The non-original characters in this fanfiction are copyrighted to Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallup and Toei where applicable. All other characters are considered public domain by the author and may be used freely, but he does request that you ask permission as a courtesy.
The card names used are translations of the Official Card Game (OCG) names. For the TCG names, see the "Cards used" at the end of the story. And don't forget to e-mail me your thoughts (vm_postitnotes@yahoo.com). Thank you very much for reading.
--
"Now, I'll activate Newdoria's effect," Shougo shouted. "And destroy your believed bond with me... the Gemini Elves!"
Tenjouin looked in horror at their fading images. 'Could it be they really felt that, like I really felt the damage I took?'
"I'm going to end my turn, and then I'm going to ask you a question," Shougo said. He stared at his teacher with a steel gaze. "Have you thought this duel through completely yet?"
Tenjouin stopped before she drew her card. "What do you mean?"
"If you happen to defeat me, what do you think will happen to me?" Shougo chuckled with mirth. "This is a Dark Duel. Only the winner can walk out alive. The loser... will die."
Tenjouin grit her teeth. "In other words, if I win..."
"That's right. You'll lose the very person you've been trying to protect."
"In that case, I'll figure out a way to save you through this duel," Tenjouin shouted with determination as she pulled her card. "And convey our feelings to you. You're not alone... Shougo-kun!"
Shougo chuckled again, putting his hand to his head. Then he started to laugh. Slowly at first, then wilder, and uncontrollably.
"What's so funny?!" Tenjouin shouted.
"'You're not alone'... yes, that's right, Tenjouin-sensei. I'm not alone. I have an ally that will never leave me."
Tenjouin smiled. "So you understand..."
Shougo moved his hand off of his face, but his hair covered his eye. "Of course... I've always understood. My ally... is 'Darkness'."
He then brushed his hair aside, and it was clear that his eyes were empty and unfeeling.
"Because... I *am* Darkness."
Shougo cackled again, his laugh being the only one other than the ocean splashing against the island that could be heard.
-------------
YU-GI-OH! -0
Turn Nineteen: "White Night Heart: Asuka's Compromise"
-------------
Tenjouin - 2800 LP
Shougo - 1400 LP
"You know it, don't you, Tenjouin-sensei? There was a person named Aoyama Shougo some fifteen years ago. But he perished, along with everybody else! For a moment, there was unity! And then that boy, Yuki Judai, ruined everything!"
"No!" Tenjouin shouted. "Judai saved everyone from your curse! You led everyone to believe that despair was the only unity possible. You misled Fujiwara-san... and my brother... and you used your power to seal everyone in your terrible illusion. But Judai was able to stop you."
"Yes, it's true, the souls that Darkness took did return," Shougo said quietly. "But one person's despair was too great. He didn't want to return to a world that would always look on him as a loser. So great was his sorrow... that we knew his soul would be suitable as our own."
"You're lying!" Tenjouin said. "I dueled Shougo-kun when he came to the island. He had the spirit and the drive to win. He gave it all he had against me!"
"Yes... it's true," Shougo said. "There was a time when I really believed... I could forget about the reason I came back, and just live as a duelist. I almost believed... that I could change. People like you, and Chiba-san..."
He shook his head.
"No, it was all a lie... an illusion I made up for myself. Unless I give up the idea that I'm a kind, warm-hearted person, I'll always be a loser."
"Shougo-kun, that's not true and you know it!" Chiba shouted.
"No," Toragami said with a steady tone. "He's right."
Chiba blinked. "Huh?"
Toragami explained. "I recognized his power from the beginning. The power of 'Darkness'. The one that always threatens to sink the world into the pits of despair. The light that I hold... it can destroy it permanently. That's why I wanted to battle him at his full strength... not as the child he was pretending to be."
"Yes," Shougo murmured, as his voice shifted pitch again. "I really should thank you, Toragami. You woke me up. I'll show my gratitude by destroying you myself."
"No!" Tenjouin shouted. "Both of you, stop saying such ridiculous words!"
She gripped the cards in her hand intensely.
"You both are children," Tenjouin went on. "Whatever power's controlling your minds is confusing you, but you both are still free to choose your own paths in this world. As duelists, and as human beings. There's no reason to feel such destructive impulses."
