Yu-Gi-Oh! DA, Book One; The Phantom Seal. TEMPORARY HIATUS

[senron]

Thanks Legend, I fixed it. So, is the next chapter gonna be the last for this?

[legendhiro]

no. there is still a bit more.

[Joker Guy]

Love ALL your series. I am a big fan. I also read the series about 'Rocky'. I thought that was amazing, and it inspired me to build a rock-deck myself. Too bad I lost 'Exxod' though.

[legendhiro]

glad you like them! that's why i write them, after all (aside from being bored); so that people can enjoy them. that is too bad about exxod. if you really want one, a site called troll and toad has it for $1.00-$1.50 USD, and they only charge 99 cents shipping. it is where i get all of my english language singles.

[legendhiro]

so, i was thinking (thanks to user richie123), and i had an idea. i will soon be opening a short story thread in the fanfiction section of this site where my characters, the characters from the cannon, and even characters from other fanfics will face off in one-shot duels outside of continuity. readers will vote each week at the beginning of the week between several pairings, and i will post a duel between the winners at the end of the week.

[Aviv: D's Knight]

Max vs Professor, if you do that you will have gained my eternal gratitude.

[legendhiro]

by professor, i assume you mean Prof from DE. sure. it'll be in the first group up for voting once the thread goes up.

 

i got held up unexpectedly on the new chapters that i promised, but at least one new chapter will be up in this thread tonight.

[senron]

Yays! New chapter! You know Legend, I've been watching Hikaru No Go and it kinda reminded me of DF. (Sai seems kind of like Hiro).

[legendhiro]

i just started getting into hikaru no go, and i kinda agree. good anime.

 

new chapter! new chapter alert!

 

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Seven]

 

Aftermath

 

 

I used my Soul of Darkness to take the five of us to the Obelisk Blue dorm lobby, where the new nurse, Fonda Fontaine, had set up a sort of emergency unit. Seeing it, I understood why no one had noticed the duel going on at the school. As soon as the Beasts had appeared, Duelists all over the island had begun falling ill as their Duel Energy was slowly drained from them. Miss Fontaine didn’t know what it was, but my Soul told me that I was right. I could already sense the Duel Energy of the incapacitated Duelists returning. They would be fine. With Sheppard’s help, I managed to move Kagemaru onto a cot. While Nurse Fontaine examined the Chancellor, Sheppard and I stepped away where we could talk.

 

“I’ve removed the vicious conscious, the thing that we both dueled, from the Sacred Beast cards, but I underestimated the power of the individual beasts.”

 

I told him all about Armityle, how he was the fused form of the Beasts, and how he controlled the actions of the Beasts themselves.

 

“I planned to render the Beasts powerless by destroying this consciousness, but the three Beasts still have will enough that, if they ever managed to worm their way into the mind of another Duelist, they might be able to manipulate him into acting as their intelligence the way Armityle did. The only permanent change I made to the Beasts is that, without Armityle’s consciousness, having them on the field together won’t be enough to combine them together anymore. It would take something more than that to summon the ‘Chaos Phantom’ again.”

 

“Obviously we can’t allow anyone to hold onto these cards,” Sheppard said, obviously assuming that I wanted to hold onto them for myself.”

 

“I couldn’t agree more,” I replied.

 

Sheppard nodded, “I think I may have a solution to our problem. They school will need to be rebuilt, including the safe in the basement.”

 

I nodded my understanding, “Then I’ll entrust these to you, for the time being,” and I handed him the Sacred Beasts. He seemed to understand how much faith I was putting in him, because he looked somewhere between honored, and terrified.

 

We were silent for several minutes, but finally I spoke up, “Sheppard, I’m still not sure that I agree with the secret purpose of this place. Bringing so many Duelists together is dangerous. But I also see your point, that Duelists need to be trained. Need to be made ready. Maybe I was a little hasty in saying that I’d destroy this place, but you can be sure that I will be keeping an eye on it.”

 

Sheppard smiled a bit, “After tonight, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

We stood in silence again for several seconds. This time it was Sheppard’s turn to speak first.

 

“You have great powers,” he said. “I was wondering what powers you might have over the minds of others?”

 

I hesitated to answer. I don’t like to even think about my powers over peoples’ minds; the same powers that Yami used to brainwash Karen, Monty and Lawrence. “Do you really want to know?” I asked Sheppard. “Because once you know, you can’t un-know, and you might not trust me so much anymore.”

 

Sheppard nodded, “I do want to know.”

 

I took a deep breath, “Okay, well, I don’t use them too much, but I do have limited power over the minds of others. I don’t know there full limits, but they follow the same rules as my other powers. I have domain over darkness, and there is darkness in the mind of every man. I can reach out to that darkness and use it to manipulate all that the darkness touches.”

 

“Memories?” Sheppard asked.

 

“Yes,” I said, thinking back to when I’d been allowed to look at Marcus, the War Ruler’s memories to learn about the danger posed by the man named Exodus, during the second Grand Championship.

 

“Can you remove memories?” Sheppard asked.

 

“Yeah,” I answered, realizing what he wanted me to do, “I think so.”

 

Sheppard looked over at Kagemaru, lying on a cot, being checked out, “He is a good man. He doesn’t deserve to have to live with the memories of what the Beasts almost did using his body. Make him forget that this is his fault. Make him forget that the Beasts exist at all. Let him live in peace for the first time in so long.”

 

“You’ll never be able to tell him. I’ll have to patch him memories with a spell, and reminding him of what he did here might rip that patch and cause him harm.”

 

Sheppard nodded agreement, “Don’t worry, I won’t ever speak of his role in this ever again.”

 

I nodded, “Then here I go.”

 

I reached into Kagemaru’s mind, Forget

 

 

My spell succeeded (which is good, since I wasn’t too sure it would). Kagemaru woke up within an hour, with no knowledge of what had happened. He decided in that moment that he wasn’t up for him role as Chancellor, and stepped down. Sheppard, now Chancellor Sheppard, made arrangements for Kagemaru to return to the mainland to recover from the “accidental injuries sustained in the collapse of the school”. Everyone affected by the Beasts’ Shadow Magic returned when the spells were broken.

