My first duel on Monster Island was against a real creep – a type I knew too well. A teenage boy with hormones coming out of his ears who thought I was an easy score.
He played a very annoying type of deck – a Stall Deck. He might have beaten me if I hadn't drawn my Gaia Power card.
I never expected to meet this creep again…
It seems anyone can be wrong once in a while.
There was another thing I didn't expect…
I never imagined how low he'd sink to get back at me…
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CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
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Stone Cold
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In the Queen's throne room, a figure knelt before her.
"So," she said, "Is your deck ready?"
"No problem," he responded. "With the help you've given me, it'll be a piece of pastry! Just remember our deal…"
"Of course…" replied the Queen. "Defeat Francesca, and I'll have total power over her – I can erase her mind and reprogram her as your slave. You must admit, having a lover who'll do exactly what you tell her to is the best type…"
The kneeling figure grinned.
"Now go…" said the Queen. "And don't screw up…"
She pointed, and he vanished.
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After their encounter with Diana, the three teens were in a bit of a predicament…
They were now in a hallway, and it seemed to go on without end.
They had already been following it for half an hour, and there was no end in sight.
"This is ridiculous!" gasped Andy, as they stopped to take a break. "This hallway must go on forever!"
"There must be some way of getting ahead…" muttered Stan.
And then a form materialized in front of them… a weird Monster appeared.
It looked, for all intents and purposes, like a wooden doorway with a stone arch, with a face, arms, and legs, carrying a spear. It folded its arms… clearly it was standing in Defense Mode. (800/1,800)
"Uhm…" muttered Stan. "I think that's a Golem Sentry…"
"Yeah, and it's a door…" muttered Francesca. "I have a feeling if we defeat it, we can get out of this hallway…"
Andy flipped his Disk into position, and drew a card.
"Luster Dragon #1!" he exclaimed.
His powerful Dragon appeared! (1,900/1,600)
"Attack!" he shouted.
Luster Dragon blasted his breath weapon and blew the Golem sentry to pieces.
Another door, this one a normal one, appeared.
"Well…" said Andy, "here goes…"
He opened it…
They entered what could best be described as an indoor rock quarry. Mounds of stone surrounded them, mostly what appeared to be granite. The center of the huge room was dusty, but clear. The overhead ceiling was dark.
But what disturbed them was, there were no exits.
And as soon as they were through, the door they came through vanished!
"Now what?" gasped Francesca.
"Now what, babe?" said a voice. "Now if you want to get out, you have to go through me…"
"I know that voice…" muttered Francesca.
A figure appeared from behind a rock.
"Stonewall Jackson?" exclaimed Francesca.
It was him, all right. Same plain t-shirt and jeans, and the same blonde crew cut.
"Remember me, babe?" he asked.
"I can't believe you made it to the finals…" scowled Francesca.
"I didn't…" chuckled Jackson, "but the Shadow Queen gave me a special pass…"
"Special pass?" asked Francesca.
"Yep," he said with a grin. "All I have to do is defeat you, and I get to take your place… and another little prize…"
"Please…" muttered Francesca. "I already kicked your stony butt! Your Stall Deck is nothing new to me!"
"I'm not playing a Stall Deck anymore," chuckled Jackson. "And the only way out of this quarry is for you to duel me. If you win, you get to proceed. If I win…
"…I get you…"
"Jackson, please!" protested Stan. "Working with the Shadow Queen is selling your…"
"Who asked you?" interrupted Jackson. "This is between me and her! And I want revenge for being humiliated!
"And I will have it. Once I defeat her, the Queen has promised to reprogram her mind and give her me as a slave. Deals don't get any better than that!"
"You lousy…" growled Andy.
"Wait, Andy…" muttered Francesca.
She turned to Jackson.
"Fine, Jackson, you've got yourself a duel," she said. "I'll show you that I'm no prize to be won!"
"Excellent!" laughed Jackson.
He made a dramatic motion with his arm, and his Duel Disk swung into position.
