Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Morphs: A Digimorphs Tale ❯ Duel Master ( Chapter 31 )

Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game and all related trademarks belong to Konami.

Digimon / Digital Monsters and all related trademarks belong to Bandai. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission.

 

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Duel Master

By nightdragon0 (nightdragon0@hotmail.com)

 

 

 

The ear-splitting explosion was accompanied by a blinding flash of light. She felt herself being thrown back, her own attack being no match for her opponent's.

Janet was slammed onto her back, feeling the rocks cracking and crunching beneath her armored dragon body. Pain shot through her in waves as her senses were completely disorientated. And yet, all that didn't stop her from crying out.

“Garghh! Argghh!!!” Janet rolled on the floor, squirming in agony.

The ominous thumping of her opponent's footsteps soon became apparent. Janet turned her head up as the creature, Arkadimon, stood over her. The demon showed no emotions on its face as it positioned itself, raising its claws up high.

Three fingers of the claw then shot out. They were spear-like fingers that sped straight towards Janet. She was already in a state of shock and simply seeing those weapons in action numbed her mind even more.

She was already imagining those claws impaling her, tearing through her flesh and scales.

Suddenly, another shape came in front of her. A Flamedramon, valiantly leaping into the fray, who took those claws right through his own body.

Janet was close enough to hear the stabbing of flesh as the spears did their work. She just stared, unable to do anything but watch as blood splattered everywhere.

Steve's body was jerked about as the claws twisted and finally withdrew. Then, his limp form dropped to the ground like a lifeless doll.

Blood was already in a puddle as Steve collapsed into it.

“NNNNOOOO!!!!!” Janet roared. “Steve! Steve!!!”

 

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“Jan! Wake up! Jan!”

“NNOO!!!!!”

WHAM!! Janet threw a fist forward, catching Sekata on the end of his snout.

“Gargh! Argh!!” The red dragon stumbled back.

“Oh no! I'm so sorry!” Janet gasped.

“Don't worry.” Sekata waved his claw.

“Where are....oh....yeah.....” Janet panted.

She'd been on one of the seats in the waiting room and had fallen asleep leaning against the wall. The nightmares from the previous day were still fresh in her mind and Janet shuddered as those thoughts.

Sekata was kneeling beside her, with Zoe by his side. Across the room was the curled up figure of the dinosaur Zelia and Aero standing over her.

Everyone was back to their lower forms and once again in the hallway of a medical center. They had been scanned and had only received minor injuries, but Steve was their greatest concern at the moment.

“We seem to be ending up here much too often.” Sekata muttered.

“Is Steve still....” Janet began.

“Yes, they've had him inside one of the healing pods all night long.” Sekata gestured towards one of the doors.

“It's bad, isn't it?” Zoe asked.

“He'll make it.” Sekata threw an arm around her shoulder. “He has to.”

Zoe put an arm around his waist and placed her head against his chest. Sekata stroked the back of her head and leaned his head closer to hers as well.

A sudden hiss startled the two as Zelia sprang up.

“Rargghh!!”

“Hey calm down! You're all right!” Aero placed his hands on her neck and shoulders.

Zelia's eyes went wide as she continued to struggle in panic. The velociraptor had been unconscious all throughout the time when they'd brought her to the medical center and allowed the medics to screen her. The screening process involved placing the patient inside a large cylinder and scanning for all sorts of vital signs or injuries.

Although their new companion had checked out as fine, there was no telling what mental state she was in. Zelia then threw Aero off and bolted for the nearest exit.

“What the?!” Aero gasped, raising his hands. “She felt like...no....it couldn't be...”

“Felt like what?” Sekata asked.

“I've got to catch up with her first!”

 

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Zelia dashed through the forest, running without a path or purpose. She just kept her legs moving as all the confused thoughts flooded into her mind.

What am I doing here? How could I disobey my mistress?! And why? Zelia closed her eyes. I....just...I just don't understand!

Suddenly, a shadow leapt down from the trees and grabbed onto her.

