//------------------------------// // Episode 10: Strength of Spirit // Story: Po-Ni-Oh! ZEXAL: The Crusade // by Master_Birdlion //------------------------------// Saturday. The beginning of the weekend A day to be as lazy as you want. A day to do absolutely nothing whatsoever. … Just not for the Crusaders. “How did I let you talk me into this?!” Sweetie Belle screamed in terror as she and her friends rolled at high speed down the sidewalk on a bike. “Because you knew it would be awesome!” Scootaloo said with a crazed laugh. She began to pedal faster, accelerating them down the hill. “Let’s see if the added weight of two more people can help me break my downhill speed record!” “If things go south, the only things breaking will be our necks!” Apple Bloom wailed. Scootaloo grinned. “What’s life without a little risk?” “Safe!” Apple Bloom answered immediately. “And this is more than just a little risk!” After a few more seconds of riding and a substantial amount of screaming from her friends, Scootaloo applied the breaks. The bike skidded to a stop, and she checked her stopwatch. “Darn it. So close,” she said. “Let’s go again!” “No!” Sweetie Belle shouted, hopping off the bike. Her legs wobbled like gelatin as she staggered away from her athletic friend. “I’m going to the cafe for a smoothie, and you’re buying to make up for the horror you just forced me to endure!” “Actually, smoothies do sound pretty good,” said Apple Bloom. “Scoots, go get your wallet.” Scootaloo sighed. “Alright, I guess that’s fair…” When the girls entered the cafe about twenty minutes later, they all got their smoothies and sat down at a corner table. A TV mounted on the wall behind Apple Bloom and Scootaloo’s seats was showing the local news. It was mostly just the usual boring stuff, a brief update on the Industrial Illusions hacking incident, and more boring stuff. Then Sweetie saw something on the screen that made her do a spit-take. “Girls, look!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo turned around to face the TV quickly, Astral emerging from the key as they did so. “Today, the wealthy entrepreneur and famous Duelist Sombra Umbrum will be arriving in Canterlot City for a fundraising event,” the newscaster narrated. “People will be able to find him at city hall.” The screen showed a live video of a grey-skinned man with black hair, piercing violet eyes, and a nice suit. But what really caught the girls’ eyes was what accompanied him. By his right side was a black silhouette that looked almost exactly like Astral. “You see that thing too, right?” Sweetie Belle asked her friends. “Ah see it. Still workin’ on believin’,” said Apple Bloom. “Is that another Astral?” “It looks so much like me,” Astral muttered. “Perhaps this Sombra man has information on the Number cards.” “Then we need to talk to him,” said Scootaloo. “Definitely,” Apple Bloom agreed. “Hopefully we can get him on our side. We need all the help we can get.” “Not necessarily,” Sweetie Belle replied. “We’re all getting our drive back.” “It’s not mah drive Ah’m worried about,” said Apple Bloom. Her friends all nodded in understanding. Later in the day, the group arrived at city hall, Astral back inside the key. Just like it had said on the news, Sombra was there. He was outside with the black Astral, seemingly assessing the area. “Excuse me! Mr. Sombra!” Sweetie called out as they all approached him. Sombra glanced over at them and smiled, but something about it was… unsettling. “Hello, girls. What can I do for you?” he asked. “We were wondering if you knew anything about something called Number cards,” said Scootaloo. This seemed to catch the black Astral’s attention. He looked at the girls and immediately noticed Apple Bloom’s key. “That girl’s pendant. It’s what we’ve been looking for,” he whispered to Sombra. The wealthy man smirked. “Oh, I know a lot about Numbers,” he said. “Come inside. I rented out some space. We can talk in there.” He went inside city hall. After a moment, the Crusaders followed. Sombra brought them to a multipurpose room with a few chairs set up. “Have a seat.” The girls all sat down. Immediately, metal restraints sprang from the chairs and bound them all down. “Hey! What the heck?!” Apple Bloom cried. Sombra looked right at her. “Your