Toragami didn't respond, but her expression softened ever so slightly. Aino and Katsuki were shocked. For Toragami to show such deference to anyone was unusual.
"In case you've forgotten, Tenjouin-sensei," Shougo said. "We're in the middle of a duel. If you don't make your move soon, it will be considered a forefeit."
"I haven't forgotten," Tenjouin said with a nod. "I summon Blade Skater in attack mode."
The striking-looking figure skater spun her way onto the field.
Blade Skater - LV4 Earth Warrior (1400 ATK)
"It's strange that I think of it now, but I originally wanted to be a dancer," Tenjouin mused. "As time went on, my deck reflected that. Your deck reflects something too, doesn't it, Shougo-kun? I know you can understand at least that much."
"I don't care about any of that," Shougo replied. "Make your move."
'If both my monsters attack, Shougo will lose this duel and his life,' Tenjouin thought to herself. 'I can't take that chance just yet.'
"Cyber Tutu, attack my opponent directly! Nouvelle Point!"
The ballerina spun and struck Shougo with her legs. This time, the attack connected, and Shougo reeled back, coughing hard as his life points dropped to 400.
Shougo - 1400 LP - 1000 -≥ 400 LP
"I end my turn," Tenjouin said.
"Are you serious?" Katsuki shouted. "Why didn't she attack with Blade Skater? Is she that afraid of Shougo's facedown card?"
"It's not just that she's playing it safe," Chiba observed. "Look at Blade Skater's body; her arms and legs have blades."
"And the damage in this duel seems to be real," Isabel added. "Shougo's barely hanging in there, and Tenjouin-sensei looks a bit flush, too."
"It's an act," Toragami said.
"What?" Chiba and Isabel exclaimed in unison
.
"Shougo is trying to put Tenjouin-sama off balance. He knows she's trying to save him. This is all a psychological game to him. Her feelings are not reaching him. The more she tries, the more she falls into his trap."
"Stop saying such awful things about Shougo-kun!" Chiba demanded. "You don't know him the same way we do."
"You're only reacting emotionally to the truth," Toragami said. "You know very well that none of us know him at all."
"That's right," Shougo said through sharp breaths. "None of you know me. You haven't had to endure the same things I have. No matter how much you think we're friends, I only see all of you as opponents."
"Shougo-kun..." Chiba realized Shougo was choosing his words to hurt Chiba specifically, and that thought in itself hurt. 'You're not the person I believe is my friend, Shougo-kun...'
Shougo ignored it, though. "My turn. Draw!" He then chuckled. "You've been taking it easy on me, haven't you, Tenjouin-sensei? You did then, and you still are now. You don't take me seriously as a duelist. You'll regret that in the next world."
A tremor went through Tenjouin and everyone watching. A strange, ethereal fire enclosed them, distorting the surroundings.
"I activate Foolish Burial, and send D.HERO Diabolicguy from my deck to my hand," he announced. "And with three Dark-attribute monsters in my cemetery, that means I can summon my ultimate dragon!"
A deep rumble in the earth...
Shougo pointed to the sky and shouted dramatically. "In time, all things return to Darkness! Demonstrate my meaning! Show yourself... Dark Armed Dragon!"
The dragon burst through the boardwalk and roared. Tenjouin and Shougo both struggled to regain their footing.
Dark Armed Dragon - LV7 Dark Dragon (2800 ATK)
Chiba looked at the monstrous dragon. "That card... it's the one that's caused people to bear so much resentment against Shougo. If Red-Eyes represents Shougo's hope, then Dark Armed Dragon is surely his despair."
"He hasn't changed at all," Toragami said. "He is still going for the easy setup. He thinks that dragon will decide the game."
"But he's won many times without it!" Isabel protested. "How can he still think that?"
"He's not thinking," Toragami said. "'Darkness' is fueling his mind and heart."
"What do you know about 'Darkness', Toragami-sama?" Katsuki asked. "And what is that light that Aoyama-kun and Tenjouin-sensei mentioned earlier?"
"'Darkness' is death and destruction," Toragami said. "It brings annihilation to all individual things. It's a terrible force. And if Tenjouin-sama loses here, it will probably swallow us all next."
