I said this before, and it bears repeating. Leopold was slime, but he said one thing that did make sense:
"An intelligent duelist knows that, if he wants to win, he must always do two things… Expect the unexpected from his opponent… And always give his opponent the unexpected."
I take it his mother taught him that… Because she's put something in our path that we didn't expect at all.
With Andy's life hinging on this duel, I have to rely not only on my own abilities as a duelist, but on Francesca's as well…
And frankly… This is one time when I'm not as sure of myself as I'd like to be…
00000
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DUEL TWENTY-ONE
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Double Snare
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00000
The Shadow Queen sighed as she leaned her head on her hand. She looked at a card.
It wasn't a Monster, but a Spell Card. Terraforming.
She picked up a cellphone, and speed-dialed a number.
"Yes, my Queen?" said Crump's voice.
"Crump, are you absolutely sure about this?" she asked.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I was absolutely sure," replied Crump. "But I'd say that I'm at least very close to sure."
The Shadow Queen sighed again.
"Fine," she said. "I'm only going along with your idea because you managed to do something right.
"Now feed our new acquisition and get her to the Palace of Shadow."
She hung up, and then threw the Spell Card into the enchanted furnace. As the flames burned, she started an incantation in an ancient language.
The curse cast by the Three Heroes rendered her a prisoner of her Palace, but she still had great power over Arcadia… So much that she had some control over its very landscape… Not as much as she used to have, but enough to unearth something that had been hidden for a long time…
Somewhere between Twilight Town and Keelhaul Key, the hillsides started to rumble. The ground cracked…
0000000000
Crump hung up. He was at a table in a café in Rogueport. Diana was sitting on the other side of the table, with a blank look on her face.
A waitress came up to the table.
"Uh," said Crump, "you'd best let me order for the lady… She's had a hard day…"
0000000000
"Was that a tremor?" asked Francesca.
"I dunno…" said Andy. "Let's keep moving…"
They kept walking, and after a mile, they walked over the crest of a hill… And were surprised to see a town lying in the valley in front of them.
"That can't be Keelhaul Key…" said Stan.
He took the map out of his pocket and looked at it.
"No, Keelhaul Key is a port town… We're nowhere near the ocean…"
"So what is this place?" said Francesca.
"I have no idea!" said Stan. "There's nothing here that indicates any towns between Twilight Town and Keelhaul Key… And we couldn't have bypassed Keelhaul Key entirely and made it all the way to Poshley Heights… It would have taken too long…"
Andy looked at the place.
"Well, maybe there's someone in there who can tell us, eh?" he said.
He paused.
"But… let's be on our guard anyway…"
They slowly walked up to the gated town, to the rusted front gates. Metal bars on the top had been bent into letters to form a word:
GEARVILLE
Stan went to open the gate, and it fell over, clearly in need of repair.
They walked in, and looked around. The town looked more like a large machine than a town; the buildings were made up of gears, cogs, and sprockets… But all of them were in bad shape, rusty and covered with dust.
As they walked, they saw conveyor belts and old-fashioned blast furnaces like the type used to make pig iron during the Industrial Revolution. But all of this machinery was rusty from misuse.
Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Vivian, Yoshi, and Bobbery appeared behind them.
"G-guys?" said Koops, nervously. "I don't recognize this place at all!"
"Yeah…" said Vivian. "This place was not here a thousand years ago!"
"Maybe it's a recent addition to Arcadia?" asked Andy.
"This place has been abandoned for years," said Flurrie. "Look at all this rust. I think I need a tetanus shot just looking at it."
"It kind of looks like a factory…" said Goombella. "But I don't see what it was supposed to make…"
Then they heard a loud whir, and the sound of motors…
It came out of nowhere… A large, mechanical creature, vaguely humanoid in shape with a square body, no head, and powerful fists. (2,500 ATK)
"WHAT THE?" shouted Andy.
Before he could say anything else, the weird Machine launched explosive rockets at the three teenagers… They screamed…
0000000000
"Francesca?" groaned Stan, as he got up. "Andy?"
"I'm here, Stan," said Francesca, as she held her head. "But I have no idea where Andy is…"
Then Goombella, Flurrie, Vivian, and Yoshi appeared again. Koops and Bobbery, however (the two that lived in Andy's deck) were missing.
"I'll tell you where Andy is," said Yoshi. "That overgrown vacuum cleaner made off with him. We tried to stop it, but it was stronger than any of us…"
Francesca looked at Stan with a look of horror.
"Stan, you don't think…" she said.
"Easy, Fran," he replied. "That was clearly an ambush, not a challenge.
"Andy is here somewhere, we just have to…"
Then they heard footsteps.
A small Machine that looked more or less like a gun turret on an oblong torso with two mechanical legs started walking towards them. (500 ATK)
Francesca was about to draw a card, but Stan lifted his hand.
"Don't worry," he said. "That's a DUCKER Mobile Cannon… Hardly a serious threat…"
As the Machine came closer, they noticed that a note was impaled on one of its guns.
It stopped, and Stan took the note. It had two words written on it:
"FOLLOW ME"
Then it turned around, and started walking again.
"This better be good," said Francesca, as they started to follow it, "or we're going to turn you into spare parts."
Either unable to understand the threat or uncaring, the DUCKER led them into the heart of Gearville.
0000000000
Eventually, the Machine spirit came to a large building where a door opened up. They followed it inside, and at first, saw only what appeared to be an empty warehouse.
Then a mechanical trapdoor opened in the floor, revealing a stairway going down.
They followed it down the stairs, deep into a dark basement where it was slightly warmer. Gears, pistons, pulleys, and cogs, ranging from small to giant-sized, surrounded the stairway they walked down, which had no railing and gave them the feeling that they were descending into some horrible creature's lair. Francesca shuddered to think what had happened to Andy.
