Chapter Ten
This was the moment he had been waiting for. After going through so much trouble to get where he was, this would be the deciding moment of his career. Once this thief was arrested, he would finally be acknowledged as a real police officer instead of just a new hire.
"I'm going to repeat myself one last time," Nathan said, keeping his stance stiff and rigid. "Where do you think you're going?"
The supposed thief cautiously lifted his hand off the doorknob, bringing it slowly to the side of his black jeans.
"I was looking to get away from the crowd," the thief said, calmly. "I need to think before my match against Kaiba."
"A likely story," Nathan remarked, even though he had seen this man in the stadium earlier. "Tell me your name and what you're doing?"
The man raised his eyebrows, then lowered them. It wasn't a twitch; more like a warning.
"My name is Adam Prince. I'm participating in the tournament and made it past the final round. I just wanted to get away from everyone so I can prepare my deck in peace." Adam took a second to think. Liars always did this. "Kaiba is a tough opponent. I need to be sure that my cards are able to handle his and I can't think straight when I'm in public."
"So you decide to go into an off-limits hallway just so you can 'think'?" Nathan hoped that his tough-guy act was working. After a while he wouldn't be able to keep it up.
"Yes," Adam said. He had him now.
"Sir, are you aware that a deck had been stolen during the second round of this tournament?"
Adam raised his eyebrows, only to lower them again. Now that was a twitch.
"No, I'm completely unaware," he said in an unconvincing tone.
"Well," Nathan began. "I'm going to have to check your Card Analyzer in case you happen to be connected to the thief." He put out his hand, sharply forcing eye contact. "Hand it over."
Adam hesitated, staring back into Nathan eyes. His stare was cold and mysterious. Nathan nearly cracked until he saw Adam reach for his belt, allowing the officer to regain his posture. Adam handed Nathan the handheld device, noting that it had a small lock on the deck box slot.
"Allow me," Adam said. He punched in the code on the Card Analyzer's touch screen, and the slot opened with a click.
This caught Nathan off guard. But if anything, it made the evidence more valuable. Thieves always know how to break locks. How else did he get inside that safe?
"Thank you," Nathan said, recuperating. He brushed his index finger into the box, allowing the cards to float up with it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just a bunch of brown-backed cards that everyone else in world had, but that didn't prove anything. He flipped a card over, revealing its pale border.
The revelation came as a shock, but it was expected. This was definitely Kaiba's deck. His eyes raced along, barely catching the details in his inner excitement. The picture was a dragon. That clue alone meant nothing until he saw the end of its name. The final word was 'Dragon' and, upon glancing towards the other side, he saw that the center word was 'Eyes'. He contained his urge to shout, but searched some more just to prove Adam's guilt further. On the bottom of the card, he noted that one of the stats had three zeros next to each other. Well, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon has 3000 ATK, so everything added up perfectly. This had to be the card.
Nathan slid the card back into the deck box, returning his gaze to Adam, whose stare hadn't changed since he confiscated the deck.
"Sir, I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me." He reached for this handcuffs, but his hand found his walkie-talkie instead.
"Attention all officers," a voice rang out from its speaker. Nathan jerked his hand away from the unexpected sound. It was the chief. "An unauthorized duel is taking place in the cafeteria. A woman has the entire room hostage and she has been reported to hold Kaiba's deck. Everyone focus all efforts to securing the building and getting those people away from her immediately."
Nathan stumbled a bit, turned sharply to Adam, who brushed his fingers along his spikey hair, only to hold his hand out in the end. Pleasure was never evident on his face the whole time, but Nathan knew he was relieved.
"Can I have my deck back?"
The officer opened the deck box again, sliding the same card out. He had mistaken; this card was a Synchro Monster. He closed the box, clicking the lock, and handed it back to Adam.
"I'm truly sorry sir." He bowed, taking off his cap.
Adam held out his hand. "It's fine. You were doing your job."
Nathan looked up, awkwardly accepting the handshake. He probably looked like an idiot at this point.
"Hopefully you can get everyone out safely."
That returned him to the real world. "Right, carry on sir." Nathan let go, throwing his cap on his head and darting back into the crowd.
Adam watched him go, turned to the door behind him. "So it's true. She is here after all…"
Terror surged throughout Dave's body, replacing his pulse with a quick jolt of electricity, sparking along each of his nerves one at a time. He knew this might happen, but hoped that the duel would be over before the receptionist was able to summon it. But it was too late for that. Now the three-headed beast stood before him – the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. (4500/3800)
4500 ATK? Josh thought. Dave hasn't been able to bring out anything with that kind of power. He looked to Dave, saw the mutual fear beating in his eyes. What the hell did he get himself into?
