[Fanfiction] Yu-Gi-Oh! Call of the Duel! [PG-13]

[ChampionZero]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Call of The Duel

A YGO fanfiction

Chapter 1:

Duel-layed

 

 
Cruz didn't hate a lot of things…

 

...that's not true, he did hate a lot of things, but not as much as being late for class. Despite his delinquent appearance, his shoddily-worn uniform, and his aggressive behavior, he really did give a damn about his education. Especially since he was in the LEO Institute of Dueling School for the Performing Arts entirely on scholarship. If he didn't keep his grades up, he'd get kicked out, and he could not afford that.
 
Cruz Cardell was an interesting student. The guy stood six-feet tall, was tan, fit, and raven-haired. Basically, he was all *that* and he didn't care. The guy resembled a brick s*** house, but did he care enough to brag? Nope. Cruz was a straightforward person. He had realistic, simple views of the world, and didn't bother with the complicated stuff, unless it got him further along in life.
 
The LIDSPA was, on the inside, like a factory, with pristine metal walkways crisscrossing and stairways forming a maze. If someone got shoved over an edge, they might've died if it hadn't been for the fact that there was another platform less than ten feet below any given choke-point. Now, there were several central platforms throughout the building, and one in particular that wasn't very busy had to be crossed for Cruz to get to his first class, Card Rulings and Errata. Unfortunately, he would occasionally be stopped--
 
"Hey Cruz!" a smaller student slid to a stop in front of him and and threw his hands forward in a "STOP" gesture. "Duel me!"
 
--By this little pest he knew as Jonah Wrightwood.
 
Jonah was significantly shorter than Cruz, by almost a foot and a half. The peppy, slightly younger student had a grin glued to his face that bent the scatter of little birthmarks on the left side of his face, his brown hair was, as usual, so messy that he looked like the protagonist of a really cliche anime, his emerald green eyes were glassy with perpetual excitement, and his hands were balled up in little fists in front of him, like he was about to throw a punch.
 
"Not now, dork. I'm late to class." Cruz pushed his self-proclaimed archrival aside by the face and continued walking across the circular platform, the loud thumping of his boots uninterrupted by the pesky student. Jonah trailed beside him, whining.
 
"C'mon Cruz, we haven't dueled since before the winter break!" Jonah pleaded.
 
"I said not now!" Cruz bared his teeth at Jonah, who stopped in the middle of the platform as the former carried on. Just as Cruz reached the beginning of the walkway towards his class, Jonah seemed to realize something.
 
"OOOH! I get it, you're rusty!"
 
Cruz stopped with a heavy SLAM of his foot. "The ████ did you just say?" He asked, whirling around.
 
"You haven't been practicing, and you're afraid I'll beat you!" Jonah put his hands on his hips and leaned forward with a smug expression.
 
Cruz tromped back towards Jonah, dropping his bag off his shoulder and strapping a circular device onto his arm. A nasty red blade shaped like the edge of an axe-head formed across the front of the device, and the Duel Disk screen flared to life as he brought it down on Jonah, who with a flashy flourish, had attached his own Duel Disk, and a purple blade shaped like a hand of cards had fanned out, intercepting Cruz's "attack."
 
Nearby students had their attention briefly caught by the sound of two Solid-Vision blades clashing.------ and students who hadn't seen this every day for the past semester were mildly frightened. But immediately, the two shoved off of each other and jumped back, Cruz's studded boots scraping loudly to a halt, while Jonah leapt back into a handspring, the landing of which he stuck flawlessly.
 
Both Duelists were roughly 25 feet apart, Duel Disks loaded. Each had their hands resting on their Decks as their Disks connected to one another.
 
