Another month, another chapter, and more thank-yous to give out! Since there's a duel going on in the following chapters, they're going to be a bit longer than normal, for those of you who like long chapters. Thanks this month go out to guisniperman for reviewing, and shadowmwape for adding this story to his/her favorites and alerts.
Chapter 35
Psychic Duel
So, it appears Kaiba hired X to split up the team. While Yugi takes on Mokuba in a twisted game of Capsule Monster Chess, I get to dance with X in a deadly psychic duel. The asshole I'm dueling has assured me that whoever loses dies, but I have no intention of seeing that happen. Hey, I might not like the guy, but that doesn't mean I'll be his murderer.
000
"I summon White Magician Pikeru! (ATK: 1200/DEF: 0)" Selena said once she drew. "And I'll set a couple of face-down cards as well. I end my turn."
Selena Kuro LP: 2000
X LP: 2000
"My go!" X said, drawing. "I summon my Desrook Archfiend (ATK: 1100/DEF1800) in defense mode, and I place one card face-down for later. I end."
Selena drew. That's the same setup as last time, she thought. Looks like he's going to try and make this duel go just like last time. If that's the case, then I'll just beat him again. "I summon Gemini Elf (ATK: 1900/DEF: 900) in attack mode!" twin elves, one with light skin and hair, the other with dark skin and hair, appeared on her field. "And I'll have my girls attack your Archfiend. Have at him, ladies!"
Just like last time, Desrook Archfiend was destroyed.
"I'll end my turn with that. Oh, and by the way…my Pikeru has a nice effect." Selena said, sitting back.
"What's that?" X said, going to draw.
"Oh, nothing much…just at the end of each turn, I gain 400 Life Points for every monster on my side of the field. I count two, so that gives me 800 LP." She gave him a cockeyed grin. "Suck it, asshole."
Selena: 2800
X drew, scowling. "I summon Shadowknight Archfiend in attack mode!" The sword-wielding Fiend made his reappearance. "I'll also set another face-down and end."
Selena drew for the second time. "I equip my Gemini Elf with Book of Secret Arts to raise her attack points 300 points," she said. (Gemini Elf ATK: 2200) "Next up, I'll have my elf attack your Archfiend."
"I activate Blast with Chain," X said. "Shadowknight's attack goes up to 2500."
"Then I activate a trap of my own," Selena said. "Trap Jammer counters your Blast With Chain." She gave him a glare. "You can't expect to win with the same strategy as last time. That's the definition of stupidity, genius."
"Who said I was using the same strategy?"
Selena frowned. "Huh?"
X eyed her with an evil smile playing at the edges of his mouth. "I may be starting out the same way, but my strategy is far from the same as out last meeting." He flipped his last face-down to activate it. "This is proof enough of that! I activate the continuous Trap, Lotus Trance!" Lotus petals exploded from the card, all over Selena's Gemini Elf. "By discarding one card in my hand, I can negate your attack, send it right back at you, and gain control of your monster in one fell swoop."
"Oh crap," Selena did not like where this was going.
"You should be praying, Miss Kuro." X said, tapping his hand against his arm. Selena barely had time to throw up her hands as her own monster attacked her. If she weren't already sitting down, the blow would have sent her to her knees. As it was, she was surprised she didn't hear her arm break.
Selena: 600
Swearing silently to herself, Selena set a card on the table. "One face-down, I end." She said.
Selena: 1000
X smiled. "Looks like the end of the road is already near, Miss Kuro." He said, drawing.
000
Melhana looked from the field below to where Yugi and Mokuba were in the box above. I really hope you've got something planned, Yugi. She thought. She didn't want to move, as the security guards around her, Anzu, and Jonouchi all had guns to their heads. She knew that as long as Yugi didn't screw up, they'd be fine, but if one of their fingers decided to "slip" on the trigger, they'd be in trouble. Considering how we're all surrounded, in every sense of the word.
The past three turns Yugi had done nothing to counter Mokuba's movements, and as a result the brat had surrounded all of Yugi's weaker monsters with his own stronger ones.
Finally, Yugi made a move. His reason for waiting was…moving the caterpillar up one square. Melhana resisted the urge to facepalm. Jonouchi didn't, and Mel heard him groan, "You gotta be kidding me."
"It's gonna get worse," Melhana sighed, knowing the inevitable.
Sure enough, two of Yugi's monsters—the brain and the weird winged thingy—were destroyed, both by the same monster. She was about to grimace as Mokuba's monster went for another of Yugi's….
And the little mole-thing burrowed underground, putting one of Mokuba's strongest monsters in the line of fire. Melhana let out a squawk of amusement as the rolling, armored dinosaur-monster destroyed a metal pig with a propeller on its head. In one turn, and by Mokuba's own hand no less, the sides were evened up.
