This chapter is dedicated to MultiplePersonas who I have gained permission to use most, if not all, of the cards used by Serena's opponent and for the help he has given me in my other stories.
So, without further ado, it's time to give one goosebumps as it were.
(Also, here's a drinking game: take a sip for every Goosebumps title that is referenced in this story. Take two for a non-Goosebumps reference.)
Nightmares…
The very word can make one's mind be filled with horrendous thoughts that can make it impossible for them to sleep, always having one eye out open to make sure that no monster, no beast, no member of the Unhuman Race can go out and capture them, eat them, torture them, etc.
Me? I like a nightmare every now and then.
I am a big fan of scary stories that are told in the dark, I grin at the thought of chasing shadows. If there's something that involves the macabre, I want in on it. If there's a ghost who wants to have a ball, let's play some Monster Mash and have a party till dawn!
Of course, there's a huge difference between imagining the monsters and actually facing them for real...
And I am about to find this out soon enough when I get challenged by someone who has an entire deck full of nightmares with plenty of room to spare.
Does that scare me at all? Well, let me give you an answer by referencing a title of a Goosebumps book...
You can't scare me!
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Between my Brother and Me:
Alea Iacta Est
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Roll 1:
Nightmare Troubadour
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In her bedroom, Serena is awake during the Witching Hour.
It is 3:15 AM, traditionally the time where paranormal activity is at its strongest. Between 3 and 4 AM, witches, ghosts, specters and all sorts of strange macabre monsters appear and their powers are at their peak. The reasoning behind this name is from how, back in the days of the church, prayers were not conducted at that time, thus leaving the forces of darkness to attack innocent victims in their sleep.
It is also said that women who are caught during this very hour can be executed for being a witch. Serena, obviously not being a witch even if she is a huge fan of nightmarish creatures, will only end up being extremely tired if she doesn't get back to sleep soon.
The tomboy is reading a copy of Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror underneath her bedsheets with a cellphone for illumination, already nearing the end of this collection of spooky stories as she finds herself acting like the young nephew whom Uncle Montague narrates this collection of tales to. She feels something sinister afoot, and the shadows are slowly creeping up on her, calling her, beckoning her to stay with them forever and ever…
And then, someone throws the sheets off of her, causing her to turn around and scream in terror.
"Serena!"
Serena hurls her book at the person before snatching her pillow, only to pause when she finds that the person calling out for her is her mother, Saki.
"Oh...mom," says Serena, laughing nervously. "W...what are you doing up at this hour?"
"Making sure that you're not up reading again," her mother answers with a sigh. "You know what reading in the dark does to your eyes."
"I can't help it, mom. I just love horror stories."
Saki picks up the book on the floor and sets it on Serena's desk as Serena takes her blanket from the floor.
"Sooner or later you'll find yourself going in way over your head with those things," Saki notes as she picks up a sheet of paper (a math test which Serena got an A- on) from the floor. "Shouldn't you be spending more time on that play of yours?"
"Mom, I'm only a Duchess in Wonderland. I don't play that big of a role." Serena pauses. "Okay, so I do give some advice to Alice near the end but it's not very good."
"I see. So," Saki seats herself down by the edge of her daughter's bed. "Who's Alice?"
"Hikari," Serena answers with a frown. "And she won't stop boasting about it. I wonder what would happen to her if she suddenly got ill before the big day."
"That's not a nice thing to say about her. You know that she has a heart, deep down."
"Only for that statue of a boyfriend," Serena mutters, turning to the side. Saki just places a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"People have their reasons for acting like they are. I'm sure that the two of you will kiss and makeup eventually...well, maybe not kiss."
Serena gives her mother a playful smile. "One day…"
Her mother returns the smile with one of her own, tucks her daughter in, kisses Serena's cheek and walks out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Serena waits for about two minutes before pulling out a book from underneath her pillow, The Martian Chronicles, and flips it to the page she bookmarked, shining her cellphone at the lines in front of her.
"There will come soft rains and the smell of ground…"
"I know you're reading something else!" Saki's voice shouts from outside Serena's bedroom. "Go to bed or I will ground you for the weekend!"
"Aw, mom!" Serena whines.
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Four hours later, Serena is awake for school, not feeling groggy in the slightest.
It takes her fifteen minutes to shower, get dress, pack her bag for the day (alongside bringing her Duel Monsters deck just in case) then an additional fifteen minutes to eat breakfast (rice with grilled fish and scrambled eggs) before she straps on her sneakers (that double as roller blades with a push of a button) and races off to school. She sighs as she feels the warmth of spring around her and begins to recite the poem she (attempted to) read last night.
"There will come soft rains and the smell of ground," Serena mutters. "And swallows circling with their shimmering sound…"
As she talks, she takes a shortcut through a newspaper stand, waving hello at the owner as she continues to speak.
"And frogs in the pools singing at night, and wild plum trees in tremulous white."
She passes by the house belonging to Hikari (an opulent mansion which, while not as big and grand as the one belonging to Seto Kaiba, is a magnificent house to behold) and sticks her tongue out at it before continuing on her way.
"Robins will wear their feathery fire, whistling their whims on a low fence-wire."
She skates past the Café in Wonderland as Hanako, mother of her friends Millefeui and Kanata, is about to flip the "Closed" sign to "Open".
"And not one will know of the war, not one, will care at last when it is done. Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree, if mankind perished utter...Whoa!"
Serena, in the middle of reciting this poem, does not see where she is going and collides with someone just a block or two away from school. She lands on her back as something falls down on her face.
When she picks the item up, she can see that the item is a Duel Monsters card.
She stares at it with interest; the card depicts a strange and haunted amusement park under the name of "HorrorLand".
The name resounds within her with good reason; it is the name of the amusement park found in the Goosebumps stories that she loves so much.
She sits up as she takes a better look at the other cards. From what she can gather, they all make references to the children's horror stories in various ways. Just by looking at their names ("Clarissa the Crystal Woman", "Vanessa's Curse", "Werewolf Skin", "Beastly Game", "The Masked Mutant") does she know that whoever this person is, they are a fan of R. L. Stine just like she...
Which makes her wonder how the hell did I2 manage to make cards based on these books.
Speaking of said person, she notices that whoever she bumped into has all the markings of a "mysterious person" standing at 5'5" with brown hair and green eyes, slightly chubby, wearing a trenchcoat, fedora and black fingerless gloves. Next to them is an opened briefcase with a tag that reads "Marcus". Marcus groans as he sits up.
"What hit me?" he asks as he notices the cards spilled about on the sidewalk. "Oh no, I can't let them out!"
"Sorry about that," says Serena, helping the man gather all of his cards. "I didn't see you there because I wanted to recite poetry from a post-apocalyptic short story and…"
"Don't just sit there!" Marcus snaps. "Will you give me a hand or not?"
Serena shows off five cards in her hand with a smirk.
"Very funny," Marcus mumbles, snatching them into his hands and hastily stacks them into a neat pile of cards that he shoves into his briefcase. He closes the briefcase shut and places the clasps on. "I have to get going. Sorry about that, Skate."
"My name's not Skate. It's Serena!" Serena corrects him, but Marcus has rushed off. She then looks at the lone card in her hand and blinks. "Wait, Marcus! You forgot HorrorLand!"
But he is too far away at this point, and she can't be late for school. With a sigh, Serena quickly pulls out her copy of The Martian Chronicles from her backpack and slips the card at the page she is on, reading the last two lines of the poem in front of her.
"And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn would scarcely know that we were gone," she recites. "How poetic."
Shutting the book, Serena carries it under her arm as she stands up, readjusts herself since she is on roller skates, and skates her way to the front gates of Domino City International School.
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When Serena enters homeroom, she finds her close friend Millefeui hastily reading The Martian Chronicles all while looking as if she is about to scream. Serena raises an eyebrow as she seats herself next to the scared girl.
"Let me guess," she says. "You closed the book before it got to the scary part?"
Millefeui shakes her head as she sets her book down. "No, I closed it after I finished the entire story and then helped Mom with the café, trying to avoid the idea of the place burning down all while a voice repeats the date continuously and without anyone for miles to hear. What about you? Did you get any nightmares?"
"Nah, but I found this on my way to school."
Serena pulls out her copy of The Martian Chronicles and opens the book to show the HorrorLand card from her collision with Marcus.
"What the…?" Millefeui takes a good look at the card. "How did you get this? What is it?"
"I bumped into someone on my way to school, some guy named Marcus who had a briefcase filled with cards based on Goosebumps stories. He seemed like he was in a rush because he forgot to take this from me."
