My voice intimidates my students. My face makes them tremble. They're afraid of me… They know I won't hesitate to punish them if they break the rules or step out of line.

Some think I'm flawless… That I'm without guile. They think of me as a genius who has no faults. They think I'm perfect, even though I've never told anyone I was…

I have no right to say I am.

If only they knew… If only they knew of the painful secret I've had to endure. There's a reason I asked Ben to go with Jason's team rather than chaperone myself. I wanted to with all my heart… But I'm not worthy to fight for a holy cause.

I'm locked it up inside me for so long. The guilt it has inflicted on me has caused me no end of pain. What I did cannot be undone, but I do my best to educate the future of dueling, and make sure it doesn't happen again…

And now…

on this horrible night, the personification of my crime has come back to haunt me…

Have the Lords of Heaven finally passed judgment for a crime that has gone unpunished for so many years? We'll have to see…

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CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

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Scapegoat

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Tuesday, November 10th, 2106, 7:15 PM

Dr. Artemis sat at her desk in her office, in dim light, her chin on her hands.

Twinky was in the corner. The robot was shut down, its internal battery recharging. Artemis looked at it and recalled the question that author Philip K. Dick had once asked in a novel: "Do androids dream of electric sheep?"

Her eyes fell on her coffee cup, which was half-full of coffee that had long gone cold.

She sighed.

"Everyone feels sorry for alcoholics," she mumbled, walking to the water cooler. "They say it's a disease. Does anyone care about those who are addicted to caffeine? No…"

She dumped the remains of the coffee into the drain, and went to the coffee pot to get a fresh cup.

She paused before taking a sip. She stared into the darkness.

"What have you done Andorra?" she asked herself. "You've sent your best students to storm a stronghold of evil, and they might meet their doom. All of the other students are likely having bad dreams in their beds right now… Tonight will be a night that won't soon be forgotten…"

As she sat back on her desk, a blip on her computer flashed on…

"You've got mail!" said the familiar voice.

She looked at it. She turned pale.

She clicked on it.

Andorra,

I'm sorry we couldn't meet again under better circumstances. The school's security system has been sabotaged. I want to deal with you personally.

Bring your Bandoleer and deck to the Arena.

- Isaiah

The coffee cup fell to the floor and smashed to pieces, sending the hot liquid splattering.

Tears started to stream down the chancellor's face.

She got up and took her Duel Bandoleer out of the closet, and then took her deck out of the drawer…

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Dr. Andorra Artemis… No one really knew why she had never married.

No one knew that she had once come close.

Many years ago, there was a young man named Isaiah Rackham-Kerwin. He was a man who was born into a family of scholars and bureaucrats, and you'd have assumed he was born to be a professor. His father was the president of Columbia University; his uncle taught at New York University, and other family members were in prominent education positions. In short, it was the family trade.

After leading a fairly quiet childhood, Isaiah rose through the educational ranks, graduating valedictorian from Columbia and moving on to graduate student work. And then he began the portion of his life that would lead, ultimately, to a rise and a fall…

He met Andorra Artemis.

She was smitten by his good looks and charm, and he was entranced by her beauty and intelligence. A relationship began that lasted throughout most of their graduate studies. The details are not important, but she believed it was love… She could honestly say she had feelings for him.

Finally, he proposed. She said yes, and was the happiest she had ever been.

But then, Isaiah did something he shouldn't have. You see, throughout his life, he longed for acceptance. His chance seemed to leap at him when he discovered a set of obscure, forgotten academic papers on a topic he was intimately familiar with; no one recognized the names of the authors when he mentioned them.

And so, he committed the one crime that, in the world of academia, is unforgivable – plagiarism. He "cannibalized" the papers and rewrote them just enough to keep them together, publishing the result in an academic journal under his own name. For a brief moment, he seemed to have his fame...

…until Andorra discovered the source of the information.

Her conscience being what it was even then, Andorra exposed his crime. Isaiah's reputation was destroyed, and his dreams with them. He could forgive her for this, but he couldn't live with her; breaking the engagement, he left New York behind him, seeking to rebuild his reputation and academic career elsewhere.

