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_). Thank you very much for reading.
Special thanks to AxelDH and Jaymie-chan for inspiring the characters of Heilos Tai and Kagome Mizuno, respectively. The latter also planned this duel, so proper dues should be given to her as well.
Mizuno's glasses shimmered with a strange light. "And now, for the moment I've been waiting for."
"I recognize the card she has," Isabel said with a gasp. "The one she fetched with 'Elemental Hero Airman'... from Shougo-san's duel with Horiuchi..."
There wasn't much more time for the others to inquire before Mizuno made her intention plain.
"Clouds, beings made of water, now surrender yourselves and become the water of the human body! The heat through which our passion burns brightly! Life itself! I sacrifice the Cloudians Turbulence and my two Smoke Balls now!"
Thunder was heard in the distance and a figure formed in the air. A black figure with demonic wings, a tail and a dragon arm for a hand, it descended down, dark angel as it was, like lightning from heaven.
"As I thought..." Isabel whispered. The other students who recognized the card also were in shock and awe at its sight.
"Bring yourself out of slumber now," Mizuno said, the reverence in her voice chilling. "The beat of my heart itself...
"Destiny Hero - Bloo-D!"
Aino now understood. "Impossible!"
"How can someone like that have that card?!" Katsuki shouted.
But there it was, plain as day to all who witnessed, floating down to the playing field.
Destiny Hero - Bloo-D - LV8 Dark Warrior (1900 ATK)
========
YU-GI-OH! Negative Zero: Genex Midterms
Turn 29: "The Caged Girl, the Boy in Flight"
========
Shougo stirred from his drug-induced sleep to see that a flat screen plasma television over his head was turned on. Ayukawa was sitting next to his bedside.
"I thought you should see some of the tournament in your waking hours," she explained, and gave a closed-eyed smile.
A strange monster was on the television, sitting next to a duelist he'd never seen before, an Obelisk Blue wearing glasses.
"H... how?" Shougo gasped. "Are there cameras on the Duel Disks?"
"What a good guess," Ayukawa said. "The new Genex Duel Disks all have cameras attached. We have a staff who's getting the transmissions in and choosing which ones are best to air. Right now, I hear, the decision is unanimous. This girl has summoned the Ultimate D-Card."
"The Ultimate D... she summoned Bloo-D?! I thought there were only five in the whole world!"
Ayukawa nodded. "I have a feeling we're about to get an explanation..."
--
Isabel basically reiterated Shougo's shocked expression. "I heard they published Bloo-D along with 'Destiny Rewritten' as an Ultra Rare card... but there are supposed to be only five copies?"
"Horiuchi had one of them," Mark reminded Isabel. "Remember his exhibition match with Shougo? He fused Bloo-D with Dogmaguy to make 'Dragoon D-END'."
"After that disgraceful match, the card was taken away from him," Aino explained. "After some disagreement about who the card should revert to, it fell into the hands of the Toragami zaibatsu. But there's a family that holds the four others, and are trying to buy the one that the Toragami zaibatsu holds."
"Mizuno Kagome's family?" Isabel queried.
"That's right," Katsuki said, with a quick roll of her eyes. "No one is sure where the Mizuno family got their money, but they're devoting it all to their princess of a daughter. I thought they were buying the cards as an investment, but apparently it's all for her sake."
"Says the girl who had her family create a card just for her!" Aino sneered. "You're one to talk."
"Well... that's just how business is, I guess," Katsuki said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Destiny Hero Bloo-D's effect activates," Mizuno said. "The life force of one of your monsters becomes his to use! Bloo-D! Absorb the blood of those Harpie Lady Sisters... NOW!"
The force with which Mizuno delivered her command was another shock. The sisters hugged each other in fear, but when Bloo-D spread its wings, a vortex appeared which headed towards the sisters. Unable to resist, they turned into dark red energy which flowed into Bloo-D
Destiny Hero Bloo-D - 1900 ATK + 975 = 2875 ATK
"What a massive disgrace you've done to my beloved Harpies!" Heilos shouted. "Give them back!"
