg: 4000  ||  Maya: 4000

 

GREG'S TURN: “Just to let you know, you can duel your little heart out and pretend to be creative all you want, but your gay cards are no match for the power of chaos! I set a monster and another card face down.”

 

MAYA'S TURN: “You're pretty passive for a guy with a Chaos Deck. I summon Doomcaliber Knight!” A ghostly skeleton riding a horse apparates. I set down two back row. Come and get me.”

 

GREG'S TURN: “I’ll grant your wish.” He gyrates his body into an extravagant pose. “Are you ready to rock!” The fangirls blast the arena with a hurricane of their screams. “I’m the second best duelist in town. I'll cut her down to size in two turns!”

 

“Can you?” Maya taunts him.

 

“I play Harpy’s Feather Duster!” A giant feather destroys Maya's entire back row. “And now, The Forceful Sentry! Show me your hand.” Zarathustra reluctantly complies. “Aww, look at that. Were you going to use Mezuki and Card of Safe Return? Shuffle Mezuki back into your deck!” Maya quietly does so. “You like Zombie-Types? You’re all dark and brooding? You wanna’ cut yourself for attention? Hey guys, what’s ugly, obnoxious, and has daddy issues?”

 

"A goth girl!" The fangirls scream from the sidelines.

 

Greg taunts Maya further. "How come you got no tattoos or piercings? Daddy won't let you?"

 

Maya smirks at Greg's cliche. Then again, she thought, Greg was a cliche. "I'm not goth. I'm just evil."

 

Greg returns to the game, “I activate Graceful Charity. I draw three and discard two. I flip summon Summoner Monk.” A wizened old man in deep blue robes appears. “And I activate him. I discard a spell to summon D.D. Warrior Lady from my deck.” With an arcane chant the monk opens a portal from which a dirty blond haired woman in black armor jumps out. “I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer.” A bald monk wearing a bronze chest plate over his purple shirt arrives.

 

“Time to battle. Warrior Lady attack Doomcaliber.” The armored woman and skeleton horse rider clashed blades and then evaporated in a flash of light. (Greg LP: 4000 à 3500) “D.D. Warrior lady can banish the monster it battles with. Now Kycoo attack, and when it does attack I play Magician’s Circle.” The familiar pink mystical field encompasses both duelists. “With its effect I summon White Magical Hat.” A tuxedoed gentleman wearing a white comes with a flourish, as does a monster on Zarathustra’s field, a comically stout wizard with an overgrown beard and oversized professor’s robes, Mathematician.

 

With a small chant Kycoo fires a blast from his hands, breaking Mathematician into pieces. (Zarathustra LP: 4000 à 3700) “I draw one card.” Maya says. “Per his effect.”  

 

Greg isn’t done yet. “White Magical Hat, sick her directly.” The gentleman complies and slams Maya in the chest. (Maya LP: 3700 à 2700) She then discards one card in her hand. “I set a face down and end my turn.” Greg concludes. “Still think you can beat me?"

 

MAYA'S TURN: “Since you’re such a joker, I have a joke for you too. Knock knock.”

 

“Who’s there?

 

“Go grape yourself.

 

Greg outright laughs. “That’s the worst joke I ever heard. It’s like it came from a kid with Asperger’s or some other social retard." He imitates a person from his imagination, "WAAAAH! I’m so awkward and stupid. Why do bullies pick on me? I’m so lonely and no one invites me to parties. Now I’m going to slit my wrists in the bathtub.”

 

"Bad, dumb jokes are for bad, dumb people." Maya retorts.

 

“You trying to intimidate me with your 'clever' humor?” Greg jeers.

 

“No.” Zarathustra answers. “You’re intimidated already. You already burned up your hand, trying to kill me with everything you had. Is that all you can do with a full hand of broken cards? Pathetic. You lost your advantage, and now I will take mine. I activate Painful Choice.” She takes five cards from her deck and they are projected to supersized holograms so everyone can see them: three black feathered crane-like birds called Onmoraki and two axe-wielding horse headed demons called Mezuki.     

 

Greg contemplates the different grim outcomes. Now he has to put a Mezuki in her graveyard. Once there it can banish itself to revive any zombie in the graveyard she wants. All he could do was put one less Mezuki in the graveyard. He chooses one Mezuki to go in Maya's hand while the remaining four...

 

Maya continues, "I play Card of Safe Return and activate Mezuki in my graveyard. I banish it to revive Onmoraki.” The black crane drags itself back from the dead. “I now play Infernal Reckless Summon, letting me summon two more from my Graveyard.” Two more Onmorakimaterialize while Onion himself benefits and summons a Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Onmoraki lets me draw a card when I special summon it from the graveyard and card of safe return lets me draw a card each time I special summon any monster from the graveyard. This means…”

 

She draws six cards from her deck! “The advantage was always mine. You just didn’t see it.”

 

“Just shut up and make your move!” Greg barks.

 

“What happened to your jokes in poor taste? You smile only when you are happy. No true comic is like that. I special summon Kasha.” An oriental style carriage with blazing body and fiery wheels bursts onto the field.

 

But not for long. “Torrential Tribute!” All monsters are crushed under the tidal wave’s force and washed away.

 

This doesn’t phase Maya a bit. “I summon Mezuki.” The horse-headed demon appeared. “Direct attack!” She orders, and Mezuki slashes Greg with its giant axe. (Greg LP: 3500 à 1800) Half of the crowd curses at Maya while the fangirls bawl their hearts out in sentimental pity. How DARE she! “And I set three cards face down.”

                                             

Small beads of sweat drop down Greg's face. That was too close, way too close. He keeps shuffling his hand nervously while peeping up at Matthew high above. He was the only Crusader left, the only barrier between the Crusaders’ security and their destruction, between order and chaos, between light and darkness.

 

And Maya… she is resolute and restrained, but he could see in her eyes and in her body a rude power ready to break free. On the other side Maya sees a rock of limestone, eroded by the acid rain of pressure. 

 

GREG'S TURN: “Play time is over! You asked for it, you reject! I play Card of Sanctity! Now we both replenish our hands until we have six cards.”

 

“Come on! At least I used an engine.” Maya complains as they both replenish their hand.

 

“I banish White Magical Hat and Summoner Monk from my graveyard to summon Chaos Emperor Dragon!” Two white souls fly from Onion’s duel disk and collide with each other, forming a gate of spinning white light and black darkness. From the gate in the sky descends a mighty dragon scaled and black and gold armor and adorned with a long red mane. The entire crowd that supports Greg goes wild.

 

“I pay 1000 life points so Emporer Dragon can blow up the whole field! You lose!” (Greg LP: 1800 à 800)

 

The mighty black and gold dragon roars and wraps itself around with its own flames, transforming into a golden glow, ready to burst – then it snuffs out, vanishes.

 

Greg is dumbstruck while Maya gestures to her field. “You should pay more attention to me, not your fangirls. I activated The Huge Revolution Is Over. Your dragon is banished.”

