YuGiOh Jr: Sister of Anansi

by King Dragun

Again, sorry for being so long. This is the final chapter of the main story. A substory is coming out soon.

10. Double Snare

Hey ho! It's time for another chapter of the fantastic adventure that is "Yu-Gi-Oh Jr.: Sister of Anansi!" Be warned, this chapter is LONG! It also features my first double-duel and the resolution of what happened in Chapter 6. Enjoy!

When Twilight told us the spooky story about Katherine, the lover of Arkana, and how she was killed by two sinister figures and became a ghost, I was freaked out. I didn't realize at the time, but it was true: Katherine's specter haunted Lina's dreams and forced her into a duel for her soul. She won by the skin of her teeth, thanks to Timaeus.

I also had a freaky nightmare. It was about Jade and her mother, Mai. It showed Jade played a powerful card that transformed her Time Wizard into a weapon. Now, I know that Timaeus can turn monsters into dragonriders and Critias can absorb Brigit's trap cards and become even more powerful. But I wonder…is there a third mystical dragon that can turn monsters into weapons?

Well, if there is, I wish I had it now…because I'm dueling with Twilight against the sinister figures who murdered Katherine…and we'll become their next victims if we don't get some help A.S.A.P.!

o

Yu-Gi-Oh Jr.: Sister of Anansi

Chapter 9: Double Snare

O

"So, that's the whole story, is it?" asked the white-robed figure as Doppler gave his report.

"Yes, the girl Giselle is quite skilled, I would have lost the duel had that counselor not interfered," said Doppler. "I had to flee for various reasons."

"Yes, I would think Lina would crack after seeing two of the same camper," chuckled the figure.

"So, Master Pisaro, what do we do now?" asked Doppler.

The figure looked up and removed his hood, revealing pale skin and pointed ears. "Simple, my doppleganger friend, we await our other spy's report."

"I'm here already," said a voice. A young man with black hair and brown eyes emerged from the shadows, wearing a Penguin Knight Duelist Camp shirt.

"Good day, my friend, what is your report?" asked Pisaro with a nod.

"The mini-tournament's opening ceremony will take place two days from now," said the boy. "I suggest we strike now and steal those two dragons, Timaeus and Critias, from the ones who own them."

"Ah yes, those dragons," grinned Pisaro. His eyes flicked to the statue. "Dartz had quite a problem with those creatures. We're lucky Hermos hasn't joined them by now...but you never know. Still, if we can destroy those cards, then it will be harder for our enemies to resist the power of the Orichalcos."

"Indeed," said Doppler. "So, who are you sending?"

"My top agents, the Gemini Sisters," chuckled Pisaro. "They are skilled at this work. Go and tell them to start setting a trap for our friends."

"I'll go back to my station, sir," said the boy. "If that's all right with you."

"Yes, we can't allow your counselor or fellow campers to get suspicious, can we?" grinned Pisaro. The boy nodded and left the room.

"May I ask a question that concerns our mission, Master?" asked Doppler. "I'll be quick."

"Fine," said Pisaro.

"Why are we bothering with these young duelists? They are not very good at the game and, other than those dragons, they do not pose a threat to us. Why not simply find one of the duelists that are participating in Duelatopia and use THEM?"

Pisaro chuckled. "My dear dear Doppler, you are not as smart as I am, your only intellect is from those who mimic. If you had my wisdom, you would know that it would be foolish to target the Duelatopians. Siegfried Kaiba's Centurions would no doubt hunt us down and harass us. We are strong, but not invincible, and I believe that he has means of subduing anyone who would..." He grinned. "You know."

"Ah, I see," chuckled Doppler. "Forgive my stupidity."

"The camp is safe because the security is much weaker - the fools think that the natural mountains and forests can protect them from me," grinned Pisaro. "But I've lived in many places in my world, places where the untamed woods of the United States would be like a kid's park compared to them! They do not keep me out for long."

Doppler chuckled under his breath. And you, my dear friend, are a fool for thinking that your crackpot plan to destroy Yugi Jr. will succeed. But now is not the time to strike. Once his plan reaches its climax, then we'll see...

0

Lina decided to kill two Whptail Crows with one Throwstone Unit by visiting the headmaster on both accounts. It was already two days before the mini-tournament was to begin, and every camper she passed by was giddy with excitement. As she walked to Machus' office, she heard quite a few dialogues.

"Hey, what do you think this mini-tournament is gonna be like?" asked a guy from the Vampire Lord cabin.

"I dunno," said his friend, who was in the Spear Dragon cabin. "But I heard that I.I. plans to make it as pretty and big as Duelatopia!"

"No way, nothing can be as big as KaibaCorp's resort!" said a girl from the Shining Friendship cabin. "My sister, Pterra, is participating and the invitation she got was awesome! I doubt that a dinky camp like this could match the grandeur of Duelatopia."

"You think too much, Ginny," said her friend from the Harpie Lady cabin, a girl who had short blonde hair and blue eyes. She was holding a stuffed cat plushie. "Let me tell you, this tournament is big, I know it, and I'm going to take it by storm as...KATNAPPE! Mrow!"

"Oh please, Kate," sighed the Vampire Lord boy, rolling his eyes. "You're too obsessed with that cartoon, Xiaolin Showdown."

Lina giggled. If only they knew what cards I have... She thought about her role in the mini-tournament. Counselors and staff were forbidden to compete, because they had a very vital role, one which would test any camper who dared to take the challenge. She then blushed at the attire she would have to wear during the mini-tournament prelims. Honestly, no offense to that monster, but she should dress a bit more... "Oh, here I am!"

The headmaster's main office was a lavish building which looked like something from a fairy tale. It was a German cottage decorated with small gnomes in the front lawn, but these gnomes weren't ordinary lawn gnomes, they were statues of Goblin Attack Force's goblins in various poses.

Lina knocked on the door knocker, which was shaped like a Red Eyes Black Dragon. "Who's there?" asked a stern matronly voice.

"Lina, I wish to meet Machus," said Lina.

"One moment please," said the voice. A minute passed before the voice spoke again. "You are admitted. Be respectful to the headmaster."

"I will," said Lina as the door opened with a creak. Lina made her way quickly to the office where she had met Machus a month before to talk about taking care of Diane. This time, Lina's interest in Diane was one of the reasons she had returned to this place.

The door opened and Machus looked up from his work. "Come on, my dear!" he grinned. The woman stepped in and closed the door. "Have a seat."

Lina slowly slipped into a giant chair shaped like the Rafflesia Seduction monster and, sniffing the cushions, sighed. "Arn was here earlier, wasn't he?"

"Yes, but that was two weeks ago, right after the town incident," said Machus. "I must thank you for saving him and stopping the crook who was attacking people in town. A big raise is coming your way, my dear, taken from the reward money that the police are giving our camp as thanks for such a heroic act."

"I think you should give the reward to Brigit, she did most of the work, even though they disobeyed orders to stay in camp," grinned Lina. She had discreetly left out the stuff about the Seal of Orichalcos and the God Card. "If you want to know, I can smell Arnold's cheap deodorant, it's like a scent skunks give off when startled." She giggled.

"Well, he was indeed frightened, it was like some ghost had caught him by the collar, not that I believe in ghosts," grinned Machus.

Lina grinned back. If only you knew, my dear headmaster...

"I gave him a stern lecture about the rules, and warned him that any similar actions like what he did in the future will result in his termination and replacement," said Machus. "I think he has shaped up, but still I'm ordering Brandon to watch him closely."

"Yeah, whatever," said Lina.

"Forgive my rudeness, you were the one who arranged this meeting, Miss Mystara," said Machus with a soft chuckle. "How can I be of assistance?"

Lina smiled and leaned back. "Two things, sir. I'll get the lesser thing out of the way now. I heard my campers talking about someone called 'Doppler.'"

"Ah yes, Mr. Doppler," grinned Machus. "I don't know much, but from what I have gleaned from the old Duelist Labyrinth archives, Mr. Doppler was a quick-change artist hired by our former president, Miss Pegasus, as one of the seven 'Key Guardians' who tested the duelists entering the finals of the tournament. Actually, I believed he volunteered his services, because he wasn't paid. Neither were the Red and Orange Key Guardians, but I dare not go into details about who they were and what they were working for. Doppler didn't seem to be working for anything but his own glory - he loved to take the forms of the duelists he faced and even duplicate their entire decks. I have no idea or speculation how he did this, but I believe he was just a massive collector of every card in existence. Of course, from what I heard, he duplicated Mr. Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragons, and that is impossible. Ah, the rumors..."

Lina paused. So, Doppler was an illusionist who duplicated a person's deck, huh? Something's fishy about that. If there are only three Blue Eyes, then it's obvious that either the dueling arena made fake cards, or there was magic involved. If only I could contact Anne's ghost... "One other thing, sir. One of my campers, Diane to be exact, had a nightmare involving a woman called Jade. I think she's the daughter of Mai."

"Oh, Jade!" said Machus, grinning broadly. "She's become quite the duelist and follows a code called bushido, wearing the armor of a Japanese samurai. Tell me, what do you want to know about her that involves me?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could allow me to contact her and arrange a phone meeting between her and Diane," said Lina. "Diane's not eating well and I worry that she is obsessing over that dream, which could hurt her skill come the mini-tournament."

"I see," said Machus, rubbing his goatee gently. "Hmmm...it would be unwise to bother Jade now, as she is preparing to go to Duelatopia. But...if it won't take more than an hour or disrupt her daily schedule, I might be able to allow that. I don't want any of the campers to be at anything less than peak performance come the mini-tournament."

"Thank you sir, you made both of our days!" grinned Lina, getting up. "That's all for now." She left the room.

Machus sighed. "Well, I guess she took that as a 'yes.' Oh well,..."

