Ever since we arrived in Arcadia, this creep has been spying on us. He's been out of sight most of the time, apparently unwilling or unable to face us.
We first saw him in Twilight Town, and he fled like a coward when he realized he had been seen. We first heard the name "Lord Crump" from Cloaker and Domino, who clearly didn't mean to let the name slip.
Well, he seems to have made a complete 180 now. He's willing to face me man-to-man, and taking down someone this obnoxious will be a pleasure.
This should be no problem…
…shouldn't it?
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DUEL THIRTY-SEVEN
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Fiery Fervor
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Near the center of the Palace, the six Shadow Spawn were in a comfortable lounge that was reserved for them.
Vladimir was looking at the card that the strange man had given him. It supported his Attribute, yes, but not tremendously so… There was far better Dark support…
Still, there was something about this card that he just couldn't put his finger on…
Meanwhile, Leopold and Maria were engaged in a game of Go.
"What the Hell are you two playing board games for?" asked Tyson.
"It helps me think!" replied Leopold.
"Yeah?" said Melissa. "We should probably be 'thinking' about how not to screw up next time. Do you want to make mom angry again?"
Then a blast of energy incinerated the board game. The Shadow Spawn got up and watched in fear as their mother stormed into the room. Clearly, she was very angry.
"Too late…" squeaked Kurtis.
"Wh-what did we do mom?" said Maria, as her voice trembled.
The Queen held up the vial that had contained the Potion of Bravery.
"Some thief broke into my alchemy lab, and drank this," she said with a very cross look. "It wouldn't happen to have been one of you, would it?
"Wh-what is it?" stammered Tyson.
"A Potion of Bravery," growled the Shadow Queen. "It was a lime-green liquid… The volunteer who tested another sample compared its taste to a sweaty sneaker. Ring any bells?"
"D-did this volunteer make a habit of eating sweaty sneakers?" asked Maria.
"Answer the question!" demanded the Queen.
"I think Melissa took it…" stammered Leopold. "She's the one who drank the Growing Potion and the Shrinking Potion at the same time because she wanted to see what would happen…"
"You just had to bring that up, didn't you?" shouted Melissa. "Mom, please, I didn't…"
"Mother, mercy, I didn't take it…" said Vladimir. "And I can vouch for all of them, we've all been here since we got up this morning…"
The Shadow Queen looked at the six terrified siblings.
"I believe you…" she said, in a much calmer voice.
Their expressions turned to disbelief.
"Really?" asked Maria. "This is new…"
"If any of you had drunk this," said the Shadow Queen, "you would have been brave enough to stand up to me and admit it…"
"So, uh, what exactly is it?" asked Leopold, adjusting his glasses and looking at the flask with incredible curiosity.
The Queen sighed and turned around.
"A failed experiment…" she replied. "It was supposed to be a Potion of Lion's Heart, but it simply worked too well… It makes whoever drinks it incapable of feeling any fear at all."
"And… that's a bad thing?" asked Tyson.
"Let me put it this way…" said the Queen. "If the Tarrasque had just woken up from its hundred-year slumber fifty years too early with a bad headache, and was taking it out on everything in sight in a mad rampage, would you stand up to it, or would you run the other way?"
"Gah…" gasped Kurtis. "Run the other way, of course!"
"Fast!" added Melissa.
"Well, whoever drank this wouldn't," replied the Queen. "Without fear, you lose all sense of self-preservation, you become reckless to the point of madness, and you take risks that you would never have dared take before."
She looked at the empty bottle.
"And besides… I doubt that whoever drank this knows that it only lasts two hours…
"Still, when I catch whoever took it… He's going to be very, very sorry…"
They watched as she stormed out of the room… And then collapsed on the couches with heavy sighs of relief.
Tyson looked at Melissa.
"Uh… Leopold…" he said. "Exactly what did happen when she drank the Growing Potion and the Shrinking Potion at the same time."
Melissa gave him a dirty look, and he others seemed a little annoyed too.
"Trust me," replied Leopold, "you don't want to know…"
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Meanwhile, the thief in question was watching the three teenagers exit the kiosk with a cross look on his face.
"Kept me waiting, did ya?" he said. "Sure took ya long enough…"
He held up his Duel Disk.
"Come on!" he dared. "I'll take on all three of you at once if I have to!"
"Uh, you know…" said Andy. "He's the one who suggested it…"
"That won't be necessary," sighed Stan. "I'll take this loudmouth…"
He stood up to Crump, and held his Duel Disk, preparing to activate it.
'Oh, wait!" said Crump. "Almost forgot…"
He took his deck from the holder, and took a card from.
"We can't forget the new rules that are in place, right? Well, try not to wet yourself when you see my Deckmaster!"