“There you are dammit! Evza's had me out looking for you!” Dynamo grunted.

“Let go! Rarrgghh!!” Zelia screeched.

“Come on, be a good girl and make my job a little easier.” The black knight began. “Gargh!!”

Zelia snapped her jaws into his glove, startling Dynamo enough for him to release his hold. The raptor then knocked him down with her tail and spun around, snarling.

“Fine, be difficult then!” Dynamo muttered, bringing out his lance. “I just need to....”

“Not very nice threatening a lady, is it?” Aero hand reached out from behind and grasped Dynamo's.

As Dynamo tried to turn, the Aero V-dramon twisted his opponent's hand. Dynamo yelled in pain and Aero had enough time to take a firm hold and hurl Dynamo into a nearby tree.

“Ugh....so you wanna play nasty huh?!” Dynamo taunted, pulling himself to his feet.

“V-Wing Blade!” Aero jumped up and fired off an energy burst from his wings.

“Hargh!” Dynamo raised his shield and blocked the attack. “That the best you can do?!”

“Oh, I don't need to do much more because I have help.” Aero grinned.

“Huh? I....” Dynamo stopped short upon hearing a low growl behind him.

“Ambush Crunch!” Zelia pounced onto Dynamo from behind and bit into his shoulder plating.

Her powerful jaws managed to pierce all the way through, resulting in Dynamo screaming wildly. She remained latched on tight as Dynamo struggled to get her off his back. Zelia however, continued clawing with her razor talons and `killing claws'.

Aero hesitated in fear of hitting Zelia, and could only watch as Dynamo desperately twisted his body and got his cape into Zelia's face. In spite of the maneuver, Zelia still pushed him over and Dynamo went rolling into a clump of bushes.

Snarling, Zelia leapt forward and tore the bushes apart, only to find a deep hole with a set of claw marks on the top.

“Looks like he changed back into Guilmon and dug his way out.” Aero muttered. “Seems he can switch forms just as easily as Sekata and the others can.”

Zelia only growled as she continued to stare down at the hole.

“So, he wanted you back, it seems.” Aero remarked. “Was he working with your original master then?”

“Yes....” Zelia hissed.

“Hmmm.....” Aero reached out and touched Zelia's neck again. “There's something strange about the way you feel. It's like your body is rather cold, even after all the fighting.”

Zelia gave him a puzzled look.

“From what I can tell, you're a dinosaur type with cybernetic enhancements.” Aero placed his hand against her neck. “But I don't feel any breathing or any heartbeat from you.”

“I....then how.....in the medical center just now?” Zelia wondered.

“I have a strange hunch that the cybernetic parts of you are designed to somehow trick the systems into reading you as perfectly normal.” Aero replied. “It sort of comes from me briefly seeing into your memories earlier.”

“My memories....” Zelia muttered. “I'm starting to believe that those were real.”

Both were startled by a sudden thud sound. Pushing aside the bushes, the pair found a bound and gagged Dynamo, in Guilmon form, lying there struggling.

“What the....?!” Aero stared.

“Surprise!” A Digimon know as Kunbiramon (the Rat Deva) leapt out of Dynamo's hole. He took the form of a cybernetic rat with odd implants like four thin, spider-like legs, a pair of large claws, a pair of brown wings and a long metallic tail.

Aero and Zelia ducked as the small Digimon bounded over their heads. He hurled a small sphere into the ground and it exploded into a cloud of blurry choking gas. Coughing and spluttering, Aero fumbled for his Digivice, which he'd previously removed and clipped to his belt.

Unfortunately, he could only get it unclipped before he was overcome by the gas. He fell, and his Digivice rolled into the bushes.

Zelia however, was completely unaffected and backed away, searching for their opponent. She stepped back into another Digimon, Mihiramon (the Tiger Deva), who'd snuck up behind her wearing a gas mask.

Mihiramon was a yellow armored tiger with purple stripes, a pair of wings on his back and a Nunchucku style tail. The swift swing of his tail was enough to knock Zelia out before she had a chance to defend herself.