The receptionist dusted off her shoulder, ridding herself of any dirt that had flown on her from her monster's summoning. She grinned.
"From the look on your face I can tell that you're out of options." She eyed the general (3600/3000), who stood unflinchingly despite the panic that had spread around the room. Its cannons were still aimed at the Ultimate Dragon. "Well, your general can still destroy it with its effect, but I'm about to take care of that." She pointed at the monster. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, eradicate his Black Luster General! Neutron Blast!"
Each head opened its mouth, charging up an energy sphere that radiated with a fierce glow. After the spheres exceeded the mouth's size, they released the blasts, sending three beams forward with overwhelming force. The beams wrapped around each other, converging into a single, larger beam that accelerated faster than a single Blue-Eyes White Dragon could ever dream. Black Luster Soldier jumped out of the way before the beam came too close. The blast deluged Black Luster General, engulfing it in a stream of white light. Dave grasped onto his hat to prevent from flying off, pulling it down over his eyes. When he lifted it back up, a large scorch mark spread where Black Luster General once stood. Nothing remained of the general expect a wisp of smoke and evaporated hope.
[Dave LP: (7200 - 6300)] [Receptionist LP: (6800)]
"Alright! I'm on a roll!" The receptionist yelled enthusiastically, to the dismay of everyone around her. She picked out a new card, showing Dave a Spell Card that featured a meteorite falling through the sky with a pink energy trail in its wake. "Now I'll activate Fairy Meteor Crush and equip it to Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, enabling it to inflict damage even when it attacks a monster in Defense Mode!"
A dark pink aura radiated around the three-headed dragon; it retracted its necks closer to its body, soon embracing the newly acquired ability with a red gleam in its six eyes.
Dave still stared at the spot where Black Luster General had been obliterated. If I summon any more monsters my Life Points will be gone before I know it. He distantly gazed at his remaining monster. His favorite monster. And so will my deck. And everyone…
This was the first time since the Ultimate Dragon had been summoned where he acknowledged those around him. He wasn't playing a game anymore.
He was playing for their lives.
The receptionist snapped her fingers, breaking Dave out of his trance.
"Hello there," the receptionist mocked, waving a hand. "I said it's your turn."
Dave refused to answer, instead ripped a card out of his Duel Disk. He glanced over his hand, but nothing he held could even put a dent into that dragon. What he needed was a miracle.
His eyes darted to his soldier – it also shakily glared at the dragon, gripping onto its gem-encrusted sword (4200/2500). Even it was scared. And it was a hologram.
"Alright, look," the receptionist butted in again. "There's no way you're gonna win so just surrender and I may let you go."
Dave grimaced; his monster mimicked his facial expression. "And there's no way I'm gonna give in to a coward like you."
The receptionist snorted again, resting her free hand on her pocketed gun. "Suit yourself. Just hurry up. I don't have all day."
Be careful Dave, Josh thought, stepping back sub-consciously. You're in no position to make insults.
Dave searched the field again, averting his eyes away from the three-headed dragon. His gaze fell upon another monster – Lord of D. (1200/1100) – that had gone unnoticed behind the tremendous creature next to it. Even with the boosts from Black Luster Knight and Black Luster Sword, my Black Luster Soldier isn't strong enough to take on her Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. If I have any chance of destroying it, I'll need to get rid of that thing ASAP.
"Black Luster Soldier," Dave commanded, urging the warrior into a fighting position. "Attack her Lord of Dragons!"
The soldier darted forward, skipping over the gap in between the tables – high enough to make the leap, but low enough to avoid the dragon's three necks – and carrying its sword to protect itself from any sudden attack from the beast above it. Though it was hidden behind the dragon's left wing, Black Luster Soldier coaxed it out of hiding by slamming its sword on the ground by its feet. The lord nervously jumped away, giving the soldier the opening it needed to slay it with ease.
Beside the battle scene, the dragon groaned ominously. Thinking that it would strike, the soldier rushed to Dave's side, sweat racing off its face.
"It's your move." He sighed. Only a minor dent in a huge obstacle. I need to draw that card, or this could be my last duel. Once again, he weakly glanced at the crowd, the children, the adults. Josh.