Fran activated hers.
"Now, gaze upon my Deckmaster!" laughed Jackson. "My Millennium Shield!"
He held the card up, and the large shield with Eye of Horus on it appeared behind him.
"Now you…" he dared.
Francesca looked through her deck.
I wonder if I could use a Fusion Monster… she thought.
She held up one Amazoness Paladin, Warrior Dai Grepher, and Polymerization.
"Amazoness Queen!" she shouted.
The three cards glowed, and the powerful form of Amazoness Queen appeared beside her.
"Wow…" muttered Jackson, reshuffling. "Two babes! Today's my lucky day!"
Amazoness Queen put her hand on Francesca's shoulder.
"Francesca…" she muttered. "I swear on the spirit of Hippolyta that we will vanquish this lout!"
Wow… thought Francesca. She can talk!
"Okay…" whispered Francesca back. "How exactly can you help?"
"As you know," answered the Queen, "my Attack Score is 2,500. I can subtract points from it and add them to any of my subjects that you summon. But be careful, because I only have a limited supply, and you never know when you might need them."
"Gotcha…" replied Francesca, reshuffling.
"If you're done talking to yourself," sighed Jackson, "let's duel!"
The scores set to 8,000.
They both drew five cards.
"I'll start this off, cupcake…" chuckled Jackson, drawing a card.
He placed a card down.
"And I'll summon a guy who I think you'll remember… Giant Soldier of Stone in Defense Mode!"
The huge golem of Stone appeared, and crouched in Defense. (1,300/2,000)
"If you think hiding behind defenses is going to work any better this time than it did last time," laughed Fran, "you're sorely mistaken…"
Jackson chuckled inwardly…
Little does she know, I've changed most of the cards in my deck, he thought. My defensive strategy has taken a complete one-eighty – to an offensive one!
Fran drew a card.
"I'll place two cards facedown on the field…" she stated. "And then I'll summon Amazon Archer in Attack Mode."
She placed the cards down. Two facedown cards appeared, and the Amazon bow-woman appeared, notching an arrow into her weapon. (1,400/1,000)
"That will end my turn," she stated.
Jackson drew, and then laughed out loud.
"I'm moving my Giant Soldier into Attack Mode!" he laughed.
Giant Soldier of Stone stood up and lifted his sword.
"Now I'll summon… Monk Fighter!" he exclaimed.
He threw a card down, and the young, rocky monk appeared. (1,300/1,000)
"And now," he continued, "I can instantly sacrifice him to summon Master Monk!"
Monk Fighter vanished, and the elderly, muscular monk appeared! (1,900/1,000)
"Say bye-bye to your Life Points!" laughed Jackson. "Master Monk, attack her Archer with Shaolin kick!"
Master Monk leapt at Amazon Archer…
"FRAN!" screamed Andy.
"Hold on, Jackson!" shouted Fran. "I activate my Trap Card!"
Her Trap lifted…
"The Regulation of Tribe! With this Trap, I can choose one type of Monster and stop them from attacking! And I choose Rocks!"
A mass of chains sprouted out of the ground, binding Master Monk and Giant Soldier of Stone!
"I also activate… Scapegoat!" she shouted.
Her other facedown card lifted, and four fluffy sheep appeared.
Jackson growled.
"Fine, make your move…" he snarled.
Fran drew a card.
"In order to keep my Trap Card on the field, I have to sacrifice one Monster every turn," she stated, "so I'll sacrifice one Scapegoat…"
The blue sheep vanished.
"Now I summon Amazoness Paladin in Attack Mode!" she shouted.
The mighty Paladin appeared, holding her sword aloft. (1,700/300) –) (1,900/300)
"And now I'll activate my Deckmaster's special ability!" she proclaimed. "I'll take 100 Attack Points from my Queen, and add them to my Paladin!"
Amazoness Queen's Attack Score fell to 2,400, and Amazoness Paladin's rose to 2,000.
"Paladin, attack Master Monk!" shouted Francesca.