 

“You’ll pay for that! I activate Mystical Space Typhoon on your Card of Safe Return.” The violent tornado, full of lightning, swarms over and blasts away Zarathustra’s card. “Now Monster Reborn to revive Dark Magician of Chaos. I discarded him with Graceful Charity on my first turn.” A wide and dark hole appears on the floor, filled with stench of death. Up from the graveyard levitates the supreme magician, with piercing eyes and wild winding black hair, clad in black leather and buckles.

 

“I counter with Black Horn of Heaven. Your Dark Magician is destroyed, and furthermore, is banished due to his effect.” And true to Maya’s words the magician shatters into dark crystals under the black horns mighty call.  

 

“What kind of cards are that?" Greg grumbles. It’s like you stacked your deck just to kill Chaos monsters."

 

"I'm running against a Chaos duelist, so duh." Maya retorts. 

 

Her latest sarcasm infuriates Greg. “Why! Won’t! You! Just! Die! I banish D.D. Warrior Lady and Kycoo from my graveyard to summon Black Luster Soldier!” Two orb-shaped souls fly out from his duel disk and bring forth the large familiar soldier wielding a huge curved blade and adorned in black and gold armor. “ATTACK!”

 

BLS easily decapitates Mezuki (Maya LP: 2700 à 1400) “And it can attack again!” BLS swings its sword again, ready to strike the finishing blow. “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.” Maya quickly reacts. “I summon as many Yokai monsters from my graveyard. I can’t attack this turn and they die again at the end phase.” BLS slashes one of the Onmorakis into pieces, but Mayastill benefits by drawing three cards.

 

Greg sets two face down cards and ends his turn, grumbling more as he does so. The Yokai monsters wisp away.

 

MAYA'S TURN: Now it is time. She knows. Greg is suffering from the huge pressure he has on him, and it shows. From the very first turn he was scared and wanted to kill her off as quickly as possible. His complete failure to beat her with three Chaos monsters was a savage blow to his efo.

 

Greg's eyes flash with a dangerous light of fear and anger, like he wants to murder Maya, while Maya glances at Matthew high above the tallest terrace. Though his face is restrained he couldn’t hide his sinister hatred as he glares down at her. Maya almost enjoys it, but at the same time terror fills her. Greg's barometer is kicking high, like he's about to her hit her any moment. Literally. But it's worth it. The rock is fractured beyond repair. The Crusaders already lost.

 

Now to move in for the kill. “I summon Zombie Master.” Zarathustra declares, the duel finally resuming, as a child in tattered robes and wearing a grinning mask materializes. “I discard a monster to revive Onmoraki, and with it I use Infernal Reckless Summon to revive the other two.” The three black cranes revived from the dead and she draws three more cards. “I equip Zombie Master with United With Stand.” Zombie Master’s entire body crackling with golden-colored thunder as he powered up by a whopping 800 ATK for all four monsters she controlled. (ATK 1800 à 5000)

 

Greg cracks under the pressure. “NO! You’re crazy! You can’t kill my chaos monster with a runt! Go to hell bitch! Go to hell all of you bitches for betraying me!”

 

“Zombie Master, kill BLS, the figurehead of the Crusaders!" Maya commands. "The Zombie Master fires bolts of lightning at the soldier."

 

“HA HA! Nice try! I activate Mirror Force!” The lighting bounces back at Zombie Master and all the other monsters on Zarathustra’s field, frying them into ash. “You’ll NEVER touch me, you hear! Never! Never! Never!”

 

“They’re zombies after all. And like zombies they keep coming back. I activate Foolish Burial to dump Crow Tengu from my deck to the graveyard. Then I banish Mezuki from my graveyard to special summon Crow Tengu.” A jet black bird is revived, and with its own ability it flies straight at BLS and shatters it by colliding with its body. “I set two back row cards.”

 

Regardless of Greg's evil, he is a tough duelist, although more to his broken cards than to skill. Though Maya had gained the upper hand she still has some way to go.

[MewMew3]

Duel 22 – Jonathan’s Flight

 

Greg: 800 || Maya: 1400

 

Greg snaps, as if hate could burn his fear away. “Agents!” He roars, “Put the collars around me and Maya and on a few fangirls too!” A half a dozen hulking men in suits seem to spawn from nowhere and grab all three. Zarathustra tries to elbow his face but the agent holds her arms in. Click. The cold metal shock collar clenches tightly on all three of their necks. “You want real entertainment! You got it!” 

 

“No!” Matthew shouts from the highest terrace, stunned. “You’re destroying us further. You idiot!"

 

“Keep your whiny conservatard ranting to yourself. You’re like the fat people who listen to Rush Limbaugh!"

 

"You really are a walking pile of fail. Even someone cynical as me gets depressed around you.” Zarathustra remarks. 

 

Suddenly, jolts of lightning stab at every part of her body like millions of sharp knives. She yelps in shock and pain, as do the fangirls, and falls on her knees, shuddering and catching her breath. 

 

Greg explains, "Each time you fail to defeat me, you get a shock that only gets more lethal with each turn." He laughs cruelly. "If you're better than a Crusader, can you save me? Can you save my fans?"

 

It was too much for the audience. They hiss and boo at Greg in disgust, crying foul play, except Onion’s fangirls, the ones who weren't shocked that is, who blindly cheer for him in complete denial. Above at the terrance, Matthew is made of stone. His face is cast in disapproving fix while he shudders in panic inside.

 

GREG'S TURN: "I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards. I know it’s broken, I know it’s mainstream, but guess what? Mainstream wins.  And now, Call of the Haunted! I revive Black Luster Solider!” The magnificent black and gold armor soldier reemerges in a wisp of grave dust. “Kill Crow Tengu!”

 

The soldier wields its huge curved blade again, but Maya is ready to intercept it. “Dimensional Prison. He’s banished, out of the game for good.”

 

“Book of Moon!” Greg counters. The spell card activates, a dark blue spell book unravels its pages, the text of an incantation glowing neon blue, BLS sinks into the ground and transforms into a giant facedown card. “Nice try, but chaos will always be the best. I activate Swords of Revealing Light.” A dozen larger than life swords made entirely of sharp, almost blinding light fall from the sky and strike at Zarathustra’s field, freezing her only monster in time.

 

Greg ends his turn and receives his fair share from his shock collar, but it is only a light discharge. He easily shrugs it off, as if only bitten by a mosquito.

 

MAYA'S TURN: She is really in a tight spot. Greg's last gimmick was a coward's act at bottom. Now she had to do something Yugi and his dork squad would do, actually save the day. “Forcing me to become a goody-two shoes hero. Interesting.” She observes.

 

But she must be defiant till the end. “Nobleman of Crossout!” A shining white broad sword cuts straight up from the ground through the face down monster, violently impaling BLS. It vaporizes into white smoke, banished from the game.  At the end of her turn her collar shocks her horribly. The collared fangirls yelp as well.

 

GREG'S TURN: “I have a card that will change everything around. As Yugi says, ‘the duel is not over until the last card is played.’” He sets one monster face down.He is shocked again but if anything it seems milder than the first.