When the connection was established, each duelist slashed out his arm and drew his five cards in one stroke, a mirrored motion since Jonah was left-handed. Both Duelists were surrounded with an aura of holographic light as their outfits morphed. A proper costume was important during an Entertainment Duel, and that’s exactly what this was. Jonah's outfit was garish, and styled like a magician’s: vibrant, sparkling violet jacket, a bow-tie, flowing ankle-length cape, and a top hat. Cruz's own outfit contrasted terribly with that, consisting of a leather jacket studded with spikes, thick chains dangling from his arms and legs, and a bandanna around his neck that provided the only splash of color on him: a noxious shade of red, like a rattlesnake’s venom.
 
Jonah's smile was bright.
 
Cruz's grin was predatory.
 
"Shall we?"
 
"By all means."

Cruz' LP: 4000

~~~~DUEL!~~~~

Jonah's LP: 4000
 
Jonah drew a sixth card with a flourish, and his cape fluttered in an invisible wind. "I'll start!" He added the new card to his hand and drew two others out. "First, I Set two cards face-down!" Slotting them into the back of the Duel Disk, the back of two large, holographic cards, roughly the size of a door each, appeared on the floor just in front of him.
 
"And I summon Performancer ~ Mirror Master in Attack Mode!"
 
On the battlefield before him, there was a loud BANG of a gun and a thick cloud of smoke that parted to reveal a man in a magician's outfit, black except for his face, hands, and shirt, all of which were solid-looking, polished surfaces,reflecting perfectly their surroundings.
 
Mirror Master
Level 4 ~ LIGHT-Attribute ~Spellcaster-Type Effect Monster
Attack Points: 1500
Defense Points: 500
 
"With that I am done. To you, Mr. Cardell." Jonah's demeanor, while still cheery, had become much more formal. He even sketched a bow as he ended his turn.
 
Cruz’s grin never faded.  "Good-old Mirror Master, eh? That's fine. I'll just ring up something to SMASH HIM TO BITS! IT'S MY TURN!" He roared, drawing a card to add to his hand with a sweeping gesture, like drawing a sword.

 
"I summon Hellspawn Steed!" Flames roared up in a spiral pillar, and collapsed to reveal a night-black horse with a mane and tail of flames, and eyes like smoldering coals. It reared up angrily, and flames shot from its nostrils with a shrill whinny as its stats were displayed.
 
Hellspawn Steed
Level 4 ~ DARK ~ Beast/Effect
ATK: 1700
DEF: 1000
 
"And with his effect, since I control no other monsters, I can Special Summon one Hellrune monster from my hand. I choose Hellrune Shadewalker!" A figure, cloaked in black, but with pulsing red sigils patterning his robes, stepped out of the horse's shadow and took his own place on the field, drawing a short, jagged knife from beneath and holding it in front of his hooded face.

Hellrune Shadewalker
Level 3 ~ FIRE ~ Fiend/Tuner/Effect
ATK: 1300
DEF: 300
 
"I tune my level three Hellrune Shadewalker with my Level 4 Hellspawn Steed!" Cruz announced. His Duel Disk opened a small tray and ejected a white monster card into his palm. The monsters on his field leapt into action. The scarlet symbols that decorated Shadewalker's cloak peeled off and formed a trio of circles, which turned green, and arranged themselves in a tunnel, facing upward. The steed charged forward and leapt up, into the rings, and was suspended in mid-air for a moment as its form faded to reveal four glowing spheres of pale blue light. These spheres aligned themselves within the rings, and like a lightning rod, channeled a blinding beam of light into the ground between the Duelists, and a brilliant eruption filled their vision as Cruz chanted:
 
"When dark hearts resonate, sinister beings arise to take their fill of carnage! I Synchro Summon Level 7 Hellspawn Gladiator!"
 
The light died to reveal a towering man wearing a mask shaped like a skull, holding a bastard sword in one hand, a second one sheathed on his back. His shoulders and arms, adorned with long, pale scars, were bare, but the rest of his body was covered by thick black armor, made of a hide that looked worryingly like human skin. His eyes were torches, literal flames burning through the holes of his mask.
 