Amazoness Paladin swung her sword, and blasted Master Monk into pebbles!
"Archer, take out his Soldier!" screamed Francesca.
Amazon Archer fired her arrow, and Giant Soldier of Stone was reduced to rubble.
Dust flew, as Jackson's Life Points fell to 7,800.
"Your move…" muttered Francesca.
"Okay, so you got lucky that turn…" muttered Jackson, drawing.
He looked at his card.
"I'll place one card facedown, and summon Stone Statue of the Aztecs in Defense Mode…" he said, setting two cards.
A facedown card appeared, and the massive Stone Statue materialized. (300/2,000)
"How nice…" muttered Fran, drawing.
"I'll sacrifice another sheep to keep my Trap Card for one more round…" she said.
Another Scapegoat vanished.
"Now I'll sacrifice the other two to activate Amazon Archer's special ability!" she exclaimed.
The last two sheep vanished, and a glowing arrow appeared in Amazon Archer's bow.
"This lets her shoot 1,200 points of direct damage right into you!" shouted Fran.
Amazon Archer fired, and Jackson staggered back as it hit him.
His Life Points fell to 6,600.
"Next I'll use my Deckmaster's ability again," she continued, "taking 100 Attack Points from her, and adding it to my Paladin again!"
The Queen dropped to 2,300 Attack, and Paladin rose to 2,100 Attack.
"Paladin, ordered Fran, "shatter his Stone Statue!"
Amazoness Paladin leapt forward and demolished Stone Statue of the Aztecs.
"Archer, attack him directly!"
Amazon Archer fired his bow, and Jackson staggered back again.
"YES!" shouted Andy. "You've got him on the run, Fran!"
Jackson's Life Points fell to 5,900.
"What?" said Francesca, surprised. "You should have lost more Life Points than that!"
"But I didn't, thanks to my Deckmaster!" chuckled Jackson. "The Millennium Shield gives me Skin of Steel! It cuts the damage done from direct attacks in half!"
"All right…" sighed Francesca. "Make your move…"
Jackson drew.
"I'll place another card facedown…" he stated, "and a Monster facedown in Defense Mode."
Another facedown card appeared on his side, and then a hidden Monster appeared.
"So now what Fran?" he gloated. "No more goats to sacrifice, so you'll have to sacrifice one of your bimbos if you want to keep your Trap!"
"Don't call them bimbos…" said Fran, through her teeth. "And I can't afford to sacrifice them, so I'll destroy it…"
The Regulation of Tribe card shattered.
"Paladin, attack his facedown Monster!" she shouted.
Paladin charged…
"Activate… Negate Attack!" shouted Jackson.
One of his Traps flipped up, and Paladin's sword slammed against a barrier.
"Fine, that's my turn…" mumbled Francesca.
Jackson made a draw.
"First I'll place another card facedown…" he said.
Another facedown card appeared next to his other one.
"Now, you're probably wondering why I used Negate Attack…" he chuckled. "Well, the reason is, to activate this Monster's flip-effect, I had to flip it…"
The Monster Card flipped up…
"So meet my Medusa Worm!" he laughed.
A huge, rocky worm, colored red with spines all over its body appeared. (500/600)
"And that means one of your Monsters is history!" laughed Jackson.
A beam of energy blasted from the Worm's mouth, striking Amazoness Paladin! She turned to stone, and then shattered!
Jackson switched cards on his Disk.
"Now I'll sacrifice my Medusa Worm for Stone Ogre Grotto!" he exclaimed.
The Worm vanished, and a man-sized brute made of boulders appeared. (1,600/1,500)
Francesca opened her eyes in surprise. Stone Ogre Grotto?
"Stone Ogre Grotto," commanded Jackson, "attack her Archer with stone fist!"
Stone Ogre Grotto slugged Amazon Archer, blowing her away.
Francesca's Life Points fell to 7,800, but she started laughing.
"Stone Ogre Grotto?" she laughed. "Somebody actually still uses that card?"