"And you're just gonna keep it? Serena…"
"Of course I'm not keeping it. I'm just…"
"Hmm," says a third voice. "Seems we have a thief in our midst."
Serena and Millefeui look up to see Hikari take the card into her hand, a smirk on her face. Serena briefly bites her tongue before speaking.
"Did you and Shinji fall down the Rabbit Hole yet?" she asks. Hikari blinks before hiding her shock in a haughty façade.
"No, we went out on a lovely walk in the park last night," The blue-haired girl answers, fanning herself with the HorrorLand card. "I bet you decided to get comfortable with your horror stories, correct?"
"Yeah, I did. In fact, I have some Tales of Terror that you and Shinji should share whenever you have your next romantic getaway. It would really electrify your moody love affair."
"For your information," Hikari scowls. "Shinji is a loving, caring, handsome specimen of a boyfriend that has much more to give than someone who slaves away at a hot stove."
"Are you implying something?" Millefeui asks, her voice dropping to a whisper. Millefeui is one of the best students in Home Economics in junior high and it's not uncommon for her or her sister to help out in the cafeteria for the school lunches. Millefeui is also Serena's girlfriend and dislikes anyone insulting her for her cooking skills or anything related to it. "Because I seem to recall that someone needed my help with a casserole last month for said stoic, silent, stone-hearted specimen of a boy named Shinji, correct?"
Hikari is about to speak but the sight of their homeroom teacher, Makomo, stops her from saying anything else. She snarls, slams the card down on Serena's desk, then storms her way back to her seat. Millefeui smirks.
"There's no way she can get away with her insults," Millefeui notes, watching as Hikari prepares her books for class. "After all, she wouldn't know the difference between baking soda and baking powder if she had the chance."
"Why else did we go and help Hikari make something for Shinji's birthday?" Serena chuckles as the two girls share a fist bump.
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"Slappy the Dummy, Sorrow for the Handless, Creep Cookie, Botanical Botanist, The Summoner, Invisible Boy...wait a minute…"
At a table inside the Café in Wonderland, Marcus lays out all the cards in front of him, having recounted twice as he feels like something is missing. Then, it clicks.
"What happened to HorrorLand?!" he asks, looking through his now-empty briefcase. "Without it, the Nightmares won't have a home. Where could I have…"
He pauses as a memory passes in his mind. Then he groans and slaps his forehead.
"That skater girl has it," he states. "But how do I find her?"
"Are you ready to take your order, sir?"
Marcus turns as the waitress, Hanako, appears with a pad and paper to take his order. He clears his throat as he looks at the menu next to him.
"Um," says Marcus, briefly scanning the breakfast menu. "I'll take a Bird's Nest with a Beef and Earthen Apples Hash and a Coffee from Wonderland, decaf."
As Hanako writes the order down, she notes the spread of cards on the table. "My, what a creepy and colorful collection of cards. Are they yours?"
"Sort of…" Marcus answers, gathering the cards into a pile and placing them back in his briefcase.
"Are you from I2 then?"
Marcus shakes his head. "I'm freelance, although Pegasus did have a hand in making them."
"Well, they are positively haunting. They look like something my daughter's girlfriend would use."
Marcus blinks. "That girl wouldn't happen to go by the name 'Serena', would she?"
"That's the one! Serena is in love with horrifying things. Why, her deck is filled with a menagerie of monsters that have made my Halloween parties here much livelier than before!"
Marcus pauses before an idea forms in his mind.
"What else can you tell me about this girl?" he asks.
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After school ends, after-school club activities begin.
For Serena, this means Drama class with Hikari, the two currently sitting across from each other as they recite their lines for the school's production of Alice in Wonderland that will be held in May. Despite Serena's gripes about how Hikari has the lead role as Alice, she is glad that both Millefeui and Haruka (who play the Cook and the Cheshire Cat, respectively) are also in it too because it proves that, even in Wonderland, Hikari is on her own while Serena has her friends to help her out (and also because she gets to act just as haughty and rude as Hikari does and Hikari can't complain about it at all).
Other classmates are working on their lines for the play or memorising speeches that they will have to recite to the Drama teacher, Senri, later on. Haruka, the daughter of said Drama teacher, is getting practice on how to act like a cat (which so far has her place her hands above her head to act as "ears").
Serena glances at her script all while thinking about Marcus and his Goosebumps deck, wondering how she will be able to return his card. As she does, she nearly misses her cue to speak.
"Please would you tell me," Hikari shrills a bit loudly. "Why does your cat smile like that?"
Serena blinks and looks at her lines. She clears her throat. "Because it's a Cheshire Cat, that's why. Pig!"
There is a pause as Hikari recites her next line.
"I didn't know that Cheshire cats always grinned," she exclaims, doing her best to maintain a polite British accent. "In fact, I didn't know that cats could grin."
"They all can and most of 'em do," Serena states simply, as if it is so obvious. She can imagine reciting this line in front of hundreds of people in attendance, although she is glad that she will be using a cute pig plushie instead of a baby doll (because, despite her fearless personality and love of the macabre, one thing that frightens her are baby dolls).
"I don't know of any that do."
"You don't know much," Serena can't help but smirk when she adds, "And that's a fact."
At this, Hikari sets her script down and glares at Serena.
"All right, spill," The blue-haired girl snaps. "Where exactly did you find that card?"
"Why the sudden interest in it?" asks Serena, also setting her script aside. "The card doesn't fit your deck, you hate horror films and only indulge in them so you can cling onto your boyfriend's arm for safety, and I'm going to return it to Marcus if and when I see him."
"Oh, so the original owner's name is Marcus?"
Serena grits her teeth as she realizes that she gave away who she got it from. "Well, that's the name on his briefcase, but maybe he stole it from a person named Marcus, or maybe it's just an alias he uses, whatever. Again, why the sudden interest in it?"
"It's my job to figure out the various Mysteries in Domino City for the school newspaper," Hikari answers, sitting up straight and folding her arms across her chest. "Just one of my duties and all."
Serena just rolls her eyes. Aside from the Drama club, Hikari helps with the weekly school paper DCIS Tells All and has an article about strange happenings in Domino known as "Light the Night". While there are numerous fans of the article, many students know that the only reason these articles make it in is due to Hikari's mother being vice-principal for the school.
Hence, when Hikari mentions how she is out on a romantic walk in the park or the like, it is actually a code for an investigation for anything she could dig up. Serena sees no use for it as she just goes online to a more accurate source for her dose of the supernatural, Chasing Shadows.
"...Look," Serena begins. "I only know that the guy looks like R. L. Stine from the Goosebumps series (not the film, which I highly doubt that you've seen) and he was panicking over how his cards were out when I collided with him."
Hikari pulls out her phone from her backpack and turns the voice recorder app on. "Continue…"
Serena sighs, knowing how she is never going to get out of this unless she confesses everything. "The cards he had were based off of Goosebumps books. I only saw a few of their names but they looked interesting."
"Like what?"
"They all alluded to characters, creatures or items that were associated with a book. One card was from 'Be Careful What You Wish For', another came from 'Stay Out of the Basement!', and then there was that one from 'Chicken Chicken'..." Serena sighs. "You won't get the references unless you actually read the books, okay?"
"So a mysterious stranger with a briefcase of Duel Monsters cards based on a children's books series of horror just so happens to appear out of thin air?" Hikari chuckles. "Sounds like an investigation to me."
"Well, leave me out of it. I've read too many books to know that digging deep into business that's none of my own will end up with me getting in lots of trouble, both the normal and the paranormal type."
"Then how will you return that card to Marcus?"
Serena shrugs. "Maybe I'll post it online and ask if anyone knows him. Or maybe I'll get a mysterious phone call from him."
"Which is impossible since he doesn't know your name or your number."
"You never know with the mysterious types."
Then, something starts vibrating from within Serena's backpack. Serena unzips said backpack, pulls her phone out (its ringtone at the time is In the Darkness, the theme song for the classic show "So Weird") and stares at the number calling her. She takes a glance at Hikari (who has a smug grin on her face) before she places the phone near her ear.
"Phantom Investigators," she states. "If there's a ghost down your hall, you know who to call."
"Hello there, Skate," says a familiar voice.
Serena pauses. "...Marcus?"
"Ah, so this is the girl who has HorrorLand for a day," Marcus chuckles on the other line. "Let me just say that tracking you down wasn't easy."
