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DUEL NINE

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Frozen Soul

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In Japan, you'll find many traditions that you won't find in the West. One of them is the Japanese tea ceremony.

This age-old tradition is a gathering by the elite members of society. It consists of the host serving confections and mild tea, sometimes with geisha providing entertainment (if the host is rich enough) and some meditative techniques.

A tea ceremony is properly done in a chashitsu, or tea room, which is a building built for this exclusive purpose. In modern times however, many folks aren't rich enough to build their own chashitsu, so public tea houses can often be used instead. These places are actual businesses, and when not being used for a private ceremony, served the same purpose as coffee shops did in the West, serving tea instead of coffee, of course.

People came here to drink and calm their nerves, and sometimes drown their sorrows…

Around the time Shichiro's duel with Oscar was starting, Hebi-Na entered a tea house in the suburbs, the veil hiding her serpentine nature from the Mundanes. She saw her target sitting on one of the soft pillows on the floor, sipping from a cup and looking at a binder. He was a thin, gaunt man in a black business suit with glasses. He was kind of a living scarecrow, he was so thin.

Hebi-Na sat down beside him.

"You look pretty depressed, pal," she said.

He looked at her suspiciously.

"What?" she asked.

"Beautiful women usually don't talk to me unless they want something," he replied.

"I just noticed your cards," she said. "Interesting stuff…"

"These were my uncle's cards," said the man. "He was a great duelist in the Pro League way back when…

"They called him X. He had the best Mill Deck ever made."

"A Mill Deck?" asked Hebi-Na, trying hard to sound surprised.

"Uh huh," said the man. "He was on a higher tier than Edo Phoenix. See this? This Trap Card was the key to his deck…"

He pointed to a Trap Card.

"It's called Monster Register. When it's in play, every time a player summons a Monster, it costs him one card from his deck for each Level it has.

"Now, that affects both players, but my uncle had a way around it…"

He pointed to another card, a Level 4 Dark Machine Monster with 800 Attack Points.

"It's called Trap Sluzer. It has a low Attack Score, but so long as it's in Attack Mode, the controller and his cards are completely immune to Traps."

"That sounds kind of broken," replied Hebi-Na.

"It IS broken!" exclaimed the man. "That was the whole problem!"

He sighed.

"Whoever designed the card thought that the low Attack Score made it balanced. But a low Attack Score can actually help a Monster. It could be searched for with Sangan, Mystic Tomato, or Damage Condenser, revived by Limit Reverse, protected by Heart of Clear Water… So many ways to get it and protect it…"

"So what happened to your uncle?" asked Hebi-Na.

"He took a job as a duelist assassin," sighed the man. "He was hired by some crazy cult leader to duel Judai Yukai."

"Uh oh!" said Hebi-Na.

"Uh oh is right…" muttered the man. "He made the same mistake that so many of Judai's opponents did… Judai may have defeated the Sacred Beasts, but so long as he wore that

Osiris Red jacket, everyone assumed he was a loser."

"I can't argue," replied Hebi-Na. "A smart duelist knew that many Osiris students were losers too. They were just losers from rich families who bought their way to the upper-class dorm. Of course, Duel Academies were different back then…"

"Ain't it the truth," sighed the man. "But what happened was more embarrassing than my uncle could ever have imagined. Judai not only beat him, he turned the tables on him… Won by decking him out!

"And then word spread all over the Pro League that he had been beaten. He suspected that Edo told a few people, seeing as he had witnessed the duel. People at KaibaCorp started to watch him more closely…

"After a few weeks, they decided that Trap Sluzer and two other cards he was using were too powerful. They were outlawed. His status in the Pro League fell like an anchor…"

He gave a sad look, and sipped his tea.

"Do you duel?" asked Hebi-Na.

"Yeah…" muttered the man. "But I'm nowhere near as good as he was…"

Hebi-Na took off her sunglasses. Of course, he was Mundane, and didn't see her snake-like eyes. All he saw were green eyes… Deep, sea green eyes that were almost hypnotic, as Mundanes would often perceive the eyes of an ophidia.

"Maybe I can make you even better…" she said with a sinister smile. "I can give you a few things that can make you even better than your uncle…"

"What's the catch?" asked the man, nervously.

Hebi-Na tickled his chin.

"Oh, I just want you to test the cards I give you out after I give them to you…" she said. "One little duel…"

"Uh…" he said. "Who would I have to duel? You?"

"Naw…" said Hebi-Na. "I've got someone else in mind…"

Ophidia had a talent for seduction when it was necessary. This was one of the reasons why snakeblooded were among the most common of Shadow-touched. It was even rumored that the legend of Don Juan was based on a male ophidia who had been especially good at it.