0

Inside a dark shack in the woods, the two cloaked figures were playing Blackjack with their Duel Monsters cards. "21, exactly," said one, holding up a pair of monster cards showing a Fireyarou and Earthbound Spirit.

"Ah darn it!" cried the other, tossing her cards to the table. "That's the tenth time!"

"Tough luck, sis, you gotta roll with the punches," giggled the first figure, pulling the ante pot towards her.

Just then, a third figure appeared. It was Doppler. "Girls, a moment with you."

The second figure turned and removed her hood. "Sis, it's old Mimic-Man."

The other figure removed her hood. "Well well, if it ain't old chameleon-freak. What did the Boss send you here for? More progress reports?"

"No, he wants you to set a trap for two people and steal certain cards from them," said Doppler. "Lina Mystara and Brigit Anderlee."

"What? You mean the counselor of the Dark Magician Girl cabin and one of her campers?" asked the first woman. "You must be joking. We can't attack them!"

"Don't worry, you won't be stealing any souls, just setting a trap," said Doppler. "Then you'll force the two to surrender their dragon cards, the Eye of Timaeus and the Fang of Critias, and bring them to Pisaro."

The second girl leaned over and whispered in her sister's ear. "Say sis, if they won't give it up, we can duel them...and we don't have to listen to old Mimic-Man's warning about taking souls. After all, we are treacherous..."

"SHHHH!" hissed the first woman. "You want chameleon-freak to hear us?"

Doppler did hear them, but smirked. Go ahead, do whatever you want, my dears. I'm afraid that your treachery to the Master will not go unpunished..."Don't be cocky. They own Timaeus and Critias, the dragons which defeated Kane and Janos. If you intend to duel them, you will be in serious trouble if they find out you're working with Pisaro."

"Oh pu-lease," said the second woman, rolling her eyes. "Those two were skilled, but they were total wimpolas. We're not like them, right sis?"

"You bet, you want a job done, we can do it...for a fee," grinned the first woman.

"You will get your fee," said Doppler. "And three times that if you obtain the two Dragons and bring them to Pisaro. But fail...and you know the consequences."

"Don't worry," chuckled the second woman with a giggle. "We've never lost yet!"

"Right," said the other girl. "We're the Gemini Sisters. We've pulled off more murders, abductions, and dirty work than even the Batman's worst villians could conceive! This won't be a challenge."

Doppler smirked. "I hope, for your sake, you are correct..." With that, he faded into the shadows.

"Come on, sis, we've gotta put operation Gemini Trap into place," smirked the first woman, getting out of her chair.

"Yeah...but could we get something to eat first?" asked the second. "I don't want to steal two souls on an empty stomach."

"I think there is some leftover pizza from last night in the mini-fridge," stated the first, opening the refrigerator.

0

The next morning, Diane and her friends were having breakfast in the cafeteria. Diane was still stirring her oatmeal lazily, but she ate. The others were a bit too excited to eat. "The day after tomorrow's the big day!" said Giselle. "Duelist Camp's mini-tournament is going to begin!"

"I'll be so excited I can't sleep!" said Brigit. "I can't wait to see how my deck does!"

"You sure gained a lot of confidence," said Diane.

"You bet," said Brigit, grinning like a big hero. "After all, I almost took down Obelisk the Tormentor!"

"Yeah, it's a blue moon when someone does something as big as THAT," stated Giselle with a sly smile. "So, Diane, how are you doing? Still having weird nightmares about that Seal taking famous people's souls again?"

"No, that dream only happened once," said Diane softly. "If only I knew what it meant..." She saw Lina come up. "Hi."

"Hello Diane. I have a phone call for you," said Lina, grinning from ear to ear. "Come with me."

"For me?" asked Diane. Is it Sheena? Sis said she couldn't make phone calls during the tournament, and it is so close to the tournament...

"Yep, it's for you," said Lina.

"Go on and take it," said Brigit. "I bet it's your sister!"

"No, it's not," said Lina. "But I think that the talk will be helpful to her. Trust me." She winked, then went into her thoughts. It took a lot of convincing, but I think I managed to get that person to help. It's pretty weird talking to the woman, but she's a nice person and I sensed warmth and strength from her voice. If anyone can decipher the dream, it is one of the actors that was in it!

0

Lina let Diane into her room. "I'll let you two talk privately," giggled Lina, winking as she handed the cell phone to Diane. She exited the room, closed the door, and activated a little bugging device. I'm pretty good at eavesdropping. I know it's wrong, but I want to hear the conversation between these two!

Diane put her ear to the phone and spoke. "Hello?"

A familiar voice spoke to her, a female voice. "Greetings. I hear you wish to speak with me. Are you the one who dreamt about me, Diane Arachne?"

"Uh yeah..." said Diane. She then paled. I recognize this voice from the dream! It's..."Jade?"

Indeed, it was the blonde samurai. She was sitting on a mat in her room, wearing a gi with her hair down. "Yes, it is I, Diane. Jade Valentine."

"W-Wow, this is so awesome, I didn't expect to hear the voice of a famous duelist like you!" Diane squealed.

Jade blushed. "Well, I prefer modesty to fame, but I would rather talk about you and that dream. Your counselor detailed what you told her about it to me." She paused as an older woman came in. "Amber, please, I am on a long-distance call."

"Sorry, sis," said Amber. "Just wanted to see which bathing suit you wanted to take." She held up two bikinis.

"The left one, thank you," said Jade.

"Are you...?" Amber began to say, but one quick glare from her sister shut her up. "Okay, the left one it is." She sighed and left.

"Who was that?" asked Diane.

"My older sister, Amber," said Jade with a sigh. "We are packing for the trip to Duelatopia. But let us recap your dream: You dreamt I was in a duel with my mother, who was controlling this 'Seal of Orichalcos' magic and I used a card with my Time Wizard to defeat her."

"Yeah," mumbled Diane. "I'm not sure if you use a Ring of Destruction though."

Jade chuckled. "Of course not, the dream probably improvised."

"I'm sorry if I'm keeping you, miss Jade," mumbled Diane. "I know you're going to leave for Duelatopia in a day or so and I don't want to waste your time..."

"It is okay, let me tell you a secret," whispered Jade. "Amber does not know this but..."

Amber came in. "I don't know what?"

Jade sighed. "Excuse me, Diane." She covered the phone. "Amber, please!"

"Oops, sorry, just curious," mumbled Amber, leaving.

Jade got up, closed the door and locked it, then went back to the mat. "Sorry, Amber again."

"You two must like each other much," giggled Diane.

"It was not always that," sighed Jade. "A year ago, I detested her, but then something came up and she changed her ways. But, back to the subject, my mother has had nightmares herself ever since she confronted a man called Marik before our births. She lost the duel and ended up in a horrible coma. After that, she had nightmares about Marik coming and harming her again. It frightened her so much that she turned to evil to escape the nightmares...namely, the Seal of Orichalcos."

Diane paled. "You know about that card?"

Jade nodded slowly. "I did not want to scare you, my child, but you see, our mother had fallen in with some evil people who worked under a sorcerer called Dartz. She was given a tiny amulet and that wicked magic card you dreamt about. Your counselor also confided in me that she and one of your friends dueled under the influence of that Seal of Orichalcos as well." She sighed. "I had thought it would have vanished after Dartz's defeat thirty-four years ago. I was wrong."

"Oh," said Diane. "But what does the dream mean?"

"I believe that it was an omen, Diane," said Jade. She paused. "No wait, let me rephrase that, it was a vision of something that will happen soon. Not that my mother would ever turn evil again and use the Seal on me." She chuckled nervously.

A knock sounded from the door. "Jade? Jade! Why did you lock me out?"

Jade covered the phone. "Because you are bothering me while I am talking long-distance, now leave me be."

Amber sighed. "Okay, sis, but please promise you'll help me pack after your phone call!"

Jade nodded. "I will, I promise." Silence. Jade uncovered the phone.

"Your sister again?" giggled Diane. "Reminds me of myself. Sheena used to get dirven up the wall by me when I was little. Don't let her bother you."

"I am fine," said Jade. "I promised to help her pack, so I should cut this call short."

"So, you think that something like what I saw in my dream might happen?" asked Diane.

Jade thought about it. "Diane, let me tell you a story of a dream that changed my life forever. It didn't begin the change, but it guided me on the path I take now, the path of a master of bushido." She took a deep breath and began to speak. "When I was your age, I was just like you. My father worked in a military factory - he had an obsession with machines, probably because his deck used a strange type of machine called 'armor' monsters. He used to work for Dartz as well. But then Mary's father defeated him in a duel and he lost his soul. My mother saw this and Mary's father, Joseph, challenged her to a rematch. The first time they dueled was similar to how your dream ended, but in a different way. Father broke the Seal of Orichalcos and saved her soul, hurting himself in the process. Mother was angry at him, but he didn't care, he wanted her to love him back."

"Wow," said Diane.

"It was a costly mistake that cost him his soul." Jade sighed. "Father forced Mary's father to duel him in order to 'eliminate' him for good, but somehow Mary's father, Joseph, used a special card twice. I do not recall the details of that card, but Wheeler fused it with one of his monsters, and one of my father's. Then Joseph challenged mother to a rematch and the Seal was activated again. Joseph was losing and soon he was about to lose, one more strike from her Cyber Harpie would have defeated him, but mother lost the nerve to attack. Mary's father then forfeited and collapsed, unable to continue the duel, and his soul was taken by the Seal. Mother got mad and hunted for Dartz, and ran right into another of Dartz's minions, a man called Raphael, who took her soul in a duel."

She paused. "I found all of this out in my mother's journal, which had been left open carelessly. I am ashamed to say that is the only time I did something dishonorable, and my mother punished me for it. Later, we talked about those times and I realized that the reason she had fallen to evil was because her strength of will was weak. Even though she was mentally strong, she was envious of the fame Yugi and Mary's fathers shared as master duelists. So she tried to eliminate them both. The first duel under that card, Mary's father used that special card and fused it with his Time Wizard, just like you saw me do so in the dream you had."

