Happy New Year folks!
I hope the holidays were good to all, and it's time to continue here.
While I handled the main duel of this chapter, the subplots are the work of my two co-authors, who I'd like to thank once again...
So, without further ado.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
We're down to the wire. One spot in the finals remains.
Seems we may have a photo finish, even for the preliminary round.
Wish I wasn't about a mile behind everyone else...
0-0-0-0-0
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Chapter 29
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Terrible Deal
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
0-0-0-0-0
Phobias could be funny things.
As a child, Ember never gave much thought to snakes. They weren't very common in Neo Domino, other than at the reptile house at the zoo, and Ember had more pressing things to be afraid off. She even remembered watching Raiders of the Lost Arc, noting how Indiana Jones - a tough guy otherwise - was afraid of them, and wondering how someone could even travel through the wilds of Africa and South America - much less fight Nazis, evil cultists, and Russian agents - with such a fear.
After all, despite all the fairy tales and horror movies would suggest otherwise, snakes were just animals and didn't have the smarts or the desire to prey on humans. Even if a python or anaconda were big enough and strong enough to subdue a human, why risk death to do so and pass up the plentiful rats and birds it usually that made up the bulk of their diet?
Then her eyes opened to Shadow, and nothing would ever be the same.
The first Shadow she had ever seen "unmasked" was Hebi-Na, a woman who was part snake, trying to kill her. But it only got worse, even as she got stronger. Her short trip to the Venomous Tarns, with hordes of the things coming at her, whispering vile threats while biting her… it had been a nightmare she would not wish upon anyone.
But if that experience had taught her anything, it was that the World of Shadow could take a trifling, pointless fear and magnify it into something deadly. Suddenly, fear of snakes didn't seem so frivolous, because there were serpents who were fully able to dine on humans, and would relish the thought of doing so…
And the same could apply to spiders.
Ember lay on the ground, sobbing for some time, the words the drider had spoken to her echoing through her head like a waking nightmare. The few times she opened her eyes, she saw things in the darkness around her. Some were spiders, some looked like Enclava's drow form, and some were the hideous drider form, looming over her like a spider would to a trapped fly in a web...
Finally, the sun started to rise, burning away the horrible, uncanny darkness. Even then, it was hours before she garnered the courage to stand, clutching her throbbing head. Still, despite this, she could at least think clearer.
Only three-thousand left, she thought, sadly.
Then she started crying again, the overwhelming task she now had in the limited amount of time was only too plain. As cruel as Enclava's words had been, she'd had a point.
"Ember!"
She only barely heard it. A faint, female voice, with a clear tone of disappointment.
"Get up Ember, you're acting like a child."
Ember briefly looked up, still sobbing softly. She looked around, then shivered a little.
"Damn it, Ember, GET UP! For heaven's sake, you're acting like some three-year-old here!"
"Who?" she said. She looked around.
"I swear, I've seen conscripted gladiators act more dignified than this."
"WHO ARE YOU?" she demanded.
Then she saw someone out of the corner of her eye. She turned to confront whoever it was, more than ready to aim a kick at her…
...his?
"Oh, for the love of…" she said.
"Well, nice to see you again too," said Tohru.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
She didn't know it, but there were other pitfalls in her goal that she couldn't see. Only one slot in the finals remained, and, not knowing which side it was for, many members of both teams were rushing to get it.
Facing Douglas Bowmaker's Felgrand Dragon, Xiaomu activated her Ritual Spell.
(Douglas: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (Xiaomu: 2,800)
"They say there's always a bigger fish, old man," she gloated, the pentagram consuming Houo Long, Mu Long, Shui Long, Jin Long, and Cave Dragon.
"Old?" he laughed. "Big deal, ah can still whip a dozen a'you young…" He stopped as the enormous shadow of the F.G.D. loomed over him. (5,000 ATK) "Okay, guess that is pretty big…"
"And it destroys all of your cards upon being summoned!" she laughed.
The creature prepared to exhale its five breaths, but then it stalled in surprise to see a weird monster - some sort of odd demon with one horn, no eyes, and leathery wings, appear in front of it, pointing downwards sternly. F.G.D. actually whimpered a little and backed off, much to the Chinese duelist's fury.
"Ya like that?" asked Douglas. "The Memory Loss Trap Card not only negates that monster's effect, it moves the lug to Defense Mode."
(5,000 DEF)
She clearly didn't like it at all, but she reacted quickly with the second part of her combo. All five Dragons were quickly sucked into the cursed mirror, creating the F.G.D.'s Fusion counterpart.
Never laugh at live Dragons, Douglas you fool, he thought to himself, even as the five-fold blasts from the second one incinerated Felgrand.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The shower water was nearly scaling hot and hitting with enough pressure to sting, but it wasn't enough to wash away the uselessness Ace felt.
It had felt like days had passed in her soul, Kenshin finally drifting off to a fitful sleep. But when Ace had come back to the waking world, it had only been a few hours. Feeling mixed parts well-rested and stressed, sleep had been out of the question. Food was busy being prepared by room service, so a shower it was. She'd been standing in here for the past thirty minutes and it just wasn't helping.
Kenshin was hurt. Badly hurt and she had no idea what to do about it. The spirit had assured Ace that once the tournament was over, then getting back to Backwater and her console might have the means to help restore her. It didn't change the fact Himura was still out there. Wearing Kenshin's face. And right now, Ace would do anything to put her fist through that smug smile the bastard just had to be wearing.
Sighing, Ace shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. Plucking a towel from the rack, she dried herself before padding over to the bed to grab her clothing. It was neatly folded and still smelled of freshness. I've heard of high-quality room service before, but letting your guests have new clothes free of charge is something even Las Vegas doesn't have.
It had been surprising when Ace has asked a maid if her current clothes could be washed and gotten a response that Lessiux would be happy to let her pick something new from their 'limited' wardrobe on the island. But it made sense - Lessiux was already paying for everything else and all the duelists had spent at least two days tramping about the wilderness. The Shadowchasers might have been used to such conditions, but the Blue Knights were all professionals who dressed the part.
And when you've got an evil plot in the works, no reason not to make your guests comfortable. Ace pulled on the clothes. The clothing selection had been rather flashy, probably so the finalists would make quite the splash given how big this publicity stunt was. At any other time, she'd have been eager to pick several outfits out and keep them - clothes in Vegas were expensive.
But there more than important things right now than her style choices - skinny jeans, a t-shirt and hoodie were more than serviceable and practical. Ace pulled her back in a loose ponytail and wriggled a hair tie into place. Kenshin, where's Himura at?
There was silence from her passenger.
Kenshin? I know you can hear me.
(...not telling you.) The words were quiet, sullen.
Kenshin. I know you're scared and hurt, but we must stop him before he hurts anyone else.
(You can't duel him. He's not a finalist. If you're caught, you'll be disqualified for breaking the rules.) I don't care about the tournament right now. The other forty-nine Shadowchasers can handle what's going on.
(But you were going to win the tournament to one-up Ember.)
I don't care about that anymore! We have to stop Himura!
(You can't stop him! Don't even try!) Kenshin's mental voice was rising steadily with her panic. (He won't just beat you, he'll hurt you like he did me! Like he does everyone else!)
We aren't everyone else. We're Shadowchasers.
(You don't even know what his plan is!)
Then we figure it out. That's what's we do.
(Why don't you fucking understand!?) The mental cry was like a nail being driven into Ace's skull. (He's on par with Yugi in terms of gaming skill and as fucked up as the worst criminals we've ever known! If you fight him, he is going to do things to not even a god is going to be able to fix! You aren't a match for him!)
Ace sat on the edge of the bed, one hand clutching at her pounding forehead. You don't know that!
(I do know! He beat the hell out of Voltaire, he hacked me, and god knows what else!) Kenshin was laden with hurt and sad pleading. (Please, Ace! Just leave him alone! If you don't care about the tournament, let's just leave! Please!)
Kenshin! Ace's clenched fist slammed into the headboard, cracks scattering from the false wood. If Himura is as bad as you say he is, where could we go?!
A long, silence answered her, and Ace got the impression Kenshin was trying to pull together her thoughts in a panic. Then, in a quiet voice. (I don't know…)
Where could we go that would be safe? Ace asked her gently. Where in this or any other world would be far enough away that he couldn't touch you ever again?
More silence.
If we don't stop him, if we don't take him down now and put him away for good, then this will never end, Kenshin. Not for you, not for anyone else.
More silence.
We have to stop him. For you. And for Pegasus.
(...okay…) Kenshin said after a long moment. (He's not listed in the tournament registry, but I'm sure Lessiux has a way to track him. It's going to take time.)
That's fine. I have food coming. Ace grabbed her deck and a spare deck box of cards from her pile of stuff on the nightstand. A moment later, both piles of cards were spread out in front of her. And improvements to make.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Ember's fear was gone. Now, she was just angry and annoyed.
It was clearly him. It couldn't have been more obvious had his name been printed on his face, alongside the runic tattoos on each cheek. Tohru was the type that stood out.
"What do you want?" Ember growled. She really didn't want to know what Tohru wanted, but he seemed intent on something.