"And what about the light?" Aino went on.
"This is not the time to worry about me," Toragami replied flatly.
"That facedown is 'Prima Light', without a doubt," Shougo said. "So I'm gonna get rid of that Blade Skater first! Attack, Dark Armed Dragon! Dark Armed Punisher!"
With a loud roar, the dragon crashed its fist against Blade Skater. She spat blood from her mouth as her body crumpled under its power, eliciting genuine horror from the observers and particularly from Tenjouin.
"My Blade Skater..." Tenjouin whispered as her life points fell. "She was in pain..."
"And now as for that 'Prima Light'," Shougo went on. "I'll remove Kuriboh from play to destroy it!"
Kuriboh floated on the field and then wailed painfully as it was transformed into dark energy that fueled Dark Armed Dragon's fists.
Tenjouin's head was lowered; she still appeared to be in shock.
Shougo's eyes widened madly. "Dark... GENOCIDE!"
Tenjouin raised her head a bit. "I took a terrible chance," she let slip. "But it worked out for me."
"What?"
"This is for you... Blade Skater," Tenjouin whispered, and then her body straightened out. "Reverse card open... 'Pure Pupil'! When an opponent's monster activates its effect while I control a monster with 1000 attack points or less, that effect is negated, and the monster is destroyed!"
Shougo's face flared hard as light shot out from Cyber Tutu. It struck Dark Armed Dragon and its body started to become bleached white. Its body fell forwards and caused a rumble in the boardwalk again, and it turned into a black liquid which sunk into the ocean.
"You damn useless beast," Shougo shouted, and then turned to Tenjouin. "How could you destroy my dragon? People feared me because of him!"
"But you never wanted anyone to fear you," Tenjouin said. "You wanted respect, Shougo-kun, and you never needed Dark Armed Dragon to get it. You've proved that time and again."
"Tenjouin-sama, this isn't the time to be gentle to your opponent!" Toragami shouted. "Do you think he doesn't know that you're holding back?"
Tenjouin turned her head back. "Toragami-san?"
"Shougo is lying to you," Toragami asserted. "It is as he said. The power of 'Darkness' and him are one. Therefore, even if you defeat him here, he won't die."
Tenjouin paused in her tracks. She wanted to believe Toragami's words, but it was impossible to be sure.
"I know the reason why you won't play the cards in your hand!" Toragami went on. "But you have to forget about your heart that was scorched by the light, and push forward!"
Tenjouin grit her teeth. "How can you say that, Toragami-san?" she said. "You don't know what that light almost did to the world..."
"Of course I know," Toragami said. "I am familiar with the power of that light... the Light of Ruin..."
"The 'Light of Ruin'?" Chiba asked.
"Don't act surprised, Chiba-san," Toragami said. "You could see it in my battle aura. You know all about this power. As do you... Tenjouin-sama. You have to freeze your heart of its emotions if you want to defeat Shougo!"
"Hey, hey, now's not the time to be so easygoing," Shougo shouted. "I'm your opponent here! I'll activate D.HERO Diabolicguy's effect now. By removing it from play in my cemetery, I can Special Summon one from my deck."
The Destiny Hero arose on the field and drew its arms in front of it.
D.HERO Diabolicguy - Dark Warrior (800 DEF)
"Because its attack points are 800, Cyber Tutu won't be able to make a direct attack," Shougo said. "If you're going to hit me, you'll have to get through this monster first. I set one card facedown. Turn end!"
"My turn," Tenjouin said. "Draw!"
"Toragami's right, you know, Tenjouin-sensei?" Shougo jeered. "If you really want to save me, you'll have to use all the power you put into that deck. You'll have to surrender to that despair of the 'you' that you wanted to forget, make your heart cold and strike me down with all your might! But then, what kind of teacher would that make you... am I right, Tenjouin-sensei?"
Tenjouin's eyes widened as she recalled the nightmare she was locked in after Darkness had defeated her in the past. Children telling her she couldn't possibly teach anyone how to rise above their faults and become good duelists. Ironically, when she was rescued, it was that nightmare that caused her to strive even harder to become a professor.
