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DUEL FIFTY-ONE
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Past Decisions
The Choice to Change
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"Nichole?" shouted Dugan. "Karl!"
No answer. His two companions had vanished.
He was in total darkness. He held his hand in front of his face, but couldn't see a thing.
Then he noticed he was sweating. It was getting hotter… Hotter and more humid…
The darkness slowly started to give way to dim light, and the stone floor under his feet turned softer as he walked forward. Sand? A beach?
He found himself facing the sea, under the night sky… He turned around, and saw palm trees, with the lights of a city in the distance…
Then he noticed the biggest change… His clothing.
"My old field uniform!" he exclaimed.
He looked at the old uniform, amazed that it still fit. He knew he had gained weight since he left the Marines…
Then he realized where he was…
"Chile…" he said. "I'm back in Chile…"
He checked his gear. Unfortunately, his service revolver and his rifle were not there, nor was his blunderbuss. He really hadn't expected them to be there, but there was no harm in checking. His Duel Disk was still on his arm, but that was about it. Some of his Marine-issue gear was still on his belt, including his handheld transceiver, but he was pretty certain that he couldn't use it to radio for help…
Why am I here? he thought, as he looked out to sea. What happened here that was a turning point?
Then the fog on the sea lifted, and a phantom frigate appeared from out of the mist…
Dugan stepped back in shock.
"I know that ship…" he said.
"Sure you do," said a familiar voice behind him. "I'll bet you never intended to see it intact again…"
Dugan slowly turned around, and looked face-to-face with the Flying Dutchman…
He was a tall man, dressed in a leather jerkin and trousers held up by a red sash, with a wide-brimmed hat on his head. His unkempt hair was worn long and was pale-white, his skin was just as pale, and his eyes were cold and inhuman.
"Okay, this can't be real…" said Dugan. "Last I checked, you weren't even able to feed yourself yet…"
"So what am I, Dugan?" asked the Dutchman. "A figment of your imagination?"
He drew his rapier from his belt, and thrust it forward, pressing against Dugan's neck.
"I seem pretty real, don't I?" asked the dark fey.
"I'll take your word for it…" said Dugan, nervously.
How is this a turning point? he thought.
"Tell me, Dugan…" said the Dutchman, glaring at him.
He paused for a minute.
"Do you fear death? Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare, all your sins punished?"
Dugan merely closed his eyes and smirked a little.
"Nice touch Dutchman," he said, "but it takes away from quoting that particular film when the only thing named after you was Davy Jones' ship. Not that it doesn't seem oddly fitting in hindsight, seeing as, like him, you're a shoddy barnacle encrusted piece of shit..."
The Dutchman growled. He stuck his rapier into the ground, and then got right up in Dugan's face baring his teeth like an animal.
"Then if it's not death you fear," he hissed, "we have an eternity to find what you do fear Major! You cheated me out of your immortal soul once, now we settle your debt to me once and for all, and I intend to have you join the ranks of my crew come hell or high water, understood?"
He growled his eyes glowing like motes of molten silver.
Yeah, it's him all right… thought Dugan. I'd remember that foul breath anywhere…
"You double-crossed me, Dugan…" growled the Dutchman. "I won that game of chess… But all you were doing was delaying me so that the sun could come up to sink my ship!"
"Listen, pal…" said Dugan, as he took a step backwards. "The only thing that keeps piracy from being considered an act of war is the fact that pirates don't swear allegiance to any government. And pirates rarely follow the Rules of Engagement. There was once a time when pirates were simply hanged from the yardarm.
"In many ways, you guys are worse than terrorists… At least they, on some demented level, think that they stand for a religious or political cause. You folks do it for nothing but greed.
"When I deal with people who think that they don't have to follow rules, then anything goes."
The Flying Dutchman calmed down a little. Not that he seemed any less upset. Then he smiled.
"You don't think I follow rules, huh?" he asked. "Okay… let's resolve this with something that has rules… A gentleman's challenge, if you will…"
"What, you want to play chess again?" asked Dugan.
"Don't be absurd," said the Dutchman. "I've already beaten you at chess, remember? Let's play this new game you've mastered… Duel Monsters."
"And just why would you want to play 'my' game?" asked Dugan.
"Why else?" asked the Dutchman. "To humiliate you! To pay you back for what you did to me."
Dugan looked at him.
"Fine, fine…" he said.
I'm guessing that was the idea all along… he thought.
The Dutchman lifted his left arm, and a very gaudy-looking Duel Disk appeared on it. Dugan had heard about Anacisbriefly in stories about Yukai Judai…the wealthy, seagoing duelist who was so shallow that he thought that everything (and everyone) in the world could be bought. As a man who liked to flaunt his wealth, Anacis had a similar Disk, a gold-plated model covered with gemstones.
Dugan looked at it in disgust. It looked like someone had gotten sick in a jewelry store. His own Disk activated.
"All right, fine…" he grumbled. "Let's stop beating around the bush."
