BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!
A blinding flash split the chamber as the thunderous beam struck the place Jaden was standing, creating a huge explosion that shook the ground and create large smoke in the air.
"JADEN!!!!" Alexis, Syrus and Chumley shouted together in panic.
As the explosion smoke slowly began to clear, there was only a massive charred crater on the place where Jaden was standing. And yet there was no sign of Jaden.
Everyone was instantly frozen in shock, as their eyes widen and jaw dropped.
"N-no way..." Syrus whole body stiffened with his hands shaking.
"Jaden is..." Alexis muttered while she gritted her teeth.
"DEAD!?" Chumley immediately thought of the worst, as his face turned pale.
"Of course not, fatass." Mash instantly replied. Mash stood beside them with his arms crossed, with an calm but focused look. "He's still alive and fine."
"And how could you know that!?" Alexis shouted angrily.
"HEEEYYYYYYYY!!!!!"
A energetic voice called out.
Everyone turned their eyes toward the voice near the right wall of the chamber, still half shrouded in smoke was Jaden in Lovely's arms.
"I'M FINE GUYYYSSS!!! MISS LABRYNTH SAVED ME AT THE LAST SECOND!! THANKS, MISS!"
"O HO HO HO HO~! No problem Jay-boy~!" Lovely laughs as she lift Jaden up effortlessly. "Though… that means my darling~ and I now hold one eternal favor for saving your life, yes~?"
"Ugh..." Jaden can't help but think of Mash one day making him do something for him. "Also can you put me down?"
"No~"
Back to where the others are, Mash was putting the most obnoxious smug grin ever up to Alexis face. "See? I told you he'll be fine. We've got my super-capable wife on standby if anything goes south~"
"I get it!" Alexis snapped, shoving her entire hand over Mash face. "Just stop making that face already!"
"You always make that face when you're right, and it's annoying!" Syrus added.
Mash was about to fire back a oneliner when something caught his attention. Grapha's dragonic jaws began to crackle with black and yellow electricity again, the energy gathering and intensifying at its maw.
"HEY! IT'S ABOUT TO CHARGE ANOTHER BEAM ATTACK!!" Mash shouted.
"TOO LATE, BRAT!" Titan barked, as he pointed at Lovely and Jaden. "GO AGAIN, GRAPHA! THIS TIME, TURN THEM TO DUST!"
"Oh no you don't!" Mash shouted, as he pulled out his deck from his pocket and draw a card from it.
Then Mash throw the card like a throwing knife until it landed in front of Lovely feet face down.
Finally, Grapha unleash a black and yellow charged beam at Lovely and Jaden.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!
Another colossal explosion detonated, even larger than the first. Smoke flooded the arena once more, swallowing Jaden and Lovely in a storm of fire, dust, and static.
"Are they alright!?" Chumley questioned.
As the smoke clears, they saw as Jaden and Lovely was save and sound as a transparent dome-like barrier that stood firm against the attack. In front of them, there was also a flipped up card of {Mirror Force} on the ground.
"This is…!" Lovely blinked, then looked toward Mash with a lovestruck smile. "Love you, Darling~!"
"Huh? This barrier is because of Mash?" Jaden was blinking in disbelief.
Across the chamber, Titan's expression collapsed into sheer disbelief. "WHAT!!??? HOW COULD A BRAT DO THAT!?"
"Yeah, how did you do that!?" Alexis demanded, glaring at Mash again.
Mash finally can't escape this question. "So... Long story short, I could basically make a trap card turn into a real trap if I set it. Card effects also included." Mash explained, then he smirks at Titan.
"Now how about you eat this, Titan! As your Grapha shall be destroyed by the effect of Mirror Force!!"
The barrier around Jaden and Lovely cracks and shatter, turning into sharp transparent shards that then flies toward Grapha.
Grapha roared, shielding itself with its wings and claws up to protect itself, but the shards tore through regardless, slashing through its though scales and cutting up its arms, wings, and torso.
"ARRGGGGHHHHH!!!!" Titan was also feeling as if his body was being sliced by several shards of glass.
But...
Grapha didn't get destroyed.
It's body was injured, sure, but far from destroyed.
In fact it just unfurled it wings and readies its claws as it then roared with anger and fury. Releasing bolts of black and yellow lightning around it destroying the nearby walls.
