S. Revolt Act I: The Darkness Within

Echo covered his face a bit as the attack on his monster caused a small shockwave, though his monster wasn't destroyed.

'Hmm..' He watched as one of the counters was removed from his monster.

He was a bit confused about her whole strategy, but he wasn't going to let himself get destracted.

He closes his eyes half way, feeling a bit strange, shaking his head to try to snap himself out of it, focusin on the field.

"2 Counters down, just 1 more to go." Jisha was pretty pleased, it'd been a risky move by using her Defender to attack, especially with it's low atk compared to it's defense, but it'd paid off, now she was very close to getting what she needed from her monster. Just one more push and it would be enough. But that would have to wait until next turn.

"I'll set 1 backrow card and end my turn, Echo-chan. Now it's your turn to show me something chilling, well, besides your eyes at least."

Relaxing her posture to indicate she was done with her turn, Jisha looked eagerly across the field...

James took the briefcase which would hold the prize cards and turned to Souji, "Let's go then." said James.


James and Souji looked at the coordinates for the meeting place with the 2 Society thugs and inputted them into their COM-Links, "Alright this should lead us right to them." said James looking straight ahead in the direction to the Meeting Place. As they left the building and saw Jeffory leave, tightening his tie as he did, he gave James and Souji a confirming look. The look could be construed as saying "Good Luck.", but James never really understood body language.


James called for a Transport to their next location via his COM-Link, "This is James, we need a Transport car immediately, sending you our location, over."


...minutes later a van came bearing no symbol or specific color, as the Resistance kept a low-profile.


"Alright Souji." said James, "Time to get this over with I guess." James gave out a yawn before getting out of the van, they arrived at their destination.


James and Souji got out of the van only to see a decrypted old building right in front of them.

"In here?!" exclaimed James, "Well I must say, it smells better than Jeffory's meeting place."


As James and Souji entered the building, the door behind them slammed shut and locked. James turned around startled as he tried to open the door.

"They're getting pretty serious nowadays for cards, huh Souji?" said James chuckling.


A loud noise came from across the space inside the building, an arena was nicely painted on the hardwood floor of the building and at the opposite end of where James and Souji were, two individuals which looked almost the same age as Reeve stood there with their Duel Disks already activated and slapping their decks into their Disks, the disks then shuffled their cards.


"Well Souji, guess we're up eh?" said James smirking to Souji, "Let's give them a show shall we?"

"Oh almost forgot" said James, "I shall be anteing up my Demon Roar God Leveathan." James held his card up so that everyone saw it.

"With that said, let's get this Team Duel started."


James slapped his Deck into his Duel Disk and the Disk shuffled it.

"Draw!" He swiped a card from his deck and looked at it.

"hmm.."

"I'll summon "Child Of Water" in defence mode!"



"Next I'll activate Frost Misty"



"Now water monsters that ar level 3 or lower can't be destroyed in battle once per turn."

He gave the field another look.

"I end my turn.."

Hmm, she's building a fortress of ice, this could be tricky.

Jisha was forced to admit that she was in a bit of trouble here. Not only was she facing a monster that needed to be hit three times to die (now 4 with that spell), she was also facing a monster that replaced itself upon it's destruction (assuming she managed that). Looking up at Echo, she smirked slightly.

"You've got quite a barrier there Echo-chan, but if you're just gonna wall yourself away then it'll become a cage!"

The final counter on Echo's Snow Girl moved to the scales, making it so the coins and counters were balanced, with one final slot to be filled before the reward could be attained.

"Now that your monster has lost all it's Mistrust Counters, it's time for my Stoic Defender to have a change of heart. I activate her effect, strong hate only needs a little push to become powerful love, and now that Mistrust is gone, repulsion becomes affection, so I tribute my Repulsion - Stoic Defender to summon her true form, be reborn as Affection - Calm Guardian!"

Stoic Defender whipped off her dark robes to reveal a version of herself that had aged a few years, wearing gentle colours and a kind smile, very different from her former stern expression. This new persona settled herself into a sitting position, directing a serene gaze towards the monsters on Echo's field.

