Flight 4: The Road of Trials
There was a knock at the door. "Nephele!" Demetria called. "Can you get that? My hands are full."
"Yeah yeah," Nephele said. "Just don't burn supper." She hopped over to the front door. "Ambrosia Sisters," She announced, without opening it. "We're taking a supper break right now, but..."
"The two of you recently entered a tournament, correct?" asked a voice from the other side.
"Yeah," said Nephele.
"And you won a card called Eldricyte – Basos the Flayer, correct?"
"Yes, but..." Nephele began. The voice tried to cut her off again, so she opened the door and met it face to face. She didn't expect to be able to see him properly considering how dark it was outside, but the giant silhouette she saw was better than nothing. "We lost the card in a bet earlier today."
"Damn," the man said, hitting the door frame with his fist.
"Sorry about that," Nephele said. "But hey, maybe you can go after the other four..."
"You don't understand," The man said, sighing. "It's imperative that I get all of the Eldricytes. Soon."
"Why?" Demetria asked, putting down what would eventually become supper.
"I'll explain," said the man. "Hopefully my words will convince you to help me claim the Eldricytes..."
-
"Welcome to Athens," said Julian, spreading his arms dramatically. "Population's about 150,000. Compare that to the 4,000-or-so of Skiathos..."
"Well yeah," Lilith said. "Skiathos is like eight kilometres long. Of course Athens is going to have more people."
"Oh, come on. Lighten up," said Ray. "Check out those giant pillars over there!"
"The Temple of Zeus," Julian explained.
Lilith looked around the temple. "Well," She said. "It is pretty impressive what they could do without modern technology.."
"That's the spirit!"
"Though I might just be comparing it to the last things you thought were cool," said Lilith. "Which mostly included things that shot electricity at me."
"How is shooting electricity not cool?" Ray asked.
"Shooting electricity at me," Lilith reiterated.
"It's still cool! It doesn't matter where the electricity is shot."
"Actually, that's the most important thing."
"Well, I have good news," said Julian. "The next Eldricyte-holders are another pair of scientists. In fact, one of them used to work with Otto and Fritz."
"Yay!" Ray cried, spreading his arms.
"Aw," Lilith sighed.
"Of course, these two spend more time on theoretical physics than inventing random things that shoot electricity," Julian considered, stroking his moustache.
"Huzzah," said Lilith.
"Aw," Ray sighed.
"Though now that I think about it, she was working on the same nuclear physics as Otto and Fritz... perhaps the things she's working on now are even more dangerous."
"Cool!" Ray said eagerly.
"Aw," Lilith sighed.
"Anyway, what place did they get in that tournament?" Ray asked, as the trio finally began walking.
"Third. Lise and... Leo, I think his name is... they're no push-overs. Please do be careful."
"Careful's boring," said Ray, to which Julian and Lilith sighed. Ray continued, "I'll just beat them before they can do whatever we have to be careful about."
"I'll keep us alive while you do that," Lilith said dully.
"Though attacking is fun, isn't it?" Ray asked. "You really seemed to like it against the Ambrosia sisters."
"Hmph," Lilith crossed her arms indignantly and turned her nose up, though she was clearly smiling as she added, in an exaggerated accent, "Battle Phases are only for barbarians. I prefer a more... sophisticated duel."
"I saw you barbarian...erize Demetria."
"I haven't a clue what you mean," Lilith lied. "Also, the word you're looking for is barbarise."
"Is it? That's an amazing word! I'm going to start using it from now on."
They sure are getting along better, Julian thought, a proud smile on his face. Looks like my gamble's finally paid off.
-
After a long walk, Ray, Lilith and Julian found an enormous building, which Julian said to be the right place. It was in the shape of a dome and was surrounded by a wrought-iron fence. "Ss-zeye-lard Laboratory," Ray said, reading a sign and mispronouncing 'Szilard'.
"It's Hungarian," said Lilith. "It's pronounced see-ard."