“This one must definitely be Evza's experiment, the one we've been looking for.” Mihiramon poked at Zelia's limp form. “She was completely unaffected by the knockout gas.”

“Yeah, you got that right.” Kunbiramon nodded, who'd slipped on a gas mask as well. “Guess we need to bring her back then. But what about the other two?”

“Our transport will be arriving soon, so we'd best take them along.” Mihiramon grinned. “After all, we don't want their friends to find them when they come looking....”

 

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“Aero!! Zelia!!” Sekata called.

“Hey! Where are you guys?!” Zoe shouted.

Almost half an hour had passed since Aero had left to go chasing after Zelia. Neither had returned and naturally, Sekata had gotten worried. It was not like he didn't have a lot on his mind already, but it wasn't in his nature to abandon a friend in need.

They were now in the same forest Aero had been in, following the signal of his Digivice.

“Looks like a fight took place here.” Zoe remarked, gesturing at the broken trees and crumpled grass.

“The signal is getting stronger. Let me try and home in on it.” Sekata brought up the virtual keyboard of his Digivice and pushed a few buttons. “Huh?!”

While flicking through the screens, he came across the counter, which had just reached 20.00%.

“What is it?” Zoe turned her head.

“Oh, nothing. I just hit the wrong button.” Sekata quickly changed screens. “There....his signal is very close now.”

“Down here!” Zoe reached down and shoved some fallen branches aside. Aero's Digivice seemed perfectly fine as she lifted it up to the light.

“I don't think he would just drop it on the floor like this.” Sekata knelt down beside her. “I wonder if....”

SNAP!! Someone close by stepped on a twig.

“Anyone there?” Zoe jerked up.

The leaves behind them rustled as a shadowy figure sprinted off.

“Hey wait!” Sekata called. “Who are you?! Damn, he's getting away!”

“You think he knows something about what happened to Aero?” Zoe asked.

“Possibly, but we have to catch up with him first! Come on!” Sekata grabbed her claw and dragged Zoe down the forest trail.

The winding dirt path led downhill and brought the two to a four-way junction. Some footsteps sounded from down the right path and they followed.

The forest was thicker here and the path much narrower. Yet, neither was able to catch sight of their quarry and eventually ended up at a closed off tunnel entrance.

 

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While the others had run off, Janet remained waiting in the medical center. Eventually, she was allowed to enter Steve's ward while the doctors confirmed his medical data.

The Flamedramon was still unconscious as Janet took a seat beside his bed. All the pieces of his armor had been removed and lay on the floor, leaving only bandages on his body. He was breathing through a respirator too, his chest rising and falling with the breaths.

Janet remembered the three places he'd been pierced through all too well and with a trembling hand, pulled his blanket back to take a look.

“I'm sorry....” She whispered again. “This is all my fault. I should be the one lying down there, not you.”

There came a metallic hum as a Swanmon nurse came through the door. Janet saw at once that she didn't look very hopeful.

“The wounds he took on were quite severe, but we were able to fix most of the damage done....” The nurse looked down. “However, he also has a fractured spine.”

“Meaning....” Janet stared.

“He'll be crippled for life, and that's provided he wakes up at all.”

 

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“He couldn't have come this way...” Zoe muttered.

“Let's just take a quick look.” Sekata tore the boards blocking the entrance away and stepped in.

A brief glimmer in the darkness caught his eye. Sekata realized he still had the torchlight from earlier and brought it out, using its light to illuminate their path.

“What's that?” Zoe wondered as they approached.

The glittering object turned out to be a dagger stuck in the wall and the pair approached it without running into any problems. It was then that the sounds of footsteps came from further down the tunnel.

“Hm?” Sekata instinctively turned his light towards the noise. “Gargh!!”

As he moved, where he assumed to be solid ground turned out to be a metallic slope coated with grease. Sekata was caught unprepared and Zoe wasn't able to pull him back up. Both went tumbling down and rammed into a hard wall.

