And moving on from the special, which has almost nothing to do with my characters, and book two, which is pretty slow and exposition-heavy, we come to my third book which is almost nothing but character moments and action. Enjoy!
Chapter OneMid-Match Collapse
It had been a few months since I’d defeated Max and helped him become free of the evil and mysterious Yami’s oppression and influence.
Don't know what I'm talking about? Well then, shame on you for starting on book three.
Yami, the master of our enemy, the evil Duelists of the Order, the evil secret group that had tried to kill me and my friends six or seven times now, was still out there, but for now he had left us alone. My friends, for the most part, thought that Yami and his followers had given up. They encouraged me to start competing in tournaments again, to move on with my life as a Duel Monsters player, or Duelist. So when I entered myself in the regional tournament at the local I2 Game Center, they thought I had finally begun to agree.
Truth was, Max, Karen, and I were the only members of my team, the Duel Force, who believed the Order was still plotting against us. Max knows Yami pretty well (which may be the greatest understatement ever), and Karen, one of Yami’s former minions, is one of the smartest people I know. The fact that the two of them were anticipating an attack was more than enough to convince me. As far as the three of us were concerned, the Order was coming, and it was our turn to go on the offensive.
The third major series of events in the story of the Duel Force began as I was about to take part in the semi-final round of the local Regionals, in my hometown of Checker County Ohio. We didn't get a lot of big tournaments in our area, and I would have been excited to participate if not for what I had planned. I had been careful to wear a white t-shirt under my signature black jacket. That way my Duelist’s Soul, the Soul of Darkness, would stand out. If anyone watching me was a member of the Order they would recognize the Soul right away. Hopefully they would see my flaunting it as a challenge.
As my semi-final match began, I stood at one end of the massive Duel Disk arena, part of the Game Center’s new outdoor Duel Yard, opposite my opponent, a kid named Richard. I pushed my unruly brown hair out of my brown eyes as I sized him up. He was sixteen, my age, with white blond hair wearing a black t-shirt with a red spiral on the front and ragged dark blue jeans. I’d heard he was good, so when my head started to hurt a bit, I figured it was just nerves and dismissed it out of hand.
The beautiful dark-haired Karen, the fierce but loyal Max, my best friend Tucker, and my short-tempered sister Sarah were all in the audience, cheering me on. Or at least Karen, Tucker, and Sarah were. Max was busy watching the audience for anyone who might have been sent from the Order. He had discarded his trademark over-sized dark gray hooded sweatshirt for a better fitting lighter gray one, hood down, and a white ball cap emblazoned with a red “DM”. Sarah had her sandy blond hair up in a ponytail and wore a soccer jersey and knee length shorts. Karen, who never worried about her appearance yet always managed to dress well, was wearing a pink tank top under a purple vest, a red studded belt, and faded form-fitting jeans. Tucker, with his red hair and green eyes, was wearing a red t-shirt depicting a flame, and black jeans embroidered with a fire pattern up the left leg.
“It’s time for our next semi-final match,” said the Game Center announcer over the Duel Yard speakers. “Our computer has chosen Duelist #13 Richard, the 'High Gravity Duelist', to go first. How will John, the current favorite, handle this rising star?”
“I draw,” said Richard, “and activate the Spell card ‘Cost Down’, discarding one card to lower the level of every monster on hand by two until the end of the turn, letting me summon my ‘Gravity Behemoth’ to the field without tribute.” Richard discarded ’Gravity Bind’, and a massive black beast with two stubby curved horns appeared with a roar (ATK: 2300).
“Next,” Richard said, “I place a card face-down, and I pay one thousand Life Points and discard ‘Gravitic Orb’ to Special Summon ‘Gravity Chimera’ to the field as well (4000-1000=3000).”
A massive shadowy black wolf-like creature appeared alongside the first monster (ATK: 3000).
“That,” said Richard, full of confidence, “will end my turn.”
“Wow,” I said, “I can see why everyone says you’re good. But too bad for you, I’m better.”
