Isabel Marias (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
naturalcure) wrote2009-09-13 07:34 pm
naturalcure) wrote2009-09-13 07:34 pm
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Instinct kicked in before he heard the footsteps behind him, or heard the sound of the disk activating. He spun around, throwing an arm out and yelling an incantation. A glimmering shield appeared and was struck by a bright red ball of flame immediately after. If he'd been a second later, he'dve been charred right there.
"...Marias." Honjou muttered from behind his shield.
"Honjou." Isabel said, her disk activated, and a trap card in her hand. Behind her was Desdemona, who quickly shoved Isabel out of the way and stepped in front of her.
"I told you not to fly off the handle like that." She reprimanded, before looking at Honjou. "Honjou-kun, what's the meeting of this!?"
"..." Honjou looked away. "There's no point. If you've come this far..." His Duel Disk activated. "There's only one course left."
Isabel snarled and shuffled the card she was holding back into her deck. "Fine, then!" She said as her Duel Disk activated.
"DUEL!"
Honjou (8000 LP) vs. Isabel (8000 LP)
"First turn's mine!" Isabel said as she drew six cards. She glanced over her hand. "I'll set two cards face down and one monster in defense position! Turn end!"
Honjou drew his card silently. "...I summon Rider Angel in attack position." An angel covered in red and black armor appeared, a beetle's horn adorning the top of its head. (2000/1200) "When Rider Angel is normal summoned, its effects are negated. But its power is still enough! Attack the set monster!" The angel leaped into the air as light surrounded it and condensed at its foot.
"Reverse card, open! Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Isabel declared as the Rider Angel came down, slamming its foot into the scarecrow, knocking it back. Weathering the attack, it vanished back into its card.
"One card face down. Turn end."
"My turn. Draw!" Isabel said. "I activate Rose of Love!" She flipped around a Spell Card in her hand. "I discard Lava Reef Dragon from my hand to draw two cards!" She slipped the FIRE/Dragon from her hand into her graveyard and drew twice.
She discarded an advanced monster like Lava Reef Dragon to draw, and once it's in the graveyard, it can't be revived... Honjou frowned. Unless...
"Reverse card, open! Mystical Space Typhoon on your set card!"
"I chain it! Dust Tornado to Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Honjou declared. As a burst of wind struck his card, another burst of wind flew from his side of the field to Isabel's, exposing her scarecrow and tearing it to shreds.
"Che..." Isabel grabbed another card from her hand. "I activate Smashing Ground on your Rider Angel next!" Her card appeared, and an explosion of pressure came from it, crushing Rider Angel instantly and forcing Honjou back a few feet. "I'm not done yet! I normal summon Black Rose Swordsman and flip summon Rose Hatchling!" A smaller Black Rose Dragon and a bipdeal dragon weilding a large broadsword both appeared. (1300/800) (1800/1200)
A Plant-type and a Dragon-type monster... Honjou grimaced.
"I release the Plant-type Rose Hatchling and the Dragon-type Black Rose Swordsman!" Isabel said as both dragons vanishes and turned into a red glowing light. "Special Summon, LAVA REEF DRAGON!" A second copy of the dragon she had just discarded was thrown on to her Duel Disk. The red light exploded outwards, and a massive dragon with a bed of molten rock and magma on its back appeared, roaring loudly. (2600/2000) He's open now! I'll make the first strike here! Isabel decided. "Lava Reef Dragon's effect! I revive Black Rose Swordsman from my gravey-"
"It's useless!" Honjou declared, grabbing two cards from his hand. "I discard Athena and Herald of Orange Light to negate your effect and destroy Lava Reef Dragon!" Both cards were placed in his graveyard, and rays of orange light pierced the Lava Reef Dragon continuously. The dragon roared in pain before exploding.
"Ngh..." Isabel held her arm up to shield herself. Her field was now empty. "Turn end..."
"It's my turn. Draw!" Immediately after drawing, Honjou dropped a monster card on to his Duel Disk. "Harvest Angel of Wisdom!" (1800/1200) "Attack her directly!" Harvest spun in the air, before striking Isabel with its foot, sending her reeling back.
"Nrgh...!" Isabel covered her chest. (6200 LP)
"One card face down. Turn end."
"D-draw!" Isabel growled as she tore the top card from her deck. "I activate Graceful Adoration! By paying 1000 life points," (5200) "I can draw two cards and discard one!" She slid the top two cards off her deck. "I discard Flamvell Gurnika and activate Infernal Flight! This lets me grab a level 4 or lower FIRE/Dragon from my deck!" She fanned out her deck, and grabbed the selected card. "I summon Decoy Dragon!" A small unassuming dragon appeared, letting out a small wisp of flame. (300/200) "Turn end!"