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Around the time this was happening, Ember was picking up a blouse at a dry cleaner's in midtown Neo Domino.

"Any trouble with this, Cheng?" she asked.

"Well, truthfully, Ms. Eiko," said the clerk, handing her the wrapped up blouse, "it was a challenge. May I ask how it got so stained?"

Ember laughed nervously.

"Uhm…" she said. "Would you believe it was from wrestling a foulspawn?"

"Uh…" said the clerk.

Then Ember's cell phone rang. She quickly answered it.

She was shocked to hear Selmith's voice.

"Hello, Ember," he said. "Remember me?"

Ember quickly looked at the clerk. Then she made a pleasant expression.

"Hey, lover!" she said, beaming. "I knew you'd call."

"Eh?" said Selmith. "No, it's me, Selmith!"

"I'll pick that up later," said Ember to the clerk.

She started walking out of the store.

"I'd never forget your voice, lover," she said.

Once she closed the door, her happy face turned angry.

"Okay, fish-face," she said with a scowl. "Now that I'm out of that clerk's earshot… How'd you get the number of this phone?"

"I recently got into contact with a Shadowjack who can break into the phone company's database," replied Selmith.

Ember frowned. Shadowjacks… Computer hackers who could cast magical spells through the internet to aid them in their illegal task.

"But seriously," continued the sahuagin, "I was thinking of reconsidering your offer…"

"Seriously?" asked Ember.

"Tell you what," said the sahuagin. "You know that candy store three blocks down the street?"

"Professor Praline's Turkish Taffy?" asked Ember.

"That's the one," said Selmith. "Meet me there… I just want a rematch. If you defeat me, I will turn myself in."

Ember sighed as she hung up the phone.

"Gonna regret this…" she said.

She hit the off button on her phone.

Better turn this off for now, she thought. No telling who else has my number…

She was surprised as she saw a ball of flame appear next to her in mid-air.

"Did someone mention Turkish taffy?" it asked.

The ball changed shape, and Ember saw that it was Gabriel.

"I thought I left you at home!" she snapped.

"I got bored," said the small phoenix.

"So why did you follow me instead of the others?" asked Ember.

"I like you better!" replied Gabriel. "Now what was this about taffy?"

"I have to work now!" said Ember. "Look… Be quiet while I take care of this guy, and I'll get you some of the candy. But you'll have to wait."

She ran down the street, with Gabriel following.

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Meanwhile, Selmith, true to his word, was waiting outside of the sweet-shop.

As you might expect, the diet of most aquatic Shadowkind consisted of fish, crustaceans, and edible sea flora. The only way they could really get anything else was by trading with surface dwellers.

And some foods they couldn't even get that way. Their food was prepared uncooked, for the simple fact that a cooking mechanism could not function underwater. Their bodies could handle fish eaten raw, but not other meat, so most merfolk and tritons could only wonder what cheeseburgers or fried chicken actually tasted like.

Sahuagin could survive on land easier than most aquatic races, but being enemies of most other races, they didn't trade with surface-dwellers as often as the others. So for them, surface food was a luxury that was very hard to get. Selmith had taken this opportunity to spend some of the cash he had saved on candy.

He was quite disappointed to learn that the colorful little fish-shaped candies called Swedish fish had almost nothing to do with actual fish.

"Yuck!" he said.

He spit out one of them.

"That's worse than a Gummi bear…"

Ember came running up, with Gabriel flying behind her.

"All right, fish-face," she said. "How many rest room walls did you write my number on?"

"Oh, come on," replied Selmith. "I'm a sahuagin warrior! Do you really think I'd stoop to such a juvenile prank?"

"Maybe," said Ember. "So… Ready to throw in the towel?"

"Don't you remember the deal?" asked Selmith. "Duel now… Negotiate later…"

He lifted his Disk, and it activated.

"Fine…" said Ember, as her own Disk activated. "When I signed up for this job, I knew it wasn't gonna be easy…

"Don't think you'll be able to run off this time. You don't have the ocean to your back to dive into… Besides, what could you pull out of that deck now that could surprise me?"

Selmith grinned a toothy grin.

More than you could ever imagine! he thought. And I have no intention of fleeing this time, because I have no intention of losing. My new deck is going to beat you black and blue!

"Duel!" they both shouted.

(Ember: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Selmith: 8,000)

"I'll make the first move this time," said Ember, drawing a card.

"I summon The Thing in the Crater!"

She played the card, and a small, boiling, bubbling pool of lava appeared in front of her. A shadowy, vaguely humanoid shape rose out of it. (1,000 ATK)

"I end my turn," she said.

"Then I draw!" shouted Selmith.

He drew a card.