"Oh, so something is trying to show me how the card works...but what is tthat card?" asked Diane, curious.

Jade shrugged. "Mother refused to tell me, and sadly, my father died in a factory accident before I could ask him."

"Oh...I'm so sorry, Jade," whispered Diane. "My parents died too, in a lightning storm one night." She thought about that horrible night, when she found herself lying on the beach, screaming bloody murder after seeing her parent's scorched bodies and Sheena holding her in her arms. She couldn't remember much else besides that, though.

"I did not let it get to me, I decided to become stronger in will than my mother," said Jade. "However, back then I had no idea how. I was just like my sister, albeit a lot more studious and less social than Amber. The night my life changed was when we were both in junior high. My mother was able to afford enough to help us get through school, and my sister was doing well in the drama club, so it was certain she would end up a superstar. I, on the other hand, preferred to stay in the library, studying and reading."

"Then, I came upon a book of the ancient history of our land. In it, it told stories of warriors called samurai who followed a code called bushido. I thought that, while their code was strong, I could never follow the strict code that those warriors followed. I preferred to think about some of the same things my sister did - boys, hanging out, and enjoying my life while I was young."

Jade sighed a bit. "Then, one night, my life changed forever. I was coming home alone, it was getting dark, and I was unaware of the danger until it was too late. Three very vicious punks dragged me into an alley and were about to do terrifying things to me."

Diane gasped. "Oh no!"

"Yes, but before that happened," said Jade, smirking. "My future sensei appeared and saved me."

"Sensei? A boyfriend?" asked Diane.

Jade grinned. "No, a teacher, a mentor, someone who teaches you in the art of martial arts. He was bald, short, and had a small beard, similar to that master in the Karate Kid movies. After saving me from a terrible fate, he asked me what I was doing out here in the dark, alone. He introduced himself as Xai Fung, a skilled master of bushido, and I asked him if he was a samurai. He chuckled and told me that he didn't get that far, but was a skilled warrior in martial arts. He then took me to his dojo and I stayed there until my mother came and picked me up. Xai Fung talked to my mother, and then as she took me home, she suggested that I look into samurai training."

"She told me that she thought that, if I became the epitome of honor, then maybe some of her sins could be redeemed." Jade paused. "Call it selfish of her, but I too wanted to help her. Ever since father died, our family had been falling apart. Amber became a spoiled brat who constantly harassed mother for money until she ran off with some friends. That is why I hated her before."

Jade took a deep breath. "I was, at first, skeptical, especially seeing how the people at that dojo trained. But, when I went to bed with that decision on my mind, I had a strange dream. In it, I saw myself wearing green armor, the armor of a samurai, and holding two weapons - the wakiwashi dagger and the daisho, the weapons of a skilled samurai warrior. I saw myself saving Yugi's son from danger over and over again, and meeting new people and playing Duel Monsters."

"I see," said Diane.

"That dream changed my life, Diane," said Jade. "I decided to become a pupil of bushido, and later my mother suggested training in Duel Monsters too, and my sensei agreed, saying that to be a good duelist, one must learn how to be clever and know how to be honorable as well."

"So, that's the story, huh?" asked Diane.

"Yes, and the moral is that dreams should not be discounted completely," said Jade. "Of course, I've had some stranger dreams which came to nothing, but you get the point. Somehow, that special card Mary's father used will be given to you, and when that time comes, you will know how to use it."

"Thanks, I feel better now," said Diane. "It was nice talking to you. Good luck in your dueling!"

"And the same to you, Diane," stated Jade. "I will give a little prayer to you. Farewell." She turned off the phone and went to unlock the door.

Diane sighed as she turned off the phone. "Wow...so that card will come to me someday. It must be..." She paused, then went up to the door and flung it open. "LINA!"

Lina sweated. "Eh heh..."

0

That night, there was something going on in another part of the camp. There was a buiding called the Hall of Champions, which was used for events like the workshops that had been taught in the first week of the camp and which would be used for the opening and awards ceremonies that would take place later in the mini-tournament. It was a huge spacious area with pillars that braced the ceiling up. The pillars were decorated with paintings of various Duel Monsters in battle, and giant quilted murals covered the walls. These quilts depicted fantasy settings, like the Forbidden Forest in Harry Potter and Mt. Mordor in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. A red rug was set on the floor, and chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

Usually, the place was unoccupied and closed off to campers. However, two non-campers were tampering about with the doors. Sadly, they weren't staff members.

"So, sis," said one of the women. "You think this little trap will work?"

"Don't worry, I've already got the plan in effect," said the other with a smirk. "Those kids won't know what hit them. I put a message on Lina's cabin phone. When she gets it, she will asked to help out with a little event that the headmaster is doing and to bring one of her friends. She'll probably bring the girl who owns Critias. However, once they enter, they will discover that Machus had NOTHING to do with the event...and this event will be a trap for their cards! HA HA HA!"

"Yeah, I can't wait," said the other girl. "It's been a long time since we had a tag-team duel, sis." She tapped something on the door. "Done. the instant those two enter the place, they'll set off the trap and be locked in."

"And to get out, they will have to defeat us with their cards as a wager," chortled the first woman wickedly. "However, they won't be escaping so easily!"

The two laughed wicked manical laughs and lightning and thunder crashed outside..

0

The next day, after lunch, the cabins were relaxing for their free-time period. The three girls who had become fast friends in the Dark Magician Girl cabin(Diane, Brigit, and Giselle) were playing another multi-player video game called Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures.

"Hey, no fair!" cried Brigit. "That was MY Force Gem you picked up!"

"Too bad, so sad," giggled Giselle.

"Ugh, I'm sick of this," said Diane, who got up from the floor. "I've had enough of this silly gem collecting for one day. I'll go see if Lina wants to practice dueling with me. I need to keep my skill up for the big event tomorrow." She made her way to the Dark Magician Girl door and knocked on it. "Lina? Are you in there?" She paused, then carefully opened the door so as not to startle her counselor. "Lina?"

She entered to find the room vacant. "Oh well, guess she's out. Huh?" She noticed Lina's phone flashing its red light. "She's got a call?" She picked up the phone and pressed the red button next to the light.

A static-filled voice was heard on the receiver. "Hey, this is Arlia of the...Harpie Lady cabin! Machus wants us all the female counselors...to take part in a little skit he's going...to do on the big day tomorrow! Come to the...Hall of Champions at five P.M., and bring one of your campers! It'll be...fun!" The phone went off.

"A big event at the Hall of Champions?" asked Diane to herself. "I'd better find Lina and tell her about it. Wait, maybe she's going to the Hall! She probably didn't get the last part, so I could be her partner! I have to go!"

She ran out of the dormitory and almost bumped into Twilight. "Whoa there," said Twilight with a smirk. "Careful, you might break a bone or two. Where's the fire?"

"Uh...I was just going to the Hall of Champions to find Lina," said Diane. "Bye!" With that, she ran off towards the Hall.

"Hmmm...interesting," said Twilight, watching the girl run off.

Giselle and Brigit came out. "Did you see how Diane just ran off and babbled something when we asked where she was going? Pretty suspicious," said Giselle.

"Yes," said Brigit, adjusting her glasses. "I have a feeling that something's wrong. She wouldn't just babble and run off like that."

"And look, Twilight's going after her," said Giselle, pointing to Twilight, who was walking towards the Hall. "Let's follow them."

"But what if Lina comes back?" asked Brigit. "And finds us gone? You know what happened LAST time."

"I know," sighed Giselle, recalling the interrupted duel with Doppler.

"If she finds us gone again, she'll likely ground us until the tournament!" said Brigit. "We should wait for her."

"Come on," grinned Giselle. "Live a little! Take risks!"

"It was a risk that got us in trouble in the..." Brigit saw Giselle running off. "Oh poo! You never listen to me! Once I trash you in a duel, you'll listen!" She sighed and chased after Giselle to stop her before she got into trouble.

0

Diane entered the hall and looked about. "Huh? That's odd, where is everyone?"

"Where is everyone?" said a wicked voice. A nasty giggle filled the air.

"All you girls need is us," said another. Two cloaked figure leapt down in front of her. "Gotcha!"

"Yikes!" cried Diane, falling on her rump.

The two looked at her. "Hey, look what we have, a little rat in our trap!"

"Too bad it's not who we're looking for, sister," said the other figure.

"Wh…What do you mean?" cried Diane, slowly getting up and brushing herself off.

"We want your counselor and your friend, Brigit," said the first figure.

"But we can still hold you hostage and force them to come to us," giggled the second.

"No way! I'm out of here!" cried Diane, turning to run. One of the figures removed a device and pressed a button, slamming the door and locking it. Diane gasped and turned about. "Let me go! I don't want any trouble!"

"Normally, we'd recite the Team Rocket motto," said the first figure. "But you don't deserve it, so we'll introduce ourselves bluntly!" She threw off her cloak to reveal a woman in skin-tight black leather with long red hair. "My name is Cassie!"

The other figure removed her cloak, showing a smaller woman in similar skin-tight leather, with short blonde hair. "And call me Polly! We are..."

"The Gemini Sisters!" said the two.

Diane gulped. "Something tells me that this is not going to be good." She then did a double-take. "Wait a sec, that name, Gemini Sisters...sounds like Gemini Elf! And you two look almost like the Gemini Elf card!"

"Hmph, got that figure out," said Cassie. "So, Polly, what do we do with her?"

Polly smiled evilly. "Maybe stab her all over, like we did with that vapid wench who was trying to get to Turtle Game shop five years ago...some nut who was moaning some name, what was it?" She snapped her fingers a few time. "Ah yes, I remember now! Arkana!"

Diane bugged out. "You...you murdered Katherine!"

"Oh, so that was the wench's name," grinned Cassie. "Well, she's dead now."