Honjou drew his card. Of course if I attack, she'll revive Lava Reef Dragon... He glanced at his drawn card. In that case... "One card face down. Continuous Spell - Counter Resources. Turn end."
"Draw!" Isabel glanced at her drawn card. "...turn end."
Honjou drew, looked at his card and immediately set it. "Turn end."
Isabel grimaced as she drew. He's got three cards set now. At least two of them have to be Counter Traps...he knows I'm stalling with Decoy Dragon's effect, and he's trying to block whatever I try to do next...and if he draws something that can negate Decoy Dragon's effect... She glanced at her drawn card. ...until I can get around those traps, I gotta keep stalling... "One monster in defense position! Turn end!"
"Draw." Again, Honjou's drawn card was immediately placed on to his disk. "Covering Angel Sachiel." (1800/1200) "Harvest attacks the set monster!" Harvest spun through the air, kicking at Isabel's set card again, only for its foot to hit a blazing set of rock-hard scales. (100/2000)
"YOur attack hit Guard of Flamvell!" Isabel declared as the dragon roared, releasing a wave of flame to force Harvest back.
"Che..." (7800 LP) "Turn end."
"Draw!" Isabel glanced at her drawn card, and smirked. Alright. I can do something with this. She threw the card on to her Duel Disk. "Summon Draco-Kin Howler!" (1500/1900) "I'm tuning my level 1 Guard of Flamvell to my level 4 Draco-Kin Howler!" Guard of Flamvell roared and vanished into one ring, which surrounded Draco-Kin Howler.
"In the darkest garden, the rose of a warrior will bloom to life! Synchro Summon!" (1 + 4 = 5) "Black Rose Princess!" Wielding a burning sword, a princess wearing draconic scaled armor and a large red dress appeared, swinging the sword once to part the flames on it. (2300/1000)
"Reverse card, open. Solemn Judgment." Before the princess could do anything, bolts of lightning came down and struck her repeatedly, vaporizing her. "For half of my life points," (3900) "Your summon is negated. And by Counter Resource's effect, I draw one."
Solemn's out of the way now...next turn I can try to strike back. Isabel looked at her hand. "Turn end!"
"Draw." Honjou grabbed both of his cards and inserted them into his Duel Disk. "Two cards face down. Turn end."
More traps... "Draw!" The field slot of her Duel Disk opened. "Field Spell - Molten Destruction!" Their surroundings rapidly changed, as an active volcano surfaced before them. "All of my FIRE monsters gain 500 extra ATK! Like this one! Lava Dragon!" (1600/1200) > (2100/800) "Lava Dragon attacks Sachiel! LAVA BURST!" Honjou made no motion as flames covered the angel, and licked at his heels.
"Hngh..." (3600)
He probably doesn't have another Solemn Judgment set...I have to get Desde out to clear his field quick, before he does something. "Turn end!"
"Draw." Honjou glanced at his field. "Release Harvest Angel of Wisdom. Summon Tethys, Goddess of Light." (2400/1200)
He released Harvest...? But now he has no way to retrieve Solemn!
"Tethys attacks Decoy Dragon, forcing its effect to activate." Honjou said, narrowing his eyes as Tethys fired a wave of light at the small dragon.
What's he...SHIT, he's forcing its effect to activate so he can...!
"At this moment! Counter Trap - Light's Rejection! By removing 4 Angels from my grave I can negate the activation of one monster's effect and destroy that monster!" Harvest, Sachiel, Rider Angel and Herald of Orange Light all slid out of Honjou's graveyard. Their spirits condensed into light and went flying at Decoy Dragon, surrounding it and crushing it before it could do anything to stop it.
Shit...SHIT, now besides Lava Dragon I'm defenseless...!
"By Counter Resources effect. I draw one card." Honjou slid the top card off of his deck." He immediately flicked it around - Herald of Orange Light. "Tethys's effect. I draw." He added another card to his hand. "Replay takes effect. Tethys destroys Lava Dragon." Tethys waved its hand and another wave of light enclosed on Lava Dragon, crushing it in the same way Decoy Dragon had been destroyed.
A look of horror slowly came to Isabel's face as her last line of defense was wiped out. (5900 LP)
"One card face down. Turn end."
Isabel slowly drew. ...maybe... She gulped. It's my only shot at this point... "...turn end."
"Draw." Honjou flicked his drawn card around, and Isabel immediately paled - Honest. "Draw." He didn't reveal his next card. "Summon Honest." (1100/1900) "Tethys and Honest both attack directly!" Honest waved its wings, sending waves of feathers down at Isabel, while Tethys fired an orb of light at her. Both attacks sent her reeling backwards into a wall.
