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DUEL TWENTY-ONE
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True Colors
The Ploy
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Not all of the houses in Beacon Hill were as old as Dante's house. Some were very new and very modern, but no less expensive.
One house of modern design was the one owned by Sarah Blaze, where she lived alone – most of the time. She sighed as she lay back on her couch in her living room. It had been a long day.
She closed her eyes.
Then she opened them.
She got up, and walked into the kitchen. She casually opened the refrigerator, and took out a can of beer.
She looked around. Then she took a small remote out of her pocket, and hit a button on it. All of the doors and windows in the house locked with a click.
Then she opened the can of beer.
"You know," she said out loud, "I could call the police and have you hauled out of here for breaking and entering… But it would be a shame to do that to my biggest fan…"
She watched as Karen crawled out from under the kitchen table.
"So what's up, Karen?" asked Sarah, as she leaned against the wall.
"I saw you talking to that guy with the horns…" replied Karen, with a sullen look on her face.
"What, you mean Dybbuk?" asked Sarah. "Oh, he's just a friend…"
"Cut the bullshit," said Karen, bitterly. "You're working for the guys who are behind all these devils attacking the city!"
"I am, am I?" said Sarah. "You think I'm working for the forces of Hell?"
She placed the beer on the counter, and then opened a cabinet. Karen flinched a little, but then saw that she was only going for a canister of almonds.
"So then…" continued Sarah, as she opened the canister. "If I am, then why did Alyosha kidnap me? You saw that amulet he was wearing… If anyone wasallied with the forces of Hell, he was."
Karen sighed.
"You know, that was the part where I first thought something was wrong," she said. "You see, when you interviewed him on your show, it was like the two of you had first met…
"But when I dueled him, you said something about how he 'hadn't changed', how he was 'still a bully'. It made me think you had actually known him from somewhere before.
"And as for why he kidnapped you… I'm guessing that he was a patsy. This Dybbuk guy told him to kidnap you because that's what you wanted."
"I wanted to be dragged to that library, and drugged with dark agony?" asked Sarah, with a laugh.
She tossed an almond into the air and caught it in her mouth.
"Ever seen the old Star Wars movies?" asked Karen. "In the prequels, Chancellor Palpatine was secretly a Sith Lord, and the mastermind behind the Separatist army, and in Episode III, he arranged for his own kidnapping to remove himself as a suspect. I'm guessing that you had the same idea."
Sarah gave her a cold look. She set the can of almonds down on the counter.
"Yeah, I saw the movies, all right…" she said. "In fact, that's exactly where I got the idea. I gotta admit, kid… You're one heck of a sleuth…"
"So what did you do?" asked Karen. "Sell your soul so your show would always get good ratings?"
Sarah laughed out loud.
"Of course not!" she laughed. "I'm an aasimar! I could have gotten a lot more for my soul than that."
"Aasimar?" gasped Karen. "Aren't those… Aren't those… Like the opposite of tieflings? Descendants of unions between mortals and beings from the Upper Planes?"
"That's right," said Sarah. "My family can trace its bloodline back to a deva from Mount Celestia.
"Surprised you found one who doesn't belong to the Templars of Heironeous or some other gang of goody-two-shoes? No-one tells me how to live my life, not even my heritage!
"As for Dybbuk, I'm not really 'working' for him, quote-unquote. I told him right from the start that any agreements between the two of us were going to be on my terms. He can't even spy on me like he can on his regular minions.
"I simply agreed to be his eyes and ears in Boston, and he agreed to work a few legitimate business deals to make sure that sponsors and guests went to my show before they went to anyone else's, making my show able to climb to the top.
"After all… If I ever became unpopular… Heck, I might have to get a real job!"
Karen glared at her.
"I think that's an old joke that everyone in show business uses," she said.
"You're damn right it is," said Sarah, somberly. "My job is far from easy. You should see some of the clowns I interview. Remember Charlie Kirkson?"
"Wait…" said Karen. "Wasn't he was running for the Senate on the GOP ticket last election?"
"No, he was trying to gain the nomination," replied Sarah. "I interviewed him… He told me on the air that he would push for tough laws on abortion and a nationwide ban on gay marriage.
"Where did this dumb ultra-conservative think he was, Texas? This has been a blue state since before I was born. I had to hold back the urge to call him an idiot. As I expected, his far more moderate opponent in the primary wiped him out, and even that guy lost the election.