"Oh, I feel flattered," Serena replies. "In all honesty, I wanted to give you the card, but you rushed off and I had school. And while the artwork is nice, HorrorLand just doesn't fit my deck."
"That's because it only works for the cards I carry on hand. If you want, I can show them to you in a...friendly battle."
Serena narrows her eyes. "Of what? Tag? You're no Beast from the East, last I checked."
Marcus laughs. "No, I wish to see your skills in a duel. Bring HorrorLand, your deck and your Duel Disk to what you call the House of No Return tonight."
Serena's eyes widen slightly at the name before she lowers her head and asks, "And how do I know that I can trust you? Why don't I just leave the card at the doorstep and walk off? I read enough books to know that deals that are too good to be true end up with a hefty price tag."
"Because if you defeat me, I'll give you something that will give you more than goosebumps, Skate. You only have to come and take a look inside."
Serena raises an eyebrow. "And, let me guess, you want me to come alone. Right?"
Then, Marcus unleashes a booming laugh. Serena is glad that Senri is busy helping a student with one of their monologues or else he would demand to know why she has her cellphone out.
When Marcus calms down, he lets out a long sigh before saying, "If you like. Or you can bring a friend. The more the merrier, I say. All I want is a duel, and I don't mind an audience."
Serena takes a glance at Hikari, knowing how her rival will be soaring to the moon for a story like this, and also notes that she will need someone by her side if things go wrong. She would ask Haruka, but remembers that both Haruka and Masato have piano lessons (which she once joked that they were murder). And she can't ask Millefeui or Kanata since they will be busy helping their mother at the Café in Wonderland tonight for someone's birthday party.
After a few seconds, and knowing she has no choice but to bring Hikari along, Serena nods her head.
"Fine. I'll bring a friend and we'll see you after dinner."
"Don't go to sleep, then," says Marcus. "I'll be waiting."
He hangs up as Serena sets her phone down. Then she looks at Hikari looking like she is close to laughing her head off.
"Meet me at the Old Mansion at 8:30," Serena whispers. "And if you run away, I will ask Millefeui to sabotage the next cooking assignment you want from her. Got it?
"Fine, fine," says Hikari, raising her hands up. "That gives me plenty of time to prepare an outfit for investigating. How about you?"
"Nah, I rather stick to my cap and jacket." Then Serena's eyes widen as a light bulb switches on in her head. "On second thought, I think I do have an outfit for tonight."
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After Serena arrives home (which her mom leaves a note on the front door that she will be home late and that Serena needs to be in bed by 10:30), she quickly finishes her reading assignment (writing about how the robotic house in "There Will Come Soft Rains" is alive), her math homework (ratios and proportions) and heats up a packet of spicy instant ramen for dinner (topped with green onions, shredded nori and leftover slices of roast pork from last night's dinner) before preparing for her night duel with Marcus.
She looks at her phone for a minute or two, wondering whether or not she should tell her friends about Marcus and his challenge at the House of No Return, but ultimately decides against it. For one thing, they'll get the messages too late to do anything about it, and also because she knows Hikari will, in all likelihood, spread news about the duel one way or another.
After a quick shower, Serena with her hair dripping wet and smelling of strawberry shampoo and a towel wrapped around her body, opens her closet and walks to the back, pulling out a cosplay from last year that consists of a forest green longcoat with a high collar, matching boots, and an emerald colored domino mask. She brings the items to her bed alongside a simple tee, fingerless gloves, and a pair of leggings, all of them the color of charcoal. As she gets dressed, her radio blares out "Break the Rules" by Charli XCX, which is fitting considering the situation (even though Serena wonders why that song would be used to advertise a Goosebumps film in the first place).
Five minutes later, Serena is fully dressed and looks at her reflection in the mirror, adjusting the mask over her eyes as she blow-dries her hair and runs a comb through it.
"Not bad," she notes after her hair is completely dry. She spins around and strikes a pose. "Just need a few more things and I'll be on my way."
Ten minutes later, Serena leaves the house, her Duel Disk strapped to her arm, locking the door behind her as she races toward the Old Mansion. Her heart starts to pound as she speed-walks; the last time she entered, it was as a dare to save her deck from being torn apart by thugs from Team Skull which ended up with her obtaining her new deck and a love of all things horrifying.
Now, she is being challenged at the House of No Return, a nickname she coined because she can no longer return to being the girl who was afraid of monsters and bullies bigger and tougher than she.
A part of her wishes that Millefeui, who was there when Serena began her transformation from shy girl to fearless, nightmare loving gal, is here to accompany her, but she knows that Millefeui is there in spirit (and also because Serena sent a quick text message so that her girlfriend won't panic as to why Serena is off to this abandoned house once more).
In front of the house, Hikari waits for her, also dressed up. In contrast to Serena's coat and mask, her rival dresses in a black lace dress with red and yellow stockings that end in black dress shoes. Serena groans and shakes her head.
"You decided to dress up as Ruby Gloom?" she asks. "Not the best choice against a Goosebumps based duelist."
"Look on the bright side," Hikari notes as she pulls out a video camera from her bag (which looks like a black cat with a pink bow tied to its tail). "I'll look fantastic when Shinji comes for me."
Serena raises an eyebrow. "He's coming too?"
"He has some investigating to do a few blocks away and will come for me when he's done." Hikari eyes Serena's outfit. "And who are you supposed to be? The Green Hornet?"
"Daemona Prune, Phantom Investigator," Serena answers. "When there's eerie things near, I'm always here."
"Sounds positively catchy; bet you say things like that to your ghost boyfriend too."
Serena bites her tongue once more as she looks at the old house in front of her, expecting someone staring at her from a window. But no one is seen, despite the fact that all of the lights are on. "Marcus is going to be in there. Let's not keep him waiting."
She steels herself and pushes the gate open, watching it creak before she takes a look around. There is dead grass, some pots filled with wilted flowers, a chair tipped to the side, an air of gloominess and dread that leads to a house that no one has lived in for years that once held various monsters inside that would play pranks on unsuspecting victims…
Yes, this has all the makings of a haunted house.
"It's time," Serena says to Hikari. "I'm going in."
"The only reason I'm joining you is for my article, you know," says Hikari, pressing the Record button on her camera. "Plus, this will give me a way to study that deck of yours for the next time we duel."
Serena shrugs her shoulders as they walk down the path to the door, taking in the eerie atmosphere as they climb the porch. She takes a deep breath as she knocks on the door, Hikari with her camera ready, only for the door to open by itself with the sound of a groaning zombie as a voice calls out to them.
"Hello, little girls…"
Then, Serena is somehow sucked inside and the door slams behind her. Hikari gulps as she sees the lights of the house turn off and she can't help but think of the short story she had to read in English Literature and hopes she doesn't find silhouettes of people practically glued onto the walls…
For if there is one thing Hikari is afraid of, it's haunted houses that are alive and sentient thanks to how her class watched Monster House during the school's Halloween party last year. Ray Bradbury's short story doesn't help her fears at all (since the story depicts an automatic house in the year 2026 completely oblivious to the aftermath of a nuclear war which vaporized most, if not all, of the human population), particularly when she has to read out loud of how the family dog died after entering the house, its body whisked away to be incinerated like a cremation except more disrespectful. She cried for five minutes after she was done.
And, Hikari has to admit to herself, even though she boasts about being on numerous investigations, the stuff she digs up are tame compared to what she overhears Serena get into, and of the rumors she's heard about Domino Below. She knows how one of her classmates obtained a prestigious job as a reporter for Chasing Shadows, but when she attempted to publish an article on her own (in regards to the disappearance of famous duelist Ryoji Kajiki) it was rejected on the basis that the blog is not a website for "Missing" people...even if his vanishing was labeled "mysterious".
Plus, Shinji has been working non-stop to find the whereabouts of his older brother, Reiji, who was last seen accepting a challenge from Seto Kaiba. No one knows what happened after that, but Seto once said that he never requested to duel Reiji and whoever impersonated the CEO might have made the challenge for personal reasons.
Shinji told Seto that Reiji never had any enemies, but did have a competitive and prideful streak in him. Whether or not it contributes to his disappearance, no one can say. Hikari notes that no one should suffer the loss of a loved one like that.
And even if she sees Serena as a rival, she will not wish, even on her worst day, that the tomboy will disappear completely and never be found. It's bad enough that Shinji lost a sibling; what will Serena's mother think if she finds that her daughter just vanished one day?
So, despite her fears of sentient houses and dislike for Serena, Hikari will fulfill her promise and hastily opens the door to the House of No Return, slamming the door behind her all to ensure that there is an eyewitness, er, audience, for this duel.