"Fff...shit..." Isabel grimaced as she slowly regained her barings. His attacks...they're way stronger than Solid Vision...how's he doing that...? (2400 LP)
"Honest returns to my hand." Honjou said as the angel turned into an orb of light and returned to his hand. "Turn end."
"D-draw..." Isabel looked at her drawn card. Finally...! "When I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Draco-Kin Howler from my hand! In addition, I normal summon Masked Dragon!" The two dragons appeared, both roaring loudly. (1500/1900) > (2000/1500), (1400/1100) > (1900/700) "And the spell card, Blazing Roar! By paying 500 life points when I control two FIRE/Dragons, I can Special Summon one from my deck!" She fanned out her deck as the roars grew louder. (1900 LP) "I summon Rose Hatchling!" (1300/800) > (1800/400)
...here it comes. Honjou's expression made no outward change.
"I'm tuning my level 3 Rose Hatchling to my level 4 Draco-Kin Howler!" Rose Hatchling squawked and vanished into three rings, surrounding the howler. "One burning seed will bloom into a pitch-dark flower...! Become the gale of devastation that brings ruin to the earth!" As she spoke, the rings reduced Draco-Kin Howler to four stars, which aligned themselves in the rings. Violet light flooded through the rings next. "SYNCHRO SUMMON!" (3 + 4 = 7) BLACK ROSE DRAGON!"
As the violet light parted, Black Rose Dragon appeared, roaring loudly and spreading its wings. (2400/1800) > (2900/1400) Isabel clenched a fist. If he uses Herald of Orange Light's effect on this, he'll have to get rid of Honest, and if he does that, I can break through Tethys...Desde...forgive me, but I gotta do this! "Black Rose Dragon's effect! BLACK ROSE GALE!" The dragon roared and flapped its wings, gale force winds suddenly tearing through the room.
Honjou snorted. "Counter Trap - Synthetic Defender." Wires of light rose up all around the field and resonated loudly as they seemed to absorb the gales from the Black Rose Dragon, stopping them from destroying anything. "Your card is negated, and a Synthetic Seraphim token is summoned to my field." (300/200) "By Counter Resources, I draw." He drew and showed it - Rider Angel. He drew again - Bountiful Artemis. The third draw was his last, leaving him with six cards.
If I use Desde's effect again, he'll definitely just use that Herald of Orange Light in his hand...and now he has other angels he can give up besides Honest... "Rose Hatchling's effect! I turn Tethys to defense mode!" Vines came up and grabbed Tethys, forcing her into a kneeling position. (1800 DEF)
Honjou waved his arm. "Reverse card, open. Mystical Space Typhoon." A torrent of wind came up and covered Molten Destruction, obliterating it. Black Rose Dragon and Lava Dragon's ATK returned to normal.
"Che...that won't stop me! Black Rose Dragon attacks Tethys! BLACK ROSE FLARE!" The dragon roared and shot a wave of purple flame at Tethys, which was blocked by a familiar scarescrow.
"Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." Honjou held up one card in his hand. "You've lost, Marias. You know what my next move is going to be."
Isabel took a step back. "D-don't underestimate me, you bastard. I came here to beat yo-"
"Don't be a fool. You've noticed already, haven't you? I've been using my magic to make my attacks as strong as your Psychic Dueling. My next attack, I won't hold back." His eyes narrowed. "I can see the fear in your eyes."
Isabel's eyes widened. The fear...in my eyes...? She glanced up at the monster on her field, Black Rose Dragon. It let out a low growl and spread its wings out. "..." Isabel clenched her fist. "Turn end."
Honjou snorted. "Idiot." He drew his card, glancing only briefly at it before throwing it on to his disk. "Tuner Monster - Herald of Orange Light." (300/500) "I'm tuning my level 2 Hearld to my level 5 Tethys and my level 1 Synthetic Seraphim token." Herald of Orange Light vanished into two rings, which surrounded Tethys and the token. Honjou threw out one hand. "The strongest shield pro-" He hesitated, before clenching a fist. "....Synchro Summon!" (2 + 5 + 1 = 8) "Ride, Avenging Knight Parshath!" (2600/2100) "Parshath's effect forces Black Rose Dragon to defense position!" The knight shot forward, slamming its shield into the dragon's face, forcing it to kneel down. (1800 DEF)
Desde... Isabel grimaced, knowing what was coming next.
"At the moment of my attack, I discard Honest from my hand, giving Parshath 2400 extra attack points." (5000 ATK) Honjou pointed a single finger forward. "Finish it. Lightning Joust." Parshath raised its blade and swung it, cleaving through the Black Rose Dragon. At the same time, Isabel felt an intense piercing pain in her chest. It took her a second to look down. At the same time she saw the wound, she dropped to her knees, clutching herself in pain.