Diane scowled. "You're murderers!"

"Yep, and you're about to suffer the same fate, girl," grinned Polly. "Of course, we MIGHT let you go...if you defeat both of us in a double-duel!" She activated a familiar duel disk as did Cassie.

Diane gasped. They are working for the madman who sent Kane and Janos! "What? No way! That's unfair! I demand that I get someone to help me!"

"Sorry kiddo," grinned Cassie. "We don't play FAIR, and you can't escape this place until you defeat us both! You have no choice but to duel us alone!" She turned to Polly and they both laughed manically as Diane backed up in fear.

"I'm afraid you are sadly mistaken, wicked ones," said a voice. A figure emerged from behind a column.

Diane turned and recognized the woman. "TWILIGHT!" She ran over and hugged the counselor. "You're here!"

"Get your deck ready, Diane, we are in for the duel of our lives," whispered Twilight, releasing her.

"Heh, you think you're going to take her out of her alive, woman?" said Polly.

"No, I am here as her dueling partner," stated Twilight. "Diane will not fight alone."

"Ha, not if we kill you first!" grinned Polly, whipping out a dagger.

"Careful, sis, you know the Boss will hate us if we..." Cassie began.

"Don't worry, he only needs campers, not these stupid counselors," grinned Polly, brandishing her blade.

Twilight scowled, and Polly let out a scream as she dropped her blade and clutched her head. "I wouldn't advise that, woman. You don't know my true power."

"AAAAAAAAH! MAKE IT STOP!" howled Polly.

"Fine," said Twilight, relaxing. Polly collapsed into a heap.

"How did she do that?" gasped Cassie in shock.

"Probably the same way she got in here without bypassing the locks!" whispered Polly, slowly getting up with wide-eyed horror. "She's not human, girl!"

"You have a choice," said Twilight coldly. "Either accept the conditions for a double-duel, or be incapitated and shipped to Devil's Island for your punishment."

The Gemini Sisters shuddered in horror, recalling that one time in their lives they got arrested and shipped off to the worst maximum security prison in the States. Luckily, they were able to escape, but they had been cautious ever since. The thought of going back there with triple security was too much to bear.

"Don't worry, I've got a plan," said Polly, showing a card. Cassie smirked and nodded. "We'll destroy them both!"

0

Lina entered the lobby to see some of the campers gathered around the TV, watching the news about the upcoming Duelatopia tournament. "Hey, any of you girls see Diane, Brigit, or Giselle?"

"Nope," said Alexa. "Have you, Marcy?"

Marcy looked up from her magazine. "No...but Nissa saw them." She turned to Nissa. "Hey, Nissa! Did you see Diane or the others?"

"I saw Brig and Gissy running towards the Hall of Champions," said Nissa, who was playing a Gameboy Advance. "I heard them talk about following Diane. I wonder why Diane would go there?" She shrugged and went back to her game.

"Thanks," said Lina. Without another word, she made her way out of the cabin and towards the Hall.

0

"Uh, Twilight," said Diane. "I've never had a double-duel before."

"Do not worry, follow my lead and we will have a happy ending to this nightmare," said Twilight softly, shuffling her deck. She slipped a ring on her finger. "Now prepare..." Diane gasped in awe as Twilight raised the ring and it exploded into light. When the light faded, Twilight bore a sleek golden duel disk on her arm with blue highlights and magical runes on the monster and magic slots.

"You have to teach me that trick!" grinned Diane.

"I'm afraid it would take years to master," smiled Twilight softly. "But I could teach you a few minor tricks later."

"Well too bad!" said Polly with a wicked grin. "In case you two girls think you can help each other, guess again! You two are not allowed to reveal your plans to each other. Of course, the same thing applies to us, but we can trust each other fully."

Twilight frowned. That will be difficult, but I am assured that this duel will end in our favor.

Diane and the sisters shuffled their decks. Diane activated her duel disk and the four inserted their decks, resetting the life meters to 8000 each.

"Let's duel!" they cried, whipping out their beginning hands.

"The order shall be as so," said Cassie. "Me first, then spook girl, then my partner, and finally the brat. Any questions? Good, because..." She drew a card. "I'm about to start this duel with a BANG! I play the Seal of Orichalcos!" She slid the card into her field slot.

"Oh no..." gasped Diane in horror as she watched the horrible green ring land around all four of them. The star traced its design on the ground in the ring.

0

Lina looked up and saw the green glow from the building. "This is...not good," she whispered. She hurried toward the glow.

0

Brigit and Giselle, who was snuck into the Hall via the ventilation duct, were freaking out. "That's the same power Janos used on me!" cried Brigit.

"And Kane used on Lina!" gasped Giselle. "Diane's in trouble!" She tried to break open the vent. "Urgh!"

"Don't, you'll alert those crazy girls!" whispered Brigit. "Let's just pray everything goes okay with Twilight and Di!"

0

The two Sisters giggled as the symbol branded themselves onto their foreheads. "And to let you know, all magic and trap cards that affect the whole field affect both partners!" said Cassie. "And next, I'll summon Lesser Dragon in attack mode!" The card appeared and disgorged a small - in dragon sizes - green-scaled dragon. (1200/1000) "And due to the effects of the Seal, it gains 500 attack points!"

The dragon roared and its eyes glowed red as the symbol planted itself on its forehead, raising its attack to 1700. "This is not good," said Diane.

"Do not worry, they haven't done anything yet," said Twilight.

"You assume too much, spook girl," grinned Polly, looking at her hand. "Wait until you see my combo!"

"It's your turn, spook girl," said Cassie. "Move it or lose it!"

Twilight brushed off the comments. "You are both wicked people." She looked at her hand. Since the Orichalcos cannot be displaced, this card is useless. She drew and smiled. "I play Graceful Charity, drawing three cards from my deck..." She drew three cards. "And discarding two." She discarded the card she had looked over and another card. "And next, I'll place a monster face-down and a card face-down and end my turn." The cards appeared with a flash before her. "Your move, Pollyana."

"Hmph," said Polly, drawing a card. "Perfect! I summon Steel Ogre Grotto in attack mode!" A blue golem made of steel rose out of the card. (1400/1800) The Seal granted it a brand and its attack rose to 1900. "And now I play the card I just drew, Polymerization!"

"Oh no!" cried Diane.

"I fuse my sister's Lesser Dragon with my Steel Ogre Grotto to form...Metal Dragon!" The two monsters were drawn into a vortex and out slithered a giant metal-covered Chinese dragon! (1850/1700) "And the Seal gives it a power jolt as well!" The dragon roared as it gained the symbol and its attack rose to 2350.

"You cannot attack with it yet," said Twilight. "Mach-3 rules state..."

"Yeah yeah, I know," sighed Polly. "I'm not dumb, I have so many fusions in my deck I know about the rule!"

"Shhhh!" said Cassie.

Diane gasped. She runs a fusion deck? This is bad, some of the fusions are powerful!

Polly grinned. "But it won't be long before it can attack! Since I fused my sister's monster, she gets to control Metal Dragon as if it were her own monster!"

"Uh oh," said Diane. "This isn't good."

"Your turn, brat," said Cassie gleefully. "And be grateful! Once you draw, you get first attack!"

Diane sighed. I don't have anything that could defeat that monster...but wait, if Lesser Dragon is gone, then Cassie is open to direct attack! Let's see if I get something good. She drew and grinned. "Yes! Flame Swordsmistress in attack mode!" The flaming warrior woman rose up. (1600/1500) "And I equip her Butterfly Dagger to increase her attack by 300!" The warrior sheathed her saber and brandished the butterfly-hilted dagger, raising her attack to 1900. "And now, Flame Swordsmistress, attack Cassie's life points!"

The warrior charged, dagger forward.

"No! Don't!" cried Twilight in horror.

"Block it, Metal Dragon!" commanded Polly. The metallic dragon flew forward and swatted Flame Swordsmistress out of the way, destroying her! Diane's life points dropped to 7550.

"Hey! That's not fair!" cried Diane.

"It is perfectly fair, brat," said Polly. "Whenever one of us is attacked directly, the other can defend with her monster! You made a foolish error in attacking my sister!"

"Thank you, Polly," grinned Cassie.

"Great," mumbled Diane sadly. And I was going to summon Guardian Elma next turn!

"It's okay," said Twilight. "Like the Bard once said, to err is human, to forgive divine."

"Don't go all poetic on us, spook girl, or you'll regret it," growled Cassie. She drew a card. "My turn!" She drew a card and grinned. "I play my Pot of Greed card, allowing me two cards!" She drew two cards. "And I'll play this magic card, the Ritual magic of Commencent Dance! I tribute the Fireyarou and Haniwa in my hand to summon Performance of Sword!" The two monsters appeared briefly, and a beautiful dancer appeared, swinging a scimitar. She struck both monsters with the blade and they exploded into light as the woman turned into a tan-skinned maiden with a long pink ponytail and a halter-top, wielding a even sharper blade than the last one. (1950/1850) "And the Seal boosts her power too!" The symbol appeared on the woman's forehead, and her eyes glowed and she smirked, her attack jumping up to 2450!

"Oh no," said Diane.

"And now that I have my Sword and my sister's Dragon, it's time to take a huge chunk out of the brat's life points!" laughed Cassie. "Performance of Sword, attack her directly!"

Diane screeched and covered her eyes as the sword-woman lunged...

"I activate the trap card, Shift!" shouted Twilight, tapping her disk. The card flipped up, showing two shadow monsters with arrows pointing at each of them, forming a sort of chain. "This card allows me to redirect your monster's attack to my monster!" The sword-lady changed course and destroyed the monster, which revealed itself to be a tan-skinned male in a black robe and turned. He moaned in pain as he exploded.

"What was THAT?" cried Polly.