“Ow....I swore I saw a straight path here....” Sekata muttered angrily.

“Maybe you were mistaken.” Zoe suggested.

“No, this doesn't feel right....it's like this is a....” The red dragon stopped in mid-sentence upon hearing a hissing sound. What seemed like a thick black gas was quickly pouring into the area. “Let's go! Now!”

Grabbing Zoe's claw, Sekata ran forward with his torchlight and slammed into an invisible wall.

“A hologram?!” Sekata furiously pounded on the wall. “Urghh....”

This isn't just a gas....it's some evil force....Zoe thought. I can feel it...

However, both were choking and felt as if they were unable to breathe. Their strength was mysteriously being sapped away and Sekata made a final try for his Digivice.

“Jan! Come in Jan! We need....your.....help....urghh.....”

 

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The Strikedramon was completely stunned. She barely heard what else the nurse had to say and quickly found herself alone after the nurse had departed.

Even in this world, there was a limit to what the medics could do.

She took his hand and held it tight, feeling the tears trickling out from beneath her helmet and down her reptilian face. Janet couldn't have cared less about the tears coming from a dragon like herself. Her `self-image' had undergone a rapid change, thinking of herself now as a stronger-willed warrior. However, her emotions were just as abruptly interrupted as her Digivice hissed.

“Jan! Come in Jan! We need....your.....help....urghh.....”

“Sekata?! Zoe?” Janet gasped. “What's going on?!”

“Need...help....here...coordinates....garghhh...!!!” Sekata's voice ended in a final burst of static.

“Guys? Hey! Are you all right?!” Janet pounded on her Digivice, receiving nothing else but more static.

She was able to bring up the map feature and saw that Sekata and Zoe were fairly close to the medical center. Under normal circumstances, Janet would've gone rushing off. But with Steve lying there on the bed, her emotions were tore in half.

I need to be here when Steve comes to....but if the others are in trouble...Janet shook her head. No, I can't let them down too!

“Steve....” Janet felt his claw one more time and pulled the blanket up to his chest. “I'll be back. I promise!”

Janet paused one last time at the doorway before dashing out. But just moments after she was gone, Steve stirred slightly and moaned.

“Jan...?”

 

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An odd banging slowly drew Aero back to consciousness. He was definitely on some moving vehicle and could hear the humming of the engine. Besides, it was his head that was banging into the wall.

Moaning, Aero opened his eyes.

The first thing he found was that he was tightly bound with thick leather straps. His arms were crossed against his chest, with his chin against there as well. His wings were also strapped down along with his tail and legs all tied together. In short, all that barely allowed him any movement at all.

He was inside the back of a van apparently, and the tiger Mihiramon was standing over him. Aero snarled, but could do nothing more than catch the cat's attention.

“Don't bother, it won't do you any good.” Mihiramon hissed.

“Where's Zelia?!” Aero demanded.

“Oh, you mean Evza's old experiment? That thing has a name after all.”

“How dare you!!”

“You shouldn't get all worked up over the dino. Cause she really isn't what you've made her out to be.” Mihiramon pointed with his nose.

Aero turned his eyes and saw Zelia within a transparent box filled with ice and a clear liquid. There wasn't any breathing apparatus as far as he could see, causing him to cry out in rage.

“What have you done with her?!”

“What are we doing? Helping to keep her alive of course.” Mihiramon replied casually. “Oh, perhaps alive isn't the proper term to use since she's already dead. Of course, you didn't know that, did you?”

“Grrr...what is going on here?!”

“Perhaps I should ask you some things to clarify that. You remember the big incident at Kencric some years back?”

“Hmmm....a racial riot broke out between the dinosaur-types and the other Digimon types in that area over territorial claims. It was a pretty violent one from what I've heard.” Aero muttered.

“And the girl there was one of the victims of the disaster.”

“Then how...?”

“Ah that's the point you see. The one known as Evza had some interest in the girl for some reason. Evza is known to use a mixture of science and sorcery in her experiments, one of which is creating new life from the dead.”