6*/Wind/Spellcaster
2100/2800

"Only things nurtured over time are worth anything, Echo-chan. My monsters start out with so much anger, but over time it turns to love. That's the way things should be, yeah..." Jisha bowed her head as visions of former friends passed before her eyes, and their voices echoed in her ears,

"We'll never forgive you Jisha!"

"Why would you do this? Aren't we friends?"

"Do you enjoy causing us pain, Jisha?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm only trying to bring people together, please don't hate me......please?"

"We don't want you here Jisha." She looked up in fright as Echo was replaced by those who turned on her.

"No..."

He looked at her monster, surprised.

"I see.." He whispered as she spoke..

'But what if hatred is all you "can" feel?..' he wondered to himself, looking down, then looked to his field again.

'Caged in.. Its all I can really do to keep myself from being turned into a society zombie..'

He looked back to Jisha who seemed to be deep in thought, his eyes closing half way as she spoke only a single word.. 'No?...'

"No! No! Leave me alone!" Jisha shrieked as the visions of her past failures replaced her opponent.

"I already said I was sorry! There's nothing more I can do!"

"But why did you do it in the first place, Jisha-chan?" The memories yelled back deafeningly.

"I was trying to make your feelings real! You can't just decide that you'll give love to someone in an instant, you have to go through harsh experiences together, that's what makes love real!"

Jisha's face distorted from fear to anger as the emotions raged inside her,

"Don't you know how lucky you are? Even with all I've done, I gave you those experiences, what I did brought you together! I don't even have that, I always have to be the catalyst for others! I always have to be the one who ends up losing! IT'S NOT FAIR!" Loosing an inarticulate roar, she slapped a card down onto her disk.

"I summon Repulsion - Brash Challenger! Giving 3 more Mistrust Counters to your Snow Girl. What's more, my Brash Challenger gains 100 atk for each Mistrust Counter on the field, so including the counters on my trap that makes 5, increasing my monster's atk from 1600 to 2100. What's more, she does damage through defense! But I'm not even done!"

Jisha's new monster was a girl with short red hair, brandishing a wooden sword balanced lazily over one shoulder and a cocky smile on her face.

4*/Fire/Warrior
1600/1400 -> 2100/1400

Whipping her hand around, Jisha indicated her older monster. Calm Guardian nodded kindly at Brash Challenger, before holding her staff out towards Snow Girl. A soothing pink orb emerged from the staff and floated over to join the new dark purple spheres orbiting Snow Girl.

"That right there's a Trust Counter. Only one of these can exist on the field at any one time. Once per turn any of my Affection monsters can give one to one of your face up monsters. While your monster has a Trust Counter, my Affection monsters each affect that monster in different ways. For instance, my Calm Guardian makes it so that the Trust Counter'd monster cannot attack Affection monsters, and loses 1000 atk/def while battling Repulsion monsters. So your Snow Girl's 1000 defense will drop to 0. Now accept my monster's love, Snow Girl! I attack with Brash Challenger!

A feral smile on her face, the redhead charged across the field...

"You're the guys we're supposed to duel? What, the old man couldn't handle coming himself?"

"Let's just get this done, Ken. Otherwise, we'll be listening to you complain all night."

"Shut it, Maz!" A shorter, excitable guy nearly ran onto the field, deck already in place. "Old guy already said that he'd get someone to pick the card out of our decks if we lost, so I don't see the need to show you my deck now! Let's just get this started!"

"Right, right. We've gotta do this if we're to have any chance for the trade." A taller, more athletic-looking guy stood up, shuffling a bit of hair out of his eyes. "I suppose if the old guy didn't want to come himself, we should just hope he didn't hire anybody ridiculous."

"He's too stingy for that!" Ken raised his disk quickly, his hand already ready to draw his first cards. "The way he acts, why isn't he taking this deal? Every bit's enough for someone like him, isn't it?"

