Enter the Power Zone RP - Start!

Angelica looked on with a smirk, convinced she had won.

"Well then, I guess he was directly connected to his zone. That makes some things easier."

She began to fly away on her board, when she noticed a loud beeping from her pocket. she reached in and pulled out a sensor. Her eyes widened as the meter on it shot upwards, "DANGER" flashing on the screen from the abnormally high energy levels. It suddenly exploded in her hand, sending small fragments of shrapnel around her. She cried out in shock and pain, holding her hand as she looked back at where Infernok had been. He now levitated, his eyes glowing ferociously.

"Oh, we were connected in more ways than one. But it doesn't get easier."

Angelica shook as she yelled at him, anger filling her voice.

"The hell is going on, you damned daemon!?"

Infernok laughed as he teleported directly behind her, leaning in next to her face. As he spoke, a shiver ran down Angelica's spine.

"Come and see, child."

His hand shot out and grabbed her by the back of her neck as he rose. There she hung, like a cat being held by it's mother, limp and helpless to witness the events before her. Soon they floated over the city, the view stretching out for miles. below them creatures fought, people ran in panic; yet there was one thing that enraptured Angelica's attention. By the power plant, seven shining portals had appeared in a circle above the plant. From each of them, a giant monster pulled themselves from the depths, each one sporting a different body: a giant, a spider, a condor, a lizard, a hummingbird, a monkey, and a whale. Angelica's eyes paled as she looked on. Infernok laughed maniacally as he spit a projectile directly to the ground; a projectile Angelica soon recognized as Michael. She looked at Infernok with fear.

"B-But your host... how?..."

Infernok grinned as she threw her down, screaming down at her as she fell.

"Now witness my awakening: the power of Anti-Hope!"

Angelica mumbled under her breath before screaming out at a small device in her hand.

"Shit! Abort!"