 

MAYA'S TURN: There is no Heart of the Cards in real life. There are no miracles, not even in broken decks. But fine, let’s see this amazing comeback of yours.” She sets a monster face down. She ends her turn, and is once more greeting with a few tortorous seconds of stinging zaps that seem to last forever. The few fangirls cry out in pain. Other people in the audience come to them, trying to take apart their shock collars, but failing. 

 

GREG'S TURN: He sets a spell or trap facedown and ends his turn, and with it he flinches a bit from the shock collar.

 

MAYA'S TURN: “This is your last chance to disappoint me. Make it count. I set a monster facedown and end my turn. Now shock us you coward.” The Swords of Revealing Light vanish and the shocks return, forcing Maya and the fangirls to stagger in pain. People in the audience cradle the aching fangirls, giving them water to lessen the shock.

 

“This is getting really bad!” One girl yelps from the stadium. "Someone, do something!" 

 

Maya pants, feeling the full pressure of the duel. “I promise. It’ll be over soon.”

 

GREG'S TURN: “I activate my trap, Return From the Different Dimension, making all of my chaos monsters return!” (Greg LP: 800 à 400) His life points sliced in half, a white portal shouts into existence, almost blinding everyone. The large chaos dragon, the chaos magician, the chaos solder burst from the portal as menacing as ever, as does Kycoo and D.D. Warrior Lady.

 

“Game over BIEOTCH! Since Dark Magician of Chaos is summoned I return a spell from my grave and activate it. Harpy’s Feather Duster!” The flurry of sharp quills came too little too late however, since Zarathustra immediately counters with Raigeki Break.

 

“NO!” Greg shouts in denial as she discards a card to send a bolt of lightning to shatter the dark magician, which is once again banished. “You’ll pay for that! Kycoo destroy Crow Tengu!” The monk whispers a small chant and the black crow screams and bursts into oblivion. “D. D. Warrior Lady, attack a face down monster!” She leaps and lunges at the now revealed Pyramid Turtle, where both are banished in a flash of light. “BLS, kill the last facedown monster and attack again to finish her off!” The chaos soldier swings it’s mighty blade, unleash a tidal wave of force that would cut any monster in half, except Maya's monster, a lone Spirit Reaper.

 

“I’m not having my chaos monsters be banished again. I flip Fiber Jar.” A large green jar overwrought with growing plants pops up and as soon as it does it sucks every card on the field to its eerie green glow before vanishing. Per its effect, both duelists shuffle their entire hands and graveyards into their deck, then draw five cards. A fresh start.

 

“I summon Magician’s Valkyria.” A sorceress of similar vein to the famous Dark Magician Girl appears, albeit with red hair and is taller and less busty. “But she’s still pretty hot, yeah.” Greg remarks. “I set two face down cards. Turn over.” He receives a small tickle from the collar, which could only laughably be called a shock.

 

MAYA'S TURN: “I summon Doomcaliber Knight.” The armored skeleton riding its black steed gallops its way to the field, just like it did on the very first turn. “I set two face down cards.” She received the most intense shock she ever received, as did the fangirls. They scream and fall on their knees, writhing in pain, trembling. The shock is a hair’s breadth away from being lethal.

 

"This is crazy!" A man from audience says in fear and outrage. "I can't believe this is going on! Someone DO SOMETHING!"

 

“I will,” Maya promises. Greg's next turn would be his last. All she had to do now was let Greg be himself.

 

GREG'S TURN: “I activate Pot of Greed. It's my favorite broken card, and it lets me draw two more -”

 

“I counter with Exchange of the Spirit!" Maya declares. "I lose a thousand but we trade our decks with our graveyards. Since you don’t have a graveyard, now you won’t have a deck to draw two cards from. You lose” (Maya LP: 1400 à 400)

 

“Nice try, but I counter with Solemn Judgment! You are the weakest link! Goodbye!" (Greg LP: 400 à 200)

 

Maya has a trap of her own. “Wiretap! Solemn Judgment is negated and shuffled back into your Deck!"

 

Silence. The shock collars fall from everyone's necks.

 

 Greg: DECK OUT || Maya: 400

 

Maya let loose all of her tightly held breath. It’s over! Thank God it’s over! She won the Regional Championship, but that didn’t matter right now. The girls were free.

 

A tournament organizer, a skinny man with long unkempt hair, left from his terrace along with two agents who both carried the tournament prizes. “Congratulations on winning the Regional Championship of 2004.” The organizer says in a monotone voice, as if he recited it a million times before. “You must be very proud of yourself. Your prizes include one briefcase of fifty thousand dollars, one briefcase of twenty exclusively rare, holofoil cards, and one gold trophy.”

 

The agents handed Maya the prizes. “Thank you for your participation of the Regional Championship of 2004 in New Jersey. We hope to see you next time.”

 

And they left as unassumingly as they entered. Maya wondered where all the pomp and glitz was. It was as if the dueling world didn’t really want to acknowledge her victory. Then again, it was a chilling December afternoon and the very dueling arena was caked in a thin layer of snow. No one noticed because of how intense the duel was. Maya realized she was cold, even blue, for the first time.

 

Greg threw his deck away in rage. “You’ll pay for this!’” He was almost in tears. “Wait until I write an Encyclopedia Dramatica article about you!”

 

“Naturally. They're all butthurt losers.” Maya retorted. 

 

The crowd finally seemed to come to its senses for they decided to clap for none other than Maya herself! But it lasted for a short time, as the fangirls and several other people hissed and booed at Maya for daring to tarnish their idol. The whole audience went from snow-white silence to a din to a roar that shook the earth from its depths. The whole stadium around the duelists exploded into a violent frenzy as the warring factions devolved into a massive bar room brawl.

 

From the corner of her eye she saw Greg slinking away from the arena to lick his wounds and fight another day. Maya decided there would never be another day. She leapt at Greg with the ferocity of a mountain lion, seizing him by the shirt. She threw him to the corner of the arena, pinning him where there was a thin groove in the wall. Shewrenched his duel disk from his arm and activated the duel disk to fold on his own throat!

 

It failed to snip his head off, its arms barely caught and held in place by the thin groove. Greg struggled to wrench himself free but in vain. He was pinned to the wall by his throat. Maya confronted him one final time. “You want attention through self-destruction you got one. Now let’s step it up a notch.”   

 

Maya seized her prizes and ran as the hurricane behind her destroyed everything in her path. She never looked back.    

[MewMew3]

I didn't create any cards for this duel, but I'm not sure many people are familiar with some of the monsters Maya uses. They are of the Yokai archetype, which is used by Daichi Misawa in the GX manga.

 

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Yokai 

 

It's safe to say that most people know what Mezuki and Kasha are, but I'm not so sure people are familiar with Onmoraki, Crow Tengu, or Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

 

Onmoraki

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Onmoraki

 

Crow Tengu

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Crow_Tengu

 

Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. (I added the extra effect of you not being able to attack to make the card more balanced.)

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Night_Parade_of_One_Hundred_Demons

[MewMew3]

Duel 23 – Childhood

 

*AUTHOR’S NOTE: I changed Mr. Slade, to Mr. Carter: to be Matthew’s father. Since Sean Phoenix has been absorbed into Matthew, I need to make this change.

