Yu-Gi-Oh! CYCLE [IC: Currently Arc 1]

[Draconus297]

Gloria stepped back, taken aback by how . . . emotionally open Sora was. "Sora, then. I had intended we press Desmond together, but I must ask- why Synchrons? The Deck style just seems too . . . I don't want to say "weak", but rather, over-reliant on combinations rather than the individual strength of each card."

 

The Void Duelist shook her head from side to side, apparently attempting to get her long dark hair out of her face without touching it. "It doesn't really make all that much sense to me."

 

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

 

"I enjoy your assumption that Ilyovich is a pushover, but it is entirely possible that he may defeat me. I've no idea," Desmond said, quiet as ever, from slightly behind William. "Who is Shiranui?"

 

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

 

Mr. Revol pulled the elder Devorough to the side, and they began having a conversation- one that Rock, being silent, could easily overhear.

 

"I'm only detecting four," the white-suited man said, his voice in alarm.

 

"I thought this tournament was the perfect way to get all five," his purple-preferring compatriot said, hushed. "How could this happen?"

 

"I'm willing to bet that it was your A/D creations that spurred this unforeseeable consequence," Cosmo said, sounding irked.

 

"Desmond will receive a talking-to," Damien promised, before the two returned to the party at hand.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

The mix of redhead and blonde paused, an uncertain look on her face. Luckily for Gloria, Sora was a very sincere and carefree person, and didn't take the comment too seriously. "Well..." She mused, biting her lip in puzzlement as it became clear that she had never considered this kind of question. "I guess...it's because I think they're cool. I mean, I guess they're rather gimmicky, but they remind me of vehicles, my other thing that I'm really good at, and I feel like I have something I can use in any situation. Plus, the designs of some of the cards are just really awesome, and the deck is strong, but also a ton of fun. I hope that answers your question. I hadn't really thought about why I use my deck before, but now I have an answer if anyone asks me again!" She turned bsck to Gloria. "Do you have another question?" Once more, the young woman giggled at her own actions. "Sorry. I keep wasting my questions."

[JessicaMuddy]

Behind him, William heard Desmond talk about how his opponent may win. "Pftt. Unlikely."

"Who is Shiranui?" Desmond questioned. William turned around to face the man and smiled.

"Shiranui is... Simply put, a god! Several years ago I decided to devote my life to assisting them, after an... incident." William then drew the top two cards of his Deck, revealing Flame Brothers 1 & 2. "These cards, along with many others, were gifted to me when I accepted my role as a vessel."

 

Suddenly, the two cards Will was holding flew out of his hands, and his head started pounding. He heard a powerful voice speak to him, but only for a second. "What are you talking about? Those two are the only ones he DIDN'T give you!" After William let go of his head, he quickly ran over to the two dropped cards, picking them back up and placing them in his Duel Disk.

 

"You didn't give me these two... The most important ones... Is there something you're hiding from me Shiranui?"

[King K. Azo]

Rock listened to the information he overheard. Most people would consider it rude to listen in, but considering he was taller than most in the room, he could called them the rude ones for not noticing him. So, they were looking for five duelists... but why would they need five of them? Something big was going on. He could deduce that Micheal must have been one of these five, considering that they were worried that Desmond knocked him out of the tournament. This was not something he could just keep to himself... but who could he tell? Micheal still wasn't back, and... he couldn't talk to the others...

 

"And why would they listen to you?" a voice asked him. "They have no reason to believe you... and besides, no one should ever trust you... you will let them down, after all,"

"No! This isn't something you can keep to yourself!" another voice chimed in. "This isn't you! These people could be in legitimate danger! You can't allow them to walk in blindly!" Rock sighed, knowing what he needed to do. The quiet giant silently moved across the room, headed to Sora and Gloria. The tiny Void Duelist at least seemed serious about getting to the bottom of all this. He managed to get behind her without making a noise, until he opened his mouth.

 

"They are looking for something," He said quietly enough so he could only be heard by the two girls. "Five people, they are using this tournament to lure them out," He looked over his shoulder, a habit he picked up in his childhood and one that saved him many times. "Micheal, the one that lost to those A/D monsters may be one of them...," He would have slipped away into the crowds, but he had to make sure they understood what he said.

[Draconus297]

Gloria nodded, increasingly sick to her stomach. This was the person she had decided would be her rival? She decided to shift gears- perhaps Sora was just a great Duelist with an oddball personality- her own brother, Victor, was much that way. "So, what prompted you to Set Jar of Avarice?" She asked, leading on. "It's not something I use, but I'm sure that it's usually delayed, to better-" Gloria immediately stopped talking as Rock approached, towering over her.

 

"They? Who 'they'?" Gloria asked. "The tournament organizers?"

 

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

 

Desmond nodded in confusion. "I . . . see . . ." The blond boy quickly decided to be elsewhere, and began pestering Margaret.

 

"You use Spellbooks. A rather . . . formulaic Deck. Do you not fear for a quick loss against someone who can interrupt the pattern?" He asked quietly.

 

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

 

Mr. Revol began whispering to Captain Yew, leaving HAYATE to return to the celebrations. Damien Devorough began to speak to the female Admiral in some incomprehensible language, but it seemed she understood.

 

The final tournament organizer, Kuroshine Yui, looked rather bored, and flipped her copy of "Final Countdown" between her fingers.

[Cosmo.]

Margaret was approached by Desmond "You use Spellbooks. A rather . . . formulaic Deck. Do you not fear for a quick loss against someone who can interrupt the pattern?" 