"I have to agree with Francesca on this…" muttered Stan. "Five-star Monsters that weak are old news!"
Fools… thought Johnson. Can't you realize I WANT my Monsters to be destroyed?
"My move!" shouted Francesca, drawing.
"Let's see how you deal with the newest member of my team!" she exclaimed. "I summon the lovely yet lethal… Getsu Fuhma!"
She put a card down, and a female warrior with red hair in dark armor holding a katana appeared. (1,700/1,200)
"Destroy his big boulder!" she shouted. "Whirlwind strike!"
Getsu Fuhma made a huge sweep with her sword, blasting Stone Ogre Grotto to dust!
Jackson's Life Points slipped to 5,800.
"So much for your pathetic Rock…" mocked Francesca.
"Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow…" muttered Jackson, drawing.
He placed a card down on his Disk.
"Another Monster in Defense Mode…" he chuckled, and that will be all.
Francesca drew.
Man, this hand bites… she thought.
"Getsu Fuhma, attack his facedown Monster!" she shouted.
Getsu Fuhma rushed to attack…
And a Morphing Jar appeared on the card! It cackled and was smashed to pieces!
"Heh, heh…" chuckled Jackson. "We'll have to discard our hands and draw new cards…"
"Hold on, Jackson, you liar!" accused Francesca, as she discarded her hand. "When I dueled you the first time, you wagered your rarest card, and I won!"
"Your point being?" asked Jackson.
"My point?" snarled Francesca, making five draws. "Morphing Jar is much rarer than Gear Golem the Moving Fortress!"
"I didn't have a Morphing Jar then," answered Jackson. "The Shadow Queen helped my make some vast improvements to my deck…
"And once I draw my secret weapon, you'll be finished!"
"Secret weapon?" muttered Andy. "What could that be?"
"Well, make your move…" muttered Fran.
Excellent, thought Jackson, looking at his new hand.
"I'll place a third card facedown," he said, fitting the card into a slot.
A third card appeared.
"And now I'll summon yet another Monster facedown in Defense Mode!"
Another hidden Monster appeared.
"Make your move…" he dared.
Fran went for her deck.
She paused.
Three cards facedown… she thought. Likely he's planning something very nasty… Have to be careful…
She drew a card.
"Well," chuckled Jackson. "I think I'll activate… ALL THREE of my Traps!"
"All three?" gasped Francesca.
"Yep!" said Jackson with a smile, as all three of the facedown cards lifted. "They're all the same Trap, useful weapons called Rock Bombardment!"
He took his deck out of his tray.
"For each, Trap, I have to discard one Rock Monster from my deck…"
He discarded three cards…
Three catapults appeared behind him…
"And now each one of them can smash off 500 of your Life Points!"
Fran gulped.
"FIRE!" shouted Jackson.
The three catapults launched three boulders into the air…
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The Shadow Queen laughed out loud as she saw Francesca get flattened.
"Rewind!" she commanded her viewing globe. "I've GOT to see that again!"
"Francesca is down, but she'll get up again…" muttered Grodus. "Are you certain that this clown can beat her?"
"Depends on a lot of things," sighed the Queen. "The secret weapon I gave him is indeed powerful, but Francesca's deck does have ways to counter it.
"It basically depends on when he draws it, and on whose luck is better…"
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Francesca lay on the ground and saw stars…
She checked her Disk – those Traps had reduced her Life Points to 6,300.
"Get up, Fran!" shouted Andy.
"Give me a minute…" she moaned.
Then a hand reached down. Francesca saw that it was Amazoness Queen's.
"Be brave, Francesca," she said. "Your opponent used a cheap shot, but I swear to you, his dishonorable ways will not help him win.
"He who lives without honor will end without honor."
The Warrior helped her up.
"It's still my move, Stonewall!" shouted Fran.
She took a card from her hand.
"I sacrifice Getsu Fuhma to summon Penumbral Soldier Lady!"