The device opened up a portal around her, and she dissapeared mid-air, leaving Infernok to his own laughter and gradual transformation.

~~~

Valkoor panted as he could do nothing to stop the events before him. While eh looked on with fear at the events he had arrived to see before him, Priestess appeared before him, he same look on her face.

"Master, we can do nothing. We should warn the others for now."

Valkoor nodded shakily.

"Yeah... let's go."

He opened a portal beneath him and jumped in, reappearing next to the group to tell them of the events and what was happening at the power plant.

Michael was unconscious as he felt the wind blowing as he fell downward, sirens in the air when he then opened his eyes and saw the Apocalypse unfolding below him and think, "Oh god, what have I done..."

Suddenly, Michael saw he was falling towards a spiraling purple and black portal on the ground and saw inside the portal, a black monster with blue-highlights around its body was climbing out and Michael thought to himself, "I'm... I'm sorry... Mom... Dad..." then he hit the beast square in its chest and disappeared.

"Makoto..."


Jason watched on as this apocalypse was occuring and thought to himself, "What is going to happen now?" Suddenly the creature that abducted him earlier said in its cold tone, "Just as I feared... the Armageddon is starting..."

Jason turned around around and the spirit said, "I was here to punish you for misusing my cohorts in your deck, but it is clear you are going to need my help Jason...."

Jason asked who the spirit was but then a voice appeared in his head that said, "I am Xenon, Lord of the Different Dimensions. I will help you through this journey to stop this Armageddon. Allow me to improve your deck.

Jason's deck case then lifted towards Xenon and a rainbow glow surrounded it and then Xenon returned the deck and said, "Allow me to teleport you to your friends."


Makoto woke up and saw Nozaki looking out the window and said, "Nozaki... what is going on?" Nozaki turned around and Makoto saw his face had a grave expression and said, "Nothing Makoto... I am going to go see Chief Igatoshi..." Nozaki then left the room and thought to himself, "Oh god... what did I witness?" He went downstairs and saw Chief Igatoshi and the others and said, "Chief, what the hell is going on?!?"

Suddenly 2 shining lights happened and out of them came Jason and Valkoor from them and Valkoor said, "Allow me to explain Nozaki.


Infernok stood in the power plant and saw 4 pods there with signs that said Energy Infuser on them and then he thought, "Time to assemble the Horsemen

Hours passed and Infernok then flipped the switch and the 4 pods started reacting and then he looked on the computer screen as the screen associated the energies to his 4 choice hosts


The alarm then sounded and the pods opened. Out came the 4 test subjects dressed in Red, Green, Blue, and Grey armor and helmets and then then knealed to Infernok and in unison said, "Master Infernok, what will you have us do?"

Infernok smiled and said, "First, allow me to give you all boost. Hold out your decks and your necklaces." The horsemen did as such and Infernok spread his darkness to the decks and then the each revived their new decks.

Infernok then said, "Now go my horsemen! Abyss, my Torrential Assassin, you shall go to the east. Earth, my Titan of Scrap, you shall go to the West. Sky, my Master of Flight, you shall go to the North. And finally Ray, my Titan of Anger and destruction, you shall go to the South. Take your keys and defend me as I evolve."

The Horsemen then mounted their steeds and rode off to their locations as Infernok then sat on his throne and laughed

Dawn stared at the screen from hers and Angelica's usual hideout, her eyes wide with shock and terror.

"Michael you idiot...what the fuck did you do..." As Dawn stared at the screen as the door behind her opened and Angelica stormed through to the screen.

"Angelica, what the hell is happening?" Dawn narrowed her eyes, her right one flickering as the three Scourges appeared next to her. Enrise whispered into her ear.

"I should've figured...What the hell are we going to do?" Dawn put her hands behind her head as Angelica spoke.

"We need to take out Infernok before his transformation is complete. But from what the sensors are showing, he just made that a lot harder. He summoned four keepers apparently, and to get to him, we have to beat them." Angelica continued typing on her computer before turning to Dawn.

"Listen, Dawn. This is not going to be an easy fight, and as much as I hate to say this, we may have to team up with the others if we want to survive this. But once Infernok is out of the way, we can continue our plans..." Angelica looked over at the pods on the other side of the room, each containing a different body, suspended in green fluids.

"Tch...alright...but once Infernok is gone, I'm going to kill the others myself." Dawn locked on her duel disk and activated it, along with Angelica. Together, the two of them walked out of the room, as Angelica flicked the switch to turn the lights off.

Kevin nods of approval as he turns around to the east. He slowly walks as he comes across a familiar sight--the abyss. He stares into the abyss intently, and he wonders if the abyss is staring back at him. "Hydra, come on out, its time for us to take a ride." Kevin summons Bahamut Shark and rides off for souls.

A couple hours passed and there hasn't been a chance to capture any souls. "People must not be on cruises at this time of year." he looks down at the Abyss again, indulged by his reflection. He looks and sees a girl in the water, a young girl. She pulls up a gun and Kevin seens his tears down the cheeks of his reflection. The girl shoots a fiery bullet at Kevin. "Hydra, this is the fourth time I have seen that girl in the water. Who do you suppose that girl is?"

"I think you are imagining it Kevin. Maybe the power of Infernok is getting to your head..."

"Ha-ha, yea right! I am the most powerful of his steeds, I know it! And I will prove it with all the souls I will collect when we hit land! Speaking of which, there is the land! It is time to collect my dear Hydra!" Kevin steps off of hydra onto the dock and returns Hydra to his deck.

Infernok opened his eyes and let out a yawn. He then looked at the 4 screens that gave him a view of his 4 horsemen. He then used his powers to speak to his horsemen and say, How is the progress why warriors of doom?"

Ray said, "I have collected a hundred so far milord. These chumps can't stand the power of my Doomfire." Earth then interrupted by saying, "Nice claim Ray, however me and Scrap Dragon have collected 200 so far." From the screen showing the North, Sky said, "You two are fools. It is about giving Lord Infernok more power. So don't devolve this into a contest to see who has the bigger dick." From the Eastern Screen, Abyss said, "I am on route to collect souls and have just reached the harbor."

Infernok then said, "Good, Good... Keep at it my servants and remember to spread this chaos and deliver all the souls you can to me. Muhahahahaha..." Infernok then slowly went back to sleep.


Jason and Valkoor then started explaining the events unfolding to the others and said, "Infernok tricked us all. He used Michael's hatred of Snow as a means to an end and is now slowly building up his power. He intends to break the Grand Seal of Antithesis which seals away the dark power known as Anti-Hope.

Valkoor continued by saying, "From what I understand thanks to High Priestess, Anti-Hope was a god of the dark world known as E'Rah. He attempted to take over the zone world and almost succeeded, however he was sealed away by 5 mystic magicians: known as the Dragomages. Their names were hidden, but they were called as such; Dragonpit the Torrent, Dragonvein the Crag, Peasant Dragon the Quick, Noble Dragon the Flame, and Insight the Wise. The Dragomages used the Grand Seal of Antithesis to seal away Anti-Hope and his horsemen of evil for millenniums.

Jason continued by saying, "Now it seems Infernok wishes to use the power of Anti-Hope and conquer this world. We need to find a way to save this world and stop this threat.

"What you NEED is us." said a voice coming from right behind Nozaki. Everyone turned to see it was Snow, Dawn, and a 3rd person. Suddenly Igatoshi sprang up and faced them and she said, "What are you doing here Snow? Not enjoying all this Death and Chaos?"

Snow looked at Igatoshi with a blank expression and said to her, "This is not about Chaos at the moment, Chief Bitch. Right now, it is clear you need our help. Nothing needed, and before you say anything, here."

Snow handed a piece of paper to Igatoshi and she read it and said, "So it seems you wish for a temporary alliance in stopping this threat?" Snow said yes and said in a mocking tone, "You are free to decline, however I doubt you will get anywhere without my technology~." Igatoshi then looked over to Valkoor who said, "Ok, I agree to this but only until Infernok is banished once again."

Snow and Dawn smiled their wicked smiles and then Snow coughed and said, "Alright so this is what we gathered. It seems Infernok placed a force field around his base so as to stop anyone from trying to interrupt him as he breaks the seal. So how do we break the force field you may ask? Well Infernok took 4 choice people and turned them into a mimic of Anti-Hope's 4 Horsemen known as Earth, Sky, Abyss, and Ray. We managed to find out who was used in the experiment and their names are listed on the next page. It seems we must defeat them in order to break that shield and storm the place."


Jason looked at the paper and looked at the victims turned into the horsemen and saw the 1 name he did not wish to see the most, his own brother's name. Jason got chills down his spine and Xenon said to him in a calm voice, "Are you alright?"

Jason started freaking out and said, "Yeah just... a little shocked... My younger brother was turned into one of the Horsemen is all..." Jason then started fearing the worst and thought, "Oh god, what did they turn Tyler into? I need to save him."

Jason then said, "Well Snow then enlighten us as to where the hell we can find the horsemen." Snow seemed angry at Jason but said, "From what I can gather, they went in cardinal directions from the power plant. So then, I'd say it would be best to make teams out of our ranks. Igatoshi then got up and said, "Ok so this is how I see things going":

Jason can head North
I guess Snow and Dawn can head West
Valkoor and your associate can head East
And finally Nozaki can partner up with me and can go to the South

Dawn said, "Sounds good to me." Nozaki said, "I guess this can work." Igatoshi then said, "Alright, I guess we should go then and try to get back safely."


A deep rumble could be felt... The Sound of multiple tortured souls seeping through his very being... Michael heard them all and then... awoke. He thought, "Where am I?" and then looked down to see the city below him and thought, "Am... Am I in heaven?" Michael then looked up and faced a Skyscraper and saw the reflection. He thought it was a joke, but it was all too real. He was suddenly a giant monster with Blue-Details. He then had one word on his mind and thought to go find it. He could only think this one word; nothing more, nothing less

Makoto

"So who do you think is going to be waiting for us out there?" Dawn called over to Angelica as the both of them flew out West. Angelica was on her board while Dawn was flying with Enrise as her wings.

"Out here is the industrial plant, so chances are, the Earth one." Angelica looked down at her radar, which was beeping faster and faster as they approached the plant.

"Be on your guard. This guy may have his own guards. Not to mention we don't know what deck this guy uses." Dawn narrowed her eyes, her right one shining as she activated its power. Scanning ahead, she saw a figure on top of the roof of the industrial plant.

"Found him. Approximately fifty kilometers away." Dawn called out to Angelica, who nodded and sped up her board. Dawn matched her speed. As they got there, they landed on the roof behind Nakashima, who turned around to match the girls.

"Ah, just in time. We figured you'd come after us." Nakashima crossed his arms.

"'We'? Who is 'we'?" Angelica grabbed her board from the ground and put it on the holster on her back.

"The other servants and myself. Well, I guess we should skip the formalities, shouldn't we?" At that, Nakashima laughed as the two girls heard beeping.

"Get back!" Dawn jumped to the left while Angelica jumped right as a small explosion destroyed part of the building they stood on. The roof, left cracked in half, left Angelica on the right by herself while Dawn faced Nakashima on the left.

"Oh you don't like to play fair, I see. I'm so sick of cheaters..." Dawn activated her duel disk while Nakashima activated his.

"Two on one is hardly fair if you ask me. I just leveled the playing field. Now then...let's see what you're made of, little girl." Dawn looked over and called out to Angelica.

"Get back to the others! I can handle this punk myself..." Dawn shifted her eyes over to Nakashima, but Angelica shouted back.

"No can do, Dawn. We've made it this far by ourselves, and if we're going to realize our dreams of resurrection, we need to stick together! I have your back!" Angelica clenched her fists, and Dawn looked over at her.

"Heh. You're the best friend a psycho could have." Looking back at Nakashima, she drew her five cards.

"LET'S GO!"

---------------------------------------------------------------
DUEL START

Nakashima: 3600

Dawn: 0

WINNER: NAKASHIMA
---------------------------------------------------------------

"And now I shall offer your soul to Lord Infernok." As Nakashima drew closer to Dawn, she began to laugh. Looking up, her white eye flickered as the three Scourges surrounded her and protected her with their wings.

"See that would be a good thing to do for your 'master,' if I had a soul." Dawn stood up, clutching her arm as the scourges melted back into the shadows.

"I see...well then...You will make a fine servant to him soon enough." With that, Nakashima dashed behind Dawn, bashing her on the back of the head with his duel disk.

"You....dick..." Dawn collapsed, unconscious, with her middle finger extended before Nakashima looked over to Angelica.

"One down...one to go..."

"296 souls, 297 souls, 298 souls, 299 souls.. So close. 299 for this town seems pretty good. Almost everyone has evacuated I think. Hydra, what do you say we move onto the next one?"

"It will probably get us more souls for less time. This town is getting pretty barren. Maybe some of the poor bastards ran off to the next town and thought it was far enough and we can get some of those cowards!"

"Then again, they may be warning the next town, lets rush quickly so we can--" sniff sniff "Hydra let us make our exit. Someone is trying to burn this house down with us" Kevin points to the wall. "Attack." Hydra shoots his spear and enforces it with water at tremendous speeds, destroying the wall. Hydra and Kevin casually walk outside. Kevin turns around slowly and stares at the burning building, lost in the flames. A loud cry emerges from the build and Kevin quickly looks up. "Hydra get us back in!"

"Why the hell would I--"

"You are my servant so do it before I hand you off to Henry to toy with! He will make the fire in that house look like a small spark compared to the inferno that you will be engulfed in!"

"Holy crap dude I am freaking on it." Hydra blasts them in and Kevin runs inside towards the crying as quickly as possible. He runs upstairs, and he comes across the bedroom it is coming from. He kicks open the door and finds a young girl. He picks her up and jumps from the second floor down onto Hydra's back and they dart out.

"Jade!! Jade is that you?" A woman opens the car door to reveal she was lying inside. She crawls out and runs over to the girl and picks her up. "Thank you so much! I don't know how I would have lived without--you! You are the one who killed my husband!" She runs towards the car she was lying in.

Kevin just stares at them before walking eastward, away from the woman and the girl. "Kevin, shouldn't we chase after them?"

"Let them have it. It would be too much time to chase them when we need to get to the next town as quickly as possible. They will be consumed by Infernok sooner or later."

"Kevin, you are hiding something from me."

"I know I am. Don't take it personally, I think I am hiding it from myself as well. Let's go, we have no time to waste."

Nozaki and Igatoshi were driving in a car to the south where the horseman terrorizing the area to the south of the city. Igatoshi looked at Nozaki and saw him with a somber face and she saw him looking at his pendant and said, "Hey Nozaki, you ok?"

Nozaki looked at Igatoshi and then said, "Yeah, I'm good... Just worried about leaving Makoto at the hospital while all this is going on." Igatoshi then had a little smile on her face and said, "So you are in love I guess?" Nozaki freaked out and was about to say something when suddenly the tires on the car popped and Igatoshi got out to see the tires were melted with lava. Suddenly she heard someone say, "Muhahahahaha! Well well well. If it isn't the ATZTF. I never expected to face you chumps."

Igatohi and Nozaki looked to see a man in blood red armor with details that reminded Nozaki of brimstone. The man took off the helmet and it revealed a man with blonde hair and goggles and Igatoshi immediately said, "Henry Mayes, aka the Anti-Horseman Ray. Fun running into you, ya pyromaniac. You will face me now." Igatoshi attacked Ray but he then flipped her and punched her. Igatoshi then fell to the ground and fainted.

Nozaki yelled out, "CHIEF!" and ran to her to check and saw she was just knocked out cold and then he got up and said, "You will pay for harming the chief." Nozaki then took out his duel disk and Ray did the same and said, "Fine then, after I win you will be turned into food for Lord Infernok!


Nozaki sees a hole appear in Ray's chest as he destroyed Doomfire and saw Ray slowly crumple into pile of smoldering ashes. Nozaki thought, "So Infernok sent a signal to Ray that killed him once I killed his boss. Maybe the others wont, maybe they will. I don;t know. I got to get Igatoshi straight to the hospital." As he lifted Igatoshi up, Nozaki smiled and said, "Yes Chief, I'm in love with Makoto." and walked to the car.

Jason walked around in the northern part of the city thinking of when he will face Tyler and Xenon then appeared beside him and said, "Jason, I am sensing a force coming in front of us." Jason looked ahead and saw a tornado ripping apart the city and then saw it stopped to reveal a man with a green kimono and a helmet on. He then took off the helmet to reveal Tyler and Jason said, "TYLER!"

He then looked at Jason and said, "Well well well. Brother Jason. Good to see you again. Let me guess. You are here to stop me collecting souls for Lord Infernok." Jason said, "What is with you Tyler, you never called anyone a Lord or bowed down to others. Why are you doing this now?" Tyler then said, "You would not understand dear brother. But enough of that, have at you!" Tyler took out a duel disk and attacked Jason, but Jason dodged and took out his duel disk and began his duel with his own brother.

Tyler smashed into a car and Jason ran up to him and held Tyler in his arms. Tyler said in a pained expression, "uhhhhhhhh..... Jason.... what happened" Jason cradled his little brother in his arms and said, "Nothing Tyler, just rest." Tyler said, "I saw darkness and I saw you abandon me in that darkness." Jason comforted his little brother and saw Tyler start to rest a bit. Jason thought to himself, "Infernok will pay for making Tyler do this."

Jason then picked up Tyler and commanded Xenon to teleport him to the hospital.

Valkoor and Priestess walked with purpose, striding through the rubble and chaos that had been caused by the fights of the demons around them. A clear grimace showed on Valkoor's face, and Priestess seemed somber.

"Priestess. We need to find the aqueous horsemen." Priestess nodded, but looked a little worried.

"Master... promise me you won't get too angry. I understand what Infernok did to the Arcanes, but..."

Valkoor put a hand up, stopping her words.

"I know better than anyone else how the horsemen are made. Trust me. The worse I could ever show them is pity." Priestess sighed and then nodded before continuing on.

Eventually, after an hour of walking and searching, they came upon a small clearing. There a man floated, a hydra-like figure next to him. Valkoor yelled out to him.

"Horseman of the oceans, I have come to battle you! Now come down!"

The man turned, obviously unimpressed.

"Tch. What, another soul for the reaping? So be it. Taste the true power of water!"

Valkoor readied himself as the man burned a bright blue color, his eyes shining.

"I am Kevin Waters! I serve Infernok and reap the souls of the living. Who are you in comparison?"

Valkoor grimaced but stood his ground.

"I am Valkoor... and I plan to stop you."

"Ha. Then try."