She was rather annoyed by his approach, but kept a smile. "I fear much more realistic things, like spiders. Why should losing a duel in a simple card game scare me? Also, fate is by my side. You can consider me as the descendant of the goddess Fortuna." She said smiling. She kinda wanted to scare him away saying weird things. It seemed to be working since he didn't respond for a while. "Now if you excuse me, i want to talk to some more people." She said with a big smile. She then headed over to Sora, who was already talking to Gloria. "Sorry for interrupting, but i was being "assaulted" by Desmond, and i needed an excuse to get away, that dude creeps me out!" "Oh, you're Gloria, that girl from the first duel! You were amazing! I hope i don't have to face you. But, please, continue talking, i'm interested." She said smiling.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Suddenly, the silent but stalwart Rock and the enigmatic but engaging Margaret had joined Sora and Gloria. The fellow dueling lit up in happiness that she had someone else to talk to other than Gloria, who kept trying to pick her mind. She was alright with questions about dueling, but some of these were really hard to answer. "Oh, hey guys! Nice to see you both again! Gloria wanted to know why I Set Jar of Avarice in my duel, though I'm surprised she asked that. I just Set it because it might've been useful. I tend to go through cards pretty quickly, so it's nice to know that there's a card that can not only put cards back in my Deck from my Graveyard, but also gives me another card, too! Good thing I Set it, too. I had no idea that guy had that kind of deck, and I would've been screwed if I hadn't been able to use it." She rubs the back of her head in a bit of embarrassment at the confessIon. No brilliant strategy. No planning ahead and stocking her Main Deck with cards from the Side Deck. Sora literally won her first duel on sheer dumb luck.

[King K. Azo]

Rock listened to them all speak, only nodding when Gloria had asked him her question. When he had heard that Sora had won not by brilliant strategy... Well, it didn't surprise him, really, although he knew that Gloria would more than likely be shocked. He could sense she was... Embarrassed by the way she won. She was so much like Micheal,.. He would see if he could find champagne to get this ship sailing. Still, he should probably attempt to encourage her.

 

"This game is as much about the luck of the draw as it is skill. You won, it does not matter how," He then looked around. "I will attempt to gather some more information," At this point, he stopped caring about the tournament. He slips away, looking to see who he should talk to. Revol and Damien was out of the question, for he had just overheard them. Captain Yew was also out, seeing as if he was friends with HAYATE, he would more than likely be like HAYATE, and as much as he wished he was that bold, it made him uncomfortable talking to them. The Admiral was out because... Well, military, and if he seemed to know too much, God knows what would happen.

 

So all that left was Kuroshine Yui. Great. Just great, a model was his last option. Now it would look like he was hitting on her or something. Well, guess that was better than being suspected of knowing too much. He quietly walked up to her. Okay, he had to make these first words count.

 

"This is a big tournament," he said. Welp, first words were words of stupidity. Great. Just keep talking, something will happen. "Will any of the benefactors participate in an exhibition match?" There, that sounded... Much less stupid.

[Draconus297]

Yui smiled lightly, her copy of Final Countdown being balanced on the tip of her finger. "Yes, actually. Cosmo and I intend to show the inherent difference between our Dueling styles. It is to be quite the event, I think- given my rather illustrious career, plus his notoriety- he is the new chief design officer of Brighter Sun Enterprises, plus any of his old fans in the audience will cheer rather raucously. I have been told we'll be Turbo Dueling, so I asked to have my catsuit delivered. That's why we're waiting, honestly."

 

She raised an eyebrow at Rock. "But it seems there's something on your mind besides tournament proceedings. Why not tell me?"

 

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

 

At Margaret's intrusion, Gloria nodded, mildly irritated. "Yes, yes, I'm the Void Duelist, yes, Desmond is . . . unsettling . . . but back to brass tacks- that's a piece of Deck design, and what my brother would have called a 'piece of inspiration'. Not exactly what would make for an ideal situation, but these things happen . . ."

 

Internally, Gloria was that much more determined to win. She couldn't abide by losing to a fool, and it seemed that, everything aside, Sora was still a skilled Duelist.

[King K. Azo]

Rock sighed. Well, the image of her in a catsuit was... Well, Rock maybe anti-social and super quiet, but he was still a healthy male. He needed to get that out of his head so he could focus.

 

"You need to try to get some of that!"a rarely heard voice called out.

 

"What the hell would it take to get some damn silence for once in my godforsaken life?!" He mentally raged to the voices. "I need to focus on what I will say without looking suspicious!" He turned to the model, looking at her and trying his best not to imagine her in a catsuit.

 

"Good luck with that," Rock decided to ignore that remark.

 

"Because... It is difficult to word exactly what is on my mind," Well... That wasn't a lie. "And now I am wondering where the courage to talk to you came from and where it went," Because if the safety of his friend wasn't being threatened, he would have tried to disappear right now.

[Tinkerer]

Blake let out a breath as he moved over towards the wall of the new room. He glanced over at the Gloria again but turned away as she seemed busy talking with the spirited Synchro user, Sora, and the fortune-teller, Margaret.

 

"Deep breaths... Calming breaths..." he told himself, unconsciously moving his hand along his duel disk as though he were stroking a cat. Suddenly, an arm dropped over his shoulder and a voice boomed right behind him.

 

"...AND HERE IS THE GOOD MAN WHO I SHALL FACE IN THE NEXT ROUND!"

 

Blake's heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he reluctantly turned to face HAYATE who was grinning broadly. HAYATE stuck out his hand, and Blake, lost, simply mirrored him, sticking out a hand slowly, unable to say anything to the raucous fellow. The little boy, Roll, smiled up at Blake and behind them both was one of the tournament benefactors, Captain Yew.