But it wouldn't end there between them.

Shortly afterward, she did something that was almost as bad, which he would never forgive. The two had worked together on another paper, this one on the history and advancement of Duel Monsters. Andorra realized that no one would accept the paper with the currently blackened name of Isaiah Rackham-Kerwin on it, and with him being persona non grata, the odds were in her favor that nobody would call her on it...

And so she erased any evidence he'd had anything to do with it before publishing it under her own name. This was the paper that started her on the path of success and advancement that would one day bring her the chancellor's seat at NYC Duel Academy.

Artemis heard that Isaiah had earned a doctorate of his own at another school, and she figured that he might come back someday seeking revenge. But in the meantime, she had to live with herself. She knew that what she had done was wrong, and it gnawed upon her soul almost constantly. This was the very reason she punished cheaters so vehemently, far more than her role called for.

All this went through her mind as she walked towards the Arena…

It seemed that he had come back, and he had chosen the Orichalcos as his weapon of vengeance.

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The Arena was dark. No one was in sight at the moment…

Artemis looked around.

Dim lights came on…

"Hello, Andorra," said a tired voice. "You're still as beautiful as always… Time has been kind to you."

She turned around, and could see him in the dim light. Time hadn't been very kind to him. He was a statue of a man with a stiff face. His auburn hair was thinning, and his eyes were half-closed – but then, they always had been. He dressed in a good suit, but while it was clean and in good shape, it was rather old. While he still reflected an athletic past (like Artemis, he was a student of Jujitsu) his build had begun to slack.

He carried an Orichalcos Disk on his arm.

"That's more than I can say for you," she replied. "What do you want, Isaiah?"

"Simply put, Andorra," he said, "your students are giving my current employer a very hard time right now."

"Good…" she replied.

"Well…" he answered, "I happen to know that they'll call off their assault if you tell them to."

"I don't intend to," she answered.

"Not on your own," he said. "But once I defeat you, I could control you, and force you to give the order."

"Like a puppet," she said with a scowl.

He nodded.

"And it would be a pleasure. All my life has been preparing for the day I would bring you down. If I have to do other things for the Orichalcos, I don't care. This is what I want the most."

She glared at him. Then she turned her back to him.

"I don't even know why the Orichalcos would recruit you, Isaiah," she said. "You play an Archfiend Deck. Everyone admired you for that, because that's one of the hardest strategies to master."

"Is that a problem?" he asked. "Most would consider an Archfiend Deck the deck of an expert duelist."

"I won't deny it," replied Artemis. "But without the Pandemonium Field Spell Card, Archfiends are far too dangerous to use. So they can't be used with The Seal of Orichalcos."

She paused.

"Come to think of it, the Seal ruins a lot of strategies. Gravekeepers, Fairies, Elemental Heroes, Water Monsters…"

Isaiah made a small smirk.

What she doesn't know is, he thought, I've adapted a completely different deck, one that is specially designed to defeat hers. After all, I know her strategy just as well as she knows mine…

"You will duel me Andorra," he said, "or I will lock you in this Arena, and then drag some of your Freshmen out of their beds and force them into Orichalcos duels. Do you want that?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes and clenched her fist.

She placed her deck in her Duel Bandoleer and it activated.

"And to think I once loved you," she said, turning to him. "Fine, I'll duel you… Tonight, one of us will put the past behind us for good."

"I couldn't agree more…" he replied, activating his own Disk.

(Artemis: 8,000) -------------------- (Isaiah: 8,000)

Is there some other way to avoid paying Life Points from Archfiends? she thought, as five cards flew off of her deck. None that I know of…If it's a Card of Sin, he'd need a lot of luck to get both it and the Seal in his opening hand.

"To show you I can still be chivalrous," said Isaiah, "I'll let you have the first move."

Artemis just glared at him. Another card flew off her deck. She looked at her six cards and considered.

I have to summon this guy, she thought, but to do so, I have to discard a card. And I need most of these cards.

She chose a card from her hand.

I hate to discard this Monster, but he's of no use in a starting hand anyway.