necklace. Where did you get it?” he asked. “Mah dad gave it to me, but what’s goin’ on here?!” Apple Bloom shouted. “It’s not that complicated,” the black Astral replied. “My name is Dark Mist, and I am the embodiment of Sombra’s Number card. My goal is to claim the power the other Numbers hold, and Sombra is helping me with that, but we need your key to accomplish it.” “Well, y’all ain’t gettin’ it!” Apple Bloom growled. Dark Mist chuckled. “You are going to give it to us, whether you like it or not,” he said, reaching forward. Suddenly, Astral burst from the key in a flash of light. “You will not harm these girls!” he shouted. “Not as long as I am here to defend them!” “Is that so?” Dark Mist asked with a sneer. “In that case, we’ll just defeat this girl in a Duel and make it so that you’re not here.” Apple Bloom’s eyes went wide. “W-what?! But Ah can’t Duel a professional!” “If you want to guarantee the safety of your friends, you have no choice,” said Sombra, pressing a button on his watch and unlocking the redhead’s restraints. “What’s your answer?” Apple Bloom look at her friends, then scowled at Sombra. “Ya crossed the line when ya threatened mah friends,” she said. “Duel Blade, activate! Get set to get decked!” Sombra chuckled as he strapped on his own Duel Blade, and Dark Mist flew into his deck. “This will be over quickly.” “Let’s Duel!” Apple Bloom LP: 8000; Hand: 5 Sombra LP: 8000; Hand: 5 “I’ll go first,” said Sombra. “And I begin with the spell card Dark World Dealings. We both draw one card, then discard one card.” Apple Bloom frowned as she drew. She had some good cards in her hand. This could mess up her combos. “Alright, Ah discard mah Dandylion,” she decided. “And since Ah did, Ah get two tokens in defense mode.” Two balls of dandelion fluff drifted into place in front of her. “And I discard my Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World,” Sombra said, then grinned as an armored fiend appeared on his field. “Huh? What happened?” Apple Bloom asked. “The special effect of my Lucent happened,” Sombra told her. “When it’s sent from my hand to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can Special Summon it to my field.” “Many Dark World monsters have similar effects that rely on them being discarded,” Astral warned. “His deck will be filled with easy summons and destruction.” “I set a monster in defense mode and one card facedown,” Sombra continued. “This will end my turn.” Apple Bloom LP: 8000; Hand: 5 Sombra LP: 8000; Hand: 2 “Mah turn! Draw!” Apple Bloom started. “Ah summon mah Botanical Lion in attack mode!” Her floral beast leapt onto the field next to her tokens with a growl. “That beast doesn’t have enough attack points to defeat my Lucent,” Sombra pointed out with a smirk. “Might wanna check your math on that,” Apple Bloom replied as her monster’s strength suddenly increased. “This little fella gains 300 attack points for every single one of mah face-up plant monsters! With mah tokens and himself, that’s three, makin’ him just strong enough! Attack Lucent with botanical claw!” As the monster charged in, Sombra laughed. “I activate my trap card, Raigeki Break. By discarding one card from my hand, I destroy one card on the field, and I choose one of your tokens.” A bolt of lightning crashed down on his opponent’s left token. “With one less plant in play, your Botanical Lion is once again weaker than Lucent. And the card I discarded is Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World. Like Lucent, it will revive itself when I discard it.” Apple Bloom winced as the opposing fiend gained an ally and counterattacked, destroying her monster. “Dang…! He took mah monster out and summoned another just like that,” she muttered. “Ah set a card and end mah turn.” Apple Bloom LP: 7800; Hand: 4 Sombra LP: 8000; Hand: 1 “Now it’s my turn. I draw,” said Sombra. “And what a draw it is. I activate Card of Demise. This allows me to draw until I hold five cards. However, after five of my standby phases, I have to discard every card in my hand.” “Setup for more Dark World effects to activate later in the game,” Apple Bloom realized. “Indeed,” Sombra replied with a sinister glint in his eyes. “Beiige will destroy your final token, and then Lucent will attack you directly.” After