~~~~~
Kevin - 3900

Valkoor - 1100

DRAW
~~~~~

Kevin tried to look at Valkoor, but his image was covered up by a massive being that he called "World" was blocking his line of sight. Kevin knew he won, but he wasn't satisfied. Valkoor wasn't quite like the other souls he has taken. It confused him, but Kevin didn't want to take his soul. He didn't want to take anyone's soul.

"Valkoor was it? Why don't you say we end this as a draw so neither of us die."

"Ha, you won't get away from me that easily!" Valkoor snapped back.

"You are a cocky fellow. I summon Doublefin Shark, and use his effect to special summon another from the grave and overlay them to make Number 101: Silent Honor Ark! Now, Silent Honor Ark, use your special ability to absorb his pathetic creature." Kevin looked at Valkoor. Normally he would get satisfaction from this sort of thing, but he felt almost bad at how pathetic Valkoor looked to him right now. "I said, why don't we end this as a draw? As an added bonus, I will give you my "key" if you help me find this girl I rambled about."

"Do you even know what your key is?"

"Living being haunted by this girl forever is deteriorating my joy in life. This is no life I wish to live."

"I guess you don't leave me much choice... how will we find this girl?"

"I think I finally found out a way. We are going to look for Kevin Waters."

---------------------------------------------------------------

Kevin was puzzled by the odds that Valkoor actually knew him. Valkoor didn't even notice the resemblance. Do I really look that different?

Valkoor and Kevin managed to track down where Kevin worked. The place was completely barren except for the cabinets filled with files. They eventually figured out the system and found Kevin's. In the file they read about his disappearance while off duty.

Kevin and Valkoor decided it might be best to go down close and busy streets and ask people who may have known him. They tried and failed at several restaurants and barbers. Kevin eventually spoke up while walking. "Valkoor, you lost."

"I know I lost, what does that have to do with anything?"

"You were cocky. You defeated three horseman before me and expected me to be easy. You got flustered when I did something powerful and you got demolished by your own ego. You were cocky. This is coming from a horseman. This time we have together will not go to waste. Let's split up for two hours. In those two hours, I suggest having an actual conversation with your partner. A conversation where you are both equals."

Two hours later Kevin and Valkoor met back up and looked desperately for anyone who knew Kevin Waters. Eventually they found their way into a flower shop and found someone who remembered him. It was a 20 something girl that worked at the cash register. "Oh yes I remember him. He came in every week for flowers. I asked him who the special lady was, but he was always uneasy. He swayed it off as a special girl but there was something wrong. Normally what that means is the flowers are for a grave. Poor thing, he was so hurt he came every week for a gorgeous bouquet."

Valkoor softly spoke up, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we are in a bit of a hurry, could you direct us to where he may have gone?" Valkoor and Kevin thanked her and went off for the cemetery. As they were walking in awkward silence Valkoor started thinking about the horseman, and got confused. "Do you remember anything about your past?"

"No."

"Then why aren't you reaping the souls here?"

"I don't know. Maybe Infernok isn't hungry anymore today."

"I know you are lying."

"I know I am lying too. Too bad I don't know myself or I would know these answers so I could tell you. Well, we are here. Where should we look first?"

Valkoor looked into the vast cemetery. "Maybe we should have asked what flowers he normally bought. We should probably go back. We can probably check first by looking for family though."

"You are probably right, let's look for his family." They walked for minutes until Kevin's spine shivered as a bullet of fire went right past his head, coming from his left. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" Valkoor asked.

"Nevermind that!" Kevin ran off to his left. "I think I know where to go now. Kevin ran down the walkway to his left. He dashed and his mind instantly told him to stop. He looked at the grave next to him. It read "Rose Waters." Kevin felt an extreme uneasiness as he collapsed to his knees. He noticed there was a letter slightly buried in the dirt, on it wrote "To Rose, my beloved." He reached for it and opened it.

"Dear Rose,

Normally I talk to you about how much I love you and can't stop thinking about you, but I won't lie, I am slowly thinking of you less. I suppose its good for me, and had I been the one that died I would hope that you wouldn't grieve over me for too long. I would say these long months have been far too long and you need to pull your life together. I have always thought about how you want me to find your killer and never forget you.. but that isn't what I want of you. It took me a long time, but some boy named Nero taught me this. Sometimes the truth is so distant from you that only a child can show it to you. I'm sorry rose, I spent much too long looking for your killer. Much, much, much too long. I have done some things I am not proud of as a result I guess. I spent so long looking into the abyss that was all the tragedies I went through that the abyss stared back at me. It was starting to consume me. It did for a while, my whole life was finding your killer. I guess it is time I found myself first. Don't get me wrong, these flowers won't stop coming or anything! Just because I will try to not grieve doesn't mean I will not love you. I will always love you.

Love,

Dad"

Kevin stared down at the letter as he read it to himself. These flowers won't stop coming "But they did stop coming..." The girl appeared behind him and rested her hand on his shoulder. Kevin looked over and saw her. "I know who you are now... I guess I still need to find myself huh?" The girl giggled and walked off, keeping a smile on her face. This is the first time I've seen her happy.

Kevin slowly stands up, and a tear drips down his face as he remembers the corpse of his daughter shooting him down in a duel. "Oh no... Valkoor! Quick, you must take my key now! I am not supposed to remember anything about my past! This is bad!"

"That is great you are making progress, but it's sad you have to go down like this.. speaking of which, how do you want to go down?"

"There is only one way I will give you my key Valkoor." Kevin sets his duel disk. "Are you ready?"

"What are you doing? I thought we agreed that you would give me your key, not make me fight you again!"

"Is this the attitude you will give Infernok? Oh Infernok, I thought you were just going to let me beat you. No! Not only that, but you failed to defeat me before! If you can't defeat me, how the hell are you going to defeat Infernok!" Valkoor was stunned at this comment. "Set your duel disk."