He held up a card, and a fifteen-foot-tall, rather stereotypical robot materialized behind him. (2,200 ATK)
"Machine King?" asked Stan, as he took his deck from the holder. "I've seen worse…"
And it makes it rather obvious what Type of Monsters his deck has… he thought.
He looked at the Monsters in his deck.
Now let's see here… So many to choose from… It would help if I had at least some clue as to what they could do as Deckmasters…
Then one card started to glow, and to Stan's shock, one of his Monsters, a rather special one, appeared next to him.
"VIVIAN?" he shouted.
(1,800 ATK)
"Heh…" chuckled Crump. "Interesting choice…"
"Wait, I didn't…" said Stan. "Vivian!"
"Stan, please!" replied Vivian. "I really wanted to help here… And I can do the job, really!"
Stan looked at her.
"Fine…" he said. "How exactly?"
"What?" asked Vivian.
"You have a Deckmaster effect, I assume?" asked Stan.
"Oh, right!" said Vivian. "Uh… Uhm…"
She scratched her head.
"Please tell me you have one…" moaned Stan.
"I… think I do…" said Vivian. "I'm trying to remember here…"
"Can we get started before the next ice age?" said Crump. "If you have a bad Deckmaster, tough! No takebacks!"
Stan sighed.
"Fine, Vivian, it seems I'm stuck with you…" he muttered. "Just keep trying to remember, okay?"
He activated his Duel Disk.
"I'm gonna smash you to smithereens!" shouted Crump.
(Stan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Crump: 8,000)
Stan took hold of the cap on his head, and quickly turned it backwards.
"My Deckmaster may have a slight memory lapse right now," said Stan, "but her Attack Score is lower than Machine King's, so that means the honor is mine…"
He drew a card.
"I'll set a Monster and one other card," he said.
Two reversed cards appeared in front of him.
"And it's your move…"
"All right, I draw!" shouted Crump, as he dramatically whipped the top card off of his deck.
"I'll set three cards face-down," he said, as three concealed cards appeared in his Spell Zone, "and that will end my turn…"
Stan smirked slightly.
This could not be more perfect… he thought.
He drew a card. Then his face-down card lifted up.
"I use Trap Stun!" he shouted. "This renders all Trap Cards except itself inert for this turn!"
"All right!" shouted Andy. "Stan has this guy cold!"
"Now, I'll flip my Monster into Attack Mode…" said Stan.
The card flipped face-up, and Magician's Valkyria leapt onto the field. (1,600 ATK)
"Next, here comes Mataza the Zapper!"
He played the card, and the dark ronin did a somersault onto the field, and drew his katana. (1,300 ATK)
"Valkyria, attack that lout directly!"
The Spellcaster gave Crump a dirty look, and aimed her scepter at him.
"Got me cold?" asked Crump with a smirk. "Other way around! I may not be able to activate these cards, but because you declared a direct attack, I can trash them…"
The three set cards shattered into little pieces.
"And by doing so…" he said, as a portal opened, "I can summon something far better than some fantasy vixen…"
There was a sound that could best be described as that of an incoming train… And to everyone's shock, the Monster that emerged from the portal was a train, a train with a snow plow as a locomotive.
"I give you, the Snow Plow Hustle Rustle!" shouted Crump.
(2,500 ATK)
Then, to Stan's shock, it glowed, and its Attack Score increased to 3,500.
"How…" he said.
"That would be my Deckmaster…" said Crump with a grin. "You see, once per turn, if I Special Summon a Machine, he can boost its Score by a thousand points for one turn.
"Even better, one of those three cards I junked was my Dummy Marker, and that means I get to draw once."
He made a draw.
"Valkyria, stop!" shouted Stan, as the Spellcaster backed off.
"Oh, you don't get off that easy," said Crump. "You see, when Hustle Rustle is summoned, it deals out 200 points of damage for each card I destroyed to summon it!"
Three cards appeared in front of the train, and it plowed through them, shooting powdered snow at Stan through its throwers.
(S: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 8,000)
"I… uh… End my turn…" said Stan.
As he said that, Hustle Rustle's Attack Score returned to 2,500. Crump drew a card.
"I'll set a Monster," he said, as a reversed Monster appeared, "and then my Monster is gonna mow yours down!"
The train sped forward, plowing into Mataza and crushing him as Valkyria screamed. Stan was almost thrown backwards, but to his surprise, Vivian helped brace him from the blow.
(S: 6,100) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 8,000)
Stan slowly got up.
"Seems this system has its benefits…" he muttered. "Anything yet on the Deckmaster effect Vivian?"
'I'm thinking…" said Vivian, sadly.
"Vivian, you know, you really should have asked first…" replied Stan.
"I… I just wanted to help…" stammered Vivian.
