Angel of the Blue Eyes Season 1

Nikki vs Panik Part One

~Nikki~
We had just gotten back from the Shadow Realm. Tea, Tristen, and Joey thought it was just a bad dream while the rest of us knew differently. Bakura walked up and smiled at them.
"Sleep well, guys?" He asked them. Tea then came up with a remark about how Yugi had us dressed up as monsters and that Bakura had gone nuts. I giggled at their sheepish expressions. It was then we heard a scream...it sounded like Mai's. We all started running towards the scream. We finally made it and saw Mai and a big guy with black hair and two big dueling gauntlets. Turns out the guy's name was Panik. He is sent by Pegasus to help get rid of some of the duelists. Joey was becoming angry at the way Panik was treating Mai and so was I. Joey said he would take him on. I held a hand out.
"No, Joey. Fists aren't the answers. Violence never solves anything. I have dealt with a lot of bullies in our lives and I'm afraid there's only one way to deal with them," I said. I glared at Panik and walked up.
"What do you mean, Nikki?" Joey asked me.
"You have to stand up to them," I stated.
"But, Nikki..." Mai tries to protest. I shake my head and smile at her. I looked back at Panik and give him a glare.
"Now, let's see you try your intimidation tactics against me, Panik. I don't scare so easily especially when I'm standing up for my friends. So let's duel," I told him. Panik raised Mai's arm again trying to prove a point. Mai tries to be me to stop. I grab her hand from his and held it for a second. "Don't worry about me, Mai. My may not look it, but I'm strong," I told her. I looked at Panik. "Well? Let's get going, Panik. It's time to duel!" I told him. We go to the platforms.
"Alright, Nikki! No problem! Show Panik how we deal with thugs like him!" Joey cheered. Panik smirks at me.
"Nikki, huh? Must be my lucky day. Pegasus has offered a generous bounty to the eliminator who defeats two duelists on this island. One of them happens to be you," he told me.
"Then the other must be Yugi Moto. I must tell you now, we're not that easy to take down. You might want to think of some other ways to make that money, Panik. When I'm done with you, you won't have a star chip to your name and you'll be out of the job," I said confidently.
"Whoever said I was an eliminator just for the money, Nikki? I've made enough cash to have retired a long time ago, but I won't quit because there's no better thrill than breaking weak duelists like you. So get ready, Nikki, I'm about to take you into a world of hurt," He told me.
"I won't be bullied by the likes you, Panik. I play with my heart. That's why I always win against your type." I then remember all the times I took down bullies in school back in Australia, I always used my heart then and it hasn't let me down.
"You never faced my type before. When I'm in a match with someone, there's a lot more to it than sheer dueling strategy," Panik told me.
"Meaning?" I asked confused.
"Panik's ruthless, Nikki! He had me totally terrified!" Mai told me. I look at her then back at Panik.
"That's right. And she's not the first either. We eliminators have built up our career on stalking weak players like her and strong arming them into dueling us. You see, when you're as good as I am you'll learn to appreciate the hunt just as much as the duel itself. And now I'm going to take you down like I did Mai," Panik laughed. I just smiled.
"I see how you work, Panik. Sneaking up on suspecting duelists because you haven't the courage to challenge them face to face," I laughed.
"Watch your mouth, you insolent cur!" He snarled.
"I've been called worse. True duelists fight with honor and respect! Not the underhand tactics of a poacher!" I told her. He became angrier as he growled. "And to prove that, I'll sacrifice all my star chips I have to win back Mai's!"
"It's a deal. If you win, I'll give you all eight of her star chips. The bet makes no difference to me," he said.
"What do you mean?" I glared.
"What I mean, Little Nikki, is that when you duel against Panik, you're putting much more than measly star chips on the line. Much more!" He told him. It was then I felt something clamp against my ankles. I looked down and saw metal shackles. There was then fire around me.
"NIKKI!" I heard. It was Yugi's voice.
"We gotta get her out of there!" Joey said. I could hear Panik laugh as I dodged the flames.
"What's the matter, Nikki? Can't take the heat? Well, get used to it, because you're strapped in for the long haul," Panik told me. No fire, please...mom...dad...
"Turn it off, Panik!" Joey yelled.
"Panik used those on me too," I heard Mai say.
"Stay strong, Nikki!" Bakura told me.
"Stay strong for Grandpa!" Yami told me. He's right, I have to. I stand straight and glare at Panik as the fire shuts off.
"I can see fear glowing in your eyes, Nikki. I can hear you quaking in your boots. You're beginning to realize the nightmare you stepped into, I do believe you're beginning to panic!" Panik laughed. He's right, I am a little scare due only to a memory...but that won't stop me! Tea calls him a psycho and to get a life. Tristen and Joey try to get me to come down worried for my safety. I crossed my arms.
"Are you finished blowing smoke panic?" I sounded bored as I looked at my nails. I heard the others gasp. Joey wonders what I'm doing. "It'll take much more than cheap pyrotechnics to make me lose my cool," I told him. Panik laughs.
"The last time someone had the nerve to talk to me like that, I broke them in half. Now let's duel," he said. I smirked.