 

The Dark Duelists’ victory of the Regional Championship sent a shockwave throughout America’s dueling world. True, winning the Regionals wasn’t the greatest success out there but it wasn’t a mean feat either. People took notice. Though the Dark Duelists weren’t the first team of humble beginning to navigate its way up a world where hereditary wealth and connections meant everything it was still a startling and unnerving display. Strangely enough, Yugi did the same.

 

The renovations JC made to the new warehouse was complete. The massive, lavish, and spacious headquarters now replaced their peasantry, dusty (and now torched) hideout. As Maya might say, notice the change in words. Speaking of which, it was once more through the grace of Dupre Esq. that Maya didn’t have to pay for damages done by the riot. After all, what was Matthew’s wealth compared to that of KaibaCorp’s? Hereditary wealth and connections meant everything.

 

On the other hand a more subtle and profound change began to happen to the Duel Monsters game itself. Yukio and Maya’s conquests with their striking and even bizarre anti-meta decks made a serious statement of what cards duelists could use to seriously compete, which in turn changed what it meant to be a duelist. Though Monarch and Chaos duelists still clenched tight to their hegemony small cracks appeared on their strongholds, which were soon filled by duelists open and eager to try new ideas.

 

The team was even interviewed in their new headquarters by NBC. The moment was a bit unnerving in how tense it was. The reporter wanted to especially talk to Yukio and Maya, the two big stars, but neither of them felt like talking. Yukio just kind of stared spaced out while Maya kept her head down. To make matters worse JC jealously wanted all the attention instead and kept trying to remind national TV of his authority and influence as team leader.

 

The interview didn’t make a good impression. It just demonstrated another way JC hated how the tournament titles weren’t his and how he became even more bossy than usual, tying the leash around Yukio and Maya tighter and tighter.

 

With a worried frown on his face, Yukio asked Maya, “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

 

Maya nodded, “I’m worried the team will go in the wrong direction, that JC will become Matthew and turn us into the Shining Crusaders 2.0.”   

 

–      “Maya, wake up!” Father snapped his fingers in front of Maya’s face. “No daydreaming. This is a very important business dinner. You can’t screw this up.”

 

Maya rolled her eyes. Regional Champion she may have been, but she was still a frustrated teenager. A teenager can be immature every once in a while, right?

 

She unraveled her mind once more. Despite everything the team was satisfied with their victories… but she wasn’t. She wanted to do better, wanted to somehow go deeper than this political garbage, which is what her team’s feud with the Crusaders was all about. It was disappointing. She wished she could stand for greater and more meaningful things and somehow use her newfound power to make a lasting change.

 

–      “Maya, we are going very soon to Mr. Carter’s dinner. This is very important for my job and I want to be promoted. Do you hear me?”

 

“OH MY GOD SHUT UP!!!”

 

As usual with the upper class, the terrain was a sheltered paradise of rich colors, unlike the hard concrete and steel grey of the city. All insincere greetings aside – Maya’s arm hurt where father punched her. – Mr. Carter introduced everyone to a special guest, none other than his son, Matthew Carter!

 

The two teenagers didn’t even dare meet each other eye to eye. It was so jarring and awkward, to see each other like this, totally removed from the battleground. Nevertheless they shared their animosity. Matthew kept his usual air of cool and sophistication yet the icy death stare in his eyes was all too obvious. Maya’s irritation scorched underneath and started building pressure. She restrained the impulse to jack him in the jaw and be done with everything.    

 

To make matters worth, they were seated at table right next to each other.

 

“So, um, Mr. Carter,” Father began awkwardly. “What new ventures were you planning with your company?”

 

Mr. Carter reclined back self-indulgently, perhaps a bit too much for polite company. “Overseeing stuffy artifacts was never my specialty, something my own father never understood, so I branched out to arms dealing and weapon research. War gives strength to a people. We must always have brave men willing to defend countries and ideologies, to protect our freedoms from those who threaten to take it away." He glanced at Maya and her father. Maybe it was an accident, maybe on purpose. But he glanced.  

The grown ups all concurred with Mr. Carter's splendid ideas. Matthew looked completely disgusted and ashamed that creepy, venal man siting next to him was his father. Maya didn’t blame him. The dinner moved to the main course, and the grown ups kept talking and talking… The conversation shifted to welfare and other government and social programs, and by that time the snobbery, selfishness, and willful ignorance became unbearable. Maya was in no mood to behave.

 

Matthew gave her a condescending look. “I’d listen to dad if I were you,”

 

Maya returned with a sneering smile. “How’s damage control going with the Crusaders? I heard there was a lot to clean up down there.”

 

Matthew bore down on her with an icy stare stating all too clearly how much he wanted to kill her if he only had the chance. He couldn’t believe she was the same brat he brutally owned at the beginning of the school year! He grumbled, “To actually have to duel to keep my career afloat.”

 

“Having to work is hard, sweetie. I know."

 

A few servants, the best word for them, tinkled out what seemed to elevator music or soft jazz, a music almost ashamed to exist. The revolution was over. Music was put in her place where she belonged, reduced to background noise and entertainment, no longer a strong character that stood on her own. The piano once more became a harp turned on its side.

 

Father was in the middle of boasting about her? Yes. No. It couldn’t be!

 

“Yes she is a straight A student on top of everything.” Father smiled. “She even was a child prodigy but she’ll never want you to know it! She can play the piano like a master and even compose! She’s a great duelist. She just won the Regionals last weekend…”

 

What? It was so bewildering! At home he never spoke to her like that. His words were always cold and mean, but now he was proud of her, like she was actually worthy of existing. She didn’t know how to feel. Maybe he was phony this whole time. That would be more comfortable than if he meant it.

 

“Hey,” Father nudged her sharply. “Be with us. Mr. Carter and the others would like to hear you play. I told him you can really play some Mozart or Beethoven piece. Don’t disappoint them.”

 

Now she was the servant, the circus girl to please them. Why should she? If she wasn’t irritated then she was now. She would not give it too them. She would not turn music into a respectable woman.

 

She sat on the piano stool. All eyes were eagerly on her, especially father’s eyes. She locked her fingers together, spread her elbows apart, and threw her arms on the keyboard with all her strength. The piano roared loud and deep, the terrible chaotic noise shaking everyone off their stupor.

 

“That’s my piece for this evening.” Maya growled. She left for the bathroom.

 

She was hardly there for a minute when father burst in and ferociously hit her across the face. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He roared. “Do you want to get me fired and make us go broke?” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently and threw her at the wall.

 

Maya snapped. She lunged back at him, jacking him in the jaw. She had enough of this cretin who called himself her father! But father was bigger and stronger. He shoved Maya back into the handicapped stall, colliding her back against the wall. With a swift hit he pummeled her to the ground.

 

Maya coughed, an ounce of defiance remained. “Some advice, pops. Next time you beat a child don't hit her in the face. Everyone will know.”