~~~~~

Valkoor - 2300

Kevin - 0

VALKOOR WINS

~~~~~~

Kevin screams as world of prophecy strikes at him, pushing him down. He lies there, head facing his daughter's grave. "Valkoor, I don't know what you did in these short hours, or what you talked to your partner about, but you Valkoor... You changed. Promise me you will fight Infernok with the heart you fought me with today, and I know you will defeat him." Kevin looks again and the name Rose Waters on the gravestone. He whispers under his breath, "I think I am finding out who I am Rose... now you can see me again, and you can finally see me as myself as you did before that horrible time. I think allowing Valkoor to live is the second best thing I could have ever done to my own happiness, next to meeting you of course. I am so happy that we can do that a second time... I will see you soon..." Kevin slowly shut his eyes.

Valkoor looked down, somber, at the newly deceased horseman.

"I'm not the one that changed..."

With that, he turned around, walking to to the hospital, key in hand, ready to engage in the final battle.

~~~

~~~~~
Nakashima - 0

Angelica - 1300

ANGELICA WINS
~~~~~

Angelica grinned as her Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode fired three blasts at Nakashima, sending him flying back. His body slowly dissolved, leaving behind a single glowing key.

Angelica huffed above the fallen horseman, picking up the key and turning to the fainted Dawn. She grimaced as she walked back to her, a heavy sigh escaping her lips.

"This is going to be a long walk back..."