"Yes, Leo Szilard," said Julian. He looked around the gate for some way in. "Do either of you see a lever, or doorbell?" Ray and Lilith shook their heads. "Hmm. I didn't expect them to be this hard to talk to." It was then that the gate opened by itself.
"Neat," said Ray. "No robot butler required." The three of them stepped through the gate. "Do you hear something?"
"Yeah," said Lilith. "Like a gear – " She didn't get to finish her sentence, however, before the ground below them disappeared and was replaced with a giant slide. "Goddamn everythiiiiing!" Lilith screamed.
"This is great!" Ray cried, as the three raced faster and faster down the chute. "Whee!"
"Leo and Lise..." Julian said, his sighing echoing through the slide behind them. "What were they thinking?"
After a few minutes of sliding, Ray landed on a mattress. "That was awesome!" said Ray. "I wanna do it again!" Lilith crashed into him.
"Oww..." Lilith moaned, clutching her head. "That was horrible."
Julian exited a few seconds later, landing neatly in a sitting position on the other side of the mattress. He held a cup of tea and saucer. "Most impressive," He said, taking a sip. "Ooh, and Earl Grey. Exquisite." As he finished his tea, ignoring the confused expressions of Ray and Lilith, a familiar-looking robot rolled into the room.
"Automated Butler Unit ABU-314159 activated," it said. "If you were unaware of the chute that you have just fallen through, I am programmed to assume that you are here to deliver junk mail. This laboratory belongs to Mr. Leo Szilard and his assistant Miss Lise Meitner, and contains over seventy-thousand experiments that can and will explode at the slightest provocation. Therefore, for the safety of anyone within a two mile radius, this security system was installed to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to the front door."
"We're not delivery people!" Julian protested. "We – "
A voice rang through the walls. "Julian Nobel and his child soldiers, eh?" asked a haughty female voice. "We've been expecting you. ABU, execute order 265."
"Order 265 initiated," ABU said.
"Oh god it's going to kill us," Lilith said, hiding behind Ray.
"Please follow me," said ABU. "Dr. Szilard and Miss Meitner wish to see you in the third laboratory." Its head turned towards Lilith. "Miss Meitner assures you that it is the safest of all."
"What's wrong?" Ray asked Lilith, walking behind Julian and the robot.
"It's... too human," Lilith muttered.
"I thought you'd like it. It can't shoot electricity." Ray said.
"Actually, this unit can emit shocks of up to 10,000 volts," said ABU. Lilith whimpered and hid behind Ray again.
"See?" She whispered. "It overheard our conversation and had a reply! That's just wrong. It's a robot. It shouldn't have a real brain."
"What about Otto's leg?" Ray asked. "It's a machine controlled by a real brain."
"So much worse," Lilith said solemnly.
"I don't get you sometimes."
And so, they walked behind the robot. After a walk that seemed just as long as the entire trek through Athens, they ended up at a door with a giant wheel. The robot gave it a huge spin and the door sunk into the ground. Behind it was a door with a giant keyhole, similar to Otto and Fritz's. The robot leapt into the air, its bottom half transforming into a key, and it fit itself in the keyhole. That door rose into the ceiling, and the robot landed back on its wheel just as the group noticed a third door. This one had four levers on it. The robot cranked them in a specific pattern, and that door slid to the left.
"Oh my god there's another door!" Ray cried, as the robot released electricity from its hand into a specific spot on the fourth door. There was a fifth door, but it simply had a knob and the robot finally let them enter.
A young woman in a white lab coat waited for them on the other side. Comparing her to Otto and Fritz would likely have been an insult to one of them, for her coat didn't have a speck of dust on it. Her dark hair looked like it would never move out of fear of what the woman would do to it if it refused to be perfect. However, they were greeted by a portly old man in a similarly-spotless lab coat.
"Welcome to our lab, Mr. Nobel," the man said. "I am Leo Szilard." He gestured towards the lady. "And my assistant, Lise Meitner, was the one who spoke to you on the intercom."
"A pleasure," said Lise.
"So you've been expecting us, you said?" Julian inquired.