"And here's something you may remember… The Field Spell, A Legendary Ocean!"

He played the card, and the street became swamped with a shallow sea, and an undersea palace rose behind Selmith. The Thing's lava pool was extinguished, but it kept above the surface.

"I'm sure you don't need me to remind you how this Field Spell works…"

"All Water Monsters gain 200 points to both scores," said Ember. "And their Levels are decreased by one."

"Exactly," said Selmith, playing another card. "Now, I play Enemy Controller, to move The Thing in the Crater to Defense Mode!"

The Thing shielded itself with its arms. (1,200 DEF)

Why would he do that? thought Ember. It's a better defender than it is an attacker…

"And now…" said Selmith, as he played another Spell Card, "I play Anchor Bind!

"I put this in my deck especially for you. With my Field Spell in play, it destroys all Fire Monsters that are in Defense Mode."

The Thing in the Crater shattered.

"Someone needs to bone up on the effects of Fire Monsters," said Ember. "When The Thing in the Crater is destroyed, I get to Special Summon a Pyro Monster from my hand.

"Meet Neoflamvell Saber."

In a burst of fire, a new Pyro appeared. He looked like a warrior with a mane of flaming hair, dressed in armor and holding two burning scimitars. (1,500 ATK)

"And guess what, Selmith?" she continued. "Since your Graveyard currently has less than five cards in it, he gains an Attack Point bonus of 600."

(2,100 ATK)

"Uh, I meant to do that…" replied Selmith.

"Yeah, right!" laughed Gabriel.

"Who asked you?" said Selmith, setting two cards on his Disk.

A reversed Monster and a reversed card appeared.

"That will do for now…"

Ember drew a card. Gabriel moved in to take a peak.

"Ooh, good cards!" he whispered.

"Will you stop looking over my shoulder?" said Ember, somewhat annoyed.

She chose one card.

"I summon Flamvell Gurnika!" she shouted.

In another burst of fire, the flaming, humanoid Dragon appeared. (1,700 ATK)

"Neoflamvell Saber, attack his Monster!" she shouted. "Flaming saber strike!"

The Pyro charged at the facedown card. The Monster that appeared was almost humorous; it was a chubby penguin, dressed in a tuxedo, bowtie, and top hat. It was blown to pieces.

"Nightmare Penguin!" gasped Ember.

"That's right!" laughed Selmith. "And since it was flipped face-up, I can return one of your cards back to your hand. So your Gurnika won't be attacking me directly."

Flamvell Gurnika vanished, and its card appeared in Ember's hand.

Ember sighed.

"I end my turn…" she said.

Selmith made a draw.

"I activate Limit Reverse…" he said, as his facedown card lifted up. "I'll bring Nightmare Penguin back from my Graveyard."

Nightmare Penguin appeared again. (900 ATK)

"And in addition to the bonus from the Field Spell, its own effect grants all Water Monsters an additional 200 Attack Points."

"Now I summon Ice Knight."

He played the card, and what looked like a Warrior with armor and a helmet made entirely out if ice appeared, holding a spear. (1,300 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)

"Ice Knight gains 400 more Attack Points for each Aqua-Type Monster on the field."

(2,500 ATK)

So why the sudden change to an ice theme? thought Ember.

"Ice Knight," ordered Selmith, "put the chill on Neoflamvell Saber!"

Ice Knight pointed its spear, and blasted a bolt of ice, frost, and snow, and Saber staggered against the extreme chill. He iced over, and then shattered.

"Now, Nightmare Penguin attacks directly!"

The sinister Penguin leapt at Ember, and slapped her in the face with its flipper.

"Why, you little…" she muttered.

"I end my turn…" said Selmith.

(E: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 8,000)

Ember drew a card.

It was Sakuretsu Armor.

Gabriel's eyes lit up. Ember quickly glared at him, warning him to be quiet.

She quickly took another card.

"I summon Flamvell Gurnika again," she said.

In a small burst of flame, the Dragon reappeared. (1,700 ATK)

"And because you have less than four cards in your Graveyard, and I have a Flamvell Monster on the field, I can Special Summon Neoflamvell Origin."

The Monster that appeared next was actually kind of cute. It looked like a campfire with a childish face poking out of the top. (500 ATK)

"I've seen cigarette lighters that were scarier than that," said Selmith.

"Neoflamvell Origin is also a Tuner," replied Ember. "So now, it can give Gurnika a Tune-up!"

Both Monsters faded into six glowing stars. Once again, Ember chanted:

"Born in the fiery core, rage empowered by white hot flames, strength of an erupting volcano! Clustering stars form a spark to light a roaring fire! Ignite… Flamvell Urquizas!"