"And the truth is, I've had to put up with even more pathetic guests. But keeping a straight face and knowing that my listeners are entertained by it is what keeps me on the air.
"In order to be a successful shock jock, you have to know exactly how close to the line you can go without actually crossing it. A lot of radio hosts failed to master that trick. They crossed the line, and saw their careers go down in flames. Dybbuk has helped prevent me from falling into the same trap.
"You're pretty smart, Karen… But then again, you can't be too smart… You do realize, I can't let you leave now that you've discovered my secret…"
She opened the cabinet again, and this time took out a Duel Disk.
"I seem to remember you promising you'd duel me sometime…" she said. "So I'll give you a choice. You can try to run… Or you can keep that promise right now… Either way you won't make it, but you'll probably suffer a lot less if you try to run…"
"What good would it do to run?" asked Karen, nervously. "You just sealed off all the exits…"
She activated her Disk.
"You are smart…" said Sarah. "By the way… When Alyosha dueled me… I let him win…"
"You…" said Karen, nervously. "You could have survived his Fool's Mate?"
"My Seven Tools of the Bandit would have countered it," said Sarah, with an evil grin. "And given the cost of that card, he'd have been in a LOT of trouble then."
She took a deck out of a deck case on her belt, but then stopped.
No… she thought. The Monsters in this deck are royalty… This girl's dirty Beast-Warriors aren't worth them dulling their swords on.
She put it back, and then took a second deck from another case, and slipped it into the deck holder.
She grinned wickedly as her Disk activated.
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Meanwhile, at Dante's house, Ophelia was taking chicken out to thaw, as both Dante and Jeb were thinking.
"Three simulacrums, all three modeled after criminals who have been dead for at least a year," said Dante, "all three using cards that are rather hard to find at best…"
"Whoever we're up against is both powerful, and has alliances with devils," said Jeb. "Most likely some cult that worships one of the Lords of the Nine."
"The first thing we have to do is figure out which," said Ophelia. "Most devil worshippers venerate Lucifer in one way or another, but all of the other Lords have cult followings of their own. And they're very different.
"To give some examples, Mammon's followers are obsessed with the accumulation of material wealth for its own sake, while Glasya's cultists tend to be female and use seduction to dominate others…"
Then the fireplace started to flare up again.
"What?" said Jeb. "It can't be the message again… We've all heard it…"
A hologram formed as they gathered around the fireplace. It wasn't Jalal, but his assistant, Martin Jabels.
"Hello, everyone," he said. "Sorry that Jalal couldn't deliver this message, but as you know, he's dealing with a crisis…"
"What's up, Jabels?" asked Dante.
"We have information on a case you handled," said Jabels, looking at a clipboard as he adjusted his glasses. "It involves one Alyosha Vidmar…
"Apparently, he's talking… The charges against him are quite serious, and he's willing to accept a plea deal."
"He's turning stool pigeon?" asked Jeb.
"Well, that's what he claims," said Jabels. "The thing is, what he's telling us is…
"Well, he's making some pretty serious accusations that are rather hard to believe… Still, I suppose I should tell you…"
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"Duel…" said Sarah.
(Karen: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Sarah: 8,000)
She made her opening draw.
"I think I'll start by playing…" said Sarah, "Hand Destruction."
She threw a card into her Disk, and the Quickplay Spell with Sasuke Samurai's picture on it appeared.
"That means we both ditch two cards, and then draw two."
She made two discards as Karen discarded Vorse Raider and Axe of Fools. Then they both made two draws.
"Then I think I'll summon…" she continued, "Hushed Psychic Cleric!"
There was a ripple of energy, and a humanoid figure appeared whose gender could best be described as ambiguous. Male or female, it was weird. It had long, silver hair, wore a long, white robe with golden symbols, and a visor over its eyes. It held a long metal staff with strange cords on the end that seemed to attach to its back. (0 ATK)
"Yeah, I know," said Sarah, "zero Attack Points… But it won't say in Attack Mode for long."
The Hushed Psychic Cleric knelt down in Defense Mode. (2,100 DEF)
"Now I use its effect…" continued Sarah. "By sending a Psychic Monster in my hand to the Graveyard, I can remove one that's already in my Graveyard from play."
She discarded a card, and then took a card from her discard slot and pocketed it.
Well, she's clearly using Psychics, thought Sarah. But why remove them from play?
"I set one card facedown," said Sarah, as a set card appeared in her Spell Zone, "and then it's your turn…"
Karen made her first draw.