"Don't you remember?" he asked. "I told Gomi I'd be back when I needed a duel that mattered." He shook his coin purse enough for it to jingle. "I figured he had enough to cover a wager that would give me the five grand."
"You saved him for last, how poetic," she said, the sarcasm clearly there.
"Actually, I passed by Enclava, and she told me there was a duelist here I might know who really needed a challenger," he answered. "I had assumed it was Gomi."
This was a little of a surprise to Ember. Enclava told him that? she thought.
"He can't duel you, Tohru, he's out," she said. "He won't be dueling for a while."
"He lost his whole pot?" asked Tohru, clearly shocked. "To be honest, I never thought he was bad at this game."
"If you must know, he lost to some freak named Xander," she said, the memories of the Blue Knight and his overwhelmingly powerful Beasts hitting even harder.
"Xander?" asked Tohru. "As in, Xander Garren? Tall guy with white hair and a ponytail and a chain belt? Kind of looks like a cross between Orlando Bloom as Legolas and Bela Lugosi as Dracula? Uses a Beast-deck with a wolf theme?"
Ember spun around to face him. "You know this guy?" she exclaimed.
"Well, let's see…" he replied. He turned from her slightly and tapped his wrist, causing what looked like a computer screen to appear in mid-air. "The email system on this thing seems bugged right now, but I think I can access a website…"
Ember couldn't help but be impressed with this magical iPad (as he called it) or the ease at which he used it.
"Here we go," he said, "Xander Garren, current Duel Monsters champion of Romania, Italy, Germany, Benelux, Hungary, Turkey, and Monaco, current runner up in France, Great Britain, Belgium, Scandinavia, Greece, and Spain…"
Ember covered her face in her hands, realizing what he was implying, but he went on. "Winner of last year's Intercontinental European Tournament, winner of last year's London Kaibaland Cup, runner up in last year's Monte Carlo Duelist Invitational… Oh look, here's his picture on last July's issue of Epic Duelist Monthly."
"OKAY, okay! I get it!" shouted Ember.
"Well, Gomi did strike me as assertive," added Tohru. He turned the screen off. "Maybe crossing the line into obnoxious from time to time, but never foolhardy."
"Look, he's out, and I don't think he's in a condition to duel anyone right now," said Ember, sadly.
"Well, I need another grand to qualify," replied Tohru, "so I guess Enclava meant you."
But did she tell him to help me, thought Ember, or to strike the final blow?
"Three thousand Euros," she said softly, to nobody in particular. "That's how many Enclava left me."
"I have four thousand, myself," Tohru told her, his smug grin growing wider.
"So you still wouldn't wager enough for me to-"
"You know, Ember, I might be willing to wager more than I need," he interrupted. "So long as you wager something else to make up the difference."
Her initial reply was to turn to him with a look of pure hate.
"I'm an artist you know, and I had hoped his defeat would be the perfecting touch in a reception work, but now, I see you," he held her by the waist as he said it, "I see the means of achieving a masterpiece."
He was about to say something else, but was cut off as she slapped him.
"As in, you'd want me to sleep with you, right?" she shouted. "Listen, you bastard, as insane as this may sound, I actually agree with the illithids' opinion here."
"You believe a group of brain-eating abominations?" he hissed, starting to show anger for the first time. The golden, shimmering halo around him around him started to darken, then turn orange around the ridge. Nobody liked illithids, and as Gomi had told her, they had leveled some poignant accusations against reigar.
"At least they're honest about what they are," she replied. "You... You're not just a filthy liar, you're a petty one who wants to take away everything Gomi has out of spite. Don't tell me I didn't notice the cards."
"What cards?" he asked, trying hard to sound surprised.
"Come on, it's pretty obvious," she said. "You weren't trying to show him up by using those Zen-Sacred, you used them to design an Anti-Sacred deck." She calmed down a little, but was still furious. "Each Zen-Sacred needs a Sacred of a different Attribute on the field to use its effect. Normally that means you'd need two of your own monsters for them to be useful, unless your opponent had a monster that fit the bill. Gomi uses Sacreds, all of them are Light. It's a deck designed to crush his deck and him with it. All just out of revenge because he had the audacity to throw your sick perverted ass in jail."
Tohru looked at her and his eyes darkened as the halo briefly turned fiery red. His mouth twisted into a scowl…
Ember was still unshaken. "If you're so shallow that you think it makes you better than him," she said, "then fine. You're on."
The flames died, and his pleasant smile returned, though still unconvincing.
"Then let this duel be the crowning moment in both our careers!" he said with the thickest drama he could muster. "Winner take all!"
The Duel Disks and visors sprung to life, the virtual reality grin covering the beach around them.
(Ember: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Tohru: 8,000)
"DUEL!" they both shouted.
"Ladies first," said Tohru, "I insist."
While it was obvious to Ember that his claim of chivalry was a sham, she wasn't in the mood to argue. She made her opening draw.
She set one reversed card, then used a monster. "You can go fly a kite, Tohru," she said. "I'll even give you one, Guerilla Kite!"
The monster she summoned was, indeed, a kite. A giant Japanese fighter-kite with a four-eyed demon's face and a huge, toothy grin. It had six arms, and each held a spiked iron ball. (1,600 ATK)
"Clearly the 'brainchild' of the same 'genius' who thought up lawn darts," said Tohru, rolling his eyes.
He made his draw, then went for one of them, causing a bubbling, churning pool to appear in front of him. "I'm sure you'll remember this one. I call on Zen-Scared Haishi!"
The pool turned into a spout, and a huge, hulking monster that Ember remembered stepped from it, its forward footstep shaking the ground. Ember remembered this one, the Sumo with a tusked boar's head and blue skin. It squatted slightly, then as a Sumo was wont to do, shifted from its right leg to the left and back to the right. (1,800 ATK)
She remembered it, alright, it had been the monster he'd used to take down Greg's Perfect Machine King. Or rather, tried to.
"Ground that kite with Great Smash!" he ordered.
Haishi clapped his hands together fiercely, and a powerful sonic wave tore the Guerilla Kite in half.
"You're gonna get it now!" laughed Ember. "When Guerilla Kite goes to the Graveyard, it gets one last shot!"
Tohru looked up, and saw the kite again, cackling. It dropped the four spiked balls, and they exploded around him like grenades.
(E: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 7,500)
"I can see why you were such a shoo in for the Shadowchasers," he grumbled. "You're as fiery as your cards."
"All I need is motivation," she said. "You done?"
He nodded, and she drew. "I activate a Rival Appears! I'll summon Flamvell Grunika to face your Zen-Sacred Haishi!"
As the winged Dragon-man appeared, it growled with smoke seeping from its jaws. Clearly, it was no more pleased to see Tohru than Ember was. (1,700 ATK)
"Then I'll sacrifice him," she continued. Flames erupted around Grunika, and it crossed its arms as the flames blossomed into a fiery mushroom cloud. Then they parted, and Flamvell Commando stepped out. (2,200 ATK)
"Smoke him," she said, pointing to the porcine Sumo.
Like it did in the duel with Greg, the fat Psychic freaked and turned the other way, but barely got even one step before the blast from the flamethrower turned it to ash.
"You're next, Tohru!" she shouted. "I'm getting rid of Grunika's card to inflict 1,700 points of damage!"
She pocketed the card and Commando fired again, causing the reigar to grunt and cower as he shielded himself with his arms.
(E: 7,800) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 5,400)
"Uncanny," he remarked. "You've known Gomi for less than a week, and he's starting to rub off you. He had the same gumption with a whole lot of nerve."
"We call it dedication," said Ember.
"You know, even George Washington knew enough to order a retreat when he knew he couldn't win."
"He also kept fighting in one battle after he was shot twice," replied Ember.
"Touché," replied Tohru. He drew, then went to another card quickly. "Zen-Sacred Weishi!"
Ember remembered this one too, a man with a ram's head, coal-black skin, and a scarlet gi over a slightly muscular torso. Unfortunately, she remembered that Tohru had won the duel before he got a chance to use its effect. (1,600 ATK)
"You were right, you know, these monsters are best against other Sacreds. Which as of now, puts you at a disadvantage."
"What are you talking about?" asked Ember, "I don't have any Sacreds in my -"
She nearly shrieked as a monster appeared in front of her, a humanoid with a dog-like face and a brown gi, clasping his hands in a meditative trance. (1,600 ATK)
"Of course, in exchange for summoning Zen-Sacred Qinshi to your field, I get two draws," continued Tohru. He drew them, then used two Spell Cards. "These Equips should be perfect."
As he used them, iron shackles appeared and latched to Qinshi, followed by a misty aura. "Darkworld Shackles reduces his Scores to 100 apiece, while Mist Body makes him impervious in battle."
The idea behind this strategy was only too plain to Ember, and there was little she could do as Weishi charged towards Qinshi with a fiery wake, slugging the powerless Zen-Sacred, burning pain ripping through Ember.
Weishi backflipped backwards, but his fists only burned fiercer. "Because there's a Sacred in play that isn't Fire, Weishi's effect activates. Because he failed to slay his target, he gets a second try with 800 more Attack Points!" (2,400 ATK) "Burning Soulblaze!"
