//------------------------------// // Turn 27, Queen takes Pawn // Story: Yugioh EQG: Shadow Gates // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Everything hurt! That was the first thought that entered Twilight's head when she regained consciousness. Slowly opening her eyes, her whole body felt like it had been hit by a bullet train. "She's awake!" Twilight managed to lift her head and see Cadance, Sunset, Fluttershy and Rarity standing over her. "Hey Twily," Cadance said, "how'd you feel?" "Horrible," Twilight replied before pushing herself up to a sitting position. "What happened?" The four shared a nervous glance, before turning back to Twilight. "You Duelled Shadow," Sunset said. "And you almost won," Rarity said. "But then..." Fluttershy stopped with dread on her face, as if saying it was to scary. "But then he summoned this super powered monster," Cadance said. The moment she said that, Twilight's memory flashed back to the Duel. She saw it, Annihilater, staring down at her before it attacked and wiped her out with just the tip of its finger. "I remember," she said. "If he summons that monster during his Duel with Flash," Sunset said, "I'm not sure he can beat it." "It has to have some weakness?" Fluttershy asked. "Maybe," Rarity said, "but with those ATK points and its ability to negate the effects of Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and even Pendulum monsters if he get one into his Extra Deck. I hate to say it, but I agree with Sunset." "Wait," Twilight said as she looked around. "Where is Flash? And everyone else?" "Down in the arena," Sunset said, "helping Flash train." "Spectral Sabre Dragon!" Flash called out, "take him down!" His Fusion monster swung its sword, destroying Spike's monster. "Now Ingenium finish this!" The steampunk scholar opened his tome and, which glowed before unleashing magic energy which flew out and struck Spike, reducing his life points to zero. "That's five wins in a row," Rainbow said, "he's not holding anything back." "If he wants to win he can't afford to," Applejack said. "Whose next?" Flash asked as he turned to the group. "Don't you want to take a break?" Scootaloo asked. "I can't," Flash said, "I have to be at my best to defeat Shadow." "But you're gonna burn yourself out," Shining said. "I'll rest when I've beaten him," Flash replied. "Flash," Grand said as he stepped into the room, "you won't defeat Shadow if you're exhausted. You need your rest." "I can't," Flash said, "you all saw what he could do. I don't stand a chance against it if I don't get stronger. Besides, this is our last chance to get any information on Sombra. We can't let this chance slip us by." "He's right." They all turned to see Cold step into the room. "No matter what we can't let Shadow win. He entered this tournament for a reason and whatever it it, it involves winning. If he manages it, then we might not be able to stop what's coming." Everyone turned to share a glance, before nodding and turning back to Flash. "Okay," Shining said as he attached his Duel Disk to his arm, "then I'll take you on." "And then you'll face me," Grand said. "Then us!" Scootaloo and her friends all said. Flash nodded and reset his Duel Disk. "Thanks guys." Meanwhile Thorax was in he and his mothers hotel suite. He was currently doing a practise Duel against an automated Duel computer. "Celtic Warlord," Thorax said, "attack!" The computer beeped for several seconds and then the display showed it was out of life points and he'd won. He fist pumped and a grin. "Thorax." The teen turned to see his mother in her usual business suit enter from her room. "I'm leaving for a meeting," she said, "make sure you get your studies done and no leaving the room." "Yes mother," Thorax replied. Chrysalis nodded and then left. As soon as she did, Thorax smiled before running into his room and grabbing the hoodie and jeans he'd prepared. He'd been curious about his mothers actions and had decided to figure out where she was going. Quickly changing, he left his room and rushed down the stairs. He arrived in the lobby just as his mother stepped out of the elevator. Making sure not to be seen, he followed her outside and saw her get into their limousine. Making sure not to be seen, he moved over to the back and snuck into the trunk. And so it was that for the next half hour he rode in the uncomfortably small area. Using his phones GPS he tracked their position and saw they were heading to the outskirts of the city. Eventually they turned down a country road and arrived at their destination. Once the limo came to a stop, he opened the trunk and peaked out. There he saw a large run down warehouse a few feet away, before seeing his mother stepping out and turning to the driver. "Remain here until I return," she said. "Yes you highness," the driver said. With that Chrysalis stepped over to the