//------------------------------// // Turn 24: Surprise Attack // Story: Crossover Into Chaos // by dabestgamer //------------------------------// “Give it up, Yusei,” the man demanded, while using a card to trigger a gust. Yusei barely rolled out of the way. “Who are you?” “Make it easy for the both of us and quit resisting. I’ve already gotten enough flack for missing your friends at the cottage.” Yusei glimpsed past the man. “Fluttershy…” He turned around towards the pile of hay behind him. “Where do you think you’re going?” the man exclaimed, causing another gust with another card. The sound of the resulting boom was heard throughout the farm. A magenta blast threw one of the armored dogs outside through the broken wall in the kitchen. “Don’t just stand there!” Rover shouted. “Get the pony!” Spot commanded. The other two armored canines stepped towards Twilight. “Get back,” Twilight gritted her teeth, her horn glowing with a bright aura. “Ya darn mutts, git out of mah house!” Granny Smith exclaimed. “Stay back, Granny Smith.” One of the two approaching dogs leapt at the alicorn. Another blast hurled it outside. The remaining canine rammed into Twilight, knocking her against the wall. The dog then raised its forearm, its nails ready to slice into whatever it struck. A bright flash briefly lit the room and Twilight was nowhere to be seen. The dog then felt itself flung out of the building by an aura. Rover, Spot, and Fido then glanced at Twilight, chuckling weakly. “Nice pony… nice pony…” Fido said as they backed away. Twilight stared at the remaining dogs until something in the distance caught her eye. “Is that…? No way…” the alicorn thought. She shot an angry glare at the Diamond Dogs. A burst of magic created an explosion. The three dogs found themselves sprawling over the lawn. Struggling to get up, the alicorn flew past them towards the armored dog in the distance. “What are we going to do?” asked Spot. “Master’s not going to like this at all,” Fido added. “Shut up!” exclaimed Rover. “He is not our mast—” His words were interrupted by a thud. Rover fell to the ground limp. Spot and Fido caught a glimpse of the attacker, just before being struck themselves. “That’s what ya get fer trespassin’!” Granny Smith shouted, tossing her rolling pin aside. The man stepped further into the barn as the dust began to clear. “Come out of hiding already!” he groaned. He quickly found himself startled by the sound of a Duel Runner. Yusei burst out of the hay at the hooded man and toward the entrance. “Trying to escape?” the man grabbed another card and placed it in his Duel Disk. “I don’t think so!” Another gust caught the Runner. Yusei screamed as he was thrown out of his vehicle and against the wall of the barn. “You’re not getting away that easily,” the man sneered. Yusei crawled to his Runner, his hand about to press a button only to stop short. His eyes caught sight of a lavender creature in the distance flying towards Ponyville. “Just what would your plan be? Duel them? Maybe risk another of my friends? Or maybe even yours?” Twilight snapped. “Twilight!” Fluttershy responded. “You can’t… just take gambles like that, Yusei!” Yusei began to speak. “But I already said that—” “That you wouldn’t take such big risks unless it was necessary? At what point do you consider it necessary? Did you even try to figure something else out?” “What’s wrong, Yusei?” the man grinned, approaching Yusei. Yusei looked up at the man, before pressing the button on his Runner. His vehicle responded by allowing his Duel Disk to detach from it then attach onto his left arm. “No… this won’t be like before,” Yusei thought, rising to his feet. “Twilight’s friends…” “Huh?” the man responded. “Where are they? And where are my friends?” The hooded man shrugged. