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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
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Rasputin versus Cassandra
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Battle in the Realm of Thought
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As the five of them left the arboretum, Chelsea had her arm around Yumi, both to comfort her, and to prevent her from collapsing, which Chelsea feared might happen any minute.
"Don't worry, Yumi," said Chelsea. "We're all at Gold… None of us have to duel again until the finals…
"We'll take it easy tonight… The two of us can order out…"
She grinned and whispered into Yumi's ear.
"…maybe order some spicy movies on the hotel channel that our parents would never let us watch…"
"Yeah…" said Yumi, with a weak smile. "I'd like that… A rest for a night…"
They didn't know that a block away, Rasputin and his two protégés were watching…
…watching with disbelief.
"She's alive…" muttered Rasputin.
He stared for a minute.
"Impossible…"
He frowned.
"Two of my men died… Another is in a coma… My homunculus was destroyed… And yet, Yumi walks away unharmed? It doesn't make sense…"
"Look on the bright side," said Olga. "At least you have one of the most powerful Shadow Charms."
Rasputin looked at the Rod of the Ancients with a quizzical look.
"Mmm," said Nicholas. "Even though you took a stupid risk to get it. I still don't believe you put that Trap Card in your deck."
Rasputin didn't answer. He leafed though his deck, and found the Power Wall card. He looked at it…
Truthfully, he didn't ever put it in his deck. He had heard of this card before, but he had never considered obtaining a copy.
He frowned. He had a pretty good idea where this had come from, and he didn't like it…
"As the great Bard once said," he said, as he shuffled it back into his deck, "something is rotten in Denmark. Yumi knows something… And whatever it is, I want to know it too…"
"Uhm, I have a suggestion," said Olga.
Rasputin looked at her.
"Uh…" said Olga, "this is probably a long shot, but that Russian duelist I beat gave me this."
She handed Rasputin a business card. He looked at it.
Madame Cassandra
Fortunes told! Futures revealed!
Open 9PM to 3AM
"Olga, you know I don't trust soothsayers…" he muttered.
"I know their kind… Prophets, mediums, fortunetellers…Charlatans. They're all liars and con artists. Trust me, in my long life, I've met many of these scoundrels, each of them more underhanded than the last.
"And ones that can truly see the future are even worse… I heard stories about a duelist who could, who went insane and started some crazy cult…"
"Uhm, that guy wasn't insane," muttered Nicholas. "He was possessed by some evil entity from outer space."
Rasputin looked at him.
"Run that by me again…" he said.
"I could explain it, but it gets a little bizarre about halfway through," replied Nicholas.
"Look, this one might work," said Olga. "That Russian duelist… She saw her the first night, and this Cassandra told her to look for love by dueling someone at a certain spot. She told me that after she did, her nights here weren't as lonely as she expected them to be."
Rasputin looked closely at the card. His eyes narrowed.
"Hmmm…" he said.
"Well… It's not like I have anything planned at nine tonight anyway…"
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It was close to nine PM when the door to Yumi's hotel room buzzed.
Chelsea peered through the peephole, and as she expected, the pizza guy was there.
"Hi," he said, as she opened the door, "I have an order here, two large, deep dish, three-sausage pizzas…"
"Got it…" said Chelsea holding up her badge. "Here, add five-dollars for yourself."
The pizza guy stared at her as she scanned the badge.
"A five-dollar tip for two pizzas?" he asked. "What are you, rich?"
"No," said Chelsea, "just happy to have gotten out of a bad situation…"
She took the pizzas to the living room, where Yumi was waiting.
"Oh, this is great," giggled Chelsea, opening one of the pizza boxes. "Yumi… I can't remember the last time the two of us just had a private 'girls' time'."
"We should do it more often…" said Yumi, taking a slice.
She paused.
"Chelsea…" she asked, "do you believe in… extraterrestrial life?"
"Mmm…" said Chelsea, between chews. "Well, I won't say no, but I'd have to see some before I say yes."
Yumi paused again.
"What would you say…" asked Yumi, "if the ruler of… some alien empire wanted you to help him rule?"
Chelsea looked at her strangely.
"Okay, I didn't expect a question like that," she said.
"Oh, never mind…" said Yumi. "Want to play Truth or Dare?"
Chelsea giggled.
"Okay, you go first," she said.
"Truth," said Yumi.
"What's the theme of your second deck?" asked Chelsea.
Yumi's eyes narrowed. She took one large bite of pizza.
"I'll tell you…" she said, "but breathe a word of this to anyone, and you're gonna be the first duelist who gets flattened by it…"
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Rasputin looked up at the two sinister eyes above Cassandra's door.
As he walked in, the fortuneteller was sitting at her table, looking at a card she had just drawn.
Figures, she thought, putting it back.
"Soothsayer," said Rasputin, "I heard you were the real deal."
Cassandra's only answer was to look at him with a cold stare.
He stared back.
"I need answers," said Rasputin.
"I cannot give them," replied Cassandra.
"What?" said Rasputin. "Listen, soothsayer, I came because…"
"Because you are puzzled by Yumi's resilience, and you want to know her secrets," replied Cassandra. "I know them, but you will not."
Rasputin walked up to the table.
"Don't make me force you…" he said.
He held up the Rod of the Ancients.
"An empty threat," said Cassandra. "You have no idea yet how to use that Charm's power."
Rasputin's eyes narrowed.
"You have no idea what I'm capable of…" he said.
"On the contrary," she replied, "I know exactly what you are capable of, practitioner of infernal alchemy."
Rasputin stepped back in shock…
He had never told anyone that he practiced infernal alchemy…
His eyes narrowed again.