 

"h...hello..." Blake stammered, hardly more than a whisper.

[Techi☺]

The day was long as Micheal proceeded to jog down one street and then another. There wasn't time to stop, and there wouldn't be much to stop for before he made it to his Grandfather's place. This jog was so much easier without his cards in his hands or pocket. Not even his duel disk felt totally safe to store his cards in when he was running like this. To believe that a dream like that could spur him into running like this. What was going on? If Micheal was thinking rationally, there is no way in hell what he saw in that dream was real. It would be far more reasonable to mope about his defeat and laugh about how he had such a colorful imagination in his sleep.

 

But, he felt it. He saw it. That dream was more real than he could have ever constructed with his imagination alone. And then those visions- Something was going on. Whatever it was, Micheal wasn't idly standing by and ignoring it. Years have been sunk into his time as a slacker child and then a book store cashier. Though, that last thing was at least responsible given he was keeping himself afloat, where was the adventure in that? A call was sound and Micheal wasn't quite sure if he actually heard it, or if his mind was playing tricks on him. One thing was for sure: His lust to break out of the mold of a life he never wanted to live was entirely real.

 

His feet left tar as he ran onto grass. Wet grass. Dew? He couldn't be sure. There was a road leading to his Grandfather's house and a couple of other old houses that some people still inhabit. This road wasn't efficient, as Micheal remembered that the drive was shorter, but the route through the woods was a straight line where as the path for the road took several turns to reach other houses first. His feet didn't stop, his lungs surprisingly didn't revolt against this sudden spike of activity either. He could feel the cooler, almost frosty forest air as he traveled between the trees without hesitation. At the corners of his eyes, he saw different trees that grew oddly and he remembered climbing with his brother. No time to stop. No reason to look back.

 

Forward was all he could produce. The way his legs felt oddly better as he stretched them with this run, his nostrils soaked in this fresh and cold forest air, his body came to life as he felt his shoes become a little soaked from the dew. Nothing he could help now. The tip of his nose and cheeks became nippy from the wind racing in his direction, he didn't stop a this wall of cold forest air and sudden breeze. His hair felt absulutely amazing, like a cold shower. Just what he needed to keep his mind on track. His numbing fingers were not entirely okay with it, he couldn't stop to keep them warm.

 

It was likely that in this sudden cold, his body was responding the way a body naturally did. The blood in his fingers and toes would slowly but surely return to his chest, his lungs that expands and contracts just like his heart to keep his body running properly. Was it that cold? He had a hard time accurately gauging that as he never really ran this far in his life. He let out a small chuckle to himself as he couldn't tell if that was a milestone accomplishment or a realization of how pathetic he always was. Regardless, he was smiling now.

 

The scent of smoke surrounded him in an instant, a wall of memories struck him as he slowed down, but never stopped. One foot after the other as it became harder and harder to move forward. He saw the flames in a field as it was they stood in his way, before he even reached the field. Not physically, the fire wasn't that big as it was oddly under control. Emotionally. The night he lost his brother was slowly sinking back into his head as his attempts to fight it were all in vain. He slowed down more, a walk, as he entered the field. His smile was long gone before he realized what was on fire. The treehouse.

 

There would be no more thoughts to pathetically mull over. No more care for whether or not what he was about to do, what he had to do, would be right or wrong. A tall man with long black hair who looked much younger than he really was, stood near the burning tree house with a large red container in his hand. He was watching it burn. The reason the burning was under control was because he was watching it. Slowly, but steadilly, pruning the other nearby trees or chopping them down all together over the past few years so he could put this silent little moldy house of years gone by to flame. He wouldn't have been so bold about it if it wasn't his property. This was Micheal's Grandfather. A man who was all about slow, steady action and making things go out with a bang. A puzzling history, secrets he never had to share with anyone, this man had lead a quiet life for a very long time on this edge of the island. This treehouse, he made for James as a very young boy. This treehouse had been empty for longer than his heart could take. These flames were his redemption, in a strange way. A celebration of the life James had.

 

In a blur, the old man turned to see his Younger grandson rush right past him. He couldn't quite get out a word of caution as he was dumbstruck by Micheal's sudden appearence. What the young man was doing had Grampa Sawyer even more shocked. In a hot second, Micheal had climbed the tricky, flaming ladder and stepped directly into the doomed treehouse. Though the forest was a little wet today, the dew was only on the grass. No rain was going to come to Micheal's rescuse, nor would it save him now had it arrived. Grampa Sawyer fell to his knees. Though he appeared younger, his joints were not as they used to be. He couldn't run up that ladder like Micheal had, he couldn't grab his grandson and get him out of there in time. Was he about to lose what was left of the young family he had?

[Draconus297]

"Delivery for Kuroshine-sama," a reverent delivery man handed the black-clad model a dry-cleaning bag.

 

Yui winked at Rock. "Show's about to start. Let me show you a professional Duel." She opened a suitcase lined with Decks, and grabs one marked "3". "I'm Turbo Dueling, after all."

 

---------

 

"As part of a display of just what Warlusion Inc is capable of, they've gotten together two of the greatest Duelists of the last thirty years, who surprisingly have never Dueled one another before!" The announcer's pep was endless.

 

A sleek chrome beauty of a Duel Runner barreled out of one of the gates, ridden by a man dressed in silver and white. "In white, Cosmo Revol, the Swedish Master of Synchro, the Burning King! In his day, he was only beaten once, and that was determined to be a thrown match!"