And theirs…
"Mr. Kaiba," the chief said. He, the Kaiba brothers, and the army of police officers surrounding them hurried through the vestibule. Others moved aside in wonder and confusion, though they could tell they weren't playing around. "It's confirmed that the deck is fully intact. The thief is dueling one of the finalists in your tournament, and it appears that she also is under your employment."
"Of course she is," Kaiba snarled, as if he knew the whole time. "How else could someone bypass my security system unless they were on the inside?"
"Seto," Mokuba said, quickening his pace to match his brother's. "Do you think this has to do with what Pegasus said?"
Kaiba stiffened slightly; only Mokuba noticed. "I don't know Mokuba. But I do know that it has to do with my Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards."
Still, that doesn't mean the two aren't connected, he thought. He stared at the ground by his feet while he walked. If this thief went through the trouble of keeping her affiliation hidden then maybe it's worth paying Pegasus a visit. He moved his gaze ahead of him. The group finally arrived outside the cafeteria's double doors. After all, Pegasus owns the company that created Duel Monsters while I own the company that changed its history…
Two officers opened the door on his respective side, slamming them against the wall on the opposite side. Kaiba walked in, with Mokuba and the chief beside them. Everyone in the room turned to look. Their expressions ranged from relief to agony, though Kaiba paid them no attention. His focus immediately fell on the duel elevated above the others – the finalist, Dave, on one side with his signature Black Luster Soldier, and his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the other. Behind it was the thief; a lowly receptionist he had never met before.
Dave subtly moved his eyes to the noise. Kaiba!
The receptionist snickered. "Ah, the man of the hour!" She held up a hand, motioning towards the dragon. "Glad you could finally come and see me duel after all our time working together."
Kaiba remained hardened. "Do I know you?"
The receptionist clutched both hands into fists, returning her raised hand to her side. "Of course you don't!" she howled. She practically spewed venom with each word. "Ever since you took over your father's company I've been treated like a rat at the bottom of a well!"
Mokuba and the chief exchanged puzzled looks. Kaiba stepped forward, waving his arm across his chest.
"Maybe if you had some manners you'd earn some respect."
"Respect!" she stomped her foot. Josh could've sworn he saw a woodchip fly. "When this company was a weapons manufacturer I was one of the top gun specialists in the nation! But then you beat your step-daddy in a little competition and boom! Back to the bottom of the food chain for me!"
The receptionist flailed herself madly around the table, overwhelmed by her anger. Everyone looked on in consternation, but Kaiba didn't react.
Josh cringed. This lady's completely insane.
"But now I'll have my revenge! Once I take your deck back to my new boss, we'll be one step closer to ruining this company and eventually I'll burn it down with my bare hands!"
Dave glanced back to the receptionist. Her new boss? So she's not just some desperate psycho?
She slammed her hand to her hip, whipping it out the gun, aiming it at Kaiba's forehead. Mokuba jumped. Collective gasps swept throughout the crowd. "Any last words, Seto Kaiba!"
"Yeah," Kaiba said, staring past the barrel, into the receptionist's glare. "Put that toy away before you blow your eye out. Then you can give me back my deck while you take your sob story to your oh-so-wonderful new boss, you worthless bitch."
"Bitch!" If she wasn't an armed criminal Dave might've started laughing. The receptionist lowered her gun, trembling with rage. "I'll show you who's a bitch! Right after I wipe this kid out with your deck!"
Kaiba gave a sarcastic laugh. "Please. You honestly think you have what it takes to handle the power of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon? No one can use my deck but me. Just because you hold my cards doesn't mean you know my strategies." He turned his body, looking directly at Dave. "In fact, I bet your dueling skills are so poor that Dave here can beat you in one move."
Dave felt a warm beat thrust through his heart. He made eye contact with Kaiba. He does?
"Dave, don't let this bitch prove me wrong."
Dave nodded. I guess that was a compliment.
"Yeah? YEAH?" She stiffly shoved in gun back into her belt, twisting herself back towards the duel. "I'm not gonna let you get away with your abuse. I'll show you all the power of revenge! It's my turn!" She pulled a new card, inwardly grinning at it. Especially now that I just drew Kaiba's strongest Trap Card – the Crush Card Virus. She fumbled with it in between her fingers. All I need is a weaker DARK monster and I'll be able to destroy nearly every monster in Dave's deck. Then nothing will be able to stop me.
Mokuba leaned closer to Kaiba, whispering in his ear. "Seto, are you crazy? After all the trouble you went through to get your deck back, you're really going to risk it all here?"