After all, as she told Serena minutes ago, she has an article to write.
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Serena knows that things are off to a good (or bad) start when the house drags her inside.
Pulling out her cellphone and switching on the flashlight app, she looks all around her. To her, nothing has changed. There is still dust and cobwebs decorating furniture and hanging in the rafters, moth-eaten curtains and drapes covering dirty windows, a cracked vase of dead flowers on an old grimy table, a chandelier missing a few lights…
She pauses. In truth, the only thing that has changed is that the House of No Return is completely abandoned now.
When she was only 8, the mansion was said to be loud, active and filled with ghosts. Those ghosts turned out to be a variety of Ghostrick monsters that made their home in this dilapidated residence who weren't getting as many visitors as they had in the past. But thanks to a spiritual guide, they became her close friends and family, helping her confront horrifying things and those of the unknown with courage.
But now, returning to where her life changed, older and braver than the girl who was once afraid of bullies who threatened to tear her cards into confetti, makes Serena wonder if she is making the right choice.
Lifting her cellphone to the ceiling, she sighs as there are no signs of bats clinging upside-down. Now, all she has to do is wait.
The slamming of the door almost startles her, but a simple turn of the head only reveals Hikari with her video camera.
"Oh, I should've invested in a pair of night vision goggles," Hikari complains. "I can't see anything here."
"Keep it down," Serena hisses. "Marcus can be anywhere."
Then, the two hear a sinister laugh. Hikari leaps to Serena's side, since it's best to stick together in situations like this.
"Welcome to Dead House, my dears," a voice suddenly echoes throughout the house.
Serena gasps as she looks all around her, trying to predict where Marcus will appear as she shines her phone. She knows that, whether or not she stands still, Marcus is here, watching her every move.
But she sure as hell won't show him that she's afraid.
"Stop with the mind games this instant!" Serena exclaims. "Where are you?!"
Someone's hand is soon on her shoulder. "Here."
Serena turns around and finds Marcus standing right behind her. She steps back and pulls out a collapsible baton from her coat, flicking it towards her assailant as Marcus smiles back. Hikari whimpers slightly but still points her camera at him.
"So," Marcus begins. He claps his hands and suddenly hundreds of candles (really 451 if Serena takes the time to count them) light the main hall, standing on candelabras, saucers through a bit of melted wax at the bottom and more. "You came in the end, huh?"
"I came with your card, and Hikari came for a scoop," says Serena, pocketing her cellphone and pulling out the HorrorLand card from her pocket. "Here, take it."
Marcus takes the card into his hand, inspects it at different angles, then slips it into the black and green Duel Disk strapped to his arm.
"So," says Hikari, approaching Marcus and putting on her "Investigator face". "Are you willing to tell us about your deck?"
Marcus smirks, revealing sharp incisors like fangs. Serena can't tell if they're real or whether he had surgery to make him look like a vampire (she read how a wrestler actually did something like that, but she can't recall his name at the moment).
"Let me tell you a story to make a skeleton cry," he begins. "It all starts with how these cards were made.
"You see, I was once a spirited child who loved horror stories and anything regards to the macabre. I devoured everything I could about them, watched as many movies and shows dedicated to these creatures of the night, and even created my own monsters for me to play with.
"I also was a big fan of Duel Monsters and once sent a letter to see if Pegasus could conceive a deck based on these stories that could give one goosebumps. Of course, it seemed more like a challenge in the end since the series has a diverse cast of monstrosities.
"Months later, the cards came to me with a letter attached to it. Pegasus warned me that the monsters can be a bit...active…"
"Like Freddy Fazbear's active?" asks Serena. She has tried playing the games late at night (as recommended by the few teens at school who actively tried it out) and found herself intrigued with the results. She has yet to pass the Day 7 challenges, but she will...eventually.
"No comments," Hikari hisses. But Marcus chuckles.
"Yes, perfect analogy," he replies. "The paper that held their images couldn't keep them restrained for long. I don't know what type of spell Pegasus put on them, but every now and then these little nightmares will be let loose."
"Like in the movie, except with a Duel Disk instead of a typewriter and cards instead of their books, right?" asks Hikari.
"...You actually watched that?" Serena inquires.
"Who says I can't watch a horror movie every now and then?" Hikari smirks. "I watched it before arriving here for research purposes."
"Once again, correct," says Marcus. "I have challenged other duelists to see if they can face off against my monsters, to see if they are worthy of being my successor in a sense, but each one has fallen in battle. But now, I hear about you, Serena, and how you have your own collection of creatures that can be found planning and scheming for their next surprise."
"Who told you such a thing?" asks Serena.
"This woman who works in that cute Café in Wonderland mentioned how your monsters liven up her Halloween parties."
Serena slightly steps back. "Hanako-san…"
Hikari notices the shocked look on her rival's face before clearing her throat. "But just because you know the type of deck she uses doesn't mean you have the advantage," she retorts. "I mean, your monsters can't be that terrifying, right?"
"That's because you haven't seen them yet," Marcus replies. "So, let's not drag this along and make me get you two grounded for sneaking out. Skate...are you ready?"
Hikari raises an eyebrow at the nickname, but Serena ignores it. There are more important things to worry about than ridiculous names for children.
"I'm always ready," Serena answers, activating her Duel Disk. "Get ready, because I'm about to give you goosebumps!"
"Interesting," Marcus notes, his Duel Disk activating as he watches Serena draw five cards. "I have a warning of my own…
"Duelist beware...you're in for a scare…"
He ends this with a sinister chuckle that causes Serena to crack a smile.
"That's a cool line," she says. "Mind if I use it if I win?"
Marcus shrugs his shoulders before drawing his cards. "Sure, why not? That is...if you win."
"Let's Duel!"
(Marcus: 8000) - - - - - - - (Serena: 8000)
Hikari stays silent as she points her camera at Serena looking at her cards.
"Ladies first," says Marcus, bowing slightly. "I am a gentleman after all."
"And I'm the girl who cried monster," Serena replies as she draws a card. "I'll start by playing Graceful Charity."
Marcus raises an eyebrow as the angel in her green dress hands Serena draws three cards before Serena sends two to the graveyard.
"Then, I'll Set a monster and a card face-down. Your move."
Two face-down cards appear in front of Serena as she signals the end of her turn.
"Hmm…" says Marcus, drawing a card. "Knowing how I'm ending up with a lot of trouble if I attack your monster, then I'll just have to attack directly."
"Directly?" Hikari repeats. "How so?"
"You'll see. First off, I'll play a card face-down, then activate my Spell Card Beastly Game!"
One face-down card appears then a Spell Card depicting a strange blue furry teddy bear like creature slapping (or tagging) a fellow creature. Then, a cave appears at the doorway that leads to the kitchen...which is behind Serena.
"This costs me a thousand lifepoints," Marcus explains. "But as to what it does…" he chuckles. "You'll learn that soon enough, Skate."
(Marcus: 7000) - - - - - - - (Serena: 8000)
"Why do you keep calling her that?" asks Hikari.
"Because she bumped into me while on her roller skates and because Skate is the name of a protagonist in Screams in the Night." Marcus answers. "And trust me, don't read it."
"Um, okay then…."
"I prefer the name Lucy Dark myself," Serena notes. "After all, she uses roller skates and has a love of monster stories like I do. Not to mention," she chuckles. "She has a big secret that no one knows about."
"Back to my turn then," Marcus says, playing a card on his Duel Disk. "I summon The Invisible Boy in Attack Mode!"
Emerging onto the field is a person...okay, in reality it is a backpack and a baseball bat floating in the air. (500 ATK)
"And let me guess," says Serena. "He lets you attack directly?"
"Yep. So…"
The Invisible Boy leaps over Serena's face-down cards and slugs her in the stomach with his bat before "walking" back to Marcus's side of the field.
(Marcus: 7000) - - - - - - - (Serena: 7500)
"I'll end my turn there." Marcus folds his arms across his chest. "I'm no fool, Skate. I know your monsters hold some tricks up their sleeves. I'm just waiting for the right moment to strike."
"You planning on giving me a Shocker on Shock Street?" asks Serena, drawing a card.
"Exactly."
Serena smiles. "Well, let me show you how I'm no fool. I Flip-Summon Ghostrick Warwolf!"
With a howl, a werewolf with tan fur wearing a ripped red shirt and blue jeans appears, letting loose a snarl at Marcus. (1400 ATK)
"Oh freak…" Marcus mutters, seeing his face-down card.