All of a sudden, though, that hopelessness was revisited on her, and she questioned whether she was capable of calling herself a teacher if she couldn't save one boy.
"Tenjouin-sensei!" Chiba shouted.
"Tenjouin-sensei!" Isabel cried.
"Tenjouin-sensei..." Aino and Katsuki added.
"TENJOUIN-SAMA!" Toragami shouted.
Tenjouin was shot out of her haze by her students calling for her.
'That's right,' Tenjouin thought to herself. 'I can call myself a teacher. These students are counting on me. I have to do what I can to save them, just as I myself was saved many times by others in the past. It's my turn now!'
She looked at her hand. 'I'm not sure what I can do, though, without harming Shougo-kun,' she thought. 'He doesn't have many Life Points yet, and if I defeat him, I'm not sure what will happen to him. But what if Toragami-san is right...
'No! It's not true! I have to find a way to save him!'
She looked at the card she drew. It was the card Shougo had left behind. 'Perhaps, this will get my message through,' Tenjouin thought.
"I summon Super Hot Blooded Baseball Kid in defense mode," she declared, as the cartoonish looking monster appeared on the field.
Super Hot Blooded Baseball Kid - Fire Warrior (1000 DEF)
Shougo laughed derisively. "So you kept that card that I left?" he shouted. "I left it for a reason! I didn't want weak trash like that in my deck anymore!"
"What are you saying, Shougo-kun?" Chiba replied from the sidelines. "Did you forget... you beat me with that card!"
"Don't even kid!" Shougo shouted back. "You took it easy on me too! You could have beat me with your third Command Knight, but you didn't attack with her! Why?"
Chiba gasped and rubbed the back of his head, dumbfounded. 'I... in my rush, I must have forgotten about that,' he thought to himself. 'Oh my... I feel terrible!'
"In any case," Tenjouin said. "Wouldn't you have thrown away that card if you really felt that way about it? You kept it in your deck up until now."
"Only because I still harbored illusions about who I was." Shougo clenched his fists and then practically threw them outward. "I'm done with those now! I know who I really am!"
Tenjouin sighed in frustration. 'Why can't I get through to him?'
"I switch Cyber Tutu to defense and end my turn," she finally said.
"What?! Tenjouin-sensei... you could have won this turn!" Katsuki shouted. "What are you thinking?"
Isabel snapped her head in Katsuki's direction. "What do you think? She's trying to save him! If she wins this duel, Shougo will die!"
Toragami sighed deeply. 'Tenjouin-sama... this isn't working,' she thought to herself. 'When are you going to realize that the only way to get through to this boy is to defeat him? Place your all in victory. That is your only hope...'
"Are you just about through insulting me?" Shougo said with narrowed eyes. "I'll send you all to hell! My turn... draw!"
He glanced at his hand and chuckled evilly. "You shouldn't have given me the chance to turn this around," he smirked. "Now victory is mine! I play the continuous magic card, 'Soul Absorption'!"
The image of the card appeared on the field. "Now I gain 500 life points each time a card is excluded from the game," Shougo explained. "Which is really handy to me right now. I activate D.HERO Diabolicguy's effect! When he's in the cemetery, I can exclude him from the game to summon another one from my deck!"
Shougo's deck glowed and surrounded him with a thin film of light, raising his life points up to 900.
Shougo - 400 LP + 500 -≥ 900 LP
Shortly thereafter, the Destiny Hero appeared on the field.
D.HERO Diabolicguy (800 DEF)
"Now, I'll sacrifice Diabolicguy," Shougo said. "And summon Wicked Emperor Gaius!"
"An Emperor card?!" Katsuki shouted, her expression suddenly changing. "H... he's serious!"
An armored tower of a being, dressed in black armor and surrounded by black electric energy emerged on the field.
Wicked Emperor Gaius - Dark Demon (2400 ATK)
"Now that I've summoned Gaius, I can remove from play one card on the field. Hmm, what will it be?" He scanned Tenjouin's field and grinned maliciously. "I could erase your Cyber Tutu and cause you despair, but no... I think I'll exclude that worthless card of mine. Gaius, your target... is Baseball Kid! Go, Darkness Edict!"