She hefted Dawn over her shoulder, nearly falling over, as she started on her way back to the hospital.

~~~

Nozaki had been driving along; he slammed on the breaks, however, when a figure appeared in front of him. His head jerked forward, and with an effort he looked up, seeing Keiichi before him.

"K-Keiichi! Where have you been?"

He grimaced, and sighed in response.

"A lot of places. Now what's going on? Where's Henry?"

Nozaki's face sank. Keiichi looked on to see Igatoshi lying in the back seat, confused at why she was in the back seat.

"What's wrong? What's with the face?"

Nozaki looked down, somber, when he next spoke.

"Keiichi... Henry is dead. I know we're not on good terms with us being on different sides, but a lot is going on. Come on. Get in the car. I know someone who might be able to explain better."

Keiichi stood there, in shock. His mouth hung open in shock, a single eye twitching slightly.

"D-Dead? What do you mean dead!?"

Nozaki put a hand up, beckoning for him to get into the back of the car.

"Like I said, there's someone who can explain it better than we can. Now come on. In the car unless you want to walk."

Keiichi glared angrily before opening the door, getting in next to Igatoshi and slamming the door shut.

"Fine. But don't expect me to play nice if you pull anything."

Nozaki nodded before turning the car back on, driving to the hospital.

Dawn floated in the endless abyss, surrounded by the darkness that consumed her very mind and soul. As she floated, however, she felt a surge of emotions she never thought she would ever feel: Fear, sadness, and worst of all, isolation. But this isolation was nothing like the isolation she grew to enjoy and live with. This isolation was deeper, darker, and it cut into her like a knife. She curled up, and began to cry. But as she wept, all alone in the void, she heard a familiar voice calling out to her; a soothing, gentle voice.

"Do not cry, Dawn...Tears only bring sadness. And besides, your friend needs you.." Dawn looked up to see the image of someone she never thought she'd see again.

"M...Mother...how...why.." Dawn stuttered over her own words as the mere sight of her mother brought back the memory of her tearing the card in half.

"Mother....I...I'm so sorry..." Dawn began to cry again, but her mother wiped her tears and gently shushed her, as if calming a child.

"Sweetie...it's okay...I know it wasn't you who did this to me. You knew very well I was gone before then..." Dawn looked up at her mother through blurred vision as she remembered the first time her and Angelica spoke at the bar.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, Angelica, why did you invite me here? You know I didn't get lost in the alley by accident." Dawn sipped her tea as Angelica put hers down.

"I suppose I'll cut to the chase. I found the secret to resurrection, Dawn. And I need your help." Dawn narrowed her eyes and put her cup down.

"Angelica...does that mean that I...can see--"

"It does, Dawn, it does. But...You know the risks are high." Angelica crossed her legs.

"I don't care. I'll do whatever it takes. I want to clear my family's name--my father's, and my mother's. I want to prove that we were never Terror Zoners, and never would be!" Dawn slammed her cup onto the table, causing it to shatter. People looked over at them.

"Then you know that if you want to prove that...you'll have to become one..." Angelica closed her eyes, awaiting a response. Dawn remained silent.

"...I'll do it."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You only wanted to clear our names, and to do that, you wanted to resurrect your father and I..." Dawn's mother embraced her.

"Dawn, sweetie...Do not worry about us. Your father and I, our time on this planet is done. Please...do not try to bring us back." Hearing this, Dawn looked up.

"But mother...we could be a family again! You, me and father can clear our family's name! We can be happy..." Dawn began to cry again, but her mother put her finger to Dawn's lips.

"Shh...your father and I are happy here. We've gotten to do something we haven't been able to do in a long time, and that's watch you grow up. Please...For us. Do not mess with nature, Dawn." Dawn remained silent, but nodded in agreement.

"Your friend, Angelica...She has a cold heart. But she is a sweet girl, looking after you all this time. And you for her. She is a good friend, and right now she needs your help."

"But mother...how do I even help her when I'm stuck here..?" Dawn looked up at her mother, who only smiled.

"By waking up..."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dawn awoke upon Angelica's shoulders. Blinking a bit, she looked around and stood up.

"Angelica...did you win..?" Dawn asked groggily. Angelica nodded, a bit teary-eyed.

"You idiot! I thought you were dead or something!" Angelica began hitting Dawn's torso like a child, only to stop and hug her tightly around the waist.

"Don't do that to me...ever again." Angelica sobbed a little into Dawn's shirt. Dawn smiled and rubbed her head.

"Sorry about that. I just had to have a little chat with someone close..." Dawn looked up into the sky, as the images of her mother and father appeared to her, smiling back down.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Angelica narrowed her eyes at Dawn, but then noticed something.

"Hey Dawn...your eye...it's back to normal. Where did the Scourges go?"

"Oh...Beats me. I guess back to their home. They don't need to defend me anymore, so our contract is null and void. They honor agreements like that. As for my conversation...I'll explain on the way back." Dawn chuckled as the two of them readied their boards and began to fly back home.

Nozaki made it to the hospital with Chief Igatoshi and Keiichi where he then ran into Jason carrying another person. Nozaki said, "Jason, who is that?"

Jason somberly said, "Its Tyler. He was taken over by Infernok. I managed to snap him out of his duel rage, but he seems to have fallen unconscious." Nozaki seemed confused but decided to get Igatoshi to a hospital bed first.

After getting Igatoshi and Tyler into two beds, Nozaki and Jason then met downstairs where they ran into Valkoor, Snow, Keiichi, and Dawn all sitting in chairs. Valkoor described how he faced Kevin and how he was killed by Infernok. Nozaki then said, "I took down Henry Mayes..." Nozaki was then interrupted by Keiichi who said, "You took down Henry? What happened then?" Nozaki said, "After I defeated his Volcanic Doomfire monster, he seemed to have gotten a hole burned into his chest and he then turned into a smoldering pile of ashes."

Keiichi sighed in thinking of all that happened to his partner. Angelica told of how they faced Nakashima and how he beat Dawn and of how she managed to pull a win because of how cocky he was in leaving his life points how they were after his duel with Dawn.

Jason said, “I faced my brother and for some reason, he never faded away like the others. I can’t really explain why, but I also got his key.” Nozaki then put his key on the table with the other keys and said, “So then, how are we gonna use these?”

Suddenly, the 4 keys started rising into the air and a flash of light occurred and the 4 keys combined into 1 golden key and fell to the table.  Angelica said, “Well, there’s your answer.” Nozaki then said to Valkoor, “Alright then, so what next Valkoor?” Valkoor was questioning what to do next when suddenly a quake rocked the hospital and Dawn said, “What the hell was that?”

Nozaki and the others investigated to see a hulking giant demon with blue patterns walking towards the hospital. Valkoor said, “That’s Ccapac Apu, an Earthbound Immortal. It is 1 of 7 unique demons sealed away ages ago by the Crimson Dragon known as Tzolkin. Infernok must have broken the seal that trapped these demons away and they are now wreaking havoc.” Nozaki asked what they should do and Valkoor said, “Firstly, we must attack Ccapac Apu in order to lure it away. Since it has just awaken, it must be in a groggy mood and has not started its destruction yet.”
Nozaki and the others started summoning their monsters and attacked Ccapac Apu. Nozaki ran with Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus by his side while Angelica used her Thought Ruler Archfiend and Keiichi used some kind of Zombie Dragon to ride in to attack. Valkoor summoned the World of Prophecy and ordered it to attack Ccapac Apu.


Michael was wandering this prison of souls when he felt a quake shake the body and a hold appeared in the beast’s body. He saw Nozaki and Valkoor attacking him. He tried to say something, but the words would not come out. He then saw Angelica riding her Thought Ruler Archfiend and got mad to see her. He then swung an arm at Angelica only to miss completely. He then thought, “Why are Nozaki and Valkoor teaming with Snow? Aren’t we supposed to be enemies?” He then heard a sound coming from the ground and saw Makoto. He then thought back to that word stuck in his mind and tried to reach for her, but Nozaki then attacked the arm saying, “No, I won’t let you hurt her.”


Nozaki got into the fight when he then heard a voice say, “Nozaki? What is happening?” He looked back to see Makoto walking out in her hospital gown. He then stopped his attack to check on her.  He said, “Makoto, what are you doing out of bed?!? You need rest.” Suddenly some rubble above them started falling and would crush Makoto. Nozaki was about to slash the debris, but then Ccapac Apu form a wall between Nozaki and Makoto and the rubble. Nozaki stared at this hulking giant protecting them like that. Suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, Ccapac Apu began to speak in a slow and poorly grammered tone and said, “Ma… Mak… o…to? Mako… to…? Makoto?”

Nozaki was aghast that this was happening and then the giant said, “No… za… ki… Nozaki?” Makoto then put her arm on the giant’s body and told Nozaki to do the same. Nozaki was skeptical but did so to feel warmth coming from the beast, like if he had care in his being. The giant said 2 words that then shocked Makoto, Nozaki, and everyone around:

“My… Fri… Friends…”


Nozaki and Makoto looked at each other when Valkoor came in and said, “What is going on? Earthbound immortals should be unable of communication.” Makoto then walked up to the giant and said, “Michael?...” Makoto could instantly tell the giant was shaking its head yes in a way. She asked Valkoor to do a soul check on Ccapac Apu and he was skeptical, but did so anyway to discover a massive part of its body contained a gigantic soul. Valkoor said, “I remember this energy. There is no doubt about it…. Michael is in that giant and is somehow in control.” Nozaki almost lost it saying, “You are telling me our friend’s soul is trapped in this giant?” Valkoor said yes and Nozaki could not believe it and said, “Oh Michael, What happened to you?”

Snow, Dawn, and Keiichi all gathered to where the others were and Snow said, “So this is what Infernok did with Michael after I saw him reject Michael. He blasted the poor bastard into an immortal’s core hoping to kill him probably. Looks like instead that Michael assimilated with the beast to gain control.

Valkoor said, “Ok, so with this revelation aside, are you all ready to fight Infernok?” Everyone got their duel disks primed and suddenly, a burst of light came from Ccapac Apu and surrounded everyone.  Next thing that they knew, they were in a world of nothing but white.

Suddenly a figure appeared wearing Michael’s clothes and his pendant. The only problem was he was a deep blue color and looked very somber. Makoto ran up to Michael to hug him and he said, “My friends, glad to see you again.” He then gave a cold stare to Snow, Dawn, and Keiichi, but then turned his attention to Nozaki and Makoto. He then said, “Even though I am not with you in body, I will always be with you in soul.” Michael then began rising to the sky saying, “I will try to assist you as much as I can from this new body. Oh and Makoto…” He lowered himself again and kissed Makoto in front of the others and said, “Thank you… Your courage is what helped me pull myself together to get this far. I have always loved you…” Michael then disappeared and to Nozaki, he thought he had seen a smile on Michael’s face.

Everyone then returned to the real world and Valkoor said, “Alright, Let’s go get Infernok and save the world.” Everyone got on their mounts and Nozaki joined Valkoor riding on Michael’s new body of Ccapac Apu. Nozaki seemed to glare at Michael, but then calmed and said, “We will get your body back Michael… I promise…” The group then made their final march towards the power plant to face Infernok.

The group headed out toward the power plant, which was approaching fast. Looking over, Angelica shouted over at Dawn, who was on the other side of the group.

"So Dawn, I noticed you were using your Sylvans again. What happened to the Puppets I made you?" The others nodded in agreement and looked over at Dawn, who shrugged.

"Funny thing, really. While we were in the hospital I was checking on my deck and it turns out the chips inside of them malfunctioned. With no other options, I chose to go back to my roots, no pun intended." Laughing at her own joke, Dawn looked back ahead.

"The power plant is approximately 30 kilometers away. You guys better be ready, because even if Angelica and I manage to finish our research, there's no guarantee that we can bring all of you back, you hear? So try not to die." Dawn shouted orders to everyone, some rolling their eyes, but they all nodded in agreement. Nozaki looked over at Dawn and shouted out to her.

"So Dawn, it looks like you're not that crazy anymore. What happened during your fight with Nakashima? Michael also wants to know why you and Snow are helping us in the first place." Dawn stared straight ahead.

"Well, Angelica and I decided to help because it would help further our research and it would stop this annoyance we call 'Infernok' from destroying what we love. Even Terror Zoners have personal livelihoods y'know. As for what happened with Nakashima, while I was unconscious I saw my mother again. She swore that her and my father would be watching over me, which nullified my contract with the Sky Scourges and brought my soul back. But before she left, my mother made me swore not to resurrect her and my father, which was the sole purpose I joined up with Angelica in the first place. Like I told you, some people become Terror Zoners because they have to. We all have our reasons." At hearing all of this, the others became quiet. After a few seconds, Dawn spoke back up.

"But it's not about me. Right now, we have to focus on our primary objective: Kicking this wannabe demon's ass back to the Void. The Power Plant is now 10 kilometers away."

As the group landed in front of the power plant, the golden key began to shine and rose up into the air before slowly floating toward the keyhole in the door. Entering it, the key turned and then vanished before the doors to the power plant slowly opened. Everyone prepared their duel disks and began to walk inside. Waiting within was their final battle.

Michael heard what was occurring outside his head and then thought he would help them on the quest, no matter what. Suddenly, another giant creature appeared in front of the gate and roared a terrifying roar. It was shaped like a giant black lizard with green markings everywhere. Valkoor said, "Its Ccarayhua, another Earthbound Immortal. Looks like Infernok set this demon as a guard in case his horsemen failed."

Michael let the others down and through the grumbling voice, said, "I.. hold... back... You... go..." Nozaki then shook his head and the others walked in through the gate. Michael then thought to himself, "Alright you scaled bastard, Fight me!" Michael then wrestled with the lizard as he bought time for the other to get into the power plant.


Nozaki and the others walked in to see a hallway full of faces in pain and agony. Everyone saw faces they remembered from the town citizens and in the center was a picture that looked like Henry, Nakashima, and Kevin. Nozaki clasped his fist and said, "Infernok will pay for doing this to everyone."

The group then walked through a door to see a massive room with screens showing all the destruction occurring outside because of the dark monsters. In the center was a cocoon of sorts that radiated darkness. Nozaki then materialized the Noble Arm - Excaliburn and stabbed the cocoon and then a burst of darkness filled the room. Out from the cocoon came Infernok, only he looked slightly more like a demon. His horns grew to massive sizes and his face and body looked like a shriveled corpse. His long, bony arms were decorated with multiple armbands and rings. He opened his eyes and they gave of a presence of fear. When Infernok spoke, a feeling of dread and despair filled the room. He said, "Well if it isn't my old friends. How have you been? Enjoying all this entertainment?"

Nozaki gritted his teeth and Snow came from behind him and said, "Cut the crap you half-assed demon. We are here to kill you." Infernok gave a mocking smile and said, "Oh, are you sure you want me?" Then suddenly another Infernok appeared behind them and said, "Or do you want me?" A 3rd Infernok appeared to their side and said, "Or me." Finally 3 more Infernoks appeared and said, "Or us?"

The Infernoks all laughed their evil laugh in unison, but then Valkoor said, "Enough of this, We need to beat him. Everyone, take an Infernok and lets start this party." Nozaki, Dawn, Angelica, Keiichi, Jason, and Valkoor all took sides facing the Infernoks and powered their duel disks.

The Infernoks laughed and said in unison, "To make this fun, I will be giving myself 6 times the regular LP of a duel which will be distributed among these 6 forms of me. Let's see how you can handle the power of Anti-Hope!" Everyone looked to the big screen behind them and saw the number on the screen was 48000 LP. Everyone then saw the floor split into 6 sections and Infernok said, "You see, I have looked deep into the realms of Darkness and found these 6 demon decks within them and now they are under my command. So my kiddies, you will be facing 6 different decks! Muhahahahaha!"

Valkoor clenched his teeth and said, "Brace yourselves guys because we are in for a ride!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duel Start!

• Nozaki (0) vs Infernok Copy 1 (5500)
  
• Angelica (0) vs Infernok Copy 2 (6800)
  
• Dawn (2000) vs Infernok Copy 3 (0)
  
• Keiichi (5500) vs Infernok Copy 4 (0)
  
• Valkoor (0) vs Infernok Copy 5 (5500)
  
• Jason (1100) vs Infernok Copy 6 (0)
  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ragin, Valkyrus, and Leviathan stared at the scene below them, watching the two behemoths fighting as they pushed and shoved. Leviathan grinned slightly while they fought, speaking to Ragin and Valkyrus.

"I must admit, although it seems like this expedition was a failure, we get quite a show. And I'm grateful to be able to see this through."