Honjou stared upon her unsympathetically. He walked off for a short moment, coming back to toss her a roll of gauze. "Patch yourself up and get out of here." He grunted and walked off.
Isabel slammed a fist to the ground, using her other hand to knock the gauze away as hard as she could. Shit... "I thought I was getting stronger..." She muttered. She tried to force herself up, but stumbled, rolling over on to her back. "Desde, I..." She looked around, only just now realizing something was wrong. Desdemona wasn't there anymore. "...where..." She was right behind me when the duel started...wasn't she?
"As you are, I don't know if that's possible, dear..." A voice rang out. It was familiar, but...it was different.
"...d-desde...?" Isabel asked, turning her head in the direction of the voice to see Desdemona. The way she was carrying herself was different from what she was used to. But what stuck in Isabel's mind was her eyes - they weren't the same warm eyes that had always put her at ease. They were...distant. As if she was being observed.
"It's been a while since I've seen you in a position like this..." She said, walking closer to Isabel as she spoke. She smiled as she stared down at her. "The last time was when we first met. You were a wreck."
"Yeah...great memories..." Isabel grunted as she rolled over on to her hands and knees. "Help me up...we gotta go after him."
Isabel let out a grunt of pain as Desdemona's heel hit her back, forcing her back down to the ground. "Isabel, as you are, you can't defeat Honjou. You couldn't even beat dear Shiroko..."
Isabel clenched her fists and tried to get up, only succeeding in getting Desdemona's foot driven further into her back. "St-stop it, Desde..." She muttered. "Th' hell's gotten into you..."
Desdemona just smiled. When she saw it, Isabel shivered visibly. "Jeanette, Shiroko, Susan, Juudai-kun....everybody's leaving you behind." She tilted her head. "Is that why you kept wasting time beating up whelps like Tokei and Kurochi, dear?"
"Sh-shut up..."
"But then challenging Honjou to try and prove your worth and losing in such a sad way..." Desdemona sighed, curling an errant lock of hair with one of her fingers. "You've lost something, haven't you?"
"I haven't lost anything!" Isabel shouted, slamming her fists on the ground. "I'm not washed up! I'm not...!"
Desdemona let out a low chuckle. "Silly silly girl." She said in a voice that cut through Isabel. "Were that to be true, you wouldn't be in this situation. Nor would you be as afraid as you are."
"I'm not afraid of anything! And Honjou just got lucky!" She snarled, continuing to struggle to get up, and continuing to fail. "LET ME UP!"
Desdemona laughed. "I can't do that! If you're that far in denial, I can't let you up yet." She forced her back down with no visible effort. "I don't want you to run into a fight you can't handle and get yourself hurt...if it's not Honjou it'll just be somebody else. I'm truly concerned for your well-being, Isabel." She said, and forced her down again. As she spoke, she continued to smile.
"I can handle myself just fine..." At this, she earned nothing but more laughter. "Shut up...STOP LAUGHING!" She yelled, holding her own head. "Why are you doing this...?!"
Desdemona leaned down, cupping Isabel's chin in her hand. "...I asked if you remembered, Isabel. When we first met. Do you remember the state you were in, then?" She asked.
"....yeah." Isabel responded in a small voice. "...I don't want to be like that again..." She muttered.
"Ah...of course, it's my fault you're like this...you see, when I died, I realized something. You and I...we're 'phoenixes'." She smiled. "You should've been reborn as a beautiful phoenix when I first met you in that pitiful state. But I couldn't guide you. You ended up being reborn improperly, and now you're in this state...deathly afraid of Noriko and Shiroko for fabricated reasons..."
"It's NOT fabricated!" Isabel snarled.
Desdemona scoffed. "Regardless of anything like that. If you were truly the type of person you claim to be, would you let things like that get in your way? You're afraid of Shiroko because she put a Penalty Game on you, but did you consider that it was your own fault for losing?" She smirked. "Or are you angry that she took pity on you in your sad state and released it?"
Isabel temporarily stopped her thrashing. "...pity...?"
"Yes, pity. Afraid of a teacher and dear Shiroko, constantly losing duels, reduced to little more than a joke in the pro leagues, even hated by her own sister. I'd say that's rather pitiable, wouldn't you?" She asked. "Honjou didn't even bother using a Dark Game against you, yet you want to follow him? That means he doesn't even consider you a small threat."
Isabel was silent for several long moments, before she hit a fist on the ground. She tightly shut her eyes to stop them from stinging. "shit..."
After a few moments, Desdemona lifted her foot up off of Isabel's back.
"I don't want to be a joke..." Isabel muttered. "I want..." She went silent after a second.
"Speak up, dear."