"I discard one card to the Graveyard," she said, discarding it. "And by doing so, I can activate the effect of one Monster in my hand, summoning him with no sacrifice. I summon… The Tricky."

A dark vortex appeared as she placed a card on her Disk, and a Monster flew out who looked, for lack of a better term, weird. He was dressed in a yellow and black jester's outfit with a blue cape. Where his face would be was a red question mark, and another question mark was on his chest. (2,000/1,200)

"Been improving the deck, I see," commented Isaiah.

"Yes, and as his name implies, he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve," said Artemis. "I place three cards facedown, and end my turn."

She fit three of her cards into her Disk, and they appeared behind The Tricky.

"Very well then," said Isaiah, drawing a card. "First I will play… Swords of Revealing Light!"

He placed the card in his Disk, and the flashing swords rained down on Artemis and The Tricky.

"Next…" he said. "I play the Continuous Spell Card called Heart of the Underdog."

He fit a card into his Disk, and a card appeared with the image of a rugged young man staggering against a blow.

Heart of the Underdog? thought Artemis. That doesn't fit an Archfiend Deck at all…

What am I up against?

"Finally…" he continued. "I'll summon my Acrobat Monkey in Defensive Mode."

He played the card, and a small robot in the shape of a monkey hopped out. Twin question marks flashed in its eyes, and it scratched its metal noggin. Then it shielded itself in defense. (1,000/1,800)

"I'll end my turn there," he said.

Artemis looked at him strangely as she drew her next card.

"Okay then, I play Pot of Greed," she said.

She played the card, and then gestured as two cards flew off of her deck.

She looked at them.

"But I think I'll save them for later and end my turn."

"Then, as you are no doubt aware," said Isaiah, "due to Heart of the Underdog, if a card I draw during my Draw Phase is a Normal Monster, I can draw again if I'm willing to show it to you."

He drew a card.

"And I drew Mad Lobster," he said, revealing the card.

He drew again.

"Dragon Zombie," he said, revealing the next one.

He drew a third time.

"Eh, this one doesn't qualify," he said, adding it to his hand. "So, I'll place one card facedown, and then summon Mad Lobster in Attack Mode."

He played the cards. A facedown card appeared, and then a huge lobster with a skull for a head scuttled out onto the field. It snapped its pincers eagerly. (1,700/1,000)

"It's your move," he said.

Artemis gave him a strange look again. She drew a card.

Almost there… she thought, looking at the eight-star Monster.

"I pass for this turn," she said.

Isaiah drew a card.

"And I drew Jerry Beans Man," he said, revealing the card. "Lucky me."

He drew again.

"Sonic Duck!" he said, showing her the card.

He drew again.

"Have to stop there," he said, adding the third card to his hand.

What is his game? thought Artemis. The only thing these Monsters have in common is, they're all Normal Monsters that are three-star… Strong as far as three-star Monsters go, but still…

"I summon Jerry Beans Man in Attack Mode," he said.

He placed a card on his Disk, and a creature that looked like a big, green jelly bean with a big smile and arms and legs, wearing a cape and holding a wooden sword and shield appeared. (1,750/0)

"Your Monster looks like it popped out of a toy box," said Artemis.

"It may be a toy," answered Isaiah, with a frown, "but it isn't going to play around. I place another card facedown, and end my turn."

He fit a card into his Disk, and it materialized.

Artemis drew a fifth card.

"All right…" she said. "Time to get serious!"

One of her facedown cards lifted, showing a capsule with the numeral four on it.

Well, THAT'S a surprise, thought Isaiah.

"I activate Tricky's Spell 4," said Artemis. "Now, by sacrificing The Tricky, I can create one Tricky Token for every Monster you have on the field."

The Tricky vanished, and then, three Monsters who looked exactly like him appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (2,000/1,200 x3)

"I can't attack with them," she continued, "but they have other uses. For instance, I'll activate another facedown card, Mystik Wok."

Her second facedown card lifted, and one of the tokens vanished.

"This gives me Life Points equal to its Attack Score, and I'm gonna need them," she said.