She looked over her hand. Then she took a Monster and set it on her Disk facedown.
"That will… do it for now…" she said, slowly.
Sarah drew a card quickly.
"First, I activate Dimensional Geomancy," she said, as her Continuous Trap Card lifted up.
"It works as follows… If a Monster that has been removed from play is Special Summoned, and it isn't a Dark or Light Monster, its controller gets to make one draw."
"Do you expect that to happen often?" asked Karen.
"With my deck?" asked Sarah. "Frankly… Yeah.
"I summon Serene Psychic Witch."
Another strange Psychic appeared, and unlike the Cleric, this was clearly female. She was a young woman with long, pink hair, dressed in a pink dress with a science fiction style look. She held two blaster-like weapons connected to her back by cords. (1,400 ATK)
"And now she'll attack your Monster…" continued Sarah.
Without making a sound, the Witch aimed her blasters, and fired twin bolts of energy…
Bronze Warrior appeared crouching on the card, and the blasts glanced off. (1,800 DEF)
"Figures…" said Sarah. "I end my turn…"
(K: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 7,600)
I've just got to keep my cool, thought Karen, as she made a draw. Her Monsters are strange, but I can still beat them…
"I use Bronze Warrior's effect to take a Beast Warrior from my deck," she said, as she took a card from her deck.
"Then I summon Rhinotaurus!"
With a loud snort, a hulking Beast Warrior stepped onto the field. It was a muscular creature with blue skin, a rhino's head, and tusks on its shoulders. (1,800 ATK)
"Due to Bronze Warrior, he gains a little boost," said Karen.
(2,200 ATK)
"And seeing as burning is one of the best ways to get rid of a witch…"
Rhinotaurus belched flame from his mouth towards Serene Psychic Witch. She didn't make a sound, even when it hit her, burning her to a crisp.
"Oh, man…" whined Sarah. "You just barbecued my Monster…"
She hung her head.
"Oh, wait…" she said with a sinister smirk. "I almost forgot… When Serene Psychic Witch is defeated, her effect activates!
"To wit, I get to choose a Psychic from my deck that has 2,000 Attack Points or less, and remove it from play…"
She took a card from her deck and pocketed it.
"But that's not all… On my next Standby Phase, that Monster that I just removed will be summoned to my side of the field!"
Karen paused.
How bad could it be? she thought. I mean… Rhinotaurus has more than 2,000 points…
She sighed nervously. She wanted to believe it was that simple.
She took a card from her hand, and set it in her Disk. A card appeared set in her Spell Zone.
"I end my turn…" she said.
(K: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 6,800)
"Then I draw!" shouted Sarah.
"And now, as promised, Mental Seeker is summoned to the field!"
In a flash of light, a very unlikely Monster appeared. It looked like a child in a high-tech costume and cape in shades of blue, with a blue visor. It knelt in Defense Mode. (600 DEF)
"Now, I use its effect," said Sarah. "I get to see the top three cards of your deck, and remove one of them from play."
Three cards appeared in front of both of them: Neko Mane King, Miracle Moment, and Beast King Barbaros.
"Well, what do you know?" said Sarah.
She pointed to the last one, and Barbaros' card vanished.
"NO!" screamed Karen.
"Oh, I'm sorry…" said Sarah, in a tone that did not convey that she was sorry at all. "Was that card important to you?"
Karen hung her head sadly.
"Going to cry?" asked Sarah. "Please do… I love bringing an opponent to tears…"
Karen lifted her head. Her eyes were burning with rage.
"You said you were sorry," she hissed, "but you were being sarcastic…
"Well… When this duel is over, you're gonna know what 'sorry' truly means, you bitch…"
Sarah glared at her.
"Sticks and stones, kid," she said. "Now, those other two cards are now reshuffled into your deck."
Karen's deck was reshuffled.
"And due to the effect of Dimensional Geomancy, because I summoned a Monster that's neither Dark nor Light that was removed from play, I get to draw one card."
She made a draw.
"And I think I'll end my turn on that note… Let's see what else you have…"
"Oh, I have LOTS!" growled Sarah, as she made a draw.
"I use Bronze Warrior's effect again!"
She quickly took another card from her deck.
"Now I'll bring out Enraged Battle Ox!"
The angry minotaur appeared in an aura of fiery energy, and roared. (1,700 ATK) –) (2,100 ATK)
"With him around, you can't protect yourself by putting your Monsters in Defense Mode!