With a roar, Urquizas appeared, hovering above the sea. (2,100 ATK)

"Turn that Nightmare into penguin cutlets!" she shouted. "Fist of flame!"

Nightmare Penguin squawked as the powerful Pyro flew towards it. He socked it with his fist, and it was no more.

"Now, Urquizas gains 300 Attack Points…" said Ember.

(2,400 ATK)

"And with Nightmare Penguin gone, Ice Knight loses 600 Attack Points."

Ice Knight fell down to an Attack Score of 2,000.

"I set one card, and it's your move."

She set Sakuretsu Armor into her Disk, and a card appeared facedown.

(E: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 7,200)

Selmith growled and drew a card.

And then he smiled a wicked smile.

"You think you're so smart," he said, in a voice that was very different than his normal voice. "Well, prepare to experience terror like never before!

"I play the Spell Card, Sacrifice Icicle!"

He played a Spell Card.

"This conjures up an Icicle Token."

What looked like a tall column made of ice with a grim face on it appeared in front of him. (0 ATK)

Then a second column, one that was half the size of the first, appeared off to the side.

"You said one token," said Ember.

"That isn't a token," replied Selmith, pointing to the second column. "It's a marker. You see, when I play this Spell Card, one space in my Monster Zone is sealed off, and I can no longer use it for the remainder of the duel.

"But it's worth it, because if I use this Token as a sacrifice, it can count as two sacrifices."

Two sacrifices? thought Ember. But… He has A Legendary Ocean in play… Even if he was summoning Daedalus, he wouldn't need two sacrifices…

"So I sacrifice it…" said Selmith.

The Icicle Token vanished. The sky above A Legendary Ocean started to darken.

He held up his last card…

"I summon Dark Tuner Catastrogue!"

The Monster that appeared in place of the Token was hideous. It was an impossibly thin Fiend, whose upper body was separated from its lower body, with a glowing orb between the two sections. Its limbs were as thin as pipe cleaners, it had ragged wings, and its skull-like head had one beady, red eye exposed, and a single horn on the right side. (0 ATK)

"A Level 8 Monster with zero Attack Points…" said Ember, narrowing her eyes. "And you were willing to seal off a space in your Monster Zone to summon it…

"And it's a Tuner? Just what can summon with a Tuner that high-Level?"

"Dark Tuner, Shadowchaser," said Selmith, whose voice was now more inhuman than ever. "And my Monsters don't combine their powers like your wimpy Monsters do. They drain the powers from each other, like a snake swallowing the tail of a snake that's swallowing its tail…"

Catastrogue dissolved into eight glowing stars. Ice Knight gave a look of fright, and backed up as they circled around it.

Then they burned into its armor, and it screamed…

Then it burst, and five dark stars started to spin around Selmith.

"What have you done?!" shouted Ember.

Selmith threw his arms to the heavens…

"When the Shadows are devoured by even darker Shadows, the curtain is pulled back to reveal… a world without light!"

All of a sudden, Ember felt a fierce chill. The warm weather had suddenly turned as cold as winter.

But it wasn't just an ice-like chill…

…it was also a chill like that associated with death…

Before Ember's eyes, an even more hideous Fiend appeared in front of her. It looked like a huge stalactite made of ice, with a skull-like face on top, two clusters of ice on the sides that might pass for arms, and two thin legs below.

"Behold Freezing Fitzgerald!" laughed Selmith. "And the Field Spell grants it even more power!"

(2,500 ATK) –) (2,700 ATK)

"What's going on?" gasped Gabriel.

"I'll tell you what's going on," replied Ember, looking at the icy demon. "I'm in for the fight of my life!"

"But before I attack," continued Selmith, "I'll activate the effect of my Dark Tuner Catastrogue. You see, when it goes to the Graveyard to make a Dark Synchro Summon, I get to destroy one of your cards."

A phantom of Catastrogue appeared behind him. Then it flew at Flamvell Urquizas with a cackle. Urquizas groaned, and then shattered.

"URQUIZAS!" screamed Ember.

"And by the way, Shadowchaser," continued Selmith, "if you think that facedown card is going to stop this attack, think again. Fitzgerald prevents you from activating Spells and Traps during the Battle Phase."

Then my Sakuretsu Armor is worthless! thought Ember, starting to sweat.

"Enough talk!" shouted Selmith. "Freezing Fitzgerald, attack directly!"

The frigid demon lifted its two legs, and fired a volley of ice shards with the speed of a machine gun. Ember screamed as she felt like she was being stabbed by knives.

She fell on her behind, and held her torso in pain.

(E: 3,600) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 7,200)

That hurt! she thought. This is as bad as the time I dueled Sonja!