Aero just stared, baffled.

“Your earlier thoughts about her were correct.” Mihiramon continued. “Indeed she is designed to look like a dinosaur type with cybernetic enhancements. And those parts create a simulation of her being `alive', but when she's at ease. The danger is that her body is unable to sufficiently cool itself down after vigorous activity. Hence, the ice bath.”

“What sort of sick mind plays with life like this?!” Aero growled.

“Now that Evza's joined up with Lucifer's Royal Knights, us Devas need a way to truly challenge their power. And we're talking about Arkadimon here. We just need to study her design and come up with a zombie of our own.”

The Aero V-dramon snarled furiously, struggling in vain to free himself. Mihiramon simply laughed and lay back in the corner.

“Relax and enjoy the ride.” The tiger grinned. “Since you like her so much, we'll give you the opportunity to join her shortly.”

In the other corner of the van, Dynamo in his Guilmon form had heard everything. Despite being as restrained as Aero, he pretended to be unconscious and pressed a finger to his palm.

A tiny metal device was hidden there and it begun to emit a barely audible beep.

 

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“Anyone here?!” Janet called.

Having taken the form of Cyberdramon, she'd arrived at the tunnel Sekata and Zoe had disappeared into earlier. According to her D-Dragon, the signals of Sekata's, Zoe's and Aero's Digivices were coming from within.

It seemed dark inside and Janet carefully pushed her way through. The light streaming in through the entrance didn't allow her to see past the first few feet and she hesitated.

“Hmm?” Janet looked down to find a think black gas was gathering at her feet.

Instinctively, she started backing towards the entrance, but a mysterious voice suddenly interrupted her.

“I wouldn't do that. Not if you want to see your friends again at least.”

“Who's there?!” Janet growled. “Argh!”

She was forced to cover her face as a blinding light engulfed the entire room. When Janet looked up, she was standing in a very different area.

Instead of the rocky cavern walls were metal floors and ceilings. She was at the top of a slope and looked down to find a humanoid Digimon standing there. It was known as Piedmon, a strange warrior dressed in a red colored tunic and baggy green pants. He had one half of his face painted white and the other black, along with a bunch of swords strapped behind his back.

“Welcome to my humble domain.” Piedmon declared. “Where illusion is more than meets the eye!”

“What the heck are you talking about?!” Janet pointed. “I don't give a damn about your dirty tricks! And where are my friends?!”

“Oh, you mean these two?”

A couple of wall panels flipped over to reveal Sekata and Zoe strapped to them.

“Don't believe everything you see here!” Zoe yelled. “This place is full of illusions and mind tricks! We fell for those....garggghhh!!”

Her panel lit up with an electrical charge that shocked her into unconsciousness. Sekata had his jaws clamped shut, but his muffled roar of fury was very clear.

“Damn you! Erase Claw!” Janet launched a blue energy burst.

Piedmon calmly stood still and snapped his fingers. Suddenly the panel Sekata was strapped to appeared in the clown's position instead. Janet's attack struck Sekata's chest, the latter's eyes going wide in pain.

“Oh no!” The Cyberdramon gasped.

“Looks like your shot was off.” Piedmon taunted.

“Grrr!” Janet fired another shot.

“Clown Trick!” Piedmon raised his hands.

An invisible barrier reflected the Erase Claw back at Janet, slamming the energy burst into her body. Howling in pain, Janet fell forward and rolled down the slope.

“Let's face it, you can't defeat me at your level.” Piedmon laughed.

“Grrr....” Janet pulled herself to a kneeling position, clutching her side.

“But where's the fun if your prey dies so fast? So I have a little proposition for you girl.” Piedmon waved a finger. “How would you like to risk everything on a gamble?”

“A gamble?” Janet asked.

“I am known as Arkane, the Master of Games, and you may challenge me to a game of your choosing. Let it be a board game, a card game and such.”

“And the bet?”

“If you win, you all get to go free. However, if you lose.....all your souls become mine. Simple, no?”

“Ugh....” Janet stared, panting.