Twilight chortled. "My Gravekeeper's Spy. When it gets destroyed, I get to pull a Gravekeeper with 1500 attack or less from my deck..." She took out her deck and searched it, then removed a card, and shuffled the deck before re-inserting it into her disk. "And special summon it to my field! And my choice is Gravekeeper's Curse!" A stout man wearing a brown robe and golden headband rose up, holding a glowing staff between his hands. (800/800)

"What a wimp!" laughed Cassie.

"Maybe so, but he has a powerful effect," smirked Twilight. "When the Curse is summoned by any means to the field, I get to inflict 500 life points of damage to both of my opponents!" The sorcerer chanted in an arcane tongue and a bolt of green light washed over the Sisters, dropping their life meters to 7500.

"Big deal," said Cassie. "In case you forgot, my sister's Metal Dragon is under my control! Metal Dragon, wipe out the brat's life points with a direct attack!"

Before Diane could scream at the glowing white fire that the creature exhaled, Twilight shouted a command. "My Curse, intercept that attack!" The sorcerer leapt in front of Diane and was consumed, making Twilight's life meter drop to 6450. "You forget that the rule to blocking attacks counts for us too, murderers!"

"But Twilight, you lost a lot of life points," whispered Diane.

"You would have lost more if that attack had gone through," stated Twilight. "I'll be okay."

"Uh...okay," said Diane, biting her lip.

"What a couple of losers," giggled Polly. "Once we attack a couple of times, these two are toast, and when one of them falls, the other will be completely helpless!"

0

Lina panted and leaned upon the door jamb of the Hall. "I made it," she panted. "I just hope that I'm not too late. Darn, I should have done more exercise in my youth instead of wasting my time on so many computer games, I'm bushed!"

Arnold and Brandon came up. "What's going on? What was that weird light coming from the Hall?" asked Brandon in worry. "We saw it and hurried over A.S.A.P.!"

"Diane...she went in and I think she's dueling someone with the Seal of Orichalcos," coughed Lina.

Arnold paled. "You don't mean that crazy magic card which knocked me out?" Lina nodded sadly. "Oh he..."

"You know about this?" asked Brandon, concerned.

"You bet! That creepy Janos guy used it on me when I tried to defeat him in a duel in town!" said Arnold. "Remember?"

"Yeah, you disobeyed our headmaster and tried to take matters into your own hands," grinned Brandon, eliciting a growl from Arnold. "Machus threatened to fire you if you got into trouble like that again. He said that crazy guy knocked you out."

"It's a lot worse than you think," mumbled Lina. "And worse, I think Diane's in there! We have to warn the headmaster!"

"Good idea," said Brandon. "I'll go get him. Arn, you stay with Lina." He ran off.

"Why do I have to stay with Toon Girl?" shouted Arnold.

"Because," called Brandon back. "Our uncles were friends!"

Arnold sighed. "Blast it, I hate it when he's right!"

0

"Unfortunately for you, it is my turn now," said Twilight, drawing a card. "So now I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Gravekeeper's Curse!" The sorcerer rose up. "And that means you suffer another 500 points of damage!" The green light shot from the staff and slammed the Gemini Sisters, dropping their life meters to 7000. "And next, I'll sacrifice him to summon Gravekeeper's Chief!"

The sorcerer vanished and was replaced by a tall man in a white robe with a golden headband and a beard. He held a blue staff with a moon-shaped head. (1900/1200)

"And when I tribute to summon the leader of the Gravekeeprrs," said Twilight. "I can bring back one of my Gravekeepers from the graveyard, so I bring back...Gravekeeper's Curse!" The sorcerer rose up.

"Ah no, not AGAIN..." moaned Cassie. She and Polly cried out as the sorcerer blasted them a third time and dropped both of their life meters to 6500.

"Wow, is this your deck of the day?" asked Diane. "Lina told me you used a ninja-based deck against her when you were training for the counselor job in the mini-tournament."

Twilight smiled. "No, this is my TRUE deck. This deck represents my mother and my uncle, and their guardian. These three people raised me and thus I respect them. Even though my uncle had fallen to darkness, I still respected him. He was the one who taught me some of the best Duel Monsters strategies."

"Wow," said Diane. "You have to tell me about your family after the duel!"

Twilight shook her head. "Better you know nothing about them, my uncle and guardian did evil things..." She glared at the two behind her shades. "But while they may be spared Hades, these two will not!"

"Sticks and stones, sticks and stones," grinned Cassie. "Is that all?"

"Not yet, I play two cards face-down and end my turn," said Twilight, playing the cards. She turned to Diane and nodded. "Of course, it looks like we may not be able to win this duel, unless we can get strong monsters out fast, Diane. As one saying goes, sometimes it is better to give up those for the ones you love."

Diane blinked. What a lame quote...wait, was that a hint?

"I end my turn," said Twilight. "Your move, Pollyana."

Polly drew a card and looked over the field. I could take control of Metal Dragon and wipe out that Curse or attack the brat, but I bet those face-down cards are there to stop me! Oh well, better be careful. At least spook girl's monsters can't harm me. "A card face-down and I play Gemini Elf in attack mode!" The twin elves which looked like Cassie and Polly rose up and giggled. The Seal did its work. (1900/900) (2400/900) "That ends my turn."

"So, these are the monsters which you model yourself after," said Twilight. "Lina swore that you had discarded them out of fear."

"Nonsense, what could we be afraid of?" giggled Cassie.

Diane drew and gasped, then grinned as she looked at the field. "Well, if it's true what you say, Twilight, then I'll have to oblige you! I put a card face-down..." The card appeared on her field. "And I..." She looked at Twilight for approval, and the counselor nodded. "I equip Gravekeeper's Chief with Gravity Axe!" The double-bladed axe appeared, and the nomad leader sheathed his staff and took the axe up in his hands, his attack rising to 2400. "More than enough to take out your Metal Dragon! I'll then sacrifice Gravekeeper's Curse to summon Guardian Grarl in attack mode!" The sorcerer vanished and was replaced by the dinosaur-man. (2500/1000) It let out a roar of battle-lust!

"Oh no!" cried Polly as Cassie paled.

"That's right, and now that she has sacrificed my monster for hers, the rules state that I can control it like you can control fusions made by both your monsters," grinned Twilight.

Diane pointed. "Guardian Grarl, take out that Metal Dragon! Gravity Axe Bash!" The dino-beast roared and charged at the dragon, which was destroyed with a punch! "And since your monster was fused from you and your partner's monster, you both divide the battle damage!" The life meters of the Sisters both dropped to 6425 as the last pixels floated away.

Cassie giggled. "You really should have taken out my Performance of Sword, brat. Now you'll regret that!" She drew a card and grinned. "Perfect! I play Card of Sanctity, refreshing all our hands. Draw until you have six cards!" The four drew until they had a full hand. "And now I'll play this other Ritual Card, Novox's Prayer!" A woman wearing a red hood and cloak appeared, kneeling. "By sacrificing Polly's Gemini Elf and this Gate Deeg..." A hideous brain-shaped monster with a stitched stomach appeared. "I can summon another powerful Ritual monster, Skull Guardian!"

The woman howled a prayer to the heavens and the two monsters melted into light, then the woman was struck by red lightning and out of her ashes stepped a huge brown-armored warrior with a bestial skull full-visored helmet and swords for arms! (2050/2500) "And don't forget..."

"Yeah yeah, he gets a boost via the Seal too," sighed Diane as the symbol appeared on Skull Guardian's helmet, raising his attack to 2550.

"Now, Skull Guardian, wipe out dino-guy!" ordered Cassie. "Sword Arm Slash!" The creature lunged, arms slashing at Grarl...who disappeared! "What the...?"

"I activated my trap card, Guardian's Sacrifice!" grinned Diane, showing a card which showed Kay'est being stabbed to death by Shadowknight Archfiend. "This card activates when you attack a Guardian, restoring my life points by the attack power of the Guardian attacked plus 500 for any equipment cards he had...but since it's also Twilight's monster, I'll let the card affect her instead." Twilight's life meter rose to 8950.

"Thank you, Diane, I didn't deserve it," grinned Twilight.

"Don't worry," said Polly. "She's about to pay you back big time!"

Cassie nodded. "Performance of Sword, wipe out that Chief! Dancing Flash Blade!" The sword-dancer leapt and sliced Gravekeeper's chief down the middle, wiping him out and dropping Twilight's life meter to 8900.

"That didn't you much good," said Diane with a grin.

"No, but that's about to change," smirked Cassie. "I end my turn."

Twilight drew a card. "And I begin mine. I set another card face-down and set a monster in defense." The cards appeared before her. "I end my turn."

Polly sighed as she drew, then looked at the card in her hand and laughed. "Well, since I hate my hand, I'm playing my newly-drawn card, Card Destruction!"

"No!" cried Diane, looking at her hand. My Dark Magician Girl and Guardian Elma! I'm going to lose them along with my Monster Reborn!

"You know the rules, discard your hands and draw..." Polly began.

"Not so fast, Pollyana!" said Twilight, showing a card. "I'm activating my Gravekeeper's Watcher's effect now!" She discarded the monster. "Whenever a card effect is activated that would force us to discard our hands and draw new ones, I can discard my Watcher and negate the effect! Your Card Destruction fizzles!"

"ARGH!" cried Polly with a snarl. "You wretch, you just made the #1 Hated Duelist in my list! I'll be glad to take your soul! I set Giant Soldier of Stone in defense and end my turn." The rock golem rose up and knelt. (1300/2000) "And then I take control of Skull Guardian and attack your brat friend again!" The creature lunged...and a set of black chains shot out and snagged the creature! "MY GUARDIAN!" cried Cassie in horror.

"OUR GUARDIAN!" cried Polly in rage.

"You were right in thinking that was a trap, Pollyana," snickered Twilight. "As one video game character said, lower thy guard and thou art letting the enemy in. My Shadow Spell trap took you by surprise, and now your Guardian loses 700 attack points!" Skull Guardian struggled as his attack dropped to 1850. "Now my partner shall take out your Skull Guardian." She nodded to Diane.