"...I want to be a phoenix." She eventually said more clearly. Desdemona smiled widely.
"You will be, dear. I promise." She reached down, and put an arm around Isabel, this time helping her up. She then turned around and started walking out of the lab, Isabel in tow.
"...Marias." Honjou muttered from behind his shield.
"Honjou." Isabel said, her disk activated, and a trap card in her hand. Behind her was Desdemona, who quickly shoved Isabel out of the way and stepped in front of her.
"I told you not to fly off the handle like that." She reprimanded, before looking at Honjou. "Honjou-kun, what's the meeting of this!?"
"..." Honjou looked away. "There's no point. If you've come this far..." His Duel Disk activated. "There's only one course left."
Isabel snarled and shuffled the card she was holding back into her deck. "Fine, then!" She said as her Duel Disk activated.
"DUEL!"
Honjou (8000 LP) vs. Isabel (8000 LP)
"First turn's mine!" Isabel said as she drew six cards. She glanced over her hand. "I'll set two cards face down and one monster in defense position! Turn end!"
Honjou drew his card silently. "...I summon Rider Angel in attack position." An angel covered in red and black armor appeared, a beetle's horn adorning the top of its head. (2000/1200) "When Rider Angel is normal summoned, its effects are negated. But its power is still enough! Attack the set monster!" The angel leaped into the air as light surrounded it and condensed at its foot.
"Reverse card, open! Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Isabel declared as the Rider Angel came down, slamming its foot into the scarecrow, knocking it back. Weathering the attack, it vanished back into its card.
"One card face down. Turn end."
"My turn. Draw!" Isabel said. "I activate Rose of Love!" She flipped around a Spell Card in her hand. "I discard Lava Reef Dragon from my hand to draw two cards!" She slipped the FIRE/Dragon from her hand into her graveyard and drew twice.
She discarded an advanced monster like Lava Reef Dragon to draw, and once it's in the graveyard, it can't be revived... Honjou frowned. Unless...
"Reverse card, open! Mystical Space Typhoon on your set card!"
"I chain it! Dust Tornado to Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Honjou declared. As a burst of wind struck his card, another burst of wind flew from his side of the field to Isabel's, exposing her scarecrow and tearing it to shreds.
"Che..." Isabel grabbed another card from her hand. "I activate Smashing Ground on your Rider Angel next!" Her card appeared, and an explosion of pressure came from it, crushing Rider Angel instantly and forcing Honjou back a few feet. "I'm not done yet! I normal summon Black Rose Swordsman and flip summon Rose Hatchling!" A smaller Black Rose Dragon and a bipdeal dragon weilding a large broadsword both appeared. (1300/800) (1800/1200)
A Plant-type and a Dragon-type monster... Honjou grimaced.
"I release the Plant-type Rose Hatchling and the Dragon-type Black Rose Swordsman!" Isabel said as both dragons vanishes and turned into a red glowing light. "Special Summon, LAVA REEF DRAGON!" A second copy of the dragon she had just discarded was thrown on to her Duel Disk. The red light exploded outwards, and a massive dragon with a bed of molten rock and magma on its back appeared, roaring loudly. (2600/2000) He's open now! I'll make the first strike here! Isabel decided. "Lava Reef Dragon's effect! I revive Black Rose Swordsman from my gravey-"
"It's useless!" Honjou declared, grabbing two cards from his hand. "I discard Athena and Herald of Orange Light to negate your effect and destroy Lava Reef Dragon!" Both cards were placed in his graveyard, and rays of orange light pierced the Lava Reef Dragon continuously. The dragon roared in pain before exploding.
"Ngh..." Isabel held her arm up to shield herself. Her field was now empty. "Turn end..."
"It's my turn. Draw!" Immediately after drawing, Honjou dropped a monster card on to his Duel Disk. "Harvest Angel of Wisdom!" (1800/1200) "Attack her directly!" Harvest spun in the air, before striking Isabel with its foot, sending her reeling back.
"Nrgh...!" Isabel covered her chest. (6200 LP)
"One card face down. Turn end."
"D-draw!" Isabel growled as she tore the top card from her deck. "I activate Graceful Adoration! By paying 1000 life points," (5200) "I can draw two cards and discard one!" She slid the top two cards off her deck. "I discard Flamvell Gurnika and activate Infernal Flight! This lets me grab a level 4 or lower FIRE/Dragon from my deck!" She fanned out her deck, and grabbed the selected card. "I summon Decoy Dragon!" A small unassuming dragon appeared, letting out a small wisp of flame. (300/200) "Turn end!"
Honjou drew his card. Of course if I attack, she'll revive Lava Reef Dragon... He glanced at his drawn card. In that case... "One card face down. Continuous Spell - Counter Resources. Turn end."