 

Father kicked her in the chest, shutting her up. “Get yourself cleaned up and behave. Or else!” He stormed out.

 

Maya painfully crawled up to see herself in the mirror. She was bleeding in her mouth, some of it dripping from her lips. She spat it out and washed her mouth, ignoring the sting. She straightened her clothes and hair, looking almost as if nothing had happened.

 

She sat at the piano stool again and played. First Mozart’s variations of what is now known as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, then Beethoven’s fantasy, a Mozart sonata she still knew by heart, and some rags from Joplin. Maya, disembodied and numb, watched her body function like a machine, pressing the right keys at the right time. She didn’t involve herself. Her body played on its own. The grown ups applauded her for the wonderful, charming performance.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Father was nowhere to be seen. As soon as the dinner was over his false smile fell away and he revealed his full despondency. He ran away in despair, disappearing. Maya looked for him, darting and snaking her way through the city’s streets and avenues trying desperately to trace the path he went. Where did he go!? Where did he go!? For hours she searched in vain.

 

She found him slumping in a bar in Chinatown, hand lazily grabbing a large glass. She nudged him gently a few times. “Dad, please. It’s late. We have to go back.”

 

He swung at her but so clumsily she easily dodged it. He raved at her in raspy, drunken slur, “You’re a Devil sent from Hell! You ruined everything, everything!” His cold blue eyes melted into watery, weak ones. His breath smelled of booze. “You ruined my life before you were even born!”

 

“Dad…” Maya tried to soothe him. “You’ll be fine. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.” And she meant every word, almost crying.

 

“You were never a good girl. Why can’t you be a normal good girl who just did her homework and listened to me? Why can’t you be normal for one second?”

 

“Dad… please.” She kept reassuring him over and over again, his sadness bleeding over into her. She took his pain just as she always took his fear and rage.

 

He relented, falling on her. He could hardly stand up, forcing her to drag him on the long way back home. She gently laid him to rest on his bed. He passed out instantly. She took from her room an old childhood drawing she made a long time ago with the endearingly bad and naïve craft of a child’s art. It was about the three of them as a family. Red autumn leaves surrounded father and mother while Maya danced among snowflakes. Maya put the drawing beneath father’s hand. She curled into a ball on the floor near the bed and fell asleep.

[MewMew3]

Duel 24 – Vulgarity

 

JC finally had a giant layer all to himself, one that could be called JC’s Dungeon with pride. Well, technically it was for Team Dark Duelists, but it truly served JC alone. He alone used the team’s winnings to buy it and so he alone owned it. The warehouse was transformed into some sort of dungeon nightclub. The walls were gray and hard like the walls of a prison, decorated with large chains. A large bar flanked the west side and there in the middle sat a large dance floor.

 

The number of Dark Duelists grew huge by that time. Gone were the days of four close friends who shared an equal fate together. Nowadays it was legion, with JC deciding the fate of all. It would slaughter any team that stood in their way and JC would keep the all the spoils. By early May they were rivaled only by the Shining Crusaders.

 

“What do we stand for?” JC roared in a brand new mike.

 

“Freedom, pride, uniqueness!” The legion droned.

 

“What is our greatest strength?”

 

“Our unity!” The legion followed JC’s every word.

 

“What do we do to other teams?”

 

“We eliminate them!”

 

"Liberty, equality, fraternity." Yukio took a shot. "I'll drink to that." 

 

Jolene, however, kept getting close to JC and flattered him often, which made her fight with Yukio a lot. After their tenth fight, Yukio stumbled over to where Maya sat. Noticing she was upset, he asked her what was the problem, and Maya showed him the computer screen.

 

It was a record of them the Dueling Network, complete with their ranks, list of cards they played, tournaments and prizes they won, and grants from their sponsor, Jones Dupre. Inexplicably, Maya was ranked lowest, her followers were at most five thousand, and she received fewer tournament offers total than anyone else. How could this be? She won the Regionals, the championship that broke the Crusaders’ back and made them number one in the first place!

 

In spite of everything, JC was ranked first, Yukio second, Jolene third, and Maya fourth. “Notice something.”

 

Yukio nodded. “I’m sorry.” He said, and he meant it.

 

Maya knew it. She noticed these small things before, the more insults the Crusaders would throw at her, the harder work she had to do to get the crowd’s respect, even the way JC treated her. Now there was proof. “JC really promised freedom for us, didn’t he?”

 

She was almost livid. “This is our grapeing country right here. An Asian man should have been first but only got second because JC is the leader, a white woman is third, and a half-black woman is fourth. Only reason JC is first is because of a miracle. It would be really nice if I could get equal pay for my efforts for college. But nooooooo, they can’t because stupid reasons. JC's like my dad's shitty employers.

 

A video title caught Yukio’s eye. He opened it. It was a live recording!

 

ATTACKED BY DARK DUELISTS!! HELP US!!!

Quote

[Arifa shakily holds her laptop to her face, sounds of grunts, trash talk, and monster noises nearby, out of sight.]

 

“The Dark Duelists betrayed us! I thought we were friends who would stood up with each other against giant teams like the Crusaders! Why are you attacking us? We didn’t do anything wrong!”    

 

“grape.” Maya quickly searched for a live recording of Hassan’s duel. It was happening under the Williamsburg Bridge. “grape!” Maya threw the chair she had sat on, smashing it against the wall, and busted the door open, almost breaking it. Both Yukio and she ran as fast as they could.

 

Under the bridge Hassan struggled against the might of his opponent’s assault. His opponent, a pasty, middle-sized man with an orange tousle of hair, stood tall, inflated with his superiority. He donned a black leather jacket and one of his burning small blue eyes was covered with an eye patch depicting a skull. It was Casey, Maya’s GameStop employer.  

 

Hassan was not ready to give up just yet. “Dark Magician, destroy Berserk Gorilla! Dark Magic Attack!” With a thrust of his hand, as if forcing it against an invisible wall, the Dark Magician shattered Berserk Gorilla to pieces.

 

Casey was nowhere near done with this duel. “Since my Gorilla was destroyed, I pay 1000 and revive Baboon, Green Defender of the Forrest.” A towering and hirsute ape appeared, groaning under the weight of the cudgel he carried. “Now it’s my turn. I activate Smashing Ground.” A giant fist from the sky smashed Dark Magician. “Direct attack! I win!”

 

Yukio dashed in the line of fire out of the blue and made her back into a shield. The Baboon, aiming for Hassan, hit Yukio instead, smacking him to the ground. Hassan and Maya rushed to help him get up. “That’s some pretty real holoprojectors. It’s a bit creepy.” Hassan commented.

 

“Thanks." Yukio said, "Quickly, while he’s distracted.”

 

“Right. My turn! I play Monster Reborn to revive Dark Magician.” The famous Magician was summoned from the magic of the iconic blue ankh. “I play Knight’s Title to transform Dark Magician to Dark Magician Knight.” Dark Magician bulked up, his light purple armor replaced by much heavier metal, his staff replaced with a sword. “When Dark Magician Knight is summoned I can destroy one card, which will be Baboon.” The great Baboon burst into flames from a beam shot from the Magician’s sword. “Dark Magician Knight, attack directly for game!” It sliced through Casey with it’s sword of fiery light, ending the duel.