"Oh please… Don't cry…" said Stan.
"Francesca…" said Andy. "Do you think it's possible that… Vivian has no Deckmaster ability at all?"
Francesca looked a little worried as he said that.
"She might not…" she said. "After all, her card isn't in the I2 database, as far as I know… And if someone working for the Queen put this system into place, I really don't think that the she would have gone out of her way to accommodate us."
Stan had clearly overheard them, and he was worried too. But that was nothing compared to Vivian. She looked more upset than ever.
"It's your move, sucker," said Crump.
Stan made a draw, and then looked over his cards.
It's nothing more than another big Monster, he thought, as he chose one, and just like all the other big Monsters I've beaten, beating this one just takes a little strategy…
"I throw down a face-down card," he said, as a set card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and then sacrifice Valkyria…"
The Spellcaster vanished into an orb of light.
"…to summon Gagaga Druid…"
The mysterious, robed, cowled Spellcaster appeared, glaring at Crump with glowing eyes. (2,200 ATK)
"I guess that guy's better than the others," said Crump, "but I doubt he's more powerful than a locomotive!"
"You have a lot of nerve, fellah" growled Stan. "And Gagaga Druid will be strong enough to destroy your train once I Equip him with Bound Wand!"
He played the card, and Druid's shillelagh vanished, replaced by the ruby-tipped wand. (2,800 ATK)
"Attack!" he shouted. "Derail that crazy train!"
Gagaga Druid fired a blast, and the whole room lit up as Hustle Rustle's furnace ruptured, blowing it to scrap.
"I sent your train to the scrap heap," said Stan.
"Eh, parting is such sweet sorrow…" said Crump. "My move now…"
(S: 6,100) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 7,700)
He drew, and then grinned even wider.
"I summon Bokoichi the Freightening Car!" he shouted.
He played the card, and a large train boxcar with a mean-looking face on the front appeared in front of him. (500 ATK)
"Next, I play Machine Duplication," he said, as he played a Spell Card, "which I can do because Bokoichi has only 500 Attack Points…"
Two more of the Freightening Cars appeared in front of him. (500 ATK x2)
"Three Freightening Cars…" said Francesca. "Then his set Monster could only be…"
"You got it!" laughed Crump, as his face-down Monster flipped face-up. "Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive!"
An iron locomotive, also with a mean-looking face on the front, appeared alongside the three boxcars. (1,400 ATK)
"When Dekoichi is flipped, I get to draw one card, plus another for each Bokoichi I have!" he laughed.
He made four draws quickly.
"Yeah?" said Andy. "Well your Freightening Cars aren't as frightening as they look. They only have 500 Attack Points each, and are in Attack Mode right now."
"Good point…" said Crump.
He played a card, and a Polymerization card appeared in front of him. A vortex opened, and all four of his Machines were sucked through it.
"A four-Monster Fusion Summon?" gasped Andy.
"Technically, I only have to fuse Dekoichi and one Bokoichi to Fusion Summon this Monster," said Crump, "but the more the better…"
A portal opened again, and the sound of another train coming sounded through the room.
As the three duelists watched, a locomotive sped through the portal that was much bigger and even nastier-looking than Dekoichi. Its iron hull was covered with spikes and blades, and it had Ben Hur style spikes on its wheels.
"Meet the Iron Dark Horse!" shouted Crump. "And its Attack Score is 800 for each Bokoichi I used to summon it…"
(2,400 ATK)
"And don't forget, I can use my Deckmaster's effect to increase its Attack Score by 1,000 for one turn…"
(3,400 ATK)
"Vivian…" muttered Stan. "If you can do anything, now would be a good time…"
Vivian really looked like she was about to cry now, but there was no time for Stan to say anything about it. Iron Dark Horse was rushing at Gagaga Druid at full speed. He was knocked backwards again as Druid was crushed, and this time, Vivian wasn't able to brace him.
"I use… the effect of Bound Wand…" he gasped.
"Actually, you don't," said Crump. "Due to Iron Dark Horse's effect, your Monster isn't sent to the Graveyard. It's sent to your deck, and the deck is then reshuffled."
(S: 5,500) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 7,700)
"This certainly isn't getting any prettier…" said Andy.
"I'm starting to think that Crump wasn't the big joke we thought he was…" replied Francesca.
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Meanwhile…
Crump may have been winning at the moment, but his employer wasn't all-too happy about it…
"GRODUS!" shouted the Shadow Queen.
Sir Grodus rushed into the throne room, nearly tripping as he did so.
"Uh, is there a problem, your majesty?" he said.
He shuddered as he looked at her, which answered his question. A sickly green aura of energy surrounded her.
He knew what that meant. Not only was there a problem, it was a problem that had made her even angrier than usual. When that aura appeared, it usually meant that someone was going to die horribly.