"Well, it's about time. I was starting to fall asleep," I said to him. Panik glared at me seeing I was completely calm.
"Seeing as how the blaze of my fire didn't faze you, let's turn down the lights. My Castle of Dark Illusions will turn this duel into your darkest hour, Nikki. It's magic shrouds the field with a veil of shadows and the castle itself is extra fortified thanks to field power bonus I get for playing it at night," Panik tells me as the castle appears. The shadows take over half the field. I shrugged.
"I'm not afraid of the dark, Panik," I said bored. He laughs.
"You would be if you only knew the fearsome nightmares within its shades. The blanket of shadows casts over my side of the field, making it impossible for you to see the creatures I summon. Which leaves your entire side exposed vulnerable to my attacks. Unnerving isn't it, Nikki? How the darkness prays on your fears, on your mind. Until you're too scared to think, too scared to fight," he finishes while laughing like a madman. Mai tells me not to listen to him and he used the same thing on her. "And if you can think storming my castle with help of a field power bonus of your own, think again. Because just as my shadows block the light from above, the block of the field power bonus from the ground below. Only night grants bonuses here." Without any idea of what's waiting for me in those shadows, I can't risk any attack. I'll just have to play it safe for now. I pick my card.
"I play Angel of Nature (1300 ATK, 1600 DEF) in defense mode," I announced.
"Not a very bright idea," Panik said. I then heard him placing a monster down. I can't see what monster he played. "Attack, Dark Grasp of Fury!" He ordered. I gasped as the monster envelops my Angel of Nature in darkness and destroys her. No... "Our first victim of the night," Panik said. I growled with anger. Joey said that it was cheap, how can you fight something you can't see? Bakura agreed adding defeating a monster you can't find. Tristen asked for a flashlight. Panik laughed. "Even your friends have lost hope for you." I glared at him then looked at my cards. I need to get his monster out of the shadows. But the only way I can do that is by destroying his Castle of dark Illusions, but with its defensive points at 2500, I've only got one card in my deck that's got an attack power high enough to destroy it. But I can't risk playing him, not now anyway. Boy, I'm beginning to understand why they call him Panik. The game's just started and I'm already flusters. Oh, Grandpa, I wish you were here, you would know what to do. "Play any monster card you like. The creatures within my veil will consume them all."
"Cyber Angel (170000 ATK, 1200 DEF) in defense mode," I said placing my card down. My Cyber Angel appears then.
"This defensive maneuvering is keeping your life points safe from one monster, Nikki. But not too," Panik laughed. He summoned another monster. I hate to admit it but he's right. Defending alone won't win this duel for me. "You're terrified, aren't you, Nikki? All your courage has been devoured by my shadowy fog. All that's left is the trembling little duelist powerless to defend herself," Panik told me. Tea asked Mai how I'm able to take this guy out, but Mai didn't know. There's got to be a way to neutralize Panik's veil shadows. But it's generated by his Castle of Dark Illusions and that things virtually impregnable. Wait a minute! I may not be able to attack Panik's castle, but what if I attacked the darkness itself?
"Cyber Angel, take flight!" I shouted. My Angel flies into the skies then. "Cyber Dance!" I shouted. She does her dance and emits a light that goes into the darkness. I bit of the darkness disappears and I saw two monsters. "His monsters," I say before they disappear again. Panik laughs.
"So you saw my creatures. But I doubt it gives you the foresight to see what's coming next. Dark Grasp of Fury!" He ordered. My Angel is then attack. "Lights out for you, Cyber Angel." I growl at Panik.
(Panik-2000, Nikki-1606)
~Yugi~
"My creatures' hungry eyes are on your remaining life points, Nikki. And I'll see to it that they'll feed again quite soon. Has it sunk in yet, wimp? Standing up to bullies leave you nowhere to go but down," Panik told her. I looked at Nikki and saw her thinking deeply. Come on, Nikki. You're strong! "The night has eyes, Nikki. And all of them are on you," Panik laughs. I keep looking at her and I see she's trying to remain calm. "Keep struggling, Nikki. Bullying's so much fun when you resist," Panik laughs again.
"Tough talk, Panik. Coming from someone who makes all their attacks from the safety of the shadows," she remarks. I then seem flames coming at her.
"Nik, look out!" I shouted. She dodges them. I knew she was scared of fire due to what happened to her parents, Panik is going too far!
"You okay, Nik?!" Joey asked her. Nikki straightens up.
"Perhaps you should think twice before you insult someone who can scorch you with the push of a button. You're afraid, Nikki. You're lost and alone in the dark and I'm the big bad bogeyman about to leap out and give you the scare of your life," Panik tells her. I look at Nikki who has a smile. She then starts laughing. "Huh? If you could see what I have in store for you, you wouldn't be laughing," Panik told her.
"That's why I'm laughing. Because I can see...right through you," she told him. I then see panic on his face.
"What? What are you talking about, you little runt?" He asks her. She smirks.
"You are the bogeyman, Panik. Scaring children into being afraid of the dark...until they realize, the dark is nothing to be afraid of. Like you. Once a person conjures up the confidence not to be fearful of the unknown they disarm the only weapon the dark has," She told him. I smiled, that's my sister.