"A letter from my former colleagues," Lise explained. "Otto and Fritz. Apparently they got their hands on a fake Eldricyte?"
"Indeed they did," said Julian. "Took us a bit off our course, but – "
"Those crazy kids," Leo said, cutting off Julian.
"It was a good fake," Ray piped up. "The right font and..."
"Font?" Lise asked incredulously. "Julian, you haven't told these kids anything, have you?"
"I haven't a clue what you mean," said Julian.
I think he does, Lilith thought. Even I couldn't tell that Otto and Fritz's Eldricyte was fake, but Julian did it effortlessly. And then, to fly all the way to Greece less than a month after a tournament...
"You..." Lise said, staring at Lilith and breaking her out of her thoughts. "Lilith Huron, right?"
"Y-yeah," Lilith replied.
"And I'm Ray A-"
"Daughter of Dr. Manfred Clynes Huron?" Lise continued, ignoring Ray. "He was one of the greatest minds since Tesla and Verne. I was shocked to hear about his accident..."
"Suicide," Lilith said fiercely. "He killed himself. It was suicide." Ray and Julian glanced nervously at each other.
"Yes, well..." Leo piped up, after an awkward pause. "When Lise and I heard that name in the British Nationals, we were a bit surprised. I for one figured you'd follow in your parents footsteps. The world could use more scientists."
"So I can devote my life to some nonsense, kill myself, leaving my kid to fend for herself?" Lilith asked. "Oh, she'll have the company of my spouse who's been sent into a spiral of depression, but at least I'll have invented something neat." She put a finger to her chin in mock-though. "Oh wait, I guess the analogy fails there because if Manfred's stupid invention worked, he wouldn't have died."
"Lilith," Ray said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I –"
Lilith exhaled deeply. "Sorry," she said. "I became a duellist because I wanted to. I have no interest in science. Let's leave it at that."
Lise looked hurt, but she shook her head and returned to a stoic expression. "My apologies," She said.
"Let's just get on with this," said Lilith. "I think you know why we're here."
"Yes... well..." said Leo. "Lise and I have been having fun studying our Eldricyte. We're willing to bet it, but," he emphasized the 'but'. "We'll be betting it against yours."
"Word travels fast. You know we have an Eldricyte?" Julian asked.
"We do now," said Lise.
Julian sighed. "Ray, Lilith..."
"We'll win," said Ray. "Don't worry."
Wasn't he listening when Lise said Julian was hiding something from us? Does he even care about that? Lilith asked herself.
"Very well," Julian said. He took a small binder from the breast pocket of his jacket and showed Lise and Leo the first and only card in it – Basos the Flayer. "My Eldricyte against yours."
"Ours is Monos the Swallower," said Leo, showing a cased card to the trio. "I think we both know each other's Eldricyte is real. We can begin the duel at any time." Both he and Lise activated duel discs.
"Ready when you are," said Ray, switching on his own.
"Y-yeah," said Lilith. I need to concentrate. She exhaled deeply again and pushed all thoughts of her father from her mind.
"Duel!" They all said simultaneously.
Lilith made the first move. "I set one monster and one backrow," She said. "Your turn." I wish we knew what decks these guys used. It's stupid to not do any research before this sort of thing.
"I'll go, then," Lise decided. "I summon T.G. Catapult Dragon!" There appeared a hideously-ugly bionic reptile. "I'll use its effect, Special Summoning a Level 3 or lower T.G. Tuner from my hand. Appear, T.G. Jet Falcon!" The dragon loaded its catapult with a bird, launching it onto the field. "Now, I tune my Jet Falcon with my Catapult Dragon." The two monsters flew into the air.
"A Synchro this early?" Ray asked. "These T.G.s..."
"Synchro Summon! T.G. Wonder Magician!" In a flash of light, there appeared a pink-haired witch with bionic wings. (1900 ATK) "Wonder Magician's effect," Lise announced. "It destroys a Spell or Trap you control." The little witch snapped her fingers; Lilith's facedown Moonlight Veil exploded. "I'll set one card. End turn!"