"Never going to understand people like that." Maz just shook his head as he looked over James and Souji. "Right, then. As you've probably guessed, I'm Maz, that's Ken, and we'll be your opponents today. Good luck to you, but with these stakes, I won't be going easy."

"Stop the chat and hurry the first turn!" Ken nearly shouted as he looked forward towards the arena and towards their opponents.

'Shes fighting against... herself...'

"I activate the trap card Hallowed Life Barrier!"



His trap card rose. "By discarding one card in my hand, all damage I recieve this turn is reduced to 0." He continued to talk as he discarded. "I discard Baby Snowman, in turn, activating its effect!"



"When Baby Snowman is sent from my hand or deck to the graveyard, I can add 1 "Frenzy Snowman" from my deck to my hand!"



He searched his deck for the card then added it to his hand then glared at Jisha.

Jisha grimaced as her monster's attack was rendered almost useless, the only result being one Mistrust Counter vanishing, leaving two, and dropping her Brash Challenger's atk to 2000.

"Tch! More walls, more rejection! You are all so scared of what's real, you'll settle for something fake if it seems easier. That's not the way of things, I'll make you see! Love and friendship don't just happen, they grow through strife, and I'll give you plenty of that! I set 1 backrow card and end my turn!"

Jisha couldn't even remember who she'd started the duel with, all she saw were those before her now, those she'd tried so hard to help, only to have it thrown in her face.

"Well then...I guess I'll start us off!" Souji stepped forward while drawing his hand. He quickly looked it over and then picked out a card, "I activate the spell card Reinforcement of the Army! It allows me to search my deck for a level 4 or lower Warrior monster and add it to my hand! I choose Jiraiya!"

He quickly withdrew it from the deck and the duel disk automatically began shuffling his deck for him, "Now I'll set one card face-down in my Spell/Trap zone and end my turn!" Souji said with a confident look on his face, he wasn't sure how to approach this duel, however, he knew this card was the best way to set himself, as well as James, up for a victory.

Souji & James - 8000 each

vs.

Maz & Ken - 8000 each

Ken quickly drew his hand the moment that Souji's turn was over. "Draw!"

He grinned before throwing down a card. "I summon Winged Knight in attack mode!" A simple, armored knight appeared on the field, before landing on the ground softly. Its silver armor was unadorned, but a pair of obvious eagle wings hung from its back.

1900/1200

"I'll also equip it with the spell card Wind Blade!" A small whirlwind slowly formed in the air before the knight grasped at it, the shape of a blade clear in its hands.

2400/1200

"That's it for me! Now, hurry up and let's get this show on the road!"

-----

Winged Knight
Level 4/Warrior/Wind/1900/1200
A loyal knight, devoted to the protection of his airborn kingdom.

Wind Blade
Equip Spell
Equip only to a Wind-Attribute Monster. Increase the equipped monster's ATK by 500. If the equipped monster is selected as an attack target, send this card to the graveyard in order to negate that attack and increase the equipped monster's ATK by 1500 until the End Phase.

His eyes closed half way.

'Shes fighting against herself..' he thought as he looked at the field.

'2 strong monsters and 4 cards face down... Maybe.. If I win this duel, I can save her from herself.. But I have to make this turn count..'

"Draw!!!!"

He fiercely drew a card from his deck.

"I'll activate the magic card "Gift Of Martel!"



"Now, by tributing one of my Aqua monsters, I can draw a card and if its an Aqua monster, I can reveal it to draw 1 more card!"

He waited for a reply to see if she would have any cards to oppose him.

"My turn then Draw!!" James drew his card and observed the field of the players that went before him.

"Well, as usual, this is a Team duel so I shouldn't be too hasty this first turn." thought James as he overlooked his Hand.

"I summon to my field Demon Roar God Galbath!!" exclaimed James.

A Amphibian looking creature arose from the card carrying a huge Spiked Sphere with a chain attached to it.


Demon Roar God Galbath
Level 4
Light/Fiend/Effect
1500/800


"Next I activate the Field Spell, Luminous Spark!"

As James' field spell activated a small glimmer of Light hit the Ground of the Arena then as fast as a Jolt of Lightning, the entire room was covered in a bright Light.