"Show him, pal!"
The savage creature rushed at Metal Seeker, and his axe crashed down, smashing the small Psychic to pieces.
"ARGH!" shouted Sarah.
"And with Rhinotaurus at 2,200 Attack Points," continued Karen, "it's curtains for your Hushed Psychic Cleric!"
The rhino-headed Warrior belched flame again, and the strange Psychic was engulfed in fire.
"I activate my Cleric's other effect!" shouted Sarah. "You may recall that I used its effect to remove a Psychic in my Graveyard from play. Well, because you destroyed it, that Psychic is now Special Summoned to my side of the field.
"So say hello to Esper Girl!"
Another child Psychic leapt onto the field. This one had a brown costume and hood, pigtails held in place by glowing spheres, and held a long staff with an energy node at the end. (500 ATK)
"Due to her effect, I get to take the top card from my deck, and remove it from play," she said, as she pocketed another card. "And don't forget, I get to draw a card due to Dimensional Geomancy."
She made a draw.
"Well I'm not done!" said Karen. "Rhinotaurus has a special effect… If I destroy two of your Monsters by battle in one round, he gets to attack a second time!
"Destroy Esper Girl!"
The Beast Warrior breathed fire again, eradicating the Psychic and knocking Sarah down on her rump.
Good grief… thought Sarah. Maybe I should have used the Nightmare Court… This kid is stronger than I thought…
"Esper Girl has one other effect…" she muttered. "The card I removed from play with her effect… When she gets totaled, I get to add it to my hand…"
She took the card from her pocket.
(K: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,500)
"Your move..." said Karen.
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"Jabels…" said Dante. "Did Alyosha provide any actual evidence to go with this accusation?"
"No," sighed Jabels, shaking his head. "No he didn't. And I realize that it's a very farfetched accusation that practically no-one in your city would believe."
"Damn right," said Jeb. "As much as we don't like her, we can't go and make accusations like this unless we have solid proof. People like this have excellent lawyers."
"Well, until we can…" said Dante.
Then the phone rang.
"Hold that thought."
He went and answered the phone.
"Oh, hello Mrs. Taft," he said. "Uh, no… No, she isn't here…
"Uh huh… She didn't? I see…"
He looked at Jeb and Ophelia.
"Yeah, we'll keep an eye out for her… Goodbye…"
He hung up.
"Jabels, we'll get back to you," he said.
Jabels nodded, and vanished.
"Ophelia…"
"Give me ten minutes…" replied Ophelia.
She sat down in the lotus position and closed her eyes.
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"My draw," said Sarah, as she drew a card.
"First thing I'm doing is playing Soul Taker," she said, as a Spell Card appeared in front of her, "to destroy your Rhinotaurus!"
A bolt of energy shot out of the card, blasting the Beast-Warrior to little pieces.
Huh? thought Karen. Why didn't she use that on Bronze Warrior?
"Cheer up," said Sarah. "At least you gained 1,000 Life Points.
"Now I'll summon Silent Psychic Wizard!"
Another of the strange Psychics leapt onto the field. This one was male, and wore a silvery bodysuit, cape, and triangular helmet that covered his eyes. He held a staff in both hands, and again, strange cords connected it to his back. (1,900 ATK)
"These guys don't like noise, do they?" asked Karen.
"I'll show you noise," said Sarah.
She played another card, and Silent Psychic Wizard's staff vanished. A strange-looking sword appeared in his right hand with a blade made of energy.
"Because my Life Points are lower than yours, Psychic Sword increases his Attack Score by an amount equal to the difference in our Life Point totals, or by 2,000 points, whichever is lower."
(3,900 ATK)
"Now attack! Destroy Enraged Battle Ox!"
Silent Psychic Wizard swung his weapon at the minotaur, and with one swift stroke, cut him in twain.
(K: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,500)
"It's your move…" said Sarah with a smirk.
Sarah made a draw. She put it aside.
"I'll use Bronze Warrior's effect again…" she said.
She took a card from her deck. She looked at Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei.
I'll save this guy for later, she thought. I have a better idea…
"I play… the One for One Spell Card!" she shouted.
She played the card, and then discarded Cat's Ear Tribe. Protective Soul Ailin appeared in front of her. (0 ATK)
"Next," she said, as her facedown card lifted up, "I'll activate Graceful Revival to Special Summon Cat's Ear Tribe back to the field."