Diane drew a card and smirked. Time to take the initiative. "I set a card face-down and summon Ancient Elf in attack mode!" The elf priest emerged from the card. (1450/1200) "And I discard one card from my hand to activate Wicked-Breaking Flamberge, as well as equip him with the Butterfly Dagger I regained last turn due to it special effect. That increases his attack by 800 points!" The elf made his staff vanish and whipped out the dagger and large black sword with jagged edges and his attack jumped up to 2250. "Time to take out that fugly mockery of a Guardian! Ancient Elf, attack!"

The elf leapt and slashed apart the Skull Guardian, wiping it out.

"And since both of your monsters summoned it, you both share the battle damage from losing that ritual monster as well!" said Twilight. Sure enough, the Gemini Sisters watched as their life meters dropped simultaneously to 6225.

"You're not doing a great job of damaging our life points, girls," smirked Polly.

"That will soon change, wicked sisters," said Twilight. "Diane, is there anything else?"

"No, I end my turn," said Diane.

Cassie drew a card from her deck. "Then I'll go, and I'll place a card face-down and summon Mystical Sheep #1 in attack mode!" A grey sheep with fangs and carrying a pendulum in its tail appeared. (1150/900) It got a boost from the Seal. (1650/900)

"You're kidding, right?" asked Diane, grinning. "That thing is far too weak!"

"Don't be fooled, Diane, they have a plan," whispered Twilight. She gasped. "Watch out!"

The Performance of Sword sliced Diane and sent her flying into the wall of the Seal, then the Sheep sank its fangs into her shoulder! Her life meter plummeted to 3450. "OW! THAT WAS A CHEAP SHOT!"

"Hey, we're thieves, we take what we get," giggled Polly.

Twilight scowled. "You will pay for that. You thought you could take advantage of my disability, but you were wrong."

"What? Disability?" asked Diane, confused.

Twilight whipped off her shades to reveal cloudy purple eyes. "I'm blind.."

"You sure don't ACT like it, girlfriend!" said Cassie.

"Oh, I thought you would know that, considering you were spying on the camp ever since it started up," said Twilight with a sneer.

"How did you...?" gasped Polly. "No, nevermind. It doesn't matter if you are blind or not, you're finished, both of you!"

"Yeah, once your brat friend drops dead, we'll be taking YOUR soul as well!" laughed Polly.

"Careful, you know the Boss will have our heads if the brat falls," said Cassie.

Diane was curious. "Why do you care about me and the campers, but not the counselors?"

"Well, since you are both dead meat," said Polly. "We'll tell you. The Boss has plans for you brats. Once the mini-tournament is over, he's planning on throwing a party for the winner, and..."

"No! Shut up!" ordered Cassie angrily. "I don't care if they are going to lose their souls, Pisaro will kill us if we blab his plans!"

"Pisaro?" asked Diane, curious. "Janos mentioned him, and that name is familiar...wait a sec! It's the major villian of the Japanese Dragon Warrior IV game!"

"Well, look who's video game literate," snorted Polly.

0

"Oh my God!" said Lina as she and Arnold reached the door leading to the Hall proper. "Something's wrong! I know it!" She tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Blast! Someone doesn't want us in there!"

"Let me," said Arnold, searching the door. He touched the top of the door and scowled. "Someone DEFINITELY doesn't want us in there! They've put a special lock on the doorway!"

"No time to pick the lock," hissed Lina, who backed up. "Stand back!"

0

CRASH! The door buckled as Twilight redonned her shades.

"Seems somebody's trying to crash our party," grinned Cassie.

"Let them in, not like they'll be able to stop us." Polly smirked. "Seems you got a rescue party, kid."

Cassie activated the device and the door swung open, sending Lina flying into the Seal and slamming him on the wall. She slid down. "That hurt."

Arnold walked in and gasped. "What the he…?"

"Arnold! Lina!" cried Diane in shock.

Brigit gasped and Giselle shoved on the vent, causing both to tumble out. "AH!" They collapsed in a heap.

"Brig! Giselle!" said Diane.

Giselle pulled herself up and dusted herself off. "Don't worry, Di, we're there for ya! Even if you lose, they can't get away with it!"

"No," said Diane. "These are the crooks who killed Katherine!" Twilight nodded.

"No way," said Lina, getting up. "You mean these are the murderers?"

"Yep, read it and weep, carrot top," snickered Cassie. "Don't worry, we'll make all of your deaths painful...well, maybe you two adults. We won't touch the kids."

"Why?" asked Arnold in anger. "Why harm us but not the kids?"

"Let's just say that our Boss is gonna hire the winner of the tournament you're holding to a private meeting for his interest," said Polly. Cassie smacked her up the head. "Ow, that was uncalled for!"

"Loose lips sink ships, sister," snapped Cassie.

"Don't worry, the headmaster is coming," said Lina. "He'll stop this."

"Too bad, you can't stop the duel until one side is defeated!" said Polly. "And the loser loses their souls!"

"But we'll put your brat friend's soul back, so Pisaro doesn't kill us," said Cassie.

"So, Pisaro is the name of the major domo behind you and those men, Kane and Janos," said Lina, folding her arms. "Tell me more about him."

"Forget it, let's just end this stupid duel," said Cassie. "Who's turn is it?"

"Mine," said Twilight, drawing a card. "And I sacrifice my Gravekeeper's Guard for Gravekeeper's Priestess!" The face-down monster vanished and changed into a beautiful tan-skinned woman with yellow eyes and wearing a white robe. An ankh-shaped staff was in her left hand. (1600/1900)

"What a pathetic creature," said Polly, giggling.

"This card represents my mother," said Twilight coldly. "She loves me with all of her heart, and gave me this card when I started dueling. This whole deck represents my family and the pain they went through in Battle City! I swear that this card will be your downfall, Gemini Sisters!" She pointed at her duel disk. "Gravekeeper's Priestess has two special abilities. First, she gains 300 attack points for every Gravekeeper in my graveyard, and right now I have five!"

Gravekeeper's Priestess glowed as her attack rose to 3100.

"Whoa, now she's stronger than my monsters!" cried Cassie.

"That's right, but first I'll play Premature Burial to bring back Gravekeeper's Curse, paying eight hundred life points to do so." Twilight's life meter dropped to 8100 and the sorcerer rose up. She smirked. "And you know what THAT means!"

"Arrrrgh!" cried the two, falling to their knees as the green light washed over them again, dropping their life meters to 5725. Gravekeeper's Priestess dropped to 2800 attack now that one of the Gravekeepers was back on the field.

"Heh heh, looks like Twilight's deck is screwing them good," laughed Arnold. Lina slapped his cheek. "What? I didn't cuss!"

"Now you are in serious trouble," said Twilight with a smirk. "Because my Gravekeeper's Priestess also is protected from attack while a fellow Gravekeeper is on the field, but he won't be around for long, if my partner decides to rid the field of him." She glanced over to Diane.

Diane realized what Twilight was talking about, she had mentioned that clue before. "Okay, if you want."

"Don't bother, I'll be glad to rid that thing for you!" said Polly. She drew a card. "First, I'll shift my Giant Soldier of Stone into attack mode..." The golem rose up and drew his stone blade. "And then I'll destroy Gravekeeper's Curse! Giant Stone Blade attack!"

The golem smashed the sorcerer with its giant blade.

"You made a foolish mistake," warned Twilight. "Now that he's back in the graveyard, my Curse brings my Priestess back to her former attack!" The Priestess glowed and her attack rose to 3100 again.

"Ha, then I'll just play this card, Change of Heart!" Polly slapped it down and the demonic spirit entered Diane's Ancient Elf, bringing it to her.

"Why didn't you take control of Twi's Priestess?" demanded Lina.

"Simple, because now I can fuse these monsters into a new one, using my second Polymerization!" She played the magic card and the two monsters melted into one, an orange-robed witch on a broomstick. "Mystical Sand, in attack mode!" (2100/1700) "And she's got a boost from the Seal too!" The witch giggled as her forehead sported the symbol of Orichalcos, raising her attack to 2800. "But I won't attack."

"You couldn't if you tried, you know the rules," said Cassie. "Well brat, you're up next."

Diane sighed. What now? I was going to tribute that Curse for Dark Magician Girl, but it's useless now. She drew a card. Well, what do you know? "I play Pot of Greed." She drew two cards, then smirked. "I then set two cards face-down and play Mystical Elf in defense mode." The holy elf maiden rose up, chanting a soft spell over her field. (800/2000)

"Ha, that thing's toast!" said Cassie, drawing a card. She grinned wickedly. "First, I play the Ritual Magic, Turtle Oath!" A giant green shell appeared, suspended by wires. "To activate it, I offer up a Celtic Guardian and Gemini Elf in my hand to summon Crab Turtle!" The two monsters were sucked into the shell, which slammed shut and glowed green. A huge crab-man with a green shell and one eye burst from the shell orb! (2550/2500) "And guess what? He gets a boost from the Seal too!" The crustacean's eye glowed red as the symbol appeared over it, boosting its attack to 3050.

"Yikes," said Giselle. "Even my Horus LV8 couldn't stand against THAT!"

"Ha ha ha!" laughed Cassie. "My monsters will take you out!"

"Not so fast," said Diane, flipping up her trap card. "My Adhesion Trap Hole will weaken your monster!" The crab was covered in goo and dropped to 1525 attack.

"Urgh," said Cassie. "Fine, then I'll use this card! Ritual Weapon!" She slapped down the card and suddenly Performance of Sword brandished two wicked red blades. "By equipping this to a six-star or weaker Ritual monster, I increase its attack by 1500!" The dancer grinned as her attack shot up to 3950!

"NO!" cried Brigit. "She's toast!"