"This handy Field Spell raises the Attack of all LIGHT Attribute Monsters on the Field by 500 and also Decreases their Defense by 400."


Demon Roar God Galbath

1500+500/800-400 = 1900/400


"Alright then finally I set 2 cards Face-Down and end my turn from there."

Two cards suddenly appeared before James' feet.

"Hmm I wonder what kind of duel we got ourselves into, these guys don't seem very impressed. Then again, this is only the first round so I didn't really expect much either." thought James as he awaited his Opponents next move.

Jisha watched suspiciously as the monster vanished.

By removing a monster it means that the big snowman can't be summoned, what's the real plan here?

Jisha quickly glanced at her face downs as she waited for the strategy to be revealed.

Neither of us has drawn first blood yet, but that'll all change next turn, one way or another...

"Is that all?" Maz looked at the opposition, unimpressed. "Let's see a real move for once. I draw!" Maz added the card to his hand and looked at his options. "I summon Fin Warrior in Attack mode!" A downpour of rain appeared, followed by the appearance of an armored clad warrior with various fin-like pieces attached to it.

Fin Warrior
1900/1200


"Next, I equip the spell card Aqua Lance! This increases my monster's ATK points by 500 points!" Maz said as he activated his card and a blue spear appeared in Fin Warrior's hand.

1900 => 2400

"Now then, Fin Warrior, Attack Demon Roar God Galbath with Aqua Slash!" Maz ordered. Fin Warrior leaped from his spot towards Jame's monster, thrusting it's spear at the Demon Roar God.

------

Fin Warrior
Level 4, Water
Warrior
A powerful soldier who defends his underwater kingdom with unwavering dedication.

Aqua Spear
Equip Spell
Equip only to a Water type monster. Increase the equipped monster's ATK by 500. If the monster equipped with this card is destroyed by a card effect, destroy a card on your opponent's side of the field and special summon a Level 4 or lower Water type monster with 1500 ATK of less from your deck.

"You think it'll be that easy?" said James as he revealed his face-down card.

"I activate the Trap Card Threatening Roar!!, this cards powerful Roar makes you unable to declare an attack for the rest of this turn."

The loud roar pushed back Maz's Monster.

"Sorry but it'll take a bit more than that to defeat us." said James smirking.


"Man these guys kinda have the same strategy going on, they Summon then Equip their Monsters. I don't like this one bit..." thought James as he was trying to figure out what moves Maz would play next.

"Hmph. A desperate move to stall." Maz muttered as his Fin Warrior returned back to his position, having failed in it's attack. "Don't think that impresses me one bit, the two of us are still going to win. You might as well surrender now and hand them over and save yourself some pain. Now then I'll set two cards face down, and I think that'll be all for now." He said as the cards appeared at his feet.

"Now then, hurry up and make your move." He looked over at Souji. "The sooner you play, the sooner we can beat you two up and get what we want."


----

LP = 4000
Cards in Hand: 2
FD cards: 2

He drew a card from his deck.

"I reveal "Frost Siren" in order to draw another card!"



He drew once more, looking at the card closely. 'Got it!'

"First, I'm activating my "Child Of Water's" Special ability! When she is sent from the field to the graveyard, I can Special Summon 1 "Maiden Of Water" from my deck!"

He searched his deck for the card then slapped it onto his duel disk, putting his deck back into its slot as it shuffles itself.

A small tower of water began to rise infront of him, slowly changing its form into a woman.

Hmm, so there ARE still two monsters, which means I'll have to watch out for the big guy, but I'm not sure that's the plan so far, it seems like a very roundabout way to go about things. Still could happen though. Better make sure that I'm covered if it does.

