0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CHAPTER EIGHT
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Heir of Kaiba!
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Evil Versus Medieval!
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
"You know, you two…" muttered Yumi. "Just because the restaurant is footing the bill doesn't mean you both had to order the biggest dessert they had."
"Yeah, Chelsea…" said Ren. "You aren't gonna be able to fit into that midriff if you keep packing away ice cream."
"Ignore him, Chelsea," said Sam. "This may be a tournament, but we're also on vacation, and everyone knows that diets start after the vacation. Besides, since Ren was willing to duel to get us a meal for free, we might as well make the most of it.
"Speaking of which…"
She looked at Ren.
"This goes against my better judgment, but I was impressed. You have some good cards. Where did you ever get that Queen?"
Ren paused.
"Just before my dad and your dad were caught up in that crisis that sealed New York in Shadow energy all those years ago, he bought it at the convention that was supposed to start the New York City Regional."
He took the card out and looked at it.
"It's a very rare card… I think about fifteen confirmed copies exist."
Mary Jane came up to the table with a tray.
"Here we are people…" she said. "Peach pie with vanilla ice cream…"
She handed it to Yumi.
"Chocolate mousse cake…"
She gave it to Ren.
"Napoleon pastry…"
She handed it to Erik.
"And for the two who seemingly don't care about calories, Mobius's Delight! A brownie topped with four kinds of ice cream, nuts, hot fudge, caramel, shaved coconut, a cherry, and a mint leaf."
She placed the huge sundaes in front of Sam and Chelsea.
"Here's some advice…" she added. "Get your boyfriends to help with them."
Chelsea looked at Ren.
"He's not my…" she started.
"She's not my…" said Ren at same time.
They stopped.
Chelsea sighed, and went to the sundae.
As Sam started to spoon the ice cream into her mouth, someone leaned his hand on the table next to her.
"Excuse me…" she said, annoyed, "this is a private gathering…"
"Samantha Arachne," said the interloper. "Remember me?"
Sam looked up.
It was a young man about her age, with fiery red hair that looked unkempt. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses with black rims. He wore a hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers, all of which had seen better days. From the look of things, the wear and rips were there for effect.
Sam looked at him for a second before answering.
"No," she said, offhand.
Chelsea chuckled.
"No?" he replied. "You humiliated me last month at Kaibaland!"
"Do you realize how little that narrows it down?" asked Sam, not looking up from her ice cream.
The boy growled.
"Tucker Trevane," he said.
Sam paused.
"Oh yeah…" she said. "I'd never forget a name that dumb… You were that guy on vacation from California with the Hand Control Deck and an ego the size of Taiwan."
"I remember too…" said Erik with a chuckle. "Sam's Royal Decree made you powerless. Your three precious Don Zaloogs didn't stand a chance."
"Yeah, well, I have a better deck now…" said Tucker. "And I'm gonna pound you into the floor with it!"
Sam took a big spoonful of ice cream.
"You request a duel here, fellah, not demand one," she said. "But I'll duel you anyway… Once we're finished with dessert. Until then, you'll wait far away from this table."
She paused.
"Get lost until I say we're done!"
Tucker was startled by that last part. He backed away.
Once he had gone to another part of the restaurant, Sam raised her hand and said, "Waitress?"
Mary Jane came up.
"I gotta duel someone in a few minutes," she said. "Can we use the podium?"
"Sure thing," said Mary Jane. "That's what it's there for."
So… thought Yumi. Now I get to see what her true deck can do…
It's about time…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
When nothing remained but the melted remains of ice cream and fudge, Sam stepped onto the platform and faced Tucker.
"I warn you," she said with a sly grin. "You may have changed your deck, but I have as well. And in case you think I'm anti-Trap this time, think again!"
"I'm not surprised…" said Tucker. "I'm going to make you wash down that ice cream by eating the floor!"
"Words, words," muttered Sam. "I'll believe it when I see it…"
The two Disks activated.
"Game on!" they both said.
(Sam: 8,000) -------------------- (Tucker: 8,000)
"Ladies first…" said Tucker, drawing five cards.
"I'll go first anyway," said Sam with a grin, drawing six.