warehouse and went inside. Now more confused then ever, Thorax climbed out of the trunk and rushed over to the building before sneaking inside. When he did, he saw his mother standing in the centre of the room. Hiding behind some barrels, he waited to see what she did next. Chrysalis stepped towards the opposite wall, before placing her hand on it. That part of the wall quickly lit up before a holographic keypad appeared. She then typed a code into the keypad and once she finished, the wall suddenly disappeared before she stepped inside. As soon as she did, the wall reappeared. Once she was gone, Thorax moved over to the wall and examined it. After a few seconds, he placed his hand on the wall like she did and it lit up. The keypad appeared and Thorax typed in the code, which caused the wall to once again disappear. Looking inside, he saw it led to a flight of stairs which he quickly descended. "Mom," he said as he looked around, "what have you gotten yourself into." He arrived at the bottom of the stairs and found he'd arrived in a large open space, with another door on the far wall. He ran over to it and stepped through and saw it was a long corridor filled with doors. One by one he looked inside and saw a bunch of different science equipment in each one. He studied each room for several minutes, before moving onto the next one. "What is all this stuff?" He asked as he stepped into the second to last room. Once he peaked inside, he suddenly froze when he saw somebody sitting in a chair right in front of him. He relaxed however, when he saw something over their eyes. Stepping into the room he took a closer look at them and saw they were wearing a big helmet on top of their head, which blocked out their entire face and was connected to the chair. Thorax looked around the room and saw several more of these machines as well as a large computer system that was switched on. Deciding to see if he could figure out what was going on, he went to the computer and began typing away. Meanwhile Shadow and Chrysalis were in the main lab, where Sombra was preparing to begin the procedure to summon another monster. "Excellent work Shadow," Sombra said, "I have enough to summon one of the three remaining monsters. Once you defeat Flash, we will have enough Ener-D to summon the last two." "It was my pleasure father," Shadow said. In that moment a loud beeping noise sounded on his computer, getting their attention. "Someone's attempting to access my files," Sombra said as he began typing into his computer. Seconds later he found the source and switched on the CCTV cameras, seeing who it was. "It seems we have an intruder," he said as he switched the feed to the larger screen. Shadow and Chrysalis both looked up and saw who it was. Chrysalis's eyes went wide when she recognised him. "Thorax." Thorax had managed to finally crack the security and was now into the data base. He saw several files dot the screen and one in particular caught his attention. "Crystal Tower?" Thorax read aloud. He clicked on the file and it opened, reveal the schismatics of some kind of tower. "What is all this stuff?" He asked. Before he could read it however, alarms started ringing. "Oh boy," he said as he ran back towards the door, "gotta get out of here." He rushed through the corridor and back into the large room. That's when he froze, seeing who was waiting for him there. "Mother," he almost whispered seeing her standing in the centre of the room. "Thorax," she said, "I don't know why you're here, but you've just stumbled into something far beyond your comprehension." "What's going on?" Thorax asked, "why are you here? What's is this place? What's the Crystal Tower?" "I will explain everything," Chrysalis said as she stepped forward, "come with me." "No," Thorax replied as he stepped back, "I'm leaving." "Are you gonna deal with this kid or should I?" Thorax turned to a corner of the room and his eyes went wide seeing Shadow standing there. "What's he doing here?" Thorax asked before turning to Chrysalis, "why are you working with him. Have you forgotten all the people he's hurt." "This is for the good of our country," Chrysalis explained, "just let me explain." Seeing her son wouldn't be swain, she sighed. "Very well," she said, "then let's make a deal. We Duel and if you win I'll explain everything and then let you leave. But if I win, you remain here." Thorax wasn't sure how to reply, but seeing Shadow eyeing him made him realise he couldn't escape any other way. "Okay," Thorax said, "let's do this." He pulled out his Duel Disk and attached it to his arm. "Very well," Chrysalis said as she did the same with a black Duel Disk with a dark blue blade. "DUEL!" Thorax: 4000 Chrysalis: 4000 "I'll take the first move," Thorax said, "I draw and then I'll set the Pendulum Scale with scale eight Celtic Ùruisg and scale one Celtic Beithir." The columns of light appeared on his side of the field, with the two monster flying up and into them. Seconds later the the portal began to form above Thorax. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and two lights shot out and struck the ground. "Celtic Guardian!" (A1400/D1200/L4) "Celtic Peallaidh!" (A1700/D1400/L4/P4) "I end my turn with a face down," Thorax said. "Then it's my turn," Chrysalis said, "I draw and summon Insect Knight in ATK mode." A humanoid cockroach appeared, carrying a sword and shield in its hands. (A1900/D1500/L4) "Attack Celtic Guardian!" The monster used its powerful legs to leap into the air as it raised it sword, which it swung down at Thorax's monster. He raised his own sword in defence, but the sword broke and he was cut in half and destroyed. Thorax: 3500 Chrysalis: 4000 "I end my turn with two face downs," Chrysalis said. "Then I'll go," Thorax said, "I draw and summon Celtic Hunter in ATK mode." The archery elf appeared on the field. (A1500/D1200/L4) "And thanks to his ability," Thorax said, "all my Celtic Monsters gain three hundred extra ATK points." His two monsters glowed as their power increased. (A2000/D1400/L4/P4), (A1800/D1200/L4) Chrysalis remained stoic at this. "Now I'll attack," Thorax said, "and during the battle phase, Ùruisg increases my monsters ATK by an additional three hundred points. (A2300/D1400/L4/P4), (A2100/D1200/L4) Peallaidh's seaweed like arm whipped around and struck Insect Knight, destroying it as the weed also whipped Chrysalis. Thorax: 3500 Chrysalis: 3600 "I activate my face down," Chrysalis said as her card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Spirit Swarm. Since you destroyed an insect monster, I can reveal the top card of my deck and if its an insect with less ATK then my knight, I can summon it." Chrysalis did so, smiling when she saw what she got and placed it on the field. "I summon Flying Kamakiri in DEF mode." A giant insect appeared in a defensive stance. (A1400/D900/L4) "Then I'll have my Hunter attack your monster," Thorax said as his monster aimed its bow and fired an arrow, which struck Chrysalis's and destroyed it. "When Flying Kamakiri is destroyed," Chrysalis explained, "I can summon a Wind Attributed monster to my field from the deck." Her deck shuffled around before slotting out a card. "I summon Sting Winger in ATK mode." A humanoid insect appeared. It was mainly green but had black armour around its arms, thighs and shoulders. (A1400/D1300/L4/P6) "You've got a Pendulum Monster?" Thorax asked in amazement. "I do," Chrysalis said, "now if you're done stating the obvious?" Thorax frowned at this. "I end my turn." (A2000/D1400/L4/P4), (A1800/D1200/L4) "My turn," Chrysalis said, "I draw." She saw the card she had gotten and smiled, before turning back to her son. "I summon Pinch Hopper in ATK mode." A giant grasshopper appeared on her field. "Next I'll play the Spell card, Eradicating Aerosol!" A giant spray can appeared and turned its sight on Pinch Hopper, before spraying a mist onto it and causing the bug to let out a horrifying sound as it melted. "Why would you destroy your own monster?" Thorax asked in amazement. "Because whenever Pinch Hopper is sent to the graveyard," Chrysalis explained, "I can summon a new insect from my hand." Chrysalis took the card she'd just drawn and slapped it on her Duel Disk. "Come forth, Insect Queen!" The ground right next to her cracked and then broke open, as three pairs of blue legs sprouted out and pulled whatever they were attached to up and out of the ground. This new monster was a fifteen foot tall spider like creature and was mainly dark red with blue trim and a yellow humanoid face. (A2200/D2400/L7) "Ew," Thorax said as he looked at that giant bug. "Thanks to Insect Queens ability," Chrysalis said, "she gains two hundred ATK points for every insect on the field." Her monster began to grow. (A2400/D2400/L7) "That's not to bad," Thorax said. "Well wait until I activate my face down," she replied as her last card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "DNA Surgery. With this every monster on the field will change into whatever type I chose and I pick insect." "Wait," Thorax said, "so all of my monsters are being changed into bugs?" Chrysalis didn't need to answer, as in that moment Peallaidh and Hunter's heads changed into that of ants. "That's...kind of gross." "And don't forget," Chrysalis said, "my Queen's power grows for every insect on the field." (A2800/D2400/L7) "Now I'll tribute Sting Winger in order for my Queen to attack," Chrysalis said. Her monster grabbed the Pendulum Monster and began to eat it. Once it had finished it turned towards Hunter, before unleashing a breath of toxic gas at the seaweed monster which melted it into a purple goo. Thorax: 2500 Chrysalis: 3600 "Even more gross," Thorax said, "at least her Queen'll