"WHAT!?" Mash was shocked and also ducked from a bolt. "But Mirror Force effect should destroy it!"
Titan looked down at his trembling hands, then up at Grapha—and grinned with borderline insanity. "Ahahahaha… This power…! It stings a little, brat, but your little party trick didn't destroy my Grapha!"
Mash froze. For once, his mind blanked, struggling to process why the attack had failed.
Lovely then appeared beside Mash with a single dash. "Darling! I think I can explain this situation!" She announced full of enthusiasm as she tossed Jaden straight toward Alexis, who instinctively caught Jaden with both arms and immediately drops him.
Mash didn't even glance at Jaden. "Alright, what is it?"
"This is... a Spirit Duel!" Lovely answered excitedly.
"???" Everyone however went silent as they tilted their heads at Lovely.
"…A what now?" Syrus asked flatly.
"Uhh… what's a Spirit Duel?" Jaden asked from the floor
Lovely let out a dramatic sigh, she cleared her throat as she try to explain it.
"A Spirit Duel," she began, raising a finger, "is the most ancient form of Dueling. Long before Duel Disk, before fancy holograms, even before we started dueling with cards. people, namely ancient Egyptians, summoned actual spirits (Ka) to fight in their stead."
"There was no turns, no main phase, no draw phase or even a standby phase, it was just your spirit and your opponent spirit tearing each other apart until either the spirit lost or either summoner can't handle the pain of its spirit being beaten up and passed out.
"And the reason I believe this is currently a Spirit Duel… is because I'm in my real, physical, fleshy body!" Lovely pointed to herself. "Not a spirit apparition, not a Duel Disk projection, but ME! solid, touchable, and fully manifested!"
"Oh, ok. Then I don't need to wear this anymore." Mash deadpans as he took off the Duel Disk in his hand and throw it away.
"Anyway, to demonstrate," she said sweetly, turning toward Mash, "here's some proof~!"
Before Mash could process that ominous tone, she grabbed his wrist and firmly planted his hand right on her breast.
Mash's entire body jolted like he'd been hit by lightning and his face went red in 0.2 seconds. "Soft… squishy… and—!"
His brain short-circuited and a violent SPURT of blood shot from his nose like a fountain.
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING!!!???" Alexis furiously screamed at them.
Syrus and Chumley immediately covered their eyes, but they cant help but peek through their fingers.
"Hhh... Mash, Mash..." Jaden can't help but just sigh at him, until he notices he something.
Grapha was standing tall on its hind legs as if ready to strike at them!
"HEY! HEADS UP, THAT THING IS ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING!" Jaden shouted
But Jaden said it too late. Because as soon as they turned toward Grapha, he already did a big jump with his hind legs, its massive centaur body arcing toward them, and its front leg poised to crush everything in its path.
"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Titan laughs maniacally. "GOOD CALL, GRAPHA! CRUSH THEM WITH YOUR FOOT—JUST LIKE INSECTS!"
"Shit." Mash uttered.
SLAM!
Grapha's right foot slammed down with the force of a battering ram, shattering the ground beneath them and sending shards of stone flying.
Dust and debris filled the air as the chamber itself seemed to quake. Meanwhile, Titan just can't stop laughing. "AHAHAHAHA! THAT'S WHAT YOU BRATS GET FOR PLAYING AROUND! AHAHAHAHA!"
Titan laughter echoed throughout the Chamber until...
"Ohohohoho~"
Another laugh came in alongside him, smug and theatrical which made Titan instantly stops his laugh.
Then his face turn horrified as just a single hand has single handedly started to push Grapha giant right foot upward from the ground.
"I-I-IMPOSIBBLE...!!!" titan shouted in disbelief.
Lovely Labrynth stood there, one hand pressed casually against the dragon centaur's crushing foot, the other holding her battle axe in a relaxed grip and her face holds a really smug smirk straight at Titan.
"Hey-hey~ That was a really dick move, you know~" she purred. Behind her, Mash and the others emerged unharmed from beneath the foot. Even Grapha's massive jaw gaped in stunned surprise.
With a swift motion, Lovely plunged the pommel of her battle axe into the ground, anchoring it upright.