That thing is no Disk-created hologram… This is real… Somehow this two-bit hood has been able to create a Shadow Duel…

Selmith chuckled.

"That little bird of yours is taking this harder than you are," he laughed. "Ooh, look! The poor thing is crying!"

Ember looked up. Gabriel was indeed crying, and the tears were falling on her.

"Come on, Gabriel," she said, "it's not that bad, it…"

Then, suddenly, she felt the pain easing. Then it went away entirely. She felt a surge of energy.

She stood up, and took a deep breath.

"The phoenix is the symbol of life…" she whispered. "Its tears can heal any illness… Or wound…"

She looked at Gabriel.

"Seems there are some benefits to having you around after all!"

"Yeah, Ember, but I can only do that once a day," said Gabriel, "so try not to get hurt again."

"Don't worry…" said Ember.

She drew a card.

"I'm gonna bring down that oversized popsicle…"

She set a card on her Disk, and a reversed Monster appeared.

"I'll end my turn there," she said.

"Well, you certainly can't take down my Monster by defending," said Selmith, as he drew a card.

"Especially since I'm Equipping my Monster with Fairy Meteor Crush!"

He played the card.

"I know, it's ironic to Equip a Fiend with a card that has the word 'Fairy' in its name, but it does the job.

"Freezing Fitzgerald, put her Monster on ice!"

The demon shot its round of ice shards, and UFO Turtle appeared on the card. It exploded into hot slag.

"Ergh…" groaned Ember.

(E: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 7,200)

"I use UFO Turtle's effect to summon Little Chimera!" she shouted.

In a small burst of flame, a small cat with batlike wings appeared. (600/550)

"Look at the cute kitty!" laughed Selmith. "Is she friendly?"

"She's friendly to Fire Monsters," replied Ember, "because she grants them 500 Attack Points."

(1,100 ATK)

"But she isn't friendly to Water Monsters. She causes them to lose 400."

Freezing Fitzgerald fell to 2,300 Attack Points.

"Well, your kitten is road kill next turn," said Selmith.

Ember drew a card.

"Not if I melt your Fiend this turn!" she shouted. "I summon Evocator Chevalier!"

In another burst of fire, the Warrior in scarlet armor appeared. (1,900 ATK) –) (2,400 ATK)

"Humph," said Selmith. "I definitely remember that guy."

"Well, maybe you'll remember this," said Ember, playing another card. "I play Salamandra!"

Evocator Chevalier's sword burned with flames. (3,100 ATK)

"Attack!" she shouted. "Destroy Freezing Fitzgerald!"

Evocator Chevalier made a downward slash with his blade, and a wave of flames ripped across the sea. Freezing Fitzgerald exploded into chunks of ice.

"Ergh…" muttered Selmith.

(E: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 6,800)

Then he chuckled.

"Fool…" he said. "Freezing Fitzgerald won't be vanquished so easily…

"If it's destroyed by battle, I'm able to immediately Special Summon it back to the field in Defense Mode!"

In another aura of cold, Freezing Fitzgerald rose again. (2,700 DEF)

"No way…" gasped Ember.

"And now that you're done attacking," continued Selmith, "all Monsters that attacked it this round are destroyed."

The beast shot a blast of frost, freezing Evocator Chevalier solid. He shattered into pixels.

This is too much… thought Ember.

She turned a card, and Little Chimera sat in Defense Mode. (550 DEF)

"I have to end my turn…" she said.

"My move…" said Selmith.

He made a draw.

"I activate Hidden Armory," he said, playing it. "By sending one card from my deck to the Graveyard…"

He discarded a card from his deck.

"…I get my Fairy Meteor Crush back."

The card slipped out of his discard slot.

Damn, thought Ember, as he Equipped the card to Freezing Fitzgerald again. I should have kept Chimera in Attack Mode…

Freezing Fitzgerald shot its shards of ice at the small Beast, and it burst in a small puff of soot. Ember groaned.

"And with it gone," said Selmith, "my Monster regains its full Attack Score…"

(2,700 ATK)

"It's your move… Still think that you can overpower Water with Fire?"

(E: 350) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 6,800)

Ember growled. She made a draw.

She took a card from her hand.

"I play… Pot of Avarice!" she shouted.

She played the card, and Neoflamvell Saber, Neoflamvell Origin, Flamvell Gurnika, Little Chimera, and The Thing in the Crater fell out of her discard slot. She placed them in her deck, and the Disk auto-shuffled it. She made two draws.

She quickly threw all four of her cards into her Disk, and a facedown Monster and three facedown cards appeared.

"Still haven't learned yet, huh?" chuckled Selmith, making a draw.

As he looked at the card, one of Ember's facedown cards lifted up.