"So you know…" he said. "Then you obviously realize how dangerous I can be… How do you know that I don't have with me a dose of thrall powder that I could use on you right this moment?"
"First of all, I'm immune to such concoctions," replied Cassandra. "Second, I know you don't have any with you. The only things you have with you right now are your Disk, deck, side deck, wallet, watch, cell phone, and the gold ball point pen in the hidden pocket of your jacket that you've been looking for for two days now."
Rasputin drew back in surprise again. He felt for that pocket.
Sure enough, that pen was there. He had never realized that he had put it there.
"Well then…" said Rasputin, looming over her. "There is the fact that I'm a strong, healthy male, while you're a tender, young female…"
His hand fell on her shoulder…
Then her hand grabbed his hand in a powerful vice grip.
She angrily glared at him.
"Once, when I was younger and more 'tender'," she snarled, "a cretin made a similar mistake, and approached me with thoughts of rape… By the time I was done with him, he was begging me to call the constabulary…"
Rasputin started to sweat. Cassandra glared at him and slowly released him.
"I'm not unreasonable…" she said. "And maybe there's a way I can teach you humility, Rasputin…
"You want to know how Yumi survived… I'll let you know her secrets, perhaps… But only once I lie defeated at your feet."
"You mean… duel?" asked Rasputin.
Cassandra stood up.
"Yes…" she replied. "After all, that is how duelists do things, is it not? We are both duelists…
"But one condition… We duel at my arena…"
Rasputin looked at her.
"I accept!" he said.
Cassandra smiled evilly.
Her eyes burned with purple fire. The room started to warp and twist…
"What's happening?" shouted Rasputin. "Stop this!"
"Too late…" replied Cassandra. "You accepted my challenge… Now you must duel me… At my arena…"
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"No way…" muttered Chelsea.
"Yes way…" replied Yumi. "My grandfather… He started looking for the cards right after he got back from Duelist Kingdom. After the rules changed with Battle City, he got more serious…
"He never completed the deck, but my dad started where he left off. And even he never finished it.
"I added the last card two weeks ago. It's finally done…"
"So why don't you use it?" asked Chelsea.
"I want to save it for a special occasion," said Yumi. "Trust me, I will eventually… I'm just waiting for the right time…
"Remember the deal… You tell anyone, I test it out on you."
"My lips are sealed!" said Chelsea, nervously.
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"Where the devil…" said Rasputin, holding his head.
He looked around…
He was standing on a rocky surface, and above and to all sides was a silvery, glowing void. Strange shapes that he couldn't make out floated in the ether.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"The Realm of Thought," said Cassandra's voice.
She appeared twenty paces in front of him.
"Look, woman…" said Rasputin. "I may be an alchemist, but actual acts of sorcery I usually steer clear of."
"Don't fret," said Cassandra. "This realm, the Astral Plane, is a fitting battleground, because it represents both of us.
"Me, because it is the Realm of Thought, and my powers derive from thought.
"As for you, as you might know, there have been times in the past when powerful entities, beings that some would call gods, have perished.
"Sometimes they simply lose all their worshippers, lose all their power, and die from a sort of spiritual starvation… Or whatever they represent no longer exists, depriving them of a purpose, giving them no reason to be…
"Or perhaps a mighty battle occurs where titans clash, and a divine force is slain… It has happened at times…
"But anyway, whenever a god dies, whether it is with a whimper or a bang, its body is transported to the Astral, where it becomes a giant island of stone.
"Thus, this place fits your ideals… It proves that gods can die.
"In fact, we're standing on one right now, though I won't reveal its identity."
All of a sudden, Rasputin became excited… He had heard stories… Stories about how the corpses of dead gods held priceless minerals that could be used for powerful alchemical solutions…
"Don't even think about it," said Cassandra. "Even if I let you, and I won't, there are powerful entities here that protect these god-islands from being desecrated.
"Now… Like I said… I will only reveal my secrets when I lie defeated at your feet. So now… We duel…"
"Very well…" said Rasputin, placing his deck into his Disk.
"After all, I beat the Princess of Games. How hard could you be?"
Cassandra raised her left arm, and a Disk that seemed to be made of pure glass with a flared tray appeared on it.
The two Disks activated.
"Duel…" she said.
(Cassandra: 8,000) -------------------- (Rasputin: 8,000)
"The first move is yours," said Cassandra.
Rasputin drew his first card, and looked over his hand.
Not a bad start… he thought.
He placed a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"That will do," he said.
Cassandra drew a card.
"I summon… Arcana Force III: The Empress," she exclaimed.
She placed a card on her Disk, and a tall form materialized. It looked like a vaguely female creature with glowing eyes, tendrils in place of hair, and claws, clothed in a blue bodysuit with a very high collar. (1,300/1,300)
"Erk!" gasped Rasputin. "And people say MY Monsters are creepy! So what does that thing do?"
"This 'thing', as you put it, has two effects," replied Cassandra. "Which one it gets depends on who's luck is better…"
The Empress's card appeared over it, and started to spin.
"Simply say when you want the card to stop, and it will do the rest…"
"Stop that card!" shouted Rasputin.
The card slowed, and came to a halt right-side-up.
"Here's the deal, Rasputin…" said Cassandra. "Whenever you Normal Summon a Monster, The Empress's upright effect will allow me to summon one."
"Heh…" said Rasputin. "Too bad it won't be around for long… I can kill it with no problem…"
"Then by all means, try," replied Cassandra. "I end my turn…"
Rasputin drew a card.
He looked at The Empress.
What is she planning? he thought. It has only 1,300 Attack Points, and she has no facedown cards… She should know I could destroy it without half-trying…
He looked at the card he had drawn.