"I may only be a 2900 attack monster…"
she said, tilting her head teasingly. Then, placing her other hand on Grapha's foot, her eyes sparkled with fierce intensity.
"BUT IN A SPIRIT DUEL NUMBER DOESN'T MATTER MUCH, BITCH!"
With a roar, Lovely pushed with insane force upon Grapha's right foot that it makes the towering centaur dragon stumbles backward, even almost falling at Titan.
Mash and the other jaw was gaped open as they all saw this.
As Grapha try to balance itself, Titan realized that Lovely has vanished from the spot she pushed Grapha.
"WHERE DID SHE GO!?" he screamed.
Grapha's eyes darted around, also searching for her on the ground, but there was no sign of her.
"Tch tch tch~"
Until A smug clicking sound drew his gaze upward. There she was, hovering above Grapha with her bat-like white wings spread, and with an expression of supreme confidence on her face.
"You really are big now that I'm seeing you from up here…" she remarked lightly, then vanished in a blink.
And appearing suddenly beside Grapha's cheek.
"But being big.." Lovely readies her Battle Axe. "MAKES YOU A BIGGER TARGET!"
TANG!
Lovely swung her battle axe straight to Grapha's skull with a force that makes even the towering dragon stumbled sideways, crashing into the chamber wall and sending a massive cloud of dust and debris into the air
"ARGHH!!!" Titan clutch the side of his face as if it was hit by a hard object.
Mash, Jaden, Syrus, Chumley, and Alexis has their jaws hanging wide.
Meanwhile, Lovely hovered gracefully in the air, with her expression smug, and her wings fluttering elegantly.
"Heh, how's that for a 2900 attack monster? O HO HO HO HO~!" she laughed triumphantly, only to notice her silver battle axe handle had bent at a sharp 90° angle. "Uhh… minor inconvenience~" she shrugged though was sweating bullets.
Then from thick dust of debris, a blinding light can be seen in the middle of it.
As it cleared, Grapha loomed, charging another thunderous beam directly at Lovely.
"Hoho~ Well shit~!"
The beam burst forth from Grapha's mouth, crackling with energy.
"KYAAAHHHH!!!!" Lovely braced herself. but suddenly, a silver disk appeared in midair, hovering in front of her with a set card resting atop it.
"This is…!" Lovely gasped, then looked downward. "Darling~!!!"
Mash's face glistened with sweat, beads dripping down his forehead. "Fuuuuhhhh…!" he groaned, arms extended as he manipulated the silver disk. "Took way too much stamina to make a silver ball the size of a golf ball…"
"Is this another one of your powers?" Jaden asked.
Mash ignored him. With a flick of his finger, the card flipped magically, and a giant pink cylinder materialized above, absorbing Grapha's thunderous beam entirely.
"Tch!" Titan growled, glaring at Mash. "You…! AGAIN!!"
"Hehehe..." Mash smirked and even gave him the middle finger. "Now don't forget the effect of {Magic Cylinder} Titan!"
Titan realizes and look up to see the Magic Cylinder literally aiming at him, with Lovely hovering smugly by its side.
"When the Cylinder eats the attack…" Lovely explained, her finger pointing sharply at Titan. "You take direct damage EQUAL TO THE ATTACK!"
The cylinder unleashed a powerful beam straight at Titan.
"GRAPHAA!!!" Titan shouted, and Grapha flung up its wings just in time to block the attack. The beam exploded spectacularly—but surprisingly, Grapha suffered no damage
Grapha is even seen visibly smirking.
"What the fuck!?" Mash cursed. "That's just a load of bullshit, man!"
Then Lovely swooped down beside Mash, her eyes narrowing with irritation. "Ugh...! That dragon scale is so hard! Even after I hit it with my full blow, it felt more like hitting a tank with a baseball bat!"
But she smiled at Mash. "Though, thanks for the backup, Darling~!"
"Yeah, no problem," Mash said casually. "But more importantly, your battle axe handle is bending like an L."
He raised his arms, twirling the weapon with precise control, and the handle snapped back into its proper shape
"Now… we need a plan!" Mash said then thought for a moment. "Lovely, can you do your Silver Slash thingy!?"
"I can," she replied, "but I'll need to charge it for three seconds!"