Hellspawn Gladiator
Level 7 ~ DARK ~ Fiend/Synchro/Effect
ATK: 2600
DEF: 1800

"This card can attack your monsters twice during each Battle Phase, and if it attacks a Defense Position monster, that monster's owner receives piercing battle damage! Now! Attack Mirror Master with Cross Cutter!"

 

The gladiator lunged, crossing the distance between the two monsters in seconds and swung his sword at the magician in front of him, carving a gash in his chest.

 

The magician did not move. Instead, cracks spread across his body and into the air before him, until he shattered, revealing a second Mirror Master behind him, kneeling with a hand on the ground.

 

“By switching my monster to Defense Position, Mirror Master negates your attack!” Jonah announced with a bow. Classmates nearby clapped politely.

 

Cruz did not applaud. “But that just means I get to deal you more damage! Gladiator, attack again! Second Cross!” The warrior leapt back, switched out his swords, and charged, this time with a massive, sweeping slash that struck both Jonah and his Performancer, shattering the latter like glass.

 

Jonah’s LP: 4000 ~> 1900

 

Jonah reeled from the hit, the sword gashing the lapel of his jacket. Immediately, he tapped the screen on his Duel Disk in response to a prompt. “I activate a face-down! It’s called Pick A Card, and I’m sure you recognize it! If you destroyed one of my monsters, I can use it to excavate three cards from the top of my Deck, and if one is a Performancer monster, I can Summon it!”

 

Three doors appeared off to the side of both Duelists as Jonah looked at the top three cards of his deck.

 

“I summon Mirror Masters partner-in-crime in Defense Mode!. Welcome to the stage, Performancer Smoke Savant!”

 

One of the doors opened to reveal a man dressed identically to Mirror Master, only instead of mirrors where his face and hands should be, he was made of thick black smoke. The man leapt high into the air, turning over in mid-flight, falling perfectly into place on the field and folding his slender arms across his chest.

 

Performancer ~ Smoke Savant

Level 7 ~ DARK ~ Spellcaster/Effect

ATK: 500

DEF: 2500

 

Cruz rolled his eyes. “Ooh. How terrible. I’ll set a card face-down, and that’ll be all. Try and make your turn count for something, maybe.”

 

Jonah’s smile persisted as he drew a card from his Deck. “I will!” He assured his opponent, glancing at the card he drew before tucking it into his hand and removing another. “I’ll start by summoning Performancer ~ Stage Hand!”

 

Performancer ~ Stage Hand

Level 2 ~ LIGHT ~ Spellcaster/Effect

ATK: 1000

DEF: 1000

 

On the field, a BANG sounded once more, and a cloud of smoke swelled to life, parting to unveil a girl, dressed like an extravagant magician’s assistant, in a jacket, shirt, leotard, and fishnet stockings. Her dark hair was done up in a bun, and her golden eyes gleamed with interest as she flashed a grin and a wink to the onlookers. On her right arm, she wore a large gauntlet that ended in sharp pointed fingers. The immense hand produced a tiny hat and placed it on her bun with an audible “SHOOP” sound. Strangely, the assistant seemed surprised by this action, and puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, glaring at her hand. It occurred to Cruz that her whole right arm might have a mind of its own. Just as he was pondering the possible pros and cons of such an arrangement, Jonah spoke up again, snapping his fingers for punctuation.

 

“And when she’s Summoned, she can call up a Level 4 or lower Performancer from my hand or Graveyard! So, I’m going to bring back my Mirror Master in Defense Mode as well!”

 

The arm, entirely of its own accord, spiked a small white ball at the ground, and upon contact, the sphere exploded into a cloud of white smoke. was quickly brushed aside by the returning Mirror Master, striking the exact same pose as Smoke Savant.

 

“And now! By Tributing my Stage Hand, I can Special Summon an old friend from my hand!”

 