"I know what I'm doing Mokuba." His eyes never left the camouflaged duelist. Let's just hope Dave doesn't screw things up.
The receptionist added the card to her hand, glanced up at the Ultimate Dragon. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, wipe out his Black Luster Soldier! Neutron Blast!"
The three-headed dragon prepared another trio of energy spheres, seemingly enjoying the demise of its final opponent. Unleashing the blast onto the warrior, the spiraling beam gradually sped up as it came close to its target. Black Luster Soldier, poised with both sword and shield in hand, boldly stared at the beam, its white glow shining in its eyes.
This game is mine. The receptionist smiled sinisterly. Who's the bitch now!
"…Now!"
The command from Dave caught everyone off guard, especially the receptionist.
Black Luster Soldier spun around, its shield and armor glimmering with the light of the fatal beam, its red ponytail twirling as it twirled. The warrior completed its circular turn on one knee, swinging its sword inches from its face. Using the momentum from its spin, the soldier deflected the light into the ceiling, creating an array of sparkling twisters scouring through the air.
For a moment, silence filled the room. Then, brave cheers erupted behind Dave, soon engulfing the entire cafeteria. Black Luster Soldier rose to its feet, focusing so intently on its task that it failed to notice the shower of applause. It peered at the blade in its hand, turning the handle with its thumb. Of the ten tiny gems, only five were glowing. But, at that moment, one of them died out, leaving only four.
The receptionist growled. She saw the stupid grin on Dave's face, the pitiful joy of his 'fans'. She darted her eyes at Kaiba, who stood emotionlessly scowling at her the whole time. Her blood boiled.
"You triggered the effect of my Black Luster Sword," Dave stated with pride. "When you declare an attack against the equipped monster, I can remove a Black Luster Counter from it to negate the attack. But, since it lost a counter, Black Luster Soldier loses 200 ATK."
[Black Luster Soldier (4200 - 4000/2500)]
Josh exhaled, relief flowing out of his lungs. Thank god…
The receptionist growled again; this time loud enough for her opponent to hear. She clutched her hand to her belt, swiped her gun from it, sent two shots out towards the sky. Everyone ceased their cheering, breathlessly scampered away.
"One more sound uttered from you vermin and I'll shoot you all right here." Her eyes shot daggers at random crowd members, then at her former prisoner – Josh – then at Dave. "Don't think for a second that I'm going to let you get away alive." She shoved her gun back into her belt. "Take your turn."
Dave quietly complied.
Josh, who had ducked his head under his arms when the receptionist started shooting, cautiously tilted his head, gazing back at the duel. Dave, I hope that card of yours works, 'cause I don't think I can take much more of this.
This isn't good, Dave thought, intensely staring at the card he drew. The picture seemed to be lurching out at him, sucking him into its blue border. His third Black Luster Soldier. If it had been just a few turns earlier he would have celebrated. But now – with everything stacked against him – it was a dead draw.
Dead. Just like he would be.
My Black Luster Sword's effect won't last forever, and with Fairy Meteor Crush equipped to her dragon I won't be able to summon any more monsters without taking a heavy hit to my Life Points. But he couldn't do anything now. Defending was his only option.
Black Luster Soldier knelt.
"I switch my Black Luster Soldier to Defense Mode and end my turn." He didn't look up from his Duel Disk after turning the card's position on its platform. He could feel everyone's shameful stares stabbing into his skin.
"Where's your confidence now?" The receptionist gave a halfhearted laugh, quickly reverting back to her annoyed expressions. "It's my turn."
Yes. She held her new card to eye level – it was a clown monster, dressed in baggy, striped clothes. Peten the Dark Clown fits Crush Card Virus's requirements perfectly. She moved the card out of her line of sight, her gaze falling onto the kneeling soldier. And I'll finally be rid of that pesky Black Luster Soldier.
"Alright, first I'll summo –"
A loud ringing sound emitted out of the receptionist's Duel Disk, awakening everyone from their gloomy daze like an alarm clock early in the morning. Dave raised an eyebrow, watched the receptionist share his confusion. She found the source of the sound, noticing that the meter on her Duel Disk read the word 'DISCARD' instead of her Life Point total.
Kaiba chuckled softly, but loud enough for the receptionist to take notice.