 

Revving hard before peeling away was a stylish, glossy black Duel Runner with what appeared to be stabilizer fins at the back. Riding it was a woman in tight black leather, wearing a helmet just as dark in hue. "In black, we have the one and only Kuroshine Yui, a Japanese model with more than enough skill to spare- she's known as the Ecstatic Maiden of Xyz for a reason! Her current record also had only one loss!"

 

The announcer could probably be heard all the way in Japan with how loud he was. "Now, these two Duelist are activating the Field Spell, Speed World 3! That's right, folks, a Turbo Duel, in which neither player can activate any Spell Cards outside of Quick-Play Spells and specialized Speed Spells!"

 

"Ladies first," Cosmo's deep voice rattled over the headset speaker he'd been given.

 

"You and I both know that's a bad idea," Yui said, but didn't complain. "First, because neither of us control a monster, I Special Summon Shadow Rider- Aldo the Wicked!"

 

Beside her black bike, a black knight on a skeletal horse raced forward, javelin in hand.

 

[shadow Rider- Aldo the Wicked

DARK - Level 6 - Zombie/Effect - 2100/1900]

 

"Now, I Normal Summon my Shadow Rider- Clemons the Vicious!"

 

Another black knight, this time carrying a mace, took his place running beside Yui.

 

[shadow Rider- Clemons the Vicious

DARK - Level 4 - Zombie/Effect - 1500/1500]

 

"Next, I activate Aldo's effect- when I Normal Summon a Shadow Rider, I can Special Summon an additional copy of that monster from my hand!"

 

A duplicate Clemons took up its run beside Yui, and the serious woman laughed mirthlessly. "Now, each Clemons will increase the other's Level to 6! Xyz Summon!"

 

A swirling black galaxy opened beside Yui's Duel Runner, and purple trails streamed into it.

 

"Tread silent as the night falling! Blade quenched in the blood of the fallen Sun! Rank 6! Shadow Rider- Dame Noraiia the Terminant!"

 

Yet another knight, this one with long white hair streaming from behind the helmet and a massive single-edged sword in each hand.

 

[shadow Rider- Dame Noraiia the Terminant

DARK - Rank 6 - Zombie/Xyz/Effect - 2700/2200]

 

"This ends my turn for now," Yui says softly.

 

[spoiler=Cardex]

Shadow Rider- Aldo the Wicked

DARK - Level 6 - Zombie/Effect - 2100/1900

Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. If there are no face-up monsters on the field, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. If you Normal Summon a "Shadow Rider" monster, you can Special Summon 1 monster with the same name from your hand. If this monster is detached from a DARK Xyz monster you control, target 1 Spell Card on the field or in the Graveyard: cards with the same name as that card cannot be activated for the remainder of the current Duel.

 

Shadow Rider- Clemons the Vicious

DARK - Level 4 - Zombie/Effect - 1500/1500

Once per turn, you can target 1 "Shadow Rider" monster you control, except this card: increase that monster's Level by 2. If this monster is detached from a DARK Xyz monster you control, you can target 1 monster in the Graveyard: monsters with the same name as that monster cannot activate their effects for the remainder of the current Duel.

 

Shadow Rider- Dame Noraiia the Terminant

DARK - Rank 6 - Zombie/Xyz/Effect - 2700/2200

3 Level 6 DARK monsters

When the effect of a "Shadow Rider" monster, except "Shadow Rider- Dame Noraiia the Terminant", is activated, place 1 Terminus Counter on this card. When this monster would be destroyed by your opponent's card effect, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to negate the effect and place 1 Terminus Counter on this card. If, during your End Phase, this card has 9 Terminus Counters on it, you can halve your opponent's Life Points: if you activate this effect, switch this monster to Defense Position.

 

 

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Sora blinked at Gloria's reply, not too sure what to make of it. "Piece of inspiration? I mean, I guess it is. I just tried to make my deck as good as it can be. I've done a lot of trial and error, but I seem to have a pretty good dueling record, so I figure I have a real knack for this stuff! She looked over to Rock, who had also showed up. "You're right! It really is about luck, too! And I really was lucky! Even though my deck had tons of options by being dumped into the Graveyard, without any cards in my Deck, I was really sunk!" What Sora was trying to avoid was the issue about the duel that really irked her. How she had given Markus the last laugh after all. She was a dumb bimbo, because real duelists wouldn't have been baited into falling for such an obvious trap. She should've known better. And that bugged her to no end deep down inside that, in some regards, that jabroni might've had a point.

[King K. Azo]

Rock watched the duel unfold between the two famous duelists, their Duel Runners roaring down the track as the two riders played their card games on motorcycles. It was quite a sight to see, to be honest. He shook the thought of the flirting the model did to him. It meant nothing, because he was the equivalent of nothing. He was sure better men had tried before him and failed.

 

He started to focus on studying her bo-- dueling style! Dammit, this train of thought wasn't good. Anyways, from what he could tell, her duel style was pretty terrifying. She could quickly Xyz summon a powerful monster, and they were Zombie types. Zombies always got annoying, at least in his experience.

 

He probably wouldn't duel her, this he knew, but it was still a good practice to study other dueling styles. That was why he remained where he was. That was completely the reason, or at least he tried to convince himself it was.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Sora, not seeing any future opportunities for conversation until Gloria replied to her, went back to her Duel Runner to check over her Deck. She wasn't paying too much attention to her opponent's Duel, but she knew he used Xyz Monsters. Fortunately, none of her cards really affected Ranks, so she figured she might be good for this. This time, she won't focus in on what her opponent has to say. She will focus on the duel at hand, and make sure she is paying attention solely to the duel. That way, she can't get distracted by anyone's ramblings, and maybe won't come of as a ditz. After all, the Yakuza back home constantly harassed her, and she was rarely, if ever, fazed by them. This is no different. These people, save for those she is now considering her friends, are all up to something, and will do anything to win. She just has to be able to stick to her guns and do her best to come out on top.