No I can't do this! She told herself. Fine if it was just me, but I'm responsible for Sekata and Zoe's lives too! What if the same thing happens with Steve?

“Don't....lose heart....” Zoe struggled to speak. “I don't blame you for what happened to Steve! I still believe in you! But you have to believe in yourself first!”

“Aw....how touching....” Arkane quipped.

Sekata gave another muffled growl, but it was obvious that he didn't like Arkane's comment very much.

“Fine then!” Janet stood up. “I'll accept your challenge! And I'm gonna beat you sick!”

“Well, I knew you'd see it my way. All you need to do now is think of the game you wish to play.” Arkane grinned. “Oh, and did I mention that your two friends are going to be part of the game too?”

“What?! Hey leave them out of the game at least!” Janet growled. “It's bad enough you're making me take these risks and toying around with a bunch of card games like life and death! This isn't an episode of....”

“Ooh, you just thought of a game. A most interesting card game too.”

“Huh?! No! That wasn't the one I wanted!” Janet protested. “That was just a comment!”

“Too late, once you've chosen a game, it can't be changed.” Arkane snapped his fingers.

Janet felt the world swirling around her and fell to the ground.

 

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Hurt....pain....

Those were mostly the thoughts that kept coming into Steve's mind as he struggled to free himself. Or at least tried to. However, his body just would not move.

With a start, Steve's eyes snapped open. And much to his horror, he couldn't move any part of his body below his neck.

Looking around, he saw the white walls of the medical center. He remembered the creature, Arkadimon, as well, and recalled his insane stunt. He'd probably ended up here because of it.

But why wasn't he able to move? And where was everyone else?

“Hey? Anybody there?” Steve glanced around the ward as best as he could, but all he saw around were tables, chairs and empty beds.

“So, you've been dumped too? Typical. People keep you when you're of use to them, and then nobody's around for you.”

“Wha...?” Steve realized the voice had come from the bed next to his. The curtain had been pulled between the beds, preventing him from seeing the figure there. However there was definitely the shadow of someone lying there.

“Oh I heard them talking. You took some injuries to your spine and well....you're just like me now. Crippled.”

“No....” Steve stared, desperately struggling in vain to move his body.

“And the ones you call friends? All went running out of here, one by one.”

“Sekata and the others wouldn't do such a thing!” Steve gasped.

“So you think. I was the same as you once, and that was a long time ago.” The voice continued. “Look at where I am now....rotting away in my own misery.”

Steve just lay back, a sudden wave of depression hitting him.

Why does everything happen to me?! He cursed. They'll be back....and they'll find some way to help me.

“Please guys....” Steve whispered, closing his eyes. “Don't leave me....”

 

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“Whooaaa! Gagrh!!” Janet spun in the air for a while and landed on a hard surface. “Ow...”

Two more screams came as Sekata and Zoe was tossed down as well, all three ending up in a large heap.

“That was not nice.” Sekata muttered as the group pulled themselves up.

“Where the heck are we?” Janet wondered.

“In Piedmon's crazy world of illusions no doubt.” Zoe replied. “Huh? Guys look here!”

Beyond the brown wooden floor on which they stood, rows and rows of cards were laid out. These cards were huge however, as big as the dragons themselves.

“Wait a minute, these are....Yu-Gi-Oh cards?!” Sekata stared. “Jan! What were you thinking?!”

“I'm sorry! I was trying to say that `This isn't an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh', and well....”

“Wonderful! Do you even know how to play?” Sekata snapped.

“I do!” Janet insisted. “I've played the game on my computer.”

“On your computer? How about against a real opponent?”

“Screaming at her isn't going to help.” Zoe tugged his arm. “Don't you have some experience?”

“I'm no professional. Remember that this isn't my normal field of play.” Sekata sighed. “Well, it seems as if we're required to build a deck here. For this game, it's got to have at least 40 cards in it.”

“Guess I should get started.” Janet muttered.

“Don't worry, we can do this together.” Zoe assured. “I'm sticking to what I told you just now.”