"In response to the summon, I activate my face down trap, Conflicting Emotions! Now I can take all Trust and Mistrust Counters on the field and re-distribute them as I please, of course it costs me one card from my hand to do this, but just like you I can turn that into an advantage! The card I discarded was my Misdirected Anger, which when sent to the grave adds 1 Mistrust Counter onto a card on the field. So I'll use my Conflicting Emotions to take my 4 Mistrust Counters and put 3 onto my trap card, and 1 onto your Maiden of Water, and keep my Trust Counter on your Snow Girl, and my Misdirected Anger will give your Snow Girl another Mistrust Counter. Don't forget, now that there's one more counter on the field, my Brash Challenger goes back up to 2100 atk!"

Jisha smirked slightly as the 4 Mistrust Counters re-arranged themselves, then jumped in surprise as the whispers of her visions increased in volume as the 5th Mistrust Counter appeared.

"These voices, are they being caused by my cards? Am I doing this?"

"...you guys really need to start paying attention to the duel...during your end phase I activate my trap card. Shadow Spirits..."

Suddenly two pools of black ooze began to seep up form the ground in front of Souji, they then began to form into what looked like piles of slime with eyes and mouths.


Shadow Spirits
Trap Card
Special summon 2 "Shadow Tokens" to your side of the field, you cannot normal summon this turn. These tokens cannot be used for a synchro summon.

"Now, its my turn! I draw!" He looked over his hand, once again at 6 cards, "Now...let's have a little fun with this...I release one Shadow Token to advance summon...PERSONA - SAMAEL!"



Suddenly, clouds gathered above and then grew dark, lightning flashed about as a red scaly demon began to descend from above. It gently landed on the duel arena and growled.

"When he is summoned, I can destroy one monster on my opponents side of the field and then I take damage equal to that monster's original attack...so I choose Ken's Winged Knight." The crimson colored dragon roared and lighting crashed down towards the feathered warrior.

"I was waiting for that." Maz suddenly broke out into a smile. "I activate my trap card, Divert Current! When a card effect that would destroy a monster is activated, I can change the target to another one. And the target I choose is my very own Fin Warrior!" The lightning that had shot out at Ken's Winged Knight suddenly changed it's path and struck Fin warrior. His monster gave a cry as it was fried by several thousand watts of electricity before shattering. "My monster may be gone, but don't think that I just did it to help out my partner. I activate Aqua Spear's effect! When the monster equipped with it is destroyed, I can destroy a card on your side of the field!"

As he spoke, the shattered remains of the spear suddenly turned into water, then froze into a dozen icicles which hovered in the air, poised to strike.

"And I think the card I pick to destroy will be none other than that monster of yours!" He pointed at Persona Samael, and the icicles launched themselves at it.

---

Divert Current
Counter Trap Card
When your opponent activates a card effect that targets and destroys a monster, you may change the target to one of your WATER type monsters.

"Gheeze, Maz. Gonna take all of it to yourself?" Ken quietly let go of a card in his hand, shaking his head. "Fine, whatever, it's fine this time, but the next one's mine." He glanced back up at the knight on his field. "Least it seems like I get the pleasure of first attack, at this rate. Hurry it up, my knight hates waiting!"

Echo grinned.

"Sorry! But my Maiden can't be targetted by card effects."

He watched as this mistrust counters moved towards and around his monsters.

'Her struggle is becoming greater... Is it her own cards that are making her do this?..'

He looked at her closely, his eyes closing half way.

'This much pain.. could someone who really follows the Society really hurt this much and actually be aware of it?.. Or.. is she even really aware about her own pain..?'

He looked around. 'This is the fort of the Resistance..'

He started pictures of his brother being taken away and voices of him and his mom screaming ran through his head.

"I.. I wont let that happen again.. I'll be there for the people that need it..." he said softly, looking back to Jisha.

(narrator's voice)

As Echo and Jisha face off against each other, who will win their duel, or will they lose their own sanity?

As James and Souji face off against Maz and Ken, who will win in this battle of wits. (And will Kaiser ever show up to duel in the RP ever again?)

What will the mysterious man do? Is he looking for peace or just seeking out vengeance? As the curtain closes on this Act, you'll have to wonder...what would happen in the days to come?

(Act I: The Darkness Within is officially over.)

(WARNING: Do not continue the duels in Act II. Act III will resume those duels.)