taking the hit and seeing Astral fade slightly, Apple Bloom quickly took action. “Ah activate mah trap Damage Gate! Since Ah just took battle damage, Ah can summon a monster from mah Graveyard whose attack points are less than or equal to that damage! Botanical Lion ain’t down just yet!” Sombra snorted. “Not as if that can help you. I end my turn.” Apple Bloom LP: 5400; Hand: 4 Sombra LP: 8000; Hand: 5 “If you can summon Utopia, you’ll be able to defeat his monsters,” Astral said. “Ah’m on it,” Apple Bloom said. “Draw! Ah summon Copy Plant!” Her twisted tree-like creature sprouted next to the lion. “This guy does pretty much what it says on the package: he copies the level of another plant! And now, Ah use mah two level four monsters to build the Overlay Network! Go, Number 39: Utopia!” “An interesting monster,” Sombra said as he looked at the winged warrior. “Go ahead and attack. See what happens.” “That’s the plan!” Apple Bloom replied with a grin. “Utopia, rising sun slash! Take down the Lucent!” Her ace Number nodded and unsheathed one of his curved blades, destroying the fiend with one quick slash. “Ah set a card and end mah turn.” Apple Bloom LP: 5400; Hand: 3 Sombra LP: 7900; Hand: 5 “I draw, and Card of Demise now has four turns remaining on it,” said Sombra as his turn began. “I set one card facedown and activate my field spell The Gates of Dark World.” The area around the Duelists transformed into a massive stone archway with opened double doors, looking like the entrance to the underworld. “By its first effect, all fiends on the field gain 300 attack and defense points.” “That’s still not strong enough. And even if it was, only Numbers can defeat other Numbers,” said Apple Bloom. “I’m aware of that,” Sombra told her. “So for now, I’ll set my Beiige to defense mode and end my turn.” Apple Bloom LP: 5400; Hand: 3 Sombra LP: 7900; Hand: 4 “On the defensive, Ah see,” Apple Bloom said, drawing her next card. “Ah summon Lonefire Blossom, then use its special ability to tribute it and bring out Gigaplant! Gigaplant is gonna take out Beiige, And Utopia will go after the facedown! Plus, with mah Strike Slash trap card, he’ll gain 700 and inflict piercing for the turn!” Sombra grunted as he took the damage, mostly out of irritation, but he didn’t look too annoyed. “The facedown monster was Scarr, Scout of Dark World,” he said. “When it’s destroyed by battle, I can add a level four or lower Dark World monster from my deck to my hand. I choose a second Scarr.” “Fine by me. Ah still took a big chunk of your Life Points,” said Apple Bloom. “Ah end mah turn with that.” Apple Bloom LP: 5400; Hand: 3 Sombra LP: 5500; Hand: 5 “Three turns now remain on Card of Demise,” Sombra said after he drew. “Now, I activate the second effect of The Gates of Dark World. By banishing a fiend from the Graveyard and discarding a fiend from my hand, I can draw once more. I banish Scarr, Scout of Dark World and discard Broww, Huntsman of Dark World. Broww’s effect will let me draw one more card.” Apple Bloom frowned. “No Special Summons this time, huh?” “I don’t need any extra summoning, said Sombra. “I set one monster, then another card facedown, and activate my continuous spell The Dark Door. With this in play, only one monster can attack each battle phase. I end my turn with that.” Apple Bloom LP: 5400; Hand: 3 Sombra LP: 5500; Hand: 4 “Mah move, then. Draw!” Apple Bloom declared. “Ah think Ah’m just gonna go straight for the attack! Utopia, get rid of it!” “You’ve attacked my second Scarr,” said Sombra. “By its effect, I add my final copy of it to my hand.” “He is planning something,” Astral said. “Be cautious moving forward.” “Right,” said Apple Bloom. “Ah’ll give Gigaplant its gemini effect, then use it to bring back Lonefire Blossom. Lonefire Blossom will tribute itself for a second Gigaplant, and Ah end mah turn.” Apple Bloom LP: 5400; Hand: 4 Sombra LP: 5500; Hand: 5 “Only two turns left until an onslaught of Dark World effects. I draw,” Sombra began. “Now once again, I activate the effect of my The Gates of Dark World. I banish Scarr, Scout of Dark World, discard Gren, Tactician of Dark World, and draw one card. However, Gren’s effect is not optional, so I have to destroy one of my facedown cards.” Apple Bloom