"Looks like he's not as invincible as he thinks," Jonouchi said, smirking. "Told ya he was going to win."
"Sure you did," Melhana said, rolling her eyes. "You big weenie."
The guard behind her pressed the gun to her head. "You might want to be quiet, girl." He said. "Or I might decide to have an…accident."
Melhana clicked her tongue. Sure you will. And I can take you even with your little gun. "I'd like to see you try."
The gun pressed harder to her head. "What was that?"
"Melhana, I'd be quiet if I were you." Anzu warned. "Seeing as you're not the only one here with a gun to her head."
Melhana have her a cockeyed grin. "What? I thought that would be ample proof that they were compensating for something."
"Can I kill this bitch? Please?" The goon holding the gun to Melhana's head asked his boss.
"You heard Mr. Kaiba's orders; the kids don't die unless Yugi doesn't cooperate." Head Goon said in English. "Though…I don't think he'd complain if she 'accidentally' fell…."
"I can understand English just as well as my native language, geniuses." Melhana replied, switching from Japanese to English. "Unlike Blondie there, I don't make a habit of flunking my English tests and sleeping in class."
"I can understand that much!" Jonouchi protested.
"Just shut up. She's got a point, by the way; I have yet to see you get anything other than a D on an English test." Anzu said. Melhana looked forward just to see the squid blow up a…. The only way Melhana could explain it was a mouth on legs. Ignoring Anzu, Jonouchi, and the frustrated guards, Melhana could concentrate on what Yugi and Mokuba were saying, courtesy of the microphones in the box.
"It took my monster with it!" Mokuba looked like he was ready to strangle something…good thing he was shorter than 'other Yugi'. Then again, he was even shorter than regular Yugi.
"And, in case you haven't been paying attention, the road is open." Melhana saw Yugi point to a spot on the board, and she looked to the corresponding area on the enlarged version.
Sure enough, Yugi's little worm thing was only steps—or squirms, whatever the term—away from a raised space. While Melhana wasn't all that versed in Capsule Monster Chess, she had a fairly good idea that the spot was important. Mokuba on the other hand took a few seconds for it to sink in. And when it did, he looked like he was about to have a fit.
What made it even better was that Mokuba couldn't do anything to stop Yugi from reaching it.
Melhana turned to look at her guard with a shit-eating grin. "You might want to start writing your will now, because when King Asshole gets a load of this, you lot are sooo dead."
"You little…" her guard was turning red in anger, and Melhana could literally see the vein in his forehead going.
"Don't," Head Goon warned. Apparently one of his parents wasn't from Planet Stupid. "We need her as a hostage, not a corpse."
I'm right here, guys. Melhana thought. She shrugged. She could show them who was boss easily enough. If she didn't miss her guess, they were more the hired mercenary type rather than paid, law-abiding security guards.
They may be able to handle normal teens, but Melhana was far from normal.
A gasp, followed by cheering from the crowd, pulled Melhana's attention back to the field. The little worm was gone…or rather; it had evolved into something that looked like a horned beetle.
What made it even better was that Mokuba Kaiba looked like he was about to crap his pants. That alone made Melhana bark out in laughter.
"He…killed…it…" Mokuba said in a small face as the hairy bird-thing on his side was destroyed. The crowd cheered again, and Jonouchi flipped Mokuba the bird. "Take that, ya little runt!" He shouted. "Ha ha!"
"They've each still got a monster left, bonehead." Melhana said, popping Jonouchi on the back of the head. "It's not over till the last one goes 'boom', my friend."
Jonouchi grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. The last two monsters—Yugi's beetle and Mokuba's last creature—faced off. It looked like a tie…
…Until Yugi's beetle bit the dust, quite literally.
"Hyper Beeton was crushed!" Mokuba cackled. "You loose, Yugi! Prepare to die!"
Yugi on the other hand was laughing. Melhana could see a shit-eating grin of his own spreading across his face. "Look again, Mokuba; I still have one monster left."
"No you don't!" Mokuba protested. "I don't see anything."
"Then I suggest you look closer. A lot closer."
Mokuba sneered and looked down at the field. Then that sneer turned into a pure evil grin. "Ah, right; that little gofer. I didn't forget." He pointed down to the field, shaking with mirth. "Once I crush that little weakling, you're dying!"
"I can't watch!" Jonouchi said, hiding his head in his shirt. Anzu winced and looked away, but Melhana watched as the little digger popped up out of the ground. Unfortunately, it popped up right under Mokuba's last behemoth.
"Damn it Yugi," Melhana said, gritting her teeth. Her fists balled up, wanting to pummel the face of that little shit so badly….
And then the behemoth fell apart, literally. Apparently its last battle had been a draw; Yugi's Hyper Beeton had sliced and diced the bigfoot. Now, it was splitting apart at the seams.