Ember was frozen. Not by cold, but by terror, watching the burning ball of fire hurtling towards her…
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Bruno was getting tired of reliving his defeat to Teodahr... It was almost as exhausting as chasing after him.
They ran across Munich streets, across the Warsaw rooftops and over Moscow parapets. Every step seemed to generate ripples that washed the color from the world. A black-and-white photograph frozen in time.
Then he was grappling with Teodahr, Bruno's demands for explanations going unheard as his opponent laughed mockingly.
Teodahr was slippery, almost impossibly so as he danced free of Bruno's grasp again and again. He was playing with the Shadowchaser, taunting him, just barely out of reach.
Frustration was a powerful motivator. Bruno tackled him, sending them both plummeting through a skylight. He had him, there was no way Teodahr could get free now-
Gravity slowed, glass trailing down alongside them like rain. And left Bruno with enough time to drink in every detail of his comrade's stone faces trapped in fear and surprise. His hand snared Teodahr's collar to try and strangle the life out of him. "What did you do?" "Me?
Bruno snapped awake when his dream self hit the street. He was soaked in sweat. Grabbing Alice's card from his bedside, he stared into her huge eyes.
What does it mean? He wondered.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Jalal had a lot of paper napkin cranes. They littered the table in front of him in small mounds and heaps and still he kept folding. He could feel the confused stares of the guards, but ignored them.
He wasn't sure how many he had, and he hoped the guards were keeping even less count.
Finally, he decided he had enough when he ran out of napkins. Drumming his fingers on the table, he mulled over the rest of his plan. It was a long shot, but if he could get into touch with the appropriate Shadowchasers, then he'd be able to stop Jean-Claude cold - pun not intended.
The dozens upon dozens of cranes stared back at him and he wasn't sure if they were encouraging him or mocking him.
Now it was time for the next step. Jalal sat up a little straighter and readjusted his tie, smoothed out the creases of his suit. It was going to take all his cunning, skill and years of experience to pull off. But he was a Shadowchaser and it was time to remind everyone exactly why he was one in charge.
"Head's up!" Jalal launched from his chair, seizing the arm and hurling it like a discus. It tumbled through the air, smashing through the balcony doors in a shower of glass and wood. The guards nearby ducked away, shielding their faces from the debris. A gust of wind swept in, sending the tablecloth and cranes fluttering into the air in a whirlwind of white.
The guards were well-trained, he had to give them that. The moment he'd thrown the chair, all of them had produced crackling stun batons - knowing that handguns wouldn't have hurt a half-dragon. Instead of closing in on him, they remained where they were. There was only two exits and Jalal would have to go through any of them to get out.
But he just seated himself on the edge of the table, leaning back on it casually and watching as his cranes whipped around in the room in a tornado. The balcony guards backpedaled away as the paper flock was blown out the hole, starring as the cranes arced into the air before plummeting to the ground as they failed to get enough lift to escape the castle.
Jalal caught their confused expressions and shrugged. "Sorry. It's been awhile since I had to make an escape attempt. I'm not very good at it." He snapped his fingers in realization. "Oh, right, I was supposed to make a run for it!"
The guards just stared blankly at him.
Jalal just grabbed his wineglass and swirled it before taking a drink. "Whoops."
His eyesight being better than a human's, he could see the small flight of five paper cranes flapping their wings and sailing above the castle's walls. They circled each other, orienting themselves on the island's natural magic and then scattered towards the Shadowchasers he'd assigned them to.
He raised his glass and toasted their safe journey.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Ember was lying flat on her back, still dizzy from the powerful attack.
"Get up, Ember!"
It was the voice again, and this time, she could swear she vaguely saw a hand offering to help her.
"Come on, you were doing pretty good for a minute there."
She sat up, straining to see whose hand it was, but it faded as the voice again grew distant.
Unfortunately, she did hear a far-more annoying voice.
"I activate the Spell Card, Psychokinesis," said Tohru. "At the cost of 1,000 Life Points, I can destroy one of your cards."
Ember stood up quickly as Weishi concentrated, conjuring up a wave of mental energy, blowing Flamvell Commando to little bits.
(E: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 4,400)
"This is actually kind of inspiring," continued Tohru. "I'll set one card and I'm done."
Stay focused, thought Ember to herself.
She got up fully, then drew. "I'll set these cards, and end," she said quickly.
"Ah, heh," replied Tohru. "Kind of lame there, Ember. I'll draw, then the other effect of Darkworld Shackles activates."
Briefly, irons appeared on Ember's wrists and she groaned a little, burning pain transmitted through them...
(E: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 4,400)
"That's the whole problem, Ember, it's one thing to be dedicated, but when you become obsessed, you get careless, and are more likely to charge into a wall than hit your target. I'll bring out Zen-Sacred Sishi."
Of all the monsters he could have summoned, she thought.
It was very hard to blame her for being nervous, seeing as it was the fiery, lithe snake-man with a scimitar. Zen-Sacred Sishi hissed menacingly at Ember as its weapon started to burn. (1,200 ATK)
"This monster is an excellent example. The Snake couldn't win a race without outsmarting the much faster Horse; he had to be cunning and tricky. This one doesn't have the best Attack Points, but he can strike directly, making his liability an advantage. And having a different Attribute Sacred on the field lets him do just that. Meido Gohado!"
Sishi darted forward with a louder hiss, and this time, Ember sobbed weakly as its fangs sank into her thigh. She fell to her knees, clutching it.
(E: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 4,400)
"Ah, well, it was fun while it lasted, and since you were careless enough not to switch that one to Defense Mode... " He nodded to Weishi and its fists started to burn again.
"Tohru?" she said. She looked up, a devious smile on her lips. "You're an idiot."
Her Spell Card activated as she stood up straight again. "Double Cyclone?" yelled Tohru.
"You got it, this card destroys one of your Spell or Trap Cards and one of mine." Both Darkworld Shackles and her set card shattered, and Qinshi opened his eyes, assuming a fighting stance with his fists clenched. (1,600 ATK)
"They'll kill each other!" he yelled.
"Wrong," replied Ember. "The Mist Body is still equipped."
The two Zen-Sacred furiously exchanged blows until a haymaker to Weishi's chin ended the fight fast. The Sheep Psychic collapsed on its back and shattered.
"In case it hasn't set in, I left it there on purpose."
"Fine, fine, you're very smart," he growled. He set a new card. "There."
"And since you're ending, the effect of my Cursed Kiln comes into play," continued Ember. An old-fashioned broken pottery kiln appeared behind her, and started to crack. As it crumbled into broken stone, a flaming wisp flew out, reshaping into Neo Flamvell Shaman. (1,700 ATK)
"NOW let's get to work here," she said, vigorously making a draw. "First, I'll discard my Neo Flamvell Saber, the cost for Cursed Kiln, and seeing as that's done, let's go, Flamvell Archer!"
The card again caused flames to appear, and the bare-chested, bearded Archer to leap from it with his bow and arrow pointed at the Psychic.
"I'll Tune him and Neo Flamvell Shaman," she said, causing the two Pyros to leap into the morning sky and fly through the Synchro Rings.
"Powerful huntsman with a bow of flames and a burning determination! Blaze the trail and bring in your quarry. Clustering stars form a light that leads you to your prey!"
(*3 + *3 = *6)
"Synchro Summon… Flamvell Justiciar!"
Flying from above came a new Pyro who was, for all intents and purposes, an older Flamvell Archer, more muscular with a jerkin, a longer beard, and a larger, oaken bow rimmed with gold. (2,300 ATK)
"When I Synchro Summon this guy, I get to name one Type, and he gains 1,000 Attack Points against that type." Justiciar pulled the bowstring, creating a flaming arrow. "Never tried it with Psychics before, but there's a first time for everything."
Justiciar aimed and fired, the bolt hitting and impaling the snake man. Tohru clearly felt it, holding his stomach in reaction to the powerful blow.
(E: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,300)
"THAT HURT!" he cursed.
He was so blinded by rage he almost forgot about Qinshi, right up to the second before the Zen-Sacred punched him across the face.
"Play with fire, you get burned," said Ember.
(E: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 700)
"Take your turn," she hissed.
Tohru slowly got up, his halo burning red again, and the pupils in his now burning eyes obscured.
"Okay, Ember, you want to play rough? I'm as game as you are."
He tore open his shirt and quickly threw it aside, revealing perfectly toned abs, with even more of the same runic tattoos all over his chest. The halo around him was like golden flames tinged with green.
"Oh yeah, the old 'scantily clad and burning mad' routine, huh?" replied Ember, the sarcasm there again. "You're nothing but a show-off, Tohru, and I'm starting to think you watch way too much television."
With no indication at all that he got the hint, he used a card and announced, "I summon the avatar of Sung-Wukong the Monkey King, Zen-Sacred Xuanshi!"
A dark, shadowy shape formed into another muscular humanoid with a monkey's head, wearing trousers with a rope belt and no shirt or shoes. He produced a long guandao and spun it dramatically. (2,000 ATK)
"I was able to summon him with no sacrifice because you had two monsters opposed to my having none. But I can sacrifice him and summon Zen-Sacred Maoshi and Zen-Sacred Zishi."