"Draw!" Isabel glanced at her drawn card. "...turn end."
Honjou drew, looked at his card and immediately set it. "Turn end."
Isabel grimaced as she drew. He's got three cards set now. At least two of them have to be Counter Traps...he knows I'm stalling with Decoy Dragon's effect, and he's trying to block whatever I try to do next...and if he draws something that can negate Decoy Dragon's effect... She glanced at her drawn card. ...until I can get around those traps, I gotta keep stalling... "One monster in defense position! Turn end!"
"Draw." Again, Honjou's drawn card was immediately placed on to his disk. "Covering Angel Sachiel." (1800/1200) "Harvest attacks the set monster!" Harvest spun through the air, kicking at Isabel's set card again, only for its foot to hit a blazing set of rock-hard scales. (100/2000)
"YOur attack hit Guard of Flamvell!" Isabel declared as the dragon roared, releasing a wave of flame to force Harvest back.
"Che..." (7800 LP) "Turn end."
"Draw!" Isabel glanced at her drawn card, and smirked. Alright. I can do something with this. She threw the card on to her Duel Disk. "Summon Draco-Kin Howler!" (1500/1900) "I'm tuning my level 1 Guard of Flamvell to my level 4 Draco-Kin Howler!" Guard of Flamvell roared and vanished into one ring, which surrounded Draco-Kin Howler.
"In the darkest garden, the rose of a warrior will bloom to life! Synchro Summon!" (1 + 4 = 5) "Black Rose Princess!" Wielding a burning sword, a princess wearing draconic scaled armor and a large red dress appeared, swinging the sword once to part the flames on it. (2300/1000)
"Reverse card, open. Solemn Judgment." Before the princess could do anything, bolts of lightning came down and struck her repeatedly, vaporizing her. "For half of my life points," (3900) "Your summon is negated. And by Counter Resource's effect, I draw one."
Solemn's out of the way now...next turn I can try to strike back. Isabel looked at her hand. "Turn end!"
"Draw." Honjou grabbed both of his cards and inserted them into his Duel Disk. "Two cards face down. Turn end."
More traps... "Draw!" The field slot of her Duel Disk opened. "Field Spell - Molten Destruction!" Their surroundings rapidly changed, as an active volcano surfaced before them. "All of my FIRE monsters gain 500 extra ATK! Like this one! Lava Dragon!" (1600/1200) > (2100/800) "Lava Dragon attacks Sachiel! LAVA BURST!" Honjou made no motion as flames covered the angel, and licked at his heels.
"Hngh..." (3600)
He probably doesn't have another Solemn Judgment set...I have to get Desde out to clear his field quick, before he does something. "Turn end!"
"Draw." Honjou glanced at his field. "Release Harvest Angel of Wisdom. Summon Tethys, Goddess of Light." (2400/1200)
He released Harvest...? But now he has no way to retrieve Solemn!
"Tethys attacks Decoy Dragon, forcing its effect to activate." Honjou said, narrowing his eyes as Tethys fired a wave of light at the small dragon.
What's he...SHIT, he's forcing its effect to activate so he can...!
"At this moment! Counter Trap - Light's Rejection! By removing 4 Angels from my grave I can negate the activation of one monster's effect and destroy that monster!" Harvest, Sachiel, Rider Angel and Herald of Orange Light all slid out of Honjou's graveyard. Their spirits condensed into light and went flying at Decoy Dragon, surrounding it and crushing it before it could do anything to stop it.
Shit...SHIT, now besides Lava Dragon I'm defenseless...!
"By Counter Resources effect. I draw one card." Honjou slid the top card off of his deck." He immediately flicked it around - Herald of Orange Light. "Tethys's effect. I draw." He added another card to his hand. "Replay takes effect. Tethys destroys Lava Dragon." Tethys waved its hand and another wave of light enclosed on Lava Dragon, crushing it in the same way Decoy Dragon had been destroyed.
A look of horror slowly came to Isabel's face as her last line of defense was wiped out. (5900 LP)
"One card face down. Turn end."
Isabel slowly drew. ...maybe... She gulped. It's my only shot at this point... "...turn end."
"Draw." Honjou flicked his drawn card around, and Isabel immediately paled - Honest. "Draw." He didn't reveal his next card. "Summon Honest." (1100/1900) "Tethys and Honest both attack directly!" Honest waved its wings, sending waves of feathers down at Isabel, while Tethys fired an orb of light at her. Both attacks sent her reeling backwards into a wall.
"Fff...shit..." Isabel grimaced as she slowly regained her barings. His attacks...they're way stronger than Solid Vision...how's he doing that...? (2400 LP)
"Honest returns to my hand." Honjou said as the angel turned into an orb of light and returned to his hand. "Turn end."