 

Two years later, Kagemaru would return to work, taking a position as DA Superintendant. It would be in this position that he would stumble upon the existence of the safe under Duel Academy, and, upon further investigation, the Sacred Beast cards hidden there. Another two years later, when Kagemaru’s health began to fail, he would enact a plan to gain possession of the Beasts and use their magic to restore his youth. In reality, and unknown to most people, it was his past connection to the Beasts nagging at the back of his mind that would draw him to their power. Within another six years, he would use the Beasts (or rather, the Beasts would use him) to attack the island, and I wouldn’t have to lift a finger, because by then there would be a new champion strong enough to protect the island from harm.

 

The next King of Games.

 

 

My story isn’t over yet, however.

 

We finished out the year, having classes where we could. Outside, in the dorms, wherever. Meanwhile, work on the new school building began almost immediately, but it wasn’t until the next year that it would finally be ready.

 

“It looks exactly the same,” said Thomas, his mouth full of Raisinets. He, Ria, Karen and I were standing out front, looking up at the restored building’s gleaming façade, which was the same as before. The entire building was the same as before, except for the vault hidden under the school, which only a few people knew about.

 

“So what,” Ria replied. “It’s the same. So what? What did you expect?”

 

“I dunno,” Thomas answered, shoving another handful of candy into his mouth, “but as often as this place gets attacked, I was expecting, like, defense towers or something. Or a cool moat, with alligators.”

 

“It’s a school,” said Karen.

 

“Yeah,” I agreed. “They don’t wanna scare kids away.”

 

“I guess you’re right,” Thomas replied, “but it still woulda been cool.”

 

I smiled, “Oh yeah, so cool.”

 

Karen sighed, “Boys.”

 

Ria laughed, “You said it sister.”

 

“Shut up,” I said playfully. “Come on. Orientation is about to start.”

 

 

Orientation was nothing special. It was held in the arena room, which had just been announced would be for the use of Blue students almost exclusively. Sheppard introduced the new year, his first full year as chancellor. Like I said, nothing special.

 

It was the end of orientation that was interesting.

 

“And now, before you all go about your business,” Sheppard concluded, “I have a special treat for you all. There are four particular students at this school whom I and others believe deserve special commendation. You all know them by now, at least by name. In addition to being four of the highest ranking students at Duel Academy, they are also the four who risked their lives returning with me to the school last year, during its collapse, to help me rescue the former chancellor. I’d like them all to join me now, on the arena floor.”

 

Karen, Thomas, Ria and I knew that Sheppard meant us. It was the story we’d given to explain why we’d been in the school when it collapsed. We stood, and we were on our way down even before Sheppard could finish introducing us. As soon as we reached the floor, Sheppard continued.

 

“Now, I’d like to introduce a special guest to DA, co-founder of the school, and creator of the reason we’re all here, Maxamillion J. Pegasus!”

 

The crowd had been clapping and cheering for awhile now, but now they went crazy. The long-white-haired genius game designer and president of Industrial Illusions stepped into the room, wearing his trademark red suite and childish, over exuberant smile. Karen lit up at the sight of her former teacher. As always I had mixed feelings when I saw Pegasus. It’s not like I dislike the guy. It’s just that I don’t like him either. He’s a little weird.

 

Sheppard stepped back from the podium, and Pegasus took his place.

 

“Hello students of Duel Academy!” said Pegasus in his usual flamboyant style. “Thank you for having me here today. I have a very special, very exciting announcement for all of you,” he turned to the four of us, “especially you.”

 

He turned back to the crowd, and gestured to us, “As all of you know, the entire purpose of this school is to discover greatness, nurture it, and reward it when it grows. These four students embody all that this institution represents. But even greatness cannot flourish without opportunity to help it along. I am only where I am today because I had the opportunity to get here. So I have decided to offer opportunities to these fine young people, giving the chance to seize their futures.

 

“I am creating a new creative division at my company. One that is not just devoted to the continuation of Duel Monsters, but to its long-term future. Its evolution.”

 

Pegasus turned to Karen, “My former student, I would like you to head up this department.”

 

“Really?” Karen asked, completely stunned. She was shaking, she was so excited.

 

“Yes,” Pegasus replied, “really.”

 

He turned back to the podium, “Additionally, I have decided to start sponsoring a team of Professional Duelists, who will be funded by, and in return represent, Industrial Illusions International all over the world. For the first member of this team, I have chosen a Duelist with the type of no-nonsense spirit that helps one pave the road to success, Gloria “Ria” Hernandez!”

 

“Who, me?” Ria asked, surprised. Then the reality of the situation sunk in, and she started jumping up and down excitedly, praising in Spanish. I couldn’t help but laugh.

 

This is it, I thought, my time has come. Pegasus is going to give us his backing. We’ll be able to move on and start living our dreams!

 

And that’s when things took a turn for the worse.

 

“Sadly,” said Pegasus, “Industrial Illusions is only, at this time, prepared to sponsor one additional Duelist, and as you can see, there are two, so we will have to settle which of these Duelists is right to join Industrial Illusions as it marches for the future. And, of course, there is only one true way for two Duelists to settle anything; with a duel!”

 

The crowd roared with excitement, but I felt horrified. Duel Thomas? I wanted to fight him, but only for fun. Not over something as important as this! Thomas wanted this as much as I did. What right did I have to take it away from him?

 

But at the same time, this was all I’d ever wanted. I had to do as Pegasus had said, and seize the opportunity presented to me. I looked from Karen to Ria. They were watching, their eyes a little bit sad, waiting to see what would happen. I looked over at Thomas. He looked about as horrified as I felt, but I saw a spark in his eyes, and I knew that this duel had to happen.

 

“Well,” Pegasus asked, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, “will you two duel, or should I withdraw my offer?”

 

Thomas nodded at me, and I took a deep breath.