lose power now that Sting Winger and Hunter are gone. "Not exactly," Chrysalis said, "because when my queen destroys a monster, her other ability activates." The queens rear opened up and from it came a large egg like object which landed on the ground. (A100/D100/L1) "Errrr," Thorax said, "what?" "This egg will now make up for the fact that there's one less monster on the field," Chrysalis said, "so my monster only loses half the ATK points. (A2600/D2400/L7) Thorax was in a tight spot. He needed a way to destroy Chrysalis's Queen, but any monster he summoned would be transformed and power up the giant spider. "I need a plan," Thorax said as he reached for his deck. "I draw and summon Celtic Knight in DEF mode." His armoured warrior appeared on his side of the field, before transforming into an insect. (A1600/D1800/L4) "Don't forget that my Queen's power will now increase," Chrysalis told him. (A2800/D2400/L7) "I'll switch Peallaidh to DEF mode and end my turn." "Playing defensibly huh?" Chrysalis asked as she drew her card and smiled, "it won't help you. I'm setting the Pendulum Scale with scale one Silk Spitter and scale nine Rumble Beetle." The columns of light appeared besides her as two monster appeared inside them. The first was a worm like creature with a white body while the second was a large blue humanoid beetle. "Now I can cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Chrysalis called out as the portal began to form above her. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground, taking shape once again. "Sting Winger!" (A1400/D1300/L4/P6) "With another Insect out, my Queen once again powers up." (A3000/D2400/L7) Thorax gulped at this. "Now I'll tribute my Sting Winger to attack your knight." Once again the giant insect devoured the smaller one, before turning to Celtic Knight. "Now I'll activate the Silk Spitter's Pendulum Ability," Chrysalis said as her monster opened its mouth and spat out a load of white string which wrapped around Thorax's monster, before pulling it up and causing Celtic Knight to stand up into ATK mode. "You can change my monster's ATK position?" Thorax said. "That's right," Chrysalis said as her monster unleashed its acid breath which melted Celtic Knight. "I activate my face down," Thorax said, "Celtic Soul Guard! This card cuts the damage I take in half." Thorax: 1700 Chrysalis: 3600 Once again Insect Queen laid an egg, before her points lowered. (A2800/D2400/L7) "I end my turn," Chrysalis said. "Then it's my turn," Thorax said, "I draw." He looked at his card, but he didn't have any monsters. "I end my turn," he said. "Running out of options?" Chrysalis asked, "then I'll draw and once again Pendulum Summon!" The portal opened and from it shot Sting Winger. (A1400/D1300/L4/P6) "And of course my Queen powers up." (A3000/D2400/L7) "Now I'll attack Celtic Peallaidh, while using Silk Spitter's ability." Insect Queen once again devoured Sting Winger, while her Pendulum Monster changed the battle position of Thorax's last monster. Then the giant spider unleashed its acid breath, melting Peallaidh. Thorax: 500 Chrysalis: 3600 "I end my turn," Chrysalis said after her monster laid its third egg. (A2800/D2400/L7) Thorax fell onto one knee after that last attack, panting after the force of the attack knocked the wind out of him. "Come now son," Chrysalis said, "we both know how this is going to end. Stop this foolishness and give up." "No!" Thorax said as he hoisted himself up and looked his mother in the eye, "I don't know what you're doing here. But it can't be anything good if he's involved." He pointed at Shadow. "That's where you're wrong son," Chrysalis said, "what we're doing is good. We're working to make the world a better place." Thorax raised an eyebrow at this. "It's true," Chrysalis said, "when Shadow defeats Flash tomorrow, we'll have gathered enough Ener-D to summon the final monsters. Only two remain and when they arrive we'll be able to build the Crystal Tower." "And what is the Crystal Tower?" "Our future," Chrysalis said, "with it our king Sombra will rule this world and lead it into a better future. And we, his loyal followers will rule by his side." She reached out her hand, "think about it Thorax. Our country is in trouble, but with Sombra's help we will not only survive, but thrive. Changeland will become the greatest country in the world." "You're insane," Thorax said, "you're not doing any of this to help our country. You just want to rule a bigger kingdom." "Is that so wrong?" "Yes!" Thorax almost yelled, "and I'm gonna stop you! After I win I'm going to Flash and warning him." "I can't let you do that," Chrysalis said. "We'll see about that," Thorax said, "It's my turn. I...DRAW!" He looked at the card he'd drawn and smiled. "I place one card face down in DEF mode and end my turn." "So he's figured out Silk Spitter can