She looked over her hand.
"I summon the Malice Doll of Demise to the field," she said.
She played the card, and a sinister-looking wooden puppet holding a large axe appeared and cackled. (1,600/1,700)
"Who'd have thought Pinocchio had an evil twin?" asked Ren.
"Quiet," said Yumi, who was watching.
"Then I'll follow up with a Spell Card," continued Sam. "The fiendish Ectoplasmer."
She fit a card into her Disk, and a Continuous Spell Card appeared.
"This card requires each player to sacrifice one of their Monsters at the end of their turns," she explained. "Then, the very soul of that Monster is transformed into something called ectoplasm, which blasts away their opponent's Life Points equal to half the sacrificed Monster's Attack Score.
"All right, pal… I'm ending my turn now…"
She stabbed her thumb down. Malice Doll of Demise slumped over, and a ghostly form flew out of it, flying towards Tucker and striking him in the chest. He grunted and staggered back.
(S: 8,000) -------------------- (T: 7,200)
Ergh… thought Tucker. That felt like the cold chill I had the last time I had the flu!
"Okay Sam…" he said, drawing a card. "You want to play dirty? I notice that last move left you defenseless."
He fit two cards into his Disk.
"I toss two cards facedown…"
Two facedown cards materialized.
"Next, I toss this guy out in Attack Mode. Ancient Gear Soldier!"
In a cloud of dust, a rickety metal robot made of gears and pistons with a machine gun for a right hand rose up. It stared at Sam with cold, emotionless eyes. (1,300/1,300)
"You're playing an Ancient Gear Deck?" asked Sam in surprise.
"I prefer to call it a Medieval Shadow Deck," said Tucker. "And now I'll call you the target. Attack her directly!"
Cartridges flew from Ancient Gear Soldier's gun as it fired a burst of hot lead, and Sam cried out in pain as the bullets stabbed into her torso.
The audience cheered.
Lovely… thought Sam, holding her chest. He's already the crowd favorite… But not for long…
"Now I'll end my turn…" said Tucker. "And I'll use your own Ectoplasmer against you!"
Most people would say that Machines didn't have souls to take. Nonetheless, Ancient Gear Soldier collapsed into a pile of metal, and a shadowy form flew into Sam, sending her staggering backward.
(S: 6,050) -------------------- (T: 7,200)
"Man, she just got hurt bad!" shouted Chelsea.
"No, she's all right…" said Yumi. "I've heard of this combo…"
"Your move, Sam…" said Tucker, with a grin, crossing his arms.
Attack me… he thought. They say that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger… If you attack me, I won't be dead yet, and I'll certainly be stronger…
He looked at his facedown cards.
"I draw one card," said Sam, drawing. "And just like magic…"
A dark flame appeared on her side of the field, and Malice Doll of Demise appeared again with a cackling laugh. (1,600/1,700)
"WHAT?" gasped Tucker. "But how?"
"When this Monster is sent to the Graveyard by the effect of a Continuous Spell Card," explained Sam, "he's resurrected on the next turn. That means I can keep sacrificing him to Ectoplasmer, again and again. He doesn't mind! In fact, he rather enjoys it.
"But you… If you want to go on the offensive at all, you'll keep wasting your Monsters and leaving yourself wide open.
"Now let's summon someone new…" she said, placing a card on her Disk. "Since we're in a restaurant, I'll summon the gourmet of the Underworld. I summon The Bistro Butcher."
She played a card, and a tall Fiend appeared. He was a diabolical-looking creature with blue skin and pointed ears, dressed in a chef's outfit, with a hook in place of his right hand, and holding a cleaver in his left. He let out a laugh that suggested madness. (1,800/1,000)
Tucker gulped.
"Butcher, attack him directly!" shouted Sam. "Ginsu cut!"
The Bistro Butcher leapt up, and made a slash at Tucker that started at his forehead and followed through all the way down to his mid-section. Tucker gasped and fell on one knee.
The crowd cheered again, even louder than before.
"Oh yeah?" he said, sweating. "Well, since you attacked me with that guy, I get to draw two cards…"
He made two draws.