Finally, they reached the bottom… It wasn't the lair of a creature… But the machine in front of them was no less frightening…
It could best be described as a huge cast-iron cross between a forge and an electric generator. It had a gaping maw in the front where flames would be, and four towers on top that might have been used to transmit electricity. Unlike most of the machinery in Gearville, this seemed newer and in relatively good repair; however, there was no fire burning inside it, and the dials on it all registered zero. Clearly it wasn't working.
Then Francesca screamed.
"What?" gasped Stan.
"Andy…" gasped Francesca.
She ran over to the side of the room. It was Andy… She assumed. It looked like he had been turned into a statue of metal. Apparently, he had been crouched on one knee and covering his face with one hand when it had happened.
"What did they do to you?" she gasped.
Then they heard a loud whir.
"Looks like we're about to find out…" said Stan.
A very large hook connected to a chain started to descend from the ceiling, and two creatures were riding it. Francesca watched with anger as they leapt to the floor.
The two creatures looked like harlequins, but were very different from each other. The one on the left was wearing what appeared to be armor, colored gaudy orange and yellow, decorated with stars. He had a white handlebar moustache, wore what appeared to be a top hat, and held a curved sword and a shield.
The other creature was also dressed like a jester, but not armored. His clothing was green and purple (though just as gaudy) and decorated with diamonds. He was thinner and lankier than the other, to the point of being gaunt. He wore a long purple cape, elbow-length purple gloves, and strange, pointed shoes. A purple mask covered most of his face, exposing only the eyes.
"Greetings," said the armored one.
"Salutations," said the second.
"I'm Cloaker," said the armored one.
"I'm Domino," said the gaunt one.
"Never heard of you!" said Stan, angrily.
"And you two could be Abbot and Costello for all I care," snarled Francesca. "What did you do to Andy?"
"I think what you truly want answered, milady," said Cloaker, "is the question, 'is Andy alive?' If that is indeed the case, then the answer is 'yes'. We are merely restraining him with titanium jacketing…"
"And he hasn't lost a duel either," added Cloaker. "We'll gladly release him…"
"If…" said Stan.
"If you duel us," said Cloaker.
"Who duels who?" asked Francesca.
"I'd rather we finish this quickly," said Domino. "So it will be two-on-two, assuming you know the rules for such a contest?"
Stan looked at Francesca.
"Sort of…" she said. "Not something I'm all-that comfortable with…"
"Uh…" said Cloaker. "Tell you what… We'll ante three Crystal Cards against our success… One for each of you."
"Francesca…" said Stan, motioning for her to come closer.
She leaned over.
"These two must want to duel pretty badly to make a wager like that…" he whispered.
He looked at the two harlequins.
"And these guys don't look like any Duel Monsters I've ever heard of… Clearly the Queen is trying something new here…"
"What choice do we have?" replied Francesca.
She looked at Andy.
"I have no idea how we can remedy this on our own…"
"Good point…" said Stan.
"Smashing!" said Cloaker.
His sword and shield vanished, and Duel Disks appeared on both of their left arms. Both Duel Disks were made of bronze, and were shaped like gears, the five spots in the Monster Zone each being a tooth in each gear.
"Here's how the order of turns will go," continued Cloaker. "We'll start with me, then Francesca, then Domino, then Stan, and then back to me."
"All right…" said Francesca. "Let's duel…"
(Stan and Francesca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Cloaker and Domino: 8,000)
"Here we GO!" shouted Cloaker, as he made his first draw.
"I'll defend with a Monster," he said, as a set Monster appeared in front of him. "And that will be all for my turn…"
Francesca stepped forward, and made her first draw.
She paused, and looked at Andy.
Hang in there… she thought.
"I call out Sunlight Unicorn!" she shouted.
The brilliant Unicorn appeared, and neighed angrily as she looked at the two jesters. (1,800 ATK)
Whoa… thought Stan. She doesn't seem to like Cloaker and Domino at all…
"Now I use her effect…" said Francesca.
She flipped the top card on her Disk.
"And it's Synchro Boost!" she shouted.
She threw it into her Duel Disk.
"So named because it boosts my Monster's Level by 1 and her Attack Score by 500!"
(2,300 ATK)
"Now mow Cloaker's Monster down!"
Sunlight Unicorn charged horn-first. Giant Rat appeared on the card, and shattered.
"Thank you…" said Cloaker. "Using Giant Rat's effect, I summon… Roboyarou!"
In a blast of digital symbols, a cyborg wearing metallic blue body armor covering all but his eyes appeared. His fists glowed with energy. (900 ATK)
Roboyarou? thought Francesca. Only one reason why anyone uses that card…
Still… Sunlight Unicorn should be safe for now…
"I end my turn…" she said.
"Draw!" said Domino, as he stepped into position, and made a draw.
"And I activate the Power Bond Spell Card!"
"Good lord…" said Francesca.
"I know…" said Domino. "Using this card to Fusion Summon a Monster can be dangerous, seeing as I'll take damage at the end of my turn equal to the Monster's base Attack Score…
"But… Given the fact that the Monster I'm summoning has a very low Attack Score, it's only a little dangerous.
"See, I'm fusing my partner's Roboyarou with Robolady…"
A female version of Roboyarou, wearing metallic purple body armor, appeared next to him. The two cyborgs nodded to each other, and then dissolved into digital symbols.
"Doing so causes them to upgrade into Super Roboyarou!"