~~~

As Infernok finished the duel with each of the members of the group, they were chained by black chains that emanated a demonic aura. The Infernok copies that were defeated dissipated, while those who won stayed around. The group was soon gathered in a small circle, chained to each other as the remaining three Infenroks turned to smoke before merging again, staring maliciously at them.

"You all thought you could beat me? Please. You know not what you meddle with, fools. What, did you get to save your world? Your loved ones?" At the mention of this, Infernok gave a glance to Nozaki, who simply glared in return.

"And tell me, Valkoor, did you enjoy your second taste of defeat?" Valkoor smiled weakly, yet his eyes certain.

"We haven't lost yet, daemon."

Infernok laughed maniacally, pacing around the group as he stared each one down.

"Oh, not yet, but I do have a plan. I have captured but one of your precious friends in one of the Earthbounds already. Soon all seven will be filled. Can you guess with who?"

At the mention of this, most the group's eyes narrowed before Valkoor growled slightly in response.

"You plan to use us as hosts? You should know the risks of that, Infernok! You know very well what could happen."

Infernok simply shrugged in response. His sharp teeth formed a grin, one that sent shivers through the souls of those who saw it. His eyes glowed when he next spoke.

"I couldn't care less, little Book-boy. I understand what they are, and they do not scare me. Soon, I shall have this entire dimension under control. And then I think I'll take the Arcane Realm in specific before I destroy the rest of them! I am the carnage this world shall face. Now..."

Infernok raised his hand to Valkoor's head as it glowed red, while Valkoor looked on with a solid resolution.

"You first. Witness your doo-"

He was interrupted by a sudden crash of the castle, a giant and lizard crashing to the ground. The lizard, lay there, his body broken as it turned to dust and the giant rose to its full height.

From inside, Michael looked down, seeing Valkoor about to be touched by Infernok. Memories flashed through his head; of the same thing happening to him, of the pain it had caused him up until this point. He turned to Infernok, his hands slowly reaching out to him.

Not... another... Not again...

Time slowed for Michael as Infernok turned to face him. He could see Valkoor screaming out of the corner of his eye, the rest looking on in horror. Yet he couldn't hear them. He could only hear the soft breeze around him, could only see Infernok as his hand slowly reached him. Ever so slowly...

And then, his hand was gone. He looked on as his hand seemed to turn to pixels, slowly swirling as it traveled up his arm, and then his body. His hearing returned as Valkoor kept screaming, his voice strained.

"Stop! Stop! Not again! Not anymore, you godforsaken daemon! What propels you to do this? Why!?"

Infernok chuckled as he turned to Valkoor, all the limbs of the giant having disappeared by now. The torso and head fell from the air to the ground with a crash, sending dust into the air. Infernok spoke slowly and deliberately, his words sharp.

"It is the destruction of human lives... and there can be no greater joy than that."

With this, Infernok began to reach out again, and Valkoor lowered his head. Jason stared on with tears streaming down his face, while the rest stared on with a grimace. Infernok stopped again, however, as he heard a voice.

"I'm sorry, but I advise you take your hand away from my friends."

Infernok swirled around, peering into the dust. Above the Giant floated a shining blue figure, glowing bright through the shroud. As it moved forward, Infernok hissed when Michael's face was revealed. All the group looked on, shocked, while Infernok seemed angry.

"Fool! You should be dead."

Michael looked past Infernok at Valkoor as he smiled.

"You'd be surprised what a person can do after his death."

Infernok quickly regained his composure, lifting himself up as he looked at him.

"Well, your friends didn't do very well at eliminating my life force. They barely beat just over half of me! So try me. You won't do very well."

Michael raised a single arm, a glowing blue duel disk that matched his ethereal body appearing.

"Then let's go! I will save them."

~~~~~
DUEL START

Infernok - 17800

Michael - 8000
~~~~~

Dawn smirked as she looked on at Michael and Infernok, both distracted. After rustling a bit, the others turned and looked at her.

"Dawn, what the hell are you doing?" Angelica narrowed her eyes at her, but Dawn continued to shuffle. Soon after, Dawn raised her arms, as she appeared to be freed from the chains. The others stared with their jaws open. Dawn giggled and stood up as three figures rose from the shadows behind her.

"I told you guys my contract was null and void. I didn't say that I didn't remain friends with them." At saying this, Sky Scourges Enrise, Norleras and Invicil appeared from the darkness.

"Besides, I told him these chains couldn't hold us." Snapping her fingers, the three Scourges helped the others out of their chains, quietly enough that Infernok couldn't hear them. Michael, however, witnessed everything and smirked.

"What's so funny, child? Do you find your own demise that humorous?" Infernok smiled himself, causing Michael to burst out laughing.

"You old fool, take a look behind you!" Michael pointed behind Infernok, only for him to see the group standing together with Dawn up front. She slammed her fist into her palm.

"It's funny, Infernok...It's funny how all this time, people thought I killed my own parents and turned them into abominations..." As Dawn spoke, two lights shone from her eyes, and soon, two figures appeared next to her. On the left was the figure of a woman who looked just like Dawn, but with longer, blonde hair and a long dress. On the right was the figure of a man with short, brown hair combed neatly, and he wore a suit and glasses. Dawn continued speaking, but this time both figures spoke with her.

"You killed them both. You killed my family. And now, you're going to get what you deserve, you rotten old bastard." Dawn pointed, causing the two figures to shoot into Infernok. As they did so, black smoke was seen flooding from his body, and the screams of the remaining clones echoed throughout the air.

"You...little...brat...what...did...you...do...to...me?!" Infernok stumbled back a bit as more black smoke rose from him. Dawn smiled.

"I told you I hate cheaters...so I made things fair." Dawn pointed to Infernok's duel disk, which dropped from 17,800 to 8000 Life points. Dawn then looked up at Michael and put her hands in her pockets.

"Yo, Michael. Angelica and I are sorry for what we did to you. All that crap we pulled is what put you into this mess. We promise we'll make it up to you." Angelica stepped forward.

"Yeah, perhaps you could join us in our research. Y'know...to do it the 'right' way." Dawn nodded. Michael smiled and nodded back. Dawn and Angelica turned and began walking away, before Dawn shouted from behind her.

"Now kick that sorry prune back into the Darkness. For all of us." The three Scourges vanished into Dawn's shadow as her and Angelica made their way out of the castle.

"So, Angelica...We just left them there. What did you have planned?" Angelica narrowed her eyes again.

"Infernok is weakened, but I don't think Michael is strong enough alone to put him down. We need the Fableds." Angelica's eye flashed bright for a second before she whistled once.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hm? What is it, Lord Leviathan?" Ragin turned and looked at Leviathan, who looked to be listening for something.

"Our 'Master' requests our help. Infernok must be weakened. Let's go." The three Fableds then vanished, dashing to where Dawn and Angelica were standing.

"Alright, you three...I have a plan to take Infernok down...So listen up."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Infernok clutched his chest, half of his life energy gone from his body.

"That little brat! I'll make her suffer DEARLY for this..." Infernok went to take a step, but Michael lifted his hand, causing a wall of light to rise up from the ground, blocking his path.

"Oh no you don't...If you want them, you have to get through me first, Demon. Now then, let's get started! I'll make you PAY for all those you've hurt!"