A massive wall of smoke engulfed the field, and a row of stage lights flashed between Jonah and his monsters, casting silhouettes of Stage Hand, Smoke Savant, and Mirror Master. Ominous, orchestral music began to play, gaining in volume. Suddenly, as though fading into view, a tall, broad silhouette literally overshadowed Stage Hand. It was taller, a cape fell from its immense shoulders to the floor, and a large top hat was visible on its head.

 

“Step to the stage, and draw back the curtains! You’re the star tonight, and it!”

 

Two eyes, one red and one blue, flashed brightly from behind the curtain of smoke

 

“Is!”

 

The smoke parted, and a magician stepped forth, easily ten feet tall, and dressed as though Jonah couldn’t decide which color to pick, red or blue. He wore a mask that concealed his face behind a psychedelic pattern, but his eyes glowed like mismatched stage lights. Focusing on Cruz, they left him in an uncomfortable spotlight.

 

Performancer ~ Big Hat

Level 7 ~ DARK ~ Spellcaster/Effect

ATK: 2500

DEF: 2000

 

“SHOWTIME!”

 

 

The audience watched with baited breath, staring out from the holographic shadows that Jonah and Cruz’ Duel had generated, they were drinking it in the action, the showmanship, the competition, it was a perfect combination of a dazzling stage performance and an intense action movie. People watched from their perches and from nearby platforms, and just as the smoke cleared to reveal Jonah’s Ace monster, the crowd of students exploded into a cacophony of cheers. This was the monster Jonah always employed to dispose of Cruz’ toughest Hellspawn monsters, and they knew it.

 

But one member of the audience showed no excitement. The stranger was as enraptured by the duel as the others, but they remained silent, their golden eyes unblinking, even as Jonah continued his move….

 

“Now, I can use Big Hat’s special ability! By discarding one card, I can destroy one face-up card on the field! So, I’ll use it to destroy your Gladiator!” He slipped a card from his hand into the Graveyard, and the towering Magician removed his namesake piece of apparel, pointing the opening at Hellspawn Gladiator. A sound like the opening of a spaceship airlock could be heard as the black-clad marauder was dragged into the hat by a vortex of wind.

 

“And since the destroyed card was a monster, I can Special Summon one “White Rabbit” from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard to take its place! Fortunately, I discarded my White Rabbit to activate the effect, so I happen to have one available!” Jonah added, retrieving the card from his Graveyard, expertly threw it across the playing field, and Cruz snatched it angrily from the air, placing it on the blade of his Duel Disk.

 

Big Hat reached his long arm up to the shoulder in his much shorter hat, and pulled from it, a little girl in a white, rabbit pyjama onesie, freckles across her grinning face.

 

With a mighty swing, the White Rabbit was tossed to the other side of the field, where she brushed herself off, stood up straight, and yawned loudly, stretching.

 

White Rabbit

Level 4 ~ LIGHT ~ Spellcaster/Effect

ATK: 1000

DEF: 1000

 

“And as you may recall, this little bunny can take a hit: she can’t be destroyed by battle or card effects! But you’ll still be taking a nasty hit since she’s in Attack Position. Big Hat, attack White Rabbit! Hit ‘em with a Showstopper!”

 

Both of Big Hat’s eyes flashed again, and his hands slammed together at the palms. Separating them, a ball of colorful, strobe-like lights swelled from a pinprick to a basketball in seconds, yet it fit in but one of his immense, gloved palms. Swinging one arm back, Big Hat reared up and spiked the projectile at Cruz’ only monster.

 

As it struck the ground, the globe exploded into a dome of light that encompassed Cruz’ entire half of the field, a loud, ringing sound filling his ears as he squeezed his eyes shut in response to the brightness. Just barely, he heard his own voice, saying something… His hand touching his Duel Disk...

 

When the light died, everyone blinked and rubbed their eyes, trying to get the spots out of their vision. Only once they had, they had to do it again, for what they saw was for the most part, unexpected.

 