grinned. “Bit of an inconvenience, hm?” “A minor setback,” said Sombra. “Once again, I set one monster and a new facedown and end my turn.” Apple Bloom LP: 5400; Hand: 4 Sombra LP: 5500; Hand: 4 “That’s definitely his last Scarr,” said Apple Bloom. “Not like gettin’ another fiend will help too much. Draw!” “He set each Scarr, Scout of Dark World knowing they would be destroyed,” Astral pointed out. “Perhaps he doesn’t necessarily want them on the field for their effects.” “Good point, but Ah’m never gonna get to his Life Points if Ah leave monsters on his field,” said Apple Bloom. “Utopia, attack the facedown again!” “You were correct in assuming that it was Scarr,” Sombra told his opponent. “This time, I’ll take a Ceruli, Guru of Dark World from my deck.” “And Ah’m gonna end it there,” Apple Bloom said. Apple Bloom LP: 5400; Hand: 5 Sombra LP: 5500; Hand: 5 Sombra drew to begin his turn. “Card of Demise will activate on my next turn,” he said. “Once again, I use the effect of The Gates of Dark World, banishing my final Scarr and discarding Sillva, Warlord of Dark World. When Sillva is discarded, it is Special Summoned.” “It’s strong, but ya can’t beat me yet!” said Apple Bloom. “I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you,” Sombra taunted. “I activate my trap card, Return from the Different Dimension. By paying half my Life Points, I can summon as many of my banished monsters as possible, which means all three of my Scarrs will return to the field.” Apple Bloom gasped. “Three monsters…” “Yes. With my three Scarrs, I build the Overlay Network to Xyz Summon your doom,” Sombra cackled. The black portal opened, drawing in the three fiends, as well as a mysterious shadow. “Come to me, Number 96: Dark Mist.” This monster looked nothing like Astral. It was a demon with gaseous shadows pouring from various points on its body. Its eyes glowed crimson, and a 96 mark shimmered on its head, as well as Sombra’s hand. Apple Bloom was terrified… until she checked her Duel Blade’s display screen. “Only a hundred attack points?” she noticed. “Well, four hundred with his field spell, but still.” “Low initial strength does not indicate weak potential,” said Sombra. “I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy my Dark Door. Now, Sillva will attack your Gigaplant on the left.” “Ah activate Utopia’s special ability!” Apple Bloom countered. “By removin’ an overlay unit, he stops the attack!” “Then I attack Gigaplant with Dark Mist.” Apple Bloom frowned. “Why would ya do that?” “To use Dark Mist’s special effect,” Sombra answered. “When it battles another monster, I can remove one overlay unit to halve the attack points of that monster and give those lost attack points to Dark Mist itself.” Dark Mist hissed as it absorbed the power of Gigaplant and struck it down with a whip-like arm. “I set three cards and end my turn.” Apple Bloom LP: 5000; Hand: 5 Sombra LP: 2750; Hand: 3 “Okay, not gonna wanna hit that Number,” Apple Bloom muttered to herself, drawing a new card. “Ah set two cards facedown and activate Rush Recklessly so Ah can attack Sillva with Utopia!” Sombra growled in frustration as his fiend was taken out. “A clever move, but I will still win this,” he said. Apple Bloom glared at him, then sighed. “Turn end.” Apple Bloom LP: 5000; Hand: 3 Sombra LP: 2150; Hand: 3 After Sombra drew a card, he immediately sent his entire hand to the Graveyard. “Card of Demise has kicked in, and three effects can activate. Broww lets me draw a card, Ceruli summons itself to your field, and Gren destroys your left facedown card. Then I use my trap Jar of Greed to draw once more, and my facedown spell Pot of Greed to draw twice more.” “He planned that,” Apple Bloom muttered. “Even after Card of Demise emptied his hand, he had plenty of draw power ready.” “Now, Dark Mist will attack your second Gigaplant,” Sombra declared. “Ah activate Utopia’s special ability one more time to stop the attack!” “Nice try, but I use my trap card Solemn Strike,” Sombra countered. “By paying 1500 Life Points, I negate Utopia’s effect’s activation, then destroy Utopia.” Apple Bloom gasped. “No!” “Once again, I use the effect of Dark Mist to take half of Gigaplant’s attack points as its own,” Sombra said, prompting his monster to continue