Pre-Chapter Author's Note: Before we get underway with another chapter of this story, I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed me so far for reading this far into it. I know that these stories might not be the most exciting, but I'm glad to see that I've still got your attention and support! And to Hana13, the finals will be underway rather soon! I can't exactly specify which chapter yet, but if I had to estimate, I would say at the soonest, six chapters. I know it seems like a lot, but I've got a good deal of things that I want to work in beforehand! It'll be there before you know it, too! Trust me! Anyway…on to the chapter!
Chapter 25: All Cats Go To Heaven
Cathy walked by the building with a look of disgust. Her spine chilled as did her blood as she saw the sign on the building. She didn't dare enter the edifice and she couldn't imagine why anyone in their right mind would in the first place.
Nevertheless, she walked past that building, the Heartland Dog Pound. She didn't want to do so, but it was vital that she did so to reach her secret aficionado.
She reached into her the pocket of her lovely black dress and pulled out the note that her secret admirer had handwritten her and left by her tent that morning.
'Dear, Cat-Chan…meet me at the Heartland Central Park near the local dog pound so I can discuss my true feelings about you. It's crucial that you come at 10:00 am and no later because I don't think I can spend another second without you here. Yours truly; Yuma Tsukumo.'
Cathy's feet continued walking on autopilot, but her brain was taking a short break.
Her mind moved to the pink spikes that made up the front part of Yuma's hair. Then she drifted to the cranberry jacket that the boy wore with such confidence, such pride. And that fun little undershirt that he always had on underneath the jacket, the one with the green "D" on it. Every time she imagined Yuma, she always thought of those upper features of his. She'd always wanted to think lower than just his stomach, but her mind prevented her each time.
She didn't know exactly why she was so nervous about envisioning the other assets of Yuma, but she assumed that it had to do with her dwindling self confidence. It's true that after she met Yuma (and his friends to an extent), she had become more sure of herself and a lot happier, however there was always something in her way. Something that prevented her from getting Yuma.
Kotori flashed in her brain. She imagined the green-haired girl, always near Yuma like they were conjoined at the hip. She was always flirting with him and they were always arguing like they were a couple.
She sighed realizing her status in comparison with Kotori's.
"Maybe I should be more like her," Cathy wondered, her feet still moving.
Unfortunately, that moving was precisely the problem. Cathy broke out of her daydream in a heartbeat as she heard the honk of a car horn from her right side.
"Get out of the road kid!" yelled the driver who was heading straight for her. "Hurry!"
Cathy looked to the side, watching the speeding car come closer and closer to her like a deer in headlights. Her mind made no attempt to contact her feet. She merely stood there staring at the car, waiting for the impact.
It didn't come however.
She didn't see when it happened, but when she had regained consciousness and snapped back into reality, she saw the car a few feet in front of her, stopped only by a medium-sized android that had its arms outstretched to prevent the car from hitting her.
Cathy looked at the robot, trying to gauge what kind of model it was. Clearly it was a Litterbot, given its two beady eyes and drawn-on frown. However, that was when the similarities stopped.
Unlike most of the other Litterbot machines, this one looked more like a toy robot. It was adorned in predominately white armor with diagonal blue stripes covering it from head to toe. The only things that broke this color pattern were its red hands and feet, and the golden helmet on its head that slightly resembled that of a baseball catcher.
It stood tall at five feet and eight inches, slightly looming over Cathy's frame. It turned its head back, staring blankly at Cathy. Instead of black eyes, this robot seemed to have red ones.
"Are you okay?" it asked flatly.
It took Cathy a moment or two to register the question, as though she didn't know exactly what the contraption was saying. Instead of verbally responding, she merely nodded her head up and down in incredulity.
The driver of the now smashed car crawled out of their seat and opened the door, practically falling out of the vehicle and onto the ground.
"Are you insane?" hissed the man at the robot. "You could have killed me! What the hell were you thinking, metal head?"
"You could have killed this little girl," the android replied confidently, but still emotionlessly.
"She shouldn't have been walking in the street anyway! She was jaywalking!" the man barked back. Then he turned to Cathy. "And you…you're lucky I'm in a good mood today, or I'd report you to the cops for doing what you did."
That's his good mood? Cathy wondered to herself.
The man began to grumble again before he took out his cell phone and dialed a number on it.
"Hello?" he asked. "Helene? Ok, good…Helene, is my car insured if I was involved in a robot attack? I'm not! Well, you know what…"
Cathy listened to the man and the screaming woman on the other end of the phone cursing at each other for a couple seconds before slipping away from the scene with the robot following quickly behind her.
Oddly enough, when she had successfully crossed the street seconds later, she had reached the park. Cathy turned around, being lured in by the footsteps of the android behind her.
"I really appreciate you saving me and all," she gulped, raising an eyebrow at the tall robot, "but don't you have somewhere to go? I don't mean that in a mean way, but I'm meeting someone here."
"I know," responded the robot.
"Well…wait, what do you mean you know?" asked Cathy slowly.
"I was the one who told you to meet me here," replied the robot as though it was the norm.
"N-no," Cathy disagreed. "That can't be right."
"You received a letter, did you not?" inquired the robot. "A note that was written by "Yuma Tsukumo"?"
The android used air quotes around Yuma's name as though it was a sacred thing.
"Yes…" Cathy responded, beginning to understand what was occurring. "You mean…you tricked me into coming to the park by pretending to be Yuma?"
"That is correct," replied the robot.