 

“Yeah,” I said, “we’ll duel.”

 

 

Thomas

 

 

The podium was removed from the arena. Karen and Ria stood alongside the arena where they could watch the duel, and wait for the result. Sheppard and Pegasus took a seat side by side in the front row of the stands, but I barely noticed. I was more interested in Ria’s watching eyes. I knew that a big part of her attraction to John was because he’s such a smart, strong Duelist. I would prove to her that I am too. A ghostly form of my signature monster appeared beside me. A form that I knew only I, my friends, and a select few others could see. I glanced over at the spirit of ‘Ignis’, the last secret that I had from my new friends. After all, you don’t go around telling people that you see monsters. I’d planned to reveal my secret to my friends soon, but now seemed like as good a time as any. After all, it had been ‘Ignis’’ support that had inspired me to help Karen and Ria fight the Shadow the second time around, and the source of my courage when facing the Sacred Beasts.

 

“This will be a complete duel, using the rule of eight thousand starting Life Points that people are still so fond of in America,” Pegasus explained. “There are no other special conditions. You are free to begin when ready.”

 

“I might not have been up to your level last year, during the Beast Attack,” I told John, “but I’ve improved since then. I’ve gotten stronger, and built a better deck, using some of the suggestions you gave me, plus some good old ingenuity. ‘Ignis’ and I are finally the strongest team that we can be, and now we can win against you.”

 

“Ever since the first day I saw you duel,” John replied, “back during the placement tests, I’ve wanted to duel you. I saw right away that you were strong, and I wanted the challenge. Nothing has changed, except that now we’re friends. I really mean it when I say that I hope you do well.”

 

I felt a wave of intensity wash over us, and ‘Ignis’ returned to my deck, ready to fight by my side. Without another word, the duel began.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next Chapter The Spirit's Fire

 

John and Thomas duel, and John soon realizes that he just might lose.

[senron]

Yay Thomas!!! Teach John a thing or two!!! Yah!!!

[Stigma_Horrizone]

I think the duel is about to be somethin like Tucker vs John for some reason…………

[legendhiro]

I think the duel is about to be somethin like Tucker vs John for some reason…………

you're right, this duel will be similar, but still so much different.

[legendhiro]

chapter twenty-eight is up. only two more chapters to go!

 

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Eight]

 

The Spirit’s Fire

 

 

John

 

 

“I start things off,” I began. I play ‘Dealing in Darkness’. I select five random cards from my deck, and without looking I add one to my hand, discard one, return one to my deck, and remove the other two from play.”

 

 

I did as the card said, and I looked over my new hand, paying little attention to the card added to my Graveyard.

 

“I set a card,” I announced, “and summon the ‘Twin-Sword Marauder’.”

 

The mighty swordsman appeared (ATK: 1600).

 

“You can’t bait me into attacking recklessly with such a simple move,” said Thomas. “After all, I don’t need to attack to win. I play ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’ to increase the damage from my effects by three hundred.”

 

Wisps of black fog appeared around us.

 

“I’ll also set two cards,” Thomas concluded, “and summon my ‘Hinotama Soul’ in defense mode.”

 

A living fireball appeared, fluttering around Thomas’ head (DEF: 500)

 

“I pass.”

 

He said that I can’t bait him, I thought, but now he’s trying to bait me. Did he only say that to try and distract me from the fact that he was going to do the same thing? That has to be it. He’s trying to double bluff me into skipping my attack so he can set off a combo. But I know burn decks. I’ve fought a burn deck plenty of times. I know that if I give a burn deck time to get going, it can do a lot more harm than making a reckless attack or two.

 

Still…

 

“To begin my turn,” I said, “I tribute my ‘Marauder’ for ‘Summoned Skull’!”

 

‘Marauder’ was destroyed in a burst of lightning, and the skull demon took his place, his mighty claws raised (ATK: 2500).

 

Thomas looked confused, and rightfully so. After all, why would I summon ‘Marauder’, a monster that can attack twice, and has piercing, for a normal monster, just because it was a bit stronger?

 

I smiled, Well, you’re gonna have to wait to find out.

 

“I play ‘Painful Choice’,” I continued, picking five cards from my deck and placing them on my Duel Disk. Holograms of my ‘Stygian Street Patrol’, ‘X-Head Cannon’, ‘Y-Dragon Head’, ‘Z-Metal Tank’, and ‘Level Eater’ appeared overhead, “You choose a card for me to add to my hand, and I discard the rest.”

 

“I know all about your ‘Stygian Street Patrol’ and its effect,” said Thomas. “We can’t have you using it to Special Summon a card from your hand, so I’ll add it to your hand instead.”

 

“Clever,” I replied, and I did what I was told. Just not clever enough, because by the time I need its effect, my monster will be right where I need it to be.

 

“I attack ‘Hinotama Soul’ with Lightning Strike!” I commanded. Lightning poured from my monster’s claws and blew the fireball apart.

 

“Reveal,” said Thomas, “the Continuous Trap cards ‘Backfire’ and ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’.”

 

What? ‘Graveyard of…’ of crap!

 

“You take eight hundred damage from the combined effects of ‘Backfire’ and ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’,” Thomas explained, a pocket of air heating up and then exploding violently in my face (8000-500-300=7200), “and because a monster, my ‘Hinotama Soul’, was sent to the Graveyard, ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’ summons a ‘Fireball Token’ to my side of the field.”

 

A small fireball spirit appeared, weaving through the air (DEF: 100).

 

“Isn’t it great?” Thomas exclaimed. “This Trap, and the little monster is summons, are going to win me this duel. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, let me give you an example of how.

 

“I draw,” he continued, “and I begin by removing ‘Hinotama Soul’ in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon ‘Inferno’, the Fire Ghost of Torment.”

 

There was a spark in midair, which blossomed out into the wicked face made of flames, which hung in the air at Thomas’ side.

 

“And I destroy my own ‘Inferno’, dealing you eight hundred more damage, to Special Summon another monster.”