Not bad… he thought.
"I summon… Darkfire Soldier #2," he said.
He played the card, and a Pyro appeared clothed in a fiery kimono, holding two blazing katana blades. He held them up dramatically. (1,700/1,100)
"I activate The Empress's effect," said Cassandra. "I summon its companion… Arcana Force IV: The Emperor!"
In a flash of light, the much bigger Monster, the one made of black metal with no legs, claws, bat-like wings, and a skull-like face appeared. (1,400/1,400)
"And once again…" said Cassandra.
The card appeared, and started to spin.
"Okay, stop!" shouted Rasputin.
The card stopped, landing right-side-up.
"That means that all Monsters on my side of the field with the words 'Arcana Force' in their names gain 500 Attack Points," said Cassandra.
The Empress rose to an Attack of 1,800, while The Emperor itself rose to 1,900.
"Now…" continued Cassandra. "You were saying that killing my Empress would be no problem?"
Rasputin looked at her angrily.
"I end my turn!" he shouted.
Cassandra drew a card.
"I summon… Arcana Force II: The High Priestess!" she shouted.
A new Monster materialized. This one resembled light carved into a female form, carrying an orb in either hand and seated in a ruby throne. (1,200/1,200) –) (1,700/1,200)
The card appeared above it, and started to spin.
"I'm not even gonna bother this time…" growled Rasputin.
The card slowly stopped, and landed upside-down.
"HA!" laughed Rasputin, as he started to glow with golden energy. "Looks like I win that one!"
"Indeed…" said Cassandra. "That means you gain 1,000 Life Points. But you'll need all the Life Points you can get…
"Empress, attack his Darkfire Soldier. Mystical blast."
The Empress put its hands together, forming a crackling globe of light. It hurled it at the Pyro, and he burst into an explosion of flame.
"Emperor, attack his facedown Monster."
Four metal claws shot forward. Stay Asmodian appeared on the card, and was torn apart.
"Thank you…" said Rasputin. "Now we both gain 800 more Life Points."
"High Priestess," said Cassandra, disregarding the comment, "attack directly. Flaming orbs."
The Priestess's two orbs burned with fire, and it hurled them at Rasputin. He cringed and staggered backwards.
(C: 8,800) -------------------- (R: 8,000)
Cassandra chuckled.
"The High Priestess is the card that represents Yumi, by the way," she said. "Ironic, isn't it?"
"All right…" growled Rasputin. "My move…"
He drew a card.
"I play… Graceful Charity…" he said.
He played the card. It was unlikely that any angel would ever appear to him, but his deck simply glowed, and he drew three cards.
He looked over his hand, and then discarded Little Chimera and Darkfire Soldier #1.
"If Normal Summoning is going to let you summon a Monster each time…" he said, "I'm just going to have to defend myself without Normal Summoning.
"First, I'll set a Monster in Defense Mode."
A facedown Monster appeared.
"Next, I'll remove Little Chimera from play to Special Summon Inferno. Defense Mode."
The card fell out of his discard slot, and the fire spirit, resembling a large bonfire, appeared in front of him. (1,100/1,900)
"Next…" he said, "I'll remove Stray Asmodian from play to Special Summon another one, also in Defense Mode."
Another card fell out of his discard slot, and another of the fiendish, fiery spirits appeared in a blaze of flames. It shielded itself in defense. (1,100/1,900)
"And that's all…"
Cassandra drew a card.
"I summon Arcana Force VI: The Lovers," she said.
She played the card, and in a burst of energy, a new Monster appeared. It was strange… It definitely did NOT suggest lovers. It was an armored figure with a helmet, and two arms that ended in metal mitts. (1,600/1,600) –) (2,100/1,600)
"I'm sure you know how it works…" she said.
The card appeared and started to spin…
"Grrr… Stop!" shouted Rasputin.
The card landed right-side-up.
"You're cheating, soothsayer!" shouted Rasputin.
"I've been accused of that several times," said Cassandra. "Many people have called me a cheater, liar, charlatan, and names I don't care to repeat.
"Bottom line, Rasputin, my powers are great, and my faith in the entities who granted me my powers is also great. Thus, the outcome is favorable for me most of the time.
"Especially here, the Astral Plane, at the source of my power, where it feeds me directly.
"Now where were we? Oh yes…
"Lovers… Attack the first Inferno with bright embrace."
The Lovers's eyes glowed, and a blast of multicolored orbs flew at Inferno. It exploded into a burst of fire.
"Emperor, attack the facedown Monster!"
The four claws shot forward. Abaki appeared on the card, and was ripped to pieces.
"That means we both lose 500 Life Points…" muttered Rasputin.
(C: 8,300) -------------------- (R: 7,500)
"I end my turn…" said Cassandra.
I'm getting mighty sick of this… thought Rasputin. I'm gonna have to deal with that Empress one last time to summon a powerful Monster…
He drew a card.
His eyes opened. It was Power Wall.
He looked at the other cards in his hand. He chose one.
"I play Premature Burial," he said.
He played the card, and Darkfire Soldier #2 reappeared. (1,700/1,100)
"Now, I sacrifice both my Monsters, to summon Flame Ogre."
Darkfire Soldier and Inferno vanished, and a hulking, muscular, bald giant with orange skin dressed in a ragged pair of trousers appeared in front of him. (2,400/1,700)
"His effect activates, letting me draw one card..."
He made a draw.
"And now The Empress's effect activates," said Cassandra. "The Monster I want to summon this time requires two sacrifices. And due to its upright effect, The Lovers can count as two sacrifices.
"So, I sacrifice The Lovers…"
The Lovers vanished…
"To summon Arcana Force XVIII: The Moon!"