"True, but I'll wipe out that crazy spook girl first," chuckled Cassie. "Performance of Sword, wipe out that priestess with Dancing Flash Blade!"

The sword-dancer lunged at the shocked priestess...

"That's what YOU think!" cried Diane, flipping up her trap card. "Activate trap, Shattering Fist!" The card showed an exploding cliff.

0

Jade blinked and looked up in confusion.

"What's wrong?" asked her sister.

"I had a strange feeling...as if someone is using a card my father used once," said Jade softly.

0

Suddenly, Performance of Sword was smashed into bits. "You wiped out my monster!" cried Cassie.

"Not really," said Diane, grinning. "This trap shatters a Ritual or Fusion monster if it attacks me, breaking it back into its components, namely the monsters offered to summon it." The field shimmered and suddenly Fireyarou and Haniwa appeared. (1300/1000) (500/500) Both got the Seal branded on their brows and Fireyarou rose to 1800 attack while Haniwa boosted up to 1000. "Meaning your strong monster is now two weaklings and your Ritual Weapon is gone!"

"YAAAAAAAARGH!" howled Cassie, turning to Diane in a rage. "I swear, you'll pay for that. I end my turn."

"Good call, that Priestess has our number," said Polly with a sigh.

Twilight smiled as she drew. "Gravekeeper's Priestess, attack that woman's Haniwa with Arcane of the Ancients!" The priestess raised her staff and fired a beam of white light that blasted apart the rock spirit, dropping Cassie's life points to 3625.

"Why didn't you wipe out that big crab?" demanded Arnold.

"Simple, she cannot harm me or Diane with it," grinned Twilight. "If she tries to attack my partner, I will send my Priestess to block the attack. I end my turn."

Polly drew and giggled. "Jackpot! First, I play Fusion Sage to get my final Polymerization, then I play it to fuse my sister's Fireyarou and Mystical Sheep #1..."

"You can't do that!" said Giselle.

"Yes, she can," said Cassie as the two monsters fused. "You see, Mystical Sheep #1 can be used to substitute for any monster in a fusion!"

"Yeah, that's true, it's the same effect as Versago the Destroyer, Goddess of the Third Eye, and Beastking of the Swamps," said Lina sadly.

"I fuse the two into Vermillion Sparrow!" A handsome man with spiky red hair and regal garments appeared. (1900/1500) "And it gains a Seal boost!" The sorcerer's brow glowed with the hexagram as his attack rose to 2400. "Now I'll play the card I just drew, Fusion Weapon! This is like Ritual Weapon, but works on a fusion monster of six-stars or less, and my Mystical Sand fits the bill!" The witch laughed as she brandished a blood-red blade and her attack rose to 4300.

"No, this is terrible!" cried Brigit. "She's going to lose!"

"That's right," said Polly. "Mystical Sand, blow away that Gravekeeper's Priestess with Sandstorm Magic!" The witch raised her blade and blew away the priestess, dropping Twilight's life meter to 6900. "Now who's the better sister, Cassie? Hmmmm?"

Cassie snarled. "You're lucky we're partners, or I'd kill you for that remark!"

"Uh guys, it's my turn," said Diane, drawing a card. "Perfect. Since it worked for Polly, I play my own Change of Heart!"

"No!" cried Polly as the demonic spirit entered her Mystical Sand, bringing it over to Diane.

"Now, Mystical Sand...destroy Cassie's giant crab!" ordered Diane. The witch flew towards Turtle Crab and slashed it to bits, dropping Cassie to 850 life points.

"You...IDIOT!" cried Cassie in a rage. "I'm almost out of the duel thanks to your stupidity!"

"I had no idea she had Change of Heart!" cried Polly in a rage. "Don't blame me!"

"Ahem, girls," said Lina. "Let her finish."

The Gemini Sisters shut up.

"And now, I'll sacrifice your Mystical Sand..." said Diane, switching cards. The witch vanished and another appeared. "For Dark Magician Girl!"

The blonde sorceress took a stance. (2000/1700) When she saw the Gemini Sisters, her eyes turned into angry slits. The Gemini Sisters felt a horrifying chill and gasped and choked. "Oh god..." said Polly. "I feel queasy, as if something's grabbing my gut!"

"What is that?" asked Cassie in horror. "Get it away, quick!"

Twilight smirked. Those two have seen the end of their lives. The ghost of Katherine lives on in her monsters. This one, the Dark Magician Girl, is haunting their memories, reminding them of their wicked murder of the one who previously owned this card.

"What's with them?" asked Arnold, confused.

Brandon arrived with the headmaster. "He's here!"

Machus gasped. "Who are you two? Why have you invaded my camp and threatened my campers?"

"It's not my idea!" cried Cassie. "Just get us away from that witch!"

"The authorities will be alerted, you two," said Brandon. "When they arrive, they'll arrest you."

"Like we damn well CARE!" screamed Polly. "The only reason we haven't burned this place to the ground is because the Boss is looking for a specific camper with the potential to wipe out his greatest enemy! So there!"

Machus paled. Oh my god...

Diane thought about attacking Polly, but recalled what happened last time. "I end my turn."

Cassie whipped out a card. "Nightmare Steel Cage!" A spiked cage surrounded the monsters and the good guys.

"You idiot! You should have blasted that crazy witch!" ordered Polly.

"I...I wasn't thinking, sis," said Cassie, breathing softly.

"You NEVER think!" snapped Polly. "You always act first and think later! Honestly, I'd rather be alone." She folded her arms.

"Why you...!" hissed Cassie. "Fine! I don't need you either!" She folded her arms. She took another card from her hand. "I play Dian Keto the Cure Master to regain 1000 life points." Her life meter rose to 1850. "And I end my turn."

Twilight nodded. "She made an error. Until the end of Diane's next turn, none of us can attack. But we can summon monsters." She drew a card. "I play Rite of Spirit, allowing my Gravekeeper's Priestess to return to my hand from the graveyard." She pulled out the card. "And now I'll sacrifice Diane's Mystical Elf for it!" The elf vanished and the priestess returned. "And now Diane has control of it."

"Why the heck did she summon such a wimp?" asked Arnold.

"She must have a plan," said Lina. "I don't know Twi much, but something tells me that she's got a plan up her sleeve."

Polly drew and grinned. "All right! I play Monster Reborn to bring back Mystical Sheep #1!" The gray sheep returned. "And I play the magic card Dark Designator!"

"What does that card do?" asked Arnold.

"Simple, she calls out a card and, if the opponent has it in her deck, it immediately goes to her hand," said Lina.

"I call out Polymerization!" called Polly.

Diane found the Polymerization card floating into her hand. "Wha...?"

"Seems the brat has it," said Polly. "So I'll now play this card, Exchange!" She flipped up her magic card.

"Uh oh," said Lina. "She's in trouble. Now she gets to steal Diane's Polymerization and trade it for one of her cards."

Polly walked up to Diane. "Okay, hand it over."

Diane sighed and handed her Polymerization over through the cage's bars. Now I won't be able to show my combo!

"Here, take a card, any card," said Polly, showing her hand.

Diane looked over it and smiled. "That card." She pulled out Polly's Double Spell.

"Fine," said Polly, who walked back to her side. "I end my turn."

"She's setting up another fusion," said Brigit. "I know it."

"Yeah, and whatever fusion it is, it's gonna be big," whispered Giselle.

Machus scowled. "Even if those two win, they won't escape here alive."

"Old man, shut the #& up," snapped Cassie, eliciting gasps from most of the group, save Twilight and Polly. Cassie drew a card. "Excellent! I play the Ritual Magic, Black Luster Ritual! I'll sacrifice Vermillion Sparrow and the Drooling Lizard in my hand to summon Black Luster Soldier!" The fire sorcerer vanished as a giant door with swords on it appeared. It opened and disgorged a gleaming black-armored knight with a wicked blade. (3000/2500)

"Oh my, that's as strong as the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" cried Brigit.

"And it gets even stronger with the Seal's power," grinned Cassie. Black Luster Soldier growled as his eyes glowed and the symbol appeared on his head. His attack rose to 3500. "Now not even that wretched priestess can stop us! When the Cage crumbles, you're finished!"

"I strongly doubt that, wicked sisters," said Twilight. "As Yogi Berra said, it's not over until it's over." She slapped a card down. "Gravekeeper's Vassal in attack mode!": A weasel-eyed man with a wide grin appeared. He wore a green robe and turban. (750/800)

"Well, too bad, because you just brought yourself into a peck of trouble!" laughed Polly, drawing her card. "Perfect! I play the Polymerization I stole from the brat to fuse the Meteor Dragon in my hand with Mystical Sheep #1, forming Black Meteor Dragon!" The two monsters melted together and a huge molten shape rose from the ground. It resembled a hideous dragon made of lava! (3500/3000)

"Oh my gosh!" cried Giselle. "That's even worse!" She watched the dragon inherit the Seal's power, symbol and all, and its attack rose to 4000!

"Ha ha ha, you can't win!" laughed Polly. "Once the cage crumbles, we'll start laying into your monsters like a hot knife to butter and then...you're finished!" She slit her throat with an imaginary dagger."

"Don't worry, brat, you'll be spared because Pisaro would kill us if your soul was taken," said Cassie.

"Says who?" snapped Polly. "I'm sick of the Boss! He can go to Hell for all I care!"

"Enough!" shouted Arnold. "Listen, girls, once that Seal drops, you are mine! Here? Nobody threatens the campers and gets away with it as long as I live!"

Brandon sighed. "Just like his uncle..."

"Well, tough," grinned Cassie. "I must warn you, we are nasty when we get good!" She took out a gun and wiped it clean.

"Heh, my uncle fought a crowd of Rare Hunters, he gave up his life to save nine soldiers! You think I'm scared of you?" laughed Arnold.

"Excuse me, are we going to waste the rest of the day chatting or is it Diane's turn?" asked Twilight.