 

‘Inferno’ exploded, spewing flames over me (7200-500-300=6400). Then the flames were sucked back in, pulled into a large metal container, shaped like a huge barrel, with a symbol for fire emblazoned on the front. A living flame erupted from the barrel, a wicked face similar to ‘Inferno’’s appearing within it.

 

“This,” said Thomas, “is ‘Goka the Pyre of Malice’, a monster that grows stronger by consuming fire (ATK: 2200). And, upon ‘Inferno’’s destruction, another ‘Fireball Token’ is summoned in its place (DEF: 100).”

 

A second fireball appeared, buzzing around Thomas in the opposite direction of its twin.

 

“’Goka’ absorbs both of the ‘Fireballs’,” Thomas explained, and the two fireballs flew into ‘Goka’’s container. ‘Goka’’s flames flared up (ATK: 2200+(500x2)=3200). “’Goka’ attacks the ‘Skull’!”

 

‘Goka’ released a stream of powerful, white-hot flames that incinerated the ‘Summoned Skull’, reducing him to ashes (6400+2500-3200=5700).

 

“I end my turn,” Thomas concluded, and the Attack of his monster returned to normal.

 

This isn’t good, I thought. I saw how quickly Thomas pulled off his strategy during the entrance exams, but that was against an inferior opponent with fewer beginning Life Points. But I’m not an inferior opponent. I won’t go so far to say that I’m superior, but he and I are, at the very least, equal. And yet here I am, my Life Points falling left and right, and I haven’t even managed to hurt him at all! Thomas wasn’t kidding when he said he’d gotten stronger.

 

I drew a card, I can defeat ‘Goka’ here and now, but if I do, it could open the door for a stronger monster to be summoned in its place. Of course, I can’t let him keep a monster that powerful on the field if I can help it, so I don’t really have a choice.

 

“Reveal,” I declared, “the Trap card ‘Call of the Haunted’ to revive my ‘Summoned Skull’, and I summon ‘Stygian Street Patrol’.”

 

The once-fallen skull demon arose from a pool of shadows. He flexed his arms, lightning lancing between his fingers. Meanwhile, the demonic motorcycle cop appeared at my side, revving his engine (ATK: 1600).

 

“My ‘Skull’, attack ‘Goka’,” I commanded, “Lightning Strike!”

 

Lightning ran up the ‘Skull’’s body and lanced out from his claws toward ‘Goka’. The attack hit its mark, ripping the metal container apart, causing the flames that were the real ‘Goka’ to spread out and scatter completely (8000+2200-2500=7700).

 

“’Backfire’ activates,” Thomas said, “dealing you damage, and my ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’ summons another Token in my monster’s place.”

 

There was another explosion (5700-500-300=4900), and another fire spirit appeared, moving randomly around Thomas at a leisurely speed.

 

“Your Token is little more than target practice for my patroller,” I countered. “Attack!”

 

My monster fired his beams at the fireball, blasting it apart.

 

“And,” I said, “because your Token doesn’t go to the Graveyard, neither of your Traps is activated.”

 

Thomas smiled, “I don’t need to deal you any more damage yet, and I definitely don’t need another Token yet either, because I have this.”

 

He drew, and chose a card from his hand, “I summon ‘Fox Fire’ in defense mode!”

 

A flame appeared at Thomas’ feet, taking on the solid form of a small red fox with a fiery tail (DEF: 200).

 

“I end my turn,” he concluded, absolutely confident.

 

“You aren’t gonna mount an offense?” I asked.

 

“Attack you?” Thomas asked. “Why would I attack you? I don’t need to attack you to win this duel. I just need to watch and wait.”

 

“We’ll see about that,” I replied. “I draw, and I reduce the Level of my skull demon by one to Special Summon ‘Level Eater’ from the Graveyard that was sent there by ‘Painful Choice’. And I tribute ‘Level Eater’ and ‘Stygian Street Patrol’ to summon ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’!”

 

Flames engulfed the Insect-type ‘Level Eater’ and the motorcyclist. From that fire emerged the mighty black dragon, his eyes flashing red with determination. (ATK: 2400).

 

“And now you have ‘Stygian Street Patrol’ in the Graveyard where you can use its effect,” Thomas marveled, “and two high level monsters that you can use to pay the cost of ‘Level Eater’ should you need it again. That’s why you summoned the ‘Summoned Skull’. You were already thinking ahead to when you’d reduce its level, revive ‘Level Eater’, and tribute it and ‘Street Patrol’. It was all to put ‘Street Patrol’ into the Graveyard, where its effect is most useful, all while preparing to summon the dragon.”

 

“Yep,” I answered. “Now, ‘Red-Eyes’, attack with Black Fire Bullet!”

 

‘Red-Eyes’ fired a burst of flames from his mouth, blowing the fox apart. I took another hit (4900-500-300=4100), and Thomas gained another ‘Fireball Token’ (DEF: 100).

 

“And the ‘Summoned Skull’ destroys your Token monster, leaving you defenseless.”

 

The fireball was blasted apart before the lightning bolt could even fully form.

 

“You think I’m defenseless?” Thomas asked. “You think that you’ve finally managed to overwhelm me? Well, you’re wrong.”

 

As he spoke, there was a spark at his feet, igniting the air, flaring out into the form of ‘Fox Fire’, reborn through its Special Ability.

 

And I realized what Thomas was doing.

 

”I don’t need to attack you to win this duel,” I remembered. ”I just need to watch and wait.”

 

I looked at my forty-one hundred Life Points, My deck isn’t designed to win in any other way than through head-on attacks.

 

I looked at my opponent’s Duel Disk, at his displayed seventy-seven hundred Life, His deck can deal heavy damage without attacking once.

 

I swallowed my nerves and took a calming breath, And he’s well on his way to setting up a defense that I won’t stand a chance of getting through in a hundred years. But I’ll have no choice but to attack, as sitting still will only result in a deck-out, and each attack will wear down my Life until it’s low enough for his to summon ‘Ignis’ and finish me with one final blow. And unless I get really lucky really fast, there won’t be a damn thing I can do about it.