A cute little pixie wearing a helmet shaped like cat's ears, accompanied by two actual kittens, one with white fur and the other with blue fur, both wearing similar helmets, appeared. (200 ATK) –) (600 ATK)
"Then, I'll summon Bunilla," continued Karen.
She played the card, and the cute and fuzzy bunny chewing a carrot appeared. (150 ATK)
"Now, I'll Overlay my three Level 1 Monsters…" she continued.
Protective Soul Ailin, Cat's Ear Tribe, and Bunilla turned into orbs of energy that combined into a bigger orb.
"To Exceed Summon… Twin-Tail Cat Lady!"
In another aura of energy, a woman appeared on the field, crouching and ready to pounce. Like the infamous cat burglar of Gotham City, she wore a tight bodysuit and cowl with cat-like ears, foot-long metal claws that sprouted from the backs of her gloves, and as her name suggested, she had two tails. (1,000 ATK)
"Hey!" shouted Sarah. "I'm the only 'bad girl' in this duel!"
"Too bad," said Karen. "Now, due to Bronze Warrior, Twin-Tail Cat Lady gains 400 Attack Points…"
(1,400 ATK)
"AND… Once per turn, by removing one Overlay Unit, I can increase her Attack Score by 800 points."
She discarded Protective Soul Ailin, and Cat Lady glowed with energy. (2,200 ATK)
"And to even the odds…"
She played a Spell Card.
"Mystical Space Typhoon!"
The cyclone blew towards Silent Psychic Wizard, and the Psychic Sword flew from his hand, exploding against the wall. (1,900 ATK)
"Now attack her Silent Psychic Wizard!" shouted Karen. "Savage Cat's Claw!"
Twin-Tailed Cat Lady pounced, and raked across the Psychic with both claws. Again, he made no sound, but shattered into little slivers of light. Sarah simply grinned.
"Fool…" she said. "Don't you know by now that something happens when these Psychics die?
"When I summoned that guy, the Monster I removed from play was the one I discarded to use Hushed Psychic Cleric's effect when I first summoned it… And now that you destroyed Silent Psychic Wizard, that Monster is summoned.
"So I bring out… Space-Time Police!"
Karen was shocked by the appearance of the Monster. He was well-named; he was clearly a policeman. His uniform had a space-age look and included a cape and a silver visor, but it was still recognizable as a policeman's uniform. He held a glowing baton and had a big grin. (2,300 ATK)
"Handsome fellah, isn't he?" she asked. "Now, since I Special Summoned him, one of your Monsters is removed from play."
Sarah gasped as Bronze Warrior vanished. Cat Lady fell to an Attack Score of 1,800.
"And since he's a Wind Monster, I get to draw one card due to Dimensional Geomancy…" continued Sarah.
"All right…" snarled Karen. "I'm going to play one more card… Fairy of the Spring…"
The Spell Card appeared, and glowed with light.
"I get to take an Equip Spell from my Graveyard, like the one I discarded on your first turn… So long as I don't use it until my next turn."
She took Axe of Fools from her discard slot.
(K: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,200)
Sarah made a draw.
"All right," she said, "I set a facedown card, and then play Future Glow."
A set card appeared in her Spell Zone, followed by a Continuous Spell (one that had Space-Time Police in its artwork, coincidentally).
"Future Glow lets me remove a Psychic in my Graveyard from play…"
She took Silent Psychic Wizard from her discard slot and pocketed it.
"Then I take that Psychic's Level, which is 4, multiply by 200, and Future Glow increases the Attack Score of all my Psychics on the field by the result. So Space-Time Police gains 800 Attack Points."
(3,100 ATK)
"Okay, what is going on?" said Karen. "Since when did Psychics have a RFG mechanic? I thought they all required you to pay your own Life Points to use their effects."
"These are a new class of Psychics," said Sarah. "Psychics are a Type of Monster onto themselves, not an archetype, and not all of them follow the same rules. The first Psychics, as you said, required Life Point payments, but this new bunch uses a whole new strategy.
"Now, onto business… Space-Time Police… Show Cat Lady that I'm the only 'bad girl' in this gig. Give her a good shellacking."
The high-tech cop slid up to the spandex-wearing Beast-Warrior, grabbed her by the collar, and then started hitting her hard with his baton. Then he threw her to the floor, where she shattered.
"Police brutality!" shouted Karen.
"That may be frowned upon elsewhere," said Sarah, "but here it's encouraged."
Space-Time Police grinned at Karen.