"That's fine, I can shield you while you charge!" Mash said confidently while holding his deck.
"Uhm, Mash…" Jaden tapped his shoulder hesitantly. "What about us? Can we help?"
"Help!?" Mash almost burst out laughing before he walked to Jaden and put a hand on Jaden shoulders. "The only thing you can help, IS GETTING THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, SHMADEN!! AND THE REST OF YOU TOO!!"
"But… are you gonna be fine!?" Jaden asked with a panic.
"DARLING!! WATCH OUT!!"
Lovely's arms wrapped around Mash from behind as if shielding him. Until...
SLAM!
Grapha's tail whipped them violently, sending both of them rocketing into the air. They crashed against the walls, stone and dust raining down around them.
"MASH, MISS LABRINTH!!" Jaden shouted.
From their vantage point, the group froze as Grapha reared its massive head, as black and yellow electricity crackling around its jaws, while Titan is laughing madly.
"AHAHAHAHAHA!!! Now that your puny protector is out of the way…" Titan pointed at the group. "DESTROY THEM, GRAPHA!!"
Grapha jaw gaped open as he was about to fire the beam, until a white crescent-shape slash fly toward Grapha face and turned half of it into silver.
"Ughh!!!" Titan felt a wave of shock as if half his own face had gone numb. "Why you…!"
Titan looked up at the place where Mash and Lovely had crashed. As there was a silver platform up on the walls where Lovely is charging her Silver Slash with Mash bruised but alive.
"WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE!!!??" Titan screamed.
"Mash!" Syrus cried out in relief.
"Thank God you're safe!" Chumley exclaimed.
"Yeah! All thanks to Lovely!" Mash shouted from above. "NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!"
Grapha, enraged, attempted to fire another beam—but before it could form, a silver spear shot into its eye, stunning the dragon and blinding it. Mash had taken some of the silver from the platform and formed multiple spears, hurling them at Grapha.
"ARGGHHHHHH!!!!" Titan clutched one of his eyes. "DAMN YOUUUU!!!!"
"HURRYYYYYY!!!!" he yelled.
Syrus and Chumley exchanged a quick glance, nodded, and bolted for the corridor behind them that led back to the abandoned dormitory. However, Jaden hesitated, he can't decide to leave a friend behind.
Until a hand grab his wrist from behind, and as Jaden turned he saw Alexis.
"Now's not the time for hesitation, Jaden!" she yelled. "Let's go!"
"But Alexis… there must be something we can—"
"NO, JADEN!" she cut him off sharply. "THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO HERE! THE ONLY WAY WE CAN HELP MASH IS TO ESCAPE AND CALL FOR HELP! WHILE HOPING HE'LL BE ALRIGHT!"
"B-B-But...!"
"LOOK OUT!" Mash screamed.
A sudden explosion erupted just meters from Jaden as Grapha's beam narrowly missed them, throwing both him and Alexis off balance.
"LOOK, JADEN!!" Alexis grabbed his face firmly to keep him upright. "Unless you want to meet my brother… we need to get out of here. NOW!"
Jaden gripped his hand into a fist and gritted his teeth. With no other choice, Jaden and Alexis stands up and sprinted down the corridor without looking back.
"hhh… that dumbass protagonist," Mash muttered, brushing dust off his jacket.
"Ohohoho~" Lovely laughed, releasing her Silver Slash toward Grapha's claws, turning it into silver.
"ARGGGHHH!!!" Titan screamed, some of his finger feel numb. "BECAUSE OF YOU TWO, I DIDN'T MANAGE TO KILL ANY OF THEM!!! IN THAT CASE, GRAPHA…"
He jabbed a finger toward the duo. "MAKE THESE TWO SUFFER!!"
Grapha roared then turned toward Mash and Lovely, it then raise one of its arms, its claw pointed ominously to Mash and Lovely.
"Uhh… Darling…?" Lovely's voice trembled slightly, and she glanced at Mash.
"It's fine! I'm sure we have a trap that could—" Mash started, then froze. His deck—the very cards he had been relying on—had been scattered to the ground by Grapha's tail whip. "Fuck… the cards are down there…"
"WHAT!?" Lovely shouted, panic flickering across her face as Grapha's claw slammed toward them. She tried to form a silver dome around them, but the sheer force shattered it instantly. Grapha grabbed both Mash and Lovely, lifting them effortlessly into the air.