"Duel!" they both shouted.
(Dugan: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Flying Dutchman: 8,000)
"Well, let's see what we have here…" said the Dutchman, as he made his first draw.
"I summon Skull Kraken!" he exclaimed.
The Monster that appeared looked like the skull of a huge squid – if squids had skulls, which they didn't. Still, the large skull with glowing red eyes had ten tentacles made of bone in place of a lower jaw. (600 ATK)
"It's not the strongest Monster," he said, "but once per turn, I can move it to Defense Mode."
(1,600 DEF)
"And that will be all for now…"
Dugan drew a card.
"I summon Scrap Goblin!" he exclaimed.
The little Beast-Warrior hopped onto the field. (0 ATK)
"Then, I can Special Summon Scrap Orthros…"
He played another card, and the metal, two-headed hound followed. (1,700 ATK)
"Having done that, I have to destroy Scrap Goblin…"
The Goblin shattered into pieces of broken metal.
"But at least I have a shot at your Skull…"
Scrap Orthros breathed twin jets of flame at the strange Aqua, and it exploded into pieces of bone.
Have to try to take my time… thought Dugan. It may not be enough to win… I still have to find out just why my first fight with this guy was a "turning point"…
Was taking down this creep truly what defined me? What makes him different from all the other Shadowkind crooks in the world?
"My move, Major!" exclaimed the Dutchman.
He drew a card.
Then he tapped his Disk, and the Field Slot opened.
This could only mean one thing… thought Dugan.
"I play A Legendary Ocean!" exclaimed The Dutchman.
A huge wave rose behind him, and crashed onto the beach, swamping it. As Dugan rubbed the sea water out of his eyes, the water flooded the whole area, and an undersea city rose out of the ocean behind the Dutchman.
"Funny you should call me a 'shoddy, barnacle-encrusted piece of shit'," he said, "as it were… Barnacles do have uses, you know…
"I summon Drill Barnacle!"
The Monster's name fit it perfectly. It was a large barnacle that had mechanized drills for ridges. (300 ATK)
"And might I add," continued The Dutchman, "my Field Spell gives all Water Monsters 200 more points for both attacking and defending…"
(500 ATK)
"Drill Barnacle is still far too weak to trade blows with your hound," he continued, "but no matter… It has the ability to attack directly!"
Drill Barnacle's drills spun, and it flew at Dugan. The blow took him by surprise… He wasn't expecting it.
"Just a flesh wound…" said Dugan.
"But it will get worse," said the Dutchman. "You see, each time Drill Barnacle attacks directly and succeeds, it gains 1,000 Attack Points."
(1,500 ATK)
"I'll set this," he said, as a facedown card appeared on the watery surface, "and then you can make your move…"
(D: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (FD: 8,000)
Dugan looked at the facedown card as he made a draw.
Obviously a Trap… he thought. Better not risk another Monster…
"Attack his Drill Barnacle!" he shouted.
Scrap Orthros snarled.
"I activate… Gravity Bind!" shouted the Dutchman as his facedown card lifted up.
Crud… thought Dugan. That card will keep most of my Monsters from attacking…
But the downgrading effect of this Field Spell will change his Level 4 Monsters to Level 3… Who'd have known he'd pick up on this game so fast?
He took a card from his hand, and set it on his Disk. A facedown card appeared on his side of the field.
"Your move," he said.
The Dutchman grinned as he made a draw.
"Honestly, Dugan," he said. "This is like shooting fish in a barrel!
"I summon Metabo-Shark!"
There was a large splash, as a very fat shark broke surface. It had six fins, and was covered with body piercings. (1,800 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)
"Since this worked so well before…"
Drill Barnacle flew at Dugan again, and Dugan grunted in pain as its drills stabbed into him. The crustacean's Attack Score rose to 2,500.
Then Metabo-Shark blasted a bolt of goo from its mouth, and Scrap Orthros melted into a puddle of ichor.
(D: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (FD: 8,000)
"Your move, Dugan…" said the Dutchman. "What piece of garbage are you going to pass off as a Monster next?"
"You have a deluded sense of what's garbage, buddy," said Dugan, making a draw. "My Monsters may be made of junk, but if a creature's value was determined by his virtues, you would rank with the stuff you find in a cesspool.
"I don't have any garbage… But I do have Trap Eater!"
The Dutchman stepped back in shock as the Fiend with the huge mouth leapt onto the field and swallowed the Gravity Bind card with one gulp. Then it looked at him with a big, toothy grin. (1,900 ATK)
"Next, I summon Scrap Hunter!" exclaimed Dugan.
A portal opened, and the armed robot on tank treads emerged, hovering over the water. (1,600 ATK)
"Then, I Tuner my Level 4 Trap Eater with my Level 3 Scrap Hunter…"
The two Monsters flew into the night sky above A Legendary Ocean, fading into light…
"Deep within the junkyard, an ominous portal to the Underworld opens! Soul of a demon, body of debris and cast-iron, rise from the infernal pits below!"