(K: 5,900) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,200)
"My move!" exclaimed Karen, as she made a draw.
"I summon Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei!" she said.
The large, muscular Beast-Warrior with a pug face appeared in front of her. (2,300 ATK)
"Sorry..." said Sarah, as her facedown card lifted up. "I'm not ready to deal with him just yet…
"I activate Past Image."
The Trap Card, again, had Space-Time Police's picture on it. As she activated it, Lei Lei vanished in a ripple of light.
"Don't worry, he'll only be gone for a minute or two," said Sarah. "But you seem to have nothing to attack with this round."
Karen sighed.
"Just move…" she said.
"I draw one card…" said Sarah, as she made her draw. "And now that it's my Standby Phase, your Monster comes back…"
Lei Lei appeared again, looking a little shocked, as if he had seen something frightening during his brief jaunt. (2,300 ATK)
"Hey, Sarah!" said Karen. "That means I get to draw a card due to your Dimensional Geomancy!"
She made a draw.
"A minor handicap of using that Trap Card," said Sarah. "Space-Time Police… Get 'im."
The Psychic cop slid up to the large Beast-Warrior, and hit him hard with his baton, underhanded, hitting him on the chin. Lei Lei was knocked backwards, and shattered.
"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," said Sarah, as a set card appeared in her Spell Zone. "So now what?"
"I'll show you what…" said Karen.
(K: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 3,200)
She drew a card.
"First, I'll summon Pitch-Black Warwolf…"
With a growl, a vicious-looking lycanthrope with black fur, holding a black iron sword appeared on the field. (1,600 ATK)
"Next, I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back Lei Lei."
She played the card, and with a glow of golden light, the Indomitable Fighter returned. (2,300 ATK)
"And now, the Axe of Fools!"
She threw the card into her Disk, and a silvery hand axe appeared in Lei Lei's right hand. It had a design shaped like a buck-toothed jester in the center of the axe blade.
"The Axe of Fools is an ancient weapon used in history by barbarian lords," explained Karen. "According to legend, it could grant the user great strength, at the cost of his intelligence."
"But because that guy is already a dimwit, he doesn't care," said Sarah, with a frown.
"Actually… yes," said Sarah. "You see, in game terms, the Axe of Fools grants a Monster 1,000 Attack Points, at the cost of nullifying its effect. And for Lei Lei, losing his effect is actually a benefit."
Lei Lei looked at Space-Time Police in rage as his Attack Score shot up to 3,300. Space-Time Police's smile quickly vanished.
"And now he's going to attack your sorry excuse for a cop," said Karen. "And thanks to his friend Pitch-Black Warwolf, you can forget about using that Trap Card to stop him!"
Lei Lei roared, and pounced at Space-Time Police, hitting hard with his axe. The cop grunted and fell over before exploding into particles.
"And since he left," said Karen, "Bronze Warrior returns, set in Defense Mode."
A facedown Monster appeared next to her other two.
"Now that I've taken care of him," said Karen, "Pitch-Black Warwolf is gonna take care of you!"
The Warwolf rushed at Blaze, and slammed her sword into her, knocking her down again.
"Okay, now I'm pissed…" said Sarah.
(K: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 1,400)
"Your move…" she Karen.
I've almost got her… she thought.
"Don't get too comfortable yet," said Sarah. "It ain't over 'til it's over, as the great Yogi Berra once said."
"I thought you didn't like the Yankees," said Sarah, with a frown.
"If you want the truth, Karen," replied Sarah, "the only reason I go to Red Sox games is for the laughs. You'd have to be crazy to actually think those losers will ever do anything but embarrass this town."
She drew a card.
"I didn't give you enough credit, Karen," said Sarah. "I thought that Alyosha was a big idiot and a loser, and I thought that beating him didn't prove anything…
"But… It seems you are pretty good…
"I didn't summon this next Monster in my duel with him… I doubt he even knows it exists."
She played a card, and another child Psychic appeared. This one was dressed in a green suit, a helmet, and goggles. (500 ATK) –) (1,300 ATK)
"That's your big, bad Monster?" asked Karen.
"No, this Time Escaper," replied Sarah. "I'm going to use it to summon my 'big, bad Monster'. To do so, I have to use this Spell Card…"
She quickly played the card.
"Battle Constant. By removing from play one Monster, one Continuous Trap, and one Continuous Spell…"
Time Escaper, Future Glow, and Dimensional Geomancy vanished into ripples of light.