(Artemis: 10,000) -------------------- (Isaiah: 8,000)

"Now I activate my final facedown card…" she said. "Ultimate Offering."

Her last facedown card lifted.

"I'm sure you know that this lets me make as many Normal Summons as I want during my turn, so long as I pay 500 Life Points for each extra one.

"So first, I'll set one Monster in Defense Mode."

She placed a card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

"Next, I'll pay 500 Life Points to summon Grave Ohja in Defense Mode."

She placed another card on her Disk, and the bulky statue with a tutan mask for a head rose up, and crouched in Defense. (1,600/1,500)

"Next," she continued. "I'll pay 500 Life Points two more times, sacrificing my Tricky Tokens to summon two Hieracosphinxes in Attack Mode!"

The Tricky Tokens vanished, and two of the half-bird/half-lion statues appeared. (2,400/1,200 x2)

"And finally, I'll make a Special Summon that won't cost me a dime," she said, taking her last card. "I'll sacrifice one Hieracosphinx to summon Exxod, Master of the Guard!"

One of the sphinxes vanished, and with a loud rumbling noise, the enormous, golden statue appeared, kneeling and shielding itself in Defense Mode. (0/4,000)

Impressive, Andorra, thought Isaiah. You've managed to set up your whole strategy in one turn…

But it will all be for naught soon…

"My turn ends," said Artemis, "as does the effect of your Swords."

The Swords of Revealing Light flickered and vanished.

(A: 8,500) -------------------- (I: 8,000)

"Then I draw…" said Isaiah.

He drew a card.

"Well, this card isn't a Normal Monster," he said, "but still…"

He opened his Field Slot.

"…Heart of the Underdog certainly let me reach it quicker! I play The Seal of Orichalcos!"

He played the card, and in a flash of light, the unholy Seal illuminated the dim Arena.

The eyes of Isaiah's three Monsters glowed. Acrobat Monkey rose to (1,500/1,800), Mad Lobster to (2,300/1,000), and Jerry Beans man to (2,350/0)

"I'm so scared," said Artemis, sarcastically. "Perhaps you have forgotten how my Flip Lock strategy works…

"Grave Ohja cannot be attacked so long as I have a facedown Defense Mode Monster on my side of the field. The facedown Monster cannot be attacked so long as Hieracosphinx is on the field.

"And might I add, even with your Seal, none of those Monsters are strong enough to defeat Hieracosphinx."

"Maybe so," said Isaiah, choosing a card from his hand. "But my strategy will be unveiled shortly. In the meantime, I'll summon Dragon Zombie in Attack Mode."

He threw the card on his Disk, and a dragon with rotting, decayed skin, dead eyes, and broken teeth and fangs appeared. (1,600/0) –) (2,100/0)

"I end my turn," he said.

"And I begin mine," said Artemis, drawing a card.

She looked at it.

"I'll place this facedown," she said, fitting it in her Disk.

A facedown card appeared.

"Then I'll flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode… Moai Interceptor Cannons."

Her facedown card flipped up, and three large statues that looked that tall, oblong heads appeared. (1,100/2,000)

"Ever been to Easter Island, Isaiah?" she asked. "It's a very beautiful and mysterious place.

"And since I Flip-Summoned a Monster, Grave Ohja blasts 300 points off your Life Points…"

Grave Ohja's eyes glowed, and fired a blast, striking him in the chest.

"And since my Cannons are an Earth Monster, Exxod blasts you for 1,000 more!"

The larger statue's eyes glowed, and a larger blast of energy shot forward, striking him! He screamed.

"I could attack any of your Monsters with Hieracosphinx, but you have two facedown cards, and since I hardly need to, I'll flip Moai Interceptor Cannons back to Defense Mode and end my turn."

The Cannons reverted to a facedown card.

(A: 8,500) -------------------- (I: 6,700)

"My draw…" he muttered, drawing a card.

"I drew Mechanical Devil…" he said, showing it to her.

He drew another card.

At this rate, he might deck himself out before this is done, she thought.

He added the card to his hand.