There was another blast of ones and zeroes, and another cyborg appeared that could best be described Roboyarou with higher-tech armor. Spikes covered his shoulder pads, and smaller spikes covered his helmet, which now had a glowing visor. He carried a long baton with the handle in the middle, which crackled with electrical energy. (1,200 ATK)
"Because I summoned him with Power Bond, his Attack Score is doubled," continued Domino.
(2,400 ATK)
"And that's not all… Super Roboyarou gains 1,000 Attack Points whenever he attacks a Monster!"
The cyborg dashed at Sunlight Unicorn at high speed, his Attack Score rising to 3,400 right before he clobbered the Beast on the head with his baton, blowing her to pieces.
"Ugh…" said Francesca.
"I set one card face-down, and my turn is over," said Domino, as a reversed card appeared in his Spell Zone. "Unfortunately, that means the side effect of Power Bond kicks in…"
He grunted as an aura of red energy tore through him.
"But even so…" he continued. "Super Roboyarou remains at 2,400 Attack Points."
(S & F: 6,900) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)
"I believe it's Stan's turn…"
"Finally, said Stan, as he stepped forward.
He drew a card.
"Gagaga Magician, you're up!" he shouted.
He played the card, and the Spellcaster appeared. He sneered at the two clowns. (1,500 ATK)
Seems my Monsters don't like them any more than Fran's do, he thought, as he picked another card.
"I play Gagagabolt!" he shouted. "With Gagaga Magician on the field, I can destroy one card…"
He pointed to Super Roboyarou.
"I dare say that's a sticky wicket…" said Domino, as he Trap Card lifted up. "However…"
"A Counter Trap?" gasped Stan.
"That's right…" said Domino. "Dark Bribe… You draw once, but I get to keep my Monster…"
Stan made a draw.
He threw a card in his Disk and it appeared set in his Spell Zone with a flash.
I think I know what's coming next, he thought.
"I end my turn," he said.
"And back to me!" laughed Cloaker, as he drew.
"I play the Limiter Removal Spell Card!" he exclaimed.
Super Roboyarou let out a cry of pure bloodlust as pure energy flowed into him.
"As the card suggests, this removes the limits on my Machine-Type Monsters, doubling their Attack Scores…"
(4,800 ATK)
"Now destroy his Gagaga Magician!" he shouted.
Again, Roboyarou rushed at super-speed.
"I activate… Draining Shield!" shouted Stan.
His set card lifted up, and the cyborg crashed into an invisible shield.
"Oh fiddlesticks…" said Cloaker. "Seems I'm in somewhat of a bind… When my turn ends, Limiter Removal will destroy my Monster…
"Unless…"
Super Roboyarou vanished into the same aura of digital symbols.
"By sending him back to my Extra Deck, I can Special Summon his counterpart, Super Robolady!"
A new female cyborg appeared, one who, naturally, looked like an enhanced version of the regular Robolady. She held the same weapon as Super Roboyarou, and had the same glowing visor on her helmet. She had the same spiked armor, although the armor itself had feminine curves, and was metallic purple. (1,200 ATK)
"Next, I'll set a Monster, and this card…" he continued.
A set card appeared next to Super Robolady, then another one appeared behind both.
"And I end my turn…"
(S & F: 11,700) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)
"My move…" said Francesca.
She drew a card.
Elephun! she thought. Okay, I can do this…
She played the card, and the small pachyderm Tuner appeared in front of her. (500 ATK)
"Now, I'm using Gagaga Magician's effect to lower his Level from 4 to 3!"
Four stars appeared on Gagaga Magician's belt, and then one vanished.
"Fran!" shouted Stan. "What are you doing?"
"What do you think?" said Francesca. "I'm summoning Thunder Unicorn!"
"WAIT!" shouted Stan.
Elephun flew towards the ceiling, through the glowing rings…
But then, the rings shattered, and the Tuner fell on its face.
"What…" said Francesca.
"Uh…. Fran…" said Stan. "This may not be the best time to tell you this… But… Gagaga Magician…
"He doesn't do Synchros…"
Francesca looked at Stan. Then she looked on her Duel Disk, where Gagaga Magician's card was next to Elephun's. She read the card text.
Then her face turned red as she covered it with her hand. Cloaker and Domino burst out laughing.
"Oh, excuse me…" said Cloaker. "I'm usually not one to laugh, but…"
"But that was pretty funny…" added Domino.
"I'll show you funny, you demented prick!" shouted Francesca. "Gagaga Magician, attack Super Robolady!"
The Spellcaster flew at the Machine.
"FRAN, WAIT!" screamed Stan.
"Too late!" said Cloaker, as his Trap Card lifted up. "I activate Rare Metalmorph!"
Super Robolady's armor turned silver and even shinier.
"I'll hardwire it to Super Robolady, to increase her Attack Score by 500 points!"
(1,700 ATK)
Super Robolady met Gagaga Magician's attack with a swing of her baton, knocking him over the two duelists' heads before he dissolved into shadowy particles.
Francesca sighed. She set a card in her Disk, and a face-down card appeared in her Spell Zone.
She hung her head.
(S & F: 11,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)
"I guess that means it's my turn…" said Domino, as he made a draw.
"I'll flip my Giga Tech Wolf into Attack Mode."
The face-down Monster flipped up, and a fierce-looking mechanical wolf appeared. It snarled. (1,200 ATK)
Giga Tech Wolf? thought Stan. Not exactly the King of Machines… Why would he use that?
Domino played a card, and Cannon Soldier appeared. (1,400 ATK)
Oh… That's why… Still, kind of a poor reason…
"Giga Tech Wolf, attack Elephun!" shouted Domino.
The robot wolf pounced, and crushed the small Tuner flat. Francesca groaned.
"I activate Dust Tornado!" she shouted.