(*4 + *3 = *7)
"Synchro Summon... Scrap Archfiend!"
With a roar, the huge cast-iron demon emerged from the sea. (2,700 ATK)
"Attack that Drill Barnacle!" he shouted. "Blazing Bolts!"
Scrap Archfiend blasted rays of energy from its eyes, blowing the arthropod to bits. The dark fey grunted.
"Well, that was unpleasant…" said the pirate.
"Take turn…" said Dugan.
(D: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (FD: 7,800)
"Very well…" said The Dutchman.
He drew a card.
"I'll move Metabo-Shark to Defense Mode…"
The fat fish covered itself with its fins. (700 DEF)
"Then I'll set a Monster…"
A hidden Monster appeared.
"…and this too…"
A set card materialized in his Spell Zone.
"…and that will be all…"
Dugan drew a card.
He's only allowed one copy of Gravity Bind… he thought. Still, Water Monsters have gotten more powerful recently and allow for a lot of variations… I could be up against anything…
"You like Fish, do you?" he said. "Meet my Scrap Shark!"
The huge shark made of junk and spare parts appeared on the field. (2,100 ATK)
"That's a Fish?" asked the Dutchman. "It looks like I need a tetanus shot just looking at it!"
"Well, let's see how your Shark does against it," said Dugan. "Attack his Metabo-Shark!"
Scrap Shark blasted twin torpedoes at Metabo-Shark, turning the fat Fish to chum.
"And then there's my Archfiend!"
The demon blasted its Blazing Bolts. Mother Grizzly appeared on the card, and exploded.
"I activate Mother Grizzly's effect," said The Dutchman. "Since you sent it to Davy Jones, I can bring Jar Turtle to the field."
Dugan had seen this Monster before – Acamar had used it. It was a turtle with red scales, with the Jar of Greed on its back. (200 ATK) –) (400 ATK)
"Which means Scrap Shark's effect activates," said Dugan.
Scrap Shark burst into shards of metal.
"Because it destroyed itself," he continued, "I get to send one Scrap Monster from my deck to the Graveyard…"
He discarded Scrap Mind Reader.
"I'll set this…"
A facedown card appeared behind Scrap Archfiend.
"…and end my turn…"
"Then I draw," said the Dutchman, making a draw.
"And I activate Jar of Greed!"
His Trap Card lifted up.
"Which, thanks to my Jar Turtle, is as good as a Pot of Greed!"
He drew two cards.
"Next, Jar Turtle moves to Defense Mode…"
Jar Turtle slunk back into its jar-shaped shell. (2,300 DEF)
"And I'll set this too…"
Another defensive Monster appeared on his side of the field.
"It's your move…"
Dugan made a draw.
"Let's go, Scrap Beast!" he shouted.
Scrap Beast broke surface, and shook the water from its head. (1,600 ATK)
"A little water isn't going to keep my Scraps down," he said. "Scrap Archfiend, sink his Jar Turtle!"
The Archfiend blasted its eye-beams, and the Turtle exploded.
"Scrap Beast, attack with Junkyard Frenzy!"
Scrap Beast pounced, and Dark Mimic LV1 appeared on the card. The Scrap crushed it, and the Dutchman made one draw.
He sure seems to have a lot of draw cards… thought Dugan. What am I saying, he's a pirate! Cards that let you gain "loot" are going to appeal to him…
"I move to my second Main Phase…" he said, "and then Special Summon Scrap Mind Reader to the field."
The small Scrap Tuner rose out of the sea next to Dugan's other two Monsters. (0 DEF)
"And it's your go."
"My move!" laughed the Dutchman, making a draw.
He chuckled maniacally at Dugan.
"Since you foiled my attempt to hit you with low-Level Monsters," he said, "I'm just going to have to go higher…
"Of course… My Ocean Field Spell makes this Level 5 Monster, which is high, a Level 4, which is low…"
There was an explosion and a great surge of water as a titanic sea beast burst through the surface. It was a gigantic killer whale, with torpedoes on its underside, and missiles and a huge crane on its back. (2,100 ATK) –) (2,300 ATK)
"Yeah, yeah…" said Dugan. "Funny, your Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness may look intimidating, but my Scrap Archfiend is still 400 points stronger."
"Then I'll have to make my Monster stronger," said the Dutchman. "With the Spell Card, Aqua Jet!"
He threw a card into his Disk, and large, turbine engines appeared on Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness's stern. (3,300 ATK)
"As you can see, this increases my Monster's Attack Score by a grand," he continued. "And don't think you can weaken it by using Mystical Space Typhoon or Giant Trunade… It's not an Equip Spell."
"It increases that thing's Attack Score permanently?" gasped Dugan.
"It only works on Fish, Aqua, and Sea Serpent-Type Monsters," said the Dutchman, "but yeah…"
The huge creature opened its great jowls, and a giant cannon aimed at Scrap Archfiend…
"Send his Scrap Archfiend to a watery grave!" shouted the Flying Dutchman. "Attack with Killer Whale Cannon!"