The Monkey Psychic retreated to shadows again, which split into brown and blue orbs, turning into a sneaky rat-man with daggers and a hulking brute with a bull's head and a kanabo.
"In exchange for that, their Scores become zero and their effects are negated. Then, Monster Reborn."
Tohru used the familiar card, the life-restoring glow causing Sishi to reappear. (1,200 ATK)
"Is that supposed to scare me?" asked Ember. "It's not as scary the second time, you know."
Then Sishi darted forward again, biting her on the shin again. It was very hard to hold back the tears of pain, and harder to deny that it did scare her.
"I next activate Psychic Rejuvenation," he added, "which grants me 1,000 Life Points for every Psychic I have."
As the Trap lifted, he flexed as the soothing energy flowed into him. Then he pointed upward, and the Overlay Network started to form in the sky.
(E: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 3,700)
"I'll Overlay my Zen-Sacred Sishi and Zen Sacred Moshi to summon Zen-Sacred Immortal He-Xian'gu!"
Winds started to blow with an eerie droning sound, as the two Zen-Sacreds were drawn into the vortex. They got fiercer and coalesced into a fierce cyclone. Then it collapsed in upon itself, and a female fighter of sorts stepped out.
Tall, shapely, and beautiful, this woman seemed ageless. Her long, black hair was fixed with a pink blossom, and she wore an emerald-green kimono with a yellow obi. Despite the katana blade on her back in a sheath, she lifted her hands in a martial art fighting stance while eyeing Ember. (2,200 ATK)
"Yeah, bring it on, sister," dared Ember.
"Consider it brung," replied Tohru, "I activate the Trap Card," he chuckled a little as the card lifted, "Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan!"
Ember was shocked to see the card, a very, very hard Trap to activate due to the conditions, which unfortunately, were just right now, with a Wind, Earth, Fire, and Water monster on the field.
"Sorry," he continued, "I always get a kick out of saying that. Now, let's see. I could use the effect of this card to destroy your monsters, but… Think that's redundant, so I'll draw twice."
Ember looked over at Maoshi as he drew the cards, who was still in Attack Mode with zero Attack Points. He could clearly tell what she was thinking.
"Before you get any ideas, so long as my friend He-Xian'gul is here in Attack Mode, you can only attack her."
"Easily done," replied Ember.
"You're welcome to try," he said.
Ember drew, the card being Inferno. I'll save that one, she thought. "Justiciar, attack Zen Sacred… Uh… Uhm… Oh, attack HER!".
Trying to remember the confusing name was embarrassing, but unfortunately, when the Pyro tried to use its bow against He-Xian'gul, she drew her katana from its sheath and made one swipe. The arrow fell in two pieces on the ground, and she sheathed the sword again all in the same motion.
(E: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,600)
"See?" he said. He discarded Sishi's card, He Xian Gul's kimono changing color to bright red as he did so. "By getting rid of one Overlay Unit, she can survive anything thrown at her. And, for added flavor, because the Overlay Unit was a Fire monster, her Attribute also changes to Fire."
"So long as she has Overlay Units," replied Ember. "I'll move Qinshi to Defense Mode." The Dog Psychic knelt, its hands still clasped in prayer. (2,200 DEF) "And then I'll banish a Fire monster to summon Inferno in Defense Mode."
She tucked Commando's card into her shirt pocket as the living pyre rose in front of her to defend. (1,900 DEF) Finally, she set one more monster. "And you're on."
Tohru drew chuckling softly as he did. I doubt the limited number of Overlay Units will matter much now, he thought.
"I activate the Spell Card, Owner's Seal!" he shouted.
"Figures," said Ember.
The Spellbinding Circle formed around Zen Sacred Qinshi, pulling him over to Tohru's side of the field. Then Tohru swapped its cards on his Disk. "I sacrifice this Zen-Sacred to summon one of the strongest! Sign of the Dragon, Zen Sacred Jin-Bioushi!"
Ember felt the surge of pure power rising from around him, creating an oriental dragon. While not especially big, it was beautiful. The scales on its hide glimmered with all the colors of the spectrum and its eyes were deep, hypnotic pools that reflected hundreds of lifetimes. (2,300 ATK)
"Attack the Inferno with Blazing Surge!"
The pure brilliance from the powerful beast's breath, white hot fire tinged blue, caused Ember to shield her eyes. He-Xian'gul followed its example, making a leap and a flip in mid-air, bringing her foot down on the reversed monster. Flamvell Poun appeared on the card before it was crushed.
"Go on," he said. "I assume you intend to use that card's effect to get Firedog, right?"
Ember sighed and took the card he had mentioned from her deck. It was pretty much the best Flamvell to search for with Poun, but he didn't have to broadcast it.
"Now for part two of my plan," he stated. "Because Jin-Bioushi destroyed a monster, I get to summon the last of my lesser Zen-Sacreds, Sign of the Horse, Zen-Sacred Kenshuni."
The new Sacred looked like an elderly man, kneeling with a plain bo staff across his lap, wearing an old pair of trousers and no shirt. As expected, he had a horse's head. (2,000 DEF)
"Summoning him this way reduces Jin-Bioushi from Level 5 to 4. So, I can Overlay him, Kenshuni, and Maoshi…"
The Network reopened, and the three monsters turned to violet, red, and blue orbs, that spun around each other before being absorbed by the vortex.
"I'll Xyz Summon Zen-Sacred Immortal Zhang Go!"
Ember vaguely remembered this one, a tall, lanky elderly man with a scholar's cap and a priest's robe, and a design shaped like a white mule covering the chest. (2,100 ATK)
"But that's just the preview for what's coming next," he said, as the Network started to spin with greater ferocity. "XYZ EVOLUTION!"
Oooh, this is always bad news, thought Ember.
"I summon Zen-Sacred Immortal Emperor Li Tieguai!"
As she watched, the Network consumed Zhang Go, as lightning forked across the angry sky…
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Well, we're finally here," said Terone.
"After touring the entire island," sighed Nichole.
"Look, I'll try to get into the spectator's booth if I can," Terone stammered, "and then we can…"
"Uh, Terone?" said Nichole.
He blushed. He was never good at this.
"Listen," he finally said, "If you're ever in Liverpool…"
He forced a small slip of paper into her hand as he added, "Good luck!" then ran in the other direction.
"Terone, LOOK -" she shouted, stopping before the "OUT" as he tripped on a tree stump and fell on his face.
Nichole smirked a little looking briefly at the phone number before shoving it in her pocket. Then she turned to the drawbridge where the weird key had welcomed six finalists thus far.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Li Tieguai was widely regarded as the second most popular of the Eight Immortals of China, revered as a charitable man who helped the oppressed and the needy. Artwork often depicted him as a friendly old man with a scraggly beard, messy hair, a dirty face, and loud mismatched clothing, often with an iron crutch and a gourd.
This version that Tohru had summoned, well, it took serious liberties. Still an old man with an oriental look, that's where the similarities ended. He had a flowing green robe with gold embroidery and a belt with a buckle shaped like a demon's head, long, jet black hair and a Fu-Manchu moustache, white eyes that lacked pupils and fingernails that were slightly longer than the norm. He wore a golden - if plain-looking - imperial crown. All this made him look less like the benevolent Immortal and more like Shang-Tsung. (1,200 ATK/3,000 DEF)
"His bark is worse than his bite," said Ember, even thought she was still nervous looking at the Xyz.
"Don't forget, He-Xian'gu intercepts any attack against the other Zen-Sacreds," he said. He set one card behind her while looking Ember in the eye, and then said, "End turn."
Ember drew, glancing quickly at the card. Rose, Warrior of Revenge. She put that one aside, then pointed, giving the order to Justiciar again.
"I activate Ego Boost!" shouted Tohru.
"Why did I know you'd have that one?" asked Ember as the Quickplay Spell activated. Like before, He-Xian'gu drew her blade and sliced through the arrow, her Attack Score rising to 3,200 mid-swing.
(E: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,500)
"At least she's out of Overlay Units."
"Wrong," said Tohru. "She can detach an Overlay Unit from any of my Xyzs to use that effect. Now watch…"
He took Maoshi's card from under Li Tieguai's card, his long robes turned sapphire blue, and he placed his hands together, absorbing magical power as a blue gemstone appeared in his crown.
"Each time I detach one Overlay Unit from this guy to use an effect, he gains a Spell Counter. Then I increase his Attack Score by 600 and decrease his Defense Score by the same."
(1,800 ATK/2,400 DEF)
"When he's got four of them, he destroys every card on the field except himself!"
Ember took this in for a minute. Then looked at He-Xian'gul, who now had a sinister smile that she could swear wasn't there a minute ago.
"That's right Ember, she can use her effect to survive that too."
"Take your turn," she growled.
"Oh, I will," he replied. "And because it's my Standby Phase, I can use his effect to detach another of his Units. That's two!"
His discarded Sishi's card, turning the kimono bright red and placing a ruby on the crown.
"Next I can use Future Glow, a Continuous Spell Card that increases the Attack Score of all my Psychics by 300 times their number."