Her Trap Card lifted up, and the whirlwind ripped across the field, blowing Rare Metalmorph to little pieces.
"It won't protect you from Super Robolady's attack," said Domino, as the cyborg rushed at Francesca, "and when she attacks directly, she gains 1,000 Attack Points!"
Super Robolady shot up to 2,200 Attack Points, right before she clubbed Francesca with her baton.
"Now my Cannon Soldier can attack… Open fire!"
The robot blasted a bolt of plasma from its cannon, and Francesca screamed.
"Next, I'll sacrifice Giga Tech Wolf so that Cannon Soldier can use its effect," said Domino. "And deal out another 500 points of damage!"
The robot wolf turned into pure energy, which Cannon Soldier absorbed. It fired again, and Francesca fell to her knees.
(S & F: 6,700) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)
"I deserved that…" she moaned.
"No you didn't!" shouted Stan. "Now get up!
"Come on, Fran, if I had a dollar for every time I got the effect of a card wrong…"
"Was it ever in a duel where someone's life mattered?" asked Francesca.
Stan sighed.
"No, I guess it wasn't…"
"It's your move…" said Domino.
Stan stepped forward, and made a draw.
The card I got from Punio… he thought. This may buy us some time…
"I activate the powerful Clock Out!" he shouted.
"Eh?" said Domino. "What's that?"
As Stan played the card, a fancy grandfather clock with one hand and six numbers, the Roman Numerals for one through six, appeared behind him.
"Here's how it works," said Stan. "The Hand of Fate is going to spin, and then, until a number of End Phases equal to the number it lands on have passed, no attacks are allowed.
The two jesters chuckled.
"Smashing…" giggled Cloaker. "If it lands on a one, the only player it will hurt is you!"
"Powerful cards are always double-edged swords," said Stan, "so let's see how lucky I am!"
The hand started to spin, around and around, and around.
Then it stopped on the four.
"Confound it…" said Domino. "That means we both can't attack for one of our turns!"
"Calm down…" said Cloaker. "Both of them can't either…"
"I set a Monster and a face-down card," said Stan, as a set Monster and a set card in his Spell Zone appeared. "It's your move, Domino."
The hand on the clock clicked to the three.
"Hmm…" said Domino, as he made his draw.
He looked at his partner. Cloaker twitched his moustache.
"I think I'll set one card face-down," he said, as a set card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and that's my turn…"
The clock ticked down to two.
Francesca made a draw, and looked at the five cards in her hand.
Get ahold of yourself, Francesca, she thought. Andy is counting on you!
She slowly reached for a Spell Card.
Better not… I can't attack, and I don't know what they're planning…
"I pass this turn…" she said, as the clock ticked down to one.
"All right then…" said Cloaker, as he made a draw.
"I may not be able to attack," he said, "but there are other ways to strike at an opponent. You might remember this Monster…"
As he played the card, and DUCKER Mobile Cannon appeared in front of him. (500 ATK)
"Attack Mode?" asked Stan. "You do know that thing is a Flip Effect Monster, right?
'Unless…"
"That's right…" said Cloaker. "DUCKER Mobile Cannon is a rather weak Monster, as I believe you noted…"
He threw a Spell Card into his Disk.
"Weak enough to use Machine Duplication, and summon two more."
Two more of the Mobile Cannons appeared. (500 ATK x2)
"Which means I can sacrifice all three to use Cannon Solider!"
The three small Cannons turned into energy; Cannon Soldier absorbed it, and fired three blasts at Francesca.
"Will you stop picking on her?" shouted Stan as Francesca held her stomach. "She feels bad enough as it is!"
"I'm fine, Stan…" muttered Francesca.
(S & F: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)
"My turn is over," said Cloaker, "so I guess that means the effect of your Clock Out expires now…"
The Spell Card disintegrated.
"Yeah, I guess it does…" said Stan as he drew a card and looked at it.
Sweet Treat… he thought.
He looked at the other two cards in his hand, Cross Attack and Bound Wand. Then he looked at his two set cards on the field.
Seeing as I have nothing that can attack anyway…
"I activate the Sweet Treat Spell Card!" he shouted.
The gingerbread man flew out of the card with its pink die.
"Ye gods, more dice cards!" grunted Cloaker. "This turns my stomach…"
"Well, hope that I roll low…" said Stan.
The cookie tossed the die. It spun and landed on a five.
"Bingo!" said Stan. "Not the best, but that means we gain 2,500 Life Points.
"I have to end my turn, so that's all for now…"
(S & F: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)
Cloaker narrowed his eyes as he made his draw.
"I summon the lethal Nanobreaker…" he said.
There was another aura of digital symbols, and a coldly beautiful raven-haired woman, dressed in metal body armor and holding a sword shaped like a steel flame materialized. (1,600 ATK)
"Destroy his Monster! Nano-blade!"
As Nanobreaker sped towards the set Monster, Sangan appeared crouching on the card. It chittered right before her sword cut it in half.
"You're too kind…" said Stan.
He quickly took a card from his deck.
Gagaga Girl… he thought. Step one is complete… Now for step two…
"Attack him directly Super Robolady!" ordered Cloaker.
Here it comes… thought Stan, as the female cyborg rushed at him, her Attack Score rising to 2,200.
He grunted as she clubbed him with her baton.
"Activate… Damage Gate!" he shouted.
His Trap Card lifted up.
"Now I can Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard, so long as it's Attack Score is equal to or less than the amount of damage I took…"
Gagaga Magician appeared in a dark aura of shadow. (1,500 ATK)
"Cute…" said Cloaker. "I sacrifice Nanobreaker to use Cannon Soldier's effect!"
Nanobreaker turned into the same aura of energy, and Cannon Soldier blasted its weapon again.