"Seems that you've activated Card of Demise before I showed up to your 'party'," he said, crossing his arms. "'Cause five turns after Card of Demise is used you're force to discard your hand. Of course, if you were a competent duelist you'd be able to remember that." He waved a hand, pretending to bask in the light. "Or maybe it's just 'cause your math skills are that of a rodent's."
The chief cracked a smile – though it vanished when the receptionist thrust her cards into her Graveyard.
"Doesn't matter." She pointed to her opponent. "I've got all the power I need! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Neutron Blast!"
"Black Luster Soldier, block!"
Another stream of static burst out of the dragon heads, fusing into a single beam. Black Luster Soldier heaved its sword like a bat, knocking the beam away before it could do any harm. Though the soldier remained intact, another gem on its sword dulled. (4000 - 3800/2500)
Dave grimaced. Only three turns left before my sword gives out.
"Well, that was disappointing." She twirled her hand, cocking her wrist at Dave. "Your turn."
He drew – a Spell Card depicting some sort of ancient Egyptian rifle. It could save him, but he needed a lot of luck.
A lot of luck.
"I activate Reload. This allows me shuffle my hand back into my deck and then draw an equal number of cards." He folded the four remaining cards together, slid them into his deck, only to slide the deck out. He took the bottom half, choppily placed it on top, continuing the pattern while the crowd watched nervously.
So he has four chances to draw that card. Josh was hopeful, but it was hard to stay optimistic when an armed criminal stood a few yards away. Please draw that card.
Finally, the camouflaged duelist returned his deck to his Duel Disk, proceeding to draw one card at a time. First card was Forced Back. Useless. Next card, Obnoxious Celtic Guard. Even worse. Third card, his third copy of Black Luster Soldier. Dave saw its return as a sign of good fortune – if he was able to draw it again then that means his deck was thinning out. He would be able to draw that card. He closed his eyes, slowly pulling the card out. Pressing the corner with his index finger and thumb, he opened his eyes, the picture reflecting in his stare.
Luster Dragon.
Dave glared at the held card for a long time. For a second Josh thought that he was forming a new strategy, until he uttered the words that shattered any remaining optimism.
"I… I end my turn." Dave lowered his gaze, the rim of his hat acting as a veil, hiding his fear-filled pupils.
"This isn't looking good," Mokuba whispered. The chief nodded. Kaiba heard him, didn't acknowledge his words. He crossed his arms.
Don't make me regret my decision.
The receptionist grinned sinisterly. "How quickly things change." She whipped her hair back, holding a lone card between her fingertips. "You started this duel with naïve hope of winning. Now look at you! You're practically cowering before me!"
Dave clutched his fists, refused to look up.
Josh wanted to say "Don't let her get to you!" but he was afraid as well. He couldn't stand here and watch her insult his friend, yet that was exactly what he was doing.
If only he was more courageous…
"Anyway, it's my turn." Ah, looks like Kaiba got some new cards. She fumbled with the Spell Card in her hand. Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce. 'Allows the equipped monster two attacks at the cost of 500 ATK points.' This'll speed things up. She read over the card again. Oh, but I need to discard a card to activate it. She lowered it, returning to the duel. No matter. I can afford to wait one turn.
"Blue-Eyes Ultimate, attack again!"
The three-headed dragon reared its heads, dripping sheer power out its mouths like saliva. The energy melded into a single orb, bursting forward at the soldier in an explosion of static. Black Luster Soldier sliced its sword in front of it, dividing the blast into two separate beams, sending them jetting into the floor adjacent to it. The Black Luster Sword lost another gem, predictably, but the soldier was shocked to see that the blade had cracked during that last attack. (3800 - 3600/2500)
"Won't be much longer now." She gestured to Dave with her lone card. "Your go."
Time's running out. Dave's eyes trailed his fingers as he reached for his deck. This had to be the card. He drew, found it to be Sworn into the Army. Not only was it useless, it was redundant – it would treat his monster's name as Black Luster Soldier, the only monster he had out.
"Go," Dave said, adding the Spell to his collection of cards, analyzing them in an attempt to work out a strategy.
Nothing works… He tilted his head away from his hand, lowering it. If I don't draw it soon I'll have no choice but to surrender. Maybe she'll spare us if I do…
He brought his attention to the kneeling soldier, who still gawked at its chipped blade.
I'm sorry, old friend. Our lives are more important…
The receptionist drew. She smiled.
"It's all over." She revealed one of her cards. "I activate Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce!"