She pointed to her crystal ball, where the duel between Stan and Crump was being shown.
"Do you mind explaining this?" she asked.
"Uh…" said Grodus.
"I seem to recall giving Crump a direct order not to confront them…" said the Queen with a scowl.
"Uhm, truthfully, I can't explain it," stammered Grodus. "Other than to say that he has disobeyed you…
"Although, quite frankly, I'm shocked that even Crump could be that stupid…"
The Shadow Queen looked at the crystal ball for a minute. The aura around her subsided a little, but didn't go away entirely.
She looked at a table next to her throne, on which the vial that had held the Potion of Bravery was resting.
Stupid? she thought. I think not… More like incredibly reckless…
"Uh, if you want, we can stop the duel…" said Grodus. "Although… He does seem to be winning…"
"Point taken…" said the Queen, as she crossed her arms. "We'll see what happens for now…
"If nothing else, it might be amusing…"
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"I end my turn," said Crump, "which means, again, that my Deckmaster's effect on Iron Dark Horse wears off."
(2,400 ATK)
Stan drew a card. His eyes lit up when he saw it.
Thanks for the card, Cleo, he thought.
He chose another card from his hand, and played it, Gagaga Kaiser appeared in front of him. (1,800 ATK)
"Now, because I control a Monster with the word 'Gagaga' in its name," he said, "I can Special Summon Gagaga Clerk."
He played the card, and a young, auburn-haired woman with very long pigtails appeared next to Kaiser. She wore a black vest and skirt, a long white jacket, white knee-high boots (with heels) and long white gloves. The Gagaga insignia was on her collar. She carried a leather-bound book under her arm. (400 ATK)
"Oh please," said Crump. "You think I'm scared of a secretary?"
"You should be more scared of Kaiser right now," said Stan.
He took Mataza's card from his discard slot.
"Because by banishing a Level 3 Monster, his effect causes all Monsters I have with the word 'Gagaga' in their names to become Level 3."
Kaiser and Clerk turned into two orbs of energy, and the spiraling vortex appeared.
"So with the Overlay Network formed, I can bring out Muzurhythm the String Djinn!"
A spotlight fell from the ceiling, and the fiendish guitarist appeared, strumming a very familiar tune.
"Hear that?" asked Stan. "It's 'pasodoble', a type of music that they play at bullfights when the matador makes his entrance.
"Matadors fight bulls, and they win most of the time, just like my Djinn is going to smash your big train!"
Muzurhythm charged at the monstrous locomotive, vigorously playing louder as he did. Stan discarded Kaiser's card, and the String Djinn shot up to 3,000 Attack Points. Crump braced himself as Iron Dark Horse exploded into scrap much like Hustle Rustle had.
Stan's face-down card lifted up.
"I activate Call of the Haunted!" he shouted.
Magician's Valkyria sprang onto the field again.(1,600 ATK)
"Show Lord Crump a lesson, Valkyria!" he said, as the Spellcaster flew towards the henchman.
"Not the best idea!" laughed Crump.
Then there was the ringing of warning signals as a railroad crossing sign appeared next to Crump.
"What?" said Stan.
"When's it gonna get through your thick skull that trying to attack me directly is a bad idea?" laughed Crump. "Because you did, I have the green light to summon Construction Train Signal Red!"
The Machine that appeared was, indeed, red. It was a railway buffer with two mechanical arms. (1,000 ATK)
Machine King glowed, and its Attack Score rose to 2,000.
"And guess what, wimp?" laughed Crump. "Thanks to its other effect, Valkyria can't call off her attack this time!"
Unfortunately, it was true. Valkyria, tried to stop, but wasn't able to. Construction Train Signal Red grabbed her by the waist with one of its arms, and squeezed hard until she shattered.
(S: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 7,100)
This is bad… thought Andy. VERY bad! Issues or not, Crump is much better than we thought he was… Stan may very well lose…
"Had enough yet?" laughed Crump.
"I set this card…" said Stan, with a sigh, as a face-down card appeared in his Spell Zone, "and it's your move…"
Construction Train Signal Red fell back down to an Attack Score of 1,000.
"This is too easy!" laughed Crump. "Y'know, why stop after I've flattened you three? Once I finish with you, I think I'll look up Merlow and flatten him too!
"Then I'll find every would-be insurrectionist on Arcadia, and teach them a lesson!"
"Buddy, you have a serious attitude problem…" said Stan.
Crump drew, and then switched cards on his deck.
"Red, get lost!" he said, as the Machine vanished. "I'm getting rid of you to summon Steam Engine Loco Motion!"