"ERGH!" shouted Stan.
"Now, I play the Continuous Spell Card, Spear of Submission," he said, as he played the card. "This means…"
"I know what it does," sighed Stan. "I remember that from when Leopold used it…"
"Well then, let's see…" said Cloaker. "Synchros or Xyzs… Synchros or Xyzs… Which to choose…
"Well, since it seems like Xyzs are the only serious danger right now…"
He chuckled a little.
"…I'll choose to forbid those."
"Hold me back, Stan…" said Francesca, through her teeth.
"Calm down…" said Stan. "We can't save Andy if we're in the same situation he's in…"
"I set one card," said Cloaker, as a face-down card materialized in front of him, "and then it goes back to Francesca."
(S & F: 5,000) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 6,800)
Francesca drew a card, and looked at it.
"Hmm…" she said, with a crafty smirk.
"First, I'll set these…" she said, as two face-down cards appeared in front of her.
"Then I play… Dragged Down into the Grave!"
She played a Spell Card, and it appeared in front of her.
"Eh?" said Cloaker.
"Here's the deal, fellah," said Francesca. "I get to look at your hand, and send one of the cards to the Graveyard. Then, you get to see my hand, and do the same. Sound fair?"
"Confound it…" growled Cloaker. "I have only one card in my hand!"
A large image of Cannon Soldier's card appeared in front of him.
"Then it looks like I have to choose that one," said Francesca, as the card was blown to pieces.
Then Lady of Unicorns and D.D. Unicorn Knight appeared in front of her.
"Talk about stupid," chuckled Cloaker. "I choose Lady of Unicorns, of course!"
The card shattered.
"So what now?" he asked. "You can't summon that other Monster unless you have a Tuner on the field!"
"First, the second effect of Dragged Down from the Grave lets us both make one draw…" said Francesca.
They both drew once.
"Now I activate… Monster Reborn!" she shouted.
One of the two cards she had set before playing the Spell Card lifted up, and the holy symbol appeared. Lady of Unicorns appeared in a beam of light. (1,400 ATK)
"WHA?" shouted Cloaker.
"Who's stupid now?" said Francesca. "I Special Summon D.D. Unicorn Knight!"
In another beam of light, the bestial Warrior appeared. (1,800 ATK)
"Cloaker…" growled Domino.
"Minor problem, Domino…" said Cloaker, nervously. "Nothing we can't handle…"
One of his face-down cards lifted up.
"I activate Just Desserts!" he shouted.
"Ho boy…" said Francesca.
Two ghostly arms floated out of the card, and throttled her by the neck. She sweat and strained as they squeezed…
She glared at Cloaker as they let go.
"I hope you enjoyed that…" she said.
She pointed at the two Machines.
"Get em…"
Lady of Unicorns rushed at Super Robolady, and made a swipe with her scimitar. Sparks flew from the cyborg's armor, and she exploded. Then D.D. Unicorn Knight blasted a beam of pure light from his trident, and Cannon Solider was blown into scrap metal.
"I'm not done with you…" said Francesca. "Gagaga Magician, attack him directly!"
Gagaga Magician flew at Cloaker, and punched him squarely in the jaw. The mustachioed jester fell over.
"Ouch…" he groaned.
"I was wrong…" said Francesca. "You two aren't like Abbot and Costello at all. More like Sonny and Cher."
She pointed to Domino.
"Make your move, fellah," she demanded. "And once you make it, you and your partner are both going to be very, very sorry…"
(S & F: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 4,700)
Domino stepped forward as he drew a card.
"Don't panic, Cloaker, everything's going smoothly…" he said.
I… hope… he thought, as he looked at his two cards.
Then he looked at the Trap Card that Cloaker had set.
"I'm activating my partner's Trap Card," he said, as it lifted up. "Jar of Greed…"
"Now I get one draw…"
He drew a card.
"And I got a good one! Overload Fusion!"
He threw it into his Disk.
"Oh… crap…" said Francesca.
"Don't panic, Fran…" said Stan. "They need a Cyber Dragon to summon Chimeratech Overdragon, and I don't recall one ever being sent to their Graveyard."
"Are you suggesting I played this for no reason?" said Domino. "Poppycock. Does it say on this card, 'Use to Fusion Summon a Chimeratech Overdragon'? No it does not. Fools simply assume that it does because that's the only Monster anyone ever summons with it.
"It can Fusion Summon any Dark Machine-Type Monster… Granted, there aren't many…"
Cannon Soldier and Giga Tech Wolf appeared in front of him, and then vanished into ripples of light.
"…but I have one…"
There was a low rumble, and a huge drilling Machine burrowed out of the floor. It was indeed a classic of Duel Monsters, the Labyrinth Tank. (2,400 ATK)
"Yeah, I kinda figured you had that in your deck…" said Stan. "Can't see why… It's rather outdated, as far as Fusion Monsters go…"
"I'll show you why…" continued Domino. "I play Polymerization!
"I'll fuse my Labyrinth Tank, with the Machine King in my hand…"
The Monarch of Machines appeared next to the Tank, and then the two robots were sucked into a void of swirling colors.
"A Fusion within a Fusion?" gasped Francesca.
It sure seemed that way. As they watched, a large robot landed on the floor of the large arena with a crash. It was vaguely humanoid in shape with a square body, no head, and powerful fists. (2,500 ATK)
"That's the thing that attacked us when we came into town!" shouted Francesca.
"And the thing that kidnapped Andy!" shouted Stan.
"Exactly!" exclaimed Cloaker. "The Magnus von Grapple! It was awfully nice of Lord Crump to lend it to us…"
Domino quickly made a hushing motion with his hands.