 

[spoiler=Card of the Day]

 

 

 

 

 

Next Chapter A Clash of Wills! Battle of the Ultimate Cards

 

John and Thomas' duel comes to an impasse, and both realize that it will come down to a battle of will power, given form in a battle between their most powerful monsters!

[senron]

Yay!!! New chapter!!! Thomas for the win!!! No offense, but I think John needs to lose every once in a while, just not the really important ones. I mean, this one IS pretty important, what with Pegasus backing the winner financially, but its not like the world is at stake or anything. Plus, even if John doesn't make it in the Pro League, he's famous. He can make money through comercials or something. Also, I liked that one card, Dealing In Darkness. I think it fits John's deck perfectly. Its really interesting too, because it all comes down to luck. What five cards did he pick out. Which goes to his hand, which to his graveyard, which back to his deck, which gets Banished? There's a huge amount of luck involved and it can really change a duel. It really embodies John's dueling style.

[legendhiro]

you are perfectly right. John needs to be put in his place from time to time. and don't let him fool you, he didn't really expect it to be an even fight. he expected to win, even though he's only actually seen Thomas duel once. he was arrogant again, and it cost him, because surprise surprise, Thomas has completely overwhelmed John in the early game, and John expects Thomas to overwhelm him in the late game as well. if the pharaoh were here, he might comment that whether or not John wins the actual duel, he has already lost an even more important psychological battle, and his true character will come out in the way he reacts to that.

 

as for the card, "Dealings in Darkness", that is exactly what i was going for. and just a minor spoiler, as john has obviously (most likely) already used the cards added to his hand, and we will never know which card was returned to the deck, this duel will come down to either the card sent to the Grave, or one of the two cards that were Banished.

[senron]

So, John's biggest weakness isn't dueling his enemies, it's dueling his friends. After defeating the big bad, John gets it in his head that he's the strongest. Then, when he duels his friends, he isn't prepared for the fact that they have skills on par with his own. So, he underestimates them before the duel. That gives them an early lead in an otherwise, mostly, even duel. I'm pretty sure that if he had taken Thomas seriously back in the beginning when he had Hinotama Soul and those two face-downs and had worked to destroy the face-downs early on, he wouldn't be in this situation. He underestimated Thomas, allowing him to pull out a very powerful combo.

Who wins this or not, I'm not certain. I'm leaning more towards Thomas, because of the early lead and the above stated weakness John has, but I could be wrong. And again, if John loses this, he's still got the pro league. I'm sure he could take on any pros after what he's been through. But, no matter how good he is, Thomas doesn't have that gurantee. He might NOT make it in the pros, even if he gets in. So, Thomas has more to lose if he loses this duel, which will motivate him to fight through. But that's just my honest opinion.

[legendhiro]

you hit the nail on the head, as usual.

[senron]

Yay!!! I hasez smartz!!!

[Stigma_Horrizone]

still not spoilin………………

[legendhiro]

the second to last chapter of DA is finally complete. I've made some changes to the most recent draft. as i was typing away, as i reached the end, i just couldn't see my characters reacting the way that i'd planned. anyone who's found my page on the fanfic wikia will recognize the changes immediately (so one of you), and i assure them that the outcome will be the same.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Nine]

 

A Clash of Wills! Battle of the Ultimate Cards

 

 

“It looks like you’ve realized what kind of situation you’re in,” said Thomas. “John, you’re my friend, and you’re a resourceful player, but you’re pretty straightforward. It sucks, but you represent a lot of players’ styles. Too many Duelists strong-arm their ways to victory. My deck used to be the same way, just throwing as much of ‘Ignis’’ fire at the opponent as possible and hoping to take them out. But I realized that I didn’t want to be like that.

 

“So,” he continued, “over the summer I sat down every night and tried to improve my deck. But I just couldn’t do it. Not until I remembered something you said about creating a focus around summoning tokens to fuel my spirit monster’s effect, and I remembered seeing a card in the bottom of my spare cards box; ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’. As soon as I added this card to my deck,” he gestured at the hologram of his Trap, “everything fell into place, and it’s all thanks to you. Now, I can beat you!”

 

“Our decks aren’t the only thing that matter,” I replied. “A Duelist’s inner strength, his will to fight, matters every bit as much as the cards he plays. Our decks are each built expertly well, and when two experts’ decks clash, it is their wills that will decide the battle in the end.”

 

“Well,” said Thomas, “let’s see whose will is stronger, once and for all. I begin and end my turn with the Spell card ‘Card of Safe Return’, so that each time you do kill my ‘Fox Fire’, I don’t just deal you damage and summon a Token, I also draw a card.”

 

“Good move,” I said approvingly. “Here goes. I draw!”

 

He’s put me in a tough situation. Every time I attack, I increase his advantage, but I don’t have any other method of winning that through attacks. I can’t change who I am, or how I play this game, since it reflects who I am. All I can do is carry on!

 

“I summon,” I declared, “my ‘Djinn Presider of Rituals’.”

 

The obese monster appeared, standing at my side (ATK: 1800).

 

“Summoning an audience to watch me win?” Thomas asked, smiling with pride.

 

I smiled back, “I attack your monster with ‘Presider’.”

 

The crowd gasped collectively. “You can’t be serious,” Thomas remarked, shocked by my recklessness, but I only continued to smile.

 

‘Presider’ slashed the fox in half, and there was another explosion ala ‘Backfire’ (4100-500-300=3300). I ignored it.

 

“I summon a ‘Fireball Token’,” Thomas declared, and another of the ghostly fireballs appeared.

 

“I attack it as well, with ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’,” I continued, and the dragon snuffed the ‘Fireball Token’ out with his claws.

 

“And the skull demon attacks directly!” I concluded. ‘Summoned Skull’ summoned lightning to rain down on Thomas, and he took his first real hit (7700-2500=5200).

 

I don’t have any Spells or Traps to play, I thought, at least not yet.