"You could have two-hundred," said Sam. "I don't care. Malice Doll of Demise, you attack too. Cleaver heaver!"
The Doll laughed and hurled its axe at Tucker. He screamed and fell over.
His sunglasses fell off his face. He snarled as he picked them up.
(S: 6,050) -------------------- (T: 3,800)
"Aw, does that hurt?" asked Sam. "Why don't you let one of my Monsters kiss it and make it worse?"
"I'll pass…" muttered Tucker, getting up, "But I will use it to my advantage… I'm full of surprises, Samantha…"
One of his facedown cards lifted up.
"Like this one!" he shouted. "The Trap Card, Damage Condenser."
A sparking, glowing, electric generator rose up behind him.
"Now, I just need to trash one of my cards…" he said.
He made a discard.
"…and I can Special Summon from my deck any Monster, so long as its Attack Score isn't more than the amount of damage I just took from your Doll's attack.
"And it doesn't have to be low-Level. It could even be a Level Five Monster… Like my Ancient Gear Engineer."
A new Monster appeared on the field in another burst of dust. It looked similar to Ancient Gear Soldier, only a little bigger, with a drill for a right hand and a clamp for the left. Its drill spun wildly. (1,500/1,500)
"A Level Five Monster with only 1,500 Attack Points?" said Chelsea. "Its effect must be pretty spectacular…"
Sam looked at the new Machine, which she had honestly never seen before. And that was saying a lot.
"Uh, yeah…" she said.
She looked at her cards.
If that guy is anything like other Ancient Gear Monsters, she thought, Traps are worthless against it during the Battle Phase…
She took the card she had just drawn from her hand.
But here's a Trap I can use before he even reaches the Battle Phase.
She fit it into her Disk.
"I place a card facedown," she said, as it appeared. "And I end my turn, activating Ectoplasmer again."
A facedown card appeared. Then, Malice Doll of Demise slumped down again, and the ghostly spirit flew forward, striking Tucker again.
(S: 6,050) -------------------- (T: 3,000)
"Yes!" yelled Erik. "Keep going, baby, you're doing great!"
"I hate to admit it," said Chelsea, "but Sam is doing great. She's making this guy look like a rank amateur."
Soon to change… thought Tucker, as he drew.
He looked at the card.
"I activate… Shadow Spell!" shouted Sam.
Her Trap Card lifted, and a mass of chains burst up and bound Ancient Gear Engineer.
"Now your Engineer is trapped, and he'll…"
The Machine threw up its arms, and the chains broke into pieces.
"…snap… them… like… dental… floss..." muttered Sam.
"Sorry, Samantha," said Tucker, "but Trap Cards that target are worthless against this guy. How do you like that… baby?"
"Anyone except Erik who calls me that gets a knuckle massage…" growled Sam.
Tucker gulped.
"Now where was I…" he said. "Oh, yes…
"I activate Call of the Haunted…"
His other facedown card lifted, and Ancient Gear Soldier climbed out of the ground in a burst of dirt and dust. (1,300/1,300)
"Now I'll sacrifice him…" continued Tucker, "for someone better…"
Ancient Gear Soldier vanished.
"My Ancient Gear Beast!"
In a flash, a robotic wolf, again made of pistons and gears, with razor-sharp claws and teeth, appeared on the field. It howled. (2,000/2,000)
"And I'll just keep going…" he said, playing a card. "I'll Equip my Engineer with Ancient Gear Tank."
A large form materialized on the field. It looked like a cross between a motorcycle and a metal go-cart, with a cannon in front.
Ancient Gear Engineer climbed on board. A metal blast-shield with a small slit for a window covered it.
"The new wheels give him 600 more Attack Points."
(2,100/1,500)
"That… isn't good…" said Ren.
"All right!" shouted Tucker. "Ancient Gear Engineer, attack The Bistro Butcher! Diesel-powered overdrive!"
The Tank sped forward, and blasted its cannon, blowing the Fiend into an explosion of pixels.
"And Ancient Gear Engineer has another great effect," said Tucker with a grin. "When he destroys a Monster, he can destroy one of your Spells or Traps. So say goodbye to your Ectoplasmer!"