In a burst of energy, a huge creature appeared. It looked like a giant chamber with a glass bubble on the front, with two thin arms on its sides with large hands, mounted on a mass of metal tendrils. (2,800/2,800) –) (3,300/2,800)
"That's no moon!" shouted Rasputin. "That's a space station!"
"Old pop culture references will not save you…" said Cassandra.
The card appeared above The Moon and started to spin. Rasputin was silent.
Eventually, it landed right-side-up.
"What a surprise…" growled Rasputin. "But I will not be denied…
"Flame Ogre, attack that blasted Empress! Flaming fist!"
Flame Ogre's fist became enveloped in fire, and it threw a punch, squashing The Empress flat.
"I place two cards facedown, and end my turn," said Rasputin.
Two facedown cards appeared behind Flame Ogre.
(C: 7,700) -------------------- (R: 6,700)
"I draw one card…" said Cassandra.
She smiled. Apparently, this was what she had been waiting for.
"The upright effect of The Moon activates, giving me something extra," she said.
The bubble on The Moon burst in an explosion of vile, blue liquid, and a small, alien creature leapt out, landing on all fours. (0/0)
"It's called a Moon Token. And now, I sacrifice it, and The High Priestess, in order to summon my mightiest Monster…"
The Token and The High Priestess vanished into sparkles of light…
Then an explosion of light erupted in front of Cassandra.
"I summon… Arcana Force XXI, also known as…
"THE WORLD!"
A titanic creature loomed over the field. It looked like a metal ring, etched with eldritch runes, mounted on a spire, with two mighty claws on each side. In the lower half of the ring was a small protrusion that suggested a face. (3,100/3,100) –) (3,600/3,100)
"Impressive, isn't it?" she asked.
"Kind of depends on your definition of 'impressive'," said Rasputin, looking at the huge creature.
The card appeared above it and started to spin.
"Why should I even bother…" muttered Rasputin. "Oh, stop!"
The card stopped quickly, and landed right-side-up.
"Enough talk," said Cassandra. "Moon… Attack his Flame Ogre. Meteor mash."
The Moon glowed with energy.
"I activate a Trap Card!" shouted Rasputin. "Flame Barricade!"
One of his facedown cards lifted.
"I just have to sacrifice one Fire Monster, and I can't lose any Life Points this round."
Flame Ogre vanished, and a wall of flames sprang up, deflecting the blast.
Cassandra shut her eyes.
"Very well, Rasputin…" she said. "You saved yourself from losing for now, but you still won't escape unscathed…
"I activate The World's upright effect, which I can do by sacrificing two Monsters… Emperor, Moon, begone."
The Emperor and The Moon shattered into pixels, and The World fell to an attack of 3,100.
"Sorry, Rasputin," she continued, "but now, your next turn is skipped."
"WHAT?" shouted Rasputin, as the flames died down to nothing.
"Which means it's my turn again," said Cassandra, drawing a card.
She looked at it.
"It seems your only protection now is that last facedown card… Use it if you dare…"
Rasputin looked at the facedown Power Wall.
There's no way I can discard thirty-one cards! he thought. I don't have that many left!
Maybe I can just discard some…
But I don't have Gren or Skull Lair in my hand! If I use it, there's no telling what I'd lose…
Clearly… This card was a double-edged sword… Just like all of the other "gifts" that beast has given me…
"Arcana Force XXI," ordered Cassandra. "Attack him directly! Wrath of Gaea!"
Thunder rolled, and a lightning storm erupted over the field, striking Rasputin and sending him sprawling to the ground.
Cassandra paused.
She fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"Your move…" she said.
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The pizza was finished, and Yumi had found a few board games in her room's closet. She and Chelsea were reclined on the floor, in the middle of a game of Go.
"So, Yumi…" said Chelsea, "I gotta admit, you had us worried for a while… We really though you were dead for a few minutes."
Yumi shook her head as she placed a new stone on the board.
"Well, it's kind of complex, Chelsea," she muttered. "Very hard to explain without making me sound like a complete lunatic…
"Let me just put it this way… Sam said it was a miracle, and maybe that's the best way to explain it…
"But I know one thing… The same miracle won't happen again. If another one of us loses a Yami no Oujou…"
"Hey…" said Chelsea. "All eight of the Charms have been claimed! That means no more Yami no Oujous!"
Yumi looked at her.
"Yeah…" she muttered. "You're right…
"But then… That leaves the question of how we're going to get those three Charms away from Rasputin and his henchmen…"
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Rasputin was down on one knee. He took some long, deep breaths…
(C: 7,700) -------------------- (R: 3,600)
"Ironic, isn't it?" asked Cassandra. "Struck down by the very thing you seek to conquer and subjugate."
Rasputin got up.
"You know, maybe I do want to rule the world," he growled. "But I don't see what harm that would do… If I were in charge, I couldn't run things much worse than the way they're being run now. I mean, have you watched the evening news lately?"
"Touché," replied Cassandra.
"Furthermore," he continued, "have you ever considered how much better off the world might be if we got rid of religion? Do you have any idea how many crimes, atrocities, and terrorist acts are committed by people who use such beliefs as an excuse?
"If we had the nerve to abolish the higher powers from our lives, so many wars would be avoided, there'd be no excuse for half the hatred and prejudice in the world, and we might have the beginnings of actual peace…"
"So thought the Communist governments that ultimately failed," said Cassandra. "They tried to do away with religion for the same reasons, and discovered that their ideas were not well-received.
"If such ideas were widespread, the world would be a sad and depressing place. Unlike you, a lot of people would be unhappy with nothing to put their faith in.