 

“I end my turn.”

 

“Then my ‘Fire Fox’ revives,” said Thomas, “and I draw an extra card.”

 

He drew two cards; one for his Spell card effect, and one to begin his turn.

 

“I play ‘Graceful Charity’ to draw three cards,” Thomas declared, “and then discard two. I discard two copies of ‘Hinotama Soul’, which activates ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’ twice, summoning two ‘Fireball Tokens’ to the field in defense mode.”

 

Two fireballs appeared, floating around the head of the elemental fox.

 

“I place one card face-down, and I end my turn. Give me your best shot.”

 

I smiled, There are times when this kid really reminds me of me. His whole attitude. He’s like me if I hadn’t been forced to grow up so fast, and fight so hard. I was wrong to assume that defeating him would be easy.

 

“I wouldn’t dream of giving this duel anything but my best,” I said, “and don’t think I’m dumb enough to attack your ‘Fox Fire’ again, when I can’t deal you any damage. Instead, I’ll attack the two ‘Fireball Tokens’ with ‘Red-Eyes’ and ‘Summoned Skull’.”

 

“And I,” Thomas declared, “counter with the Trap card ‘Negate Attack’!”

 

Flames and Lightning poured from my monsters, but they were swallowed up by a vortex long before they could reach the targets.

 

“I change ‘Presider’ to defense,” I concluded, “set one card, and end my turn.”

 

“This duel is almost over,” Thomas began. He drew a card to begin hid turn.

 

“I begin,” Thomas declared, “with the Spell card ‘Card of Demise’, to draw until I hold five cards.”

 

He drew again.

 

“Next, I summon my sprit monster, and the key to my entire deck, my favorite monster, ‘Flame Spirit - Ignis’!”

 

The fox-faced, many-eyes fire spirit appeared, floating in the air at Thomas’ side, his arms crossed defiantly (ATK: 1500). Thomas’ stance mirrored that of his monster.

 

“I tribute ‘Fox Fire’ and two ‘Fireball Tokens’ to cripple you,” Thomas declared, “with a total of twenty-one hundred damage!”

 

“In that case,” I countered, as Thomas’ other three monsters disappeared, and a barrage of fireballs appeared hanging in the air, in their place, “I use my last act of desperation. I discard ‘D.D. Crow’ to remove ‘Goka, the Pyre of Malice’ in your Graveyard from play!”

 

Some of the fireballs disappeared, just as ‘Ignis’ let the fireballs fly. They hit me, dealing not twenty-one hundred damage, but a much more manageable eighteen hundred (3300-1800=1500).

 

“Also,” I continued, “because I discarded a monster, I can also discard ‘Card Gifter’ to draw two cards from my deck.”

 

 

I discarded my second monster, and immediately drew two cards.

 

“A ‘Fireball Token’ is summoned when ‘Fox Fire’ goes to the Grave,” Thomas explained, the ghostly fire appearing, hanging in the air. “I tribute it as well, dealing you another six hundred!”

 

If he’s planning what I think he’s planning, I realized, Then I only have one chance!

 

“I remove a card in my Graveyard from play…”

 

I was pelted by more fireballs, smoke surrounding me.

 

“Now,” said Thomas, “I pay five hundred Life to Special Summon ‘Angel of Holy Fire’,”

 

 

A living form of fire in the shape of a woman appeared at Thomas’ opposite side (ATK: 1100).

 

“When my monster leaves the field, she is removed from play, but with two monsters out, I have enough tributes left to finish you off!”

 

“Not true,” I replied.

 

“What?”

 

“When you activated your most recent tribute effect,” I explained, “I took a gamble and activated the effect of the first card sent to my Graveyard this duel, by the effect of ‘Dealings in Darkness’, and it paid off, because that card was 'Damage Eater'! Instead of taking six hundred damage, I gained six hundred Life (1500+600=2100)!”

 

Thomas, frowned, but he insisted, “I still win! I tribute ‘Ignis’ to evolve him into his most powerful form!”

 

All except for two of ‘Ignis’’ eyes closed and sealed themselves, his jaw grew more angular and extended to a point, and a short, sharp horn grew from his nose. A long mane of scruffy hair sprouted from his head, neck, and upper back, and his wispy spirit tail solidified into two strong-looking legs covered in thick black fur from his waste to his knees. A fiery whip appeared in his right hand.

 

“This,” Thomas declared, “is the ‘Fire Elemental – True Ignis’ (ATK: 2700)! Once per turn, he can channel the soul of one other monster on the field into a direct attack, dealing you damage equal to half that monster’s attack.”

 

‘Angel of Holy Fire’ was absorbed into ‘Ignis’, and a fireball appeared in ‘Ignis’’ right hand. He threw it right at me, nailing me square in the chest, flames curing around my body (2100-550-300=1250).

 

“My ‘Angel’’s effect increases my ‘Ignis’’ power by one thousand until the end of the turn,” Thomas explained, and I looked at ‘Ignis’ and saw that he was right. A portion of the ‘Angel’’s fire lingered in ‘Ignis’’ hand, spreading from his hand across his body to his whip (ATK: 2700+1000=3700).

 

“Next,” Thomas continued, “I remove the last obstacle to my victory with the Spell card ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying every Spell and Trap in play. This has the added bonus of destroying your ‘Skull’, which was summoned by ‘Call of the Haunted’.”

 

A massive whirlwind picked up, its destructive force ripping apart ‘Backfire’, ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’, ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’, and ‘Card of Safe Return’, as well as my ‘Call of the Haunted’ and my face-down card. ‘Summoned Skull’ faded into wisps of black smoke.

 

“’Ignis’ attacks your ‘Red-Eyes’ with Fire Whip!” Thomas commanded. “I win!”

 

‘Ignis’ lashed with his whip, right at the dragon’s head, but at the last second, the whip was deflected by an invisible barrier, three chanting monks appearing behind it, speaking an imperceptible prayer.