The Tank shot another blast, blowing the Ectoplasmer card to bits.
"That isn't good either…" said Ren.
"And Sam's in big trouble," added Chelsea. "She's has nothing to protect herself from Ancient Gear Beast…"
"You got that right," said Tucker with a grin. "Attack her directly, my Beast! Piston pounce!"
Ancient Gear Beast snarled. It ran towards Sam.
"Nothing to protect myself?" she shouted, throwing a card into her discard slot. "I think not!"
All of a sudden, a swarm of small, furry creatures appeared between Sam and the Beast, blocking its attack. It waved its paws and tried to swat them away, but they exploded, sending it skidding back.
There was a pause…
"HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!" laughed Yumi.
"What's so funny?" asked Sam, annoyed.
"Oh, it's rich…" said Yumi with a chuckle. "I just find it hilarious that Ianyone/I who fancies herself the heir to the Kaiba name would have a Kuriboh in her deck!"
Sam stared at her.
"One…" she said, "I'm not my great uncle. Two, in case you haven't noticed yet, I play a Fiend Deck, and Kuriboh is a very useful Fiend. Don't deny it, Yumi. Your family certainly wouldn't."
Yumi sighed. She wouldn't, even though a Kuriboh had never made its way into her own deck…
"All right, I'm ending my turn," said Tucker. "Let's see what you've got."
(S: 5,750) -------------------- (T: 3,000)
"I draw…" said Sam.
She looked at the card and grinned.
"And I just drew the star of my deck!
"You may have destroyed Ectoplasmer, but my Doll's effect is still valid, so he comes back one last time…"
Again, Malice Doll of Demise appeared in a dark aura. (1,600/1,700)
"And now I sacrifice him…" continued Sam.
The Doll vanished and Sam held up a card.
"Come forth, mighty Lord of the Underworld…" she said.
Lightning flashed, which was strange, since they were indoors.
"I summon… Dark Ruler Ha Des!"
A black bonfire appeared on the field, and a monstrous, hulking form appeared. It was an eight-foot-tall Fiend with scaly green skin, dressed in royal clothing, with a vest with a skull-like design, wearing a cross between a helmet and a golden crown. He clutched in his left claw a goblet holding some sort of liquid that emitted a smoky mist.
A dead pause fell over the patrons of the restaurant.
It was indeed the dreaded ruler of Fiends, Dark Ruler Ha Des. (2,450/1,600)
"Wow…" said Ren. "What a Monster…"
"What's wrong?" asked Sam, as Tucker stepped back. "Does my consort scare you? I don't blame you… He tends to have that effect on some people…
"Ha Des… Take care of that Ancient Gear Engineer, would you? Stygian blast!"
The Dark Ruler closed his fist around his wine goblet, and it shattered. Then he pointed, and a blast of dark flames shot from his fingertips, blowing the Engineer and his Tank to scrap.
"Not bad…" growled Tucker. "But when Ancient Gear Tank gets junked, you lose 600 Life Points."
"Huh?" said Sam, as the ground started to smoke beneath her.
She screamed as an explosion erupted around her.
(S: 5,150) -------------------- (T: 2,650)
She glared at him.
"Your move…" she said.
Tucker made a draw.
"I move Ancient Gear Beast to Defense Mode," he said. "Sit!"
The Machine sat on its hind legs.
"And I'll place another Monster in Defense Mode too."
A facedown Monster appeared.
"That's it for me…"
Sam drew.
She looked at the Trap Card.
"I'll place this facedown…" she said, fitting it in her Disk.
As it appeared on the field, she chose another card from her hand.
"And so long as Ha Des is here, I'll summon one of his most loyal servants. I summon Opticlops."
She played the card, and another Fiend appeared. It was a large, muscular ogre, with one eye and a horn on its head. (1,800/1,700)
"Not bad…" said Ren. "But Archfiend Soldier would have been a little better."
"I never said I didn't have one, Ren," said Sam, annoyed. "Opticlops, attack his facedown Monster. Horn ram."
Opticlops charged at the facedown Monster. Another Ancient Gear Soldier appeared on the card. The Fiend struck it with its horn, and it was smashed to pieces.