"Hey," says Serena. "My werewolf may not be from Fever Swamp but he's got plenty of friends who can give you a lot of fright. But first, let me shave off 100 lifepoints."
Ghostrick Warwolf howls again, running on all fours before slicing at Marcus's Duel Disk and returning to Serena's side of the field.
(Marcus: 6900) - - - - - - - (Serena: 7500)
"And now I attack! Ghostrick Warwolf, bare your claws at the Invisible Boy!"
The werewolf howls once more as said invisible boy flinches (which looks like the backpack and baseball bat moving back slightly) and the werewolf lunges forward.
"Not so fast," says Marcus. "I activate my face-down card... Vanessa's Curse!"
"Lovely…" Serena mutters, watching as Marcus's card flips over, revealing an old hag of a witch pointing her bony finger at the girl. Then the hag materializes for real.
"Chicken, chicken," The hag mutters before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
Suddenly, Ghostrick Warwolf pauses as his fur turns into feathers, his muzzle morphs into a beak, a cock's comb tops his head and then…POOF! The werewolf is now a chicken!
Hikari looks at the transformed monster in shock before she lets out a snort and cackles like a hyena.
"Okay," she says in-between laughs. "I have seen plenty of things in Duel Monsters but this is just…" she bursts into laughter once more as Serena hears a rumbling sound from behind her.
"Oh no…" she gasps, shielding herself as a Beast from the East emerges from his cave with a roar. He runs…
But ignores her and ends up tagging Ghostrick Warwolf (or Warchicken at this point) who shatters before the Beast retreats into his lair.
"Oh, time for me to mention that," says Marcus. "If any monster should have their type changed, the Beast tags them out. Shapeshifting is not allowed in our game."
"Duplication is allowed, last I checked," Serena retorts. "I activate...Ghostrick Break!"
Serena's face-down card flips over, revealing a sweet and hilarious site: Ghostrick Yuki-onna fawning over an oblivious Ghostrick Stein (complete with hearts) as Ghostrick Yeti (hiding behind a curtain) looks in horror and a broken heart hovers around him.
"When I only control one Ghostrick monster and he gets destroyed, I can Set two Ghostrick monsters, whose names don't match the one destroyed, from my graveyard. Now you understand why I played Graceful Charity?"
Marcus grimaces as Serena's Trap Card ejects two face-down monsters.
"I still haven't Normal Summoned yet, so I'll Set one more monster and set another card face-down.
This won't end well...Marcus thinks as he draws a card. That's Ghostrick Vanish most likely and the effects of my cards only works if her monsters are face-up. I should make sure that she can't get to my lifepoints that easily.
"I'll start by playing Essence of Vampire," he announces.
A Spell Card depicting a blue bottle labeled "Vampire Breath" appears.
"It allows me to take a 'Nightmare' monster from my deck, but I have to send the top card of my deck to the graveyard," Marcus explains. "So…"
He inhales, then exhales a disgusting blue cloud of breath at his deck. A card pops out, which he takes and he quickly sends the top card of his deck to the graveyard.
"Then, I play Revenge Raven in Attack Mode!"
With a raspy caw, a disheveled raven emerges, glaring at Serena with its dark eyes. (500 ATK)
"And if I here an Edgar Allan Poe joke…" Marcus warns.
"You won't, you won't," says Serena. "I'm thinking of a few crow references though."
"That can wait. Like The Invisible Boy, Revenge Raven has the ability to attack directly.
"Oh and if you try to attack my raven directly, your precious monster goes with it. The perfect revenge plan, don't you think? Now then…"
Serena braces herself as Revenge Raven flies and starts pecking at the top of her head and The Invisible Boy hits her again with his baseball bat. The two monsters return to Marcus in triumph as Serena notes how her lifepoints dropped again.
(Marcus: 6900) - - - - - - - (Serena: 6500)
"And that's it?" asks Serena, drawing a card. "You know, I'm expecting more from this Haunted House Game. I'd rather be learning about the Legend of the Lost Legend (or the Legends of the Hidden Temple), perhaps take a course at Creepschool or spend a night in Terror Tower, or Camp Jellyjam, Camp Cold Lake, maybe Scaredy Camp where…"
"I only have a limited battery here!" Hikari snaps. "Are we going to have a duel or will I have to edit everything out?"
"Fine, fine, let me take a breath." Serena inhales a gulp of fresh air then exhales slowly. "Okay, it's time for me to be calling all creeps! I'll Flip-Summon Ghostrick Mummy…"
The first monster flipped over is a large mummy with blue skin who yawns, exposing what few teeth he has left. (1500 ATK)
"Then, I Flip-Summon Ghostrick Skeleton…"
The second monster to appear is a small skeletal figure in a black reaper cloak, wielding a scythe. (1100 ATK)
"And last but not least, I'll Flip-Summon Ghostrick Jiangshi!"
The last monster is a small boy in a purple robe and hat with a paper talisman dangling in front of his face and a necklace of orange beads. (400 ATK)
"That's an all-star lineup!" Hikari notes.
"Indeed," says Serena. "Now I'll chain the effects of my Jiangshi and Skeleton: with Ghostrick Jiangshi, I can take a Ghostrick monster from my deck to my hand whose level is less than or equal to the number of Ghostrick monsters I control…"
Serena ejects her deck, briefly scans through her cards, then selects one before returning the rest of her deck to her Duel Disk.
"And now my Ghostrick Skeleton will Banish cards from the top of your deck equal to the number of Ghostrick monsters on the field face-down! I hope you weren't planning anything big with them."
"Oh, not at all…" Marcus replies as Ghostrick Skeleton brings his scythe up before, with a single motion, he swipes downwards, a crescent of energy striking his Duel Disk and causing the older duelist to catch three cards ejected from his deck. "In fact, I feel like I should say something that could be taken the wrong way depending on who watches this duel."
"And what's that?" asks Hikari.
"Go eat worms, Skate!"
Serena's jaw momentarily drops in shock, as if someone has told her a very inappropriate curse word that, should she repeat it, would have her mother shove a bar of soap into her mouth and ground her for a week. Then, she snarls, and so do all of her monsters.
"We all have a bone to pick with him now, don't we?" Ghostrick Skeleton remarks.
Ghostrick Mummy, who adores puns, just growls and cracks his neck instead. "I'd like to feed him Monster Blood for breakfast."
"Or Strained Peas," Ghostrick Jiangshi adds. "No one insults Serena and gets away with it."
Marcus stays silent, but he can't help but be curious as to how Serena's monsters are talking to him.
"Care to explain?" he asks.
"It's an old story," Serena answers. "And we can't pause time with the click of a remote control so I can explain it."
"Isn't Click the name of that Adam Sandler movie?" says Hikari.
"Yes, but it got inspired by the Goosebumps story of the same name," Serena answers. "Like how Say Cheese and Die! (and its sequels) were inspired by The Twilight Zone episode with that unusual camera…"
"Or how The Sixth Sense was based on an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark?" Marcus adds. "It's amazing how that was hailed as a classic. In all honesty, I was more into Unbreakable."
"We can talk about good films all we want, but we have a duel to get back to and you are going to pay for that remark. I unleash the Overlay Network!"
Ghostrick Skeleton and Jiangshi leap into a portal before a black coffin rises where the monsters once stood. Serena crossers her hands over her chest.
"Creature of the night who feeds on the blood of innocent souls! Rise into the sky and feast upon the blood of thy enemies! Xyz Summon! Rank 3! Emerge from your slumber, Ghostrick Alucard!"
The coffin lid opens, revealing a vampire with snow white hair and skin and yellow eyes with the whites of his eyes the color of darkness. He dresses in a black vest with golden accents, silk pants, shoes ending in curled toes and a cape that flutters behind him despite the lack of a breeze and two purple orbs form in his hands. (1800 ATK)
Nothing like home sweet home...The vampire chuckles as he bares his fangs at Marcus.
"Oh and Marcus?" says Serena. "I still haven't used my Normal Summon. Since you know about my deck, care to guess what monster I picked up from my Jiangshi?"
Appearing in-between the mummy and vampire is a ghoul with blue and green skin stitched together and bones jutting out of his spine. (1100 ATK).
"Oh freak," Marcus swears.
"Ghostrick Ghoul increases the attack strength of a fellow Ghostrick monster equal to the combined strength of all Ghostrick monsters on the field," Serena elaborates. "However, whichever monster gains this increase is the only monster that can attack, but the boost ends at the end of your turn.