"You must be loads of fun at Christmas, Rasputin."
"Oh, what does Christmas have to do with religion any more?" asked Rasputin. "When I was young, it had a deep meaning… Now its meaning has been lost thanks to business and the media…"
He drew a card.
"All right, soothsayer," he said, "I'm done playing around.
"I play… Pot of Greed."
He played the card, and the jug appeared in the air. He drew two cards.
He looked at them.
"Next I'll play… Blasting Vein. I'll destroy my Power Wall, in order to draw two more cards."
The Power Wall card lifted up, and flaming cracks appeared over it. It exploded into fiery shards. He drew twice again.
"That may be the smartest thing you've done in years," replied Cassandra with a slight grin.
Rasputin looked over the four cards in his hand.
"Next I play Card Destruction," he said, playing one. "Now we must fold our hands, and draw an equal number."
Cassandra shrugged, and discarded her cards as Rasputin discarded his. They each drew three cards.
Rasputin looked over his new hand.
"Next," he continued, "I play Soul Release. Now, I can remove five cards in either Graveyard from play. And I'm going to remove five of mine."
Five cards slipped out of his discard slot, and he placed them inside his jacket.
"I'll place a card facedown, and end my turn," he said.
A facedown card appeared.
Cassandra drew a card. She added it to her hand.
"Arcana Force XXI," she commanded, "destroy him!"
The World glowed with energy again.
"I activate my Trap!" shouted Rasputin. "Skull Lair!"
His facedown card lifted.
"Now, I'll remove eight more cards in my Graveyard from play, and your World is about to come tumbling down!"
Cassandra cringed as the large Monster in front of her exploded in a fiery conflagration.
"So be it…" she said. "It is your move…"
Rasputin chuckled, and drew a card.
"I play a Spell Card," he said, playing a card. "It's called Bonfire. Now, I can take any Fire Monster I choose from my deck, so long as it's Level Four or less…"
He chuckled again as he leafed through his deck.
"And it's funny… In this case, being low level does not amount to being weak at all…"
He took the card and held it up.
"Now I summon it… Gren Maju Da Eiza!" he shouted.
He played the card, and like in his duel with Yumi, the blazing bonfire appeared, and the hideous Chaos Fiend emerged from it.
Rasputin grinned evilly…
"I've removed fifteen cards from play so far…" he said. "That means… Well, see for yourself…"
Gren Maju Da Eiza burned with fire… (6,000/6,000)
"Attack her directly!" shouted Rasputin. "Fires of Chaos!"
The blast of white-hot fire shot forward, striking Cassandra. She screamed and flew backwards…
(C: 1,700) -------------------- (R: 3,600)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Having put the game away, Chelsea was doing Yumi's hair.
"No disrespect for your family," said Chelsea, "but you all do seem to have strange tastes in beauticians. Where did you all get your hair done?"
"It's a family secret," answered Yumi.
"Well, in a few minutes, I'll have a new, trendy style for you," said Chelsea with a smile.
"Wonder what Rasputin is doing?" sighed Yumi. "I really don't trust him, you know. We don't even know what that Rod can do, and he's likely doing no good with it…"
"Eh, what're you gonna do?" asked Chelsea, shaking a can of mousse.
"I have to do something, Chelsea!" she replied. "I can't help but feel that it was my fault… That I let the Rod fall into his hands because I did something wrong…"
"Don't feel too bad…" replied Chelsea. "Everyone makes mistakes once in a while…
"You know, I remember once, I really goofed up… A friend of mine was sick in bed with the mumps, so I made her breakfast in bed…
"Heh, heh, and I spilled it all over her!"
She giggled.
Yumi frowned.
"Chelsea, that was me…" she said with a sigh.
There was a long pause.
"We'll worry about that later," said Chelsea, combing her hair out. "Way I see it, you know his strategy now, so you can prepare for it. You won't be defeated next time. Some people say you learn more from losing than you do from winning.
"In other words, you can learn from your mistake, and not make the same mistake again.
"It's like an old song goes… From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success."
"What old song was that?" asked Yumi.
"Oh… it was from some old Dick Van Dyke movie, I think…" replied Chelsea. "One that he made for kids…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cassandra slowly sat up. Smoke was pouring from her body…
Her eyes glowed again…
"Not bad…" she said. "But this duel is not over yet…"
She stood up. She drew a card.
That's impossible! thought Rasputin. She should be on the ground writhing in agony!
"I summon Arcana Force 0: The Fool," said Cassandra.
She played the card, and like in her duel with Yumi, the man-shaped creature made up of golden spheres, with a mask of comedy where the head would be, topped with a cavalier hat, appeared in front of her. (1,000/1,000)
Its card appeared above it, and it started to spin.
"Now," said Cassandra, "if it lands upright, I can destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards, but if it lands inverted, you can destroy one of mine."
"Humph, as if it will matter," said Rasputin. "Stop."
The card stopped, and it was right-side-up.
"I choose to destroy your Skull Lair," said Cassandra.
The Fool's eyes glowed, and the Trap Card burst.
"I end my turn," she said.
"I don't see the point of that," said Rasputin, drawing a card. "Once my Chaos Fiend attacks, this duel will be over…
"Attack The Fool! Fires of Chaos!"
Gren Maju Da Eiza blasted its fiery scourge, and The Fool was eradicated.
"Hmmm…" said Rasputin, looking through the flames.
(C: 1,700) -------------------- (R: 3,600)
"What?" he said. "Your Life Points should be zero!"
Then a card appeared in front of Cassandra…
"I discarded a special Monster called Arcana Force XIV," replied Cassandra, as it disintegrated, "also known as Temperance. Doing so reduced the damage to my Life Points to zero."