 

“What? Impossible!” Casey was dumbstruck.

 

Arifa came out of hiding now she knew Hassan won. The four of them gave each other high fives but their cheer was short lived. Unfortunately for them, Casey wasn’t alone. Many other Dark Duelists flanked him. One of them informed him, “JC saw the live duel stream. He wants us to bring them to the dungeon. We also have to bring in Blue Lilly.”

 

“No wait! Don’t do this to us.” Hassan pleaded. “We hardly regrouped after Matthew almost sterilized the city.”

 

“Not our problem.” Casey shrugged nonchalantly.

 

Yukio ushered, “Run!” And ran they did but only to be met by more Dark Duelists on the other side. Resistance was pointless. They were captured, bound by ropes, and brought into the large warehouse.

 

Xiaoyi, Yukio, Hassan, Arifa, and Maya were all shoved in the middle of the dancing floor, with JC high on top, glaring at them as if they were worms. Jolene and Dupre were both close by him. Maya was not too shocked when she saw corporate logos, especially those of KaibaCorp, branded on almost everywhere. It was just like in all the big tournaments they fought in. What was most offensive and heartbreaking was a large poster of tacky girl playing a guitar captioned, “T-Mobile presents music freedom!” It perfectly represented what the team had become.

 

Xiaoyi wasn’t worried. She didn’t take take her capture seriously at all. “I told you…”

 

JC looked as if a fly pestered him, but some surprise still shone through. “I can’t believe you and Yukio betrayed me. I knew I should have kicked out a scheming pomegranate like you when I had the chance. Good thing Jolene still knows what’s good for her though.”

 

Maya quickly glanced around the legion of Dark Duelists surrounding her. They were all like Casey. No people of color and no women were among them. “No JC. You betrayed all of us. You sold us to KaibaCorp.”

 

“No, I believe you sold us to KaibaCorp.” Dupre stood with even greater aloofness than JC. “You made the final decision of the team in my office. JC is doing nothing wrong but merely abiding by what I and by extension KaibaCorp want. The fact that JC so eagerly follows KaibaCorp only makes business more agreeable.”

 

“You can’t do that.” Maya protested. “I read the fine print. We're not your slaves."

 

Dupre sighed, annoyed yet another person didn't know how the law worked. He pulled out the contract. "We at KaibaCorp present mutual relationships with the teams we sponsor. We provide the teams the money, resources, and legal protection they need to outshine all the competition. In process the team forms a lasting and binding contract with KaibaCorp where we can help direct and guide the team for optimal performance. Call that 'slavery' all you want, but it's the deal.”

 

Even Jolene, JC's right hand woman, couldn't stand the cruelty. She pleaded to JC, "You can't be like this. Use your sensitivity. Use your compassion. Attune to your surroundings. Let go of Ego and be your true self."

 

JC groaned. He liked Jolene's astrology garbage as much as Maya did. "You think because I'm a 'Pisces' I'm a deep, special snowflake who gives a shit? I'm a loud, selfish, arrogant asshole, and proud of it! Only you couldn't see that. With my bare hands I built our team and I gave our team the power to survive. Did you think we were just going to be four dudes living in a basement? I mean, COME ON! You know we would become big sometime. That’s what we wanted in the first place.”

 

Yukio’s blood boiled. “You wanted this from the beginning, just to become big and popular no matter what it took? You’re no different than Matthew!"

 

“You're a delusional idealist. You wanted change the world? The world is a massive dog turd of cruel, petty, mean-spirited, ignorant people. You live with that or die. Strength or death. Perseverance or failure. Nothing can change that harsh reality.”

 

Maya rebuked, “I hope you realize you destroyed everything we stand for. And I’m not even talking about principles. Remember your big rant about McDonalds? We're now the dull-eyed cows who eat at McDonalds. You’re power is an illusion, you idiot. You’re owned."

 

"Oh, and by the way." Yukio interjected. "Remember when we played the Doors and Velvet Underground together? What's with the shitty pop music now? Hey Now, I'm An All Star and We Will Rock You? Really? Appealing to preteen white kids now? Pathetic!"

 

Jolene turned to JC. “What do we do with them?”

 

JC stroked his stubby beard in thought. “We’ll kick them off the team, but first we’re going to set an example for them. I’ll punish them so hard they’ll never dare challenge us again.” He then announced. “I’ll beat them in a duel so all of you and the whole Dueling World can see how pathetic and weak they are. Then we’ll do with them whatever we want.”

 

“Please, let me beat them instead.” Jolene offered. “It’ll be even better that a lesser duelist like me beats them. It shows just how great the team is and how great you are as a duelist.”

 

JC snorted at her. “Nice try flattering me. You're better off giving me a hand job, but whatever. I’m too lazy to deal with these losers. You clean up the trash.”

 

The Dark Duelists untied Maya and the rest and Jolene approached her. “Maya, please just cooperate and be part of the team. JC is simply being more pragmatic. We all ‘grow up’ and sell out one day. You can’t avoid that.”

 

“You’re not on the team because you’re pragmatic.” Maya countered. “You’re weak. You never believed in yourself, but JC won’t protect you. He’ll just use you.”

 

“Oh really? If you’re so strong then why did you join the team, huh? You always joked behind JC’s back how inept and awful he is.”

 

Maya didn’t really know why. She had a few vague ideas. She felt so lost and trapped before and hated the people who were trapping her. She realized she wasn’t so different from Jolene after all. JC and the team gave her something to hold on to, a direction to go. She thought she could change people through her dueling…

 

But here was the crux, the moment of decision. Now that the leader was gone, coulh she stand up on her own? “Alright Jolene. I’ll duel you.”

 

She lifted her head high. “And JC. I’ll duel you at the Nationals. You’re integrity is on the line.”

 

“Speaking of on the line.” JC flashed a broad grin. “If I win the duel, you and Yukio will delete your accounts and never duel again. And for a bonus, Maya, you’ll make me a sammich.”

 

“But if I win…” Maya let the suspense teeter in the air for a moment, before saying. “You make me a sammich.”

 

“WHAT!?” JC sputtered. “There’s no way I’ll make a sammich for you, bitch!”

 

It was time to duel Jolene.

[MewMew3]

Duel 25 – Mirror Smashin’

 

Jolene: 4000 || Maya: 4000

 

Every dark duelist hovers around the uplifted stage intently, watching for every move, but still keeping their grip on Yukio and Jiao. JC and Dupre watch down with bemusement from high above.

 

JOLENE'S TURN: Sets a monster face-down. A covered holographic card appears in front of her.

 

MAYA'S TURN: “I summon Card Trooper!” She says with sudden force. A robot of bright colors, something a child would own. “I mill three cards and boost its ATK to 1900. Now Trooper, attack!” The robot fires two energetic volleys from its cannons, blasting Jolene's facedown Necroface. Maya sets two cards in the back row.