"They're not anywhere," Mizuno replied. "Their blood is now part of my Destiny Hero, their spirit fueling his rage. The same rage that my family feels when presented with rich buffoons born into money, or with duelist wannabe clowns like you!"
"Are you calling me a wannabe?!" Heilos was offended now. "You'd better back up your words!"
"I plan to," Mizuno said with a smug chuckle. "But first I need to explain another important effect that Bloo-D has. You see, his presence dominates all other monsters, and makes them cower in fear, unable to use their special powers. In other words, your Harpies are about to become a little weaker."
Bloo-D's eyes glowed, and Heilos' remaining Harpies shivered as their strengths drained.
Harpie Lady 1 - LV4 Wind Bird (1600 ATK - 300 = 1300 ATK)
Harpie Lady - SB - LV4 Wind Bird (2100 ATK - 300 = 1800 ATK)
"What's your beef with me?" Heilos asked. "Why are you using such harsh words?"
"Why?"
Mizuno rolled her eyes as if such a question were so obvious that to even ask it was an insult. "People seek many things in this world. Money is one of those things. But money is nothing but the representation of a debt. And so, we're all in debt to a higher power. But who is that higher power, exactly?"
"What does this have to do with me?" Heilos said, clearly growing impatient.
"The Mizuno 'clan' isn't a clan at all. It's just my mother and father, and my father's relatives. My mother was an only child, and her parents died while she was young. We made our money the square way, through smart investments and spending wisely. But does that matter?"
"I guess the answer is no," Heilos said.
"Damn right the answer is no." Mizuno turned her head. "In this world of dueling, all that matters is reputation. It's not that Mizuno has a bad reputation. It's that we have none at all! And in some ways, that's even worse! But with this card..."
"What is she talking about?" Isabel asked.
Katsuki sighed softly. "You and Mark are new to Japanese culture," she said. "I can't give you the full lesson right now, but there are several powerful families in the world of dueling. Before Duel Monsters, they competed in mah jongg, shogi and other local games, but they proved their worth by winning, consistently."
"That lust for winning extended to other areas," Aino continued her thought. "Such as investments and real estate. Soon, these groups controlled and dominated the country. And since these families have existed for a long time, they've had many children, and those children have had children. In short, it's a dynasty."
"Is that so?" Mark mumbled. "Like Rockefellers and Kennedys? Doesn't sound so different from America."
"Humph..." Heilos scoffed to the side. "I'm still not hearing the reason how that involves me. In fact, if it wasn't for that card sealing my lovely harpies away and canceling their effects, I could care less about it!"
Mizuno hissed. "Destiny Hero - Bloo-D!" she ordered her monster. "Destroy his Harpie Lady Cyber Bondage with Bloody Fears!"
The whole audience drew in a gasp as Bloo-D drew back its wings, and energy seemed to pulsate from within them. It then roared as its attack blasted Heilos' field.
As Heilos' Cyber Bondage Harpie Lady was pierced by Bloo-D's toxic dark red rays, the green dressed duelist turned his head to the side in pain at the sight of his lovely monster destroyed.
Heilos - 4000 LP - 1075 = 2925 LP
Katsuki raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't she attack the weaker Harpie Lady?"
"Shiho-chan, you need to pay attention to what's going on," Aino sighed. "She still has Airman on the field. If she destroyed Harpie Lady with Bloo-D, Airman would have to suicide against the other one."
"Oh," Katsuki said, and laughed uncomfortably. "I knew that! I was just testing you!"
Mark tried very hard not to roll his eyes.
"Elemental Hero Airman, destroy Heilos' other bird!" Mizuno said, pointing with her Duel Disk arm at Heilos' field. Airman obediently shot a blast of wind at Harpie Lady, who yelled as she was destroyed.
"You know what?" Heilos growled pointing at Bloo-D. "I take back my previous comment..."
Heilos - 2925 LP - 500 = 2425 LP
Even as his Harpie Lady 1 was blasted away by Airman, Heilos continued to narrow his eyes. "I now have an interest in that card... For using and destroying my lovely ladies... I now aim to destroy it!"