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” “Answer me!” The man sighed. “How pointless.” “What?” “There’s no sense in answering you, seeing as how I’ve been ordered to drag you back with me. Not only that, you and the princess have caused me nothing but grief since you got here. But noooooo! Those idiots in Canterlot are having us doing nothing but grunt work here in this remote town.” “Canterlot…?” Yusei mumbled. “And even then, I’m still unfortunate enough to be bossed around by Latrose—who himself just goes and gives that Carnis special treatment! So they send me to go after you and those ponies! Then I get punished for coming back empty-handed! Bah! I’m sick of this nonsense! Doesn’t matter, though. Once I bring you back, I won’t have to put up with that anymore. I might even earn myself one of those special cards.” “Special cards…?” A brief silence filled the room. The hooded man quickly covered his mouth with his palm. “Darn it! Me and my big mouth…” “So you’re saying that Twilight’s friends are still in Canterlot?” Yusei asked. “I’m not saying anymore,” the man groaned. “At least not until I’ve beaten you down and taken you by force.” “That won’t happen!” Yusei raised his Duel Disk. “You don’t honestly think you can fight me here, do you? After all, you’re nothing like us.” “What do you mean?” “You still don’t know? Whatever. I’m pretty sure you’re unable to—what?” The man found himself interrupted by the activation of Yusei’s Duel Disk. “But… how? Bah. Doesn’t matter. It’s all the same!” Both drew five cards from their Decks. DUEL! Yusei (LP 4000) VS Enemy (LP 4000) “I’ll take the first turn!” the man declared, drawing a sixth card. “I end my turn.” “What?” Yusei replied. “Ending his turn without Summoning a monster or Setting cards? What’s he up to?” “What’s wrong, Yusei?” “I don’t know what he’s planning, but I can’t afford to take too much time. I’ll finish this quickly and help Twilight save Fluttershy!” Yusei thought. “It’s my turn! I Summon Speed Warrior in Attack Position!” Speed Warrior LV: 2 ATK: 900 “During the Battle Phase of the turn it’s Normal Summoned, Speed Warrior’s ATK is doubled!” Speed Warrior LV: 2 ATK: 900 * 2 = 1800 “Go, Speed Warrior! Direct attack! Sonic Edge!” The metallic warrior darted forward on its hands, kicking the hooded man. Enemy LP: 4000 – 1800 = 2200 “A little too eager, huh, Yusei?” said the man. “From my hand, I activate the monster effect of Rogue Blades!” “What?!” Yusei exclaimed. “A monster effect from the hand?” “By discarding this card and one other card from my hand, you take damage equal to the amount I took!” The image of a small canine lunged at Yusei, striking him with the blades on its arms. Yusei LP: 4000 – 1800 = 2200 “This damage… it’s real…” Yusei noted. “At this moment, I activate the effect of the Rogue Emissary,” the hooded man continued. “When it’s discarded to activate the effect of a “Rogue” card or by the effect of one, I can Special Summon it in Defense Position!” Another dog appeared before Yusei and his monster. Rogue Emissary LV: 3 DEF: 1000 “Now that your Battle Phase has ended, Speed Warrior’s ATK returns to normal.” Speed Warrior LV: 2 ATK: 1800 / 2 = 900 “So… what will you do next, Yusei Fudo?” “This is no time to be careless,” Yusei thought. “I Set two cards face-down and end my turn.” “P-please… if you could be so kind as to let me go…” Fluttershy whimpered. “Please?” The armored dog refused to loosen its grip as it sprinted towards Ponyville. “Somepony… please help…” she cried softly. Glancing in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, she saw something approaching. “Twilight!” “Let her go!” Twilight demanded. Ignoring the princess, the armored dog continued onward. Twilight’s horn began to glow, teleporting herself ahead of the canine and planted her hooves into the ground. The oncoming dog continued straight forward and raised its free arm while gnashing its teeth. Her horn continued to glow as the captor approached. “Twilight…?” Fluttershy mumbled. The dog continued to charge toward the alicorn, raising its free arm. Fluttershy shut her eyes while she hopelessly squirmed in the grip of her captor. “That’s far enough!” Twilight shouted. A magenta shockwave burst out in all directions. Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes. Scanning the area, she saw that the canine had stopped—frozen in place, rather. Looking at Twilight, she saw that the alicorn’s horn continued to glow. Twilight grunted as her horn grew brighter. Fluttershy looked down and noticed that the canine’s grip was beginning to loosen. Twilight peeled the arm off of Fluttershy, allowing the latter to fly to her friend’s side. “Oh, thank you so much for saving me, Twilight!” Fluttershy said, hugging the alicorn—in turn, causing her magic to fade. “Are you okay, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, after the pegasus released her. “Why, y—” The conversation was cut short by the approaching dog. Twilight glared at the canine. “I’ve had just about enough of you.” The dog raised its paw only to get a sharp burst of magic in its face, hurling it several feet away. “Come on, let’s go,” Twilight said, turning towards Ponyville. “Um… where are we going?” Fluttershy asked. “There’s only one place for us to go: my castle.” “Without Yusei?” Twilight stopped and paused for a moment. “Fluttershy?” “Y-yes?” “I’d rather not bring him into this right now.” “Are you sure?” Twilight remained silent as she continued walking again. “Oh… okay…” Fluttershy lifted herself off the ground and flew behind Twilight. “It’s my turn!” the hooded man declared. “I activate the Spell Card Diamond Pressure! This turn, I only have to Tribute one “Rogue” monster whenever I would Tribute two or more for a Tribute Summon or card effect!” “Here it comes…” Yusei thought. “I Tribute Rogue Emissary to Tribute Summon the Level 7 Rogue Captain!” The smaller dog was replaced by a familiar armored canine. Rogue Captain LV: 7 ATK: 2700 “What?!” Yusei exclaimed. “But this is…” The two found themselves startled by a sudden explosion. Before they could catch a glimpse of the cause, Fluttershy shrieked as she was grabbed by a large armored canine. “Fluttershy!” Yusei shouted. “It looks the same as the dog that grabbed Fluttershy… and the dogs around town as well…” Yusei noticed. “Of course… there’s no mistaking it now.” “Yusei,” Akiza called, opening the door to Yusei's apartment about to leave for home. “What is it, Akiza?” he replied. “That officer that was here earlier… when I Dueled him, the damage he inflicted was real.” “Yeah, I noticed that as well.” “Besides us, the Dark Signers, Team Ragnarok, and Yliaster… there’s only one group of Duelists that are capable of inflicting real damage during Duels.” “You mean…” “Yeah.” “That officer that Akiza Dueled… even Callos… maybe that woman as well… and now this man in front of me…” Yusei thought. “There’s one thing they all have in common!” “Rogue Captain! Attack Speed Warrior!” the hooded man commanded. His armored beast pulled out a large mace and lunged at Yusei’s monster. “Rogue Mace!” “I activate the Trap Card Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!” A large metal scarecrow intercepted the dog’s swing. “This card negates your monster’s attack!” “A pointless move. Rogue Captain’s monster effect activates! Once per turn, when this monster attacks, I can negate the activation of a Spell or Trap Card and destroy it!” “What?!” “Eat this!” The man’s canine crushed the metal scarecrow and crushed Speed Warrior. The resulting explosion smothered Yusei. “I activate the Trap Card Defense Draw! During this battle, the damage I take becomes 0, then I draw one card!” The hooded man chuckled. “From my hand, I activate the effect of Rogue Punisher. When a “Rogue” monster destroys an opponent’s monster in battle, I can discard this card and another card in my hand to inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster’s Level times 200!” “What?” “Speed Warrior’s Level is 2. Therefore, you take 400 damage!” The image of another small canine slashed at Yusei. 