"So now, Ghostrick Ghoul, give Alucard your strength!"
Ghostrick Ghoul groans as he and Ghostrick Mummy hold hands, sending their energy to Ghostrick Alucard who unleashes a booming laugh. (1800 -) 4400 ATK)
This won't end well…Marcus thinks to himself.
"Don't scream!" says Serena. "Ghostrick Alucard...attack The Invisible Boy!"
Despite being invisible, The Invisible Boy can still make sounds. When Ghostrick Alucard dive-bombs toward him, the boy can only let out a pained scream of agony before his backpack and baseball bat are destroyed along with him.
(Marcus: 3000) - - - - - - - (Serena: 6500)
"When The Invisible Boy is destroyed, I get to draw two cards," says Marcus, drawing said cards so he has a hand of five. "Come next turn, you'll get a taste of your own medicine."
"You're going to feed me a Curse Bar or something?" asks Serena, placing a card face-down.
"Nah, heard those are bad for your teeth and taste like rotting eggs," says Marcus, drawing a card. "Time for me to show you the card I obtained with Essence of Vampire. I play... Honeybee!"
Serena has no idea how to react to the monster. It is a bee...a bee that is the size of a baseball, but still a bee?! (0 ATK)
"Tell me why I should be afraid of bees," she says, seeing the insect buzz about.
"If control is switched with her, I get to draw two more cards," Marcus explains. "And I have just the card to help with that."
Serena gasps as she sees the card, Creature Swap, and soon both Honeybee and Ghostrick Alucard switch sides.
"That was a genius move!" Hikari comments. "Ghostrick Alucard would prevent Marcus from attacking any other Ghostrick and other face-down monsters Serena controls and Alucard still has the boost from Ghostrick Ghoul until the end of his turn!"
Serena gulps as she sees the bee on her side of the field. "So….you planning on destroying her and dealing 4000 points of damage?"
"I could if it was possible," Marcus answers. "But Pegasus thought ahead and stated that Honeybee is immediately placed in Defense Mode after she changes controllers."
The bee is now in Defense Mode, now perched on an oversized sunflower. (1000 DEF)
"And since I have Ghostrick Alucard on the field, I think I'll detach one Overlay Unit to destroy that face-down Ghostrick Vanish."
Serena snarls (for Marcus is correct and the card is Ghostrick Vanish) as her Ghostrick Alucard unleashes a swarm of bats that devour her card.
"Now then, Skate. Let me ask you something...Are you terrified yet?"
Ghostrick Alucard flings a swarm of bats from his cape that latch onto Ghostrick Ghoul and devour him whole while Revenge Raven swoops overhead and pecks Serena's head again, Serena brushing the Raven aside as her lifepoints fall.
(Marcus: 3000) - - - - - - - (Serena: 2700)
"If you think I'm gonna be freaked out by my own monster used against me," Serena answers, curling a hand to a fist as she grits her teeth. "Well, let me answer that question with a title of one of my favorite Goosebumps books…
"You can't scare me!"
Her face-down card lifts, revealing Shock Draw.
"Hey!" Hikari exclaims. "When did you have that in your deck?"
"Millefeui gave it to me for Valentine's Day alongside a plushie of me dressed as Daemona," Serena answers as she draws three cards. "I gave her a Marshmallow Surprise the month after."
"A Marshmallow what?"
Serena sighs. "Homemade marshmallow treats alongside some new cards for her deck (which I am not revealing and no, one of the cards is not Marshmallon)."
"Oh...Shinji just gave me some cute bunny hair clips for White Day."
"And getting back to the duel…" Serena flips a card around to reveal Ghostrick Specter. "Since a Ghostrick monster was destroyed, I can Set him face-down and draw a card."
"And I also had Ghostrick Mary in my hand too; since I took damage, I'll discard her to Set another Ghostrick monster on the field."
One Set card appears as Serena draws one card. Then, a vanity mirror and drawer set appears, the mirror showing the image of a girl in a purple and black dress with white hair before it spins around and turns into a face-down monster.
"I know what you're up to, Skate," says Marcus, detaching a card from Ghostrick Alucard. "And I won't let you Xyz Summon another monster that easily."
With another swish of his cape, Ghostrick Alucard destroys the Set Ghostrick Specter before Marcus plays two cards face-down.
"Show me what you got," Marcus grins.
"I will," says Serena, drawing a card. She stares at it for a few seconds before speaking. "First off, I'll play Monster Reborn so that my Mummy returns!"
Rising from the floor, Ghostrick Mummy opens his mouth to unleash a loud yawn before he appears with a chuckle. (1500 ATK)
"And before I play my next card, Marcus, can I ask you a question?"
"If you're asking me on how to kill a monster…." Marcus mutters.
Serena shakes her head. "No, I just wanted to know...what's the level of your Revenge Raven?"
"It's Level 2. Why would…" Marcus pauses as Serena reveals one of the cards in her hand: Brain Control. "Oh….Monster Blood…"
Serena smiles, exposing her teeth (she has no fangs, but Marcus can understand what the gesture means). "That's right. I'll pay 800 lifepoints so I can use your raven for an Xyz Summon for my own!"
(Marcus: 3000) - - - - - - - (Serena: 1900)
The large brain and ghostly hands rise, the hands grabbing the shabby bird before pulling it onto Serena's side of the field.
"Now, I'll play my Overlay Network using both of your monsters to Xyz Summon once again!"
Both monsters jump into a portal as Serena chants again.
"Demon who feeds on the energies of those who slumber. Use your skills to pull my enemies into an eternal rest! Xyz Summon! Rank 2! Show them, Ghostrick Socuteboss!"
In a puff of smoke, a new monster appears. It is a young girl with red hair and a pink nightcap covering her horns while she wears a purple nightgown that falls to her knees. In her hands is a pink heart shaped pillow with black bat wings. She rubs sleep out of her eyes with the back of her hand while two orbs circle her body. (1400 ATK)
Ghostrick Mummy turns to the sleepy demon and hugs her tightly. So cute are you! So soft like a marshmallow!
So sleepy like a koala... Ghostrick Socuteboss mutters.
"Don't go to sleep yet," says Serena. "I have another monster to play. I set a monster face-down then Flip-Summon Ghostrick Lantern!"
As a face-down monster appears, another card flips up. It is a ghostly figure with the head of a pumpkin, wearing a blue witch hat and tattered cloak while grasping a lantern. (800 ATK)
"And here's where the fun starts. If I detach an Overlay Unit from Socuteboss, she can destroy one monster whose attack is less than or equal to the combined sum of all my Ghostrick monsters' attack points!
"Plus, after that monster is destroyed, as long as I have a 'Ghostrick' monster on the field, you can't use that Monster Zone. How's that for a comeback?"
"Brilliant strategy right there!" says Hikari. It's not like she is rooting for Serena, but she can appreciate a good move when she sees it. "Since Ghostrick Alucard will be sent to Serena's graveyard when he gets destroyed, this will allow her to bring back a Ghostrick monster from her graveyard to her hand. And if I know her, and I do, she knows which monster to bring back."
"Ready, Socuteboss?" says Serena, detaching a card. She then throws it to Marcus like a shuriken, which he catches easily.
Socuteboss grumbles as she raises a hand into the air, a mass of pink and black energy forming in her palm before she lowers her arm and aims it at Ghostrick Alucard as his fellow bats squeak in alarm.
"Oh and here's that crow reference…" Serena chuckles. "Victims, aren't we all?"
And then, Ghostrick Socuteboss fires her beam of pink and black energy, Alucard screaming as he is destroyed and the space he was on now marked with a seal of a pink heart with black bat wings.
"Now I know not to be bats about bats," Marcus mutters as he is now face to face with three Ghostrick monsters.
"Ready for an all-out attack!" says Serena. "Let's end this!"
Ghostrick Socuteboss yawns before lifting her pillow into the air, targeting Marcus's Duel Disk. Marcus smirks.
"Hope your friend likes dogs," he says. "I activate my Trap Card, Werewolf Skin!"
His first card lifts, showing a throw rug made out of a werewolf. Then, a werewolf pelt emerges and launches itself towards Ghostrick Socuteboss, covering her like a blanket.
"Not only does this shift your monster in Defense Mode, but it treats your monster like a Beast-type. And remember what happens when a monster changes type?"
Ghostrick Socuteboss transforms into a werewolf with red fur and bat wings, unleashing a howl in the process. (1200 DEF) Then, the Beast emerges from his cave once more, tagging Ghostrick Socuteboss before returning to his cave.