"Damn it!" shouted Rasputin. "Why won't you die?
"Very well… Make your move… You'll never defeat my Chaos Fiend."
Cassandra drew a card.
"Actually," she said, "I intend to destroy it on this turn…
"I play the Spell Card, Necro Sacrifice."
"Necro Sacrifice?" replied Rasputin. "Don't like the sound of that… What does that do?"
"First…" explained Cassandra. "I take two Monsters from my Graveyard, and Special Summon them to your side of the field. However, you get to choose the battle modes.
"So… I think I'll give you… My Lovers and my High Priestess."
Two flashes of light shot forward, and the two Tarot Monsters appeared to either side of Gren Maju Da Eiza. (1,600/1,600), (1,200/1,200)
"I… I choose Defense Mode," said Rasputin.
The two Monsters knelt and shielded themselves.
Then the two cards appeared above them and started to spin.
"Now I get to tell them when to stop," said Cassandra.
"Stop right there!"
The two cards stopped, landing right-side-up.
"Looks like you got lucky," said Cassandra. "You got the positive effects. Since The High Priestess is upright, you gain 1,000 Life Points.
"However, The Lovers isn't going to survive long enough for you to use its effect. You see, since I summoned two Monsters to your side of the field, I can now Normal Summon a Monster that normally requires two sacrifices.
"And the Monster I'm summoning…
"Well… I don't use this one very often… It brings out the beast in me. This Monster represents the Adversary of Man… It represents our vices and impulses, all that is negative with the world…
"I'm talking about…
"Arcana Force XV: The Devil!"
In an explosion of energy, a horrid creature arose next to Cassandra. Its body was diamond-shaped, with four, glistening, lidless eyes, and was mounted on a thick tentacle. It also had two long, barbed tentacles for arms. The whole thing glistened with slime. (2,500/2,500)
"Look into its eyes, Rasputin…" said Cassandra.
"It's hard not to…" he replied.
The card appeared above the creature and started to spin.
"Listen closely," she said. "If it lands upright, then when it destroys one Monster in battle, I get to destroy another one. If it lands inverted, then when it attacks, all Monsters on the field are destroyed."
"WHAT?" shouted Rasputin. "Now wait just a minute! That's bad for me either way!"
"Fool," replied Cassandra. "Don't you know anything about the Tarot? When The Devil shows up, it's never a positive sign."
The card stopped, and landed right-side-up.
"Attack The Lovers!" shouted Cassandra. "Wicked talon!"
The Devil lunged forward with one tentacle, and The Lovers shattered. Then, Gren Maju Da Eiza howled and burst into flames. Then it shattered as well.
"Gren…" gasped Rasputin. "Beaten…"
"I almost forgot to mention," said Cassandra. "You also lose 500 Life Points."
Rasputin cringed as a dark aura appeared around him.
(C: 1,700) -------------------- (R: 4,100)
"My move…" he muttered. "And I still can beat you… I'm no one-hit wonder…"
He looked at his deck. Then he looked at The Devil.
You can beat it, Rasputin… he thought. You've gotten the better of stronger devils than this one before…
He drew a card.
He smirked.
He took a card from his hand.
"I Equip The High Priestess with Axe of Despair," he said.
A shadowy shape appeared in the Tarot Monster's arms, and then an ugly axe appeared in them. (2,200/1,200)
"Not strong enough," said Cassandra.
"Maybe not," replied Rasputin. "But now that it has more than 2,000 points, I can use it to summon something better. I sacrifice it, along with the last card in my hand…"
He discarded his Hiita the Fire Charmer.
"…to summon my Infernal Incinerator!"
In another burst of flame, a Monster that was just as big as Gren appeared on the field. It looked like some huge, fiery, fiendish beetle, with six clawed legs, a thick tail, and spikes protruding from its torso. (2,800/1,800)
"Not only is it strong enough to fry your Devil," said Rasputin, "but it gains 200 more Attack Points for each Monster on your side of the field."
The Infernal Incinerator roared as its Attack Score rose to 3,000.
"Attack!" shouted Rasputin. "Infernal rage!"
The Infernal Incinerator blasted a gout of flame that was almost as intense as the one that had hit Cassandra directly, and The Devil exploded in a burst of light and fire.
(C: 1,200) -------------------- (R: 4,100)
"Your Devil just went down in flames!" laughed Rasputin.
"Eh, parting is such sweet sorrow," muttered Cassandra. "Never did like it much anyway… Since you're out of cards, I guess it's my move…"
She drew a card.
"Well, it's been challenging…" she said. "But you lose on this turn.
"I play Reverse Reborn. I now get to raise an Arcana Force Monster from my Graveyard, so long as I bring it back with its inverted effect."
She played the card, and The Empress reappeared. (1,300/1,300)
"But it won't stay long. I sacrifice it to summon Arcana Force VIII: The Strength."
The Empress vanished, and a larger form appeared. It looked like a cylindrical torso made of steel, floating in the air, with a fiendish face in front, and two clawed arms to each side. (1,800/1,800)
The card appeared and started to spin.
"Now, if it lands upright, I get to take control of one of your Monsters," she explained. "If it lands inverted, you get to take control of all of my Monsters except this one."
The card slowly came to a stop…
It landed upside-down.
"HA!" laughed Rasputin. "Looks like I win!"
"No…" said Cassandra. "Like I said, you lose…
"Trap Card, activate…"
The facedown card she had set after she had attacked directly with The World lifted up…
"It's called Reversal of Fate. When it's played, all Arcana Force Monsters on the field switch from inverted to upright, and vice-versa."
Rasputin's eyes widened in horror as the card turned to right-side-up position.