"Until the end, you didn't know." Yugi said, getting up. "I win, Mokuba!"
000
"I summon Patrician of Darkness (ATK: 2000/DEF: 1400) in attack mode!" X laughed. His eyes were shining with insanity. "Now you don't even get a choice in what you attack!"
"There's nothing to attack, genius." Selena said.
"Not yet," X said. "I play Ultimate Offering, which lets me summon as many monsters as I like, as long as I pay 500 Life Points. It's a price I'm glad to pay, to summon this beauty; Gernia. If it's destroyed, I can summon it right back."
X: 1500
"I'll also activate this; Gift of the Grave." He added, playing another Magic Card. "Now every time a monster is Special Summoned from either of our Graveyards, I gain 300 Life Points. And since that's the case…no, I'll save him for later. I end my turn at that."
Selena drew. Her Life Points went up again, now to 1400. Damn…I can only hold him off with this. She thought. "I play Nightmare's Steelcage, which keeps us both from attacking for two turns. I also switch Pikeru to defense position." Hopefully I'll be able to draw an ace in that time. "I end…for now.
Selena: 1400
"Is that desperation I smell?" X said, taking a whiff of the air. He shrugged. "No matter; I can defeat you even with your little cage.
All it'll take is one card…."
000
Nothing like dueling a psychopath to lighten up your day. In my case, that psychopath is hell-bent on killing me. Honestly, I preferred it when he was trying to recruit me to the Arcadian Organization; at least then he wasn't a homicidal nutjob. What scares me, though, is what he could do to my friends. I know they aren't in the same room—hell, they're not even on the same level—but I doubt that'll stop X.
Then there's the whole Kaiba-trying-to-kill-Yugi-for-revenge thing. I hope I can end this duel with X soon, so that I can help Yugi in his duel.
Cards Used
White Magician Pikeru
ATK: 1200/DEF: 0
Attribute: LIGHT
Type: Spellcaster
During your Standby Phase, increase your Life Points by 400 points for each monster on your side of the field.
Gemini Elf
ATK: 1900/DEF: 900
Attribute: EARTH
Type: Spellcaster
Desrook Archfiend
ATK: 1100/DEF: 1800
Attribute: LIGHT
Type: Fiend
The controller of this card pays 500 Life Points during each of his/her Standby Phases (this is not optional). When this card is specifically designated as a target of the effect of a card controlled by your opponent, when resolving the effect, roll a six-sided die. If the result is 3, negate the effect and destroy the opponent's card. When a "Terrorking Archfiend" on your side of the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can send this card from you hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon the "Terrorking Archfiend".
Shadowknight Archfiend
ATK: 2000/DEF: 1600
Attribute: WIND
Type: Fiend
The controller of this card pays 900 Life Points during each of his/her Standby Phases (this is not optional). When this card is specifically designated as a target of the effect of a card controlled by your opponent, when resolving the effect, roll a six-sided die. If the result is 3, negate the effect and destroy the opponent's card. The Battle Damage this card inflicts to your opponent's Life Points is halved.
Patrician of Darkness
ATK: 2000/DEF: 1400
Attribute: DARK
Type: Zombie
The controller of this card selects the targets of their opponent's attacks.
Gernia
ATK: 1300/DEF: 1200
Attribute: DARK
Type: Zombie
If this face-up card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by an opponent's card effect, Special Summon it during your next Standby Phase.
Book of Secret Arts
Equip Magic Card
A Spellcaster-Type monster equipped with this card increases its ATK and DEF by 300 points.
Nightmare's Steelcage
Magic Card
This card remains face-up on the field for 2 of your opponent's turns. No monsters can attack. Destroy this card during your opponent's 2nd End Phase after this card was activated.
*Gift of the Grave
Continuous Magic Card
The controller of this card gains 300 Life Points every time either player Special Summons a monster from either Graveyard.
Trap Jammer
Counter Trap Card
Activate only when your opponent activates a Trap Card during the Battle Phase. Negate the effect of the Trap Card and destroy it.
Blast With Chain
Trap Card
After activation, this card is treated as an Equip Card that increases the ATK of the equipped monster by 500 points. Equip a monster on your side of the field with this card. If this card is destroyed by the effect of another card while it is an Equip Card, select 1 card on the field and destroy it.
*Lotus Trance
Continuous Trap Card
Activated when an opponent's monster attacks. By discarding one card from your hand, the attack is negated and control of the opponent's monster is switched to this card's controller. Inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the attack power of the attacking monster.
Ultimate Offering
Continuous Trap Card
During your Main Phase or during your opponent's Battle Phase: You can pay 500 Life Points; Normal Summon or Set 1 extra Monster.
So, fun times at the zoo for Selena and company. Hope you guys are all looking forward to the next chapter!
Keep reading everyone!
~HikariHellion