"And now I summon one of the keys to my strategy…" he said, placing a card on his Disk. "I summon… Man-Thro' Tro'."

A huge, fat troll with folds of flabby skin and muscular arms waddled onto the field. It glared at Artemis, and made a sinister smile. (1,000/1,000) –) (1,500/1,000)

"So that's it…" she muttered.

"Yes…" said Isaiah. "Beginning to get the idea, Andorra? I don't care about your lock… Because with this deck, I don't have to actually attack in order to hurt you.

"Man-Thro' Tro', hit her with everything!"

The troll grabbed hold of the Dragon Zombie, and it roared. It spun the Zombie around, and then hurled it, sending it crashing into Artemis!

As she slowly got up, it took hold of the Jerry Beans Man, and then lifted it above its head. It threw the candy warrior, flooring her again.

It was a choice between either staying down or getting back up. She chose to keep her dignity and get up. She did so just as the Mad Lobster crashed into her, sending her to the floor a third time.

Slowly, she got up again. The Man-Thro' Tro' grabbed the Acrobat Monkey and crushed it into a lump. He hurled it, beaning her in the head and knocking her glasses off.

"Are you done?" she asked, putting them back on.

"For now…" he said.

(A: 5,300) -------------------- (I: 6,700)

Artemis drew a card.

"I play Mirage of Nightmare…" she said, placing a card in her Disk.

The card appeared.

"Now I flip my Cannons again!"

The Moai Interceptor Cannons flipped up. Beams of energy shot from Grave Ohja and Exxod again, and Isaiah screamed again.

"You always were a tough lady…" he said. "That's why I was attracted to you at first…"

"Just move…" she said, annoyed.

(A: 5,300) -------------------- (I: 5,400)

"I draw…" he said.

"And I will too," she said, "thanks to my Mirage of Nightmare…"

Four cards slipped out of her discard slot.

"And I suppose that facedown card is Emergency Provisions," he interrupted, "which you'll use to send Mirage to the Graveyard."

The Emergency Provisions card lifted.

"Mirage AND Ultimate Offering," she corrected, as both cards vanished.

(A: 7,300) -------------------- (I: 5,400)

"You are one lucky bitch," he said. "But your luck is about to change, thanks to the card I just drew…"

He played a card.

"I play… Breath of Light!"

A huge, blue cloud with a woman's face on it appeared behind him. Andorra stared with a look of horror…

"This Spell Card erodes all Rock-Type Monsters on the field into dust," he said.

The woman's face blew a blast of sparkling wind, and Grave Ohja, Hieracosphinx, and Exxod, Master of the Guard crumbled into sand.

This deck… thought Artemis, as her eyes widened in fear. He built it simply to defeat mine!

"Now I summon Mechanical Devil," continued Isaiah, placing a card on his Disk.

A tall Machine appeared. It looked like a four-armed metal Fiend, with steam shooting out of a vent in its face. (1,750/0) –) (2,250/0)

"Destroy her facedown Monster!" he shouted.

The infernal contraption flew forward, and shattered the Moai Interceptor Cannons.

"Man-Thro' Tro', attack her directly!"

The huge troll lumbered up, and slugged her in the face, knocking her over.

She barely had time to get up, before it grabbed the Mechanical Devil, smashed it into a ball, and then hurled it like a bowling ball, sending it slamming into her stomach.

She fell on her behind and saw stars.

(A: 5,000) -------------------- (I: 5,400)

"Your lock is defeated, Andorra," said Isaiah. "I prepared specifically to do so. A few more rounds, and this unpleasant part of my life will be behind me forever.

"What will you do? Your whole strategy is defeated! You can't win…"

Artemis wiped her mouth.

"How much did you study the career of Jaden Yuki?" she asked.

"Only a little," he replied. "He was a duelist who relied more on luck than any real intelligent strategy."

"You're absolutely wrong," said Artemis. "He was full of life, yes, and he took everything with a positive attitude, but he was also a very intelligent duelist who could analyze his situation and always come up with the right solution. True, he wasn't 'book smart', as they say, but being 'book smart' isn't the key. You need to be a certain type of smart to succeed as a duelist.