Then Infernal Incinerator vanished, and reappeared on Cassandra's side.
"You didn't really think I didn't have some way to alter the results, did you?" she asked.
"Of course, since I now have another Monster on my side of the field, your Fiend loses 500 Attack Points…"
The Incinerator fell to an Attack of 2,300.
"But then… It doesn't really matter…
"Arcana Force VIII… Attack directly with crushing wave."
The Strength shot a rippling aura of energy at Rasputin, and he screamed as every muscle in his body cramped and strained.
"Infernal Incinerator… Infernal rage."
Rasputin screamed again, as an inferno from the Fire Fiend erupted around him.
(C: 1,200) -------------------- (R: 0)
Rasputin fell to his knees. Then he noticed that he was alone, amid complete fog.
Then a purple flame with two glowing eyes in the center appeared, hovering in front of him.
"You are beaten," said Cassandra's voice, which was now angry and threatening. "My secrets will remain mine. Leave, and do not return."
He clutched his head, and everything went dark…
In the next minute, he was on the street, near where he had entered the fortuneteller's place to begin with.
He got up, burning with rage. He wouldn't let her off that easily…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Well, Yumi," said Chelsea, packing up her stuff, "it's been fun, but we both need some sleep."
She got up.
"You know where my room is if you need me."
"Thanks, Chels," said Yumi. "You helped a lot. And I hope so much that we won't have to duel each other in the finals."
"Dunno," said Chelsea with a smile. "I want to be the Queen of Games as much as you do."
As she left, Yumi walked towards her bed, which at this point looked more desirable than Shangri-La.
She crawled into bed. It took her less than a minute to fall asleep…
And she dreamed herself in Neo-Space, with Elemental Hero Neos and the six strange Neo-Spacians…
Anastasia appeared next to her, and started gently massaging her back.
I have to be more careful, she thought. Clearly, Rasputin is more powerful than I imagined… He knows a way to trap an angel and lock her up for a while.
She shuddered.
Obviously, he has made breakthroughs in his quest to rebuke divine powers. That's the only way to explain it…
We got lucky this time… I promise you, Yumi… He won't get me again…
She looked, and saw the Pharaoh watching Yumi as well.
And I'll do whatever it takes to help him too.
The spirit and the angel looked at each other, and they both nodded. Then they vanished.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Impossible…" said Rasputin.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find Cassandra's place again. It was like her building had disappeared.
His brow furrowed. He knew who was truly to blame for this…
He took the Power Wall card out of his deck and looked at it.
He looked over his shoulder in anger.
"I know you gave me this," he said, even though there apparently wasn't anyone there. "This is what I think of your little favors…"
He tore the card in half. Then he tossed the pieces aside.
He sighed, and held his head.
"Maybe it's time to quit this whole insane quest while I still have my dignity…" he muttered. "I can still retire to Aruba… or Hawaii… At least I can die in comfort instead of…
"ERK!"
He clutched his forehead.
"Oh, what nonsense am I thinking? That soothsayer must have messed with my mind…
"Hawaii… Yeah, right. I'd be bored out of my skull…"
He looked at his badge, which was at Silver.
"Those five kids are at Gold…" he muttered. "Olga, Nicholas, and I will have to get the three remaining slots. We'll have to seek out some other high ranking contestants…"
"RASPUTIN!" shouted a voice.
Rasputin turned around, and saw Enrique.
"I've been looking for you, Señor," he said, angrily.
"Not very hard, Mr. Lobo," replied Rasputin. "You haven't returned any of my calls. One would think you were trying to renege on our little agreement."
"That's why I was looking for you, adoquin," he replied. "My padre says the deal is off. We're through dealing with you."
Rasputin glared at him.
He noticed Enrique's badge. It was at Silver. He smirked
"You must hate me pretty much, don't you?" he asked.
"Si," said Enrique, with a frown.
"Why not duel me, then?" asked Rasputin. "It would be the perfect way to… get even, so to speak."
Enrique smirked.
"I thought you'd never ask!" he laughed.
Both Disks activated.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ten minutes later…
Things were not looking good for Enrique. He thought that Rasputin had been a fool for summoning Gren Maju Da Eiza when its Attack Score was only 800. He had tried to summon his Volcanic Doomfire… Only for Rasputin to wipe it out with Skull Lair.
Now, Enrique was facing the Chaos Fiend with an Attack Score of 4,000, enough to finish him, and all he had was his Firewall.
"You haven't beaten me yet!" shouted Enrique. "My Firewall is still standing, and not even he can bust through it!"
"Is that a fact?" asked Rasputin, drawing a card. "He could if you didn't have those three Scattershots and your Doomfire in your Graveyard…
"And once I play Soul Release to remove them from play, you won't, and your Firewall will be worthless."
He played the card, and Enrique gasped as the four cards fell out of his discard slot.
Then he screamed as the blast of flame struck him.
Rasputin looked at his opponent, who lying on the ground, wincing with pain.
He looked at his badge, which was now at Gold.
"Listen up, Chico," said Rasputin. "Most of the time, folks who openly defy me don't last much longer… But you've got some spine, and that's worth something…
"So tell you what… I'll make you a deal I don't often make…
"The League of Ascension won't go out of their way to look for you… However… Should they ever come across you again, you'll be put somewhere where no-one will ever hear from you again…
"As far as your father is concerned, when they send him up the river, it was your fault for breaking the deal. My advice to you is, just watch the finals if that amuses you, then get back to Mexico and stay there."
He started to walk away as Enrique looked at him.
In your dreams… thought the young man.
Rasputin looked at his badge again.