Cathy frowned. She felt a little dense for believing it in the first place, not because of what the note actually said, but because of the fact that she didn't realize the note was fake when it had a semicolon in it (especially when Yuma flunked out of his grammar class the previous year).
"But why would you do something like that?" she asked sadly. "You do something noble like save me from a car, but then you'd toy with my emotions like that?"
"I do not create the rules," replied the machine. "I only comply with them."
"Then who does create the rules?" Cathy asked.
The android lifted his hand and pressed a button on his wrist. Suddenly, its chest opened up and Cathy noticed a duel disk perched atop a tiny pedestal inside of the opening. The robot reached into its chest cavity, grabbed the device, attached it to its arm, and looked at Cathy.
"Would you like to find out?" it asked.
Truthfully she didn't really care about finding out or not. But if this thing thought that it was going to manipulate her emotions and toy with her about something as serious to Cathy as Yuma…it was in for another thing.
"You wanna duel? Then let's duel!"
The robot's eyes flashed momentarily as Cathy reached for her D-Pad and D-Gazer which she kept on the belt under her dress. When she readied her materials, she let her D-Pad extend on her wrist. Then she replaced her glasses with her opulent, pink D-Gazer.
"Do you have a name?" she asked while shuffling her deck manually.
"My master calls me GObot," replied the machine.
My master? she thought. Hmm…
"Well then, GObot," hissed Cathy, "when my feline friends beat you, tell your master that I didn't care for his ploy to get me here."
"Order noted," GObot responded. "I should warn you however, Cathy…"
The cat girl shuddered, getting an odd feeling that something was wrong, especially since she had never told GObot her name in the first place.
"I do not plan to lose."
"Then that makes two of us," said Cathy as she picked up five cards. GObot did the same.
Cathy – 8000 LP
GObot – 8000 LP
"Allow me to make the first move!" Cathy smiled. "My turn! Draw!"
Cathy spun around, drawing a card. Her black, Gothic Lolita dress lifted a tad as she took the top card of her deck in her hand and thought over her move.
Purrfect she grinned looking at a crafty two card combination.
"I set one facedown monster followed by a reverse card in my back row!"
Two facedown cards, one a couple inches in front of Cathy and the other a couple feet, formed instantaneously.
"Computing the threat level of unknown cards," GObot spoke, trying to analyze a plan. His red eyes scanned the scene, trying to make a conjecture as to what Cathy's concealed cards might have been. "No threat detected. My turn! Draw!"
A card automatically slipped out of the monster's D-Pad and into its hand as it narrowed its options down via its high-tech, strategic processing chip.
"I have devised my plan! Giant Rat, summon yourself!"
Cathy watched as a monster appeared. However, there wasn't much special about it because it was just as its name suggested. The animal was an oversized rodent, although it was holding a human skull. (1400 ATK)
Cathy hissed playfully before licking her gloved finger and sniggering.
"Nya…you do know that cats aren't big fans of mice, don't you? That is, unless they're on a plate and served with Tabasco!"
"Joke ignored," GObot said, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "I engage my Battle Phase and send Giant Rat to attack your facedown monster now!"
The overgrown ball of fur took the skull in both its hands and lowered it to the ground. Then, like a human would a bowling ball, it rolled the dried head over to Cathy's monster. A brown tabby cat confined to a small, 2x4 cardboard box hissed as the skull toppled over it, flattening the cat before it shattered into bits.
Cathy glared at Giant Rat, but didn't lose her concentration. As quick as the wind, she clicked a button on her D-Pad and her facedown card lifted.
"You might have destroyed Stray Cat, but since I have my Monstrous Cat Transformation I can summon another fearsome feline from my deck! Nya! Show yourself now, Monster Cat!"
A card slipped out of the deck that sat inside Cathy's D-Pad and she picked it up. With daring speed, she placed the card in her Monster Zone and her violet, silhouetted cat appeared. It scratched the air with a swoop of its paw and hissed, pinpointing its red eyes and locking them on to Giant Rat's. (0 ATK)
"0 ATK?" GObot noticed, a bit surprised by the disadvantage on the monster's strength. "I presume it has an effect?"
"That's right," Cathy smirked, throwing her hand up into the air. "And you're about to see what it is because when I summon Monster Cat through my Monstrous Cat Transformation card, all of your Level 4 or lower monsters get destroyed! Time to exterminate your pest! Monster Cat, do your stuff!"
The big, portly feline meowed in delight, crouching down on all four feet and rushing at Giant Rat. The rodent barely had time to react before it was cut into multiple pieces and consumed by the famished Monster Cat.
"And furthermore," Cathy explained, "thanks to the effect of my Monster Cat, you lose 800 life points!"
A spark of electricity flowed through GObot, but he didn't flinch. In fact, despite being as near to a human as any machine that Cathy had ever seen, it appeared that GObot still didn't know what pain was.
"Very well," said the robot without changing its tone or pitch. "Ending turn as is."
Cathy – 8000 LP
GObot – 7200 LP
"Then it's time for me to show you what cats can do!" she smiled, placing her long-nailed gloves atop her next card. "Draw!"
With a supple movement of her fingers, Cathy picked up another card and looked at the five cards in her hand, trying to create a manageable strategy.
Let's see if he can catch what I'm going to throw at him, she giggled, putting two fingers on one card.
"I activate my Spell Card now! A Rally of Cats!"
A permanent Spell card emerged on the field, staying in place as GObot analyzed its effect.
"Processing," he spoke. "Effect analyzed. A Rally of Cats allows the user to Special Summon any Level 3 or Lower "Cat" monster once a first "Cat" monster is Normal Summoned."