"I still have two more tries," Serena notes.
"No, you don't," says Marcus. "I activate Waboku!"
Serena growls as the three priests in cyan robes materialize, chanting a prayer before vanishing.
"Then I guess I'll play three cards face-down and end my turn." she says.
Odd. Marcus notes. She could have summoned another monster with Ghostrick Mummy's effect, but why not? Still, her monsters are left wide open and I have just the right card to end this.
"My move," says Marcus as he draws a card. "First, I play Offerings to the Doomed to send your Ghostrick Lantern on a one-way trip to the graveyard!"
An assortment of linen bandages wrap around Ghostrick Lantern before dragging it to the graveyard, leaving Ghostrick Mummy and a face-down monster.
"And next, I summon Mountain Snowman in Attack Mode!"
Emerging from a flurry of snow is a gargantuan snowman with a scar running down one "cheek". (1000 ATK)
"Oh great, the Abominable Snowman of Pasadena has arrived," Serena mutters.
"And he has some nifty effects," says Marcus. "First off, he lets me Special Summon a Nightmare monster from my graveyard, at the cost of having both their attack and defense at 0 and their effects negated.
"And before you ask, this card got sent to the graveyard through Essence of Vampire. So now I summon Dark World Denizens!"
Emerging onto the field is a large tree where, underneath it, three children stand, their skin pale as if they are zombies. (1900 -) 0 ATK)
"And my snowman's other ability is that he's a Tuner! And with 8 levels worth of monsters…" Marcus laughs. "Well, you'll definitely become the girl who cried monster when I'm done with this, Skate!"
The snowman shifts into a set of rings and the pale kids form into five stars that zip through those rings.
(*3 + *5 = *8)
"A monster that lies beneath the mountains. A force that unleashes its might in a frozen wasteland. Synchro Summon! Level 8! Beware the snowman and behold the terror of the Mountain Snow Demon!"
The manor begins to quake as Serena and Hikari look up (Hikari having to step back and lift her camera up to get a better view) as the Synchro Monster appears. It is at least twice the size of Mountain Snowman with red scaly skin, the head of a bull that lets out a loud snort, jagged teeth capable of tearing poor livestock to shreds and razor-sharp claws at the ends of its massive fingers (three for each hand). (3000 ATK)
"What ability does it have?" asks Serena, doing her best to stay calm.
"It's a simple but effective one," Marcus answers. "It gains 200 Attack and Defense Points for every 'Nightmare' monster and Continuous Spell Card in my graveyard, and there are now five monsters having their eternal rest as it is."
The snow demon unleashes a booming laugh that causes the manor to shake again. (3000/2700 -) 4000/3700)
"And let's have a change of scenery. Ladies, I welcome you to HorrorLand!"
The scenery changes from an old musty manor to a dark amusement park with a sign that says "Welcome to HorrorLand!". Serena can see signs for various attractions ("Coffin Rides", "Werewolf Village" and more) while a sinister calliope tune plays in the background and green monsters ("Horrors") roam about.
"Welcome to the ghouliest show on Earth!" Marcus announces. "In this amusement park of nightmarish delight, all 'Nightmare' monsters gain special effects. First off, they can't be destroyed by Spell or Monster effects that target.
"Second, said 'Nightmare' monsters gain an additional 300 Attack and Defense Points.
"And, last but not least, they have the ability to leap over your monsters and go straight for your lifepoints."
Mountain Snow Demon grins at Ghostrick Mummy who is biting his nails in fear. (4000/3700 -) 4300/4000)
"End this now my monster!" Marcus screams. "Tundra takedown!"
Mountain Snow Demon charges towards Serena's side of the field as Ghostrick Mummy cowers in fright.
"Not so fast!" says Serena. "I activate...Ceasefire!"
Serena's first card flips, revealing two officials at a table. Then, Serena's face-down monster flips, revealing a white furry yeti with blue skin, gold eyes and an adorable white rabbit in its massive hands. (2000 DEF)
"When Ghostrick Yeti is flipped, I can select a 'Ghostrick' monster to not be destroyed this turn by battle or card effect. Plus, thanks to my Ceasefire, you lose 500 lifepoints for every effect monster on the field."
"It doesn't matter in the end," Marcus notes. "My Snow Demon still overpowers your mummy."
"True, so I just need to stock up on lifepoints with this!"
Serena's second card flips over, revealing Emergency Provisions.
"Now I'll gain an additional 1000 lifepoints for every Spell and Trap card I offer up. I offer my face-down card and Beastly Game for an additional 2000 lifepoints!"
No! Marcus thinks. Beastly Game is my card, but it activates on her side of the field!
Two cards get sucked into Emergency Provisions (the cave leading to the kitchen vanishing alongside its card) as Ghostrick Yeti hurls a snowball at Ghostrick Mummy, projecting a barrier that protects said monster from being barreled over by the snow demon but leaves him disoriented from the attack.
(Marcus: 1500) - - - - - - - (Serena: 900)
Serena pants for breath as Ghostrick Mummy hugs Ghostrick Yeti in relief. Meanwhile, Marcus smirks.
"Not bad, not bad," he says. "Barely anyone remembers that Beastly Game is technically their card when it's activated. But, your luck won't last long. After all, my monster gains strength when I have Nightmare monsters and Continuous Spell Cards in the graveyard, so you ended up making my Snow Demon stronger."
Mountain Snow Demon chuckles, his attack now at 4500.
"You better hope you draw something good. Come next turn, I'm taking you down."
"You're one to talk," says Serena, revealing Ghostrick Mary in her hand. She slips the card into her graveyard as a new Set monster appears, face-down.
"I'll end my turn with a card face-down," says Marcus. "So, we're near the end of this battle, aren't we? It's been fun, don't you agree?"
"A duel at night in a haunted mansion against a duelist with monsters inspired by Goosebumps books?" Serena grins as she draws a card. "Hell yeah, it's been a thrill ride. Just another question though."
"What is it this time?"
"While HorrorLand is on the field, Nightmare monsters can't be destroyed by Monster or Spell effects that target...but, if they're Set, then they're fair game, right?"
"In theory. Wait, what are you planning?"
Serena chuckles. "I Flip-Summon the monster I set with Ghostrick Mary...come forth, Ghostrick Witch!"
With a gleeful cackle, a figure on a broomstick descends to the field. It is a young girl around the same age as Serena with long blonde hair topped with a black peaked hat and wearing a black and maroon dress decorated with ribbons along with black boots. Her broom is decorated with a necklace of starry beads around the bristles. (1200 ATK)
"And when she's on the field, I can Set one monster face-down once per turn! Flip that overgrown iceman around, my dear!"
Roger! Ghostrick Witch replies, hopping on to her broomstick. Watch out!
She zooms towards Mountain Snow Demon and delivers a good kick to the chest, hard enough for him to be flipped into a face-down card. Then the witch returns to Serena's side of the field.
"And remember when I said duplication was allowed in the Beastly Game?" says Serena. "Here's a surprise; I have two copies of Ghostrick Alucard in my deck!"
Ghostrick Mummy and Yeti spin round and round until they are replaced with the form of the vampire of the Ghostrick monsters. (1800 ATK)
"What a twist!" Hikari proclaims.
"Now, then...let's get invisible!" Serena shouts.
Detaching the Overlay Units from Ghostrick Alucard, Serena watches her monster unleash his bats on both the face-down monster and card behind it, leaving HorrorLand behind. Marcus just bows his head in defeat.
"I know when I lost," he says. "Do what you need to do."
"This is the end!" Serena shouts. "Ghostrick Alucard...attack directly!"
Ghostrick Alucard laughs, arms raised in the air before he unleashes a swarm of bats that strike Marcus hard enough that he collapses onto his back with a groan.
(Marcus: 0) - - - - - - - (Serena: 900)
"And that's sure to give you goosebumps!" Serena declares, watching the holograms disappear. "Man, that was so exhilarating!"
"I have to agree," says Marcus, brushing off his pants before he stands up. He sighs as he looks over the face-down card Serena destroyed (a Trap Card depicting three people lost in a forest) before gathering everything up. "And as promised, this deck is now yours."
A cold wind blows over his deck before the cards vanish. Then, Serena notices a black briefcase in her hand, the name tag proudly showing her name on it before she sets it down, opens it up and gasps as if she has seen a collection of priceless gems in front of her (or she has just found out what was in that mysterious briefcase from Pulp Fiction).
"They're... beautiful!" she exclaims. "I think I can name where every single card came from!"