Gaius raised its arm and clenched its fist, shooting a bolt of dark lightning which opened a black portal under which he was pulled in, screaming in panic. Tenjouin's eyes shimmered.
Shougo chuckled as his life points raised up by 500 due to Soul Absorption.
Shougo - 900 LP + 500 -≥ 1400 LP
"Of course, Baseball Kid's fate seems almost merciful compared to what's next," Shougo declared. "Gaius! Destroy her Cyber Tutu! Nightmare Death!"
Gaius created a dark ball of power and hurled it at Cyber Tutu. She shrieked and fell to the ground at its impact. Like Blade Skater, Tutu hacked up some blood as she fell, her body twitching and her arm gripping her chest as she faded away. The visual shocked everyone present. Even Toragami winced a bit.
Tenjouin felt emotionally wrecked. 'Why? Why do the monsters feel so real?... Like living and breathing *people*? It's making me think twice before putting them in danger.'
"I'll set one card and end my turn," Shougo said.
Tenjouin exhaled sharply. "My turn... draw!"
'I have no choice but to get this duel going,' she thought to herself. 'I want to help Shougo-kun but... if things keep going this way, everyone here will be in danger.' She looked at her hand and noticed the card she'd drawn...
"Magic card activate... 'Spellbooks Inside the Pot'!" Tenjouin declared. "Both players draw three cards from their deck."
"I see you're still not serious," Shougo said as he pulled his cards. "Are you so sure you want to give me such a gift?"
"Think what you like," Tenjouin replied, retreiving her own cards. She glanced at her new cards...
'No... not this! Not now!'
One of the cards was "White Veil".
'How could I draw this card now of all times? I... I can't use this card! I'd regress all the way back to... no, I don't... I can't...'
Toragami noticed Tenjouin's change of posture. "Tenjouin-sama," she said. "You can't be afraid."
"Toragami-san?"
"Put your feelings aside and use the card," Toragami replied. "There is too much at stake *not* to."
"No!" Tenjouin shouted. "No!" She hugged herself, feeling cold suddenly. "I can't go back down that road. I may go all the way back and..."
"You need to think clearly," Toragami replied. "This is what he wants... for you to doubt yourself and hold back, not do your best to win. But just remember what's at stake, Tenjouin-sama. You must put away your fears and do your best."
'No... I can do my best, but that does not involve using this card,' Tenjouin thought to herself. 'Besides, the other cards I've drawn will turn this game around for me anyway.'
"I summon Cyber Petit Angel in defense mode," Tenjouin announced as the cute monster with only a head and limbs appeared, holding a bow and arrow.
Cyber Petit Angel - LV2 Light Angel (200 DEF)
"And its effect activates. I place one Machine Angel Ritual from my deck to my hand." Scanning her deck, she replaced the required card in her hand. "And I'll activate it now!"
Twin mechanical pillars topped with flame rose on the field behind Tenjouin.
"Cyber Prima... Cyber Petit Angel... lend me your power to revive the machine goddess!" Tenjouin shouted. She then slapped the ritual card down on her Duel Disk. "Show yourself... Cyber Angel Dakini!"
Prima appeared beside Petit Angel atop the flaming pillars and they both turned into points of light that met on the field, and the four-armed figure of Dakini, wielding a staff in two hands and swords in each of her other hands, appeared.
Cyber Angel Dakini - LV7 Light Angel (2700 ATK)
"Now, Dakini's effect activates," Tenjouin went on. "You select a monster on your side of the field and Dakini automatically destroys it. You only have one monster, Shougo-kun, so Dakini destroys Wicked Emperor Gaius!"
Shougo glared at the fading body of his monster. "Tch, what a worthless thing," he spat.
"You don't have time to look down on your monsters," Tenjouin reminded him. "With your field clear, Dakini now will attack you directly. Go, Cyber Angel Dakini! Angelic Cut!"
Tenjouin's monster twirled her swords acrobatically and leapt onto Shougo's side of the field to execute her attack. But Shougo didn't look worried.
"Reverse card... open!" he snarled. "'Drain Shield'!"
"W... what?" Tenjouin shocked. "No!"