"Do it if you can," Mizuno spat. "Turn end!"
Slowly clicking a card from the top of his deck, Heilos looked at it before he leered at Mizuno, malice seeping from his eyes. "You gave me a sob story... But if you're looking for a shoulder to cry on, look somewhere else."
His thoughts became silent. And if you try Toragami-sama's shoulder...
"Your story is nothing compared to mine," Heilos continued, ignoring the comments. "Unlike you, I didn't have everything handed to me on a silver platter. The platter was already scavenged by my older brothers and sister... all to improve their success in the government, the business world, and law! I was practically a statue to the rest of my family and to anyone who met them!"
"'Statue'?" Mizuno rolled her eyes. "You sure talk an awful lot for a statue. And I suppose you think because you're such a hard worker, you deserve something for your trouble?"
"Humph, I'm not saying I'm a special case," Heilos spat... And then ran his fingers on the cravat at his neck. "But I doubt you would understand how I would feel... I never even had my own set of clothes, only hand-me-downs. Heck, I'm even wearing my eldest brother's cravat right now, my second older brother's shirt and my sister's belt."
"Sister's... belt?" Isabel quirked an eyebrow, while Mark couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Ur... Uh, w-well," Heilos coughed with a small blush appearing on his face. "It was either the belt, or my sister's skirt..."
"A skirt would look better on you, I think!" Mizuno said, and then started to laugh in a somewhat high-pitched tone.
"Urk!" Heilos coughed. "N-Now's not the time for fashion advice! Back to what I was getting at - I was treated like a statue by my family and would-be friends. The only treatment I'd really ever get were the insults by my so called older siblings. Heck, they just thought of me as a nuisance... treating me as the runt and thinking I was weak.
"And personally..." Heilos muttered turning his head to the
side. "They were right."
"Just get to the point already!" a Ra onlooker shouted.
"We have places to be!" an Osiris shouted. "Stop talking so much!"
"Humph... Impatient crowd," Heilos stated looking over his hand of cards. "Sure, they allow the girl to speak, but when I pour my heart and soul out..."
Heilos snarled as he fitted the card into his duel disk's graveyard slot, "But fine! If you want me to make a move - Then here! Go! 'Hysteric Party'!"
That's when several feathers erupted from the ground, forming into two Harpie Lady 1s that were crouched down and the Harpie Lady - SB, all of them with enraged looks on their eyes.
Harpie Lady - SB - 1800 ATK
Harpie Lady 1 - 1400 DEF
Harpie Lady 1 - 1400 DEF
"By discarding one card from my hand, 'Hysteric Party' returns my lovely ladies back to the field," Heilos explained flinging his hand out. "Even the one I had to sacrifice to activate it! And now... Harpie Lady - SB! Slay Airman!"
"You'll lose something too," Mizuno said as a shine glinted in her glasses. "Airman's attack points are the same! Counterattack, Airman!"
As his bondage adorned harpie flew through the air, a small tear appeared in the corner of Heilos' eye. Forgive me...
Both monsters' holograms exploded as they clashed in mid-air in a terrific spectacle. Mizuno smirked. "Did you think such a small-fry monster could make a show of herself by committing suicide for her master?"
"This coming from a person who uses a card that is currently using the strength of my own card," Heilos snarled with his arms crossed.
"... I guess it was a stretch for you to know this card's history," Mizuno groaned as she rolled her eyes at Heilos. "Ask any duelist and they'll tell you that Bloo-D was originally one of a kind..."
Her personality suddenly shifted as she took on the appearance of a love-struck girl. "Just like Toragami-sama!"
Although he couldn't read minds, Heilos couldn't help but rub his temples with his free hand. Almost like a disturbance in the force...
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Katsuki shouted. "To flirt with Toragami-sama so openly like that?"
"...Yeah, what she said," Heilos stammered.
Toragami didn't say anything. She just coughed with her hand against her mouth. Aino glanced at her with concern.
Two loud crashes caught a few glances from the duel, the sources originating from Mark and Isabel falling flat on their faces.