(He-Xian'gul: 2,800, Li Tieguai: 3,000)
He-Xian'gul drew her weapon again and her eyes started to burn with mental power. She made a leap at Justiciar, and was quickly thrown backwards as he responded with a kick to the stomach. But again, Li Teiguai's kimono changed, this time to green, and his Score went up to 3,600.
The Zen Sacred Emperor thrust his palms forward and a powerful bolt of magic slammed into Justiciar, knocking Ember over as the Synchro shattered.
(E: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 2,000)
"One turn left," he said.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"One turn left, laddie, and then you'll be done for!" The boast was backed up by the gleaming silver spear that sheared through Stronghold the Moving Fortress like cheap butter. Sparks flew as the titan folded in on itself before exploding. "You haven't got a card strong enough to be Ireland's child of light, Cú Chulainn the Awakened!"
Twirling the spear dramatically, the armored monster flipped back to his owner's field. The shiny metal and glow of magic seemed out of place next to the woman - her outfit was overloaded on green - hat, jacket, pants, shoes, even the toothpick she was chewing on had a small four leaf-clover on the end. But both shared a similar triumphant smirk. "Or my name isn't Molly O'Malley!" (MLP: 4500)
"You sure your name isn't 'stereotype'?" Greg grumbled even as he slid Stronghold's card into the graveyard. The trap monster had been his only monster and his field was bare of everything but a set card. "I half-expect you to pull a pot of gold out of your pocket." (GLP: 2800)
"Your japes are poorer than your odds, laddie!" Molly chuckled and folded her arms. "My monster's stronger than a Blue-Eyes! And your Gadgets are weaker than American whiskey!" Her ritual monster nodded in agreement. (3100)
"Not all of my monsters are weak. I draw." Greg snapped up the card and pointed at his set card. "I activate my set Gadget Gadget! This card transforms into a Gadget monster!" The trap lifted and glowed, morphing into a gleaming bronze humanoid gadget. It pounded its fists together, the massive gear making up its chest whirring to life. (1200/1200)
"And his effect allows me to summon another Gadget from my hand, so here's Gold Gadget!" In a flash of golden light, a metal sphere appeared on his field. It began to unfold, heavy metal clicks echoing as it became another humanoid (1700/800). "And he summons a third Gadget from my hand! Like Silver Gadget!"
A third humanoid Gadget joined the other two and they struck poses, ready to fight (1500/1000). "Now I activate the spell card Gattai!" The card appeared in front of him, showing Machine King centered in a pie-sliced background showing Launcher Spider, Pendulum Machine, Dekoichi, Barrel Dragon and Battle Footballer. "This card lets me Contact Fuse monsters on my field with a Machine King monster in my hand!"
He held up Perfect Machine King and the three Gadgets before shuffling them into his deck. On his field, the three gadgets transformed into giant spinning gears that whirled together and shot into a portal that opened above the playing field. "Gears of progress surge forwards! Reign over the ancient gears with cybernetic power! Descend! Machine King - Gadjitronic!" (2200/2100)
Gadjitronic towered over the playing field, a Machine King right out of an H.G. Wells novel. Steam vented as exposed gears clattered together alongside pulsing circuit boards and a glowing reactor mounted on the chest. The visor gleamed red as it took notice of Cu'hallain and raised its fists. "And with this guy on the field, I can banish a Gadget monster the deck to weaken one of yours!"
Greg pocketed a monster, Gadjitronic leveling his arms at the ritual monsters. Gears volleyed off like bullets and struck like buzzsaws. Cu'hallian's armor might as well been paper as the barrage shredded the metal with ease, the warrior staggering and clutching at his chest. (3100-1400)
"Battle! Fist of the Machine King!"
Earth shook as Gadjitronic lumbered forwards, Cu'hallain barely having time to look scared as the mighty fist plowed through his chest. Mercifully, he blew apart into pixels that battered O'Malley. (MLP: 3700)
"I'm not done! When Gadjitronic destroys a monster in battle, I can summon another Gadget monster from the deck!" Gold Gadget's sphere form fell out of the sky, transforming before it hit the ground. Cocking its fist, it charged and socked O'Malley across the face. (MLP: 2000)
Greg's set card lifted and with a flash of light, Green Gadget leapt free and landed a blow across the Pro's face before she could recover. (MLP: 600)
"It ain't over, laddie." O'Malley wiped her jaw off and readjusted her hat. "I still got life points!"
"But you're out of luck." Greg smirked at the surprise flashing over her face. "Gadjitronic took four monsters to fuse, you think he only had two abilities?"
Green Gadget jumped up onto Gadjitronic's shoulder, transforming into a sphere and loading itself into the monster's arm. "He can banish a Gadget monster to deal you seven hundred points of damage! Gadget Artillery!"
O'Malley threw up her arms even Gadjitronic fired, the emerald blast like a green rocket. The Irish duelist went staggering backwards, hat and toothpick flying. (MLP: 0)
"What do you know?" Greg sighed in relief as the Duel Disks shut down. "Green wasn't your lucky color after all."
"Aye, but your material still smells as bad as my grandpappy's leftover crubeens."
"I won the duel. But still feel like I lost the war…"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Ember was sobbing again. She had truly hit rock bottom now.
What's the point now? she asked.
"Ember!" shouted the voice again.
This time, however, she recognized it. She sat up.
"J-Jetta?" she said.
"You want to know what's at stake, Ember?" said Jetta's voice. "Possibly all of Creation. This whole thing has gone far beyond some charity tournament."
Ember frantically opened the pouch where her extra deck was kept, spilling the cards but grabbing the important one. Whether the card was how she heard the voice or not, she didn't know. But it seemed appropriate.
"Where are you?" she asked.
"Closer than you think," she said. "I'm coming Ember, but there's little time to reminisce. A little less self-pity from you would make it faster.
"Now come on, stand up and belt this pervert into next week, okay? You can do better than this."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"What?" asked Tohru.
Ember opened her eyes. Whether she had been unconscious for a minute or not was hard to say.
But somewhere in that torpor she had drawn a card...
She used it, and Royal Firestorm Guards appeared in front of her. She took Inferno, Saber, Poun, and Archer, reshuffled them, and made two draws.
"Monster Reborn!" she shouted. The holy ankh appeared, and so did Justiciar. (2,300 ATK)
"By all means, attack with him again," dared Tohru.
"Not this time, buster," replied Ember. "I activate Rekindling!"
Two wisps of fire leapt up on her field, growing into Guerrilla Kite and Neo Flamvell Shaman.
"I'll Tune together my Level 4 Guerilla Kite and Level 6 Flamvell Justiciar! To summon an old friend..."
"Power of a supernova, energy of a solar wind, the souls of billions supporting her majestic flight! The raw power unleashed at the moment of Creation flowing through her veins… Heroine of a lost race… Three suns aligned call forth an ancient force…"
(*4 + *6 = *10)
"Synchro Summon, Jetta the Bronze-Hearted!"
It had seemed so long since she had said that Synchro Chant, and it felt so good to say it again. Even more so, as the stars combined to bring about the Synchro, the far warmer feeling was even better.
Jetta was back.
Like a comet crashing to Earth, she flew from the heavens, a powerful female with bronze skin and flaming hair in a silvery, reflective leotard. She glared at Tohru for a moment or two, then flames shot from her fingertips, shaping into a huge, fiery khopesh sword that she brandished triumphantly. (2,800 ATK)
"By the ancients!" gasped Tohru.
"She's as deadly as she's beautiful and burning hot!" exclaimed Ember. "But first, since I Synchro Summoned using Guerilla Kite…"
Like before, the Kite appeared above them and laughed gleefully while dropping its four grenades, which exploded around the reigar.
(E: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 1,500)
And if you think that's hot, her effect is volcanic, upping her Attack Score by 200 times the Levels of every Fire monster I have except herself."
(4,200 ATK)
"Yeah, your Zen Sacred Immortal might survive," she said. Jetta lifted her fiery weapon, "but that's not gonna matter much."
Tohru looked frightened for once. But then he actually laughed. "Heh, you had me worried there for a minute, but seems you did the math wrong there. You attack He-Xian'gu, the difference between the Scores is 1,400! It's a close shave, but I still come out ahead."
"Thanks for doing the math for me," she replied. "I was debating whether or not this would be pointless overkill."
"No… way…" he stammered.
The Spell Card Ember used was Battle-Tuned, and he clearly recognized it. She deposited Guerilla Kite in her shirt pocket, and Jetta burned even fiercer. (6,200 ATK)
He-Xian'gu again drew her weapon to intercept the attack, but this time, the katana shattered as the two swords clashed, and she tumbled as the full force of the blow hit Tohru…
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
On yet another part of the island, out by the mountains, yet more duelists were struggling for the last available slot in the finals.
(Rebecca: 1,900) - - - - - - - - - - (La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne: 400)
"You haven't got a prayer, Mademoiselle Cochonne!" Rebecca bragged. She gestured to the sultry witch in front of her, a curvy, dark-haired woman in a burgundy dress. The monster's Attack Score had climbed every time it destroyed a monster, and was now all the way up to 3,400. In addition to that, she also controlled Forest Wolf (1,800 ATK), and Glife the Phantom Bird (1,500 ATK), as well as a set card. Her opponent's field, on the other hand, was empty. "My Hexe Trude has given me control of the field! Your little toads are nothing but potion ingredients to my witch!"