only change the position of face up monsters," Chrysalis said, "very well, I draw and Pendulum Summon." The portal opened and Sting Winger flew out. (A1400/D1300/L4/P6) Once again Insect Queen powered up. (A3000/D2400/L7) "Attack the face down," Chrysalis ordered as the Queen devoured Sting Winger again, before firing the acid breath at the face down. The face down flipped up, revealing a sea horse like monster which quickly melted. Insect Queen then laid its fourth and final egg. (A2800/D2400/L7) Chrysalis smirked at her sons lost monster, but then saw him with his own smirk. "What's with that look?" "That look is because you fell for my trap," Thorax said. "You see when Celtic Pictish Beast is flipped up, I can activate his ability. Now I can add a Spell card from either of our graveyard to my hand." Chrysalis's eyes went wide hearing this. A flash of light came out of her Duel Disk, which flew over to Thorax who grabbed the card. "No," Chrysalis said "Oh yeah," Thorax said as he went to his deck, "it's my turn. I draw," he looked at his card and smiled, "perfect." He held the card up. "I banish the three monsters in my graveyard, to summon my most powerful monster." From the ground the spiritual bodies Celtic Guardian, Celtic Knight and Celtic Pictish Beast flew out, before transforming into balls of spirit energy which flew into the card. "Celtic Warlord!" (A3000/D3000/L10) "Don't forget my DNA Surgery changes him to an insect," Chrysalis said as Warlord turned into a giant bug, "which increases my Queen's power. (A3000/D2400/L7) "Well she won't be sticking around for long," Thorax said, "because now I'm using the Spell card I snagged from you." He placed the card in his Duel Disk, as a flash of light caused a familiar spray can to appear. "Eradicating Aerosol," he said, "I'll use it to destroy your Insect Queen." With that the can released its contents onto the giant spider, causing it to scream as it was melted alive. "NO!" Chrysalis called out. "And with her gone," Thorax said, "there's nothing protecting your eggs." Celtic Warlord raised its sword, before swiping it at the egg and destroying it Thorax: 500 Chrysalis: 700 "And thanks to my Warlord's ability," Thorax continued, "you'll lose two hundred life points for every Level the destroyed monster had." Celtic Warlord swiped the air, sending a powerful gust that almost knocked Chrysalis off her feet Thorax: 500 Chrysalis: 500 "I end my turn," Thorax said. Chrysalis got up and was soon standing up, a look of anger on her face. "I tried to give you a chance because your my son," he growled, "but now you can forget it." She placed her hand on her deck. "It's my turn," she said, "I DRAW!" She looked at the card and smiled, before turning to her son. "It's time. I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and two lights shot out. "Sting Winger!" (A1400/D1300/L4/P6) The second light became a black monster that was the cross between a unicorn and an insect. It had flowing blue hair and a long horn with holes in it. It also had a pair of holy insect wings and bright green eyes. A crown sat atop its head. "Changling Queen!" (A2000/D2000/L8/P5) "No way," Thorax said as he looked at the monster. "Now I'll activate my Queen's ability," Chrysalis said. "Now until the end of your next turn, she can transform into any monster on the field or in the graveyard." Her monster was surround in a vail of green light, which acted as a cocoon. Seconds later the cocoon vanished and from it, stepped out Insect Queen. This one was now mainly black with green trim. Thorax stared up in horror at the sight of the monster he'd just defeated. "What's more," Chrysalis said, "my Queen gains not only its appearance, but also its ATK, DEF and abilities." (A4200/D4400/L8/P5) "And with five other insects on the field, her power increases by one thousand. (A5200/D4400/L8/P5) Thorax was horror stricken by the sight. "It's over," Chrysalis said, "Changling Queen, FINISH IT!" The fake Insect Queen once again chowed down on Sting Winger, before turning to Thorax's monster and unleashing the acid breath. "NOOOO!" Thorax yelled as he and his monster were engulfed by the mist. Thorax: 0 Chrysalis: 500 (Winner) Chrysalis was in the main room, as Sombra was summoning the third to last card needed. Soon the process ended and the card flew out of the booth. "Only two left," Sombra said as her took the card. He turned to Chrysalis. "I know this can't be easy for you." "My son made his choice," Chrysalis said, "I am loyal to only you my king." In that second Shadow stepped into the room, before turning to the two. "The procedure has begun," he said, "the stress of the Duel will make the process easier. He should be ready by tomorrow." "Good," Chrysalis said, "no loose ends." In the laboratory, Thorax was now sitting unconscious on the chair with the metal helmet on his head.