Getsu Fuhma vanished, and the stronger Warrior of Darkness appeared. (2,100/1,400)
"Attack his facedown Monster!" shouted Francesca. "Sword of Shadows!"
Penumbral Soldier Lady attacked with her blade…
And a huge, rocky figure appeared on the card. He was a wild-looking man dressed in a martial arts gi.
Penumbral Soldier Lady's blow smashed him to pieces.
"Well, that was…" started Fran.
And then Penumbral Soldier Lady vanished!
"WHAT THE?" shouted Fran.
Jackson laughed.
"You attacked my Legendary Jujitsu Master!" he cackled. "Any Monster that attacks him while he's in Defense Mode is returned to the top of the owner's deck!"
Francesca growled.
"I can't do anything else," she sighed. "Take your best shot…"
Jackson drew.
"I summon Avatar of the Pot, in Attack Mode!" he laughed.
He placed a card down, and a tall, rocky genie with green skin appeared. His head looked just like the Pot of Greed. (1,200/1,300)
"Since I summoned this fellah, I can now discard my Pot of Greed…" started Jackson.
He discarded a card.
"…and draw three more cards!"
The Avatar cast a spell, and three cards flew off of Jackson's deck and added to his hand.
"Now my Avatar, attack her directly!"
The Avatar lumbered forward and slugged Fran in the stomach!
She fell to her knees. Her Life Points fell to 5,100.
Okay, she thought. So his strategy has definitely been given some coaching…
"Your move princess," chuckled Jackson. "And unless you have something in your hand right now that you can summon without a sacrifice, you're gonna be feeling a world of pain next turn…"
Francesca drew, drawing Penumbral Soldier Lady again.
"It just so happens that I do," she replied, placing a card down. "I'm sure you remember Amazoness Swords Woman?"
The wild Amazon with her mighty sword appeared. (1,500/1,600)
"GO!" shouted Fran. "Attack his Avatar of the Pot!"
Amazoness Swords Woman leapt up and gave a fierce war cry, blasting Avatar of the Pot to shards!
Jackson grinned as his Life Points fell to 5,500.
"Oh well, he served his purpose…" he said.
At least his first one, he thought.
"My move now…"
He made a draw.
Oh yeah… he thought with anticipation, as he looked at the Magic Card.
"I play… The Shallow Grave!" he announced, placing a card into a slot. "This lets…"
"I know what it does, stupid!" snarled Francesca. "It lets both of us Special Summon a Monster from our Graveyards in facedown Defense Mode…"
A card slid out of hers and Jackson's discard slots, and they each set it.
Getsu Fuhma should at least protect me from whatever he's planning… she thought.
"Now I'll flip-summon the Monster I just revived!" chuckled Jackson. "You remember my Medusa Worm, don't you?"
The card flipped into Attack Mode, and the Medusa Worm reappeared.
Francesca gasped as Amazoness Swords Woman was turned to stone! She shattered into pixels!
"And now," declared Jackson, taking another card from his hand, "I'll sacrifice Medusa Worm to summon a mighty beast known as Granmarg the Rock Monarch!"
He switched cards, and Medusa Worm shattered. A huge, hulking form made of stone with huge fists appeared! (2,400/1,000)
"I'm afraid that just by summoning him, he destroys one facedown card," chuckled Jackson, "meaning the Monster you summoned goes back to the Graveyard!"
A beam of energy shot from Granmarg's eyes. Getsu Fuhma appeared on the card and screamed! She shattered.
"NO!" screamed Andy. "That was her only defense!"
"Jackson plotted that whole move out perfectly!" gasped Stan.
"Rock Monarch!" shouted Jackson, "attack directly with royal stone smash!"
Francesca screamed as the huge Monster clobbered her with its huge fist!
She fell on her back and her cards scattered…
Her Life Points fell to 2,700.
She groaned in pain…
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The Shadow Queen chuckled.
"It was brilliant to use Jackson as our assassin," she laughed. "It won't be long now…"
She turned to a silent figure in the corner, who was also watching.