Sekata had wandered off slightly and approached one of the cards, which was face-up and displayed the image of a ferocious white dragon with a large pair of wings, a long tail and an elongated head. It looked like a standard `Western' dragon, standing on its rear legs while its smaller front claws were held up.

“This is Blue-Eyes White Dragon.” Sekata whistled, reaching out to touch the card. “Not a bad one to.....gargghh!!”

The moment his claw made contact, whips of blue energy shot out and wrapped themselves around Sekata's body. The Vritramon was dragged into the card before he had time to say anything else.

“Sekata!” Zoe ran forward.

“No wait!” Janet yelled.

“Argghh!!” Zoe stepped onto another card, this one depicting the image of a horned black-colored dragon. It was similar to the card Sekata had touched, only that his black dragon was thinner and slightly smaller.

She met with the same fate, being drawn into the card as well.

“NO!!” Janet cried.

A light flashed on her left arm, causing her to pause for a moment. Her D-Dragon faded and changed into a device as long as her forearm. It was a squarish object with 5 card slots on its surface. Behind those 5 slots were 5 more similar slots. In the center of the device were a place for the player's deck, and also a slot for discarded cards.

“A Dueling Disc?” Janet stared. “Is this some kind of sick joke?!”

Within the deck's slot were two cards, Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The same cards Sekata and Zoe had been trapped in.

“That's what I mean when I said that your friends were going to be part of the game too.” Arkane's disembodied voice rang out.

“Damn you!” Janet roared furiously.

“Well, don't tarry now. Unlike them, you're the duelist. So pick the cards you want and they'll be added to your deck. I'll be waiting...”

Janet couldn't do anything else but comply. She flew around the area, tapping the cards and having them slowly added to her deck.

(Author's Note: There'll bit a little bit of a Yu-Gi-Oh crossover here. It would take too long for me to explain all the card game's rules here, so I'd recommend you look them up on any Yu-Gi-Oh Website. Speaking of that, you should also be able to find pictures of the Dueling Disc and the various cards on those sites too.)

 

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The `innocent' figure on the other side of the curtain was not really whom Steve thought it was.

The monkey Deva, Makuramon, quietly crept out from beneath the sheets while Steve slept. This same Digimon had been watching their group earlier and after Chatsuramon's attempt had failed, had decided to make a move of his own.

“Keep believing that boy.” Makuramon grinned. “Soon, even you will see it my way. And I'll be making sure of it.”

On the floor beside his bed lay the unconscious Swanmon nurse.

Makuramon juggled a pendant in his hands, recalling how easy it had been to capture and hypnotize the nurse. And she would continue to pass all the information he wanted to the unsuspecting dragon.

The monkey knew that his fellow Devas had two of the dragon's companions, while 3 more were missing. He just needed them to be missing for long enough to let the boy believe he'd really been abandoned.

Then, he could carry out his own plan about how to go against both the kid's party and against the Royal Knights.

 

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“All right, I'm ready!” Janet called.

The field of cards faded and Janet reappeared in Arkane's previous arena. The Piedmon stood on the other side, with a Dueling Disc strapped onto his left arm as well.

“Certainly took you long enough.” Arkane waved.

“I come prepared for all my battles!” Janet shuffled her deck and slipped it into the deck slot. A counter indicating her Life Points (LP) flashed and went up to 4000. “I'll show you what it is to mess around with me!”

“Humph, well see.” Arkane grinned, doing the same. His LP counter flashed at 4000 too.

“Duel, begin!” Both declared, each one drawing 5 cards from their respective decks.

“Why don't you start girl?” Arkane gestured.

“Fine then! I'll draw!” Janet drew a card from her deck. “Huh?!”

Blue-Eyes White Dragon?! Sekata! She realized.

The card didn't seem to respond to her and Janet realized that Sekata probably wasn't able to talk to her. She would have to do this on her own.

It was an 8 Star card, meaning that she needed to sacrifice two monster cards on her field to summon it, something she couldn't do now.