"Ha Des, reduce his Beast to slag. Attack!"
The Dark Ruler fired his Stygian Blast, and Ancient Gear Beast exploded into hot metal and shrapnel.
"Your move…" said Sam.
Darn, thought Tucker. If I don't get a good draw, that abomination will attack me next turn!
He drew a card.
He grinned.
"Well Sam…" he said with a smirk. "It's time for me to bring out the star of my deck."
He showed her the card.
"Ancient Gear Golem?" asked Sam.
"Yeah…" said Tucker. "Only problem is, he needs two sacrifices, and I'm a little short on them right now. Oh well…"
He played a Spell Card.
"…guess I'll have to use my Ancient Gear Factory!"
He played the card, and with a rumble, an enormous contraption started to rise behind him…
When they saw it in full light, it appeared to be a giant chamber, with a conveyor belt in the front, and a carousel of some sort on top covered with blue stars.
"Here's how it works…" said Tucker.
The contraption hummed, and steam poured out of it. Mechanical shovels started to load scrap metal onto the conveyor belt, which delivered it to the inside of the chamber.
"If I want to summon a high-level Ancient Gear Monster, I can do so without sacrificing Monsters on the field, so long as I sacrifice Ancient Gear Monsters in my Graveyard, and their combined Levels equal at least twice that of the Monster I want to summon."
"Hold on…" said Erik. "The two Soldiers were both Level Four… The Engineer was Level Five… The Beast was Level Six…"
"AND, I tossed a Level Two Ancient Gear to play Damage Condenser," added Tucker. "So I have the prerequisite sixteen levels, and can save one Soldier for later if I need it."
The stars on the carousel turned from blue to gold, until all of them were lit up.
"And now…" said Tucker. "Let's all have a hand for the master of disaster… the Ancient Gear Golem!"
The chamber opened, and a giant, metal titan walked out. Like the previous Ancient Gears, it was made of cogs, pistons, and camshafts, but its rickety look was only there at first glance. Looking at it for more than a second, you saw its true aura of strength. (3,000/3,000)
"How do you like that, Samantha?" asked Tucker. "He's just as strong as your dad's dumb Dragons."
Sam growled…
"All right!" he shouted. "Ancient Gear Golem… Attack the Dark Ruler Ha Des, with mechanized melee!"
"Hold it right…" started Sam, as the Golem lunged forward.
Then she stopped.
Oh, great… she thought. I forgot… Since he's attacking with that thing, I can't use my Trap Card!
Ancient Gear Golem slugged Ha Des with his fist, and he groaned before he burst into dark particles.
"Heh, heh…" chuckled Tucker. "So much for him… Your move…"
(S: 4,600) -------------------- (T: 2,650)
"You'll pay for that…" growled Sam, drawing.
She looked at the card.
"I'll place one card facedown, and end my turn," she said.
Another facedown card appeared.
"Why didn't she move Opticlops to Defense Mode?" asked Ren, nervously.
"Because she knows that would have made it worse," answered Yumi. "Ancient Gear Golem has a trampling effect."
Tucker drew a card.
Hmmm… he thought.
He added it to his hand.
"Ancient Gear Golem, attack!"
The Golem threw its fist, smashing Opticlops flat.
(S: 3,400) -------------------- (T: 2,650)
We're in a restaurant full of people… thought Sam. I'm the owner's daughter… I can't lose here… I'd be humiliated!
She drew a card.
"All right, Tucker," she said. "I play Pot of Greed…"
She played the card, and the wicked looking jar appeared in front of her. She drew two cards, and it burst into pixels.
She looked at them and grinned.
"And now, my friends, it's time for Dark Ruler Ha Des to make his return… Like I always say, you can't keep a good Monster down for long."
"You're bluffing…" said Tucker. "I happen to know that he can't be Special Summoned from the Graveyard. I'm no idiot."
"I didn't intend to," said Sam.
She played a card.
"I play Monster Reincarnation," she said.
The strange-looking ankh, looking somewhat like the one for Monster Reborn, appeared on the field.
"Now, by tossing one card," she said, discarding a card, "I can bring the Dark Ruler back to my hand."