"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" shouted Dugan.
His command was nearly drowned out as the weapon fired in a deafening blast, but the Trap activated.
When the smoke cleared, the makeshift scarecrow was standing in front of Scrap Archfiend, dented and scorched, but still intact.
It slowly vanished as the card reset on the field.
"You are tenacious…" said the Dutchman, as he set three cards into his Disk. Three facedown cards appeared.
"Or maybe you're just stubborn? I'm not sure… It's your move…"
Dugan looked at the giant behemoth as he made a draw.
Three Trap Cards… he thought. Maybe summoning Scrap Dragon might not be a good idea right now…
He looked at his two set cards.
He set a third one, and then turned two of the cards on his Disk. Scrap Archfiend knelt in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF) Then Scrap Beast did the same. (1,300 DEF)
"It's your move…" he said.
The Dutchman grinned again, as he made a draw.
He played the card, and a rush of water came towards Dugan as another large craft started to surface.
It broke surface, a large PT boat shaped like a shark, armed with two torpedoes shaped like smaller sharks. (1,800 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)
"What do you think of Shark Cruiser?" laughed the Dutchman. "Your Scrap-Iron Scarecrow can only be used once per turn, and I've got two attacks!"
Orca prepared to fire.
"Looks like your Archfiend is about to be buried at sea!"
The cannon glowed with energy.
"In activate… Scrap Rage!" shouted Dugan.
One of his other Trap Cards lifted up.
"This increases my Archfiend's Defense Score by 2,000 points!"
(3,800 DEF)
The Flying Dutchman screamed as the cannon blasted and the backlash hit him.
"Curse you, Dugan!" he shouted. "Shark Cruiser, attack his Scrap Beast!"
Shark Cruiser fired its torpedoes, but Dugan quickly hit his Duel Disk, and Scrap-Iron Scarecrow activated again, blocking the attack.
"I end my turn…" snarled the pirate.
"Which means, unfortunately, that Scrap Archfiend is destroyed…" said Dugan.
The Synchro shattered into pixels.
(D: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (FD: 7,300)
He made a draw.
It's now or never… he thought.
He activated his last Trap Card, and Call of the Haunted revealed itself. Scrap Archfiend rose to the surface again. (2,700 ATK)
"Now, I'll Tune my Level 1 Scrap Mind Reader with my Level 7 Scrap Archfiend…" he continued.
The Tuner and the Synchro flew into the sky, turning into a cluster of stars…
(*1 +*7 = *8)
With a bellow, Scrap Dragon descended onto the field. (2,800 ATK)
"Now, I'll destroy my inert Call of the Haunted," he continued, "so I can sink your battleship!"
Call of the Haunted shattered.
"Destroy Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness!"
"I can't believe you took the bait!" laughed the Dutchman.
One of his facedown cards lifted.
"I activate… Skill Twist! It forces your Monster's effect to change targets!
"So instead of destroying Orca… Your Dragon will sink my Shark Cruiser."
Shark Cruiser's engine exploded, and it erupted in flames. It quickly sank below the waves.
"But when Shark Cruiser is deep-sixed, that's a good thing, because I get to bring out two, not one, but two Level 4 or lower Water Monsters from my deck!"
Two strange Monsters appeared in front of him. One looked like a missile shaped like a spiral, pointed shell. (1,000 ATK) –) (1,200 ATK) The other looked like a torpedo shaped like a fish. (1,000 ATK) –) (1,200 ATK)
Cannonball Spear Shellfish and Torpedo Fish! thought Dugan in horror as he looked at them. He planned it all out… He tricked me into destroying Shark Cruiser so he could summon those two Monsters to use as ammo for Orca's effect!
He paused.
"Scrap Dragon, attack Torpedo Fish!" he shouted.
"Not so fast!" shouted the Dutchman. "I activate Tornado Wall!"
One of his Trap Cards lifted up.
"It keeps me from taking Battle Damage so long as Field Spell is in play."
"It won't protect your Monsters!" said Dugan.
"That's what this other Trap is for!" laughed the Dutchman, as his other card lifted up. "Astral Barrier!
"It turns all your attacks into direct attacks!"
Scrap Dragon's toxic blaze hit him, but glanced harmlessly off as he grinned wickedly.
"Astral Barrier makes my Monsters invincible…" he gloated. "While Tornado Wall makes ME invincible!"
Dugan looked at him.
"Who's the one who's outsmarting who this time, Dugan?" he chuckled.
Dugan didn't answer for a minute or two…
"I… I end my turn…" he said, slowly.
"Draw…" said the Flying Dutchman, drawing a card.
"And I sacrifice Cannonball Spear Shellfish to destroy one Spell or Trap Card."
The Shellfish vanished, and then was launched from the bow of the Orca. It crashed down, blowing Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to pieces.