 

“It’s time. Maya, please don’t fight us. Come back to Team Dark Duelists. I promise JC won’t punish you. He’s only doing what’s best for the team.”

 

Maya responds, “I have two questions for you. One, ‘Do you really believe that?’ and two, ‘What about Yukio?’”

 

“Yukio will be pardoned also, of course, and… I do believe that JC is just giving the team the power it needs to compete in the dueling world.”

 

“Your more afraid of JC than losing Yukio. What happened to all of the PDAs at school and at the Regionals, huh? JC didn’t make the team more powerful. He made it lose. He battled the system by becoming the system.”

 

“I’m tired of debating with you. This is your last chance to give up.”

 

“Or what? You have an OTK up your sleeve? Bitch please."

 

"I play Soul Absorption and Underworld Circle!” The Dark Duelists gasp. It’s definitely not a card often seen and its effect is as strange as it is powerful! “All monsters on the field die and every monster in our hand and deck is banished.” A dark miasma swallows the whole field with tombstones just around the corners. A unique smell creeps up Maya’s nose, a soft and slightly misty smell: grave dust. “Soul Absorption activates, I gain 500 life points for each card banished.” Jolene's Life rockets up to a gigantic 20,000!

 

“But don’t forget!" Maya reminds her. "Card Trooper is destroyed, so I draw a card.”

 

Jolene snorted, "That won't help you. I activate Dark Eruption to retrieve Necroface to my hand and I summon it.” A cracked and mottled dismembered baby doll head, plagued and bursting from a parasitic beast. The macabre beast bursts in size, the tentacles growing to fill the whole field. “We shuffle all our banished monsters in our deck, and Necroface gains 100 ATK for each one.” Ivy has a burning eager look as her monster skyrockets to 4400 ATK.

 

Maya scoffs, “So you can attack after all. I thought this was going to be a boring duel.”

 

“Just shut up and die! Necroface, kill her!” Its tentacles writhe, squirming, shooting at Maya.

 

“I counter with Pinpoint Guard, negating your attack and summoning Crow Tengu from my grave!” A crow with jet black wings and silver eyes appears, “I play Infernal Reckless Summon.” This allowed Zarathustra to follow with two more Crows. “And finally.” Necroface is blown to bits. “Crow activates.” Jolene bites her lip in frustration and sets a card facedown.  

 

MAYA'S TURN: She clenches her first in a white-hot ball. If her friend also has a sword inside her heart then it was time to shove it in deeper. “Jolene, this is what you get for betraying me, Yukio, and the team! This will hurt!”

 

“I revive Zombie Master through your Underworld Circle and I normal summon Mezuki!” The child sorcerer with bearing lightning and a white mask and the horse-headed spirit. “I activate two United We Stand, one for Zombie Master and one for Mezuki.”

 

Jolene steps back in fear. Zarathustra has five monsters on the field! That would give her monsters 4000 extra attack!

 

“Monsters, make her bleed!” Maya orders. The three Crows claw at Jolene, followed by a brutish swipe from the powered Mezuki and the ferocious lightning from Zombie Master. Jolene yelps and slams to the ground on her back. (Jolene LP: 20,000 à 4300) The Dark Duelists gasp and JC raises an eyebrow. Jolene's advantage is completely gone.

 

Maya smells Jolene's fear, anger, and hurt as a predator does for its prey. She feels a sickly tinge of pleasure among her bitterness and sadness. She drives the knife even deeper, “Xiaoyi had a point when she beat you up like red-headed stepchild. You are like Cristy. You’re our groupie. Only difference is you’re a hipster instead of a bimbo." 

 

Jolene struggles to get up, barely able to stand. “You’re so grateful. I saved you before almost froze to death. You wouldn’t be alive or with your new zombie deck if it weren’t for me.”

 

“Don’t wave my life in front of me, you hypocrite. I set a card facedown. Turn End.”

 

JOLENE'S TURN: “I activate Dark Hole! You’re giant field advantage is gone.”

 

“Mystical Space Typhoon!” Maya counters. The continuous spell Underworld Circle Shatters, but that doesn’t stop the black vortex from sucking all of her monsters to oblivion.”

 

“Nice try saving your zombies by putting them in the graveyard.” Jolene says, “But they’re going away all the same. Soul Release! Your five monsters are banished. You can’t revive them anymore. I set a monster and end my turn.”

 

MAYA'S TURN: “I play Nobleman of Crossout!” Jolene's Gravekeeper’s Spy flips face up and is impaled by a white broadsword. “And the same goes to all the others in your deck. Facedown monsters don’t end against me very well, Cristy. Maybe the peroxide seeped into your brain. Next, Mirage of Nightmare.”

 

JOLENE'S TURN: She draws and, due to Mirage, Maya draws until she has four cards. She strikes back, “If I’m such a hypocrite what about you? If you knew the Dark Duelists were trash why did you stay? What about all the times we made fun of JC behind his back?”

 

Maya can see JC’s face darken high above. Smart. However, and she hates to admit this, Jolene is right. From day one she knew JC was a cult leader hoping to one day herd his massive flock.

 

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

 

“Shut up, Cristy. Take your shit out of your ass and stuff them in your tits to make JC happy since Yukio’s happiness doesn’t anything to you.”

 

Jolene says, “I summon Banisher of Radiance.” A floating armored being, fueled by a small burning sun. “Attack her directly!” The angel hits Zarathustra with a white hot blast, knocking her on the floor.” (LP: 4000 à 2400) Jolene sets a card face down. “By the way, thanks for milling your deck for me, and even better they get banished.

 

MAYA'S TURN: She holding five cards now, but from Mirage’s effect she randomly banishes four, leaving only one behind. “I set a monster face down.”

 

JOLENE'S TURN: She draws, Maya also drawing from Mirage’s effect. Knowing Maya, she doesn’t have a monster with strong enough DEF and since all her cards are being banished now… “Banisher, attack the facedown.” The fairy blasts the monster, this time a skeletal ghoul called Goblin Zombie, incinerating it. “I set a facedown monster and a facedown card. Go.”

 

MAYA'S TURN: “I draw, and just before Mirage activates I play Burial from the Different Dimension, putting two Mezuki and one Crow Tengu back into my graveyard. I activate Mezuki from the grave to revive Crow Tengu, and I activate it to kill Banisher of Radiance.” With a swift flap of its wings, the Crow sends a shocking and deadly gust of wind, shredding Banisher. “I banish the second Mezuki to summon Zombie Master.” A boy in a grown coat and a white mask, crackling lighting with his fingers.

 

“Wait. Zombie Master is banished.”

 

“Unless it was from Card Trooper from the first turn.” Maya answers Jolene's question for her, winking. “Protip Cristy, boob jobs cause the brain to shrink half its size. Trufax!”

 

“Stop calling me Cristy! You’re seriously annoying me!”

 

“Just saying Cristy, the moar you know. Tengu, destroy her facedown.” Her Crow flies up and swoops down, pulling out a thick, grubby Needle Worm, before crushing it with its claws.” She sends the top five cards from her deck to the graveyard for its effect. “Zombie Master, direct attack!”