"I should have thought of this a long time ago – and if our other assassin is just as good, our troubles are as good as over..."
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"Francesca!" screamed Andy. "Francesca, baby, get up!"
Francesca pulled herself to her feet and picked up her cards…
She slowly drew one card…
Man, my hand is no good… she thought.
She fit a card into a slot.
"I play Card Destruction!" she exclaimed. "Now we must discard our hands and draw and equal number of cards!"
"Whatever you say, babe…" chuckled Jackson.
He discarded his hand…
And then a hideous elephant appeared behind him and gave a fierce trumpet, knocking Francesca over!
Her Life Points plummeted to a mere 700!
"What did you do?" she demanded.
"It's not what I did…" he laughed. "When you made me discard my hand, you made me discard a clever Monster called Elephant Statue of Disaster! It isn't the type of Monster you summon – you have to trick your opponent into making you discard it! When that happens, your opponent loses 2,000 Life Points!"
"This is crazy!" gasped Stan. "Fran's Life Points are in triple digits, and Jackson has over 5,000!"
"Stay strong Fran!" shouted Andy.
Amazoness Queen touched Francesca's hand.
"Yes, stay strong…" she repeated.
Fran played a card.
"I play Monster Reborn, to bring back my Archer!" she shouted.
Amazoness Archer reappeared. (1,400/1,000)
"And now I'll sacrifice her to summon Madame Flurrie of the Fog!" she shouted.
Amazoness Archer vanished, and Madame Flurrie materialized. (1,800/1,000)
"Now to get rid of your Rock Monarch!" shouted Francesca.
She discarded two cards, and Flurrie cast forth her mighty breath! Granmarg the Rock Monarch was eroded into sand!
"Make your move…" dared Francesca.
Jackson made a draw.
"I'll summon another Giant Soldier of Stone in Defense Mode…" he stated, placing a card down.
The giant golem appeared. (1,300/2,000)
"Try to get past him…" dared Jackson.
Francesca drew.
"I play Card of Sanctity!" she exclaimed, playing a card.
"Good!" laughed Jackson, as they started to draw. "I get more cards too!"
He looked at his new hand.
I drew my secret weapon! he thought.
"Now I summon Amazoness Fighter, in Attack Mode!" shouted Francesca.
She placed a card down, and the powerful Fighter appeared. (1,500/1,300)
"And now I'll call upon my Deckmaster, transferring 600 Attack Points from her to my Fighter!"
Amazoness Queen dropped to 1,700 Attack, and Amazoness Fighter climbed to 2,100.
"Amazoness Fighter, crack that overgrown boulder!" she shouted.
Amazoness Fighter made a flying kick, and shattered the Giant Soldier.
"Flurrie, attack directly with your Gale Force!"
Flurrie let lose her furious breath, and Jackson staggered against it.
"Heh, heh…" he chuckled. "Did you forget about the ability of my Deckmaster?"
His Life Points fell to 4,600.
"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn," continued Fran, ignoring him.
Jackson grinned as he drew.
Yes! he thought.
"I play Card of Demise!" he laughed, playing a card.
"This lets me draw five cards," he continued, making five draws, "so long as I discard my whole hand in five turns… But that doesn't matter, because you're going down on this turn!"
He fit another card into a slot.
"Now I play… Final Destiny!"
"FINAL DESTINY?" shouted Stan and Andy at once.
"I discard five cards…" laughed Jackson, discarding cards from his hand.
An enormous explosion rocked the field!
"…and in return, I can vaporize every card on the field!"
"Not so fast, Jackson!" shouted Francesca. "By destroying my facedown card, you activated it! Waboku!"
The three emissaries in blue appeared.
"Oh, fine…" muttered Jackson. "But I'll still show you the stone cold face of defeat…"
He dramatically threw a card down…
"I summon the unstoppable… Megarock Dragon!"
An enormous, titanic form appeared! It looked like a HUGE dragon, made completely of stone! It let out an awesome roar!