"Ray!" Lilith cried. "Destroy that thing. We can't let it last 'til Leo's turn!"
"What? Why not?"
"It's a Tuner!" Lilith said. "It'll Synchro Summon something even bigger."
"Sounds like fun," Ray said, drawing. "But I trust you. Wonder Magician won't last the turn, I promise. I summon Solanimus Magmagician!" Ray's own spellcaster appeared; the red warlock with the hardened-lava staff. (1900 ATK) "By discarding Solanimus Blinding Blade, I can draw a card. Next, I activate Solanimus Soul Storm!" The wizard clutched near his heart; he pulled a fi****l of fire out of his own body. "If you control a monster with less DEF than the ATK of a Solanimus I control, I can destroy that monster!" The wizard finally threw the fireball at Wonder Magician, who was instantly incinerated. "Also, you take damage equal to the difference. Wonder Magician's DEF was 0, so that's the full 1900 ATK of Magmagician to you!" Lise didn't flinch as the fires that were once her monster washed over her. (1900 damage - 6100 LP)
"Great!" Lilith said. "You even dealt some damage."
"Lilith, just point me at something you want barbarised and I'll barbarise it," Ray said. "That's how I roll. End turn."
"I was pretty impressed," Leo admitted. "But I'm afraid it won't be enough. I Special Summon T.G. Striker!" A man in strange, blue armour appeared. "And I'll follow it up by Normal Summoning T.G. Warwolf." Beside the odd soldier appeared a humanoid beast with machine parts sticking out at random. "Now! I tune Striker and Warwolf. Synchro Summon; T.G. Hyper Librarian!" In a flash of light, a man in a ghost-white cloak appeared, reading something from a book. (2400 ATK) "Now, what kind of deck did you say the girl played?"
"Lunanima," Lise replied.
"Hmm. Then I'll attack your set monster!" The librarian tossed a bolt of energy at the card back on Lilith's field. It flipped to reveal the black robe of Sorceress of Lunanima, who was then destroyed. "Ah, good thing I did that."
"Agreed," said Lise. "I activate TG-SX1!" She flipped up a Trap. "When a T.G. monster we control destroys a monster by battle, this Special Summons a T.G. Synchro from my Graveyard. Be reborn, T.G. Wonder Magician!" The pink-haired witch reappeared, taking a stance.
"Wait, isn't that bad?" Ray asked. Lilith nodded.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," said Leo. "I set one card. End turn."
"My turn," said Lilith hesitantly. "I play One for One. I'll discard Wilting Lotus of Lunanima and Special Summon another from my deck," She pointed at the ground, from which sprouted an already-dying flower. (0 DEF) "Now, I'll activate Wilting Lotus' effect. I banish a Lunanima in my Graveyard to Special Summon it." An image of Sorceress crumpled as a second Wilting Lotus sprouted from the floor. "While I control two Wilting Lotuses, you can't attack any of our monsters."
"And thus the defence is secure," said Ray. "Leave the offence to me."
"I'll back you up there, too. I activate Spiritual Portal of Lunanima; now, I Special Summon a banished Lunanima." The black-robed witch reappeared on the field. "Her effect returns a monster you control to your hand." She pointed at T.G. Wonder Magician. "Though, to be honest, I already know how – "
"Accel Synchro!" Lise declared. Wonder Magician and Hyper Librarian flew into the air. She continued, "Warrior of the future whose armaments are limited only by imagination, reveal to us the wonders of science! Accel Synchro!" A giant green-and-orange humanoid appeared in a flash of light, holding a gun with a blade made of light. (3300 ATK) "T.G. Blade Blaster!"
"That's what we're up against," said Lilith. "I just thought I'd show you."
"Got it," said Ray. "3300 ATK... I can't wait."
"My turn," said Lise. "I summon T.G. Rush Rhino," There appeared an armoured, humanoid rhinoceros; it let out a roar that Lilith figured real rhinos didn't make. (1600 ATK) "And I can't attack, so I'll just set a card and end my turn."
Ray drew a card. Then, he looked at it ecstatically. "Lilith! I drew it! I drew it!"