Mizuno however, ignored everyone. "And this card was originally possessed by the one and only Edo Phoenix... The Destiny Duelist! But then again... Look who I'm talking to. You don't even know who Kujaku Mai is, so the chances that you have even heard of Edo Phoenix is..."
"Ah yes, Phoenix is quite the duelist," Heilos admitted. "And unlike this Kujyaki... whatever, I've actually heard of him... You'd have to live under a rock not to. So, I think you can spare us the history lesson. Turn end!"
"...I see," Mizuno growled as she flicked off the top card from her deck, her eyes narrowing at its dragon-like art. "Perhaps I should've expected you to interrupt... Green-kun."
"Must you call me that?" Heilos sighed with a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head.
Mizuno ignored Heilos as her graveyard slot glowed brightly, allowing two cards to pop right out of her duel disk. "I remove two of my Cloudians from my graveyard, in order to special summon the two 'Cloudian – Storm Dragon's!"
The clouds from the Sanctuary in the Sky began to rage and crash with thunder, two of the clouds floating in front of Mizuno, twisting and turning until the clouds began to form into what appeared as two large dragon-shaped clouds, both of them roaring loudly into the sky.
Cloudian - Storm Dragon - LV4 Water Angel (1000 ATK)
Cloudian - Storm Dragon - 1000 ATK
W-Well... at least my lovely Harpies are strong enough to block those, Heilos thought to himself.
...Before he realized that Mizuno was about to place a card onto her duel disk. This is just typical...
"I have yet to normal summon!" Mizuno announced as the clouds began form once more, this time turning into a large fluffy cloud that appeared to have a catty face, with several other smaller versions of the monster. "I summon 'Cloudian - Cirrostratus' in attack position!"
Cloudian - Cirrostratus - LV4 Water Angel (900 ATK)
The cloud then gave out a small meow, making Heilos snicker slightly. This is becoming too much...
"I wouldn't laugh at Cirrostratus," Mizuno advised as three puffs of cloud floated around the cat-shaped cloud. "Especially since when normal summoned, I can place one Fog Counter on the card for each Cloudian on the field.
"Currently, I have three of them. But let's make it an even four shall we? I activate one of my Storm Dragon's effect to place one Fog Counter on a card on the field."
"… And what are these Fog Counters supposed to do?" Heilos asked with his arms raised slightly. "I highly doubt that you'd want to gather them just to add some decorations to your monsters..."
"I guess you're not that dense," Mizuno stated as Cirrostratus began to breathe in more air, making the Cloudian grow larger and larger. "Well, you're right, Green-kun. You see, by removing two counters from Cirrostratus, I can destroy one monster on the field. So by removing four..."
Heilos' eyes widened as the two harpies in front of him were blasted away by a powerful windstorm that erupted from Cirrostratus' mouth, shattering the two monsters into countless feathers that flew around his body.
"I can destroy your only defense," Mizuno finished as her three Cloudians flew overhead.
And with that, Heilos' eyes seemed to lose the very fire that was in them when he began this duel...
Even his face down card, 'Triangle Ecstasy Spark', could only serve as a bluff. He had intended to finish her with it, but now...
"You don't even deserve to fall at the hands of Bloo-D," Mizuno stated as all three of her Cloudians surrounded Heilos, electricity surging through their cloudy bodies. "So, Cirrostratus! Storm Dragons! Attack Green-Kun's life points directly!"
Heilos perked his head up at the last second, realizing that countless bolts of electricity surged from the clouds, crashing into his body. Knowing that they holograms, however, didn't really help Heilos deal with the pain of losing. But instead of yelling out as his life points continued to drain to zero, he only clenched his jaw shut.
Heilos - 2425 LP - 2900 = 0 LP
And as the holograms began to disappear, Heilos fell to his knees as Mizuno laughed in haughty superiority. "My Plasma Cloud deck is flexible enough to overcome any situation," she declared as her Star Point meter clicked up to 8. "Toragami-sama, you'll see it for yourself soon!"
Lifting his head up, Heilos shot Mizuno a nasty glare. "Don't act so haughty," he muttered. "Toragami-sama will surely deal with you as she's dealt with so many others..."