"Quite a looker, isn't he?" chuckled Jackson. "And let me explain his special ability! When he's summoned, I have to remove Rock Monsters from my Graveyard, and for each one I remove, his Attack and Defense are 700!
"And in addition to the ones you know about, I discarded five to play Final Destiny, and another one when you played Card Destruction! So I have twenty Rocks in my Graveyard! So I'll remove… all of them!"
Cards spilled out of his discard slot, and the huge Monster's Attack Score shot up to (14,000/14,000).
"Please tell me that stat meter is broken…" gulped Andy.
"HA, HA, HA, HA!" laughed Jackson. "You're doomed!"
Francesca just stared at him.
Not at the Monster, but at Jackson.
"You… you…" she stammered. "You threw twenty Monsters into your Graveyard just so you could remove them from play to power up your Megarock Dragon?"
"That's right," said Jackson. "You have a problem with that?"
"Oh, Jackson…" moaned Francesca, holding her head. "For the love of all that's holy…"
"What?" asked Jackson.
"Jackson…" groaned Francesca. "Every Monster in Duel Monsters is a unique being with its own talents! If you just throw them away…"
"Unique being?" laughed Jackson. "Give me a break Fran. "All these dumb things are are ink on cards. Who cares what happens to them?"
"You are a sad case, Jackson…" muttered Francesca. "And I must say, I'm gonna enjoy thrashing you more than I did anyone else…"
Jackson laughed out loud.
"Just how are you gonna do that?" he laughed. "My Dragon has enough power to take down the Egyptian God Cards right now!"
Fran stared at him.
"Whatever," muttered Jackson. "I'll place one card facedown, and end my turn…"
A facedown card appeared.
My strategy is perfect, he thought. She'll obviously put a Monster in Defense Mode, but when she does, my Acid Trap Hole will send it straight to the Graveyard! And if she sets any Traps, I'll just blow them away with this Heavy Storm! Then she'll suffer the worst direct attack she's ever had, and I'll win!
Francesca drew a card.
"I have a question for you, Jackson, and you'd better answer it," sneered Francesca.
"Uh, a question?" asked Jackson, puzzled.
"Yes, a question!" snapped Francesca. "On your Monster's card, where it has where Attack and Defense should be written, does it say zeroes, or question marks?"
Jackson looked at the card on his Disk.
"Question marks!" he answered. "What does that have to do with it?"
Francesca grinned.
"That means your Dragon's base Attack Score is indeterminate," she explained, "meaning its original Attack is the score given to it by its effect – what it has right now!"
"What does that have to do with it?" repeated Jackson again.
"I'll show you…" said Fran with a smile. "I never showed you this trick in our last duel, because none of you Monsters had decent Attack Scores then…"
She placed a card down.
"I summon Amazoness Blowpiper, in Attack Mode!" she shouted.
The teenage Amazon with her blowgun appeared. (800/1,500)
"I ACTIVATE…" started Jackson.
He stopped short.
"What? Attack Mode?" he stammered. "How come?"
"I'll show you 'how come'…" stated Francesca.
She placed a card in a slot.
"I activate Amazoness Spellcaster!"
The aged Amazon witchdoctor appeared and flew into the air with a cackle! She cast her spell, and both Amazoness Blowpiper and Megarock Dragon started to glow…
"This handy Magic Card swaps the original Attack of an Amazon with one of your Monsters for one turn," explained Fran. "And like I said, the original Attack of your Megarock Dragon, because it is indeterminate, is what its effect gives it!"
Jackson turned pale.
"That basically means that my Blowpiper now has an Attack Score of 14,000, and your mighty Dragon has a mere 800! How's that for girl power?"
"WHAT?" shouted Jackson, as the scores changed. "This can't be! I planned this out perfectly! I had all the powerful cards!"
Amazoness Queen gave Jackson a dirty look.