"It? Do you mean..." Lilith rubbed her forehead. "Not the time. Draw Lightning Vortex or something."
"This is so much cooler, though!" Ray said. "I'll set it – " A card back appeared in his S/T zone, but it exploded instantly.
"TGX1-HL," Lise explained. "I halve the ATK of a T.G. Monster, and then I destroy a Spell or Trap card." She pointed lazily at Rush Rhino. (800 ATK)
"What?" Ray cried. "I wanted to... oh I am angry now! I summon Solanimus Burning Snake!" Ray's red-cloaked wizard was joined with a serpent made of cooled lava. (1800 ATK) "Magmagician attacks that jerk of a rhino!"
"Chain," said Lise. "TG1-EM1. This switches control of my rhino with your..." She looked around the field. "Wilting Lotus of Lunanima."
"What?" Lilith demanded, as the plant burrowed back underground, sprouted on her side of the field and the rhino leapt over to her. "Dammit..."
"Like that'll stop me!" Ray said. "Burning Snake gives all Solanimus monsters piercing. So I'll just attack that Lotus! Magmagician, go!" The wizard threw a stream of fire, incinerating the plant. (1900 damage - 4200 LP) "Ha ha! Your turn."
"For my turn," said Leo. "I'll summon T.G. Cyber Magician." A younger, tiny version of Wonder Magician appeared, and then immediately jumped into the sky. "I can tune it with T.G. monsters in my hand. So I'll tune it with this T.G. Rush Rhino of my own. Synchro Summon! T.G. Power Gladiator." A warrior holding a giant axe landed oddly gracefully. (2300 ATK) "You pierced our lotus, so I'll return the favour. Power Gladiator attacks." The warrior raced across the field at the remaining flower, cleaving its stem in half. (2300 damage - 5700 LP)
Dammit! Lilith thought. I can't keep any sort of defence. Am I even helping?
"I'll set one card. Then it's your turn," said Leo.
I'm not sure if Ray can actually get rid of Blade Blaster, Lilith eyed up the giant. Not that he seems too worried about it... actually, he doesn't seem worried about it at all. She glanced at his face, he had had the same determined grin since the game began. Still... I'll try to get rid of it. "I summon Mist Shaman of Lunanima!" A blonde woman with talons instead of hands appeared; she wore a tight black bodysuit and, for some reason, a blindfold with a picture of a crescent moon on it. (1200 ATK) "And now that I control another Lunanima, I can activate Sorceress' effect to..."
"I activate Fiendish Chain," said Lise. "Negating Sorceress' effect." Chains burst from the ground, ensnaring the Sorceress.
Figured, Lilith almost shrugged. No sense summoning a boss monster without a way to negate Sorceress. "I'll activate Mist Shaman's effect, returning it back to my hand. End turn."
Back to her hand? Ray thought. Wasn't it also Level 3? I thought she could Xyz...
"My turn then," said Lise. "That Rhino will give us a free monster. I attack with Blade Blaster!" Her bionic warrior readied its gun.
"I activate the other effect of Mist Shaman," Lilith announced. The partially-avian woman appeared again, this time in a cloud of fog. "I can Special Summon it in Attack Position during your Battle Phase. When it's Special Summoned by this effect, you can't attack other monsters."
"All right then. I'll attack Mist Shaman." Blade Blaster shot beams from its weapon, which penetrated the fog. (1100 damage - 4200 LP)
"It's also not destroyed by battle this turn," Lilith continued.
"A waste of time, considering you just summoned it," Lise scoffed. "I'll set a card, then."
"Don't call Lilith's card a waste of time!" Ray cried. "My turn. I summon Solanimus Shining Star!" The star-bright humanoid appeared, but wasted no time before becoming green rings. "I tune it with Burning Snake. Master of destruction, burn down everything in your path! Synchro Summon! Solanimus Raging Dragon!" The Synchro rings exploded in a blast of fire; Ray's trademark orange dragon slowly descended upon the field, letting out a roar. (3000 ATK) "And Burning Snake returns due to Shining Star's effect."