the attack and destroy its target. “I now activate Poison of the Old Man to regain 1200 Life Points, then set one card and end my turn.” Apple Bloom LP: 3400; Hand: 3 Sombra LP: 1850; Hand: 2 Apple Bloom drew her next card hopefully, then used her own Pot of Greed. “This could help. Thanks for the Ceruli, by the way.” “What?” Sombra said, looking rather confused. “Ah activate Monster Reincarnation!” Apple Bloom. “By sendin’ one card in mah hand to the Graveyard, Ah can add Gigaplant back to mah hand! Then Ah tribute your Ceruli to summon it!” “I see. Tribute fodder,” Sombra hummed. “But you seem to be forgetting that Dark Mist still has an overlay unit left.” “Actually, Ah didn’t forget,” said Apple Bloom. “Ah activate Forbidden Chalice on your Dark Mist! This’ll give it 400 attack points and negate all its effects for the turn!” Sombra went wide-eyed. “That leaves it with 800 attack points, and non-Numbers can destroy it…” “Gigaplant, attack Dark Mist!” “I activate Rainbow Life,” Sombra countered. “By discarding one card, I turn all Life Point losses this turn into a gain.” The attack still went through, and his monster was defeated. Apple Bloom slowly smiled. “Ah did it…!” she said. “Ah defeated Dark Mist!” Apple Bloom LP: 3400; Hand: 2 Sombra LP: 3450; Hand: 2 “You may have beaten my Number, but you haven’t beaten me,” Sombra said with a sneer. “My turn. I draw.” Apple Bloom frowned. “What else could ya possibly have up your sleeve?” “Something very special, but only if I can draw it,” Sombra said. “I activate Card of Sanctity, forcing us both to draw until we hold six cards.” His face broke into a very unpleasant grin after that activation. “Ah, here it is.” “Ah don’t like the sound of that,” said Apple Bloom. “To summon this monster, I have to banish seven different dark-attribute monsters from my Graveyard,” Sombra explained. “I banish Scarr, Sillva, Beiige, Ceruli, Broww, Lucent, and Gren.” As he held up the card, his grin grew even wider. “May all light turn to darkness, and even the strongest shall tremble in terror! I summon Rainbow Dark Dragon!” Apple Bloom could only stare as a massive black dragon with a serpentine body flew onto the field. Multicolored crystals glittered among its scales, and its eyes drove fear deep into her heart. “Oh no…” “Now, I equip my dragon with Axe of Despair and activate its special effect,” Sombra went on. “By banishing all other dark-attribute monsters from my Graveyard, it gains 500 attack points for each one.” “That’s 7500!” Apple Bloom cried, hearing her friends behind her sharing in her horror. “Rainbow Dark Dragon!” Sombra bellowed. “Attack Gigaplant with black spectral stream!” Apple Bloom gasped as the attack was launched. Fortunately, she was able to use a trap card in time. “Go, Half Unbreak! Gigaplant ain’t destroyed, and Ah only take half the damage!” “But it’s still an almost fatal blow,” Sombra said. As the blast struck, Apple Bloom screamed. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily as Astral faded almost completely. Sombra cackled. “I end my turn with one last facedown card. Good luck overcoming my dragon.” Apple Bloom LP: 850; Hand: 6 Sombra LP: 3450; Hand: 3 “Apple Bloom… this is the end,” Astral said. “His monster is too powerful, and your Life Points are too low. No matter what you do, he will win on his next turn.” With desperate tears in her eyes, Apple Bloom glanced back at the girls, still strapped to their chairs. “… No…” she said. “Ah can’t let that happen…! Mah friends are all counting on me…! Sweetie, Scoots, you, Ah won’t let y’all down!” She stood up slowly. “Ah’ve been there for y’all in the past, and Ah sure as heck ain’t gonna stop now!” Astral suddenly let out a gasp as small particles of light began to drift around him. I can feel what she’s feeling, he thought. This is different from confidence. It is… determination. His eyes began to glow, as did something in Apple Bloom’s extra deck. Apple Bloom took the glowing card from her Duel Blade and frowned. “What’s this…?” “Your determination taken form,” Astral realized. “You were right. We cannot allow him to win.” Nodding and turning to face Sombra again, Apple Bloom drew her next card. “Ah activate the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Axe of Despair!” she