Success… he thought. It's time to enter a new stage…
Rasputin may have lost to Cassandra, but his determination has not slipped, and his plans begin anew. What will be his next move? The finals are not set to begin just yet, and there may be a few more troubles in store for our heroes…
And brownie points to anyone who can name the Dick Van Dyke movie that Chelsea mentioned.
0
0
0
ARCANA FORCE III: THE EMPRESS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Fairy/Effect
Attribute:
Light
Level:
4
ATK:
1,300
DEF:
1,300
Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:
Heads: Whenever your opponent Normal Summons a Monster, you may Special Summon one Monster from your hand that has the words "Arcana Force" in its name. You must meet the Tribute requirements for Monsters that are Level Five or higher.
Tails: Whenever your opponent Normal Summons a Monster, discard one card in your hand to the Graveyard.
0
0
0
ARCANA FORCE VI: THE LOVERS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Fairy/Effect
Attribute:
Light
Level:
4
ATK:
1,600
DEF:
1,600
Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:
Heads: If you Tribute Summon a Monster with the words "Arcana Force" in its name, you can treat this one Monster as two Monsters for the purposes of the Tribute Summon.
Tails: This card cannot be Tributed.
Note: Sartorious never revealed what the tails effect of this card was, and the card text was never seen. I have made an assumption.
0
0
0
ARCANA FORCE VIII: THE STRENGTH (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Fairy/Effect
Attribute:
Light
Level:
5
ATK:
1,800
DEF:
1,800
Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:
Heads: Take control of one of your opponent's face-up Monsters. Control lasts until this card is no longer face-up on the field.
Tails: For as long as this card remains face-up on your side of the field, your opponent gains control of all of your face-up Monsters except this one.
0
0
0
ARCANA FORCE XIV: TEMPERANCE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Fairy/Effect
Attribute:
Light
Level:
6
ATK:
2,400
DEF:
2,400
Card Description: You may discard this card from your hand to reduce the battle damage you receive from one attack to zero. Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:
Heads: All battle damage you receive is halved while this card remains face-up on the field.
Tails: All battle damage your opponent receives is halved while this card remains face-up on the field.
0
0
0
ARCANA FORCE XV: THE DEVIL (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Fairy/Effect
Attribute:
Light
Level:
7
ATK:
2,500
DEF:
2,500
Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:
Heads: When this card attacks, select one Monster on the field other than the attack target and destroy it. If you cannot, destroy this card. The owner of the Monster destroyed by this effect receives 500 points of direct damage to his/her Life Points.
Tails: When this card attacks, destroy all Monsters on the field.
0
0
0
ARCANA FORCE XVIII: THE MOON (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Fairy/Effect
Attribute:
Light
Level:
7
ATK:
2,800
DEF:
2,800
Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:
Heads: During each of your Standby Phases, you may Special Summon one "Moon Token" (Fairy/Light/Level 1/0 ATK/0 DEF) to your side of the field.
Tails: During each of your turn's End Phases, select one Monster on your side of the field. Shift control of the selected Monster to your opponent. (If your opponent does not have a free space in his/her Monster Zone, the selected Monster is destroyed.)
0
0
0
ARCANA FORCE XXI: THE WORLD (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Fairy/Effect
Attribute:
Light
Level:
8
ATK:
3,100
DEF:
3,100
Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:
Heads: If you offer two Monsters on your side of the field as Tributes during your turn, your opponent must skip his/her next turn.
Tails: During your opponent's Draw Phase, he/she adds the top card from his/her Graveyard to his/her hand.
0
0
0
NECRO SACRIFICE (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A grinning mouth above a wasteland full of twisted trees that resemble hands.
Card Description: Select one Level Five or higher Monster in your hand that can be Normal Summoned. Choose a number of Monsters in your Graveyard equal to the number of Monsters needed as Tribute to Tribute Summon the selected Monster, and Special Summon them to your opponent's side of the field (your opponent choose the battle positions). During the turn this card is activated, you may Normal Summon the selected Monster without Tribute(s).
0
0
0
REVERSAL OF FATE (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A circular, wooden, Ouija board with four eyes around the circumference.
Card Description: When this card is activated, all Monsters on the field with the words "Arcana Force" in their names who have their heads effects are switched to their tails effects, and vice-versa.
Note: The proceeding nine cards were used by Sartorious at various times in the second season of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX". Creative credit goes to the writers.
0
0
0
ARCANA FORCE II: THE HIGH PRIESTESS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Fairy/Effect
Attribute:
Light
Level:
4
ATK:
1,200
DEF:
1,200
Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:
Heads: Increase your Life Points by 1,000
Tails: Increase your opponent's Life Points by 1,000
0
0
0
FLAME BARRICADE (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: Hiita the Fire Charmer chanting and conjuring up a wall of fire.
Card Description: Offer one face-up FIRE Monster on your side of the field as a Tribute. During this turn, any damage you take from your opponent becomes zero.
Note: "Flame Barricade" was first used in "Dark Messiah".
0
0
0
BONFIRE (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A roaring fire in a large, metal brazier.
Card Description: Search your deck for one FIRE Monster that is Level Four or lower and add it to your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Note: "Bonfire" was first used by Prof. Fontaine in a third season episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
Sam: Yumi, what do you make of this?
Yumi: Looks like the two of us have been cornered, and these guys want to duel us… And not as individuals. Feel like teaming up?
Sam: If I must, I suppose I simply must… Can I trust you?
Yumi: Don't worry Sam, I've got your back.
Coming up next, "The Two-Way Trap; The Heirs Fight Together".
As the decedents of Yugi Mouto and Seto Kaiba call the most vital truce yet…
Sam: Just don't get in my way, Yumi…