"Who the Hell is Lord Crump?" asked Francesca.
"I have a pretty good idea…" said Stan.
"Uh, I probably shouldn't have told you that…" said Cloaker.
"Oh, never mind!" said Domino, angrily. "Due to Magnus von Grapple's effect… It gains 200 Attack Points times the combined Levels of all opposing Monsters. And seeing as the Levels of your Monsters add up to 12…"
(4,900 ATK)
"I've got enough firepower here to end this in one blow…" he said, as Magnus von Grapple aimed its fists at Lady of Unicorns. "Attack with Rocket Punch!"
"I activate… Urgent Tuning!" shouted Francesca.
"Huh?" said Domino.
"It lets me Synchro Summon during a Battle Phase," said Francesca, as Lady of Unicorns and D.D. Unicorn Knight flew towards the ceiling, "including yours. Bet your stupid partner is sorry he used his Spell Card to seal Xyz Summoning now!"
Lady of Unicorns flew through the glowing, shimmering rings, and the two Monsters faded into a cluster of stars.
"With the rising sun and the warmth of daybreak, a powerful steed appears on hill to the east! Stand proud in the morning light…"
(*4 + *4 = *8)
"I Synchro Summon, Shining Dawn Unicorn!"
With a whinny and a burning flare, a unicorn with a red coat and a fiery mane leapt onto the field, her long, bronze horn glowing with radiant light. (3,000 DEF)
"Defense Mode?" asked Domino.
"Due to Lady of Unicorn's effect," continued Francesca, "I can now render Shining Dawn Unicorn impervious to destruction by battle or by card effects… I choose card effects.
"And due to her own effect, Shining Dawn Unicorn is the only Monster you're allowed to attack…"
The two jesters burst out laughing.
"That's the stupidest thing I ever seen!" laughed Domino. "If you had used that Tuner's effect to make it invincible in battle, you would have had an unbeatable defense!"
"No I wouldn't have!" snapped Francesca. "If Shining Dawn Unicorn is attacked while in Defense Mode but not destroyed, she dies during the End Phase."
Domino stopped laughing.
"Okay…" he said. "I guess it wasn't so stupid… Ah, well…"
Magnus von Grapple's two fists shot like rockets at Shining Dawn Unicorn, blowing her to pieces.
"I use her other effect!" shouted Francesca. "When she's destroyed by battle while in Defense Mode, I get to recover the Monsters I used to summon her…"
She took Lady of Unicorns and D.D. Unicorn Knight from her discard slot.
"And by the way… Now that she's gone… Your Monster loses 1,600 Attack Points…"
(3,300 ATK)
"Fine…" growled Domino. "In that case, it's Stan's turn… And my partner's Spear of Submission is still good for one turn, which is bad news for him…"
Hope this works… thought Stan, as he drew a card.
He looked at it.
I've got to be careful here… If they manage to use Limiter Removal on that thing, it's all over…
Cloaker has already used Limiter Removal, and it's a Limited card… But… We're dealing with two duelists and two decks, so Domino likely has one too…
But it won't be a threat until Domino can take his turn again… So both Francesca and I have to make our turns count.
"I summon Gagaga Girl…" he said.
In a flash, the female Spellcaster appeared next to Gagaga Magician. (1,000 ATK)
"So?" asked Domino. "Thanks to Spear of Submission, she can't do anything but look cute."
Gagaga Girl gave him a dirty look.
"Enough with the Spell Card, I get it!" shouted Stan. "I'm using Gagaga Magician's effect to increase his Level to 5.
"Then I use Gagaga Girl's effect, and her Level also becomes 5."
"Notice something about our Monster?" asked Domino. "By increasing the Levels of your Monsters, you increase its Attack Score."
(4,400 ATK)
"I know that…" said Stan, "but it's not what Gagaga Girl is going to be aiming for…
"I'm Equipping her with Bound Wand…"
He played the card, and Gagaga Girl's Attack Score rose to 1,500.
"And now that her Attack Score is the same as that of Gagaga Magician's," he said, as he played another card, "I can play Cross Attack!"
"Huh…" said Domino, as Gagaga Girl rose into the air.
"Direct attack!" shouted Stan.
"ARGH!" screamed the jester, as the burning bolt of energy hit him.
"Humph!" said Gagaga Girl, turning her head in disgust.
"I set this face-down," said Stan, as he set his last card, "and that will be all."
Gagaga Girl's Attack Score fell to 1,300 while Magnus von Grapple's fell to 3,900.
(S & F: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 3,200)
"Cloaker…" growled Domino. "Kill the bitch…"
"Right…" said Cloaker, as he drew a card.
"Magnus von Grapple, attack Gagaga Girl!"
The robot fired its rocket fists at the Spellcaster, and they exploded on impact, blowing her to particles…
"Ergh…" grunted Stan.
(S & F: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 3,200)
"I use the other effect of Bound Wand!" he shouted.
Gagaga Girl appeared again, kneeling and crossing her arms over her chest. (800 DEF)
Cloaker gulped.
"I… end my turn…" he said.
"And that means your Spear of Submission is out of power," said Stan.
The Spell Card turned to dust.
"Kill the bitch, you said," growled Cloaker. "Great idea, stupid! Do you realize what he can do with those two on his turn?"
"Don't worry…" said Domino. "Francesca doesn't have any Xyzs, and my turn is before Stan's next turn…
"Besides… They have only 900 Life Points left… How hard can it be?"
Stan looked at Francesca as she made her draw.
I did all I could… he said. The rest is up to you…
Francesca looked at the cards in her hand. She carefully looked at Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Girl…
"I activate… Magical Stone Excavation…" she said, as she played the card she had drawn.