"I'm afraid so! My life points will raise up... by the attack of your monster! Which means, you've just handed me what I need to stay in this fight! Thank you very much, sensei!" He began to laugh aloud once again as Dakini struck the shield generated by his trap.
Shougo - 1400 LP + 2700 -≥ 4100 LP
'No... If I had equipped her with White Veil...' Tenjouin shuddered violently at the realization. 'If I had equipped Cyber Angel Dakini with White Veil... I would have won. Now I don't know what will happen!'
"I end my turn," Tenjouin said flatly.
"Hmph," Shougo said. "In that case, before I begin mine, I'll reveal my other facedown. 'Blazes of Demise'! And summon two Demise tokens." The odd creatures cackled as they emerged on the field.
Demise Token - LV1 Dark Demon (0 DEF)
Demise Token - LV1 Dark Demon (0 DEF)
"That can only mean he's planning on sacrificing them for something big," Chiba said timidly. "Tenjouin-sensei might be in trouble..."
"Draw!" Shougo shouted. "And I sacrifice the two tokens to summon Dark Angel Zerato!"
Once again the panels on the boardwalk seemed to break as Shougo's angel monster tore through from below. It unsheathed its sword and posed menacingly.
Dark Angel Zerato - LV8 Dark Angel (2800 ATK)
"Dark Angel Zerato, attack Dakini!" Shougo ordered, not wasting any time. "Wicked Wave!"
Tenjouin didn't look up as Zerato's sword wave broke across Cyber Angel Dakini's body, causing her to drop her weapons, fall on one knee and crumple. "I'm sorry," was all she could manage.
Tenjouin - 2800 LP - 100 -≥ 2700 LP
"That will be all for my turn." Shougo turned his head derisively.
"My turn," Tenjouin said quietly. "Draw."
"You're weak, Tenjouin-sensei," Shougo said. "You're weak for letting your emotions get the better of you. This isn't a duel at all! You've been trying to appeal to what you believe to be the child within me. But there is no such being! I have been Darkness from the beginning, as I have been saying!"
As Dakini returned to Tenjouin's side of the field, the professor reflected on his words. Her eyes reflected no light; she seemed to be in shock.
"Buck up, Tenjouin-sensei!" Isabel shouted.
"Don't let him play with your head!" Katsuki added.
"No," Tenjouin said.
The onlookers gasped at her response.
"Tenjouin-sama!" Toragami shouted, her eyes flaring with rare emotion. "Have you declared your defeat?!"
"He's right," Tenjouin sighed, holding her arm with her hand. "I am being weak right now. I should have listened to you, Toragami-san, but I was weak. I was afraid of bringing defeat to my student, but more importantly... I was worried about bringing defeat to myself."
"What are you talking about?" Aino asked, confused.
As the ocean began to move, Tenjouin spoke her words, her eyes still downcast. "That card... my past... I wanted to acknowledge it as my past, but not as a part of me. That is why I have the card in my deck. But... I can't do that anymore."
She reached up, and grasped the temple of her glasses. Tenjouin's vision was fine, but she wore decorative glasses in the interests of looking adult. An appearance. A front. Closing her eyes, she removed them, folded them and placed them into her pocket.
"Toragami-san," she said, keeping her eyes closed. "Please do me a favor."
"Yes?"
"If I forget..." Tenjouin said softly, her head bowed. "Remind me."
Toragami looked somewhat surprised, but then she nodded her assent. "I understand," she said simply. "And I will."
Tenjouin's brow furrowed, remembering Toragami's words. 'Forget about my heart that was scorched by the light... and push forward. It's the only way now. Unlock my hidden past... and create my own future. Win or draw... there is no lose in my destiny.'
"Shougo-kun..." she said slowly. "The true duel begins now."
When Tenjouin opened her golden eyes, they looked different. They still did not reflect light, but showed a steely, frozen determination.
"I set three cards," Tenjouin said. "Then I activate from my hand, 'Treasure from Heaven', forcing us to draw until we have six cards in our hand."
"Still giving me gifts, Tenjouin-sensei?" Shougo said as he drew his cards. "Are you really serious now?"
Tenjouin ignored her student. "I summon Snow Sprite in attack mode," she announced.