As one might expect, the Monster's appearance was heralded by a cloud of steam. This odd train seemed to be modeled after a Steampunk-style locomotive, a high-tech train from that sort of speculative science fiction alternate reality. Still, it looked just as powerful as the other large trains Crump had summoned, if not more so. (2,200 ATK)
"Next, I'm playing the Limiter Removal Spell Card!" shouted Crump, as he played the card.
"Oh, come on!" shouted Francesca, as steam cascaded from Loco Motion's engines. "That's overkill!"
(4,400 ATK)
"Who cares?" laughed Crump. "Smash that Monster flat with Loco Motive!"
Stan barely even saw it coming this time. The train rushed at Muzurhythm, crushing him and throwing Stan on his back.
"STAN!" shouted Vivian.
"I'll be fine…" groaned Stan. "So long as I don't… have to… laugh or sneeze anytime soon…"
"Come on!" goaded Crump. "Get up so I can smash you and your freaks some more!"
As Stan sat up, Crump played another card.
"I'm playing Mystik Wok now!" he laughed. "Limiter Removal will trash my Monster when I end my turn…"
Loco Motion turned into motes of light.
"But if I can gain 4,400 Life Points before that happens, who cares?"
(S: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 11,500)
"I'm not gonna give up, Crump…" said Stan.
His face-down card lifted up.
"I use Shock Draw! Now I can draw two cards!"
He made two draws.
"Draw every card in your deck for all I care!" dared Crump.
He played a Spell Card.
"I'm not done… I'll play Fiend's Sanctuary to conjure up a Metal Fiend Token."
The small metal stickman appeared in Attack Mode. (0 ATK)
"Next…" he said, "as you remember, I had to destroy three of my cards in order to summon my Snow Plow Hustle Rustle. One of them was a special Trap Card called Buried Treasure…
"That Trap now has at least ten cards on top of it in my Graveyard pile, which means I can banish it so that both players can draw twice…"
Crump made two draws, and Stan did the same.
"And that's all for now," said Crump. "It's your move."
Stan made another draw.
"I summon Trident Warrior!" he shouted.
He played the card, and the muscular Warrior materialized in a shower of motes. (1,800 ATK)
"Through his effect, I can summon Familiar Knight…"
He played another card, and the knight in shining armor appeared, kneeling and crouching behind his shield. (1,400 DEF)
I can't attack that Token… he thought. I'd be the one taking damage!
I can only hope I can find some way to destroy it… With the amount of Life Points he has, he can afford to maintain it for eleven of his turns!
He threw another card into his Disk, and a set card appeared behind his two Monsters.
"Done!" he shouted.
Crump laughed evilly as he made his draw.
"Think I will… not pay the cost to keep my Metal Fiend Token…" he said.
The Token shattered.
"But…" he said. "I am going to play this Monster Reborn card…"
"Oh shit…" said Francesca, as the glowing holy symbol appeared. "He's summoning that Loco Motion thing…"
"Actually…" said Crump. "No… I can't Special Summon that one… I have something else in mind.
Then the Monster appeared, and it was a big surprise. It was Iron Dark Horse.
"Say WHAT?" shouted Andy. "Wait… If you summon that from the Graveyard, doesn't that mean…"
(0 ATK)
"Why on earth would you do that?" asked Stan.
"True, it is powerless if I summon it in any way other than a Fusion…" said Crump. "Powerless, but not worthless.
"This next Monster's name is a mouthful… And the Monster itself is gonna be a handful… The Strongarm Limited Express – Trolley Rolley."
The portal opened again, and with the clanging of bells, another train sped out. An expert on rail history would likely have recognized that it was modeled after the Pennsylvania Railroad EMD SW 1 yard switcher locomotive, but such trivia didn't matter to Crump. (1,000 ATK)
"Now, I play the Spell Card, Star Light, Star Bright…"
Stan turned white in the face.
"What?" gasped Francesca. "What does that do?"
"If two Monsters have the same Attack Score or the same Defense Score…" stammered Stan, "that card makes one of them the same Level as the other…"
"You got that right!" laughed Crump. "And because Iron Dark Horse and Trolley Rolley both have a Defense Score of 1,000, that means Trolley Rolley is now Level 7."
The two Machines were consumed in the dark vortex.
"So, I can build the Overlay Network to summon something truly special! I'm sick of playing with toy trains… Time for something more lethal…"
Slowly, a huge, bulky, humanoid robot rose out of the vortex…
And to Stan and Francesca, it was very, very familiar…
(2,500 ATK)
"What…" said Francesca. "That's the Magnus von Grapple!"
"Yeah…" said Stan. "Only bigger, with more armor…"
"This is the Magnus von Grapple 2.0!" laughed Crump.
"The first one was a little buggy, but like Smithy said, if a machine gets junked, you can not only rebuild it, you can rebuild it so it's better than before!