"Anyway, in his first year, he was paired against his classmate Bastian Misawa in a very important duel. Misawa was smart enough not to underestimate Jaden, and thought he had a strategy to defeat him. He'd use Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell to keep Jaden from using Polymerization, and stop him from summoning his heavy hitters.

"Of course, that strategy had holes in it from the start… Jaden was known to use Fusion Gate and could also use Miracle Fusion.

"But anyway, do you know what Jaden said when Misawa told him that his strategy had been defeated?

"Jaden said that if couldn't use one strategy, he'd just find another one.

"He did. And he won.

"And I will beat you!"

She angrily drew a card.

"And to think I once agreed to marry you," she said, with anger in her eyes.

She added the card to her hand.

"I play Heavy Storm!"

She played the card, and the fierce wind tore across the field. Heart of the Underdog was blown to bits. Then Isaiah's two facedown cards, a Dark Mirror Force and a Justi-Break, lifted up and shattered.

"Figures…" said Artemis. "Now it's time for Exxod to make his return…"

She showed him her Monster Reborn.

"Don't insult my intelligence, Andorra," he said. "Exxod is a NOMI, you can't raise him with Monster Reborn."

"I'm quite aware of that!" she replied.

She played the card, and Hieracosphinx reappeared on the field. (2,400/1,200)

"That may be true," she continued, "but did you actually think I only had one copy of a card that's so important to my deck?"

She switched cards on her Disk, and Hieracosphinx vanished. Exxod rose again. (0/4,000)

"That was stupid," said Isaiah. "You should have attacked my Monster with the Sphinx. Now all you can do is defend with that thing while it continues to throw Monsters at you!"

"Defend?" said Artemis, with a grin. "Take a closer look, Isaiah… I've summoned Exxod… In Attack Mode!"

Isaiah just stared in confusion for a minute…

Then it truly sank in what Artemis's plan was…

She played a Spell Card.

"I play Shield and Sword!" she shouted.

A glow surrounded both Monsters on the field. Exxod changed to (4,000/0), while Man-Thro' Tro changed to (1,000/1,500).

The troll looked at Isaiah with a frightened whimper…

"Exxod…" ordered Artemis. "Obliterate!"

Exxod formed a ball of energy in its hands, and hurled it at Man-Thro' Tro, blasting it into nothing. Isaiah staggered back, and fell over.

"I place a card facedown and end my turn…" said Artemis.

She fit her last card into her Disk, and it appeared. Exxod was reduced to (0/4,000)

(A: 5,000) -------------------- (I: 2,400)

"I see you haven't lost your touch," he said, getting up.

He drew again.

"But then again, neither have I! That ugly thing was far from the only Monster I have in my deck to defeat your strategy… Although it hardly matters. Exxod is in Attack Mode, which means it's truly a lamb in lion's clothing, because its Attack is zero.

"I summon Disc Fighter in Attack Mode."

He played the card, and a tall figure appeared, dressed in futuristic leather armor and a full-head helmet, holding two glowing disks. (1,000/1,000) –) (1,500/1,000)

"I activate my Trap," said Artemis, as her facedown card lifted. "Desert Sunlight. It moves Exxod into Defense Mode."

Bright light shone on the darkness of the arena, and Exxod knelt in Defense.

"Well, you saved yourself some Life Points," said Isaiah. "But you won't save your Monster, because any defensive Monster with 2,000 Defense or more that Disc Fighter attacks is destroyed automatically.

"Disc Fighter, attack with deadly disks!"

Disc Fighter hurled his two weapons like lethal Frisbees, and Exxod was sliced cleanly in half. The two pieces shattered. The two disks flew back to Disc Fighter, and he caught them.

"Well…" he said with a laugh. "I end my turn. So what will you do now? You have no cards in your hand!"

Artemis paused.

He was right…

She had nothing in her hand, and nothing on the field. And even if she drew one of her wall Monsters, Disc Fighter would destroy it easily, and he would attack her directly with whatever he summoned next.