[Draconus297]

Gloria watched Sora walk away, and grinned. She could potentially speed up the tournament during this exhibition match's cover. She walked over to her upcoming opponent, Kuroppi. "So . . . Ghostricks, correct?"

 

The young woman nodded, glad to finally get a conversation with someone who wasn't absolutely insane. "Yeah. You do the whole Black Hole thing, I think. To be honest, it sounds like a pretty one-sided match. I mean, my cards don't stay face-up long enough to accumulate Counters. I mean, don't get me wrong, you're a massive power player, but I doubt you'd win."

 

Gloria grinned slightly. "If I managed to prove just one card in my Deck could dismantle your entire strategy, would you drop out?"

 

Kuroppi smiled. "If I find one counter for that card, would you?"

 

Gloria grinned wider. "Deal." She reached into her Deck, slipping a single card free from the stack, as agreed.

 

Kuroppi's eyes widened. "That's just not fair . . . I think I might, in my Side Deck . . ." She looked through the small fan of 15, frowning. She sighed. "A deal's a deal. I have no way to stop that card, so if it came out I'd be completely screwed. I'm pretty sure it's searchable, too . . . alright." The thin girl left the room, in order to drop out.

 

Gloria grinned.

 

*** *** ***

 

HAYATE laughed. "YOU ARE BLAKE, RIGHT? THE ONE WHO DID THAT INCREDIBLE REVERSAL? I MUST SAY, IT WAS QUITE A DISPLAY. YOUR ROYALTY VERSUS MY HEROES . . . WHAT A MATCH!"

 

Roll nodded beside him. "Superheroes fighting kings and queens," he grinned, throwing fake punches, "that sounds awesome! I can't wait to see it!"

 

*** *** ***

 

"My turn," Cosmo called over the roar of the crowd. "Draw!"

 

The arena's monitor popped up, displaying that both players had 1 Speed Counter.

 

"I'll begin by Summoning Flammable Soul- Whip!" Suddenly, a man made of fire appeared on Cosmo's field, carrying a whip of fire.

 

[Flammable Soul- Whip

FIRE - Level 4 - Psychic/Effect - 1700/200]

 

"Now, I activate my Whip's special ability! Once it has been Summoned, I can call out a Level 4 or higher Flammable Soul monster from my hand and increase its Level by 1! It doesn't get to attack, but . . . I don't need it to. Go, Flammable Soul- Net!"

 

Another burning human form, this one carrying a net, appeared beside Cosmo's Duel Runner.

 

[Flammable Soul- Net

FIRE - Level 4 (5) - Psychic/Tuner/Effect - 1550/400]

 

"I now tune my Level 4 Whip with my Level 5 Net! Being of brightest flames, who can strike down the mightiest of foes with a single clash! Synchro Summon! Level 9! Flammable Soul- Kusarigama!"

 

5 glowing green rings appeared, and 4 orbs of bright white light burst between them, creating a pillar of nearly electric energy. From that pillar, a titanic form of white-hot flames, covered in cooler blue flames like armor and carrying a long, red-hot chain and sickle.

 

[Flammable Soul- Kusarigama

FIRE - Level 9 - Psychic/Synchro/Effect - 2600/2800]

 

"Kusarigama can destroy 1 monster you control when it is Synchro Summoned. Go, Flammable Soul- Kusarigama! BURNING CHAIN!"

 

The chain end of Kusarigama's weapon went straight for the mounted knight, but Yui interrupted him. "I knew you were old, but if you can't remember this much you should stop Dueling. Anyone who's seen me Duel knows Dame Noraiia's ability- by detaching 1 Overlay Unit, she can save herself from destruction, and give herself a Terminus Counter! APOCALYPSE BARRIER!"

 

Suddenly, one of the purple orbs orbiting Noraiia impacted the zombified knight's chest, remaining there as an ominous green fire in the design on its chest.

 

"I'll get into what the Terminus Counters do later, but because I detached Clemons the Vicious from a DARK Xyz monster, I can target 1 monster in your Graveyard and make sure its effects don't go off for the rest of the Duel. I choose your Whip, for obvious reasons. Also, because the effect of a Shadow Rider was activated, Noraiia gains a second Terminus Counter!"

 

As Yui spoke, a second green flame lit the design on her mounted knight's armored chest, making the design slightly clearer. It was still illegible, however.

 

"I suppose I must end my turn with the Speed Spell- Drag Coefficient," Cosmo audibly sighed into the microphone in his helmet, "which gives me 1 Speed Counter for every monster that was sent to the Graveyard this turn, for the low low price of guaranteeing I activate no other Spell Cards this turn."

 

Suddenly, Cosmo's Speed Counters jumped up to 4, and his chrome Runner took off like a rocket.

 

COSMO REVOL

4000 LP 4 SC

 

KUROSHINE YUI

4000 LP 1 SC

 

[spoiler= Cardex]

Flammable Soul- Whip

FIRE - Level 4 - Psychic/Effect - 1700/200

When this monster is Summoned successfully, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or higher "Flammable Soul" monster from your hand: increase its Level by 1, and it cannot attack. If this monster attacks, increase the ATK of 1 face-up "Flammable Soul" monster, except this card, by the DEF of 1 monster on the field.