Cathy licked her lips once more and put a hand on her hip with a smile on her face.
"Which is exactly what I plan to do! But first I'm going to use the special ability of my Monster Cat!"
She pointed to the darkened furball and its eyes flashed momentarily, revealing a picture of Stray Cat.
"So now, because of my Monster Cat, I can take a Stray Cat straight from my deck and add it to my hand!"
A card slipped out of Cathy's D-Pad before she played it.
A portal appeared next to Monster Cat as another square box materialized. A timid, white cat elevated its coy head, revealing a look of fear as it took in its surroundings. (100 ATK)
"And thanks to my Rally of Cats Spell, I can Special Summon another Stray Cat straight from my hand!"
Yet another Stray Cat appeared, this one with pure ebon fur and circular, green eyes. It yawned widely, revealing a couple of sharp teeth and the pink roof of its mouth. (100 ATK)
"Analyzing," GObot said monotonously. "Three Level 1 Monsters detected on the field. Opponent might be planning an Xyz Summon."
"You're right about that," laughed Cathy, pointing a pink nail at her three monsters. "I overlay my two Stray Cat monsters with my Monster Cat to create a ferocious feline like no other!"
All three monsters came together as one while a red portal sucked their orbs up. One of Cathy's favorite Xyz Monsters jumped out of the portal, sporting her tight Spandex suit and ruby red lipstick. The woman snarled, glaring at GObot through her eyeshade while twisting her two tails back and forth. She scratched at the ground in anticipation. (1000 ATK)
"Leap and pounce! Twin-Tail Cat Lady, I summon you!"
If GObot was capable of laughter, let alone any emotion, he would probably be laughing at this moment.
"A monster that requires three overlay units with only 1000 ATK?" questioned the android. "That monster is not worth a time in the Extra Deck."
Twin-Tail Cat Lady hissed loudly, as did her master.
"Don't insult my Cats," demanded Cathy, rather enraged as she said so. "And for your information, she's going to get stronger two ways! The first is through her effect, which allows me to sacrifice one overlay unit once per turn in order to give her 800 more ATK!"
One of the three hovering overlay units flew into the cat woman's nails as they just about doubled in size and length. (1000 – 1800 ATK)
"And that was just the first way," smirked Cathy, wiggling a finger back and forth. "Way two is a lot more powerful!"
She threw a Spell into her D-Pad and a gust of wind surrounded Twin-Tail Cat Lady, making it impossible for GObot to see the female. However, when the winds died down it was clearly evident that something was different about the Xyz Monster. For one, her burgundy suit had now turned a sleek platinum sheen. The second feature was the long staff that she held in her hand which had a miniature tornado at its tip. (1800 – 3000 ATK)
"In case you're wondering about the new setup, it's called Catnip Turbine! Sure, Twin-Tail Cat Lady is no longer allowed to attack your monsters, however I think it is simply purrfect because it gives her 1200 more points of power!"
GObot watched emotionlessly but still terrified nonetheless. After all, 3000 ATK in one single turn wasn't very reassuring for him.
"But thankfully," continued Cathy, "I don't see any monsters on your side of the field so I guess it's safe to say that Twin-Tail Cat Lady can attack you directly! Claw Cluster!"
Putting her claws over her chest, Twin-Tail Cat Lady crouched down before jumping a great distance into the sky. While in midair, she raised her claws and threw them down, positioning them directly over GObot's frame. When gravity finally played its role, Twin-Tail Cat Lady came down, remarkably on her feet like cats were said to do, and landed behind GObot. The robot was shocked in more ways than one as Twin-Tail Cat Lady pierced his color coating by clawing at his back.
GObot flew forward and landed on the ground with his arms out as the cat woman leapt back over to Cathy, once again landing solidly. She woman hissed victoriously and licked herself clean.
Cathy looked at her other two cards before turning to GObot, who was already back on his robotic feet.
"That's going to be the end of my turn," she smiled with a quick wink.
Cathy - 8000 LP
GObot – 4200 LP
"First I will draw," GObot announced, picking up another card from his hand before raising it, "and then I will set this monster facedown."
An obscured monster appeared in front of GObot and acted as his safety net from Twin-Tail Cat Lady's barrages.
"And if my memory chip serves me properly, as it should," noted GObot, "your Xyz Monster is now unable to engage my monster in battle. I end my turn."
Truthfully, Cathy had forgotten about her handicap after her attack. However, now that she was reminded of it, she was aware that she'd have to do something about it.
"That's fine by me," she said, looking at her hand, "because it's my turn! Draw!"
She turned her head as she picked up another card and smiled.
Overfed Cat, she grinned. Just what I was looking for!
"First of all, I summon Overfed Cat!" she shouted.
Overfed Cat appeared on the field, carrying its handy, dandy swordfish in both hands. GObot noticed the striking similarity that the feline had in comparison to Monster Cat, although Overfed Cat was persimmon instead of lavender. The massive mammal took a large bite out of its weapon and purred joyously as it turned back to GObot. (2000 ATK)
"And next, I'm going to activate Twin-Tail Cat Lady's special ability, which gives her 800 more ATK if I remove the other Stray Cat from underneath her!"
Once again, Cathy's Xyz Monster smirked as her elongated nails extended further and further. (3000 – 3800 ATK)
"And it's true what you said, GObot," confessed the girl, "about Twin-Tail Cat Lady not being able to attack your monsters. But that's why I have Overfed Cat! If I pay 1000 Life Points…"
Overfed Cat spun around quickly once, slapping Cathy lightly with its swordfish.