A creature made of ice and spouting snowflakes in her wake spun on the field. She pointed a finger upward as she arrived.
Snow Sprite - LV4 Light Angel (1100 ATK)
"What's that thing going to do?" Shougo scoffed.
"While this card is on the field, you are not allowed to play magic cards on your turn," Tenjouin explained. "You will have to set them for a turn first."
"But Dark Angel Zerato will destroy it next turn!" Katsuki shouted. "That was a pointless move! At least play it in defense!"
"Don't lose faith," Toragami said.
"W...what?" Katsuki stammered in surprise.
"Tenjouin-sama's eyes have changed. She's not the person she was a moment ago," Toragami replied, observing her teacher through narrowed eyes. "She's playing the game to win now."
"I set one card, and then activate from my hand, the field magic Absolute Ice Wall," Tenjouin said. The water around them started to solidify and form shards of ice which emerged all around the duelists and the onlookers. A cold wind started to blow.
"C-cold!" Isabel shivered.
"Are these Tenjouin-sensei's real cards?" Chiba wondered aloud.
"What are you planning?" Shougo shouted.
"You'll see," Tenjouin said. "I end my turn."
"Then I'll start mine! Draw! And..."
"Hold it."
Shougo blinked. "Huh?"
"Reverse card open, 'Call of the Living Dead'," Tenjouin declared. "Forgive me, but I need to call on you once more, Cyber Angel Dakini."
As the trap card revealed itself, a shadow of Dakini appeared on the field, looking none the worse for wear. As the image solidified, she turned to Tenjouin and nodded as if assenting to her use.
Cyber Angel Dakini (2700 ATK)
"Dakini's effect will activate once more," Tenjouin said. "And once more, you only have one monster. Dakini, destroy Zerato!"
Zerato roared as its body was pierced by Dakini's swords, and it toppled over to the ground, grunting in pain.
"Dark Angel... Zerato..." Shougo muttered. "How dare you do that to him?"
"Shougo-kun, or Darkness... whoever you are," Tenjouin said as she narrowed her steely eyes. "I'm no longer holding back. This is a real duel now. And I won't waste time with despair or regret. I am Tenjouin Asuka, head professor of Duel Academia, and I'll protect my students by defeating you... no matter what happens."
--
TODAY'S FEATURED CARD: The Effect Monster, "Wicked Emperor Gaius"
Level 6 Dark Demon, attack power 2400, defense power 1000. Arguably the most powerful and feared of the Emperor cards, its effect allows it to exclude any card on the field from the game, and if the chosen card is a Dark monster, 1000 points of damage are done to your opponent.
--
Tenjouin: "If I open the path of light, I may lose myself. But to make another choice now..."
Aino: "Tenjouin-sensei reveals the true power she'd been hiding... a brutal and fearsome force."
Toragami: "To walk this path, one has to seal their heart. Tenjouin-sama is doing what is best for everyone."
Chiba: "Whoever is using Shougo-kun is not going to go down just like that, though..."
Katsuki: "Wait a minute... Tenjouin-sensei has that dragon...?"
Aino: "The Blue Ice White Nights Dragon reveals itself, and it seems the duel shall be decided. Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! Negative Zero: 'No Regrets! White Veil, Activate'."
Tenjouin: "If I continue to avoid my past, I will have no future. My students will have no future. I cannot... I will not regret this choice...!"
--
CARDS USED BY ASUKA TENJOUIN:
* GEMINI ELVES (Gemini Elf)
Normal Monster (LV4 Light Spellcaster, 1900/900)
Elf twins that alternate their attacks.
* BLADE SKATER
Normal Monster (L4 Earth Warrior, 1400/1500)
An image of beauty on the ice, this gorgeous warrior rips her opponents to pieces with her stylish Accel Slicer attack.
* PURE PUPIL
Counter Trap
Activate only when you control a monster with an Attack power of 1000 or less, and your opponent activates the effect of an Effect Monster. Negate the effect, and destroy that monster.
* SUPER HOT-BLOODED BASEBALL KID (Ultimate Baseball Kid)
Effect Monster (L3 Fire Warrior, 500/1000)
This card gains 1000 ATK for each other Fire-attribute Monster on the field. You can send 1 Fire-attribute Monster you control other than this card to the cemetery to inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent.