Cruz’ LP: 4000

 

Jonah’s smile dropped. Partly furious, partly shocked, he asked, “How? Why aren’t your life-points damaged?”

 

Cruz’ smug grin could tip a mountain as he gestured to the purple card that had swung up between him and White Rabbit like a cellar door, blocking the blast and leaving a triangular section of untouched ground behind him. “My ‘Defense Draw’ Trap Card. Not only do I not take any battle damage, I get to draw one card!” Cruz waved the newly drawn card like a developing Polaroid before tucking it into his hand. “This’ll come in handy later…” He chuckles.

 

Jonah recomposed himself, running a hand down his face. He smiled again, albeit a little strained, and sketched a bow. “Your move then.”

 

Cruz laughed as he conducted his next draw. “Exactly!” He crowed.

 

Looking over his hand, Cruz noted the number of cards he has available. Not only was there a level 4 monster available for him to Synchro Summon with, but he had one extra card to help him do it.

 

“I’ll summon Hellrune Witch!” A pentagram blazed to life on the floor, as though red-hot knives were carving a star into the steel. Then the pentagram crumbled, giving way to a whirlpool of fire, and out crawled a woman, clad in leathers and ribbons, with feathers and bones hanging in strings from her hair and arms and belt. Her eyes glowed orange, and tattoos across her skin pulsed red.

 

Hellrune Witch

Level 2 ~ FIRE ~ Fiend/Tuner/Effect

ATK: 600

DEF: 200

 

“And with her effect, I’m allowed to summon a Hellspawn or Hellrune monster from my hand, as long as it’s Level 4 or lower! So I’m calling up Hellspawn Fury!” On the other side of the white Rabbit, a second pentagram flared up, only to dissolve into a whirlpool, out of which shot a spinning red-and-black blur, which spread its wings, stopped its ascent, and landed on solid ground, clawed feet cracking the tiles. Its skin was red, with black, spiky, tribal marking all across it. The stocky, mildly feminine creature looked miffed, as though it had been rudely awakened from a pleasant nap to be there.

 

Hellspawn Fury

Level 2 ~ DARK ~ Beast/Effect

ATK: 800

DEF: 100

 

The Hellspawn and Hellrune monsters each looked at the White Rabbit, who waved cheerily, but seemed frightened nonetheless.

 

“Now my Level 2 Witch tunes Level 2 Fury and Level 4 White Rabbit for a Level 8 Synchro Summon!” Cruz threw one hand out in front of him, and a different musical track began to play in place if the orchestral that Jonah had queued. The heavy sound of a guitar, the droning of a single note began to fill the room, building in volume but not pitch.

 

The Witch’s runes peeled off her skin and connected with one another, forming two rings, which faded from red to green. The witch turned to smoke as the rings surrounded the other two monsters. Their color drained, becoming mere golden outlines as six glowing blue lights were released. The six lights aligned with each other within the rings, and lightning began to spark along them, becoming a beam of light that engulfed Cruz’ whole side of the field, widening from a beam, to a pillar, to a monolith that began to twist and whirl like a tornado, kicking up a fierce wind in the open space.

 

The shining pillar cracked, abruptly, and Cruz’ voice spilled from it, his silhouette rising off the ground as fissures spiraled from the center of the pillar outwards.

 

“When dark cravings align with malicious intent, beasts of the pit crawl forth to slake their thirst for blood! I call upon the third son of the underworld!”

 

The pillar shattered like glass, the light fading as flames and darkness spilled out like an umbrella, a towering, gargantuan figure stepping forward from beyond. The guitar music hit hard, and the rapid-fire rhythm was more felt than heard by their audience.

 

The beast towered over the crowd, easily twenty feet from foot to head, and another ten feet in its tail alone. Its hide was black and leathery, it's underbelly red as blood. Long, silver claws gleamed at the ends of its remarkably humanoid fingers and toes, and silver spikes decorated its joints like the knees, elbows, and shoulders. Two horns jutted  from the back of its sharp, snake like head and pointed backward and to the side, like handlebars. Baleful eyes gazed down at the magicians, unblinking, like pools of roiling magma.

 