Kaiba gritted his teeth. Remind me to fire whoever built that safe…
"By discarding a card from my hand I can equip to my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" She placed her only card above the Graveyard slot, which automatically sucked it in. "It loses 500 ATK points, but now it can attack twice each turn. That's more than enough to finish you off."
The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's two side heads bared their fangs, revealing their growth before everyone's eyes. They curled slightly as they grew, shining in the light generated from the energy forming in their mouths. (4500 - 4000/3800)
Black Luster Soldier averted its attention away from its blade, staring into its adversary's central mouth. The light finished charging; the dragon let loose two spheres of energy from its two side heads, as opposed to a large blast from all three. Black Luster Soldier blocked one sphere with both its sword and shield; the sphere was large enough to encompass their entire surface, sending the warrior slowly skidding backwards. With sweat dripping from its face it thrust the sphere away, propelling it into the other, negating the blast as well as creating a film of smoke over between the two monsters.
The soldier knelt, gasping heavily. It dropped its weapons; their cracked surfaces shattering against the table, reducing them to blue and golden fragments. (3600 - - 3200/2500) Dave stepped forward, realized it was no use. Next turn the dragon would take away his monster, then the rest of his Life Points.
Then his life.
"Just give it up kid," the receptionist said, forcing eye contact with Dave. "Face it – you can duel your way through a stupid tournament but when it comes to the big leagues you don't stand a chance! I saw your last duel, you couldn't even last one turn against a real duelist."
Dave's stare dropped to his shoes. Maybe she's right…
"I've had enough!"
The receptionist diverted her attention to the voice from her right, inevitably drawing the attention of everyone else one by one. Josh came out of his hiding spot, jumping onto one of the seats nearby, fists clenched.
"I'm not gonna sit here any longer and listen to you threaten our lives over a bunch of cardboard!"
Kaiba scowled while he listened. The kid has a bit of Wheeler in him. He tensed slightly. I hate Wheeler.
"You shut it," the receptionist said, swatting a hand at him. "You already had your chance to be brave and that left you at gun point. Unless you want that again…"
"No you shut it!" Josh countered, catching both duelists (and himself) off guard. He turned to Dave, who watched him intently. "Dave, you are a real duelist. I haven't played this game for very long but you've been working on that deck for six years preparing for this duel. If there's anyone here who can stop her, it's you."
Dave smiled. Thank you Josh…
"Now show us that card you've been telling me about! Take her down!"
The speech roused the audience, riling them into cheering once again.
"Dave! Dave! Dave! Dave!"
Even Mokuba found himself chanting along with them. The chief leaned closer to Kaiba, whispered to him over their shouts.
"You think he can do it?"
Kaiba didn't move.
"Depends on what he draws…"
Dave held his hand over his deck, preparing to draw. He closed his eyes. Inhaled through his nose. Everything around him faded from existence, leaving him alone in a black abyss. The sounds around him muffled until they were mute. Nothing else mattered except for him and his deck.
What would Yugi do? He pressed his fingertips on his deck, feeling the cold texture of his next card.
Yugi would win.
He drew.
Others looked on as he pulled the card past his head, seemingly in suspended animation. Time stood still, only continuing when the camouflaged duelist slowly brought the card closer to his face. He opened his eyes, the card's picture assaulting his sight.
"You're right," Dave said. The receptionist raised a nervous eyebrow. "This duel is over."
He grinned.
Josh stabilized his stance. Kaiba uncrossed his arms.
Dave added the new card to his hand, taking another card from it, slapping a pale card on his Duel Disk next to the blue-bordered card. "First off I'll summon Luster Dragon in Attack Mode!"
The sapphire dragon flew out its card image, landing near the unarmed Black Luster Soldier. With its ruby eyes, it stared at the Ultimate Dragon towering over it, ready to battle. (1900/1600)
"So your big draw was a tiny dragon?" The receptionist cackled. "You had me worried for a second."
"That wasn't my big draw – this is!" He snatched another card from his hand, flipping it over. "I activate Super Polymerization!"
The receptionist nearly fell backwards. "What?"
Kaiba lowered his arms, raised his eyebrows. There's no way.
Super Polymerization? Josh remembered Polymerization from yesterday's lesson. It summoned Fusion monsters. So he's gonna fuse his monsters together right?
"By discarding my last Black Luster Soldier in my hand, I can fuse any two monsters on the field!" He shoved the blue bordered card into his Graveyard, the Spell Card's hologram rose with a blinding glow. "Any two monsters!"