"We shall soon see!" La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne snapped in a growling falsetto - something that, until now, Rebecca would've called paradoxical. Her voice was sickly-sweet and faux-French most of the time, and seemed to go to pitches that only dolphins could hear. She was a short, thickset woman with a broad, flat nose, little piggy eyes, unnaturally rosy pink skin, and bottle-blonde locks, wearing a salmon pink leather suit with faux-leopard trim. Over the course of the duel, Rebecca had found her to be a very vain and emotional woman, quick to fly off the handle whenever things didn't go her way, which happened a lot. Mademoiselle Cochonne was also very attached to her Frog monsters, or "froggies", as she called them. "I may be down, but I'm not out! And it's 'La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne'! Say the whole thing or I'll break you in half!"
"You're in no position to be making demands," Rebecca taunted. "I've been controlling this duel for the last five turns. Now I'm only one step away from crushing you!"
"Respect your elders, brat!" La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne snapped, dropping the fake accent for her real, American one. "I didn't claw my way up from nothing and reach global celebrity status to be mocked by a Bavarian cream puff - although that does sound good right now...eh, I'll get one in the castle. Draw!"
La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne grabbed a card with her stubby fingers, then took one look and spread a toothy grin across her face. "Tres bien," she chortled. "Now, if you recall, since I control no Spell or Trap Cards, my Treeborn Froggy returns to the field!"
She waved her hand and, in a flash of light, a large orange tree frog with white angel wings bounced out onto the field. (100 ATK)
"Which means I now have a sacrifice! I'll tribute Treeborn Froggy…"
The tree frog vanished in a puff of smoke.
"To summon Des Froggy!"
The new monster that appeared was generic. It was...a frog. A big frog, sure, but otherwise just a normal, slimy green frog. It puffed out its vocal sac and let out a loud croak. (1,900 ATK)
"And as I'm sure you know, since I have multiple copies of T.A.D.P.O.L.E. in my Graveyard, I can summon two more Des Froggies from my deck!"
The ground in front of La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne became transparent, turning into the surface of a still pond. Underneath the surface, two black pollywogs with bright red markings swam around Des Frog. As Des Frog croaked, the pollywogs rapidly metamorphosed, growing tiny arms and legs, losing their tails and turning green. In moments they were perfect duplicates of Des Frog. They burst through the surface of the water, and the pond disappeared as they landed, leaving solid ground for them. (1,900 ATKx2)
"Oh, boy," Rebecca muttered, rolling her eyes.
La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne grinned even more at this reaction. "Good, then you know where this is going," she laughed in her fake accent, before going back to her grating real voice. "Then prepare for the pain!"
She slipped a Spell from her hand into her Duel Disk, an emerald-green model shaped like a lily pad with a hot-pink flower.
"I activate Des Croaking! Since I have three Des Froggies on my field, it destroys everything on yours!"
All three of the Des Frogs inflated their vocal sacs and unleashed a melody of deep, resonant croaks. The sound soon manifested physically, into solid musical notes patterned like the T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s. The notes flew at Rebecca's field, prepared to obliterate everything in their path.
"I activate my Trap Card!" Rebecca shouted over the deafening ribbits. "Golden Goose!"
Rebecca's vertical set card lifted to reveal her Trap, only to be destroyed seconds later. Its effect still activated, though.
"Since all your monsters are in Attack Mode, it forces them into Defense Mode!"
The three Des Frogs finally ceased their croaking as all of Rebecca's cards shattered. Their vocal sacs deflated, and they bowed their heads, looking scared. (0 DEFx3)
"Hmph!" La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne snorted, slipping her last card into her Duel Disk. "You think you've got me stymied? You're still finished! I activate Polymerization, fusing my three Des Froggies to make one big D.3.S. Froggy!"
The three frogs swirled together, making way for a new, colossal bullfrog, one the size of a house. It was a darker, slimier green than the Des Frogs, with spikes lining its legs, rows of warts along its back, and whiskers over its mouth. It let out a resonant ribbit that shook the ground. (2,500 ATK)
"Do you like my snuggly, slimy Froggy?" La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne asked in a mocking tone. "You know, as a bonus, he gains another five hundred Attack Points for every Treeborn Froggy in my Graveyard."
The ghostly image of Treeborn Frog appeared, flitting over D.3.S. Frog. (2,500 ATK) -) (3,000 ATK)
"And you're wide open! Go, my froggy! Finish her with cacophonous croak!"
As the giant frog took in a mouthful of air, Rebecca slammed a card into her Graveyard.
"Not gonna happen!" Rebecca cried. "I'm discarding The Valiant Little Tailor and paying fifteen hundred Life Points to negate your attack and end your Battle Phase!"
D.3.S. Frog let out its terrible croak, but Rebecca stood her ground, undaunted.
(R: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (LMMC: 600)
"You know, if your 'froggy' had kept his base score, that card would've been useless. And since you're out of cards, I'll assume it's my turn."
"Give it up, brat!" her opponent snapped. "Your advantage is long gone! I'm the star of this show, and you're getting the boot!"
"Not a chance, ham hock!" Rebecca shot back. "Draw!" She looked at her last two cards and smiled. "Okay, this'll do. First, I activate Monster Reborn to revive my Hexe Trude!"
She slipped the card into her Disk, and a glowing ankh appeared, which was quickly replaced by Rebecca's witch. (2,600 ATK)
"Big deal!" La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne snorted. "Thanks to his ability, my D.3.S. Froggy can wipe the floor with her!"
"Not for long! I summon Cinderella, who in turn lets me summon Pumpkin Carriage and activate Glass Slippers from my deck!"
Rebecca's ragged princess appeared and was soon made the belle of the ball by her fairy godmother, who also conjured up her iconic carriage and footwear. (300 ATK) (800 DEF)
"With Pumpkin Carriage on the field, Cinderella can attack directly!"
Cinderella kicked off her shoes, the deftly kicked them again, propelling them into La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne's face.
(R: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (LMMC: 300)
"And, for the finale, when Cinderella attacks directly while wearing the Glass Slippers, she equips them to one of your monsters!"
The shoes reappeared on the colossal frog's flippers, barely squeezed on to the very tips. (3,000 ATK) -) (2,000 ATK)
"Hexe Trude, finish this up! Black magic burn!"
The sumptuous witch conjured a fireball in her hand and flung it and the mammoth amphibian, creating enough roasted frog legs to feed the entire French countryside.
(R: 400) - - - - - - - - - - (LMMC: 0)
La Magnifique Mademoiselle Cochonne slumped over in defeat. "No!" she wailed. "My froggies...forgive me!"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"From mah hand, ah summon Ruklamba the Spirit King!" shouted Douglas.
Xiaomu looked a little irked, watching the wet and bedraggled river demon appear. (1,000 ATK)
"Big deal," she said. "It's your move."
"Mah pleasure," replied Douglas. He drew, then pointed to Ruklamba. "I'll use this guy's effect, an' sacrifice him to summon a second Ruklamba, along with the Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord."
The Spirit King vanished, and a twin of itself took its place. The other monster was, well, different. The best way to describe it was a giant, golden, metallic orb hovering in the sky, with the Eye of Wdjat printed on the front. (0 ATK)
Xiaomu almost swooned from fright upon seeing the thing before taking note of the name. "Okay, okay, you scared me for a minute there, but -"
"Yeah, it does kinda look like the Sealed form of Ra, but it has a much different purpose. Ah Overlay both these Level 8 monsters…"
No Overlay Network opened here, not this time. The orb absorbed Ruklamba into itself, glowing intently and unfolding, the Seal of quite another divine force being shattered…
With a titanic roar, a massive burning orb flew from the ground and into the sky. The intense light rivaled that of the sun as the orb unfurled into a colossal, fiery red dragon in gilded armor. The holy dragon howled with pleasure as it flew loops around the field, celebrating its newfound freedom. (3,000 ATK)
"Okay, okay, better," she said, "but it's still -"
"Not strong enough? It ain't goin' after those two. See, by ditchin' an Overlay Unit, I can sacrifice any number of Dragons," he turned the two cards in his hand around, Eclipse Wyvern and Rare Metal Dragon, "like these two. Then for each one, ah can send two a'your monsters packin'."
He discarded the cards, and blinding, unearthly beams of light struck from the heavens, searing into the two Dragons as all ten heads bellowed in agony…
Xiaomu stared befuddled at what was left of her two behemoths. But not for long. She looked up at the even larger one aiming at her…
"Blazing Purge of Ultimate Light!" ordered Douglas, as the powerful rays rained down on the overconfident Dragon duelist.
(Douglas: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Xiaomu: 0)
He took some deep, long breaths, the effort tiring him out almost as much.
"Old man, eh?" he chuckled. "Ah can beat you young'uns in my sleep."
Of course, it was a wasted wisecrack. She was out cold.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Ember closed her eyes and held them closed for a minute. She opened them, seeing a smile on Jetta.
(E: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 0)
"Now THAT'S the Ember I know," said the Primordial's voice.