"…I can summon an altogether different power… It isn't a Psychic… Rather, it's a being of pure, destructive, mental energy!"
There was a loud roar, and a huge creature started to take shape in the room.
"Behold… Brain Dragon!"
The giant Dragon was serpentine in shape, two sets of bat-like wings, and two sharp sets of claws. It roared again with such force that it almost knocked Karen over. (2,800 ATK)
"Yeah?" said Karen, nervously. "The Axe of Fools still makes Lei Lei stronger than that big lug!"
"Is that so?" said Sarah.
She held up a Spell Card.
"And I suppose Mystical Space Typhoon doesn't apply to you?"
She played the card, and the Equip Spell was blown to pieces, reducing Lei Lei's Attack Score back to 2,300.
"Attack her Indomitable Fighter!" shouted Sarah. "Big Bang Blast!"
Brain Dragon roared again, and blasted a bolt of pure energy from its jaws, literally vaporizing Lei Lei.
"Ergh…" said Karen.
Sarah set a card in her Disk, and a new facedown card appeared.
(K: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 1,400)
"Give up," she said. "Everyone who's dueled me who's gotten this far has just accepted defeat."
"Never…" said Karen. "It's my move…"
She drew a card.
"I'll just move Warwolf to Defense Mode…" she said.
Warwolf knelt, and held his sword down. (600 DEF)
"…and end my turn…"
"All right, I draw…" said Sarah, as she drew a card. "And thanks to Brain Dragon, I can draw two extra cards…"
She made two more draws.
"…so long as I then place two from my hand on the top of my deck…"
She considered four cards she had for a minute, before taking two, and placing them on the top of her deck.
Then her facedown card lifted up.
"I activate… Meteorain!" she shouted.
"Oh… no…" gasped Karen.
Brain Dragon blasted its Big Bang Blast again, obliterating Pitch-Black Warwolf and knocking Karen backwards, against the wall.
(K: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 1,400)
"I offered you a chance to give up," said Sarah. "The offer still stands, but this is your last chance…"
"No…" groaned Karen.
Sarah set her last two cards in her Disk, and two more appeared in her Spell Zone, giving her a total of three.
"Fine…" she said. "If someone wants to suffer, it's their right. And it's my right to beat them to a pulp.
"Make your move…"
Karen drew a card.
She threw it into her Disk, and the Pot of Avarice appeared. She took Twin-Tailed Cat Lady, Rhinotaurus, Bunilla, Enraged Battle Ox, and Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei from her discard slot, and shuffled them into her deck.
She made two draws.
Then she grinned.
"I remove two Beast-Warriors in my Graveyard from play…" she said.
Cat's Ear Tribe and Pitch-Black Warwolf appeared behind her, and then vanished into ripples of light.
"To Special Summon Akz the Pumer!"
With a flourish, Akz appeared, swinging his axe. (1,500 ATK)
"Now, by discarding my Panther Warrior," she continued, as she discarded the card, "he can really do some damage… Because for this round, he can attack directly!
"Finish her off!" shouted Karen. "Pummeling Blow!"
Sarah grit her teeth as Akz closed in on her. One of her facedown cards lifted up.
"I activate the Shattered Synapse Trap Card…" she said. "To use this card, I have to sacrifice a Brain Dragon or a Level 5 or higher Psychic… Then I pay half my Life Points…"
Brain Dragon dissolved into granules of light.
"And in return, I get to Special Summon as many Psychics from my Graveyard as I can whose combined Levels equal the Level of the Monster that was sacrificed."
Mental Seeker and Space-Time Police appeared in front of her. (0 ATK x2)
"But as you can see," she said, "their Attack Scores are both zero, and their effects are negated."
Karen looked at her. She looked at Akz.
"Go ahead…" she said.
Akz rushed towards Sarah again.
"I activate… Psychic Rejuvenation!" shouted Sarah, as another Trap Card lifted up. "I gain 1,000 Attack Points for each Psychic I have, right before your Monster hits me!"
She grunted as Akz slugged her with his axe.
(K: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 1,200)
Karen sighed. She set a card in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared behind Akz.
"Then make your move," she said.
She looked at the three cards she had left in her hand, Scapegoat, Minoan Centaur, and Beast Rising.
That Mental Seeker is a Tuner, she thought, and the combined Levels of those two Monsters add up to 8. She's obviously planning to summon Thought-Ruler Archfiend.