------------------------
RESUME DUEL:

Michael - 8000 LP

Infernok - 8000 LP

------------------------

Michael stands there, battered and bruised by the onslaught of the Earthbound Immortals controlled by Infernok. Infernok then starts to gloat and says, “What’s the matter Michael? What happened to all your courage? Why don’t you just give up and allow yourself to be swallowed by the darkness?”

Michael stares on around the room and then he sees his friends, standing by watching the fight unfold, all of them praying Michael wins this fight. He then sees Angelica and Dawn walk back into the room and then…

He realizes what must be done…

Michael then sulks his head down low and says, “Right now, the best thing we could do is quit.” Everyone looked at him is horror as Infernok had a smirk, but Michael then said, “But we are not going anywhere you hunk of shit.”

Michael then started to get up and as he stands tall, he says “One does not simply give up halfway through the challenge Infernok cause that is not the point. The point is the journey to this challenge, the road to victory. If you do not have that, then the victory does not mean anything. And if you do not lose something along the way, then you do not deserve it.”

Michael then stood up as tall as he could reach and said to the others, “My friends, we may have lost many, but now we must keep what is important in mind. We need hope and we need to believe.”

Michael then turns to Infernok and he sees a powerful light shining from Michael. “And I will be damned if a monster like this can be allowed to survive and wreak havoc across the world. And in the end Infernok, I have the one thing that will defeat you. The one thing you can never have…”

Michael closed his eyes and drew his next card and yelled, “I FIGHT FOR MY GODDAMN FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!”

Michael then said, “I reveal the spell card LEGEND OF HEART!!! This spell allows me to pay all but 100 LP in order to release Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos from their dragonic bodies into their true forms as the Legendary Knights of the Fallen City of Atlantis!”

Suddenly, the 3 dragon cards rose to the air and a voice boomed through and said, “The seal has been finally broken.” A lightning bolt struck the ground and from it came 3 knights; one in blue, one in purple, and one in red. The Blue Knight said, “I am he who is known as Timaeus.” The Purple knight then said, “And I am Sir Critias.” Finally the Red Knight said, “I am Sir Hermos.”

Michael then said, “Knights of Legends, call forth your power and destroy the darkness of Infernok’s Zone Spell!” All 3 knights then stabbed their swords into the ground and the dark zone vanished and left Michael peaceful City. Michael smirked and said, “Now that your zone is destroyed, so go your immortals back to where they came.” And all 5 immortals on Infernok’s field were destroyed at that moment. Infernok then looked worried and Michael said, “My knights, combine to ME!”

The 3 Knights then transformed into golden armor and attached themselves to Michael and he said, “Infernok, you have been a plague on humanity’s life for far too long. I will destroy you and make sure you never come back.” Infernok slowly backed away and said, “What are you to challenge a force like me?!?”

Michael then had a cold stare as he put on the helmet and moved towards Infernok and said, “I am Michael Di Angelo, the Knight of DESTINY! I am sick of your bullshit. I am going all in now and THERE IS NO TURNING BACK!!!"

And with that, Michael then grabbed Infernok and threw him through the wall and Infernok was sent flying through wall after wall with Michael running faster than he ever ran and getting ahead of Infernok and then he turned and punched Infernok so hard he was launched and crashed into his computer system.

Michael then charged towards Infernok and pierced his body with the golden sword of destiny. Infernok then coughed black blood from his mouth and Michael said, “I release the seal of Antithesis and open the portal of the Netherworld!!! A vortex then appeared behind Infernok and Michael then tried to force Infernok into the portal.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Final Results)
Michael - 100 LP
Infernok - 0 LP

The portal sucked in its surroundings, small pieces of rubble flying into the stream as Infernok struggles against it. His body strained, his eyes squinting as he fought against the vortex. His feet began to move... but not towards the portal. His steps were slow and deliberate, but he was stronger than the vortex, and his body moved slowly but surely forward.

Michael immediately jumped to action, running at Infernok and grabbing onto his arms. They stood as they pushed back and forth, both of their faces strained. The rest looked on with worried expressions, and Michael's expression dropped as Infernok grinned back at him.

"You idiot! Even if you beat me in the duel, you can't beat me here. You know not what you face!"

The room became cold as a voice appeared near Infernok, and Angelica smiled on.

"Oh, but we do." A second voice appeared to the other side of Infernok, continuing where the first had left off.

"And we plan to help out a bit, Daemon." Ragin and Valkyrus suddenly materialized to either side of Infernok, grabbing on with Michael as they began to drag him to the portal. Infernok's face suddenly strained more, and he looked on in surprise as both of his shoulders shot back and he began to quickly skid backwards to the portal. Leviathan appeared just above Michael, pushing Infernok with him.

"It's been a while, Infernok." Infernok struggled to free himself, and he quickly approached the portal. To everyone's surprise, his feet suddenly became solid on the ground again, black skid marks appearing as his eyes flashed red. He spoke, his coice gravelly and malicious as he struggled back, his body inches from the portal.

"I... will not lose... you insolent fools shall all die!" The Fabled gods and Michael struggled, Infernok standing strong. His face paled, however, as a pale arm shot out from the portal behind him and wrapped around his neck. Grimro's face soon followed, and she leaned in next to his head, whispering into his ear.

"You hurt my friend... now you shall hurt." She pulled back suddenly as Infernok flew into the portal with her, screaming as his body dissipated behind the golden maelstrom.

Everyone sighed in relief at the events before them. Valkoor smiled softly, and Priestess materialized next to him, the same smile on her face. The Fabled gods grinned. Yet Michael grimaced, worry on his face. Jason was the first to notice this, and as he spoke up, everyone paused in their celebration.

"Michael, what's wrong? We won!" Michael turned to him, his voice laced with sorrow.

"The Gates of Antithesis do not forgive easily." Everyone looked, alarmed, as the portal refused to close; instead it grew, expanding its Vortex to the entire room. Everyone looked around, trying to figure what was happening. It was soon apparent by her strain, however, that Angelica was being sucked in. er face betrayed fear, her body shaking as she tried to walk away from it. Yet her legs did not sport the same strength Infernok's did, and she was soon flailing, trying to stop her advancement. Jason looked at Michael angrily, screaming over the vortex.

"Michael, you opened the portal! Close it! She's on our side now!" Michael looked at him, and Jason's expression was soon shocked as Michael's own face betrayed his regret.

"I have no control over it anymore. I'm sorry."

Angelica grasped at the ground, her face contorted as the tears started to flow. Everyone looked at the ground, knowingly unable to stop her progress. She screamed, cried out in desperation.

"No! Stop it! I helped! I don't want to go like thi-!" Dawn picked her up, her arms strained as she held on tightly to her. She looked down, feigning annoyance as she spoke.

"Geez. Crying twice in one day? You really are a child." Angelica sniveled looking up, confused.

"D-Dawn?"

Dawn smiled down, Angelica's head now resting on your shoulder as she spoke.

"I don't really have anyone left, Angelica. My parents... they're dead. I know that now. They're gone, and I won't be able to get them back. It may have taken them coming back from the very depths of the afterlife itself for em to have realized that, but so be it. You've... always been there. You're all I have left, Angelica. So let's go."

Angelica looked up in awe before crying into Dawn's shoulder, shuddering as she thanked her, cried to her. Dawn simply kept on smiling, walking slowly towards the portal. She stopped momentarily as she looked over at Valkoor, her tone mocking.

"Hey, shithead, learn to read by the next time we meet!" Valkoor laughed, his expression brightening at the scene before him.

"Will do, psycho. See you in the crossroads." She gave a single thumbs up as she took her last steps into the portal, Angelica's cries being heard as they passed through. This time, however, they were of relief and joy.

The Fabled gods looked around, sighing as they slowly flew to the portal. Leviathan stopped and looked back at the group, his face mischievous.

"This isn't our last attempt. We'll be back."

Michael saluted as they walked through. The portal finally closed, the whir of it finally gone. Michael fell to the ground, panting in exhaustion. His body began to fade, and everyone's eyes glued to him, fear coursing through their veins as he disappeared. He looked to them, suddenly frantic.

"I'm leaving this plain... I was only a construct of temporary energy, made from my own will to fight. Quickly! Go to the ruins of the Giant! My body should still be there. And thank you all for being there for me."

With that, Michael's voice faded, leaving the group on guard. Nozaki was the first to speak up, turning on his heels as he began to run towards the ruins, a hulking behemoth of a torso in the group's vision.

"Come on! You heard him!" Everyone snapped out of their trance before sprinting out of him. When they arrived, Valkoor's eyes glowed a light blue as he scanned the wreckage before them. A certain aura seemed to stick out from the rest of wreckage.