The card slipped out of her discard slot, and she took it.
"Next, I activate Call of the Haunted."
One of her two Trap Cards lifted, and a stone coffin appeared on the field. It opened, and The Bistro Butcher stepped out. (1,800/1,000)
"Now I'll sacrifice him…" she continued, "to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des again."
The Bucher vanished, and Ha Des reappeared, looking slightly irked. (2,450/1,600)
"Big deal!" said Tucker. "He's still weaker than my Golem."
"We'll see about that," said Sam. "Ha Des, attack his Golem!"
Ha Des prepared to fire his blast…
"Has Sam gone nuts?" shouted Ren.
"Naw," said Yumi, "I think she knows what she's doing."
"Now I activate…" said Sam, "the powerful Bark of Dark Ruler!"
Her other Trap Card lifted. Ha Des howled and an aura of black flames surrounded Ancient Gear Golem.
"This fiendish spell requires the caster to sacrifice some of his life force," said Sam, "but no-one ever said using the magic of Fiends would be easy. So I pay as much of my Life Points as I want, and for this battle only, the Monster my Fiend is battling loses the same amount of Attack and Defense Points.
Sam glowed with a dark aura…
"So I'll give up 600 Life Points, which weakens your scrap heap just enough for Ha Des to trash it."
Ancient Gear Golem fell to an Attack of 2,400, and Ha Des fired his blast. Explosions rocked over the Ancient Gear Golem's armor, and it collapsed into a pile of junk.
(S: 2,800) -------------------- (T: 2,600)
"Your move…" said Sam.
Tucker growled… He drew.
He threw a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared. He waved his hand.
Sam drew a card.
Hmm, she thought.
"I'll set a Monster in Defense Mode…" she said.
She put the card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster materialized.
"Ha Des, attack…"
Ha Des fired his blast. An Ancient Gear appeared on the card, and was vaporized.
"This is starting to get pathetic, Tucker," she said. "Why don't you just give up? Ancient Gear Golem is gone, and you can't bring it back. It can't be Special Summoned at all."
Tucker drew a card.
He grinned.
"Maybe not…" he said. "But I can still bring it back…"
He played the card he had just drawn.
"…with a little thing called Ancient Gear Workshop. This works just like Monster Reincarnation for Ancient Gear Monsters, but I don't have to discard a thing."
The Ancient Gear Golem slipped out of his discard slot, and he took it.
"Well what about sacrifices?" said Sam. "You still need them, and now you don't have enough Monsters left in your Graveyard to use another Factory."
"Heh, heh…" chuckled Tucker. "Samantha, when you play a deck that uses a Monster like Ancient Gear Golem, you have to find ways to get around the little problem of needing two sacrifices. There are so many ways to summon it quicker, even I can't use them all.
"For example… I play the Spell Card, Magnet Circle LV 2. This card allows me to Special Summon a Machine from my hand, so long as its Level is no more than… well, two. So I Special Summon Ancient Gear Cannon."
He played the card, and a large cannon, again made of gears and pistons, appeared on the field. (500/500)
"Next…" he said, playing another Spell Card, "since my Cannon only has 500 Attack Points, I can play Machine Duplication. This lets me Special Summon two more Cannons from my deck."
Two other Machines, identical to the first, appeared.
"Now I sacrifice two of them… Ancient Gear Golem, return!"
Two of the Cannons vanished, and the huge Golem reappeared. (3,000/3,000)
"Go!" he shouted. "Attack her Dark Ruler again!"
Ancient Gear Golem lunged forward, and slugged Ha Des again. He shattered into shards.
"And I'm not done with you…" continued Tucker. "I activate the effect of the Cannon I didn't sacrifice. I can sacrifice it now, to blow away 500 more of your Life Points.
"Fire! And aim for her gut."
With a blast, a cannonball shot from the Cannon, striking Sam in the belly and sending her falling to her knees.
The Cannon shattered. Sam winced in pain, holding her stomach.
(S: 1,750) -------------------- (T: 2,600)
"So…" said Tucker with a grin. "What are you gonna do now? Feel like throwing up? Please do… It will make victory all the sweeter."