"You disrespected your Monsters and treated them as nothing but fuel!" shouted Francesca. "I don't care what powerful cards you had! You have no right to call yourself a duelist!
"Blowpiper, attack his Dragon!"
Amazoness Blowpiper screamed and leapt up into the air, kicking the great beast and blasting it into dust!
"NOOOO!" screamed Jackson as his Life Points tumbled to zero.
Jackson fell to his knees… He sobbed.
Then a dark portal opened, and he was sucked through it.
Francesca turned to Amazoness Queen.
"Your Majesty…" she said. "Thank you. I couldn't have done it without your support."
The Queen offered her hand.
"You and your partners be careful, Francesca," warned the Queen. "This den of evil contains many more perils. But I will still be there when you need me."
She vanished.
Andy ran up to Francesca and hugged her.
"Ooh, what was that for?" squealed Francesca.
"Thought you might need some comfort after all those direct attacks!" laughed Andy.
"Well, I am a little tender…" sighed Francesca.
Then a door appeared in the middle of the room.
"Let's go," said Stan. "The Queen likely isn't through with us yet…"
Andy looked at his Disk.
And she likely has my number up next… he thought.
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"Stonewall Jackson…" mumbled the Shadow Queen. "Such a grandiose name for such an abysmal failure…"
"Please…" begged Jackson. "Give me another chance… I can beat her… She can't be so lucky twice in a row…"
"Humph," muttered the Queen, activating her Disk. "You've dueled Francesca twice already, and both times you flopped. I'm not about to let you waste my time doing it again."
She fit a Grave Arm card into a slot.
"Goodbye…"
The gruesome arm burst out of the ground and seized Jackson. He screamed as he was pulled under.
A figure came up to the Queen chuckling.
"That guy was a loser anyway," she said. "I can assure you, I can do much better…"
"Well, I'm giving you the same deal I gave him, Poison," replied the Queen. "Defeat Andy in this rematch, and I'll erase his mind and reprogram him as your slave. That's what you want, right?"
"You bet!" smirked Poison. "And with the tips you gave me, I won't lose this time. Revenge will be sweet!"
"Now get going," ordered the Queen, "and don't screw up…"
Poison rushed off.
Grodus came up to the Queen.
"Uhm, excuse me, your majesty," he asked, "but I thought your plan for those three was to banish them to the Graveyard and then…"
"Poison is a fool to believe me," chuckled the Queen. "I have no intention of keeping my end of the bargain with the likes of her – nor did I with that idiot Jackson.
"If she defeats Andy, I'll first banish him to the Graveyard – and Poison's only reward will be to be sent there herself.
"You see Grodus, duelists think that their rare cards and deck-building strategies make them unbeatable…
"But without the intelligence to use a good strategy, you're nothing, not just in dueling, but in all walks of life.
"I've had to outsmart many people in my time, and if I have to betray a few recruits to ensure my freedom…
"It's no skin off my nose…"
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CARD OF DEMISE (Magic Card)
Card Specs
Type: Magic
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -
Card Description: Image of an executioner about to chop a deck of cards in half with a guillotine. Draw five cards from your deck. Five turns after you use this card, discard your whole hand to the Graveyard.
Note: "Card of Demise" was first used by Kaiba in the anime episode "Clash in the Coliseum". All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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"Amazoness Queen": Warrior/Fusion/Earth, Level 7, (2,500/1,700)
Deckmaster SA: "Amazon Support": You can permanently subtract Attack Points from your Deckmaster to permanently increase that of any Monster with "Amazoness" in its name, or who is named "Amazon Archer".
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"Millennium Shield": Warrior/Earth, Level 5, (0/3,000)
Deckmaster SA: "Skin of Steel": Decrease the damage you take from direct attacks by half.
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Coming up next:
Poison challenges Andy to a rematch, and it's going to fiercer than ever before! Like Jackson, Poison has learned not to make the same mistakes as before… but Andy is no rookie either! See some of the improvements to Andy's deck, in a chapter called "Rage in the Cage", coming soon.