But more awe-inspiring than the dragons stature, the beast was kneeling, with its shoulders hunched. A massive steel collar around its neck bore his name in bronze etching, and on its back, heavy chain in hand like a dog's leash, was Cruz, standing proud as he roared, “GRRRIIIIIM!”

 

Hellspawn Dragon Grim

Level 8 ~ DARK ~ Dragon/Synchro/Effect

ATK: 3000

DEF: 2000

 

The dragon roared too, only the smell of burning hair and brimstone assaulted Jonah instead of the (in his opinion) terrible name Cruz had given his trademark monster.

 

“Now, I activate a Spell Card! Enemy Controller switches your Smoke Savant to Attack Mode!” Jamming the card into his Duel Disk, Cruz’ sinister grin got wider as a cord shot up from the ground and plunged into Smoke Savant’s back like a snake. Stiffly, like a robot, the mage was forced into a fighting stance.

 

Cruz grinned. “Perfect. All I’ve got to do is attack him, and you’ll take two-thousand five-hundred points of battle damage. Aww, but you’ve got just shy of two thousand left!”

 

Jonah threw an arm out. “Sorry to say, but I’m afraid you can’t declare any attacks right now! Y’see, both Mirror Master and Smoke Savant have a special ability that prevents my other Performancers from being attacked, forcing you to attack them instead! But their effects encompass each other, so you can’t attack at all!” The two mages threw their arms up in an arc over their heads, stopping with their palms facing the other. With a puff of smoke and a gleaming sheen of glass, Jonah’s magicians disappeared. “Smoke and Mirrors, my friend. Smoke and Mirrors.”

 

Cruz’ smile flickered, but then he looked at his hand and it returned full-force. “Well, then I just have to negate one of their effects, don’t I?”

 

A single drop of sweat trailed down Jonah’s temple. “Yeah, I guess.” He said, feigning calm, nonchalant reaction.

 

Cruz threw another spell from his hand into the Duel Disk, and a woman in a white tunic appeared out of thin air, bearing a jeweled cup. “And I can do that by activating Forbidden Chalice! Your Mirror Master gains 400 Attack points at the cost of his special abilities!” The woman threw her arm out, and the water from the cup splashed across an invisible wall, and like it had been fired from a shotgun, the air before her cracked like glass.

 

The illusion shattered, and Smoke Savant became visible again, stumbling as though shoved through a curtain.

 

As the wispy magician rubbed his head, adjusted his hat and looked around, he found himself being stared down by the chained dragon, teeth resembling that of a megalodon shark revealed as he curled his lips in what Jonah swore was a smile.

 

“Grim!” Cruz ordered, pointing at Jonah’s mage with  “Attack with Gehenna Spiral!”

 

The dragon’s head whipped back, lashed forward, and from his mouth a coruscating column of black and red flame burst forth, engulfing Jonah and his monster alike, the last of his Life-Points burned away in a blast of hellfire.

 

Jonah’s LP: 1900 ~> 0

 

Winner: Cruz

 

The holographic shadows, smoke, bits of broken terrain, and monsters all dissolved into the air like so much sand on the wind as the projectors in each student’s device wound to a stop. Cruz clipped his Duel Disk to his belt and folded his arms. “Remind me which one of us was supposed to be rusty at this?” He said, mildly amused.

 

Jonah bounded to his feet, his eyes like miniature suns as he shouted, “That was freakin’ awesome!”

 

Cruz produced the White Rabbit  card that was summoned to his field and handed it to Jonah. “Why am I always giving at least one of these back to you by the end of our Duels?” He asked, rhetorically. He didn’t give Jonah time to answer before dropping back into a jog, scooping up his bag and dashing down the walkway as everyone (after some well-deserved applause) continued with business as usual.

 

And that’s when Jonah realized he was also late to class.