"D-draw..." Isabel looked at her drawn card. Finally...! "When I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Draco-Kin Howler from my hand! In addition, I normal summon Masked Dragon!" The two dragons appeared, both roaring loudly. (1500/1900) > (2000/1500), (1400/1100) > (1900/700) "And the spell card, Blazing Roar! By paying 500 life points when I control two FIRE/Dragons, I can Special Summon one from my deck!" She fanned out her deck as the roars grew louder. (1900 LP) "I summon Rose Hatchling!" (1300/800) > (1800/400)
...here it comes. Honjou's expression made no outward change.
"I'm tuning my level 3 Rose Hatchling to my level 4 Draco-Kin Howler!" Rose Hatchling squawked and vanished into three rings, surrounding the howler. "One burning seed will bloom into a pitch-dark flower...! Become the gale of devastation that brings ruin to the earth!" As she spoke, the rings reduced Draco-Kin Howler to four stars, which aligned themselves in the rings. Violet light flooded through the rings next. "SYNCHRO SUMMON!" (3 + 4 = 7) BLACK ROSE DRAGON!"
As the violet light parted, Black Rose Dragon appeared, roaring loudly and spreading its wings. (2400/1800) > (2900/1400) Isabel clenched a fist. If he uses Herald of Orange Light's effect on this, he'll have to get rid of Honest, and if he does that, I can break through Tethys...Desde...forgive me, but I gotta do this! "Black Rose Dragon's effect! BLACK ROSE GALE!" The dragon roared and flapped its wings, gale force winds suddenly tearing through the room.
Honjou snorted. "Counter Trap - Synthetic Defender." Wires of light rose up all around the field and resonated loudly as they seemed to absorb the gales from the Black Rose Dragon, stopping them from destroying anything. "Your card is negated, and a Synthetic Seraphim token is summoned to my field." (300/200) "By Counter Resources, I draw." He drew and showed it - Rider Angel. He drew again - Bountiful Artemis. The third draw was his last, leaving him with six cards.
If I use Desde's effect again, he'll definitely just use that Herald of Orange Light in his hand...and now he has other angels he can give up besides Honest... "Rose Hatchling's effect! I turn Tethys to defense mode!" Vines came up and grabbed Tethys, forcing her into a kneeling position. (1800 DEF)
Honjou waved his arm. "Reverse card, open. Mystical Space Typhoon." A torrent of wind came up and covered Molten Destruction, obliterating it. Black Rose Dragon and Lava Dragon's ATK returned to normal.
"Che...that won't stop me! Black Rose Dragon attacks Tethys! BLACK ROSE FLARE!" The dragon roared and shot a wave of purple flame at Tethys, which was blocked by a familiar scarescrow.
"Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." Honjou held up one card in his hand. "You've lost, Marias. You know what my next move is going to be."
Isabel took a step back. "D-don't underestimate me, you bastard. I came here to beat yo-"
"Don't be a fool. You've noticed already, haven't you? I've been using my magic to make my attacks as strong as your Psychic Dueling. My next attack, I won't hold back." His eyes narrowed. "I can see the fear in your eyes."
Isabel's eyes widened. The fear...in my eyes...? She glanced up at the monster on her field, Black Rose Dragon. It let out a low growl and spread its wings out. "..." Isabel clenched her fist. "Turn end."
Honjou snorted. "Idiot." He drew his card, glancing only briefly at it before throwing it on to his disk. "Tuner Monster - Herald of Orange Light." (300/500) "I'm tuning my level 2 Hearld to my level 5 Tethys and my level 1 Synthetic Seraphim token." Herald of Orange Light vanished into two rings, which surrounded Tethys and the token. Honjou threw out one hand. "The strongest shield pro-" He hesitated, before clenching a fist. "....Synchro Summon!" (2 + 5 + 1 = 8) "Ride, Avenging Knight Parshath!" (2600/2100) "Parshath's effect forces Black Rose Dragon to defense position!" The knight shot forward, slamming its shield into the dragon's face, forcing it to kneel down. (1800 DEF)
Desde... Isabel grimaced, knowing what was coming next.
"At the moment of my attack, I discard Honest from my hand, giving Parshath 2400 extra attack points." (5000 ATK) Honjou pointed a single finger forward. "Finish it. Lightning Joust." Parshath raised its blade and swung it, cleaving through the Black Rose Dragon. At the same time, Isabel felt an intense piercing pain in her chest. It took her a second to look down. At the same time she saw the wound, she dropped to her knees, clutching herself in pain.
Honjou stared upon her unsympathetically. He walked off for a short moment, coming back to toss her a roll of gauze. "Patch yourself up and get out of here." He grunted and walked off.