"Huh?" said Selmith.

"Dust Tornado!" she shouted.

The wind blew across the field, blowing the Fairy Meteor Crush to shards.

"There goes your Monster's edge," she said. "Just because I can't stop an attack with Trap Cards doesn't mean they're useless.

"So… Got a Monster strong enough to finish me off?"

Selmith looked at the card he had drawn, and snarled.

"Attack her Monster!" he shouted.

Freezing Fitzgerald fired his volley of shards again. Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.

"Humph…" said Selmith.

He discarded the one card in his hand. They both made five draws.

"Just make your move…" he muttered.

"I will!" said Ember, making a draw.

There it is… she said.

One of her Trap Cards lifted up.

"I activate DNA Transplant," she said. "This lets me change the Attribute of all Monsters on the field to Fire."

The chilling cold went away, and the warm temperature slowly started to return.

"Eh?" said Selmith. "What good would it do you to turn my Monster's Attribute to Fire?"

"Well, for one thing," replied Ember, "it causes it to lose the bonus from your Field Spell."

Freezing Fitzgerald fell to 2,500 Attack Points.

"But we'll get to the rest later. I activate Call of the Haunted!"

Another Trap Card lifted, and Flamvell Urquizas reappeared. (2,100 ATK)

"Next, I summon Flamvell Archer!"

In a blast of fire, a tall, bare-chested archer with flaming hair and a beard appeared next to Urquizas. (1,000 ATK)

"With Archer on the field, I can sacrifice a Pyro-Type Monster once per round to give 800 Attack Points to a Flamvell Monster…

"And since Flamvell Archer himself is a Pyro-Type Monster…"

Flamvell Archer vanished, and Urquizas rose to an Attack Score of 2,900.

"Destroy Freezing Fitzgerald!" she shouted. "Fist of flame!"

Urquizas flew at the Fiend, and socked it hard. It burst in an explosion of vapor.

"Ergh…" muttered Selmith.

(E: 350) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 6,400)

"You just don't get it, do you?" he snarled. "Let me refresh your memory…

"I use its effect to revive it in Defense Mode!"

Freezing Fitzgerald appeared again. (2,500 DEF)

"And once again, now that your Battle Phase is over, your Monster is destroyed!"

Flamvell Urquizas shattered into shards.

"Now, uhm…

"Uh… Why are you smiling like that?"

"Because…" said Ember, "you did just what I wanted you to do… Time to destroy that thing for good!

"It's still my turn, and I'm playing Double Spell!"

She quickly played a Spell Card.

"Now, for the cost of one other Spell Card…"

She discarded Heavy Storm.

"I can take one Spell Card from your Graveyard and use it."

A card flew from Selmith's discard slot, into Ember's hand. She held it up.

"My Anchor Bind!" he shouted, his eyes opening wide.

"NOW do you see why I used DNA Transplant?" asked Ember, as she played the card. "If I remember correctly, this Spell destroys all Fire Monsters in Defense Mode while your Field Spell is in play.

"That means your Freezing Fitzgerald is about to be buried at sea."

Selmith watched in horror as his Dark Synchro shattered into pixels.

"Still my turn…" she continued. "I'm removing one Fire Monster in my Graveyard from play…"

Flamvell Archer slipped out of her discard slot, and she pocketed it.

"…to Special Summon Spirit of Flames in Defense Mode."

A fiery demon with flames for a lower torso appeared in front of her. It knelt and shielded itself. (1,000 DEF)

"It's your move…"

Selmith growled, and drew a card.

"I summon Cold Enchanter!" he shouted.

In a flash, an icy woman in a long gown and a headband, holding a long staff with a snowflake on the end appeared. (1,600 ATK)

"Now, by ditching one card, I can put an Ice Counter on any Monster on the field, and she gains 300 more Attack Points for each.

"And to make sure she always has that bonus, I'll put it on her."

He discarded Trojan Blast, and Cold Enchanter glowed. (1,900 ATK)

"Attack Spirit of Flames!" he shouted.

Cold Enchanted aimed her staff.

"Hey, Selmith!" shouted Ember. "Did you forget about this?"

Her Sakuretsu Armor card, the one she had set before he had summoned Freezing Fitzgerald, flipped up.

"Your Dark Synchro may have kept me from using it," she said, "but Cold Enchanter can't!"

Cold Enchanter shattered into bits.

Selmith glared at her.

"Make… your… move…" he growled.

"Draw…" said Ember.

She made a draw.

"Time to end this!" she shouted, as she played a card.

"I play Fire Back! I toss one Fire Monster…"

She discarded Infernal Flame Emperor.

"…to Special Summon one from my Graveyard. Flamvell Urquizas, welcome back."