I had in my hand the perfect combo to bring down Richard's monsters and most of his Life Points. I was sure of my victory, and had no idea that things were about to go very wrong.
Karen
“But too bad for you,” John said, smiling that cute confident smile of his, “I’m better. Because your monsters out number mine by at least two, I can Special Summon my Spirit as a Duelist, the dark warrior, ‘Fiend Megacyber’!”
John’s signature yellow-armored warrior appeared at his side (ATK: 2200).
“Next,” John continued, “I play ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying your face-down card.” A huge whirlwind picked up, carrying the face-down card into the air, revealing it as ‘Zero Gravity’, before destroying it.
“Now,” John declared, “I sacrifice ‘Fiend Megacyber’ to summon the Embodiment of my Soul, the mighty Demon Lord, ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”
The ‘Fiend Megacyber’, his arms crossed, dissolved into black smoke and reformed into a massive brown skeletal fiend with massive shoulders. Embedded in each shoulder and in his forehead were spherical red crystals. The Demon Lord crossed his arms, just as the warrior had done.
“‘Great Maju Garzett’,” John explained, "possesses strength that is twice that of the sacrificed monster.” The crystals on ‘Garzett’’s head and shoulders flashed, and his attack rose (2200x2=4400). Richard looked afraid.
“Now,” John continued, “I…I…I uhhh…”
I watched as John’s expression went blank and he fell first to his knees and then onto his face, unmoving. His Duel Disk's built-in heart monitor sensed that he was unconscious and his monster disappeared. Richard, who seemed honestly confused, and concerned, by what was happening, won by default.
Tucker and I reached John only moments before the Game Center security guard did, first aid kit in hand. He knelt down by John’s side, turning him over onto his back and checking him out. He gasped. “What?” I demanded.
“He…He’s gone into a coma. We need an ambulance. I’m definitely not equipped for this.”
The four of us were allowed to ride with John in the ambulance to the emergency room. The paramedics had removed his jacket and shirt in anticipation of cardiac arrest that thankfully did not come. Once we arrived at the hospital, we were surprised that we were not allowed to follow him on the stretcher to his room. Sarah and Tucker were pissed, but I managed to calm them down before any real harm could be done.
“This can’t be a coincidence,” said Tucker. “This has to be some kind of attack. Guess the Order isn’t gone after all.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “we have to be ready so that if they strike, they won't catch us off guard. I’m gonna call Jen so she can help us figure something out.”
Tucker nodded, but he seemed unsure. He turned and walked away, “You call Jen. I’m gonna call the rest of the team.”
Jen
Karen called me around 5:20. She told me that John was in the hospital, and that the team needed me. If I left now, I would likely arrive by bus at about the same time as the others. Amanda was out of town at some camp thing, so this time I wouldn’t have to walk the two blocks to her house first and pick her up.
“Let me come with you,” said my sister, Kris, as I hung up the phone.
“No way,” I said. “This could be really dangerous.”
“But I’m a Duelist too, and you’ll be a man short with John out of commission,” Kris' eyes, once pleading, turned momentarily zealous, “and besides, if I’m there and there is an attack, the Order won’t stand a chance.”
I pondered this for a minute. If the Order did attack, having another Duelist there could only help.
“Alright,” I said, letting logic overcome emotion and common sense, “but we have to be careful. I may have already lost my cousin today. I don’t want to lose my sister too.”
After grabbing my things from around the house, Kris and I ran to the nearest bus stop. We had taken this bus often enough that it felt routine. It was something that should have been comfortable. But instead, with each passing second, I couldn’t help but feel that something wicked was waiting for me at the end of the trip. Something unlike anything I’d ever faced before.
Card of the Day:
Gravity Chimera
Played by: Richard
Richard was supposed to be a one-off character, but I ended up really liking him for some reason, so here is his best card from this chapter, which also happens to be his favorite card, and an original card. The trifecta!
Next Chapter >>
No comments:
Post a Comment