began. “Then Ah play Pot of Avarice, shufflin’ five monsters in the Graveyard back into mah deck or extra deck and drawin’ two cards! Then Ah summon Goblindburg and activate his special ability, lettin’ mah Cactus Fighter join him on the field by changing him to defense mode! Now, one of the cards Ah put back with Pot of Avarice was Utopia, and Ah’m gonna overlay mah two monsters to bring him back!” Sombra just laughed at her as the warrior emerged. “Even a Number monster has no hope of defeating Rainbow Dark Dragon,” he taunted. “It still has 6500 attack points.” Apple Bloom grinned. “Oh, this ain’t even his final form! By combining Utopia with his overlay units, Ah can rebuild the Overlay Network!” she said as Utopia dove back into the portal he came from. She held up the new card, and there was a blinding flash of light. Sombra held up an arm to stop the light from shining in his eyes. “What is that…?” he grunted. As Apple Bloom continued her summon, Astral began speaking and moving in unison with her. “With the power of hope and determination, the messenger that changes chaos into light, descend and bring justice by smiting the wicked!” they chanted. “Go, Chaos Xyz Evolution!” As they spoke, Utopia reemerged from the portal, but he looked different. His helmet had a more mask-like look to it, the silver parts of his armor had become slightly darker, his wings and shoulder plates had grown longer, and there was an enormous third sword strapped to his back. His 39 mark blazed brighter than before, three orbs of light orbited around him, and he let out an echoing battle cry. “Appear! Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray!” Sombra stared in shock for a moment before sneering. “I don’t know how you did that, but you still won’t defeat my dragon. That thing has the same attack points as Utopia.” “Not for long! Ah activate Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray’s special ability!” Apple Bloom declared. “This effect can be activated as many times per turn as Ah want as long as he has overlay units! For each one Ah detach, he gains 500 attack points and one monster you control loses a thousand! Overlay charge!” As she said this, Utopia Ray sprouted two extra arms, which unsheathed the giant sword on his back an held it high over his head. His three units all flew up and melded themselves into the weapon, causing it to glow. Sombra’s eyes widened as his monster became weaker. “It’s not possible…!” “Now Ah activate Magical Stone Excavation!” Apple Bloom continued. “Just gotta ditch two cards in mah hand, and Ah can take Forbidden Chalice back from the Graveyard, then use it on your Rainbow Dark Dragon!” “But without its effect, its attack points will be even lower…!” Sombra gasped. “Low enough for Gigaplant to take it down for a thousand damage!” Apple Bloom declared as her monster crushed the enemy dragon in its vines. “Utopia Ray, attack directly and bring his Life Points to zero! Rising sun chaos slash!” “This can’t be…! I’m unbeatable!” Sombra shouted as the giant glowing sword came down on him. Winner: Apple Bloom As Sombra was knocked unconscious, Apple Bloom ran forward and pressed a button on his watch, releasing her friends from their restraints, and Astral held a hand out to absorb the man’s Number. The ghostly being gasped as his fingers made contact with the card. This was the first truly noteworthy memory he had regained in a long time… and it wasn’t good. He saw Astral World again, but something was different. Projectiles of dark energy were hurdling toward his home world and exploding on contact. It was being destroyed… The Crusaders hugged each other tightly. “Ah can’t believe Ah almost lost ya,” Apple Bloom was saying. “But you totally killed it out there!” Scootaloo said with a grin. “Definitely!” Sweetie Belle agreed. “The way Utopia changed like that was incredible! How did you do that?” “Ah have no idea, but it got the job done!” Apple Bloom said, smiling widely. “Ah think that Duel even did the trick! Not only am Ah confident, but Ah’m determined!” Observation number fourteen. Determination, along with hope and friendship, is the ultimate strength, Astral thought. Then he stared back down at the card he had taken. Dark Mist… are there others like you?