Sam slowly got up.
"I really remember you now…" she muttered. "The reason you played a Hand Control Deck was because you were so sadistic and liked seeing your opponents helpless. You haven't changed. The method may be different, but it's the same flavor…
"Like chocolate ice cream and chocolate cookies. Two desserts, both of them chocolate. Your deck is different, but you haven't changed at all."
She drew a card. She smirked when she saw what it was.
"What am I gonna do? Easy. I'm gonna send your Golem to the junkyard again."
She played a card.
"I play Silent Doom!" she shouted. "Now I can raise a Normal Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode."
Opticlops appeared, crouching in defense. (1,800/1,700)
"Now then…" she continued. "Let's bring back the big guy again…"
"And how do you intend to do that?" asked Tucker. "You have only one card left in your hand. Even if it's another Monster Reincarnation, you have nothing to discard to use it."
"I didn't say it was," said Sam. "I can't recover Ha Des from the Graveyard this time…
…but…"
She showed him the card.
"…my deck has two copies of his card! After all, I'm his consort.
"So I sacrifice Opticlops, to summon him… Third time's the charm…"
Opticlops vanished. Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared again, and this time, he was mad. (2,450/1,600)
"Need I remind you that my Golem is still stronger?" asked Tucker. "And I don't see any facedown cards that could be a second Bark of Dark Ruler…"
"I don't need one," said Sam. "I have… this!"
She pointed to her facedown Monster.
"I flip it into Attack Mode. Reveal… Winged Minion!"
The card flipped, and a small form flew out. It was a nasty imp the size of an infant, with bat-like wings and a lamprey-like mouth, dressed only in a ragged pair of shorts. (700/700)
"See, it's called that because it has wings, and… uh, it's a minion…" said Sam. "And this guy is a Fiend's best friend, because by sacrificing it, I can increase the Attack and Defense of any Fiend by 700 points."
Winged Minion perched on Ha Des's shoulder, and then vanished into mist. Dark Ruler Ha Des grew to (3,150/2,300)
"This is exactly how I beat a guy who was using Air Fortress Ziggurat," she said. "Now, Ha Des… destroy his Golem!"
Dark Ruler Ha Des fired an even more intense blast of dark flames, and the huge Golem exploded. Debris rained down on the podium.
(S: 1,750) -------------------- (T: 2,450)
Everyone cheered again.
"And with that…" said Sam. "I end my turn."
Tucker nervously drew a card.
"I place a Monster in Defense Mode…" he said, placing it on his Disk. "That's all I can do…"
A facedown Monster appeared.
"Well…" said Sam. "Seems all I need now is the right Monster, and this duel will be a wrap…"
She drew a card.
"That's the one," she said. "I summon Gil Garth."
She played the card, and a creature that looked like a mechanical warrior covered with barbs and spikes, hunched over and holding a huge scimitar, appeared. (1,800/1,000)
"Don't let his appearance fool you," said Sam. "He may look like as much a Machine as your guys, but he's all Fiend.
"Gil Garth, attack his facedown Monster."
Gil Garth flew forward, and a Heavy Mech Support Platform appeared on the card. With one swipe of his sword, Gil Garth smashed it to bits.
"Ha Des…" said Sam. "Attack directly and end this!"
Ha Des fired the most intense blast yet, and Tucker screamed. He fell backwards and stumbled off the podium.
(S: 1,750) -------------------- (T: 0)
Everyone in the restaurant applauded.
"Thank you…" said Sam.
She looked at her badge, which was now at Blue.
Not bad for the first day… she thought.
"You didn't do too bad…" she said to Tucker. "But maybe you should try a less challenging game… Like Tiddly Winks."
She chuckled, and stepped off the podium.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The strange fortuneteller looked at the three cards on her table.
In the middle was The High Priestess. To the right of her was The Fool. And to her left was The Strength.
"The circle is almost complete," she said. "Only a few more variables remain to be revealed."
She took the card off the top of the deck, and placed it underneath the first three cards, under the border between The Strength and The High Priestess.