“I'll play this one, Spell Card `White Dragon Ritual', which allows me to summon the `Paladin of the White Dragon'....” Janet placed a card down. “For this, I have to send a 4 star monster card from my hand to the graveyard.”

On the playing field between the two duelists, the image of a white armored knight appeared, riding a white dragon and wielding a shinning blade. Janet placed the spell card and the required 4 star monster card into the discard slot.

This card is a dragon-type creature with its Attack Points (ATK) at 1900. Strong enough, but he still might get a card with more Attack Points on his first turn. Janet told herself.

“I'll set down one reverse card, and this ends my turn.”

A face down card materialized behind the paladin's image.

“Very well, I'll draw.” Arkane pulled out a card. “I will invoke the magic card `Graceful Charity', which allows me to draw 3 cards from my deck and then discard any 2 cards from my hand. Then, I'll play the `Monster Reborn', and revive one of the cards that I discarded....”

A creature resembling a humanoid clown appeared, the `Dream Clown' with ATK 1200.

“You're gonna attack me with that?!” Janet laughed.

“Oh, how foolish you are. Remember that because the `Monster Reborn' is considered a special summon, I can still sacrifice this weaker card for a much stronger one!”

“Oh crap!”

“And now, by sacrificing the `Dream Clown', I summon `Dragon Seeker' with ATK 2000!”

The clown vanished with a roar, revealing a gargoyle-like creature in its place.

Uh oh, not only is its ATK is higher than my card's, but didn't this card have a special effect as well? Janet thought.

“The special effect of this card is that the `Dragon Seeker' destroys one dragon monster on the field automatically!” Arkane declared.

With that, Janet's dragon and rider vanished in a shower of sparks, leaving her open to an attack by the `Dragon Seeker's' razor-like claws. Screaming in pain, Janet was thrown back against the ground.

Gargh....the pain...it feels....so real....She moaned, struggling to her feet.

In accordance with the rules, her LP counter dropped to 2000. The LP dropping to zero meant that she would lose the game. She was shocked to find a long scar from the `Dragon Seeker's' claws across her upper body.

“Things aren't merely illusions here.” Arkane continued. “But can your mind figure out what's real and what's not? Well, your turn now girl.”

This is insane! I'm a Cyberdramon and I'm stuck here playing a Yu-Gi-Oh card game with a lunatic! Janet moaned. But I'm gonna beat this guy at his own game! I swear!!

“I've barely begun to fight! Draw card!” Janet added another card to her hand and looked over the field. “Damn, I panicked and forgot about that trap card I set down. Well, I'll activate it now! `Call of the Haunted'!”

With the card's effect, Janet's dragon was returned to her playing field. The `Paladin of the White Dragon' had a special ability too, and by discarding the card, she was able to special summon a particular dragon, which she now held in her hand.

“Blue-Eyes White Dragon!” Janet placed the card down with its attack display of 3000 up.

The huge white dragon depicted on the card materialized on the playing field. However, unlike the other card monsters, this one blinked its eyes and glanced around in confusion.

“Wha....what am I doing here?! Huh?! WHAT.....what's happened to me?!”

“That voice....” Janet muttered. “Sekata?!”

“Jan! What are you doing over there?! And why the hell am I on this playing field?!” The Blue-Eyes/Sekata cried in panic.

“See, isn't it nice to play a little game with your friends?” Arkane gestured.

“Why you!!!” Sekata tried to lunge for the Piedmon, only to find that his feet were fixed to the spot.

“Ah ah, you also have to play by the rules, remember?”

“This is getting really dangerous.” Janet whispered. “What happens if your card gets sent to the graveyard Sekata?”

“I really don't want to find out.” Sekata replied. “But the only way we're going to be able to escape from this crazy world of illusions is if we keep playing. Where's Zoe?”

“Her card is still in the deck.”

“Well, that's one relief. You have any bright ideas now Jan?”

“I hope so....” Janet growled, still feeling the pain of the earlier direct attack on her. “I really hope so....”