"Next, I sacrifice Torpedo Fish to sink your Scrap Dragon!"
Torpedo Fish vanished, and was then launched from the Orca's underside. It hit home, blowing Scrap Dragon into smithereens.
"I use Scrap Dragon's effect!" shouted Dugan.
Scrap Orthros appeared in front of him, sitting in Defense Mode. (1,100 DEF)
The Orca Mega Fortress of Darkness blasted its mighty cannon again, and this time there was nothing to stand in its way. It reduced Scrap Orthros to molten metal.
"Face it, Dugan," said the Dutchman, "you should have kept your nose out of our business. You would have saved yourself a whole lot of grief if you had just left me and my crew alone that night…
"But no… You had to be the hero…"
"I never said I wanted to be the hero…" said Dugan. "Never in my whole life did I want to be a 'hero'. I just wanted to do…"
He stopped short.
"…what was right…"
That was when a sudden realization came to him.
"Keeping my nose out of 'his' business…" he said. "Out of 'their' business…
"That's why this was a turning point…"
He turned towards his foe.
"All of a sudden this demented battle is starting to make sense," he said. "Before I met you, I could see the Shadows… I could see them committing crimes and hurting humans…
"Whether it was a succubus trying to seduce a man or a spriggan trying to sucker people with rigged games of chance, I saw it all… But I never got involved unless they threatened a member of my unit or a friend.
"And even then, I just steered him away from the problem and let the Shadows continue what they were doing. It was none of my business… Or so I thought…
"It all changed when I met you, and you threatened to rob a whole town. I realized the threat that evil Shadows like you could pose, and realized that I couldn't simply stay out of it any longer…
"I had a gift… I was Aware… I knew then that I had to make the most of it…"
The Dutchman chuckled.
"So where has this 'gift' taken you?" he mocked. "In case you didn't notice, you're staring down the face of a killer whale armed with a giant cannon."
Dugan drew a card.
"Just watch me," he said.
He glanced at the card.
"I throw a card facedown, and end my turn," he said.
A set card appeared behind Scrap Beast.
"My move!" laughed The Dutchman.
"And I play Pot of Avarice!" he laughed, as he played the card.
He quickly took Shark Cruiser, Skull Kraken, Drill Barnacle, Metabo-Shark, and Jar Turtle and shuffled them into his deck. He made two draws.
"I have to admit, Dugan," he said, "this game of yours is a lot more fun than plain old chess… After all, chess doesn't give you the opportunity to sick a bunch of ferocious sea beasts on your opponent!"
He looked at the two cards he had drawn.
"Still, all these big, nasty ones are getting on my nerves," he said. "Think I'll bring out someone who's a little nicer...
"I summon Mermaid Knight!"
In a splash, a feminine figure rose out of A Legendary Ocean. The mermaid had red hair, wore armor, and carried a sword and shield. (1,500 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)
He frowned.
"Mermaids tended to swim away from my ship fast when they saw it coming…" he said. "And they were so hard to catch!"
Dugan looked at him hard. He really didn't want to know what happened to the ones he did manage to catch…
"But this one does what I tell her to," continued the Dutchman, "and with my Field Spell in play, she can attack twice per round!
"Attack!"
Mermaid Knight flew towards Scrap Beast, and with one swipe, cut the Scrap in half.
"You're defenseless!" shouted the Dutchman.
"But your Monsters aren't going to do as well either," said Dugan, as his facedown card lifted up. "I activate… Scrap Crash!
"Because my Scrap Monster was destroyed, so are all Spell and Trap Cards on the field."
"Eh?" said The Dutchman.
Then he gasped as Astral Barrier and Tornado Wall shattered, while the palace behind him crumbled into a pile of rubble and the ocean water receded. Both of his Monsters lost 200 points from their scores.
"Your Field Spell is gone," said Dugan. "So Mermaid Knight can't make a second attack."
The evil fey clenched his fists in anger…
"I still have my Orca!" he shouted. "Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness, attack that landlubber!"
The Orca's cannon fired again, and Dugan struggled to keep from being blown over as the energy blast hit him.
He held his chest and gasped for breath.
(D: 2,600) - - - - - - - - - - (FD: 7,300)
"Well, let's see…" said the pirate. "My Life Points are far ahead of yours… I've got the superior Monster… All you've got is your newfound sense of purpose. Let's see how far it gets you…"
Dugan drew a card.
"Oh, I can get very far," he said.
He threw a card on his Disk, and a set Monster appeared.
"Move," he said.
The Dutchman chuckled as he made a draw.
He pointed, and Mermaid Knight flew at the Monster.
Unfortunately for him, her sword hit against Scrap Goblin with a clang. (500 DEF)
"You're trying my patience, Dugan," he growled.
The Orca blasted its cannon, and still, Scrap Goblin held. But then the Dutchman waved his hand in disgust, and the small Beast-Warrior shattered.
He set a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"Make your move…" he said.
Dugan drew a card.
"I play my Pot of Avarice!" he shouted as he played it.