"And not only does my Deckmaster add 1,000 points to its score this turn, but because of Trolley Rolley's effect, it gains 800 more Attack Points.
"Want more? I'm banishing the Skill Successor Trap Card from my Graveyard, to give it 800 more points!"
(5,100 ATK)
Stan started to sweat heavily… His face-down card was Xyz Reborn… It couldn't stop this thing…
"But wait, there's more!" laughed Crump. "Because I have no other cards on the field, I can trash one of its Overlay Units so that this mean Machine can attack directly!"
"NO!" screamed Francesca.
"YES!" cackled Crump, as nasty missile launchers appeared on the awful Machine's arms.
Stan closed his eyes and bowed his head.
"Andy, Francesca…" he muttered. "Sorry… This is as far as I go…"
"Touching…" said Crump. "Magnus von Grapple… DESTROY him!"
The thing aimed, and a red crosshairs appeared on Stan's torso…
Then Stan heard Vivian screaming at him.
"STAN!" she shouted. "Discard one of your cards!"
Stan's eyes opened with a start.
"What?" he asked.
"DO it!" she screamed.
Stan took Frontier Wiseman, one of his two remaining cards, and threw it into his discard slot. Then, just as the Magnus von Grapple 2.0 launched its deadly barrage of artillery, Vivian grabbed hold of Stan. They both vanished into the shadows, and the missiles exploded harmlessly.
"What?" said Crump.
A few tense seconds passed, and then Stan and Vivian reappeared again.
Stan glared at Crump. Then he smiled.
"Seems Vivian had a pretty useful Deckmaster effect after all…" he said.
"You see, Andy was only half-right. Because our Companions' cards weren't programmed into whatever system is running these new house rules, they weren't assigned any Deckmaster effects… Originally.
"But… Someone seems to have upgraded the system, and gave them some. Because this was a recent upgrade, it took Vivian a while to realize just what her ability was.
"Her ability is a variation of her true effect. Instead of being able to protect a Monster from an attack, she can use her Veil to protect me from a direct attack."
Crump snarled at him.
"You know, Crump, it's kind of ironic…" added Stan. "If you had chosen to attack Trident Warrior instead of attacking me, Vivian wouldn't have been able to do anything, and with Magnus von Grapple 2.0 at 5,100 Attack Points, you would have reduced my Life Points to zero and would have won!"
"I end my turn…" hissed Crump. "So the boosts my Monster got from my Deckmaster and Skill Successor both wear off…"
(3,300 ATK)
"But it still has more than three-grand, and it still has one more use of its effect! And I have 3,500 more Life Points than what I started with! You still can't beat me!"
Stan looked at the remaining card in his hand.
Then he drew a card.
Well, what have I got to lose? he thought, as he looked at it.
"I play Card of Variation…" he said. "I draw two cards now… But… I either discard one when I end my turn, or I lose 3,000 Life Points…"
He made two draws.
He looked at Crump.
Then an odd look appeared on Crump's face. He held his stomach.
"What…" he said. "What's happening?"
"I'll tell you what's happening," said Stan, as his Xyz Reborn card lifted up. "I'm using this Trap Card to Special Summon Muzurhthym from the Graveyard, with one Overlay Unit."
Again, the String Djinn appeared, playing his guitar more slowly this time. (1,500 ATK)
"Then…" said Stan, as he played another Spell Card, "my Star Changer will reduce Trident Warrior's Level from 4 to 3."
The vortex appeared, and the Overlay Network formed again.
"That means I can Overlay him and Familiar Knight," he said, as the two Monsters were drawn through.
There was a rapping of drums, and Temtempo the Percussion Djinn appeared. (1,700 ATK)
"And by using his effect," said Stan, as he discarded Trident Warrior's card, "I can relieve your Xyz Monster of its other Overlay Unit, and then boost the Attack Scores of both my Djinns by 500!"
Temtempo started to beat his drums with glee as Iron Dark Horse's card was pulled out of Magnus von Grapple 2.0, and shattered. (Muzurhythm: 2,000 ATK, Temtempo: 2,200 ATK)
"Wait…" stammered Crump. "My head…"
He didn't quite realize it at the moment, but the two hours were up. The Potion of Bravery was wearing off, fast.
"I'm not done!" continued Stan. "I summon Gagaga Girl!"
There was a shower of rose petals, and the female Spellcaster gracefully appeared. (1,000 ATK)
"And then…" said Stan, as he played his last card, "I can use Monster Reborn!"
The holy symbol appeared in mid-air.
"Gagaga Kaiser, welcome back…"
The well-dressed soldier appeared, and Gagaga Girl smiled sweetly at him. (1,800 ATK)
"Now, let's build the Overlay Unit one more time…" he said, as the two of them turned to the vortex of energy, "and make this duet into a whole band."