Urquizas leapt onto the field. (2,100 ATK)

"Then I move Spirit of Flames to Attack Mode…"

Spirit of Flames moved forward. (1,700 ATK)

"…and summon Ultimate Baseball Kid!"

She played her last card, and a pint-size kid in a red little-league outfit, holding a metal bat, with the kanji symbol for Fire on his helmet, leapt onto the field. (500 ATK)

"Ultimate Baseball Kid gains 1,000 more Attack Points for each Fire Monster in the field, other than himself."

(2,500 ATK)

"Now, all together, people…" she said.

The three Monsters charged at the sahuagin, Spirit of Flames gaining 300 Attack Points. Flamvell Urquizas led the assault, striking the fish-man with a blazing fist. Spirit of Flames followed, hitting just as hard. Then Ultimate Baseball Kid hit a flaming baseball that knocked the criminal over.

Selmith fell over, out cold.

(E: 350) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 0)

The Ocean Field vanished as Ember walked up to the unconscious Selmith.

Better call Shichiro, she thought.

As she turned on her cell phone it rang, giving her a shock. She hit the button.

"Shichiro?" she said, as she fished a gemstone out of her pocket.

"Huh? Yeah, I know…"

She pointed the gem at Selmith, and he vanished.

"Uh, I think Gears and Jinx went to go eat at Giorgio's place."

On the other end, Shichiro's brow furrowed with worry.

"No wonder I can't get ahold of them," he said. "Cell phones don't work there…"

Giorgio was a retired Shadowchaser who owned a pizza and pasta restaurant. It was also a place where Shadowchasers could meet outside their townhouse when they wanted to discuss things with people whom they couldn't let there. Shichiro had taken Ember there when they had first met.

Privacy was a must at Giorgio's. Among other things, cell phones and other electronic communication devices could not get a signal there.

"Ember, meet me there," he said, "we have to find them and warn them before they're attacked too."

"I'm on it," said Ember.

She hung up.

"Come on, Gabriel."

"Aw, no taffy?" he said.

"Gabriel, come to your senses!" said Ember. "That Freezing Fitzgerald was a creation of dark magic! Gears and Jinx may be in grave danger!"

"Well, if you put it that way…" said Gabriel.

Ember ran down the street, with the phoenix flying behind her.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SACRIFICE ICICLE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: An obelisk made of ice with a dour face on the front, in an arctic mountain pass in the middle of a blizzard.

Card Description: Select one unoccupied space in your Monster Zone. The selected space cannot be used for the remainder of the duel. Special Summon one "Icicle Token" (Aqua/Water/Level 1/ATK0/DEF0). If an "Icicle Token" is Tributed for the Tribute Summon of a Monster, it can count as two Tributes.

Note: "Sacrifice Icicle" was first used by Asuka in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Heart of Ice (Part 1)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ANCHOR BIND (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A flash of light surrounding a three-weighted bolos.

Card Description: Activate only when "Umi" is face-up on the field. Destroy all opposing FIRE Monsters in face-up Defense Position.

Note: "Anchor Bind" was first used by O'Brien in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "What Lies Beneath (Part 1)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ICE KNIGHT (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Aqua/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 4
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: Increase the ATK of this card by 400 for every face-up Aqua-Type Monster on the field.

Note: "Ice Knight" was first used by Kourimaru in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Taken by Storm (Part 1)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

FREEZING FITZGERALD (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Dark Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: -5
ATK: 2,500
DEF: 2,500

Card Description: 1 or more non-Tuner Monster – 1 Dark Tuner Monster

To Special Summon this card, subtract the Level of the Dark Tuner Monster used as Synchro Material from the combined Level of the non-Tuner Monster(s) used. The value must equal the Level of this card. When this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate set Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. If this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon it in face-up Defense Mode. At the end of the Battle Phase, destroy all Monsters that attacked this card.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DARK TUNER CATASTROGE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Dark Tuner/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 0
DEF: 0

Card Description: When this card is used for the Synchro Summon of a Dark Synchro Monster, destroy one card your opponent controls.

Note: "Freezing Fitzgerald" and "Dark Tuner Catastrogue" were first used by Dick Pitt in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "Web of Deceit (Part 1)" Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Next:

Shichiro: Both Ember and I have been attacked by these… things… Are Gears and Jinx in danger too?

Maybe I'm worrying for nothing… Maybe whoever is behind this is done for the day…

Taramanda: Now really, Shichiro, haven't you been doing this long enough to know that things like this always come in threes? My trilogy of terror against you Shadowchasers has one more part before the day is out…

"Eliminating the League" is coming soon.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Shadowchaser Files

Golgolye, Power of Gems

There's magic in gemstones. Shadowkind know it for fact. Why is does it strike them so odd that one of the most powerful Shadows in the world is a being of living gems? Such it is with the case of the unique and ancient dragon known as Golgolye.