He quickly took Scrap Goblin, Scrap Dragon, Scrap Orthros, Scrap Hunter, and Scrap Archfiend from his Graveyard slot. He reshuffled his deck, and made two draws.
He was very surprised at what he drew. One card was Scrap Chimera, a common enough card. The other…
I can't believe I drew Scrap Prison! he thought. I've never used this before!
He quickly put it aside, and then threw Scrap Chimera on his Disk. The mythical Beast appeared in front of him. (1,700 ATK) Then it glowed with energy, and Scrap Beast appeared again. (1,600 ATK)
Then, once again, the two Beasts flew into the sky…
"A spark of life ignites among trash and debris thrown on a pile of a dismal junkyard, a spark that grows into a white-hot flame! Rise from the refuse and show your might..."
(*4 + *4 = *8)
"Synchro Summon... Scrap Dragon!"
Silently, Scrap Dragon floated down, eyeing the Flying Dutchman with its glowing optic sensors. (2,800 ATK)
Dugan set a card in his Spell Zone. Then it shattered, and an explosion erupted in Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness's hull. More explosions started, and then the huge battleship sank under the waves.
"Curse you, Dugan!" screamed the Dutchman.
"I'm not done with you," said Dugan. "Attack Mermaid Knight! Toxic Blaze!"
Mermaid Knight screamed just before she was hit by Scrap Dragon's lethal breath.
"I activate… Damage Gate!" shouted the Dutchman.
His facedown card lifted up.
"Now I get to Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard, so long as its Attack Score is equal or less than the amount of damage I took."
Torpedo Fish appeared in front of him. (1,000 DEF)
"In that case…" said Dugan, "I end my turn…"
(D: 2,600) - - - - - - - - - - (FD: 6,000)
The Dutchman made a draw.
"I play the Spell Card, Big Wave Small Wave," he said, throwing a Spell Card into his Disk.
"I destroy all my Water Monsters on the field…"
Torpedo Fish shattered.
"…and summon an equal number from my hand…
"So here comes my big surprise…"
A huge shadow fell across the beach…
"I summon the White Night Dragon!"
Dugan stepped back in shock as a huge Dragon that appeared to be sculpted completely out of ice hovered in the air in front of him. Its eyes were glowing orbs of pure cold. (3,000 ATK)
"In the name of all that's unholy…" said Dugan. "Where did you get…"
He stopped in mid-sentence.
"What am I saying? I'm still trying to figure out where Dark Gaia came from…"
"This Monster means trouble for you," said the Dutchman, "because Spells and Traps don't work on it.
"Now attack his Scrap Dragon! Absolute zero blast!"
The frigid Dragon blasted a bolt of pure cold, and Scrap Dragon froze solid. Then it simply fell apart, falling into frozen pieces of metal.
Dugan pointed, and Scrap Chimera appeared on the field. (1,700 ATK)
"You think that scares me?" asked the Dutchman.
He played a Spell Card.
"Next, I play Greed Grado," he said.
The Pot of Greed appeared beside him, with stars rotating it like electrons around a nucleus.
"Since I destroyed your Synchro Monster this turn, I get to draw two cards."
He made two draws.
"Then I'll play Fragment of Greed."
He played a card, and a Continuous Spell Card appeared in front of him.
"We'll get to that later," he said. "It's your move…"
(D: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (FD: 6,000)
"And it's time for something completely different," said Dugan.
He drew a card.
"You're just as ruthless and powerful as you were before… So you've forced me to use the card that I was saving for a special occasion."
He opened the Field Slot on his Disk.
"I activate the Field Spell, Scrap Prison!"
As he played the card, a dark, cavernous structure rose around the two duelists. They were standing on a catwalk surrounded by huge winches, pulleys, and chains. Vats of molten metal were underneath, pouring their contents into large molds on huge conveyor belts.
"This is a prison?" asked the Dutchman. "It looks more like a factory."
"The prisoner it was built to hold can only be held in a factory," replied Dugan. "Also, special jailers are required.
"I'm summoning one of them right now… Scrap Chimera is one of three Monsters that, when Scrap Factory is in play, I can sacrifice to Special Summon the Scrap Minotaur from my Extra Deck."
Scrap Chimera vanished and a huge, lumbering Beast-Warrior appeared in its place. Unlike most Scraps, its body was flesh rather than metal, resembling a classic minotaur covered with shaggy fur. However, its armor was made of the same makeshift parts and junk that all Scraps were made of. It held a large battle-axe in both hands. (2,300 ATK)
"Humph…" scoffed the Dutchman. "As if. My Dragon is 700 points stronger.
Dugan smiled.
"Oh, is he?" he asked. "Scrap Minotaur has a special effect… When it attacks a Monster that was Special Summoned, that Monster's Attack Score is cut in half."
"Say what?" said dark fey.
"Attack White Night Dragon!" shouted Dugan. "Axe Slammer!"