"Then I can attack and rid you of that monster! Overfed Cat, battle now! Swordfish Skewer!"
Overfed Cat mewed and slowly approached GObot's concealed creature, slicing the animal in two. A familiar face formed before it was subjected to Overfed Cat's torment. Short hairs fell on the ground as GObot elucidated.
"Twin-Tail Cat Lady is still unable to attack because your Overfed Cat just destroyed my Giant Rat. Giant Rat has the ability to summon any EARTH monster from my deck with 1500 ATK or less."
GObot removed his deck from his deck, scanning over the cards and processing the best tactic.
"Card selected," he stated. "I summon Pack Rat."
A new monster appeared in front of GObot. A light brown rodent with a heavy wooden box on its back strained to elevate its next to look at Cathy's monsters. The cat-loving girl observed that this monster was noticeably smaller than GObot's previous one, although compared to Giant Rat, it wasn't implausible. (700 ATK)
Cathy sighed, looking at the two cards she had left but seeing no way past GObot's plan.
"I guess I'll end there," she sulked.
Cathy – 7000 LP
GObot – 4200 LP
"My move," GObot said, moving a flexibly robotic arm over to his deck and picking up the top card.
He added the card to his collection before taking another on the far right of his hand and grabbing it.
"I activate my Spell, Golden Cheese!"
A hint of emotion, even though it was only for the slightest second, was apparent in GObot's voice. However, it faded away while a cartoony, holed chunk of cheddar cheese replaced Pack Rat's crate. The rodent immediately threw off the cheese and ate the delectable delight in one big gulp. Afterwards, it started to shake and it hiccupped twice. For each one, another Pack Rat formed on the field, albeit missing their initial boxes. (700 ATK x 2)
"Now I need an explanation," Cathy groaned, holding her head and trying to understand how one monster could turn into three in an instant.
"Due to the effect of my Golden Cheese, I can summon all of the Pack Rat monsters in my deck because my Pack Rat is a Level 1 monster."
Maybe I should invest in that card, Cathy wondered, thinking of her Stray Cat monsters. Then another thought hit her…
"Wait a minute…Three Level 1 monsters?" she gasped.
"Affirmative," GObot responded. "All three of which I shall now overlay together to create the overlay network!"
All three Pack Rats jumped into the air at once, melding together to create one large beam of brown light that came down onto the ground. However, Cathy was shocked when she saw that the portal on the ground was nothing like her red overlay portal. In fact, this one was a lot darker with some starry designs. Worse still, the monster that came out was unlike any that she had ever seen before…
A golden sphere that looked like it was perfectly sealed up and closed baffled Cathy before it began to expand. The ball enlarged before its outer form fell down, as though it were a book being opened. Bars of gold coated the new creature's form as it began to unravel completely. Attached to each side of the bars on the creature's back were two spikes, one of the left and one on the right. A thin tail wiggled around as the monster completely stopped transforming. It stood on thin, toy-like legs while moving its stubby, mechanical arms out as far as they could reach. Despite the rest of GObot's deck, which seemed to be related to rodents in some way of shape, this monster bore more semblance to an armadillo. A circular laminate atop its head glowed as a "56" appeared. (500 ATK)
"Introducing Number 56: Goldrat!" GObot spoke loudly.
"Number?" Cathy wondered, remembering those types of monsters from somewhere.
But where?
"Correct," GObot nodded, moving his robotic head up and down while something inside his head clinked and clanked as though it was improperly screwed in.
Cathy bit her lip softly with one of her sharp teeth, subconsciously making sure not to hurt herself in the process.
"It's weak now," she gulped, "but I assume that you have something to boost its strength?"
"Response complete," stated GObot as he played another card from his hand, this one staying on his D-Pad for longer than Cathy had expected. "I use the Attack Shuffle Continuous Spell!"
Cathy squinted her eyes, noticing a picture of a casino dealer shuffling multiples decks of playing cards at once.
"Let me guess," she surmised. "It has something to do with gambling?"
"Negative," GObot replied. "For as long as this card remains, once each turn, when I return a monster to my deck from my hand, one monster on my side of the field permanently gains ATK equal to that monster's ATK score."
"And just how often do you plan to return monsters?" Cathy wondered.
"At least three," answered GObot while pointing to his Number monster. "Effect analysis of my Goldrat confirms that if I dispatch of one overlay unit, I can draw one card and then shuffle a card from my hand into my deck!"
"Me-ouch," the cat lover frowned. She was just hoping that GObot didn't have any high ATK monsters.
"Demonstration sequence enacted," the robot announced. "I remove one overlay unit from Number 56: Goldrat to draw one extra card."
One of the shiny orbs floating around Goldrat flew into the golden bars on its back, illuminating the creature until GObot made his draw.
"And now I'll send back Mutant Rat from my hand to my deck."
GObot turned around a card in his hand, revealing a Level 6 monster with 2400 ATK before placing it into his deck and hitting the auto-shuffle function.
Then a dark aura overpowered the light one flowing through the armadillo. Goldrat's aureate body transformed into a jet black hue and its claws extended. Its thin tail fattened greatly as a roar came from the feral animal. (500 – 2900 ATK)
Cathy gulped and adjusted her D-Gazer to make sure that she was had read Goldrat's ATK score properly. Unfortunately for her, she had.
"And furthermore," GObot said as a card slid out from his deck and into his hand, "due to Mutant Rat, whenever its sent to the deck from my hand, I can return it back to my hand!"
Cathy's eyes widened, realizing GObot's Goldrat cycle. Moreover, she realized how helpless she was against the sequence.