 

Flammable Soul- Net

FIRE - Level 4 - Psychic/Tuner/Effect - 1550/400

This monster cannot be used as Synchro Material, except for the Summon of a FIRE Synchro monster. During your Battle Phase, you can target 1 monster your opponent controls-: its effects are negated, but all monsters you control can only attack that monster (or monsters with the same name) until the end of the Battle Phase. If this monster is in your Graveyard, and your opponent controls the face-up monster with the highest ATK, you can Special Summon 1 "Flammable Soul" monster from your Graveyard (except "Flammable Soul- Net").

 

Flammable Soul- Kusarigama

FIRE - Level 9 - Psychic/Synchro/Effect - 2600/2800

1 FIRE Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters

When this monster is Synchro Summoned successfully, destroy 1 monster your opponent controls. During each of your End Phases, increase this monster's ATK by 200 times the number of FIRE monsters in the Graveyard. If this monster has the highest ATK on the field, it inflicts piercing Battle Damage.

 

Speed Spell - Drag Coefficient

Normal Spell

Gain Speed Counters equal to the number of monsters that were sent to the Graveyard this turn. You cannot activate Spell Cards until your next Standby Phase. If this card is in your Graveyard, and you have less Speed Counters than your opponent: you can banish this card to double the ATK of all face-up monsters you control until the end of the Battle Phase, but all monsters you control are sent to your Deck at the End Phase of this turn.

 

 

[JessicaMuddy]

Will watched the duel unfolding, smiling widely as he did so. The Master of Synchro was dueling, practically alongside him, in the same arena. His Flammable Souls are what made the young man want to become a duelist in the first place. Watching those flaming creatures speed by and crush Cosmo's opponent time after time made William jump with glee, inspiring him to become as good a duelist as the white-wearing champion.

"I can't lose this tournament! He's part of why I'm here, after all. If I can win this I can become a respected figure... And then I can tell them all about you, Shiranui."

"Flame Brothers versus Flammable Souls! What a great event that would be..."

[King K. Azo]

Rock sat on the floor, watching quietly. It didn't surprise him, but he actually did not know that effect of Dame Noraiia. Granted, he didn't watch too much dueling, only participated. It seemed he was falling behind on the times, a giant relic of the past, never to matter, not in the long run. He rubbed the scar across his nose. That kept him from finding someone... the voices kept him from sleep... his own guilt kept him from moving on. 

He was being held back by no one but himself... and he knew it. However, if he won this tournament, he'd be holding the others back. Something was happening, something he was not supposed to be a part of, but he had a suspicion that the others would think he was because of his placement. They would depend on someone they shouldn't, and it would happen all over again. No... he couldn't let that happen. He stood up and headed for the door. He had to make sure it didn't happen.  

[Techi☺]

An intensity of flames and emotions had gently flicked the face of the old man and soaked warmth into the forest around him. Could he be imagining or day dreaming such an event? His Grandson, after so long without even a call, arrived on the very day of the treehouse's demise and charged head first to the steps and up into the inferno. What a crazy situation to be standing around for. No point in following that foolish boy into the fire, with the old lungs the man possessed, he was just as likely to choke to death long before Micheal would be finished. Was it even real? Micheal, the little brat that hid in his brother's shadow and proved his ungratefulness by playing his little vanishing act years ago, in the flesh, and inside this fire? Even if the Old Man had another person beside him to confirm such a sight, he still wouidn't be able to comprehend this scenario. "Don't die on me boy. Yer'all I have left." His grim, shakey voice didn't portray his fears as accurately as his words did.

 

Within the very next second, Micheal ran onto the deck of the treehouse, after the door and before the ladder. Without the time to think over his next action, the unlikely action star had lept from the deck just before the flames consumed their support and sent it plummeting to the ground. Like a meteor, the flames that clung to the tips of his hair had been put out by the violent winds and his descent to the ground. Arms wrapped around some kind of object, Micheal fell onto his side and left shoulder in the ten foot, high andrenaline drop. Lights out. The smoke in his lungs no longer irritated him, the throbbing in his shoulder had yet to be summoned and the damage sustained to the side of his head wasn't even registered. The dark haired, blue eyed, book store employee had been knocked out by the fall. What a disgraceful way to die.

 

And yet, harsh throbbing at the pace of his heart's beating had consumed his left side. Residue of the roaring flames clung inside his lungs as he could taste the smoke of his exhaling breathe. Beyond the pain, the absence of fear, the taste of fire, Micheal could taste that familiar sensation of his Grandfather's favorite fabric clensing solution. Not entirely unlike Pine, but the way it would clean to his couch, that large black blanket that Micheal always slept with when he used to vist. Used to visit with-Spend the night with his older brother. The blue eyes open, a shirtless, pale Micheal had been resting exactly where he suspected. The big green couch and soft black blanket. The scent of scorched hair tips had got to him first before the sharp light assaulted his eyes. "It was about damn time, Boy!" His Grandfather occupied a familiar arm chair as he let his foot thud a bit against the ground to gather Micheal's attention.

 

"Gramps.." Micheal began, but flinched at the sudden pain in his shoulder. Sitting up, he gripped his left shoulder with his left hand as the black blanket revealed his pale chest. The dark hair fell over his blue eyes as he looked to the old man with a mix of confusion and anxiety. "Where is the card box, Gramps? It better be safe!" Though the words could be voiced to be a threat, Micheal's tone kept it from that extreme. He was clearly worried for the fate of those cards. The last remaining chunk of the Ketsuen Deck and a solemn reminder of his brother's generosity. He could almost imagine just dying in that fire alone if he couldn't find the deck in time, A part of his heart, a darker part, tried convincing him that he would deserve such terrible fate if he wasn't capable of at least that much. A let down in both lineage and individual ability.