But what she doesn't know is, I have Rising Energy set. I just have to trigger it and discard Scapegoat when she attacks Akz, and he'll blow it to pieces.
And if she manages to summon a Monster… I have Minoan Centaur right here… On my next turn, I can use Akz's effect to attack directly again… I can win this duel!
Sarah drew a card.
As she expected, due to Brain Dragon's effect, it was Monster Reborn.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this, Karen…" she said, as she played it. "I'm using this card to summon Doctor Cranium from my Graveyard…"
With a golden glow, a nutty-looking scientist wearing a helmet covered with light bulbs appeared. (100 ATK)
"HUH?" said Karen. "When did I send HIM to your Graveyard?"
"You didn't," replied Sarah. "I sent him there myself on my first turn, when I played Hand Destruction.
"And because Mental Seeker just happens to be a Tuner, I can Tune him, Doctor Cranium, and Space-Time Police together…"
Mental Seeker flew towards the ceiling, and the two other Psychics followed, flying through a large set of rings.
"Powers of the mind, coalesce into a force of mental energy of the most destructive sort…"
(*3 + *5 + *1 = *9)
"I Synchro Summon… Overmind Archfiend!"
A dark shadow appeared on the field, accompanied by a low growl…
The creature appeared out of the shadow, and it looked like something out of a nightmare. At first glance, it vaguely resembled the well-known Thought-Ruler Archfiend, but even bigger and more hulking, covered with cybernetic armor. (3,300 ATK)
Karen stepped back in fright.
"You fought well," said Sarah, "but this ends now…"
Her last Trap Card lifted up.
"I activate Battle Teleportation.
"And now… Attack Karen directly!"
The demonic Psychic formed a crackling ball of dark energy in its hands…
Karen screamed as the wave of dark energy slammed into her stomach. Her last thoughts before she slipped into unconsciousness were that this had been a big mistake…
…and that if, by some miracle, Dante and the others managed to find her before Sarah killed her, they would kill her themselves.
(K: 0) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 1,200)
Sarah took a deep breath as she looked at Karen. She put her hands on her hips.
The only problem now is, she thought, what do I do with her?
She looked at a mirror on the wall, and rubbed her chin.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BATTLE CONSTANT (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Brain Dragon in a maelstrom of energy that includes three cards: "Cosmo Queen", "D.D. Borderline", and "Spatial Collapse".
Card Description: Remove from play 1 Monster, 1 Continuous Spell Card, and 1 Continuous Trap Card you control. Special Summon 1 "Brain Dragon" from your hand or deck.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BRAIN DRAGON (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 8
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 2,300
Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except via the effect of "Battle Constant". During your Draw Phase while this card is face-up on the field, draw an additional 2 cards. Then, select 2 cards from your hand, and place them on the top of your deck in any order.
Note: "Battle Constant" and "Brain Dragon" were first used by Dr. Zweinstein in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "It's All Relative". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TWIN-TAIL CAT LADY (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Beast-Warrior/Exceed/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Rank: 1
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: 3 Level 1 Monsters
Once per turn, you may detach 1 of this card's Exceed Material Monsters to increase this card's ATK by 800.
Note: "Twin-Tail Cat Lady" was first used by Cathy ("Cat-Chan") in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "Every Step of the Way". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DIMENSIONAL GEOMANCY (Trap Card)
Continuous Trap
Image: Warrior Lady of the Wasteland floating in mid-air in front of the Different Dimension Gate, sitting in the lotus position in a meditative trance.
Card Description: When a removed from play Monster is Special Summoned, other than a LIGHT or DARK Monster, its controller draws 1 card.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SHATTERED SYNAPSE (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: Brain Dragon roaring as it is struck by lightning from two directions.
Card Description: Pay half your Life Points and Tribute either a "Brain Dragon" or a Level 5 or higher Psychic-Type Monster you control. Special Summon from your Graveyard any number of Psychic-Type Monsters whose combined Levels equal the Level of the Tributed Monster. The Special Summoned Monsters' ATKs are reduced to zero, and their effects are negated.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Next:
Dugan: Sarah's true nature had been revealed, and poor Karen had paid the price because of it.
Still all was not lost, due the fact that Dante and the others really didn't trust Karen… And Karen's reckless actions may have meant that there was hope for Red Feather and Penelope at this point.
Still, Sarah was, as you know by now, a very dangerous individual, and as powerful as her RFG Psychics were, her true deck was even deadlier.
"Perchance to Dream; The Nightmare Court" is coming soon.