She discarded Unicorn Princess and D.D. Unicorn Knight, and then took Monster Reborn from her discard slot.
"Next, Pot of Avarice…" she continued.
She took Shining Dawn Unicorn, Sunlight Unicorn, Elephun, Lady of Unicorns and D.D. Unicorn Knight from her discard slot, reshuffled her deck, and made two draws.
She looked at Gagaga Girl again…
"I summon Uni-Horned Familiar…" she said.
The small, horned imp appeared in front of her. (0 ATK)
"Then," she said, getting more excited, "I use Gagaga Magician's effect to raise his Level to 5… And then use Gagaga Girl's effect to raise her Level to 5 too…"
"Not a very fast learner are you?" asked Cloaker. "You seem to have forgotten that Gagaga Magician can't be used to make Synchro Summons."
"True!" replied Francesca. "But Gagaga Girl, on the other hand, has no such handicap!
"That's why Stan went through such lengths to protect Gagaga Girl… He was trying to make sure I figured that out…"
Uni-Horned Familiar flew into the air, and Gagaga Girl followed.
"And because Gagaga Girl happens to be a Dark-Attribute Monster… I've got just the thing to take your mean Machine down…"
The Tuner flew through the energy rings, and both Monsters faded into a cluster of stars…
"As the sun sets, a lone figure stands on the western hill, standing against the lengthening shadows. Hold your head proud, as you rule the night!"
(*2 + *5 = *7)
"I Synchro Summon… Dusk Unicorn!"
The unicorn that galloped onto the field this time had a glossy, black coat and a pure white mane. She had a white horn and glowing silver eyes. (2,300 ATK)
"That doesn't even come close to being able to beat Magnus von Grapple," said Cloaker.
"Think again," said Francesca. "Dusk Unicorn negates the effects of all Light-Attribute Monsters on the field… Like Magnus von Grapple. That means its Attack Score is reduced to its original value."
The large robot was enveloped in an aura of shadow as its Attack Score fell to 2,500.
"Maybe so," said Cloaker, "but that's still 200 more than that thing!"
Francesca took the Monster Reborn card, and played it. In a flash, Gagaga Girl reappeared. (1,000 ATK)
"Now…" said Francesca, as she played her last card, "the Spell Card, Synchro Rider!"
Gagaga Girl leapt onto Dusk Unicorn's back, and the steed bucked up on its hind legs with a loud whinny.
"What's going on?" shouted Cloaker. "is this some sort of trick?"
"Synchro Rider lets Gagaga Girl lend her Attack Points to my Beast-Type Synchro Monster," said Francesca, "so long as she doesn't attack herself this turn."
Gagaga Girl urged the steed, and they both charged at Magnus von Grapple…
"In other words… It lets them attack as a team!"
(3,300 ATK)
"Got any more ideas, Cloaker?" asked Domino.
'You're the wizard here!" shouted Cloaker. "I thought wizards were supposed to be smart!"
Gagaga Girl formed a ball of magical energy in her hand, and hurled it. It shot right through the Magnus von Grapple, smashing through its armored hull…
Then the whole thing collapsed, and the explosion shook the whole room.
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall…" said Francesca, as Gagaga Magician formed a similar bolt of energy in his hands. "And I'm not done with you…
"Gagaga Magician… Attack Cloaker directly!"
Cloaker grunted as the blast from the male Spellcaster hit him.
"Ugh…" said the armored jester.
"And I'll end my turn there," said Francesca. "Seems the score is tied…"
(S & F: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 900)
Domino drew one card.
"Indeed…" he said.
"I play Monster Reborn! I can't summon Magnus von Grapple with this… So I'll summon the next best thing…"
The holy symbol appeared, and Labyrinth Tank appeared again. (2,400 ATK)
"Attack Gagaga Girl!" he shouted.
No! thought Francesca If…
Wait…
She looked at the Trap Card that Stan had set.
"I'm using my partner's Trap Card!" she shouted. "Staunch Defender!"
The face-down card lifted up. Labyrinth Tank's laser's glowed.
"Now your Machine has no choice but to attack Dusk Unicorn!"
The lasers blasted, and the Beast Synchro was atomized. Francesca sighed.
Domino paused for a minute…
"I end my turn…" he said, with an ominous tone.
(S & F: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 900)
I don't like the way he said that… thought Stan, as he made a draw. I can win this duel right now…
And somehow, these two don't seem the least bit worried…
Why? No set cards… Nothing I know of in their Graveyards that they could use… Labyrinth Tank has no special effects that I know of…
He looked at the card he had drawn.
"I summon Vivian the Shadow Siren!" he shouted.
There was a small pool of darkness, and Vivian rose out of it. (1,800 ATK)
"Then, I use Gagaga Girl's effect to make her Level the same as Gagaga Magician's.
"Then, by using my three Spellcasters…"
The three Monsters were enveloped by the spiraling vortex.
"I build the Overlay Network!"
In a blast of raw magical energy, Alchemic Magician appeared in front of Stan. (1,500 ATK)
"Alchemic Magician gains 200 Attack Points for each Spell Card in my Graveyard," he said, "which is quite a useful ability to have in a two-on-two duel where you and your partner share the same Graveyard."
Then, ten Spell Cards appeared one by one, and were absorbed by the sorceress: Synchro Boost, Gagaga Bolt, Clock Out, Sweet Treat, Monster Reborn, Dragged Down into the Grave, Cross Attack, Bound Wand, Magical Stone Excavation, and Synchro Rider. Alchemic Magician flexed her muscles… (3,500 ATK)
The two jesters frowned, as Alchemic Magician lifted her hand…
Lightning crashed down, and Labyrinth Tank exploded in a blast that knocked Cloaker and Domino off their feet…
(S & F: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (C & D: 0)
"You lose!" screamed Francesca. "Now let Andy go NOW!"