Isabel slammed a fist to the ground, using her other hand to knock the gauze away as hard as she could. Shit... "I thought I was getting stronger..." She muttered. She tried to force herself up, but stumbled, rolling over on to her back. "Desde, I..." She looked around, only just now realizing something was wrong. Desdemona wasn't there anymore. "...where..." She was right behind me when the duel started...wasn't she?
"As you are, I don't know if that's possible, dear..." A voice rang out. It was familiar, but...it was different.
"...d-desde...?" Isabel asked, turning her head in the direction of the voice to see Desdemona. The way she was carrying herself was different from what she was used to. But what stuck in Isabel's mind was her eyes - they weren't the same warm eyes that had always put her at ease. They were...distant. As if she was being observed.
"It's been a while since I've seen you in a position like this..." She said, walking closer to Isabel as she spoke. She smiled as she stared down at her. "The last time was when we first met. You were a wreck."
"Yeah...great memories..." Isabel grunted as she rolled over on to her hands and knees. "Help me up...we gotta go after him."
Isabel let out a grunt of pain as Desdemona's heel hit her back, forcing her back down to the ground. "Isabel, as you are, you can't defeat Honjou. You couldn't even beat dear Shiroko..."
Isabel clenched her fists and tried to get up, only succeeding in getting Desdemona's foot driven further into her back. "St-stop it, Desde..." She muttered. "Th' hell's gotten into you..."
Desdemona just smiled. When she saw it, Isabel shivered visibly. "Jeanette, Shiroko, Susan, Juudai-kun....everybody's leaving you behind." She tilted her head. "Is that why you kept wasting time beating up whelps like Tokei and Kurochi, dear?"
"Sh-shut up..."
"But then challenging Honjou to try and prove your worth and losing in such a sad way..." Desdemona sighed, curling an errant lock of hair with one of her fingers. "You've lost something, haven't you?"
"I haven't lost anything!" Isabel shouted, slamming her fists on the ground. "I'm not washed up! I'm not...!"
Desdemona let out a low chuckle. "Silly silly girl." She said in a voice that cut through Isabel. "Were that to be true, you wouldn't be in this situation. Nor would you be as afraid as you are."
"I'm not afraid of anything! And Honjou just got lucky!" She snarled, continuing to struggle to get up, and continuing to fail. "LET ME UP!"
Desdemona laughed. "I can't do that! If you're that far in denial, I can't let you up yet." She forced her back down with no visible effort. "I don't want you to run into a fight you can't handle and get yourself hurt...if it's not Honjou it'll just be somebody else. I'm truly concerned for your well-being, Isabel." She said, and forced her down again. As she spoke, she continued to smile.
"I can handle myself just fine..." At this, she earned nothing but more laughter. "Shut up...STOP LAUGHING!" She yelled, holding her own head. "Why are you doing this...?!"
Desdemona leaned down, cupping Isabel's chin in her hand. "...I asked if you remembered, Isabel. When we first met. Do you remember the state you were in, then?" She asked.
"....yeah." Isabel responded in a small voice. "...I don't want to be like that again..." She muttered.
"Ah...of course, it's my fault you're like this...you see, when I died, I realized something. You and I...we're 'phoenixes'." She smiled. "You should've been reborn as a beautiful phoenix when I first met you in that pitiful state. But I couldn't guide you. You ended up being reborn improperly, and now you're in this state...deathly afraid of Noriko and Shiroko for fabricated reasons..."
"It's NOT fabricated!" Isabel snarled.
Desdemona scoffed. "Regardless of anything like that. If you were truly the type of person you claim to be, would you let things like that get in your way? You're afraid of Shiroko because she put a Penalty Game on you, but did you consider that it was your own fault for losing?" She smirked. "Or are you angry that she took pity on you in your sad state and released it?"
Isabel temporarily stopped her thrashing. "...pity...?"
"Yes, pity. Afraid of a teacher and dear Shiroko, constantly losing duels, reduced to little more than a joke in the pro leagues, even hated by her own sister. I'd say that's rather pitiable, wouldn't you?" She asked. "Honjou didn't even bother using a Dark Game against you, yet you want to follow him? That means he doesn't even consider you a small threat."
Isabel was silent for several long moments, before she hit a fist on the ground. She tightly shut her eyes to stop them from stinging. "shit..."
After a few moments, Desdemona lifted her foot up off of Isabel's back.
"I don't want to be a joke..." Isabel muttered. "I want..." She went silent after a second.
"Speak up, dear."
"...I want to be a phoenix." She eventually said more clearly. Desdemona smiled widely.
"You will be, dear. I promise." She reached down, and put an arm around Isabel, this time helping her up. She then turned around and started walking out of the lab, Isabel in tow.