The card showed a man in a flowing, purple robe, holding a wand up high in his left hand, and holding a sword in his right. In front of him was a table, on which was a golden goblet and a sphere with a pentagram drawn on it.
"The Magician," she said. "Certainly, this represents young Samantha, a young woman with confidence who seeks new opportunities and new beginnings… Such as starting a new legacy for the Kaiba name by becoming the Queen of Games.
"One variable still remains for now, but I feel it will be revealed shortly."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fifteen minutes later, the group was outside the restaurant, as the sun was starting to set.
"I can't believe what a big crybaby that guy was," said Chelsea.
"Who can blame him?" asked Erik. "His best Monster was trashed twice in the same duel."
"So Sam…" asked Ren, "why the sudden respect for Ha Des?"
"Well…" said Sam, "Ha Des is a guy with a lot of power, a lot of influence… he's rich…"
"In Greek myth, Hades was the god of wealth, as well as the god of the dead," added Chelsea.
"True," said Sam, nodding. "He rules an empire, he likely owns shares of stock in every major company in the place where Duel Monsters live… Maybe he just reminded me of my dad and my great uncle.
"They weren't evil, of course, but Ha Des was the closest thing I could find to a billionaire CEO."
"So, uhm, Sam…" said Ren, nervously. "You wouldn't happen to have a Crush Card in your deck, would you?"
Sam glared at him.
Then she smirked.
"Oh, please," she said. "My great uncle's dumb viruses hurt him more often than they helped him."
"Ain't it the truth…" muttered Erik.
"Besides," continued Sam, "that card and the related Traps aren't nearly as powerful as they used to be."
"So…" said Chelsea, "speaking of wealth, I guess we're all thinking the same thing… What we'd do if we won the tournament. Five million is a lot of money.
"I looked it up by the way, Ren. It's roughly six-hundred million Yen, give or take."
Ren let out a low whistle.
"Hey…" said Yumi. "I'm gonna have college tuition to pay for in a few years, and my folks' money isn't gonna last forever."
"I know what you mean, in a way," said Sam. "Just once I'd like to have some money that didn't come out of the trust fund that I was given. I know it sounds crazy, but I want money that I got myself."
There was a pause.
"What about the big prize?" asked Ren. "The request? The wish?"
They all looked at each other.
"Know what I'd wish for?" asked Erik, holding Sam close.
He looked into her eyes.
"I'd wish for them to build us a romantic villa on the French Riviera, just for the two of us, our own little castle where I could…"
Before he could finish, Sam kissed him on the lips.
Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea watched. Ren looked at his watch and counted the seconds.
"We might have a new record here, people," he said.
Sam let go, and blushed.
"Our hotel is right next to yours," said Sam. "We'll walk there."
They couldn't have known that Nicholas was watching.
In fact, he had been at a table nearby all during Ren's duel and Sam's duel. He had already reported what he had seen about Ren's strategy…
He turned on a cell phone and spoke into it.
"Yes?" said the voice. "Did any of them duel again?"
"No…" he replied, "but get this… They're paling around with Arachne's daughter."
"Arachne's daughter…" said the voice. "An interesting concept. I don't know whether it will benefit us or trouble us.
"Keep watching them until they get to their hotels. We need all the information we can garner."
"Gotcha," he replied.
Defeating a lout who was out for revenge, Sam manages three victories in the first day alone, bringing her up to Blue. Is there more to come in this first day of the tournament? We will see…
0
0
0
GIL GARTH (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Fiend
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK:
1,800
DEF: 1,000
Flavor Text: An extermination machine protected by iron armor. Without mercy, he'll attack with his giant katana.
Note: "Gil Garth" is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.
0
0
0
Chelsea: It seems Sam is a pretty good duelist. She may be a worthy opponent.
Ren: Yeah, but I still don't see what Erik sees in her. What attracted him to someone like that?
Yumi: I don't know folks. Likely no-one knows, least of all Sam.
But we'll soon see just how dedicated a boyfriend he is, because a challenge is one thing, an insult is another.
Coming up next, "Battle of Honor! Big Things in Small Packages".
Chelsea: Erik's gonna duel now?
Ren: Big things in small packages? I don't get it…