Both struggled with every ounce of strength, but their efforts were useless. The massive dragon's grip was unyielding.
Titan's grin widened with dark satisfaction. Grapha mirrored his expression, its massive jaws opening and salivating as if savoring the inevitable struggle to come.
---
Meanwhile, Jaden and the others ran down the narrow corridor toward the Abandoned Dorm entrance. Sweat poured down Jaden's face, lungs burning with each desperate breath. But it wasn't just exhaustion that weighed on him... it was something heavier.
Anger.
Anger at himself for leaving his friend behind.
Anger at his own helplessness.
Anger at the feeling that, for once, he truly was powerless.
Mad that he was not a...
[Is this…?]
A voice then whispered in Jaden's head.
[Is this really what a HERO does?]
[Leaves someone behind, in danger?]
Jaden's teeth clenched. [No…]
[Of course not!] he thought fiercely. [But I'm powerless! I can't fight that thing like Mash and Lovely! I'm... not a HERO after all!]
[Then be the HERO, Jaden!] The voice roared within him, an almost tangible surge of energy. [Let us help your friend!]
[Us...?] Jaden asked in his thought, until...
A flash of bright light engulfed his entire body. A vortex then spiraled open in front of Jaden, pulling him in with irresistible force.
"WOAAAHHHHH!!!!"
---
High above, Mash and Lovely were still in Grapha's crushing grip, the massive dragon centaur charging a ball of black and yellow electricity in its jaw to unleash its deadliest beam yet.
Lovely try to struggle out and even biting Grapha's fingers but its no use.
"Ugh…! Don't worry, Darling! I'll get us out of here!" she called still with determination blazing in her eyes.
Mash's expression was grim in despair. "There's no getting out of here, Lovely... It's game over. Sorry that it ends this fast, Lovely." He turned toward her and forced a small smile.
"Darling..." Lovely gaze met Mash's. For a moment, she thought that she's accepted their fate.
"HEHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Titan's manic laughter rang out. He sat atop Grapha's massive shoulder, leaning forward as if savoring the imminent spectacle of their death.
"Now… any last words…?"
Mash and Lovely looked at each other, and then smirks formed on both their faces.
"YOUR DICK IS AS SMALL AS A RICE, TITAN!!" Mash insulted.
"HA! THE ONLY THING IT COULD PROBABLY PIERCE IS JUST A CORPSE OF A DEAD HAMSTER! OHOHOHOHOHOHO~!!" Lovely added in amusement.
"Urk! Why you…!" Titan roared, pure rage exploding from him. "GRAPHA, END THEIR MISERABLE LIVES NOW!!"
Grapha opened its jaw wide, a black-and-yellow beam igniting within its mouth. Mash and Lovely shut their eyes, bracing for the inevitable.
The beam was shot.
Then Mash and Lovely falls as Grapha loosened its grip.
Mash then opens his eyes, blinked, and stunned to see a beam of searing flames slammed into Grapha as it staggered backward. He also saw how Titan's own body falls and slammed into the ground, flattening his face
"Darling!" Lovely shouted as she grabs Mash mid fall and gracefully landed. "WHAT WAS THAT!?"
Mash also questions until he saw a figure flying from above.
A Kuriboh head Slifer Red student with a single white left wing soared above him, it's right hand was like that of a dragon with flames whirling around it, the right hand is also armored in red with a crimson dragon-head on it's shoulder.
"Sorry I'm late, Mash..."
The HERO turned toward Mash, revealing itself the unmistakable face of Jaden, with eyes shining with determination, and a wide grin spreading across his face.
"BUT A NEW HERO HAS ARRIVED TO SAVE THE DAY!"
_________________________________________________________________________
Yoooooo! Jaden here with some kind of transformation!
Hm.... How did he get this transformation and what is that voice?
I hope you guys got the foreshadowing because if not then someone please explain!
Anyway, Sorry I'm late because I need to prep for an exam, which means I'm gonna be off for another week or more, which means ya'll gonna be by this cliffhanger for a small time.
Anyway hope yall enjoy and Chiao!
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