 

"Ah, cool yer'jets." The older male let out a laugh as he fished the dark card box out of his pocket and waved it in the air for Micheal to see. "Now, why would you come all the way back here to pick up some of your old playing cards? You were not going to pawn them off, were you?" The old man's question was only met by a shake of Micheal's head. "Well, if you were not going to try and get a little money out of'em, why come back for them? This was all you ran into that stupid old treehouse for?" The old man tossed the deck box against Micheal's chest. Micheal didn't move in response to the action, letting the cold case slap his aps and then fall into his lap. He couldn't answer the questions. Explaining how these cards, the simple little cards could be more valuable than his own life may leave him looking a little nuts.

 

"I can't explain it well. Gramps, a dream about... About my brother. A dream led me back here to take those cards. Something's happening, I can feel it. But, I wish I could explain it." Micheal didn't look up to the intimidating old man. The guy was a freaking spy at one point. Demonstrating skill in emotion manipulation and weapons-galore, that Old man was no less scary- Even now.

 

"Sounds like you did explain it." The Grandfather's laughter was unusual, awe-striking. Micheal never did anything to earn such a remark from him before. Look up to the Old man's smile, Micheal couldn't understand. "You can't stop thinking about him too? I heard you tried your hand at playing his favorite game. How is that going?"

 

"Not well." Micheal started as he found his own smile. "I guess it takes a lot more than he always made it look like it would. I made a new friend, though. A reliable friend."

 

"It never looked too complicated when I saw you Kiddos playing it back in the day. A new friend? If they really are reliable, as you say, don't let them get away." His Grandfather leaned back into his chair with a soft smile before rubbing his hands together with an oddly excited smile. "Espeically if it's a girl! Good ol'boy Micheal! I knew you got your charm from your's truly! What's my odds of Great grandkiddos?"

 

Micheal's expression grew blank before he looked toward his towards and began to stutter a big. "It isn't like that, Gramps. They're just a friend. I don't have many friends that are girls, l-let alone..."

 

"Ah'put a sock in it." His grandfather stood up and began making his way across the room. "Come along, boy." The grisled veteran had waited for Micheal to stand up, collecting his Duel disk and the deck case. The two of them moved through the old house together before they made it to a dark room that was obviously left alone for years. "This room used to be the guest room, the two of you both would spend the night here. But, after your mother.. Your older brother started using this room when he would visit me without you. It became a second home for him. I woulda done the same for you, boy. But, that's neither here nor there." The grandfather puiled open a dresser as he ran through some clothes and tugged out a black dress shirt. Not unlike the white dress shirt Micheal assumed that had recieved damage in the fire.

 

The old man held the shirt up against Micheal as he eyed it over to ensure it'd fit. Tossing it over Micheal's shoulder before he started to leave. "Pull that on and meet me by the garage. I have one more thing for you." Micheal could only remain silent as the Old man walked away. He didn't grasp whether the old man was still upset with him or if he was happy to see him. Blue eyes ran over the familiar, but different room. Next time he gets a vacation, he planned to come back here. The duel disk left on the bed, Micheal tugged the black shirt on, picked up the duel disk, and charged out of the room.

 

The old man stood before the old, unused garage. The jeep his grandfather would drive was almost always sitting out. "Behind this door is a project of mine that I planned to give to your older brother when he started Turbo Dueling."

 

"No way..." Micheal felt like he was on one of those game shows. A half smile on his face as he looked right into the old man's eyes.

 

"Yes way. Kiddo, I don't lie. Behind this door is a machine that thrives in speed. Your older brother had left us before he got his chance to drive it out of here. I'll lend it to you, at least until you accomplish whatever you feel you must. There was a time that I was your age-I felt that exact feeling." The old man turned to lift the garage door as Micheal stepped beside him.

 

---

A sleek black motorcycle had let out a roar as it barrelled down the city streets. The young man driving it had felt nothing like this before. The urge to shout, just to let the excitement escape, was growing powerful. In a compartment, inside the left side of the body of the motorcycle, the decks and duel disk both would rest throughout the journey. His shirt whipped back and forth against his arms and his bair traveled in the wild winds unlike any moment before this. His pale skin was enchanted by the cool sensation of freedom that gripped him at his core. The drive back was so much faster, he parked his motorcycle appropriately in the lot and took the key, his new deck, and duel disk before shoving the disk onto his left wrist and charging inside. One door, then the next, until he almost ran right into the Rock. "Hey bud! What an adventure! What's happened so far?"

[Draconus297]

Gloria watched with a grin as Micheal returned: he'd been bullied out of a victory by a talentless hack, so it made sense he wanted to see Desmond stomped into the ground. "Worry not . . ." she said, quietly to herself. "He will fall."

 

*** *** ***

 

"Because my End Phase has passed, Kusarigama gains 200 Attack Points for every FIRE monster in the Graveyard . . . and while you might not have any, I have two.

 

The information box displayed Kusarigama's ATK climbing to 3000.

 

"My turn, then," Yui grinned. "DRAW!"

 

"I'll begin," she said, her voice a low purr, "by Normal Summoning Shadow Rider - Kidan the Spiteful! Her ability is quite devious indeed: When she is Normal Summoned, I can recall any Shadow Rider from my Graveyard, provided I don't Summon any non-Shadow Rider monsters for the remainder of this turn! And I recall poor Clemons the Vicious from my Graveyard: rejoin the party!"

 

With that, not only was a child skeleton sitting on an equally skeletal war horse added to Yui's field, the mace-wielding warrior was back.