"There!" He pointed to the area as Nozaki began to desperately dig through it, throwing pieces of the giant away to reach Michael. Soon the rest were helping him, black and veined pieces of rock flying behind them.

Eventually they found Michael's hand, then his head, and soon had accessed the rest of his body. Nozaki struggled as he pulled him onto his shoulder, pulling his limp legs from the giant rocks on top of him. He threw him over his shoulder, Michael coughing slightly as he fell against Nozaki's back.

"Come on, guys. Let's get out of here." As they began to walk towards the exit, a single rock then fell from the ceiling in front of Valkoor. He paused, thinking to himself for a second before realization sparked across his face."

"The castle... Infernok..." Everyone turned to look at him for a moment, confused.

"The castle no longer has Infernok to hold it up! Run!" Eyes widened across the board, and panic overtook the group. Heavy footsteps echoed around the decaying castle as they ran towards the exit, avoiding falling rocks. Nozaki tried his best to keep Michael covered, protecting him from any pebbles that might have hit him. Valkoor squinted his eyes as they neared the exit, pointing to it.

"The exit is there! come o-" His words were soon cut short by a sickening crack. As they looked up for a moment, a huge rock began to fall towards all of them. The group screamed, and Nozaki held onto Michael, waiting for the end.

the end that never came.

Everyone stopped screaming, slowly opening there eyes to see the rock floating above them. In front of them stood the Sky Scourges, smiling those devious smiles of their's. Valkoor looked at them, confused at what had happened.

"What are you?..." Enrise smiled, holding out a hand to quiet Valkoor.

"We are still Dawn's friends. And she seems to have taken a liking to you people, in the end. So we've helped out a bit before we leave this realm. Thank us later."

The rock went flying away, The Sky Scourges opening a swirling black and white portal behind them .They began to walk away before Michael coughed, barely holding up his hand. Nozaki looked at him and positioned him better, and the Sky Scourges turned to see what he was saying.

"D-Dawn... Angel... t-take..." Enrise once again rose her hand, hushing him.

"Worry not. We shall watch over them from the Terminal. Until then, take care, descendant of Timaeus." With that, they walked out, the portal closing quickly behind them. Michael soon fainted again, Nozaki patting his back to comfort him. Valkoor turned back to the doorway before running out, beckoning for the rest to follow him.

"Come on. Let's get out of here!"

Soon after our heroes defeated Infernok and saved the world, all the evil duel monsters that ravaged to world had returned to the Netherworld. In the time afterwards, no one really could explain what had happened and Seiga Incorporated was blamed for causing a mistake in their programming that costed the lives of a total 1,000,000 People. Everyone was about to march onto and attack the company, when suddenly Chief Igatoshi and Tyler came to be in front of the crowd and told everyone the truth. About Infernok, about the hidden Terminal World, about everything that occurred here. This seemed to calm down some of the rioters, but not all of them who still said it was Seiga Incorporated's fault. Then suddenly, our heroes arrived on the scene.

Nozaki, Valkoor, Keiichi, and Jason all walked in and Nozaki was carrying Michael on his shoulders. They all confirmed the story that Igatoshi told and Nozaki pointed to Michael and said, "And here is your hero ladies and gentlemen. His name... is Michael Di Angelo!" The crowd then started cheering that this conflict was resolved and then Igatoshi said, "Now we should all start clearing the wreakage, I'd say. I want everyone who has a duel disk to report to the ATZTF building and we shall assign duties." And then all the duelists started walking with the others, while Nozaki drove Michael to a Hospital. and this is how this conflict was known as, "The Great Zone War"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10 YEARS LATER

"So what do you want to do today?" Angelica stared down at her newest invention that she was working on. She ignored Dawn's question, choosing instead to fiddle with the machine.

"Oi..." Dawn knocked her elbow into Angelica's, causing her to almost drop the machine.

"Hey! Watch it! You almost made me break it!" Angelica glared at Dawn. Dawn tilted her head, seemingly in thought.

"Can you believe it's been ten years since we wound up here?" Dawn crossed her arms, staring at the sky. Angelica let out a sigh and stared up as well.

"Feels like ten years to me. At least I age..." Angelica looked over at Dawn, who chuckled.

"Hey, it's not my fault. The Sky Scourges' power prevents me from aging physically, unlike you. Technically, I'm still 19." Upon ending her sentence, Dawn looked over at Angelica and smiled back before slightly leaning forward. Her lips met Angelica's in a quick, loving embrace before she leaned back and smiled again. Angelica blushed pink.

"I hate it when you do that unexpectedly. Next time warn me so I don't get embarrassed..." Angelica narrowed her eyes at Dawn, who simply responded with a shrug.

"Still getting embarrassed over that huh? You are still a kid..." At that, Angelica growled before Dawn ran off, causing Angelica to chase her, the two of them giggling as they ran. Over to the side, behind a set of trees, stood six familiar figures, unbeknownst to Dawn and Angelica.

"So, still watching over your brat, huh?" Leviathan looked over at Enrise, who was looking over in Dawn's direction. He nodded in response.

"Yes. But she has grown quite well, despite being 19 forever. And why are you here exactly? You know you have no power here. I assume you feel a bond between yourself and your 'brat'?" Enrise spoke to Leviathan matter-of-factly. Leviathan crossed his arms.

"Yeah...I guess the psychos have grown on us, eh?" Leviathan looked over before Enrise responded.

"Like a tumor." The six beings laughed together as they watched Dawn and Angelica, just as Enrise promised. Even ten years later, their bonds remain strong for years more to come...

Suddenly a portal opened and Angelica and Dawn went to go see it with the Scourges and the Fableds. It was flashing with images of what was occurring down in the real world. It showed Igatoshi and the others reforming the city with their Duel monsters and what happened to the others after the battle.

Keiichi was in a hospital and they said he was all fine and his illness had mysteriously vanished.
For the first time in their time knowing Keiichi, he smiled and was excited. They then heard him say, "I can't believe it. I'm cured. Maybe that stuff Infernok gave me helped. But I don't know and I don't care!"

Dawn and Angelica smiled then the picture warped to Jason, Tyler, and Nozaki all helping with constructing the new buildings. Nozaki then said, "Man, Infernok really did do a number on this block especially." Jason and Tyler both laughed and Tyler said, "Hopefully we can get done soon cause I'm fricking hungry." They all shared a chuckle and went back to work.

Dawn and Angelica commented and remembered that moment Nozaki was being "So Noble" and kicked down Dawn's Door because of how much spite he had. Dawn said, "I hope he remembered to fix my damn door." They all laughed as the picture shifted again.

This time it was Valkoor and Chief Igatoshi who were in a lab with what appeared to be Michael's parents. Valkoor then recited a spell from his book while Igatoshi poured a chemical into the blood-transfusion and the saw the bodies were gaining a more lively color.

Valkoor said, "Looks like Angelica and Dawn weren't too far from rejuvenation. Hopefully they can come back soon and help us out in finishing this research." Igatoshi laughed and said, "Amen to that."

Dawn and Angelica then said, "Well, it seems Valkoor is continuing our work." Dawn said, "Hopefully they give us credit." They both shared a laugh and then Dawn said, "Wait... where is this portal coming from?"

Suddenly, the portal shifted one more time and this time it showed Michael, in a wheelchair. He then looked at Dawn and Angelica through the portal and said, "Hello girls."

They started freaking out a bit and Angelica said, "Di Angelo... How can you see us?" Michael just laughed a bit and said, "Cause I was the one who made the portal. And I thought you were smart. Hahaha..." Dawn then said, "Why did you try to contact us Michael."

Michael just said, "I was trying and hoping I could bring you guys back from the Netherworld. But it seems I may need a little bit more work. I also wanted to show your this."

Michael then picked up two pieces of paper and Dawn recognized them as the papers confirming people for the ATZTF most wanted list and saw their names. Michael then took the pages and put them in a paper shredder and said, "You are hereby officially no longer wanted criminals. You shall both have a clean slate when you come back home."

Dawn and Angelica smiled and Michael said, "Well its been fun girls, but I may need to go. I have been doing physical therapy for the last 10 years to restore my legs so I can walk again. Those rocks from Infernok's Castle caused me some major damage. But, I will see you girls again next time. And Dawn..."

Dawn looked at Michael and said, "Yes?"

Michael smiled and said, "Try not to kill the locals when ya do get back, ya psycho." Dawn just laughed and said "Yeah, See you around Michael." Then the portal closed.

Dawn turned and saw Angelica was laughing and said, "Now I really cannot wait til we get back." Dawn just laughed and said, "Yeah, me too."

With smiles of their faces and old troubles resolved, Dawn and Angelica walked back hoping for the day when they can return...