Streaks of light shot out of the card, projecting endlessly with piercing might. The streaks began to whirl around – a ferriswheel spiraling into a hypnotic ray that froze the receptionist in place.
Tendrils of light whipped around the tables, snaring Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's central neck. It tossed its neck side to side, even had its other two heads bite at the streak. Nothing could be done. While they were distracted, more streaks latched onto the other heads, then more wrapped around its body and tail.
Black Luster Soldier, too, became clasped by the streaks around its arms and torso. It closed its eyes, willingly allowed them to pull it into the rotating light.
The dragon planted its feet, but it even its strength failed to prevent the powerful streaks from dragging it into the abyss. Its tail vanished into the warphole, consumed by light. With both monsters gone, an explosive glow emitted out of the card, forcing everyone to cover their eyes.
"Behold," Dave raised his arms, shouting to the heavens. "The mighty Dragon Master Knight!"
The receptionist's sight finally adjusted. Her Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was no longer in front of her. Instead, it stood opposite of her, on Dave's side of the field. Not only that, but his own Black Luster Soldier sat perched on top of the dragon's central neck.
It had been tamed. (5000/5000)
"5000 ATK!" The receptionist took a step back.
He used her own cards against her, Josh thought. A calm smile spread across his cheeks. Way to go Dave.
Kaiba stepped forward. I haven't seen that card in years… Not since Yugi and I… He shook his head. No. He's not Yugi. Not even close. He got lucky, and this bitch got what she deserved.
"Yes…" Dave thrust his arm forward, his confidence fully restored. "But 5000 isn't enough. Thanks to its special ability, Dragon Master Knight gains even more ATK for every Dragon-type monster on the field!"
The receptionist sent a frightful gape to the smaller dragon beside it. The Luster Dragon floated up, its body exuding a mysterious blue aura. Eventually the dragon lost its shape, transforming into pure energy, transferring itself into the knight's sword. Dragon Master Knight began to glow with the same aura, its power levels increasing greatly. (5000 - 6900/5000)
"N-no. No way!"
"Finish her off!" Dave commanded, exposing the receptionist's fear for the first time.
The soldier raised its sword, sending the aura around it flaming out of the blade. As the aura grew taller, the dragon generated three gleaming spheres in each of its mouths.
"Dragon Master Knight, attack with Dragon Saber Blast!"
The soldier whipped its sword towards the ground, sending the aura surging at the receptionist. Simultaneously, the dragon unleashed three explosive sky blue beams, blaring through the air with frightening speed. The receptionist searched spastically for a place to dodge but failed to move in time. The four beams crashed together, slamming into the receptionist all at once, throwing her onto the table behind her. She weakly tried to get up, only to knock her head against the table.
[Dave LP: (6300)] [Receptionist LP: (6800 - - 0)]
Police officers from around the room started to walk closer; the chief and the Kaiba brothers closely followed. Dragon Master Knight vanished, leaving Dave alone on the table, panting heavily. He still stared at the receptionist, then slowly returned his gaze to the purple card resting on his Duel Disk.
"I… I did it."
Kaiba approached the receptionist, who had clumsily begun to get onto her knees. He motioned to the others to wait.
"See, one move." He held out a hand. "Now I'll be taking my deck back."
The receptionist turned to him, anger ignited in her eyes. "This wasn't part of the plan!" She stood up. "My master said this was flawless! I was going to leave with your deck and then we would begin our real plans!"
"Well obviously your master never met me." Kaiba held out his hand further.
"You're wrong… I'm going to get my revenge on you Kaiba!" She glared at Dave. "But first I'm going to get rid of you!"
She snapped her gun off her belt, cocking it in a single motion. Kaiba pulled his hand back, his eyes trailing down the barrel's path. Dave froze; air clogged his lungs. Police officers poised their guns to shoot. The chief yelled to them.
"Hold your fire!"
"I'm taking this deck, and no one's gonna stop me! Hahaha!"
Dave peered into the barrel, sweat sliding past his ears. His persecution seemed to be in slow motion. The receptionist placed her finger on the trigger, carefully applying pressure.
Miraculously, a projectile shot across the room, slamming the receptionist's hand, knocking her gun into the air. She clutched her struck hand with another. The gun flew across the tables, drifting near Josh. On impulse, he dove at it, clasping it with both arms before slamming onto the floor.
The whole sight staggered all. Dave barely managed to figure out what happened. His gaze fell onto the table in front of him – a Duel Monster's card lied before him, its picture lurched at him. A pale-armored angel with phoenix-like wings.