Scrap Minotaur lifted its axe high, and the Dragon bellowed as its Attack Score plummeted to 1,500. Then the Beast-Warrior slammed its weapon to the ground, sending a shockwave across the catwalk. White Night Dragon was blasted into shards of ice.
"Ugh…" said the pirate.
(D: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (FD: 5,200)
"It's your move…" said Dugan.
The Dutchman growled, and made a draw.
"I summon Deep Sea Diva," he said.
He played the card, and a mermaid in a blouse with a pink fishtail appeared in front of him. (200 ATK)
"By doing that, I can Special Summon Mermaid Archer from my deck."
Yet another mermaid appeared, this one holding a crossbow and riding on the back of a sea turtle. (1,200 ATK)
Then he played a Spell Card.
"Next, my Double Summon Spell Card," he continued. "And I'll use my second Normal Summon to sacrifice Deep Sea Diva…"
The first mermaid turned into an orb of water.
"…for Divine Dragon Aquabizarre."
The orb burst, and a large Sea Serpent resembling a giant eel with no eyes appeared in front of him. (2,100 ATK)
"And as for the other one," he continued, "I use Aquabizarre's effect. By sacrificing a Water Monster, I can take a Field Spell from my Graveyard, and place it on top of my deck."
Mermaid Archer vanished, and A Legendary Ocean slipped out of his discard slot, and he slid it on the top of his deck.
"Next round, this Field Spell of yours is going the way of the Titanic."
Dugan looked at the Fragment of Greed card.
He's putting all his chips in one pile, thought Dugan. But then again, so am I…
"My move…" said Dugan, making a draw.
"And once again, I summon Scrap Hunter!" he exclaimed.
The squat robot rolled onto the field once again. (1,600 ATK)
"And Scrap Hunter is one of three Monsters that, when Scrap Prison is in play, I can sacrifice to Special Summon its other jailer."
Scrap Hunter vanished.
"I summon Scrap Hulker!"
Again, the Monster that appeared was more flesh than metal, its armor being what was made of scrap metal. It was a muscular, hulking ogre, broad, bearded, and pebbly-skinned. In addition to its piecemeal armor, it wore two iron knuckle dusters over its hands, like brass knuckles. (2,400 ATK)
"This guy can't attack directly…" said Dugan, "but when it attacks a Monster, boy does it hurt! You see, the damage it dishes out when it clobbers a Monster is doubled!"
Scrap Hulker snarled, and socked Divine Dragon Aquabizarre upside the head. The Sea Serpent collapsed to the ground, and then shattered.
"But my Scrap Minotaur can attack directly…" said Dugan.
Scrap Minotaur slammed its axe into the ground again, and this time, the shock wave hit the Flying Dutchman. He cursed in elven.
(D: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (FD: 2,300)
"Okay, Dugan…" snarled the pirate. "You're no fun anymore… You hurt me… But I'll get the last laugh…"
"We'll see…" said Dugan. "It's your move…"
The Dutchman made a draw.
"First, I use the effect of Fragment of Greed," he said. "Because I had two Draw Phases since I played it, I can send it to the Graveyard to draw two cards."
The Continuous Spell vanished, and he made two draws.
"Excellent…" he said with a grin, as he looked at them.
"Now, once again, I play A Legendary Ocean! I'd abandon ship if I were you…"
The walls of Scrap Prison crumbled, and the Ocean Field rose around them again…
However, what happened was a surprise even to The Dutchman. Both of Dugan's Monsters shattered.
"Huh?" said the Dutchman. "Why did that happen?"
"Because when Scrap Prison is destroyed," said Dugan, "it activates its true effect, and all my Monsters are destroyed."
The Flying Dutchman laughed out loud.
"That has to be the stupidest Field Spell effect I have ever heard of!" he laughed.
He threw a card on his Disk.
"I summon Codarus!"
A much smaller Sea Serpent, resembling an infant form of Levia-Dragon Daedalus, appeared on the field. (1,400 ATK) –) (1,600 ATK)
"I could have used this guy's effect to get rid of your two Monsters," he chuckled, "but seems I don't have to bother…
"Attack Major Dugan directly!"
Dugan barely moved as the small, vicious Sea Serpent lunged at him and bit him on the arm.
(D: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (FD: 2,300)
The Dutchman chuckled again, and set his last card in his Disk. It appeared facedown.
"That should do it…" he said. "I end my…"
He looked at Dugan.
"…turn…"
Then he stopped laughing.
"You're about to lose, and you don't seem the least bit worried…" he said. "That Field Spell of yours… It did something else, didn't it?"
Dugan grinned. He nodded as he made a draw.
Then there was an explosion of flames, the roar of engines, and a cloud of hot steam as a huge Machine appeared on Dugan's side of the field. It was a ten-foot-tall, vaguely humanoid conglomeration of iron, clockworks, armor, and blades. The whole thing appeared unbalanced and unwieldy, with too many sharp edges. Its right hand was a drill bit, and its left was a large rotary saw.