In a flash, Melomelody the Brass Djinn appeared next to the others. (1,400 ATK)
"Whoa…" said Andy. "Three Djinns at once? Is that a record?"
"Yep…" said Stan. "Getting all four on the field at once would probably be my biggest achievement as a duelist, but there's no time for that now.
"Anyway… With Gagaga Girl's effect," added Francesca, "Magnus von Grapple is about to get weaker… Big time!"
It was only too true, to Crump's horror. The huge Machine shuddered and shook… (0 ATK)
"No, NO!" said Crump, in panic. "I… I gotta get out of here…"
He was about to turn and run… But then, a voice echoed through the chamber.
"CRUMP!" shouted the Shadow Queen's voice, startling everyone.
Crump froze.
"Finish the duel, Crump…" she said, "or you won't only be a coward, you'll be one dead coward…"
Crump trembled, and then turned back to the duel. As frightened as he was of Stan and his three Djinns right now, he was scared of the Shadow Queen much, much more…
"Ahem," said Stan, as he discarded Melomelody's card. "As I was saying… By using the Brass Djinn's effect, Muzurhythm can attack twice this turn.
"And he's going to use the first attack to smash Magnus von Grapple 2.0! And he'll use his effect while he does it too! Go!"
The String Djinn started playing the refrain to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" as he made a dash for the huge Machine. His Attack Score shot up to 4,000, and Lord Crump screamed as his Machine Xyz was blown in fiery-hot metal.
"Now he attacks directly! And let me tell you Crump, I've been waiting all duel for this…"
The Djinn started spinning around like a whirlwind, and Crump screamed again…
"Temtempo, you next!" exclaimed Stan. "Death solo!"
The Percussion Djinn pounded on his drums, and a powerful wave of sound shot at Crump.
"Melomelody…" started Stan. "Finish that lug off with Melodic Wave!"
The female Djinn put her lips to the mouthpiece of the huge horn, and a sonic blast hit Crump, throwing him backwards, and against the wall.
(S: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 0)
Stan simply looked at the punch-drunk Crump for a few seconds…
Then the three Djinns vanished, and so did Crump, as he was seemingly consumed by a dark shadow.
"Man, Stan," said Andy. "That must have been the closest call you ever had…"
"I know…" said Stan.
He looked at Vivian. The rest of the Companions appeared around them, one by one.
"I'm really glad you finally figured it out…" he said, "but there is one thing bugging me…
"If you guys didn't have Deckmaster effects in this system to start out… Who gave you them?"
"Sorry, Stan," said Vivian, "that's one thing I really don't know."
They all looked at Goombella.
"I have no idea either…" she said.
"Terrific…" said Yoshi. "We have a mystery on our hands that even the brain of the group can't figure out…"
"Yeah, well…" said Flurrie, "at least we all know what they are now…"
They looked and saw the exit to the room in front of them. It was the only way to go, other than back to the kiosk or the way they came.
"Well…" said Francesca. "The Palace of Shadow proper awaits…"
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In the Queen's throne room, Crump was on his knees in front of his employer, who was clearly still very angry. Grodus was standing nearby.
"Let's see, Crump…" she said. "Breaking into one of my private rooms, stealing one of my experiments, disobeying a direct order…
"I swear, Crump, I'm willing to bet that most of my brainwashed slaves are smarter than you are!"
"Mercy…" begged Crump.
She stood up, and grabbed him by the throat, then lifted him into the air.
"Mercy?" she said. "Oh, I don't think so…"
"I can't breathe…" gasped Crump.
"That's because I'm choking you, you moron!" said the Queen.
"Your majesty?" said Grodus. "A word?"
"Can it wait?" growled the Queen.
"I realize that what Crump has done is reprehensible," said Grodus, "and that you want to eviscerate him right now, and that he probably deserves it…"
"Get to the point!" demanded the Queen.
"However…" continued Grodus, "I should remind you that in order to summon or even communicate with demonic armies like the Company of Malice, you need more than your own magic. You need a conduit, and a conduit is unique to the species of demon. Crump and I are the last two surviving conduits to the Company of Malice. If you get rid of Crump and something were to happen to me…"
"There'd be no way for me to summon them again…" said the Queen.
She looked at Crump in disgust, and then dropped him. Truthfully, that was probably the only reason why she had put up with this fool for so long.
She glared at him for a minute.
"Fine, Crump…" she said. "Grodus has given me a good reason to spare your mangy hide… For now…
"I'll simply put him in charge of punishing you."
She motioned to Grodus, and the sorcerer grabbed the henchman by the collar.
"I can't believe you stood up for me…" stammered Crump.