"Just one moment," Aino reminded them. "You may have had an agreement with each other, but you never had an agreement with Toragami-sama."
Mizuno gasped. "What? No! But I have eight Star Points! Doesn't that prove I'm at least worthy of her attention?"
"You're just a child in love with her own imagination," Toragami muttered.
Mizuno seemed hurt to the core by this.
"In any case," Aino went on. "If you want to duel Toragami, you will have to..."
"Hold everything!" Katsuki shouted at the top of her lungs.
The gathered crowd stared at Katsuki as she recovered her breath from that tremendous yell.
"Before you do anything, Naomi-chan, there's one thing I have to do! One score I have to settle with a petulant little American!" She pointed dramatically at Mark.
"'Riceman'?" Mark looked confused.
"Beikokujin means 'American'," Isabel whispered, looking embarassed.
"Mark Walker, I've been waiting a long time for this!" Katsuki said. "I'm going to get revenge for you humiliating me in front of the entire school!"
"What, a grudge match?" an onlooker muttered.
"Who cares about this? The result is obvious," another said as she walked away. "Walker-kun was able to duel Toragami-san in the end, after all."
"Katsuki-san's just her pet dog, anyway," another said.
Katsuki sweatdropped while still pointing at Mark. "You didn't have to call me that," she said with much chagrin.
"Why not?" Mark snapped, his Japanese suddenly coming through clearly. "You have no problem with calling me 'Mark-dog'! That's just karma! Why should I even duel you? Do you even have any Star points left?"
"I have three, as it happens," Katsuki said, a vein on her forehead becoming visible. "And I'll bet them all on you!"
Mark laughed and shook his head. "Hold on, who said I was going to duel you? I have seven star points. Beating you would be like taking candy from a baby. I'd never be able to live with myself!"
"What's it to you how you get your Star points anyway?" Katsuki shouted with anger. "It'd be just another duel to you, right? Unless you're afraid? Is that it?"
Mark just rolled his eyes and turned away, but he was stopped by Isabel.
"You should reconsider," Isabel urged him.
"Why?" Mark whispered. "She's just a bully."
"Why do you think she's on your case so much?" Isabel murmured. "She's not gonna stop, you know? She's just gonna keep harassing you until you take her on head-on. And besides..."
She glanced back, making eye contact with Katsuki, who blushed and turned away.
"I think our little girl has a little bit of a crush on someone!" Isabel said and winked.
"You're kidding!" Mark shouted.
"If you want to nip this in the bud, you should just crush her back... with your deck," Isabel said. "Show that you're not interested! Besides, you should take a girl's feelings into consideration a little, even if you are a duelist."
"Fine," Mark said, turning to Katsuki. "But I'm not holding back. I don't want to waste these moves of mine on someone like you, Katsuki-san... but I'll show you that I'll fight on equal terms with anyone, even with a girl who says she hates me!"
"I'd have to care about you to hate you!" Katsuki said. "You're just an annoyance!"
"I'll match you and bet 3 Star points myself," Mark declared, activating his Duel Disk. "And I'm not going to change up my deck. What you saw is what you get!"
Katsuki turned on her own Duel Disk. "You bark like the dog that you are," she muttered. "Now I'll make you whimper like one!"
"Another storm, so soon after the last," Toragami sighed.
"Buck up, Toragami-san," Aino said. "It's going to be a tumultuous day indeed..."
"Duel!" the two shouted.
--
TODAY'S FEATURED CARD: "Cloudian - Storm Dragon"
Water fairy effect monster, attack points 1000, defense points 0. This card can only be summoned by excluding 1 Cloudian in the cemetery from the game. It can't be destroyed by battle and if it's in face up defense, it's destroyed. You can put 1 Fog Counter on a monster on the field once per turn. Combo it with other Cloudians to get field presence quickly! This is the fighting spirit of the Cloudians!
--
Mark: "How does someone like that Katsuki get in Obelisk?"
Aino: "The duel between Katsuki-san and Walker-kun goes as expected. But is there something else going on?"
Katsuki: "I'm not going to look like a fool again! I'm more than just Toragami-sama's footstool!"