GObot pointed to Overfed Cat and looked at his enhanced Goldrat.
"I send Number 56 to attack your Overfed Cat now! Gold Rush Rampage!"
Three of the previously golden bars ejected themselves from Goldrat's back, taking flight in the air and hovering above Overfed Cat. The feline barely had time to look up and see the bars, let alone react, before it was crushed under the affluent weight of the slabs.
Cathy covered her face as a hot wind from the battle brushed her hair back a little bit. When she reopened her eyes, she saw that she had one monster less.
"Now setting two facedowns," GObot finished.
Behind his powerful Number monster appeared two cards side by side, unknown to Cathy.
Cathy – 6100 LP
GObot – 4200 LP
"Then it's my turn!" Cathy declared as she picked up the top card of her deck and cocked her head to the side to get a better view.
Gold Coins for Cats? Cathy frowned. Sure this is a good card, but it's only for my Beast-Type monsters. Since Twin-Tail Cat Lady is a Beast-Warrior, that's of no use to me.
She put her newly drawn Trap with her other two cards and then looked at her Twin-Tail Cat Lady.
Ok…Because of my Catnip Turbine, I can't attack Goldrat right now, but maybe I have a card that can counteract that.
She looked at the other two cards in her hand and saw one that looked rather useful.
"I activate Emergency Provisions! With this, I can get rid of my Catnip Turbine and A Rally of Cats to gain 2000 more life points!"
Both of Cathy's Spells vanished into granules of light as the same radiance showered her. A ring of tulips sprouted up by her feet as her life points increased.
At the same time, Twin-Tail Cat Lady lost a bit of her glory. (3800 – 2600 ATK)
"Which is just what I need because now I…" Cathy began, reaching for the last card underneath her Xyz Monster.
"Negative," GObot replied, pressing a button on his D-Pad. "Trap card, activate. Asleep at the Switch."
Cathy gasped, knowing that card due to the numerous times that Yuma had played it in his school duels. She had made a vital mistake in gaining life points because it was only going to destroy her monster.
"Due to this, your Twin-Tail Cat Lady is destroyed," finished GObot.
From a portal in the sky, a giant green jar fell on top of Twin-Tail Cat Lady. Cathy, as well as any duelist who knew the simple mechanics of the game, recognized the container as the Pot of Greed. Said pot remained atop the femme fatale, asphyxiating her with every passing second. When the woman's body went limp, she fell to the ground, deceased. The only thing that remained was the Pot of Greed, which dissolved into particles only seconds later.
Cathy gulped, looking at the last two cards in her hand, both of which were Traps that she couldn't use.
"I…end my turn," she said, hesitance as clear as day in her voice.
Cathy – 8100 LP
GObot – 4200 LP
"My draw," GObot said, picking up the top card of his deck with his mechanical hands.
He placed the card with his others and then pointed to his Goldrat.
"Combination initiating. Dispatching an overlay unit to draw a card…"
Another card fell into GObot's clutches.
"And sending Mutant Rat with 2400 ATK to my deck."
GObot's aforementioned monster was sent back to his deck only to be returned back to his hand seconds later.
"Now Attack Shuffle reacts to that occurrence."
Goldrat's black aura moved from its once solidly golden back to the rest of its body, shrouding what little beauty the creature once possessed in a coat of darkness. (2900 – 5300 ATK)
"Furthermore, I summon Giant Rat the third."
Another rotund rodent holding a human skull scampered onto the battleground. (1400 ATK)
"Target is defenseless," GObot noticed. "I attack directly with Goldrat! Gold Rush Rampage!"
This time, the black bars that shot from the armadillo's backside did not floating in the air. The impact was direct and immediate as they released themselves from the animal and scattered near Cathy's feet. The moment she looked down to try and maneuver around them, they encased her in a black barrier of darkness as a venomous fog surrounded her, making it near impossible for her to see or breath. Nevertheless, the assault only lasted for ten seconds and Cathy was more than prepared at any given time to hold her breath for longer.
However, the impact had taken more out of her than she'd previously thought. Once the bars dissipated, she found her knees instantly weaker. She struggled to keep her footing as she looked at GObot through blurred vision.
Cathy thought she was going crazy until she remembered that GObot had one more monster…that was coming straight at her.
Giant Rat, who was dashing on all four of his limbs, moved over to Cathy at a rapid speed. The skull that he held securely in his mouth continually loosened its binding as the rodent ran until it fell out and onto Cathy's foot. Despite the lightweight appearance of the bony cranium, it was actually rather hefty, enough so to make Cathy believe that a couple of her toes were damaged. Or perhaps it was only Goldrat's poison that was affecting her mind.
"Card set," GObot stated, placing a facedown card behind Giant Rat. "Turn end."
Cathy – 1400 LP
GObot – 4200 LP
Bruised and battered, Cathy felt as though she couldn't go on. The poison that was still in effect was causing her vision to worsen. In addition, she couldn't stop shaking and her heart raced like it was in the Indianapolis 500.
I've got to keep going she internally shouted to herself. I've got to make it to the finals and reach the top...for Yuma. So he'll notice me…I have to!
Cathy clutched her left arm with her right hand and picked herself back up, an action which surprised GObot, despite the latter not having emotions or feelings.
"So you have continued to throw yourself in the line of fire?" he asked nonchalantly.
"If that's what it takes to defeat you, then yes," she replied with a frown. "And I believe it's my turn!"
She looked at the top card of her deck and gulped.