2 * 200 = 400 Yusei LP: 2200 – 400 = 1800 “And it just so happens that the card I discarded was Rogue Emissary!” “But that means…” Yusei mumbled. “That’s right,” the man continued. “By its effect, it’s Special Summoned to my field in Defense Position.” Rogue Emissary LV: 3 DEF: 1000 “But I’m not done yet!” The man grabbed the last card in his hand. “I activate the Quick-Play Spell Diamond Rush! Since I control two “Rogue” monsters, I can Tribute two of them to Special Summon another “Rogue” monster from my Deck! However…” “Of course… this is what he was aiming for…” Yusei observed. “I see you’ve realized it now. By the effect of Diamond Pressure, I only have to Tribute one monster! I Tribute Rogue Emissary! Appear now, my second Rogue Captain!” Another armored canine armed with a mace appeared at the hooded man’s side. Rogue Captain LV: 7 ATK: 2700 “Go, Rogue Captain! Attack Yusei Fudo directly and finish him off! Rogue Mace!” The armored beast leapt towards Yusei. “Swift Scarecrow’s effect activates!” Yusei declared. “When the opponent attacks me directly, I can send this card from my hand to the Graveyard to negate that attack and end the Battle Phase!” A smaller scarecrow emerged and intercepted the canine’s strike. The man scoffed. “I end my turn. You can’t keep this up forever.” “I won’t have to.” “What?” “It’s my turn!” Yusei glanced at his drawn card. “All right! It’s here!” “What’s with that smile…?” the man groaned. “By sending a Monster Card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon the Tuner Monster Quickdraw Synchron from my hand!” Quickdraw Synchron LV: 5 ATK: 700 “Now I activate the effect of Quillbolt Hedgehog from my Graveyard! If I control a Tuner Monster, it can be Special Summoned!” Quillbolt Hedgehog LV: 2 ATK: 800 “Next, I Summon Sonic Chick!” Sonic Chick LV: 1 ATK: 300 “I tune Level 5 Quickdraw Synchron with Level 1 Sonic Chick and Level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog!” 5 + 1 + 2 = 8 “Gathering fighting souls will awaken the raging wicked god! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Obliterate, Junk Destroyer!” Junk Destroyer LV: 8 ATK: 2600 “A Synchro Monster, huh?” the man said. “However, your monster only has 2600 ATK. It can’t beat my two Rogue Captains with 2700 ATK!” “When Junk Destroyer is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy cards on the field up to the number of non-Tuner Monsters used as its Synchro Materials!” Yusei retorted. “What?!” “Go! Tidal Energy!” A bright light shone from the chest of Yusei’s Synchro Monster. The light shot towards the two canines and vanquished them. “My… my Rogue Captains…!” “With this, your field is completely empty!” “No!” “Junk Destroyer, direct attack! Destroy Knuckle!” The monster’s four fists lit up, each releasing a small blast of energy at the hooded man. The explosion knocked the man over. Enemy LP: 2200 – 2600 = 0 The hooded man struggled to rise. “This… isn’t… over…!” He suddenly gasped as a strange blackness constricted his body. “No! Please don’t!” “This is…” Yusei mumbled. The man screamed as he was pulled into the darkness engulfing him. “Wait!” The pitch-black pool vanished as instantly as it appeared, Yusei’s opponent no longer in sight. “What was that…?” “Can’t y’all keep it down? I’ve had enough of you whippersnappers terrorizin’ mah farm!” Granny Smith shouted as she appeared at the barn’s entrance. No longer focused on the man’s disappearance, Yusei turned towards the elderly pony. “Granny Smith, right?” “What’s it to ya, young’un?” “Where’s Twilight!” “That filly just took off in a mighty hurry. I figure she’s ’bout to run those darn monkeys and them mutts outta this town. You oughta be leavin’, too. I’ve had enough of the ruckus you and yer kind have caused here!” “So she’s not just saving Fluttershy…?” Yusei wondered. “She can’t fight them all on her own.” He quickly set his Runner upright, put on his helmet, and boarded the vehicle. “I’m sorry for the trouble, Granny Smith,” said Yusei, starting up his Duel Runner. “Whatever, just git!” Granny Smith replied. “There’s only one place she and the dog that took Fluttershy could be headed…” he thought, bursting out of the barn. “And stay out!”