Mizuno: "But if you were her footstool, you'd be touched by her..."
Toragami: "This will not end in your favor, Katsuki..."
Aino: "While Walker-kun reveals some of his new tactics, Katsuki-san seems overwhelmed, and she's reacting rather oddly..."
Katsuki: "I won't lose to this... baka baka baka baka ba~ka!"
Mark: "That goes double for me, lady. Do you seriously think Allure Queens can hold up against this deck I worked so hard on?"
Aino: "Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! Negative Zero: 'A Duelist's Pride?! Mark vs. Katsuki, One More Time'. Please enjoy."
Shougo: "I don't like not being able to duel, but it's not all bad... I get to get taken care of by Ayukawa-sensei!"
--
SUPPLEMENTAL SECTION
--
CARDS USED BY KAGOME MIZUNO:
ELEMENTAL HERO AIRMAN (TCG name: Elemental Hero Stratos)
Effect Monster (LV4 Wind Warrior, 1800/300) When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can select and activate one of these two effects:
* Destroy Magic or Trap Cards on the field equal to the number of "HERO" monsters you control other than "Elemental Hero Airman".
* Select 1 "HERO" monster in your deck and add it to your hand.
CLOUDIAN - SMOKE BALL
Normal Monster (LV1 Water Angel, 200/600)
Smoke Balls are newly born Cloudians. They fear being alone, and would rather swing and sway in the sky with their friends.
CLOUDIAN - TURBULENCE
Effect Monster (LV4 Water Angel, 800/0)
This card is not destroyed as a result of battle. If this card is in face-up Defense Position, destroy it. When this card is Normal Summoned, place 1 "Fog Counter" on it for each face-up "Cloudian" monster on the field. You can remove 1 "Fog Counter" from this card to Special Summon 1 "Cloudian - Smoke Ball" from your Deck or from either player's cemetery.
DESTINY HERO - BLOO-D (TCG name: Destiny Hero - Plasma)
Effect Monster (LV8 Dark Warrior, 1900/600)
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by sacrificing 3 monsters. Once per turn, select a monster your opponent controls and place it under your control as an Equip Card equipped to this card. (Only 1 monster can be equipped at a time.) This card gains Attack power equal to half the Attack power of the equipped monster, and any effects the card has.
CLOUDIAN - STORM DRAGON
Effect Monster (LV4 Water Angel, 1000/0)
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by removing from play 1 "Cloudian" monster from your cemetery. This card cannot be destroyed by battle. If this card is in face-up Defense Position, destroy it. Once per turn, you can place 1 Fog Counter on 1 monster on the field.
CLOUDIAN - CIRROSTRATUS
Effect Monster (LV4 Water Angel, 900/0)
This card cannot be destroyed by battle. If this card is in face-up Defense Position, destroy it. When you Normal Summon this card, place 1 Fog Counter on it for each "Cloudian" monster on the field. You can remove 2 Fog Counters from this card to destroy 1 monster on the field.
--
CARDS USED BY HEILOS TAI:
HARPIE LADY 1
Effect Monster (LV4 Wind Bird, 1300/1400)
This card's name is treated as "Harpie Lady" at all times. All Wind-attribute monsters gain 300 Attack points.
HARPIE LADY SISTERS
Effect Monster (LV6 Wind Bird, 1950/2100)
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by the effect of "Kaleidoscope - Magnificent Replication".
HARPIE LADY - SB (TCG name: Cyber Harpie Lady)
Effect Monster (LV4 Wind Bird, 1800/1300)
This card's name is treated as "Harpie Lady".
HYSTERIC PARTY
Continuous Trap
Discard 1 card from your hand. Special Summon as many "Harpie Lady" cards as possible from your cemetery. When this card is removed from the field, destroy all monsters that were Special Summoned by this card's effect.
TRIANGLE ECSTASY SPARK
Normal Magic
Until the End Phase of this turn, the ATK of all "Harpie Lady Sisters" becomes 2700, your opponent cannot activate any Trap Cards, and the effect of every Trap Card on your opponent's side of the field is negated.