"You do realize that Raging Dragon forcing everything into attack position is bad right now, don't you?" Lise asked, looking over Lilith's [color="Orange"]Sorceress and Mist Shaman, as well as Ray's Magmagician andSnake. "All of your monsters are weak compared to Blade Blaster, so this is a bad situation you've put yourself in."
"I think it's worse for you. Raging Dragon attacks Power Gladiator!" Ray pointed at the axe-wielder; an enormous jet of flame obliterated it. "And you take damage equal to its ATK, so that's a total of 3000." (3000 damage - 3100 LP)
Amazing, Lilith considered. Even when I can't defend, he can keep on attacking.
"I end my turn!" Ray said triumphantly.
"Before you do, I play Call of the Haunted," said Leo. Power Gladiator returned to the field.
Weird, Lilith said to herself. Why pick Gladiator over Librarian? Unless...
"For my turn," said Leo. "I activate TGSX-Minus." A giant tube appeared in the sky, sucking Gladiator into a hovering, colourful machine. "This returns a T.G. Synchro monster to the Extra Deck, and then lets me Special Summon another Synchro, with a lower level. Appear! T.G. Recipro Dragonfly!" From another tube in the odd contraption flew a mechanical dragonfly with helicopter blades instead of wings. (300 ATK)
"Aw, it's cute," said Ray. "I love dragonflies. Wait..." He stopped, as the dragonfly flew into Blade Blaster, cutting it in half with its helicopter-wings.
"The effect of Recipro Dragonfly," Leo explained. "I return Blade Blaster to the Extra Deck and summon its Synchro Materials." Wonder Magician and Hyper Librarian appeared back on the field.
Dammit, I was right! Lilith's eyes widened. We... we're screwed...
"I tune all of my monsters!" Leo exclaimed, as the dragonfly, magician and librarian flew into the sky. "Ultimate knight of science and wonder, who wields imagination as a weapon, reveal to us the truth of science! Delta Accel Synchro!" An image of the sun appeared on the ceiling, for no other reason than to explode in a beautifully-rendered supernova. "T.G. Halberd Cannon!" When Ray and Lilith uncovered their eyes from the supernova, they saw a giant, metal warrior holding a spear as long as the giant was tall. (4000 ATK)
"I like it," said Ray, still grinning eagerly. "Bring it on."
"Gladly," said Leo. "I attack T.G. Rush Rhino!" Halberd Cannon shot a beam of light from the tip of its staff, obliterating the humanoid rhino that Ray and Lilith had been given. (3200 damage - 2500 LP) "I'll end my turn. Now, during my End Phase, Rush Rhino's effect lets me add a T.G. monster from my deck to my hand... I guess I'll pick Warwolf."
"My turn..." said Lilith. Ray's still confident. In that case, I have to do something too. In fact... "I summon another Sorceress of Lunanima." A twin black-robed woman appeared, but burst into flames as soon as she touched the field.
"Halberd Cannon negates one Summon per turn and destroys that monster," said Leo.
"I know. She was bait," Lilith said. "So you wouldn't negate this. I overlay my Mist Shaman with Sorceress of Lunanima." Both women jumped into a galaxy that formed on the floor. "Goddess of strategy, cast the world into your eternal game. Xyz Summon, Chessmistress of Lunanima." A woman in a throne rose from the galaxy, followed quickly by an ornate chessboard full of pieces. She wore the same kind of royal, dark dress that Ray had seen on Gravity Queen. (1500 ATK)
"Well, that's one way to get rid of Fiendish Chain," Lise said, shrugging.
"I activate Chessmistress' effect," Lilith announced, as her monster moved a couple pieces around her chessboard. "I detach one Xyz Material to set a Normal Trap in our Graveyard back onto the field."
"A Normal Trap?" Ray thought back. "You have a Moonlight Veil in there, don't you?"
"Yes, but I'm not picking it," said Lilith. "You have a Normal Trap in your Graveyard too." Her disc ejected a card which Lilith snatched and tossed across the room to Ray. "I can't possibly defend us now. It's up to your offence. I'm entrusting this game to you."