Golgolye came into the world from beyond Shadow even before Jamor Stormbringer did, and made his lair in the Andes Mountains of South America. Exactly what subspecies of dragon he was has been forgotten, and hardly matters now. All dragons have great hordes, and Golgolye's wealth may have been even greater than Jamor's, as was his covetousness. Legends by the oldest Shadowkind clans of that region called him selfish and greedy, and claim he would kill anyone who so much as looked at his great treasure. He was also paranoid, believing that everyone was trying to steal what was rightfully his.

One day, or so the story goes, an ophidia offered to sell him a spellbook that contained an incantation that would ensure he would be able to protect his horde like no other dragon could. Against his better judgment, Golgolye accepted, paying a great deal of gold. Even if Golgolye suspected that the ophidia was a con artist, he had no idea what the spell would truly do, or he would never have bought it.

For when Golgolye cast the spell, a mighty blast destroyed his physical body, along with much of the mountain where he made his lair. Then it created a new body for him, constructed out of his horde. Golgolye's new body was made of gold and silver, and encrusted with beautiful gems of every spectrum of the rainbow. He and his great treasure had become one.

Soon, the con artist ophidia arrived with the other members of his village. Their plan had been to slay Golgolye, who he had expected to be weakened by the change, and claim the treasure more easily. But Golgolye had adapted to his new body far quicker than the ophidia assumed he would, and rained death upon the treacherous snakes.

Golgolye needed to find a new purpose. The experience humbled him, and taught him that being selfish and covetous only leads one to ruin. Golgolye has since then acted as a guardian of sacred and mystical places on the South American continent; anyone who wishes to deface or loot these sites must deal with him. Rumor has it he even knows the location of the mythical El Dorado. But Golgolye will not confirm nor deny the existence of this legendary treasure to anyone who asks, much less reveal its location to any mortal being.

With the advent of Duel Monsters, Golgolye has become a curiosity. Apparently, he can duel, even without a Disk, making the cards appear as images in front of him as he draws them. The strange thing is the nature of his deck, according to those who have dueled him and survived: he uses Crystal Beasts. This seems impossible, since Johan Anderson is supposed to own the only copies of these cards, but Golgolye has somehow duplicated them. Clearly, Golgolye must command powerful magic if he can do this. He does not seem to have Duel Spirits as companions as Johan does, but the Monsters in his deck are still clearly Crystal Beasts.

Story Ideas: Golgolye protects the riches of South America, both the material ones and the spiritual ones, and does so vehemently. Anyone who wants to explore the ancient Mayan and Incan ruins might have to deal with him. The only magical site he will not go near is the Nazca Lines.

Although Golgolye technically falls under the jurisdiction of the Great Treaty, he recognizes no authority, not that of humans, not that of the Shadowchasers, not any other. If they have a problem with it, they can try to survive the breath of an ancient dragon that can lay waste to a small town and try to pierce a hide that is armored with hard gems. He respects the places he guards, but little else. He is willing to duel to handle a problem, because like most dragons, he cannot resist a challenge, but should the opponent lose, his fate is in Golgolye's hands. Dealing with any dragon is never easy and is often dangerous.

One Shadowkind who hates Golgolye with a passion is Darien Silverpick, the world's biggest supplier of adamantine and worshipper of the God of Greed. Time and again, he has tried to prospect for adamantine deposits that he knows are in the jungles of the Amazon, only for his men to be chased away by this powerful dragon. Unlike Golgolye, Darien will likely never learn that being selfish is wrong, and he will likely keep trying. The two have never confronted each other directly, but that may yet happen in time.

Deck Suggestions: As stated, Golgolye uses Crystal Beasts, but his deck differs from Johan's. For one thing, he uses multiple copies of each Crystal Beast, something that Johan doesn't do. Also, he is known to use three Monsters that Johan does not use: Dweller in the Depths, Magna-Slash Dragon, and Gravi-Crush Dragon. These Monsters benefit from having several Continuous Spells on the field (which Crystal Beasts are considered if they are in the Spell Zone) and they are Dragons, like Golgolye. One card that might also fit is Bad End Queen Dragon, but no one has ever reported him using this card. According to some people who Golgolye defeated but choose to be merciful to, Golgolye also uses the powerful Crystal Abundance, a deadly Spell that Johan never used (he had one, but it was not his style).

Golgolye has never been known to use Rainbow Dragon. It may be that he does not have one in his deck… Or, if he does, any opponent who has seen him use it has not had his life spared.