"You wish it was that simple..." she cuts Panik off.
"But it is that simple. I have the card to prove it," she told him smirk still on her face.
"What card?" Panik asked. She holds up the card.
"A card that'll expose you and lift up that veil of the shadows you cower behind," she told him.
"What's that?!"
"It's just a little something that'll teach you a tough lesson in broad daylight," she simply said. Tea asked Mai why Nikki would reveal her strategy and Mai replied with she did the same thing when she panicked. I smile a little.
"Doesn't look like she's panicking to me," I said. Panik laughs.
"You almost had me there. But we both know that card is nothing but a big fat bluff. Prove me wrong, Nikki. Let's see you give me my tough lesion," Panik told her. Nikki laughs again.
"Why should I show you my card after you've gone to such lengths to keep yourself in the dark?" She asked him.
"I think your stalling."
"You don't trust me, Panik? Believe it or not, but not all duelists are lying dogs like you," she smirked. He growls angrily. "And to prove it, I'll show you. After all I wouldn't want you thinking I was some kind of liar," she said.
"Show me," he said. Tristen told her she didn't have to prove anything.
"Ready, Panik? Here it is. The Swords of Revealing Light," she shows he card. Of course!
"Huh? Revealing light?" Panik asked confused.
"The blinding light of the Swords of Revealing Light not only stall enemy monsters for three full turns, but it bathes the entire field in a light so luminous that even your lurking shadow creatures will be exposed. Soon, Panik, the monsters within your dark empire will have nowhere to hide, but rather than playing it now I'll take a page from your book and let you worry about when and how I'll use it. Just like you do with the monsters you hide in the dark. You're going down in five turns. Five turns, Panik. Then my monsters will finish you off. Silent Angel (2000 ATK, 1900 DEF), defensive mode," she said. "And of course, the card that'll make you see the light. Your five turns start now, Panik. It's your move," she said confidently. He looks a little flustered. "What the matter, Panik? Has bullying lost its thrill?" She asked.
"I'll teach you about bluff, just you wait," Panik said. Tea asked Mai why Nikki was keeping the card of if she wasn't going to play it. Mai thought it wasn't a good sign. Mai manage just as long as Nikki is now, but somehow Panik made Mai slip up.
"Not our, Nikki. She knows what she's doing," Joey said confidently. Bakura said he hoped so.
"She does," Tristen and I stated. I know Nikki will win this. She is much stronger than she looks, that much I have seen. Mai still had doubts of course and said that Nikki needed guts. Tea countered with saying Nikki doesn't needs guts, she has heart. Tristen agreed. Bakura did too but mention the vulnerability of leaving her card out. He has a feeling she was nervous.
"Make your move, Panik," Nikki told him staying calm. Panik laughs.
"I must say, it was a daring move to illuminate me with the presence of that card, Little Nikki, but it was a critical mistake to leave it on the field completely exposed," Panik told her. Nikki smiled a little. "You thought idle cards were safe from attacks, you are dead wrong. Reaper of the Cards!" He summoned his monster. I looked at Nikki who glared at the Reaper. "When the Reaper is summoned all magic cars hear the ghostly call of doom. He'll be sending your Revealing Light card to the discard graveyard, leaving you defenseless. Reaper, attack!" The Reapers moves to the card.
"Nikki!" We all shouted.
"Your fate belongs to me now, Nikki. Call of the graveyard," Panik said. The attack stopped inches from the card. "What's going on? It can' finish its attack!" He said. Nikki laughs. "It should've destroyed your card! The Swords of Revealing Light!" He shouted.
"I said my Swords of Revealing Light is the card that will illuminate your monsters. I never said it was the card I placed on the field, you just assumed that," she explained.
"But if that's not..."
"The card I placed on the field was a different card. The Spellbinding Circle, a trap card," she revealed the card she placed and I smiled.
"A trap card!?"
"Yes, a trap card that snares you Reaper stopping him dead in his tracks. Encircling him in a magical prison. In Duel Monsters one must be wary of the Reaper of the Cards and its ability to send magic cards to the discard pile. I figured that you probably had one stalking around in your deck somewhere, but now that he's frozen, unable to damage my deck, I'm free to lay whatever magic cards I want on the field," she smirks confidently. I smiled more. Tea and Joey cheered for her.
"Way to go, sister," I said to her. She sent me a quick smile. Mai was saying she couldn't keep up with Nikki. Bakura said she was doing well, but it wasn't over yet.
"How dare you! You fooled me!" Panik yelled. Nikki scoffs.
"You fooled yourself, Panik and wasted quiet a powerful card too. But now that the coast is clear, I'll really lay my Swords of Revealing Light," she said. She placed the card down. "And a second magic card. Both face down," she told him.
"Face down, why?" Panik asked.
"Now what's up?" Joey asked.
"I don't know, but I bet we're going to find out soon enough," Bakura said.
"So what? You've captured my Reaper, but he's only one of my powerful monsters. The ones that remain will destroy you!" Panik yelled.