I have to get a monster here or else…
She shook her head, fighting away her worries. Warm thoughts of Yuma's kindness crossed her mind as she finally took action.
She placed her two fingers atop her next card and closed her eyes, slowly taking the card from underneath her deck holder.
"I'm going to bring it to 'em! Cattobingu!"
Cathy made her draw and looked at the card closely, trying to analyze what to do with it. It wasn't a monster but it was…
"Inviting the Cat, activate now!"
A giant paw print appeared on Cathy's side of the field as she proceeded to explain.
"Due to this, I'm able to take any "Cat" monster from my deck and add it to my hand instantly."
She reached for her deck but her heart raced faster as GObot's voice reached her ears.
"Reverse card open! Dark Bribe!"
A field of electricity coated Cathy's Trap, immobilizing it and causing it the stand still.
"Due to this, you are no longer allowed to perform your Spell's effect. However, in exchange for this you are free to draw one card."
And just like that, she was back to luck. Inviting the Cat exploded, leaving Cathy with one last draw. Her hands shook as she touched her card, but she stabilized them later.
I have nothing to be afraid of…she told herself, although she didn't necessarily believe the words one-hundred percent.
Wordlessly, she picked up her card and stared at it for a while, then at her other two cards. They were her only hope, so she'd have to trust her instincts.
"I set two cards facedown and summon Stray Catgirl!"
Following the two augmented images in Cathy's Spell/Trap zone was a new monster. This one was a young female with purple hair wearing a yellow raincoat that had two cat-like ear flaps on the top. She tied the laces of her squeaky, orange boots with her two gloved hands. Afterwards, she held her only form of protection, a maroon umbrella, out in front of her. (600 ATK)
"I'll…end my turn as such," Cathy gulped.
"Finishing turn sequence beginning," GObot announced. "End of duel sequence commenced. My turn! Draw!"
With one more draw, GObot pointed to his Goldrat, who got rid of its third and last overlay unit to draw a card, send Mutant Rat back to his deck, and retrieve the same Level 6 monster. (5300 – 7700 ATK)
"And next, I will use the magic of Star Blast and deplete 1000 of my life points. By doing so, Mutant Rat is now transformed into a Level 4 monster and I can Normal Summon it now!"
A red bolt of lightning hit GObot as he paid for the cost of his Star Blast. However, it was worth the payment because a dark portal appeared in front of him, bringing forth a new creature. It looked a lot like Giant Rat, if the latter monster had been dunked in radioactive ooze. The creature had large red eyes and sharp, menacing teeth and claws. Its bluish-purple fur stood on end as its thin tail moved to and fro excitedly. Saliva dripped down its chin as it looked at Stray Catgirl. (2400 ATK)
Cathy sighed, looking at Mutant Rat with disgust and sorrow.
"What does Star Blast have to do with Rats anyway?"
"Response…What is the word 'star' backwards?" GObot asked.
"Touché," nodded Cathy, quickly deciphering GObot's riddle.
"The time for distractions is over," the android commanded. "I send Mutant Rat to attack your Stray Catgirl and end the duel!"
The feral animal snarled in excitement and rushed over to Stray Catgirl, who closed her eyes and put her sun shade in front of her. She only prayed that it would be enough protection to fend off the rodent.
"Not a chance!" Cathy shouted, revealing one of her two facedown cards. "I activate my Cat-astrophe!"
A violent wall of wind separated Mutant Rat from Stray Catgirl before the attack could be successfully landed. The youngling breathed a sigh of relief as she put her parasol down.
"And due to this powerful Trap, I can destroy up to two cards on your side of the field since you attacked my 'Cat' monster!"
GObot's frown would have transformed into a grin if he was a human.
According to plan, he noted. Once she targets my Goldrat, I will be able to play my Xyz Reflect, dealing 800 points of damage to her! And then Mutant Rat's attack will continue. Everything is according to plan.
"And the cards I'm choosing are Mutant Rat..."
Cathy pointed to Mutant Rat first and then at what GObot thought was Number 56: Goldrat. He was about to click the button on his D-Pad when Cathy clarified.
"And the card behind Goldrat! Attack Shuffle! I seem to recall you saying that its effect is only activate as long as it remains on the field!"
"No!" GObot shouted as his Mutant Rat exploded, as well as his Attack Shuffle.
That was only the beginning, however. In addition, the black energy surrounding Goldrat dispelled, reverting the creature back into its frail, weak, and most importantly to Cathy, golden state. (7700 – 500 ATK)
"Of course," she winced as she received a tinge of pain in her body, "it cost me 1200 life points, 600 for each time because that's the ATK of my Stray Catgirl, but I think I did the right thing."
Cathy – 200 LP
"Negative," GObot replied, pointing to his Giant Rat. "You have still lost this duel! Giant Rat attacks your Stray Catgirl!"
The fat rat grabbed the skull in its hand and tossed it precisely at Stray Catgirl. However, it merely bounced off of the feline's umbrella as the monster remained. To GObot's surprise, Stray Catgirl wasn't the only thing that still stood.
Cathy – 100 LP
GObot – 3200 LP
"Impossible!" GObot shouted, finally gaining some feeling to his voice. "How did this happen? Everything was calculated so precisely!"
"I guess you didn't factor in my Gold Coins for Cats Trap Card!" smiled Cathy, pointing to the augmented image she was referring to. "During the Damage Step of that battle, my Stray Catgirl gained half the ATK of your Giant Rat, making her strength go up to 1300! And moreover, Stray Catgirl cannot be destroyed by battle when she's in Attack Position, so I still have her!"