 

Jolene counters, "You ran into Dimensional Prison!” Zombie Master falls into the space-time rift. Jolene is a tough nut to crack, but this is a good thing. A part of Maya is even happy to see her friend this strong.  

 

JOLENE'S TURN: She draws and Maya draws her usual four cards from Mirage. “ I summon another Banisher of Radiance, attack!” The second abstract fairy appears and vaporizes the Crow. (Maya LP: 2400 à 2200)

 

MAYA'S TURN: “Jolene, I really like the way you duel today. I thought you were only a defensive player but you can attack and push people back into a corner. It shows you are more than the role you play now. I must give credit where credit is due.”

 

Her words touch Jolene's heart. Beneath the smog and acid of betrayal and anger, the golden light of friendship still shines. It is harder to see but it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. “Thank you. You’re also a great duelist.”

 

Maya nods, and resumes, “I activate Mystical Space Typhoon before Mirage can activate.” The thundering cyclone of stardust and other space debris blows the Mirage card away. “I keep my hand. I summon Card Trooper,” A second copy of the brightly colored robot. “And use his effect to mill three. I play two Book of Life. I banish your Banisher and Needle Worm from your grave to revive two Despair from the Darkfrom mine.” Her two golden books open and a chant comes from them as if they have mouths, summoning two tall and terrifying dark creatures.

 

“Trooper, kill Banisher.” The robot fires two volleys, blasting the angel. (Jolene LP: 4300 à 4000). “My Despairs attack for game.” The dark creatures lung at Jolene and knock her on the ground.   

 

Jolene: 0 || Maya: 2200

 

The rope of their friendship strained under the slashes and strains of the duel, and, violently shaken, triggered their memories.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Four years ago on the first day of school, Jolene plays Pokemon Crystal on her Gameboy Color, wishing class would never start. The specter of high school terrifies her, and she’d rather be anywhere else than here. To make matters worse there’s the strange new kid no one likes. “Everyone say a big hello to Marina Bozuslowsky, you’re new classmate.” Mr. Feynman said.

 

Maya, she calls herself. Her face is riddled with red pimples, her hair shrouded by a black hijab, her legs colored by a long pleated skirt, and her nails – did she have to color each nail with a different tacky color! Her bad makeup doesn’t help either. She’s weird. She writes furiously on everything she owns, and stares outside the window for hours on end. Jolene stares down at her own textbook where she scrawled a French mustache and beret on Isaac Newton.   

 

“Maybe she’s just shy.” Jolene’s father tells her. “Why don’t you try being friends with her?” Jolene creeps into a music room and sees Maya play – no, improvise! – on the piano. She doesn’t seem there, as if she’s possessed. The music is wild, savage, while Maya's body slithers like a crocodile. It jars the image of a modest girl so much Jolene can't believe it's actually coming from her. She shuts the door. She’d rather not bother her.

 

 

 

9/11 happens. President Bush declares Afghanistan the enemy of freedom and passes the Patriot Act. Jolene eyes Maya suspiciously. She doesn’t look Middle-Eastern, but it doesn’t matter. She’s a terrorist. She has her bag stolen and her books thrown everywhere. The guys chuck bits of food at her. The girls giggle and ridicule her behind her back. Finally, something gives in. Jolene and Maya happen to be in the same bathroom. Some girls are offended by Maya’s religious modesty and tear her long skirt. Maya snaps and hits one in the face. The girls cry and run to tell on a teacher, who finds them both in the bathroom and, assuming both are guilty, puts them both in detention.

 

By a measure of good luck said professor has to leave early. His mother accidentally swallowed a bobby pin, or something like that. ”Copy the dictionary while I’m gone.” He orders before hightailing out of here. Yeah right! Jolene is now stuck in detention with the weird Muslim girl. Being friends with her is the last think on her mind. But something gives in inside her too. Jolene shows her some Duel Monsters cards.

 

“You know how to play?”

 

Maya shakes her head.

 

“That’s OK. I’ll teach you.” Before they both know it they’re playing a few games together. Maya says it’s like Pokémon.

 

Some of the douche bags who chuck food at Maya are there also. “Hey look the terrorist is playing that game by that guy called Yu-gay-oh! Hu-huh-huh! Get it? YOU-GAY-HOE!” The girls just ignore them.

 

 

Jolene smiles. "We could be best friends. Where you do shop?" 

 

Maya smiles back. "Ever heard of Search & Destroy?" 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Maya sat cross-legged next to where Jolene lay. “I’m sorry, for the duel, for everything…”

 

Jolene wiped a tear. “It’s alright. You were just dueling. Trash talking each other is what duelists do best.”

 

“Leave JC and the Dark Duelists behind. The team’s gone now. Use your courage.” She firmly clasped Jolene’s hand. “I’ll give all of my courage to you if I have to.”

 

Jolene hugged Maya tightly. “Thanks for being my best friend." 

 

JC left his throne, towering over Jolene, glaring at her with a brutal intensity. He grabbed her head with his large hand and squeezed it tightly. Then he grabbed Maya's throat. Maya clawed his hand desperately, filled with terror, the air crushed out of her. With a simple lunge, JC tossed Maya across the arena.

 

Yukio rushed in to attack but JC nailed Yukio in the stomach. Yukio doubled in agony, gasping, and collapsed on the floor. “None of you are walking away from me! No one who was part of the team walks away, you hear me?” He boomed. “Dark Duelists, close in on them.”

 

"M- Maya." Jolene winced in pain. "Use your drive."

 

Maya inserted a memory stick in her duel disk. She pressed the right commands, causing the machine to project a larger than life image on the wall.

 

Quote

JC is naked! Everyone can see how horrible his fat, hairy body is. JC takes a pot of boiling oil from the stove and pours it over his chest, then his stomach, then his balls. He winces, twerking his body as if he was showing the dance of his people. The burns excite him. His penis engorges. He quickly clasps a gag on his mouth and coats his entire ass in chocolate, then shoves a large banana up his asshole. He frigs himself, bellowing the whole time, until he splurges white everywhere.    

 

 

 

All of JC's followers pointed at him, roaring in laughter. JC's face boils red. He shrieks, trashing the entire warehouse in a rampage.  

 

“Let’s get out of here! Now!” Xiaoyi shouted, pulling out Hassan and Arifa. Maya and Yukio pulled Jolene out as quickly as they could. They ran as fast as they could. Maya dialed the one name she knew could help. “Cristy, it’s Maya! You’re dad’s the chief, right? Call the cops and shut down JC's warehouse. He's crazed and could literally kill us if he doesn’t get what he wants.”

 

Xiaoyi laughed at Maya's distress. "Calling the cops, are we?”

 

“Shut up!”

 

That night the police raided the Dark Duelist warehouse. JC, Dupre, Casey, and other Dark Duelists were arrested. JC hoped to use the team’s large winnings to bail himself out but Dupre used the money to save his own skin, leaving JC and his servants to rot in jail without any money or lawyers to help them. If there is any moral to this story, let it instruct you on the follies of greed, cowardice, and treachery.