"Yeah, I'm having a hard time believing it too," growled Grodus. "You can consider this your once-in-a-lifetime-only-the-gods-know-why-I'm-being-so-nice-to-you-Get-Out-of-Jail-Free-card.
"Move it! You're gonna clean the bathrooms until they're spotless."
The Queen waited until they had left, and then closed her eyes. At the same time, the six Shadow Spawn heard her telepathic voice in their heads.
Children! she ordered. Get in here right now…
It's time for a chat…
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DUMMY MARKER (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: An explorer placing a fake marker in a cave.
Card Description: When this set card you control is destroyed, draw 1 card. If it is destroyed by the effect of your opponent's Spell Card, draw 1 additional card.
Note: "Dummy Marker" was first used by Judai in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Unleashing the Dragon (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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SNOW PLOW HUSTLE RUSTLE (Monster Card)
Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl10/2,500ATK/3,000DEF
Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. When your opponent declares a direct attack, destroy all cards in your Spell/Trap Zone to Special Summon this card from your hand and inflict 200 points of damage to your opponent for every card destroyed in this manner.
Note: "Snow Plow Hustle Rustle" was first used by Anna in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode "Love Hurts". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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STRONGARM LIMITED EXPRESS – TROLLEY ROLLEY (Monster Card)
Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,000ATK/1,000DEF
Effect: When this card is used for the Xyz Summon of an Xyz Monster, the Xyz Summoned Monster gains 800 Attack Points.
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CONSTRUCTION TRAIN SIGNAL RED (Monster Card)
Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl3/1,000ATK/1,000DEF
Effect: When your opponent declares a direct attack, you may Special Summon this card from your hand in Attack Position. The Monster that declared the attack must then battle this card.
Note: "Strongarm Limited Express – Trolley Rolley" and "Construction Train Signal Red" were first used by Anna in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal" episode 052. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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BURIED TREASURE (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A gang of pirates digging up a treasure chest on a beach.
Card Description: When this card is in your Graveyard, and 10 or more cards are on top of it, you may banish it; if you do, both players may draw 2 cards.
Note: "Buried Treasure" first appeared in "Legend of the Sorcerer Kings".
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IRON DARK HORSE (Monster Card)
Machine/Dark/Fusion/Effect/Lvl7/?ATK/1,000DEF
"Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive" + 1 or more "Bokoichi the Freightening Car"
Effect: A Fusion Summon of this card can only be conducted using the above-named Fusion Material Monsters. This card's ATK equals 800 for each "Bokoichi the Freightening Card" used as a Fusion Material Monster. If this card destroys an opposing Monster by battle, return the destroyed Monster to your opponent's deck without sending it to the Graveyard; the deck is then reshuffled.
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STEAM ENGINE LOCO MOTION (Monster Card)
Machine/Earth/Effect/Lvl6/2,200ATK/800DEF
Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned. Once per turn, if your opponent activates a Spell or Trap Card that would destroy exactly 1 or your face-up Machine-Type Monsters, you can negate the activation of that card and destroy it. If you do, reduce the ATK of this card to zero until the End Phase of the turn.
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MAGNUS VON GRAPPLE 2.0 (Monster Card)
Machine/Dark/Xyz/Effect/Rank7/2,500ATK/2,000DEF
2 Level 7 Machine-Type Monsters
Effect: If you control no cards other than this one, you may detach 1 Xyz Material from this card during your Main Phase 1; this card may attack directly this turn. If you use this effect, skip your Main Phase 2.
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"Machine King": (Machine/Earth/Level 6/2,200ATK/2,000DEF) Deckmaster Effect: "High Octane": Once per turn, when a Machine-Type Monster is Special Summoned to your side of the field: increase its ATK by 1,000 until the End Phase of the turn.
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"Vivian the Shadow Siren": (Spellcaster/Dark/Level4/1,800ATK/1,000DEF) Deckmaster Effect: "Vivian's Veil": Once per turn, you may discard 1 card from you hand to reduce the damage you take from a direct attack to zero.
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Stan has survived his first battle inside the Palace of Shadow… But if this was any indication, it's going to be far deadlier from here on in than it was on the outside. Even worse, while our heroes were able to find friends and allies on the outside, they likely won't find any in this place…
Will they?
Next:
Francesca: When I met Jackson the first time, I didn't think he was anything special. I thought he was nothing more than the same extraverted lout that I had met several times before.
Boy, was I wrong. It seems that Jackson is much more than that, and not for the better. It seems he will sink to any low, no matter how immoral or how downright evil, to get what he wants. This is truly a case of a guy who won't accept no for an answer, even he needs to make a deal with the devil to force a girl to say yes.
I haven't dealt with someone this bad before… And maybe that's why I'm agreeing to this duel…
"A Deal With Dark Ruler" is coming soon.