GObot's body turned red, symbolizing his anger at Cathy's planning and accuracy. Nevertheless, he simply ended with a facedown card.
Even if she has disturbed my strategy, I still have my Xyz Reflect thought the automaton. And even so, I now have Bye Bye Damage facedown. If she even attacks my Goldrat with her Stray Catgirl, she'll lose the duel!
"I hope you aren't planning you victory speech just yet," Cathy coughed, picking herself up and staring at GObot, "because I don't intend for you to make one!"
"Make your move," the robot demanded.
"As you wish," Cathy said, looking at her cards. "Draw!"
Her eyes widened when she saw what she'd picked up.
I just might have a chance at winning after all!
"I activate my Spell Card, Home for Strays!"
While playing her card in her D-Pad with one hand, Cathy reached into her Graveyard, producing the three Stray Cats that she had sent there before.
"By activating Home for Strays, I can banish all Stray Cats in my Graveyard and draw one card for each one that I banished!"
She placed the three Stray Cat monsters in her dress pocket and looked at her deck.
"Cattobingu, ore!" she shouted as she made her three draws.
Elation and ecstasy crossed her face as she devised a skillful plan. She picked up one of the three new cards and placed it on her D-Pad.
"I summon Cat Girl!"
A gust of wind whirled around in front of Cathy, bringing forth another feline. This one was masked, wearing an orange and brown getup. Patches of fur covered her wrists, shoulders, and skirt as she danced around joyously. Three golden bells that hung securely on a belt on her waist chimed together as she moved about. She ended her ballet with a twirl as she faced GObot and his two rat monsters. (1200 ATK)
"And next, I'm going to overlay both of my monsters to build the overlay network! Xyz Summon!"
Cathy's two felines transformed into two brown orbs, both of which fell into a swirling red portal on the ground in front of her as she reached into her Extra Deck to grab a monster. As she placed the card on her D-Pad, an image formed on the field. A floating, black wand appeared followed by a slightly seductive woman that came after it. The purple-haired beauty was dressed in red heels and a large red hat that resembled a sombrero. Her tight, black outfit displayed outlines of her wonderful physique. She leapt up high, landing not on her feet, but on her posterior as she rode on her thin wand around Cathy's field. GObot watched in amazement, his gaze never leaving the spectacle. When she was done with her joy ride, she hopped off the staff, landing accurately on her high heels and maintaining her balance while reaching up and gripping the wand in both hands. (2000 ATK)
"Come on out, Cat Girl Magician!"
"Cat Girl Magician…" GObot repeated wondrously. "However, it still doesn't have enough power to defeat me completely."
"That's right and wrong," smiled Cathy. "I'm going to use the effect of my Cat Girl Magician now!"
One of the honey-colored overlay units flew into the orbed end of the woman's scepter as her power was cut in half. (2000 – 1000 ATK)
"By halving the power of my Cat Girl Magician until the End Phase, she's able to attack you directly!"
GObot frowned as usual but didn't fret.
Even if she's avoided by Bye Bye Damage, if she tries to use an Equip Spell to target and power up her monster, I can even use Xyz Reflect then to win this duel!
"And now, I'm going to power up my Cat Girl Magician!" shouted Cathy, flipping around a Spell Card and waving it in the air.
GObot prepared to activate his Trap again, however he stopped when he realized what was going on. Instead of appearing in Cathy's back row, her D-Pad's Field Spell Zone opened up, and Cat World was played.
Instantly the field morphed into that serene meadow that had Cathy had been accustomed to for quite some time now. Wandering cats pounced here and there, stomping around the grass as though it was the only home that they had.
"And due to this field Spell, all of my Cat monsters have their original ATK doubled, which means that even though Cat Girl Magician's ATK is now 1000, it goes all the way up to 4000!"
GObot's scanners and detectors began to beep, buzz, and screech all at once as he saw what happened.
Cat Girl Magician grabbed her wand and spun it in a circular motion above her head, showering herself with sparkles and twinkles of starry light as her outfit gained thousands of glittery stars. The heels on her boots transformed from their simple, mundane red heels to silvery, sharp nails. Her catlike eyes flashed color, changing from amber to electric pink in no time at all. (1000 – 4000 ATK)
"And let's not forget that she still has the power to attack you directly!" Cathy reminded GObot with a smirk. "I've turned to duel around! Now the only thing to do is end it! Cat Girl Magician...attack with Cat's Eye Magic!"
Cat Girl Magician mounted her wand, which served as a broomstick, and soared higher up in the air. She performed a couple ostentatious tricks before flying over to GObot's side of the field. Swiftly bypassing the swatting clutches of Giant Rat and Goldrat, Cat Girl Magician navigated her wand until she was directly in front of GObot. When she was, she jumped off the stick and, while still in midair, grabbed it from under her and grasped it tightly. Her body heat infused with the rod, causing it to turn a bright red before a beam was shot from the top of it which was hot enough to not only shock GObot, but fry all of the circuitry within the robot. A loud buzzer was heard above Cathy as the augmented scoreboard declared her the victor of the intense battle.
Cathy – 100 LP
GObot – 0 LP
Cathy feebly advanced toward GObot who had been not only knocked unconscious, but had been turned offline when he lost the battle. As Cathy made her way over to the android, she noticed the various dints and dings on the machine's body and limbs. Then she noticed its cards were still in its duel disk.
She bent down and grabbed two cards, both of the facedowns in GObot's Spell/Trap zone, turning them over for a better view.
"Xyz Reflect?" she said, looking at the card. "Bye Bye Damage? And he had Asleep at the Switch earlier, didn't he?"