* SPELLBOOKS INSIDE THE POT
Normal Magic
Both players draw 3 cards.
* WHITE VEIL
Equip Magic
When the monster equipped with this card attacks, all Magic and Trap Cards on your opponent's side of the field are destroyed and their effects are negated. When the equipped monster is destroyed, take damage to your Life Points equal to the ATK of the equipped monster.
* CYBER PETIT ANGEL
Effect Monster (L2 Light Angel, 300/200)
When this card is Summoned you can select 1 "Machine Goddess Ritual" from your Deck and add it to your hand.
* MACHINE ANGEL RITUAL
Ritual Magic
This card is used to Ritual Summon a "Cyber Angel" Monster. You must offer monsters whose total Level equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster.
* CYBER PRIMA
Effect Monster (L6 Light Warrior, 2300/1600)
When this card is Tribute Summoned, destroy all face-up Magic cards on the field.
* CYBER ANGEL DAKINI
Effect Monster (L8 Light Angel, 2700/2400)
This card can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Magic Card "Machine Goddess Ritual". When this card is Special Summoned, the opponent selects 1 Monster on their side of the field and destroys it. This monster inflicts piercing damage.
* TREASURE FROM HEAVEN (Card of Sanctity)
Normal Magic
Both players draw cards until they have 6 cards in their hand.
* SNOW SPRITE (Snow Fairy)
Effect Monster (L4 Light Angel, 1100/700)
While this card is face-up on the field, your opponent cannot activate Magic Cards from their hand, and cannot activate Magic Cards on the turn they are Set.
* ABSOLUTE ICE WALL (Absolute Zero Barrier)
Field Magic
Monsters with Ice Counters lose 500 Attack points for each Ice Counter on them and cannot declare an attack.
* CALL OF THE LIVING DEAD (Call of the Hanted)
Continuous Trap
Select 1 Monster in your cemetery and Special Summon it in Attack Position. If the selected Monster is destroyed, destroy this card. If this card is removed from the field, destroy the monster.
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CARDS USED BY SHOUGO AOYAMA:
* NEWDORIA
Effect Monster (L4 Dark Demon, 1200/800)
When this card is destroyed and sent to the cemetery as a result of battle, destroy 1 monster on the field.
* FOOLISH BURIAL
Normal Magic
Select 1 Monster card from your deck and send it to your cemetery.
* D.HERO DIABOLICGUY (Destiny Hero - Malicious)
Effect Monster (L6 Dark Warrior, 800/800)
By removing this card in your cemetery from play, select 1 "D.HERO Diabolicguy" from your Deck and Special Summon it.
* KURIBOH
Effect Monster (L1 Dark Demon, 300/200)
When your opponent attacks you during their Battle Phase, you may discard this card from your hand to make the Battle Damage from that attack 0.
* SOUL ABSORPTION
Continuous Magic
Each time a card is removed from play, raise your Life Points by 500 for each card removed from play.
* WICKED EMPEROR GAIUS (Caius the Shadow Monarch)
Effect Monster (L6 Dark Demon, 2400/1000)
When this card is summoned with a sacrifice, remove from play 1 card on the field. If the card is a Dark-attribute Monster, inflict 1000 points of damage to your opponent.
* BLAZES OF DEMISE (Fires of Doomsday)
Instant Magic
You may not Summon monsters on the turn you activate this card. Special Summon 2 "Demise Tokens" (LV1 Dark Demon, 0/0) in Defense position. These tokens cannot be Tributed for the Tribute Summon of a non-Dark-Attribute Monster.
* DARK ANGEL ZERATO (Darklord Zerato)
Effect Monster (L8 Dark Angel, 2800/2300)
If there are 4 or more Dark-attribute monsters with different names in your Graveyard, you can Normal Summon this monster by sacrificing 1 Dark-attribute monster. You can send 1 Dark-attribute monster from your hand to the cemetery to destroy all monsters your opponent controls. If you activate this effect, destroy this card during the End Phase of this turn.
* DRAIN SHIELD
Normal Trap
Negate the attack of 1 of your opponent's monsters and gain Life Points equal to its ATK.