 

“Sorry, Thomas,” I said, genuinely sorry, “but just before it was destroyed, I triggered my face-down ‘Waboku’. Me and my monsters are safe from damage for a full turn. Your finishing move has been brought to a halt, and it’s my turn. That means I have one more chance to turn this duel around. In fact, if I fail to make a comeback this turn, I’ll give the duel to you.”

 

“The only way to truly turn this duel around,” Thomas explained, “would be to destroy ‘True Ignis’, but he has another Special Ability. If he’s destroyed in battle, I can remove two fire monsters in my Graveyard from play to revive him in the next turn! Getting by him is almost impossible.”

 

 

“Good,” I said. “I like doing the impossible. I draw!”

 

When I saw my next card, I was relieved, Finally! Now maybe I’ll be able to draw something worthwhile.

 

“I play ‘Pot of Greed’,” I declared, “to draw two cards.”

 

I drew again, and when I would usually have been proud, I wasn’t. I frowned.

 

“Sorry again, Thomas,” I said, “but I win. I finally have everything I need to summon my ultimate card. I summon ‘D.D. Guide’ to your side of the field.”

 

The cloaked figure of my monster appeared alongside ‘Ignis’ (ATK: 1400).

 

“Also,” I continued, “since your ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’ was still in effect you’re your original ‘Ignis’ was removed from the field, you still control a single ‘Fireball Token’. I play ‘Level Value’. I return the Level four or lower ‘Djinn Presider of Rituals’ to my deck to draw cards equal to half his level, rounded up.”

 

 

My ‘Presider Disappeared, and I drew more cards.

 

“Now,” I continued, “because you control two more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon ‘The Fiend Megacyber’.”

 

The yellow and black warrior appeared at my side.

 

“And I discard two cards,” I continued, “to transform my warrior into ‘The Fiend Omegacyber’.”

 

Energy built around my monster, and his armor burned away, forming the white armor of my most powerful card. He stood there, bolts of energy lancing off of him, and rolling across his body (ATK: 3000).

 

“I attack,” I commanded, “with ‘Omegacyber’, Omega Impact!”

 

My monster charged forward and punched the ‘D.D. Guide’ as hard as he could, saturating him with static energy that blasted him apart (4700+1400-3000=3100).

 

“You left my ‘Ignis’?” Thomas wondered. “Why?”

 

“Because I’m not through with you yet,” I answered. “I play ‘Quick Summon’, tributing ‘Omegacyber’ to summon the Dark God, ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”

 

‘The Fiend Omegacyber’ turned into black smoke, which took on the shape of my monster, a skeletal demon with a brown body and a glowing gem embedded in his forehead and in each of his massive, strong-looking shoulders. Dark flames burned in my monster’s hands as he rose up to his full, towering height of twenty or so feet.

 

“My monster’s Attack,” I explained, “is twice the Attack of the sacrificed monster (ATK: 6000). I watched Thomas, as the realization of defeat spread across his face, and I realized in that moment that I just couldn’t do it.

 

“But it’s still possible that you have something in your hand that will defeat me if I attack, so rather than be humiliated, I’ll end on a high note.”

 

I placed my hand on my Duel Disk, over my Life counter and my deck, “I surrender.”

 

At first nothing happened. The room was silent. Everyone was shocked. And then our Duel Disks shut down and our monsters disappeared, and the room erupted with cheers.

 

Pegasus walked back up and stepped up onto the arena alongside a still-stunned Thomas, giving me an approving look. He turned to the crowd and lifted a microphone to his lips, “Both Duelists fought well, but the winner is clear.”

 

He turned to my friend, and shook his hand, “Thomas, welcome to the Industrial Illusions family!”

 

Thomas looked at me, and asked, “Why?”

 

I smiled, “because you’ve learned more here, at this school, than I ever could hope to. You deserve this, not me.”

 

And in that moment, for the first time, I was sure that I’d made the right choice.

 

[spoiler=Card of the Day]

Like John, Thomas also has a card that represents the most powerful form of his favorite card, and like John's card, Thomas' "True Ignis" is a force to be reckoned with!

 

 

 

 

 

Next Chapter Looking Forward

 

The name says it all

[senron]

Yay! John learned a life lesson! And Thomas got what he deserved!!! Yay!!! True Ignis was really cool too.

[Stigma_Horrizone]

so, i guess this is the last of your fic that features John as a main character huh?

[legendhiro]

technically yes, though i'm planning to release a final story arch that takes place shortly after this and will tie into events in DFR. i'm not sure exactly when i will post it, though.

[Stigma_Horrizone]

sweet

[legendhiro]

the final chapter is up. time to say goodbye to John and Karen...for now.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter Thirty]

 

Looking Forward

 

 

“What happened?” Karen asked, rushing to my side. Ria stood beside her, looking at me like I was crazy. Thomas still looked stunned, as if he didn’t know whether or not to accept the gift I’d given him.

 

“Nothing happened,” I told Karen. “The way Thomas had been playing, I was afraid that if I attacked he’d have some way to redirect it, or to destroy my monster, or both. So I decided to go out on a high note.”

 

“That’s a load of crap, and you know it,” said Ria.

 

“She’s right,” said Thomas, stepping past Pegasus (who was listening to our every word) and joining the conversation. “I didn’t have anything to stop your attack and you know it. You told me that I deserve this more. That’s crap too. You should have won that duel.”

 

I sighed, “Listen, Thomas. I thought I’d gotten a lot stronger during my time here, but in terms of learning experience, you’ve lapped me. That’s what I mean. I obviously still have a lot more to learn.”

 

“We all do!” Karen insisted. “Are you really saying that you gave up this chance because you don’t feel ready? Do you think I feel ready? I need you. I need you with me, or I can’t go. I can’t do this.”

 

I took her hands, “Yes you can. You’ll be fine. And I’ll be alright here until I graduate. Maybe I can get onto the I2 team then.”