She felt that something wasn't right. There was something very peculiar about those Trap cards, and she knew exactly what it was.
They were all included in Yuma's deck.
'My master' he said Cathy thought to herself.
"No, no. That's just a coincidence though," she assured herself uncertainly. "Isn't it?"
She dropped the two Trap cards in exchange for the monster that was lying on GObot's monster zone.
"Number 56: Goldrat," she said, looking at the card hesitantly. Her eyes moved from the Number monster to GObot's comatose cadaver.
"I guess it would be best to hold on to this for now," she assumed, placing the card in her pocket. "Maybe Yuma could find some use for it if I give it to him. That's one thing that Kotori can't do, at least."
She blushed shyly, fantasizing about Yuma and the various "ways" that he might thank her for retrieving a card just for him. She looked back at GObot once more, deeming him unconscious, before turning back around and practically skipping through the streets to find Yuma.
However, if Cathy had turned back again, just once more, she would have seen GObot's red eyes flash multiple times. The toy-looking robot sat up, placing its wrist in front of its face. He hit the six buttons very rapidly before something came up. A visual projection of a person.
"According to plan," GObot stated. "Everything is going according to plan."
"Excellent, GObot," said the person on the other end of the phone. GObot watched as the person picked up the remote that was sitting beside them and grip it in their hand. "Now there's just one more thing to do."
"What is it?" GObot asked, always ready to help.
The person on the other end of the line clicked the red button on his remote and instantly the transmission ended. It wasn't because GObot's phone was broken or because there was a bad connection between the two.
It was because the red button was a self-destruct function which caused GObot to explode the moment that it had been pushed.
The individual placed the remote back down on the table beside them before putting their hands together and rubbing them therapeutically.
"Sorry, GObot," laughed the person, "but I don't like to leave traces of my work. No hard feelings."
New/Anime Cards Shown in This Chapter –
Number 56: Goldrat (Xyz Monster)
Beast/Xyz/Rank 1/Effect/LIGHT
500 ATK/600 DEF
Effect: 3 Level 1 Monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; draw 1 card, then shuffle 1 card from your hand into the Deck.
Note: This card can be found in the Weekly Jump Magazine Promotional. It is currently only available in Japan.
A Rally of Cats (Spell)
Continuous Spell
Image: Four tabby cats meeting together and gathering around a bright light.
Effect: When a "Cat" monster is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower "Cat" monster from your hand.
Note: This card was first used by Cathy in Episode 9 of "Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal." Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
Stray Catgirl (Monster)
Beast/Level 4/Effect/EARTH
600 ATK/1500 DEF
Effect: This face-up Attack Position monster cannot be destroyed by battle.
Cat Girl (Monster)
Beast/Level 4/Effect/EARTH
1200 ATK/1600 DEF
Effect: Once during each of your opponent's turns, when an opponent's monster declares an attack: You can negate that attack.
Cat Girl Magician (Xyz Monster)
Spellcaster/Xyz/Rank 4/Effect/LIGHT
2000 ATK/1800 DEF
Effect: 2 Level 4 Monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; until the End Phase, this card's ATK is halved but it can attack your opponent directly.
Catnip Turbine (Spell)
Equip Spell
Image: Catnipped Kitty screeching while flying around in a swirling turbine.
Effect: Equip only to a "Cat" monster. The equipped monster gains 1200 ATK and cannot attack monsters your opponent controls.
Gold Coins for Cats (Trap)
Normal Trap
Image: Neko Mane King clutching a bar of gold while other tablets float above it.
Effect: When an opponent's monster targets a face-up Beast-Type monster you control for an attack: That attack targets gains ATK equal to half the ATK of the attacking monster until the end of the Damage Step only.
Note: These five preceding cards were first used by Cathy in Episode 39 of "Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal." Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
Pack Rat (Monster)
Beast/Level 1/Effect/EARTH
700 ATK/500 DEF
Effect: You can banish this card from your Graveyard. You can change the positions of all monsters you control.
Golden Cheese (Spell)
Normal Spell
Image: A golden bar in the shape of a cheese sitting in the middle of a room.
Effect: Select 1 Level 1 monster on your field. Special Summon as many monsters with the same name from your hand and deck.
Note: These two preceding cards are creations of SkyArcadia. All creative credit goes to that author.
Mutant Rat (Monster)
Beast/Level 6/Effect/DARK
2400 ATK/1500 DEF
Effect: When this card is sent from your hand to your Deck by a card effect: Return this card to your hand.
Attack Shuffle (Spell)
Continuous Spell
Image: A casino dealer shuffling two decks together while Slot Machine is in the background.
Effect: Once per turn, when a monster is sent from your hand to your Deck: Target 1 face-up monster you control; it gains ATK equal to the ATK of the monster sent to your deck. This ATK remains for as long as this card is face-up on the field.
Home for Strays (Spell)
Normal Spell
Image: Stray Cat leaving its small, cardboard box and moving toward a young girl standing in front of a mansion.
Effect: Banish all "Stray" Cat" monsters in your Graveyard. Draw 1 card for each banished monster.
Effect: The above three cards first debuted in this chapter.
Author's Note: On his rampage to stop and take down IV, Shark becomes more malicious, letting the darkness in his heart consume him. One of the tournament proctors catches wind of the danger that is Shark and comes to stop him. With his participation in the tournament in jeopardy, Shark must duel against this mysterious duelist in a duel which decides his fate! Just who is this challenger and will they defeat the hell-bent boy? Find out next time!