Domino slowly stood up. He dusted himself off.
"As you wish…" he said, snidely.
He waved his hand, and the metal melted off of Andy. Francesca rushed up to him as he collapsed.
"Andy!" she shouted. "Talk to me…"
Then Andy let out a scream.
"It's all right now…" she said, as she hugged him.
"No it isn't!" yelled Andy. "Oh, if only I could have said something…"
"What?" said Stan. "What do you mean?"
Andy took some deep breaths.
"I wanted to warn you two, but I couldn't…" he said. "This was all a setup…
"Look…"
He pointed to the huge, ominous machine that Stan and Francesca had completely forgotten about. Its dials were moving now, and the generator towers were crackling with electricity.
Outside, the gears of Gearville slowly started to move. The rusty machinery started working again. Cogs and pistons turned, while furnaces lit…
"What's happening?" shouted Stan.
"These two jokers left out a big part of the story," said Andy, ominously. "They wanted me to duel them when they dragged me here… But they told me why…"
"Yeah, and that's what we get for being honest…" grumbled Cloaker. "He refused, so we had to resort to plan-B… Blackmailing you two."
"Why?" asked Francesca. "What's happening?"
"These guys don't technically work for the Shadow Queen at all," said Andy. "See, this tournament we're in is not her first serious attempt to escape.
"Five-hundred years ago, she contacted some interdimensional warlord… Sort of a master machine-smith. They combined their magic to transport this factory and a portion of the warlord's army here.
"The Queen wanted to form an alliance. But the Queen had enemies back then too, it seems. In the midst of negotiations, someone invaded this place, and shut it down.
"Most of the warlord's men, and the warlord himself, were mechanical creatures, so when this factory lost its power source, they were all rendered inert. These two guys were two of the few exceptions… I think they're demons of some type. They weren't harmed by the factory shutting down, and have spent five centuries trying to find a way to start it again."
"And we just recently managed to build this device behind us," said Domino, proudly. "It wasn't easy, let me tell you… We weren't exactly the best mechanics in the boss's army. Hell, when we drew up the blueprints, half the parts hadn't been invented yet on this world. And going back to ours was impossible without the boss's help. But we managed.
"It's quite a marvelous device… It serves two purposes. The generator acts as a… Jumper cable, if you will, to get the place started again. We had no idea how to actually start the device itself, until someone suggested using the dark energy from a Shadow Duel."
"And it seems that suggestion was a good one…" added Cloaker. "Gearville's engines have started again… Which is what we needed to power the second part of the device…"
As he said that, the forge in the huge machine erupted in hellish flames, filling the room with heat.
"I take it that's the second part?" asked Andy.
"Indeed…" said Domino. "The boss himself needed something far more potent to get his engine started again… Namely, the special flames that the forge generates."
"So he's in there?" gasped Francesca.
"Indeed…" said Domino. "He should be functioning perfectly any minute now…
"I should warn you three… He tends to be rather cranky when he wakes up…"
The three duelists watched in horror as two evil, glowing eyes appeared in the flames…
0000000000
CLOCK OUT (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Clock Tower Prison being struck by lightning.
Card Description: Roll 1 die. This card remains on the field until a number of End Phases has passed equal to the result (counting both yours and your opponent's turns). While this card remains on the field, neither player may declare an attack.
0000000000
SHINING DAWN UNICORN (Monster Card)
Beast/Light/Synchro/Effect/Lvl8/2,100ATK/3,000DEF
Beast-Type Tuner + 1 or more LIGHT non-Tuner Monsters
Effect: If this card isattacked while in Defense Position but not destroyed, destroy it during the End Phase of the turn. When this card is destroyed by battle while in Defense Position: If the Synchro Material Monsters used for the Synchro Summon of this card are in your Graveyard, add them to your hand.
0000000000
DUSK UNICORN (Monster Card)
Beast/Dark/Synchro/Effect/Lvl7/2,300ATK/1,200DEF
Beast-Type Tuner + 1 or more DARK non-Tuner Monsters
Effect: Negate the effects of all face-up LIGHT Monsters on the field. If this card is destroyed by battle by a LIGHT Monster and sent to the Graveyard, draw 2 cards.
0000000000
SYNCHRO RIDER (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: D.D. Warrior Lady charging into battle riding a fierce Thunder Unicorn.
Card Description: Select 1 face-up Beast-Type Synchro Monster and 1 face-up non-Synchro Monster you control that is in Attack Position. The selected non-Synchro Monster cannot attack this turn, and the selected Beast-Type Synchro Monster gains Attack Points equal to the selected non-Synchro Monster's base ATK until the End Phase of the turn.
0000000000
MAGNUS VON GRAPPLE (Monster Card)
Machine/Light/Fusion/Effect/Level 8/2,500ATK/2,100DEF
Machine King + Labyrinth Tank
Effect: This card cannot be Summoned except by Fusion Summon, and only by using the above-named Fusion Material Monsters. Increase this card's ATK by 200 times the combined Levels of all face-up Monsters your opponent controls.
0000000000
Lovely, a cliffhanger! So now what? Who in the world could be in that fiery furnace? I doubt it's friendly…
Next:
Andy: This is not good…
We're facing a creature whose might may well equal the Shadow Queen's if he ever regains all of his power… Common sense says we should run for our lives…
But if we do that, the video game that we're trapped in could quickly turn from "Paper Mario" to "Deadly Alliance"!
I have to stop this before it starts… The only problem is… I have no idea how…
"Factory of 100 Machines" is coming soon.