The Shadowchaser nodded, then turned to Tohru, who was on the ground holding her shin. "Well?" she asked sternly.
Then Tohru laughed. Only briefly, because after that blow, laughing hurt his ribs. "I've got to say, Ember, that was impressive." He took the whole purse from his belt, tossing it to her. "Here, I think this is yours."
"Thank you," she growled.
"Uh, you're really going to go duel Xander?" he asked.
"If I have to."
She started to walk away, but stopped when he called her name.
"What now?" she said, turning around.
"Ember, you should know, he's not easy to beat," he said.
"Obviously," she replied.
"Look, I have no idea what sort of weakness his deck has," he replied, "but Xander himself is sort of, well, what's the word? He's… anal retentive."
"A control freak?" she asked.
"Exactly." He sat up. "You duel him, he's going to expect those Flamvell Pyros. He does the research, and you'll play right into his hands. You'll need more than Jetta. You need to throw something at him he doesn't expect."
"And you're telling me this because?" she asked.
He got up and dusted himself off. "I have my reasons. You'd better hurry, by the way."
She and Jetta watched for a minute as he sauntered off. Ember quickly turned to the Primordial of Fire; she tried to hug her only to stumble and nearly fall; she wasn't quite "there" yet, in astral form.
"Not that I'm complaining, but why did you come back?" asked Ember.
"I'll tell you on the way," urged Jetta, "we'd better do as Tohru suggested and hurry. Gomi will likely get sicker the more we waste."
As the sun rose higher, Ember sprinted towards the castle. So much was on her mind, even though a heavy weight had now been lifted from it.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Sorry. I know this is a really serious situation and we're about to do something incredibly dangerous...but you sound really funny!"
"Oh, shud ub!"
Voltaire's indignation only caused Becky to laugh harder. Even Thando, who had looked particularly grave on their way up to the castle, cracked a smile. Their colleague's nose was packed and neatly taped up, but the bruising had come in force, leaving his nose and cheekbones a delightful shade of purple.
"Not a chance. I'm retiring the Rains of Castamere - this is going to be my new ringtone!" Becky was already thumbing through the phone to find the appropriate app and paused when she felt something land on her head. "Thando, do I have a bird on my head again?"
"You have artwork."
"I have…" Scrunching her face in confusion, Becky reached up and pulled the object from her hair. "A paper crane?"
She squeaked as it suddenly flapped its wings and took off. "It's alive!"
"And it has friends." Thando held out his hand as a second crane descended into his waiting palm.
Voltaire stared blankly at the one circling his head and made a few grabs at it, missing by inches with each grab. "I dink...I dink by had-eye coordination has suffered from dose wonderful blants you have, Dando...heh. Dando. Did you brig chicken, doo?
"No, no I did not. I'm not a restaurant." Thando reached out and pulled Voltaire's crane from the air. "So, do we have secret admirers or what?"
Becky had caught her crane again and seized its wings. Surprisingly, it stopped moving and with an experimental tug, it unfolded back into a crease-filled napkin. "There's writing on it. It's from Jalal!"
"I guess he doesn't like the concept of 'snail mail', then…" Thando's eyes skimmed his note and his expression became grave again. "I don't know whether to be impressed that our boss came up with this plan while trapped in an enemy stronghold or the fact Voltaire being drugged means he'll do his part even better."
"I'b a talented ban!" Voltaire gestured theatrically and promptly tripped over his own feet. "...excebt at walking."
"And talking." Becky read her note again and then crumpled it up in her fist. "Right. It's only a few hours to the finals and we've got to pull this off with perfect timing. Thando, you have everything you're gonna need?"
"I think so. I'm not the witch doctor Vuyo is, but I have a few cocktails I can make." Thando was already rummaging through his bag, retrieving two small jiffy bags filled with assorted leaves and powders. "But I'm going to need a knife, water and heat to mix these things."
"I can help!" Voltaire raised his hand from his prone position. Rolling over to his back, he made a few wide grabs for the bag of holding Kenshin had had, then sighed and flopped backwards. "Becky. In da bag. Heat makig dings. And H20."
"I forgot we had that! I love these survival kits! I used one during training in Backwater!" Becky dug around in the bag and started pulling out a small kettle, a large knife and a canteen. "Hey, there's good booze in here!"
"Can I have somb?"
"No. You're not as funny when you're drunk." Becky propped Voltaire up against a nearby tree and shoved the bag into his hands. "Here, hold this. Thando, destroy those notes! We can't risk anyone getting a hold of them."
"I think Voltaire's got that covered."
"What do you mean - Voltaire, they're napkins! They are NOT FOOD!"
"Dey taste of tea and culture!"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Mr. Z flicked the lighter on and watched as the napkin lit instantly. A moment later, he was dusting his hands free of ash.
Ironic, that the most primitive of methods can succeed where technology fails, he mused. "At least I'm not in charge anymore. That was getting taxing."
"Yes, because entire day and a half you spent walking around the island and trying to text message people was such a draining effort." Monika drawled from where she was curled up on a sunny patch of rock, safely above the crashing surf below.
"I don't see you contributing."
Monika raised a paw. "No thumbs."
"A likely excuse," Z glanced at his watch, then up at the castle rising out of the center of Duelist Kingdom. "You'll be doing your fair share soon, anyway. We're going to need you in that castle. It's getting you in there that's the problem."
"This is just like Iceland," Sonya piped up. "We just have to hide the bodies better this time, is all."
"Let's not kill the possibly innocent men being duped by the archdevil," Z folded his arms thoughtfully. "And you should be sitting this out! Your burns haven't fully healed!"
Sonya ignored him. "You can still do the riddle thing, right, Monika?"
"Any sphinx worth her salt can. But we usually do that to keep people out, not to break in."
"It'll be a change of pace," Z crooked his finger for her to follow him, producing a pair of shades from his jacket pocket. "And if it doesn't work, there's always Plan M."
"I'm Plan M, aren't I?"
"Well, why else did you come here if you didn't want to be useful?"
"I wanted to see you lose and laugh at your face in person." Monika caught up him to with a few long strides of her legs, hip-checking him with a wing.
"If we lose this one, I won't have any face left to laugh at."
"That's right, Z." The sphinx rolled her eyes. "Think positive. A leader's gotta keep up morale."
"See? I told you I'm not good in charge."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Leroy Schwartz was bored.
It was the kind of creeping, heavy boredom that came from the realization that not only were you stuck in a hotel room and there was nothing good on, but the fact you had no one to talk to. Once he'd been removed from the tournament, he'd been forbidden to contact the other participants, Jalal and even the outside world.
Having already read everything provided for him, splurged with room service and seen The Great Gatsby four times, Leroy was starting to feel that if he didn't get something to do - anything at all - he was going to snap and become the first Shadowchaser to tear down a castle brick by brick.
So, when he spotted the napkin crane pecking at his balcony door, he'd about fallen over himself to get the doors open.
And had fallen over when he forgot the doors pushed open instead of pulled.
I really need to get that boot fixed. Leroy kicked off the frustrating footwear as he rolled onto his back and snatched the crane out of the air.
Unfolding it, he was surprised that it was Jalal's prim handwriting filled it up. "Tournament a cover-up...am captured...do not trust Lessiux...need you to…"
His eyes went a little wide as he read what Jalal wanted him to do. "That's...that's...okay, wow."
Leroy lay there for a few minutes, watching the clouds roll by. "I hate to tell you this, Jalal, but I'm a desk jockey. I do paperwork and experiment with things and hide in a lab on Saturday nights. I use my sword as a letter opener, for pete's sake!"
He cocked his head as he caught the little note at the bottom of the message.
P.S. Congratulations on your field promotion, Leroy. Welcome to active duty.
"Oh, come on!"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Jean-Claude chuckled to himself as he paced back and forth before the unconscious forms of the disqualified duelists who had dared to challenge him. It was the same spot where, decades ago, Pegasus himself had held the darkest Shadow Games. The lingering wail of tormented souls would have made the skin crawl on a mortal and the thick, bittersweet smell of dark magic was enough to provoke nightmares.
Jean-Claude found it refreshing.
Almost as enjoyable was the fear his guests had felt in their last conscious moments. Their faces twisted in paroxysms of panic and terror, he could only guess at what they had truly seen. In a way, it was almost enviable. Mortals were capable of such strong emotions and creative imaginations. Whereas he'd spent enough time in Hell to know that the only thing that ever changed there was the days of the week.
Perhaps in the future, he'd keep a few more interesting mortals around and see what they could teach him. But those lessons were for later and Jean-Claude had learned enough painful truths to know as interesting as mortals could be, those same traits made them unreliable. Right now was the time for loyalty and effectiveness.
Black candles were arranged at the points of the pentagram drawn around the four. An unnecessary step for someone like him, perhaps, but he hadn't come this far by ignoring the trivial details. With a wave of his hand, they all lit. A finger snap froze the flames themselves. They glowed silently, trapped in a moment in time.