Archlord Kristya.
"That's what you get!" Peter shouted, standing with one leg on the receptionist's table. "You made a deal and you lost. Don't try to cheat your way out of this one!"
The receptionist barely saw him before the cops blocked her view. You little brat…
"You're under arrest," the chief said, closing the handcuffs around her wrists. The Duel Disk had already been removed from her; Kaiba held it in his hand. "Anything you say can and will be used against you."
She glared at Kaiba once more. "My master will avenge me!" Then to Dave. "I WILL get my revenge!"
"Shut up." Kaiba equipped the Duel Disk to his arm, turned his back to her, walked away.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" the receptionist began to flail around madly, forcing multiple officers to clasp onto her arms and shoulders. "GET BACK HERE!"
Dave stepped down from the table, reaching to pick up the Archlord Kristya card. Josh and Peter ran over from either side, the former with the gun still in his hands.
"Are you alright?" Josh asked, conscious of where the gun pointed.
"Yeah." He gave Peter his card back. "I think this belongs to you."
Peter accepted the card, pocketing it. "Thanks."
"That was amazing – how you threw that card across the room!" Josh said. "I never even thought of using it to disarm someone!"
Peter smiled. "It was nothing. Just takes practice."
"'Nothing'? You saved my life!" Dave said.
"Nah, I only did what my instincts told me to. Someone had to do something or that crazy bitch would've shot us all to death."
"Dave."
The three boys turned – behind them stood Seto Kaiba, pridefully showing his deck. Dave locked eyes with him, attentively waiting for him to speak. It felt as if there were no other people around for miles.
"While that finishing blow was impressive, we both know that if this deck was in my hands that the duel would've ended differently…"
Dave, awestruck by the statement, nodded in agreement.
Kaiba gave a subtle nod, turned his back to them. "I'll be waiting for you at KaibaCorp." He walked away, striding through the path the crowd had formed for him. The trio watched him leave, disappearing in the doorway.
On the opposite side of the room the receptionist had finally been subdued; three police officers escorted her out of the building with several other officers circling them. The chief came up to them, eyeing Josh, making him nervous. Another officer – Josh assumed his name was Nathan from their first encounter – stood behind him.
"I believe you have an important piece of evidence…" he pointed a finger at the gun in Josh's hand, repeatedly pushing it downward as if he were pressing a button. Josh nearly forgot he was holding it.
"Oh, of course." He handed the weapon to the chief, stepping back immediately after.
"That was very brave of you, diving to catch it. It could've fired on you and you could've been seriously hurt."
Josh blushed. "I dunno," he said bashfully. "I kinda just did it on impulse."
"It was a heroic move." The chief addressed Peter and Dave as well. "All of you, if it weren't for you we could've had a crisis on our hands. Thank you."
The chief tipped his cap, then returned to the others with Nathan. Josh patted a hand Dave on the shoulder.
"Looks like you got your chance to duel Kaiba's deck after all."
Peter had said something as well, Dave didn't hear him. His eyes widened. My chance…
"Don't worry," Adam's face flashed into his mind. "You'll get your chance."
"Dave."
He shook off the thought, looked to Peter who repeated himself. "Are you guys gonna watch Adam in the last round?" He glanced over his shoulder, as if suspicious of those around them. "I've been hearing good things about him."
"Yeah," Josh answered for him, "after today we definitely need something to calm our nerves." He took his hand off Dave's shoulder. "Why don't you sit with us? Since Adam's dueling his seat's vacant."
"Sure, I'd be happy to."
The three passed through the dispersing crowd, headed for the doorway. Josh led the way, Peter followed, while Dave trailed behind staring at the floor.
How did he know?
Card Analyzer activated…
Accessing Card Database… Searching for Card Data …
… Data Found:
Fallen Headless Knight
Level 4
[Earth]
[Fiend/Effect]
(1450/1700)
This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can Special Summon itself from the Graveyard. You can only Special Summon 1 "Fallen" monster this way per turn. If a non-"Fallen" monster exists in your Graveyard, you may not Special Summon this card this way. This card's name is also treated as "Headless Knight". While this card is in Defense Position, increase the ATK of all "Fallen" monsters by 400 points. While this card is in Attack Position, increase the DEF of all "Fallen" monsters by 400 points.
Sworn into the Army
[Spell/Equip]
This card can only be equipped to a Warrior-type monster. The equipped monster's name is also treated as "Black Luster Soldier".