"That…" said the Dutchman, nervously. "That was what the Scrap Prison was meant to hold, right?"
"Bingo," said Dugan. "It's called a Scrap Anaxim.
"You see, even gods of the forge sometimes make mistakes. Even they occasionally throw their failed creations onto scrap piles. And just like all my other Scraps, these thrown away and cast-off parts sometimes pull themselves together and develop a mind of their own.
"The difference is, in this case, the result has a divine spark, and becomes incredibly dangerous, seeking revenge for being thrown on the scrapheap by its perfectionist creator. Like all mistakes of the gods, an Anaxim is usually locked away securely in some hidden jail.
"Only fools disturb things that the gods have hidden away…
"As far as Attack and Defense Points go, we combine the Attack Points of the two jailers, who were destroyed along with Scrap Prison…"
(4,700 ATK)
"And now, I use Scrap Anaxim's effect…"
He discarded Foolish Burial from his hand.
"By tossing one card, it can obliterate one card on the field every round."
Scrap Anaxim blasted a bolt of electromagnetic energy at the facedown card, which turned out to be Mirror Force. It was blown to atoms.
"Now to finish this duel!" shouted Dugan.
Scrap Anaxim's rotary saw started spinning.
"Attack with Rage of the Abomination!"
Moving with uncanny speed for something so big, the mechanical beast charged the much smaller Sea Serpent. The Flying Dutchman screamed as a swipe from the blade cut the sea Monster in two…
(D: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (FD: 0)
Dugan stopped to catch his breath.
The Flying Dutchman was gone. Then his uniform was replaced by his normal clothing, and his blunderbuss reappeared.
A portal appeared in front of him.
It seems I've passed the test… he said.
He looked around.
Who was that guy? A demon in the shape of the Flying Dutchman? Something from my dark memories come to life?
He sighed.
I guess I'll never know… Still, as Leorin could certainly tell you… You can't change the past… But you can certainly learn from it.
He walked forward, and stepped through the portal.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SKILL TWIST (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: Two video game sprites, one looking sad and surrounded by a fiery aura, the other looking excited and surrounded by an electric aura. A green arrow points to the excited one.
Card Description: Activate when a face-up Monster on the field is targeted by the effect of an Effect Monster. Switch the Effect Monster's target to another appropriate face-up Monster you control.
Note: "Skill Twist" was first used by Yusei in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's episode "Clash at Crash Town (Part 2)" Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SCRAP PRISON (Spell Card)
Field Spell
Image: Marauding Captain and Warrior Lady of the Wasteland wandering through a huge factory full of casting vats and molds on conveyor belts, with Scrap Beast and Scrap Orthros watching them from the shadows.
Card Description: If this card is destroyed, destroy all Monsters controlled by the controller of this card. If a player controls a "Scrap Minotaur" and/or a "Scrap Hulker" and they are destroyed by this effect, he or she may Special Summon 1 "Scrap Anaxim" from his or her Extra Deck during his or her next Standby Phase.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SCRAP MINOTAUR (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 7
ATK: 2,300
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: This card can only be Special Summoned from your Extra Deck by Tributing 1 "Scrap Beast", "Scrap Chimera", or "Scrap Orthros" you control while you control a face-up "Scrap Prison". You can only control 1 "Scrap Minotaur". When this card attacks a Monster that was Special Summoned, reduce the ATK of the attack target by half during the Damage Step only.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SCRAP HULKER (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 7
ATK: 2,400
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: This card can only be Special Summoned from your Extra Deck by Tributing 1 "Scrap Hunter", "Scrap Solider", or "Scrap Breaker" you control while you control a face-up "Scrap Prison". You can only control 1 "Scrap Hulker". This card cannot attack your opponent directly. Battle Damage inflicted by this card is doubled.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SCRAP ANAXIM (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 10
ATK: ?
DEF: ?
Card Description: This card can only be Special Summoned from your Extra Deck via the effect of "Scrap Prison". The ATK and DEF of this card are both equal to the combined ATKs of all "Scrap" Fusion Monsters that were destroyed when "Scrap Prison" was destroyed. Once per turn, you can discard 1 card from your hand to destroy 1 card on the field.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Next:
Nichole: Marc… You tutored me, cared for me, comforted me… You gave me hope in a place where most people had none…
But who comforts the comforter? To make sure I made the right decisions, you made the wrong ones, and for seven years, you've been paying the price.
I never dreamed I'd see Sven again… He said he was sorry for what happened to Marc, but I saw through his lies… I so much wanted to take him down personally when we raided the Blue Serpents' headquarters, but Dugan wouldn't allow it. And I suppose Dugan's judgment was sound.
Now, in this dimensional limbo, where I'm trapped between what was and what might have been, I'm face to ugly face with all six-foot-ten of him. Seems I'm going to have that chance after all…
And I've got a secret weapon… I might even enjoy this…
"The Gift; The Dark Queen" is coming soon.