"Fine, I end my turn," grumbled Polly.

Diane looked at her deck. I know I have something in my deck that can defeat those two monsters, but what? She drew a card and played it. "I play my Pot of Charity! By removing a light monster from play, I get to draw three cards from my deck, so I'll remove Mystical Elf." She did so and drew three cards...

Suddenly, Lina and Brigit felt a warmth in their pockets. They removed their cards.

"Timaeus..." whispered Lina.

"Critias..." said Brigit in awe.

The two cards exploded into light!

0

Diane found herself in the middle of a swamp. "Okay, what gives?"

She heard footsteps and turned to see Guardian Elma. "Come, it is time."

"Uh...okay," said Diane, confused at what was happening. She followed her Guardian friend into the swamp and to a cave.

"Enter," said Elma. "There you will find the one who you seek."

Diane slowly entered the cave and climbed down a flight of stone steps, until she reached her goal, a red-armored knight similar to the ones Lina and Brigit had met.

"Welcome, Diane Arachne." The knight turned to her and smiled gently. "I see you have figured it out, what that card Jade talked about was."

"You know about our conversation?" asked Diane in shock.

"Indeed," said the knight, leaning on his blade. "I am Hermos, the third Guardian of Shadoria. I see my brothers have contacted your counselor and friend and the power of the Dragons is in their hands. However, Lina is not the one who will ultimately wield Timaeus in the final battle. I was the one who sent you the dream."

"You mean, when Jade defeated her mother in that dream duel?" gasped Diane.

"Yes, just as my brothers had sent dreams to Lina and Brigit, so too did I send you the dream of the fake duel. Now you know what that card Jade played is. It is I." Hermos nodded as Diane gasped. "We have some power over the ones we choose to wield our might. Listen to me, Diane. While the one who uses the wicked Seal has a less dangerous plan than Dartz, our former enemy, I fear that his evil is just as deadly, and it could affect you in the future. That is why I want you to use my power."

"I see..." said Diane.

"Pisaro is a sorcerer as well, but his origins are not of this world," said Hermos. "I have no idea who he is or what he is after, but it is not good and will cause pain to Yugi's son in the future if not stopped. Yugi Junior will face the greatest duel of his entire life, against a being of unimaginable power. Pisaro is not this being, but I fear that things will pass where he and the being will make an alliance, and then the Seal's evil power will grow stronger. We need you, Brigit, and the third Chosen to destroy the Seal of Orichalcos forever, so that no more evil can come from it. Do you accept this task?"

Diane nodded. "I do. My sister...my friends...I won't let Pisaro get away with his plans, and I will do my best!"

"Your path will cross with Yugi's son, Diane, so be prepared," said Hermos. "Now kneel."

Diane was about to ask what Hermos meant, but shrugged and knelt.

"I grant you, Diane the Chosen, my power!" said Hermos, knighting Diane with his blade. Everything turned white and, just like the other times, a loud roar was heard.

0

Diane looked at the three cards she had drawn and grinned. "It's over."

"What?" asked Polly, confused.

"I plan to take this duel by storm!" shouted Diane.

"Wow," said Giselle. "She's got a lot of spunk in her!"

"Let's begin, shall we?" said Diane. "I first equip my Dark Magician Girl with Twin Swords of Flashing Light, discarding a card to do so." She tossed a card into the discard pile and the Dark Magician Girl's staff changed into silver blades in each hand. "While she loses 500 attack points, she can now attack twice."

"Big deal, she's much weaker than both of our creatures," said Cassie with a smirk.

"I'm not done yet!" said Diane. "I can also now summon Guardian Tryce, so I sacrifice Gravekeeper's Vassal to do so!" The snickering man vanished and was replaced by a nicer and much more handsome man in a toga, baring two blades of his own. (1900/1700) "And thanks to Twilight sacrificing my Mystical Elf, I can control her Priestess as if it were my own monster! And thanks to Gravekeeper's Vassal going to the graveyard, her attack rises to 3400!"

"You're not making any sense, girl," said Polly. "All of those monsters are weak!"

"Not for long," smirked Diane. "Because my Butterfly Dagger's back! I equip it to Gravekeeper's Priestess, making her stronger than your sister's Black Luster Soldier!" The priestess took the tiny blade in her hands and rose to 3700 attack.

"Oh no," said Cassie, sweating bullets.

"Don't worry, that cage will keep her in check for this turn," said Polly.

"Not for long, because now I play this card, Mystical Space Typhoon!" cried Diane, slapping the card down. "And I use it to destroy your Nightmare Steel Cage!"

The cage exploded into bits and Cassie and Polly screamed in terror, for their only defense was gone and now they were in trouble.

"Oh well, c'est la vie," said Polly, shrugging. "Too bad, Cass."

"You...you wouldn't let me die, would you!" cried Cassie in horror.

"Don't worry, she's joining you, because it's time to reveal my trump card!" Diane said. "I first play Monster Reborn to bring back Ancient Elf!" The elf sorcerer rose up. "And then I play...this! The Claw of Hermos!" She slapped down her final card.

"Whoa!" said Giselle.

A giant brown dragon with spikes all over its back and head appeared and let out a loud roar!

"What the Hell is THAT!" cried Polly in shock.

"That is what I'd like to know!" said Arnold in awe.

"Your demise, Polly," said Diane. "This dragon can fuse with monsters to form equipment cards! So I fuse my Ancient Elf with Hermos to form a powerful weapon!" The two beings swirled into light. "The Rod of Ancients!"

A beautiful ebony staff with blue decor appeared before Dark Magician Girl.

"I equip my Dark Magician Girl with this weapon, and watch its effect activate," said Diane as her monster sheathed one of the flashing swords to take the rod.

"What's going to happen?" asked Brandon.

Lina smirked. "Something good, and something BAD for those two!"

Polly shrieked as she saw Dark Magician Girl's attack rocket up to 5800! "What happened!"

"Simple, my Rod of the Ancients," said Diane with a wicked laugh. "It increases my equipped monster by 800 PLUS 500 for each star level the monster has! Which means Dark Magician Girl, being a six-star, gains 3800 points of attack!"

" No..." gulped Polly.

Cassie would have laughed, but the Priestess and Guardian brandished their weapons and she knew her number was up too. "Oh my god..."

"Your wicked ways end now," said Twilight with a grin. "As they say..."

"Can it with the quotes!" shouted the Gemini Sisters in unison.

"Fine," said Diane. "After all, actions speak louder than words! Dark Magician Girl, Ancient Magic Blast!"

The sorceress flew into the air, twirled the rod, and fired a beam of purple energy that vaporized Meteor Black Dragon! Polly's life points dropped to 3925.

"And now, finish her off!" commanded Diane. The sorceress jabbed Polly in the gut and her life points hit zero.

"Agh! Polly!" cried Cassie in horror.

"Your turn!" shouted Diane. "Gravekeeper's Priestess, Butterfly Dagger Stab!"

The priestess hurled her dagger into Black Luster Soldier, shattering it. Cassie's life points dropped to 1550.

"And now, Guardian Tryce! Take her down!" said Diane. The Guardian leapt and sliced both blades across Cassie's chest, making her collapse and depleting the rest of her life meter as well.

"YEAH! SHE WON!" cried Giselle, jumping for joy. "Way to go, Di!"

The duel disks shut off and every monster vanished, save for Dark Magician Girl. She smirked and floated over. "You fools," she said softly.

The two looked up and screamed, then looked at each other and growled. "It's all YOUR fault!" said Polly. "You just HAD to play that magic card!"

"Well, EXCUSE ME!" cried Cassie. "If you hadn't been so nasty to me, we could have..."

"Ahem," said the Dark Magician Girl, pointing.

The two saw the Seal form around them, then looked up to the ceiling as if begging for mercy. "Oh..." they moaned as the Seal's magic activated, ripping their souls from their bodies, which collapsed into lifeless corpses.

"That...was not good," said Brandon, shuddering. "Say, what's with that image?"

The woman turned around and smiled, then mouthed a 'thank you' and vanished.

Lina paused. Was that...Katherine's spirit?

0

Pisaro looked at the crystal and hurled it across the room. "Curse them!" He turned to see the stone slab get two new images, the Gemini Sisters. "You idiots! I had trusted you to steal two cards and you play an Orichalcos duel! I hope you enjoy spending company with Kane and Janos!"

Doppler appeared. "Well, what now, sir? Seems that got a little messy, and with the one called Hermos..."

"Yes, I know," sighed Pisaro. "Now ALL the dragons are in their power. This will be harder than I thought." He paused. "I guess we should lay low for now. Our plan must not be stopped. Phase one is about to take place. But...we will need more allies. And I think I know who we can use..." He grinned wickedly.

0

NEW CARDS

Gravekeeper's Priestess

Type: Dark/Spellcaster/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 1600
DEF: 1900
Effect: This card gains 300 attack points for every "Gravekeeper" monster in the player's graveyard. When a "Gravekeeper" monster is on your field, this card cannot be targeted for an attack.

Shattering Fist
Type: Counter Trap
Effect: Activate when your opponent attacks with a Fusion or Ritual monster. Send the monster to the graveyard and special summon the monsters used to summon it to the field in face-up attack mode.

This card was used by Varon in the episode series "Fighting For A Friend."

The Claw of Hermos
Type: Magic
Effect: Fuse this card with a monster to create an equipment magic card.

This card was used by Joey in the "Waking the Dragons Saga"(and Yugi for a couple of duels).

Rod of the Ancients
Type: Equipment Magic
Effect: Can only be activated by playing "The Claw of Hermos" on "Ancient Elf." The monster equipped with this card gains 800 base attack, plus 500 attack for every star level it has.

Next Chapter: The camp's mini-tournament is about to begin, but Lina gets a spiritual message and goes on an amazing journey. The opening ceremonies begin in Guardian Angel Joan!