Jean-Claude began to speak. But only in the loosest sense of the term. There were no actual words, but more of a sense of power. Of primeval existence. And agelessness. The fear of the cold darkness that made ancient races cower in the light of their campfires and children draw their blankets around themselves that much tighter. All in the hope they could keep out the chill, the fear, the dread that whispered in the back of their souls. Whispered of oblivion and nothingness and the deep, twisted idea that no warmth in the universe was real and all that existed was the cold truth that they were alone.
And the being that called himself Jean-Claude and Levistus knew this truth and felt happiness.
As did the four he called now. They were not 'friends' or 'minions' or even 'trusted', but they were believers. The word was him and with them and it was cold.
The ice around the four duelists began to melt away, first as droplets and then rivulets and then in streams. But nothing touched the ground. It sank into their ears and their eyes and their noses and their mouths, and even the pores on their skin. Color and life drained from their forms, blue-white cold spreading in patches. Their bodies became more - larger, stronger, better. The four Pros had such weak souls and their new tenants needed more room than their frail bodies could provide.
Minutes passed. The candles melted, the frozen flames finally shattering as they tumbled for their perches.
Four sets of eyes of coldest blue snapped open.
What was once McGuinness was the first to awaken. One lumbering step forwards sent him to his knee. "Mortal weakness." The voice was deep, drawing to mind that he was speaking from within a dank, cold well. "I crave spirits and hallucinogens, and something called 'Mountain Dew'."
"Mine is no better." Hakata's body patted itself down in exploration, a frown twisting the features. The words were rhythmically jagged, like icicles were spawning on his throat. "This one is small and buggy. I feel like I should be stepping on myself."
"I should be looking at myself." Serket's face was gleeful, but the cold eyes had nothing in them. Her voice was flat and frigid; the first frost of the year. "I haven't been this young in millennia."
The fourth member, the one who had been Junlong, remained silent. He flexed a hand curiously, turning it over and watching his fingers fold and stretch. He looked around the room and then grabbed a candlestick from the floor. The others all watched as he rolled it between his fingers, stroking the textured metal like he had never seen it before.
Then he held out his other hand, flipped the candlestick over and drove it into his open palm. Blood droplets splattered on the ground, though the cold eyes did not flinch. A breath later, the candlestick gave a shriek as it flash-frozen, cracking and twisting from the impossible cold. The man flexed that hand, the candlestick shattering into fragments. The wound froze, closing itself neatly.
He smiled, barring too-white teeth and the cold in his eyes deepened. "This is good." His voice was light, airy, and crisp. It was the winter air that gave your first chill, giving you the knowledge - paranoia, even - that there is much more to come.
"You just stabbed yourself!" what was once Hakata cried.
"Pain is a sweet, effervescent wine. An appetizer." He glanced up at the ceiling, the smile sharpening to razor-like levels. "But I can feel myself in the air in this place. The mortals think their fires of hope will keep me away. Yet I will snuff them all out...and laugh."
Jean-Claude cleared his throat and the four of them all twisted to look at him. He lifted an eyebrow and they all knelt. "I'll leave the snide remarks and pleasantries aside. You four are here for one reason and one reason alone. To ensure my freedom."
He studied them all in turn - the beings who had once been McGuiness, Serket, Hakata and Junlong. "Catch, Snazzlepop, Goratch, Teplotaxl. This is now the endgame. My little war is about to draw to a close. And when it does, the real war is going to begin. No mistakes. No self-indulgences. Not this time."
"What about your other servants, my lord?" Catch, the one in McGuinness' body, asked with a curious glint in his eye. "Surely if they have failed you to the point where we are necessary, they must be in need of...punishment."
"They still have their uses. You four are insurance. Just because I hold all the cards doesn't mean I have control of the deck we're dealing from." Jean-Claude chuckled darkly. "And... I find myself in need of conversation."
All four glanced at each with wide eyes - their lord had never wished such a thing before. Finally, Snazzlepop found her force. She kept the trembling out of it, but the fear was visible on Serket's face. "Conversation, my lord?"
"Yes. I am bored." Ice cracked in the air as a chair froze itself into existence and Jean-Claude sat down.
"What...what shall we talk about, my lord?"
"Oh, this and that. My freedom. The ice age. Revenge." Jean-Claude's eyes glittered malevolently in the darkness. "The death of Jalal Stormbringer."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Zen-Sacred Weishi (Effect Monster)
Psychic/Fire/Effect/Lvl4/1,600/1,700
Effect: If there is face-up a "Sacred" monster on the field that is not a FIRE Monster, this card gains the following effect: If this card battles an opposing monster by does not destroy it, increase its ATK by 800 until the End Phase; it may then battle a second time. This second attack must target the same monster targeted by its first attack.
Corresponding Sign: Sheep
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Zen-Sacred Xuanshi (Effect Monster)
Psychic/Dark/Lvl5/2,000/800
Effect: If your opponent controls 2 or more monsters and you control no monsters, you may Normal Summon this card with no Tribute. If there is a face-up "Sacred" monster on the field that is not a DARK monster, you may Tribute this card; Special Summon up to 2 Level 4 "Zen-Sacred" monsters from your hand or deck in Attack Position. Monsters summoned this way have their ATK reduced to zero and cannot use their effects. The turn you activate this card, you may not Special Summon, except to Xyz summon "Sacred" monsters.
Corresponding sign: Monkey
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Zen-Sacred Qinshi (Effect Monster)
Psychic/Earth/Lvl5/1,600/2,300
Effect: If there is a face-up "Sacred" monster on the field that is not a EARTH monster, you may activate the following effect: You may Special Summon this card to your opponent's side of the field. If you do, draw 2 cards.
Corresponding sign: Dog
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Zen-Sacred Kenshuni (Effect Monster)
Psychic/Fire/Lvl4/1,700/400
If there is a face-up "Sacred" monster on the field that is not an FIRE monster, you may activate the following effect: Select 1 "Sacred" monster you control other than this card, and reduce its Level by 1 or 2. The effect of "Zen-Sacred Kenshuni" can only be used once per turn.
Corresponding sign: Horse
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Zen-Sacred Jin-Bioushi (Effect Monster)
Psychic/Dark/Lvl5/2,300/1,800
Effect: If there is a face-up "Sacred" monster on the field that is not a DARK monster, you may activate the following effect: When this card destroys an opposing monster as a result of battle, you may select a Level 4 or lower "Sacred" monster in either Graveyard and Special Summon it in face-up Defense Position. The battle position of a monster Special Summoned in this manner cannot switch, and it is destroyed during the End Phase. The effect of "Zen-Sacred Jin-Bioushi" can only be used once per turn.
Corresponding sign: Dragon
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Zen-Sacred Immortal He Xian'gu (Effect Xyz Monster)
Psychic/Wind/Rank 4/2,200/1,000
2 Level 4 "Sacred" Monsters
Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material Monster from this card; if the detached Xyz Material is a Monster Card, the Attribute of this card becomes the Attribute listed on the Monster Card that is detached. If this card is in Attack Position and has at least 1 Xyz Material, your opponent cannot attack any "Sacred" monster except "Zen-Sacred Immortal He Xian'gu". If this card would be destroyed, you may detach 1 Xyz Material from any Psychic-Type Xyz monster you control to prevent it from being destroyed by battle or a card effect.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Zen-Sacred Immortal Emperor Cao Guojiu (Effect Xyz Monster)
Psychic/Wind/Rank 5/1,200ATK/3,000DEF
2 Level 5 "Sacred" Monsters
Effect: This card can also be Xyz Summoned by using a "Zen-Sacred" monster you control as the Xyz Material, other than "Zen-Sacred Immortal Emperor Cao Guojiu". (Xyz Materials attached to that monster also become Xyz Materials on this card.) Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material Monster from this card; if the detached Xyz Material is a Monster Card, the Attribute of this card becomes the Attribute listed on the Monster Card that is detached, then increase the ATK of this card by 600 while lowering its DEF by 600. If 1 or more Xyz materials is detached from this card via a "Sacred" monster's effect, place 1 Spell Counter on this card. You may remove 3 Spell Counters from this card to destroy all cards on the field except this card.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Cursed Kiln (Normal Trap Card)
Image: An old-fashioned pottery kiln, cracked and unused, with two Flamvell Babies flying from it.
Effect: Activate this card when it is destroyed while set in your Spell/Trap Zone. Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower "Flamvell" monster from your deck. The Special Summoned monster cannot use its effect this turn. During you next Standby Phase, discard 1 card from your hand.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Flamvell Justiciar (Effect Synchro Monster)
Warrior/Fire/Lvl6/2,300/1,200
FIRE Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters
Effect: When this card is Synchro Summoned, declare one Monster Type. When this card attacks a Monster of the declared Type, this card gains 1,000 Attack Points during the Damage Step only.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Jetta the Bronze-Hearted (Effect Synchro Monster)
Pyro/Fire/Lvl10/2,800/2,000
FIRE Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner FIRE Monsters
Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned except via Synchro Summon. Increase the ATK of this card by 200 times the combined Levels of all face-up FIRE Monsters on the field, except this one.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Next:
Jalal: Know how they say in some stories, when it comes down to the wire, "It ain't over yet."
Well, it ain't over yet. But… I'd say it's clearly the beginning of the home stretch.
And THAT will be ALL I have to say about it right now.
"Blind Spot Strike" comes next.