 

That’s when Pegasus took the opportunity to speak. He lowered his mic and cleared his throat, “You seem to have misunderstood a bit. I’m still busy making arrangements for both projects. I won’t be ready for any of you to begin until around the time of mid terms. You will remain here, and I will return at that time. Who knows,” he said, looking at me, “maybe by then I’ll have reason to add another Duelist to my employ, and maybe someone here will catch my eye.”

 

I smiled, “You were testing me.”

 

Pegasus smiled back in the way that he does, a silent yes, and then his face turned childish once again, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 

 

So, the day after mid terms, the four of us stood by the Academy Island peer and waited.

 

“This is gonna be great,” said Karen, her hand in mine. I’ll make the cards-.”

 

“And I’ll use ‘em to win,” I finished, and we looked into each others’ eyes and smiled.

 

“Look,” said Ria, “there it is!” she took her hand from Thomas’ and pointed at a large passenger ship which was just emerging from the fog. I recognized it.

 

“That’s the same ship,” I said.

 

“Yes it is,” said Karen. “The same ship that picked up the eighty Duelists who were to compete in the Duelist Kingdom tournament and ferried them to Teacher’s island. It’s his ship, after all.”

 

“That is sooo cool,” said Thomas. “Our boss has his own passenger liner! I’ve always wanted a passenger liner. Well, I’ve always wanted a boat. I don’t really care what k-.”

 

“Honey,” Ria interrupted, “we talked about this.”

 

“Oh,” Thomas said, blushing, “right.”

 

“This is it,” I said. “This is the first day of the rest of our lives.”

 

“I feel great,” said Ria, “and I look great! But I always look and feel great.”

 

“I’m excited,” said Thomas. “Really excited. And hungry. But I’m always excited and hungry.”

 

We all laughed, and I realized, not for the first time, that Thomas and Ria really were made for each other.

 

“I couldn’t be happier,” I said.

 

“Neither could I,” said Karen, laying her head on my shoulder.

 

“Stop being so adorable,” said Ria. “You’re making me nauseous.”

 

“You mean ‘nauseated’,” I corrected, but she ignored me.

 

We waited for several minutes for the ship to dock, and for the entry ramp to lower. As it did, we found ourselves joined by Pegasus, who walked up behind us without us hearing him.

 

“Hey, Boss,” I said. “I was wondering where you were.”

 

“I doubt that,” said Pegasus. “You were likely too busy observing your new accommodation. As I’m sure you’ve worked out by now, this is a historic ship. The very same ship that began the Duelist Kingdom tournament. It will take you all to New York City, where you will be taken to the Industrial Illusions headquarters located there. You will have free reign of the ship. After all, as I2 employees, you have access to all company amenities.”

 

“Teacher,” Karen asked, “you keep saying ‘you’. Aren’t you coming with us?”

 

“Oh, no,” Pegasus replied. “I find this place amusing. I think I’ll remain for a few days. No, it’ll be just you four and the staff. Do try to behave yourselves.”

 

“We’ll do our best,” I replied.

 

“I wonder what kind of food they have,” said Thomas. “I could really go for a steak. Or lobster. Or Shrimp. I really like shrimp. Hey, I wonder if they have lobster-stuffed shrimp! They have that now. It sounds pretty good, but it might be a little too much…”

 

He kept talking, and this time Ria let it go. He was talking as we boarded the ship. He was talking as we were given the tour by Pegasus’ assistant Croquet. He was talking as we ate dinner. I’d bet money that the kid talks in his sleep.

 

I wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, things seemed awfully boring nowadays whenever he wasn’t talking.

 

Go figure.

 

My Life was progressing. I was finally where I’d always dreamed of being. Where I’d always felt I was supposed to be.

 

Karen and I spent the evening lying on the deck, side by side, looking up at the sky. We watched the sun set, and then we watched the stars come out.

 

“The sky’s beautiful out here,” said Karen. “No pollution from the cities blotching it out.”

 

“Yeah,” I agreed.

 

We were silent again for awhile before Karen finally broke that silence.

 

“You were right,” she said

 

“Of course I was,” I replied. Then I paused, “Wait. About what?”

 

“In your letter to me,” she said, “way back, on the day that is not to be mentioned, you said that it seemed like I was trying to push you away. You were right. I wasn’t doing it on purpose, and I’m not doing it anymore.”

 

I looked over at her questioningly.

 

“I haven’t said much about my past with the Duelists of the Order,” she continued, “and I never will. But I will tell you this. I love you so much, and it scares me, because all my life, every time I’ve loved someone, something’s happened to them. I loved my parents, and they died. I loved Teacher as my new family, and I ended up betraying him by joining the Order. I loved Monty and Lawrence as my friends, but it was my leadership that put them into the position where they were brainwashed by Yami. That’s why I try to keep apart from people. Even Kimi, the closest thing I have anymore to a family, isn’t half as close to me as you. What if something horrible happens to you because I wasn’t strong enough to turn around and walk away from you?”

 

I smiled at her, “Then I’d be happy, because I got to know you for as long as I did. But that’s not going to happen, because I won’t let it.”

 

Karen smiled back, and the peaceful silence returned. And for the first time, I didn’t worry about dangers to come, or whether or not the people around me were friends or foes

 

Being who I am, I worry about those things a lot.

 

But for the first time in a long time, I didn’t have to be worried, because for the first time, my future looked bright.

 

 

Epilogue

 

 

My story may be over, more or less, as is the story of my friends in the Duel Force, but this isn't the end of the story of the Duel Force itself. Fast forward eighteen years. A girl named Kira finds herself trapped in a dream, face-to-face with a man called the Millennium Keeper. He tells her a story that will change her life, and the lives of her friends, forever. Because only they can stop the danger to come.

 

But first, they must overcome there inability to work well as a team, and the fear that they experience when they realize that their enemies are much stronger than them. Can they revive the Duel Force in time to defeat the greatest threat the world has ever known, the mysterious leader of the New Order? Can they do it without their leader, who has been taken by the Order for reasons unknown?

 

Find out in the next Chapter of the story of the Duelist's Souls:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! DA, End Turn