Ray looked at the card and smiled. "You got it." He placed it in his disc.
"Did you see what that card was?" Lise asked.
"No, but you destroyed something with TGX1-HL," Leo replied. "Was that it?"
"Scientists who won't even look to see what they've done?" Lilith enquired, crossing her arms. "That'll be your downfall. End turn."
"My turn," said Lise. "I activate Pot of Duality." Three cards' holograms appeared – Mirror Force, Call of the Haunted and Solemn Warning. "Well, I was hoping for a monster, but I'll take that Mirror Force. With that, I'll set two cards. A shame Halberd Cannon is Leo's monster..."
"During your End Phase, I'll use my new set card!" Ray announced. "Almighty overlord of destruction, everything in your path will be annihilated by fires of fury!" He grabbed the card and held it in the air. "Assault Mode Activate!" The air around Raging Dragon burned, causing blue-orange armour to appear from nowhere. It connected to its wrists, shoulders and wings; then its horns grew and curved. "I Special Summon Solanimus Raging Dragon/Assault Mode!" (3500 ATK)
"Negate it, Leo!" Lise ordered.
"He can't," Lilith protested. "Halberd Cannon can only negate inherent Special Summons – not ones by an effect like this."
"I activate Raging Dragon/Assault Mode's effect," said Ray. "When it's Special Summoned, I can destroy two cards on the field. I choose... Lise's two set cards." His dragon swung its massive tail against Lise's cards;Mirror Force and Solemn Warning exploded.
"And you didn't pick Halberd Cannon because...?" Lise asked.
"Because I always had a plan for Halberd Cannon," said Ray, drawing a card. "I just needed Raging Dragon in my Graveyard. I banish my Raging Dragon to activate Solanimus Battle Aura, and equip it to myMagmagician! This card gives a Level 4 or lower monster I control ATK equal to the ATK of the banished Solanimus monster." He pointed to Solanimus Magmagician, who was now surrounded by a fiery image of the original Raging Dragon. (4900 ATK)
Leo shook his head. "Amazing," He said.
"Solanimus Magmagician attacks Halberd Cannon!" Ray announced. The burning aura left Magmagician, flying into and through the giant robot. (900 damage - 2200 LP)
"When Halberd Cannon is destroyed, I can Special Summon a T.G. Synchro from our Graveyard," said Leo. "Be reborn, T.G. Blade Blaster!" (2200 DEF)
"I know. Raging Dragon/Assault Mode attacks Blade Blaster!" A tidal wave of fire flew over Leo's entire field; the floor kept burning even after the wave rushed by, leaving no trace of Blade Blaster. "And now, just like the original, Raging Dragon/Assault Mode hits you with damage equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster!" (3300 damage - 0 LP) Finally, the holograms faded.
"Nice job," said Lilith, offering Ray a thumbs-up.
"Couldn't have done it without you," Ray replied.
Well, that's a lie. Lilith thought. All he really needed was Raging Dragon in the Graveyard. "Thanks," She said nonetheless.
"Damn," Lise sighed, handing her Eldricyte to Julian. "I really wanted to study the others."
"I haven't a clue what you mean," said Julian monotonously. "But thank you for a good duel. Ray and Lilith, good work."
"That was a pretty great duel, wasn't it?" Ray said to no one in particular. He looked around the lab. "We took a slide here, so how do we get back out?"
"ABU!" Leo called. A cube dropped out of the wall and unfolded into their automated butler. "He'll show you out."
As the trio plus one robot turned to leave, Lise said, "Lilith... wait."
"What is it?" Lilith turned around; Ray and Julian went ahead after the robot.
"I didn't know how your father died. I'm sorry. I understand why you have no interest in becoming a scientist, but... please don't reject science completely. For each bad thing it's caused, there are dozens of good things."
Lilith looked lost in thought for a moment. Then she said, "Goodbye, Ms. Meitner," and chased after Julian and Ray.