Hikari turns her camera to Serena and zooms in on the cards, unable to see most of them due to Serena's back facing the camera, but also interested in them due to their artwork. "A treasure trove of tricky monsters is here! Who knows what they'll unleash on the unsuspecting public?"
Serena closes the briefcase before turning to Marcus. "I don't know what to say except...thanks."
Marcus shrugs his shoulders. "No prob. Besides, I can now focus on a deck idea that I've been working on for a while."
"Oh?" says Hikari. "What is it?"
"...Tangrams."
And for what will have been the first time ever, both Serena and Hikari are laughing together.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Minutes later, the three leave the House of No Return, Serena taking a final glance at it before closing the door behind her with a soft sound like someone exhaling. As she does, Marcus speaks up.
"You know," he begins. "I didn't apologize for that worms comment I made earlier."
"Aw, don't worry about it," says Serena, passing it off with a wave of her hand. "In all honesty, I find it hilarious. I can't wait to see who I tell that to."
"Well it's not like there's a copyright for it or my 'Duelist beware' line." Marcus looks at his watch, seeing that it's almost 10 in the evening. "You girls better get home before you're grounded."
"Will do," says Serena. "Although I will have trouble explaining this mysterious briefcase to my friends."
"You'll figure it out in the end, but I must leave now. Good night, Hikari." Marcus takes one final glance at Serena. "And take care of yourself...Lucy Dark."
Serena just smirks as Marcus walks off, disappearing into the night with a laugh before he seems to blend with the shadows themselves. There is silence as she looks at the sky, seeing a full moon shining down on her.
"Quick question," says Hikari, pointing her camera at Serena. "What type of secret does Lucy Dark have?"
Serena turns to the camera and smirks. "Read the book to find out. Or watch the episode. It's one of my favorite stories."
"I'll take your word for it." Hikari then turns the camera around so she is being recorded. "And thus, another duel ends in Domino City. Who knows what lies ahead tomorrow, what stranger things can happen, but the dawn of a new day and a new duel awaits us. Thank you and good night!"
Hikari turns the camera around and stops the recording as Serena eyes her.
"You're gonna submit that to Chasing Shadows or the like?" she asks.
Hikari shakes her head. "I'm thinking of starting a dueling blog of my own design involving the supernatural and mysterious monsters that no one has ever seen before. I plan on calling it Dawn of a Duel. Catchy title, huh?"
"I admit that it has a nice ring to it."
"...Well," Hikari slips her video camera into her purse. "I think Shinji will be coming late so I best get home. You...did good."
Serena blinks, then smiles. "Thanks. That's a lot coming from you."
"But I'll be the first one who kicks your ass when you decide to use that deck for the first time!" Hikari exclaims. "I'll make sure to that!"
"I look forward to that match then. So," Serena starts to walk home. "See you at school tomorrow, I guess."
Hikari shrugs her shoulders as the two go their separate ways. As Serena walks, she takes a glance at the briefcase with curiosity as she recalls Marcus's story of the monsters coming to life. She has no idea how to explain this to her friends (especially Millefeui, who has sent her a panicked text message asking if Serena is okay), but that can come later. Much later.
The idea of using these monsters excites Serena and she can hardly wait to get home and plan out her strategy with them…
And more importantly, think about who will be the first one to experience these horrors when the time comes.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
It is these thoughts that race through Serena's mind as she prepares herself for her duel.
She eyes her opponent, with his black hair spiked up to resemble a crab and streaked with gold, looking quite regal in his white and gold robe as if he is a priest. Surrounding the two are numerous bodies trapped in crystal, each person inside them dreaming away as their life forces are used as fuel to draw more weary souls to a light that makes them feel "safe" and "secure".
And she hates it from the bottom of her heart.
Yusei Fudo, the Stardust Accelerator as Haruka notes when he first made an appearance to them, smirks as Serena switches decks and slips a new one into her Duel Disk. This causes her friends to look in confusion.
"Serena," says Millefeui. "I thought you only had one deck."
"I've had this deck for about a month now, and this will be the first time I try it out," says Serena, watching her Duel Disk activate. Everyone looks in confusion. "I would love to use my Ghostrick buddies for this, but I think I need more power to fight off against this menace."
Yusei laughs. "Summon as many monsters as you wish. Soon enough, you will know that my light will save you from this wretched existence!"
"Ah, go eat worms," Serena states, drawing her cards.
Yusei also draws his cards as the two stare each other down. "Ready to lose?"
Serena smirks. "Nah, I'll be winning this easily. I do have a warning for you though…
"Duelist beware... you're in for a scare…"
She ends it with a sinister chuckle as the duel begins.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The Invisible Boy (Monster Card)
Warrior/Nightmare/Light/Effect/Lvl 2/500 ATK/300 DEF
Effect: This card is unaffected by Continuous Spell cards. This card may attack your opponent's LP directly. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, draw one card.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Revenge Raven
Winged Beast/Nightmare/Wind/Lvl 2/500 ATK/300 DEF
Effect: This card is unaffected by Continuous Spell cards. This monster can attack your opponent's LP directly. When this card is destroyed in battle, destroy the monster that destroyed it.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Honeybee (Monster Card)
Insect/Nightmare/Wind/Effect/Lvl 2/0 ATK/1000 DEF
Effect: This card is unaffected by Continuous Spell cards. When control of this face-up monster switches, draw two cards. This monster then automatically goes to face-up Defense mode.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Dark Falls Denizens (Monster Card)
Zombie/Nightmare/Dark/Effect/Lvl 5/1900 ATK/0 DEF
Effect:
This Monster is unaffected by Continuous Spell cards. A Monster destroyed in battle by this monster is Special summoned to your side of the field as a Zombie/Nightmare-type during your End phase. The Special summoned Monster gains all of this card's effects, but loses its own.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Mountain Snowman (Monster Card)
Aqua/Nightmare/Water/Tuner/Effect/Lvl 3/1000 ATK/1200 DEF
Effect: This Monster is unaffected by Continuous Spell cards. When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, you may Special Summon one "Nightmare" Monster from your Graveyard in Attack Mode. If you choose to activate this effect, the selected Monster's Attack and Defense become 0 and its effects are negated.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Mountain Snow Demon (Monster Card)
Fiend/Nightmare/Dark/Synchro/Effect/Lvl 8/3000 ATK/2700 DEF
Effect: [1 "Tuner" Monster + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters.] This Monster is unaffected by Continuous Spell cards. Increase the ATK and DEF of this monster by 200 for every "Nightmare" monster and Continuous Spell in your graveyard.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Beastly Game (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: A blue, bearlike creature tagging (as in "tag, you're it!") another creature of the same species.
Card Description: You must pay 1000 Life points to activate this card on your opponent's field. Whenever a monster's type changes, that monster is automatically destroyed.
Note: The Forbidden/Limited list should prohibit this from being in the same deck as DNA Surgery and/or Parasite Paracide)
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Essence of Vampire (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A small blue bottle labeled "Vampire Breath".
Card Description: Select one "Nightmare" monster from your deck and add it to your hand. Shuffle your deck afterwards and discard one card from the top.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
HorrorLand (Spell Card)
Field Spell
Image: A darkened amusement park with a big sign proclaiming "Welcome to HorrorLand!" and signposts pointing to attractions like "Coffin Cruise", "Doom Slide", and "House of Mirrors".
Card Description: Increase the ATK of all "Nightmare" Monsters by 300. While this card is active, "Nightmare" Monsters cannot be destroyed by the effects of Spells or Monsters that target, and may attack other monsters on their field, or their controller directly.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Vanessa's Curse (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A woman dressed all in black with black fingernails and lipstick pointing at where the camera would be if the image was a photo.
Card Description: When an opponent's monster declares an attack, change its Type to Winged Beast.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Werewolf Skin (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A throw rug made out of a werewolf with glowing red eyes.
Card Description: When an opponent's monster declares an attack, change their position to face-up Defense Mode and change its Type into Beast.
Note: The preceding cards were all created by MultiplePersonas and used with his permission.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Lost Legend (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A scroll depicting three people lost in a dark forest.
Card Description: Discard one card from your hand to destroy an opponent's attacking monster. Then inflict damage equal to half of that monster's Attack Points.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Next time: Rebecca and her brothers head off to a Halloween party at their school with a theme that can give even the bravest of men nightmares. On All Hallows Eve, Rebecca challenges a monster who won't hesitate to bite her head clean off if she's not careful.
"Marionettes Inc." coming soon.