 

[shadow Rider- Kidan the Spiteful

DARK - Level 2 - Zombie/Effect - 1300/0]

 

[shadow Rider- Clemons the Vicious

DARK - Level 4 - Zombie/Effect - 1500/1500]

 

"In addition, because the effect of a Shadow Rider that wasn't Noraiia was activated, she gains a THIRD Terminus Counter! But don't let that stop you, because she's about to gain a fourth: Clemons will now activate his effect, and increase Kidan's Level by 2! She is now Level 4!" With that, two more green flames ignited on the skeletal dame's armor, revealing more of the design- still not enough to be legible, however.

 

"But enough talk- Xyz Summon!" She cried, creating another galactic swirl that her two non-Xyz monsters vanished into. "Swift knight of horrible intent, give rise to an age of terror! Rank 4! Shadow Rider- Chevalier Vassago the Berserk!"

 

Suddenly, a black-clad skeleton knight, this one armed with a lance, dashed into position beside Yui, orbited by two purple orbs.

 

[shadow Rider- Chevalier Vassago the Berserk

DARK - Rank 4 - Zombie/Xyz/Effect - 2400/600]

 

"When little Kidan is used as Xyz Material, something interesting happens: she lets you draw a card, but you have to reveal it to me," Yui explained, "and then you can't use that card in this Duel, unless you've used it already, in which case nothing happens. Once you've used it that once, you can't use it again for the rest of the Duel!" She laughed. "Also, this does trigger Noraiia again, giving her a FIFTH Terminus Counter! So draw, and show me what you've got."

 

Noraiia now had five orbs of green fire on her armor, finally making the design legible: a twelve-pointed star, with a horrible demon in the middle of it.

 

Cosmo's Duel Disk spat out a card. "I've drawn the Trap Card, Urgent Tuning," he said angrily.

 

Yui laughed even harder. "Perfect. Just genius," she smiled, "but I'm not through with you yet. Once per turn, my Chevalier can detach a single Xyz Material, and then I may Special Summon a Level 4 or lower DARK monster from my hand. And I will indeed use that effect, to great effect . . ."

 

"I'll detach Clemons, and render your pathetic Net inert for the remainder of the Duel, as well. This gives Noraiia two Counters with one effect . . . and I Summon my Shadow Rider- Cautis the Envious, in Defense Position!"

 

With that, the purple orb impacted Vassago, and yet another skeleton in black armor appeared, but unlike the others his horse actually looked alive . . . and he carried a shield.

 

[shadow Rider- Cautis the Envious

DARK - Level 4 - Zombie/Effect - 300/2200]

 

"As long as Cautis is on my field," Yui continued offhandedly, "DARK monsters cannot be destroyed by battle. I have to only control DARK monsters for this to work, but . . . oh well. Such is life," she laughed. "Thus my turn ends. Your move, old man."

 

COSMO REVOL

4000 LP 5 SC

 

KUROSHINE YUI

4000 LP 2 SC

 

[spoiler= Cardex]

Shadow Rider- Kidan the Spiteful

DARK - Level 2 - Zombie/Effect - 1300/0

Cannot be Summoned, unless you control at least 1 DARK monster in face-up Attack Position. When this monster is Normal Summoned, you can target 1 "Shadow Rider" monster in your Graveyard: Special Summon it and, if it is an Xyz monster, you can attach up to 2 other "Shadow Rider" monsters in your Graveyard to it as Xyz Material. If you activate this effect, you cannot Summon monsters this turn, except "Shadow Rider" monsters. If this monster is used as Xyz Material for the Xyz Summon of a "Shadow Rider" monster, your opponent draws 1 card and reveals it to you: if that card is not in their Graveyard, your opponent cannot activate, use the effects of, or Summon cards with that name for the remainder of the current Duel.

 

Shadow Rider- Chevalier Vassago the Berserk

DARK - Rank 4 - Zombie/Xyz/Effect - 2400/600

2 Level 4 DARK monsters

Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower DARK monster from your hand. If this monster is destroyed by a card effect, you can add 1 "Shadow Rider" monster from your Deck to your hand equal to the number of "Shadow Rider" monsters you controlled when this monster was destroyed (including this monster).

 

Shadow Rider- Cautis the Envious

DARK - Level 4 - Zombie/Effect - 300/2200

If all monsters you control are DARK, DARK monsters cannot be destroyed by battle. If this monster is detached from an Xyz monster you control:, you can target 1 Trap Card on your opponent's field or in their Graveyard: cards with the same name as that card cannot be activated for the remainder of the current Duel.

 

 

[Tinkerer]

Roll nodded beside him. "Superheroes fighting kings and queens," he grinned, throwing fake punches, "that sounds awesome! I can't wait to see it!"

 

Well, he may not like talking, especially when unprepared, but he was still human, and Roll's punches to thin air was amusing. He gave a small chuckle. He turned his mind back to what HAYATE had said. In any case, he seemed like a person who wouldn't sweat the small things, like a stutter or a misused word.

 

"Y-yes," he finally replied, "it should be good."

 

Blake made a small gesture towards the door before saying "uh... Bathroom" and disengaging himself from the loud man. Still completely distracted from his encounter, he stepped out of the room and turned the corner to head to the bathroom when he ran into the giant guy (Rock, was it?). He quickly mumbled sorry, but he wasn't even sure if the guy noticed.

 

'Let me just go to the bathroom...' He thought, sliding around the big guy and practically diving into the isolation of an empty stall.

 

...little did he know, in his rush to escape, he had dropped his mighty Trishula card.