It would take a miracle… And frankly, she didn't deserve one…

She closed her eyes…

Is this my punishment? she thought. Is it finally time to face the consequences for what I did?

Maybe it is…

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"Dr. Artemis?" said a voice.

She opened her eyes. She was in a void of darkness.

"Jason?" she said. "Is that you?"

"Uh huh," replied Jason. "I kind of figured Fortunado would try something like this. You don't have to face this alone…"

"No, Jason, please…" she said, with tears forming in her eyes. "I don't deserve the Dark Messiah's help."

She paused.

"It's a stretch, I know," she continued, "but when you weigh all the facts, I'm as bad as he is…

"But I'm glad you're here. I have to tell you, when he beats me, he's going to try to…"

"Trick me?" interrupted Jason. "I know. I sensed that all along. But are you really undeserving? I don't see you using the Orichalcos.

"I don't know what dark secret you have… But ever since I was given this inward sight, I've learned a few things… And I know that the first step towards redemption is confession.

"So… Why do you think you're no better than he is? I'm all ears.

"And trust me… Whatever is said here will stay here."

Andorra paused.

The words came out of her mouth quickly. It started with her exposing Isaiah's plagiarism. Then it turned to her own academic fraud and hypocrisy. Jason listened as the whole story came out…

There was a brief pause.

"Well?" she asked. "Can someone who did what I did ever be worthy of help?"

"Dunno," said Jason, as a card appeared in front of her. "I wonder… What judgment would Solomon make?"

She slowly reached for it…

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All this had taken only an instant…

Artemis quickly drew a card.

She looked at it.

She paused.

Prudence…

"No cards in my hand, Isaiah?" she asked. "Well, that may change…"

She played a card.

"It seems the higher powers may be more willing to forgive me than they were willing to forgive you," she said. "Maybe. But then, I never sold my soul to evil. I play this… The Card of Virtue called Judgment of Solomon!"

A Spell Card appeared. It bore the image of a very regal king sitting on a throne of gold, with two women kneeling before him. Next to him, a soldier held an infant in his arms. The king was clearly thinking very hard.

"What does that do?" he asked.

"You know about Solomon, don't you?" she asked. "One of the wisest rulers who ever lived? This card tests how smart you are, Isaiah. Solomon will reward whoever outsmarts the other.

"Here's how it works. I have to pick any Monster that I'm able to use in this duel. It can be in my deck, hand, Graveyard, anywhere.

"Then I have tell you its Type, Attribute, Star Level, Attack Score, and Defense Score.

"If you can guess the name of the Monster after that, I lose 2,000 Life Points, and every card in my Graveyard is removed from play.

"But if you can't… I get to enact one of four effects, and you wouldn't like any of them."

Heh… thought Isaiah. I know her deck by heart! I can't miss!

And once this turn is over, she'll be down to 3,000 Life Points and be completely defenseless! And I have Sonic Duck in my hand and Disc Fighter on the field!

I've won!

"Well?" he said.

Artemis paused.

"Type: Dragon…" she said. "Attribute: Dark…"

What? thought Isaiah. Since when did she have a…

Artemis continued.

"Star Level: Eight."

Well, I don't know why she has a Tri-Horn Dragon, he thought, but that's obviously what it…

"Attack Score: Zero," she continued.

Isaiah looked surprised.

"Defense Score: Zero."

She crossed her arms.

"Well?" she asked.

"You're lying…" he said. "There's no such Monster!"

"Are you sure?" asked Artemis. "Or could it be that that the great Dr. Isaiah Rackham-Kerwin isn't as smart and knowledgeable as he thought he was?"

There was a long pause.

"All right…" said Isaiah, with a sneer. "I'm going to concede that I don't know what it is. But I want proof that this high-level Dragon with a nonexistent Attack and Defense even exists!"

"Well sure…" said Artemis. "I wouldn't want you to think I was some sort of liar…"

Artemis took a card from her discard slot, and then covered the name with her index finger. She slowly walked to the center of the Seal…

Isaiah couldn't believe it. It was a frightening creature, that was for sure, and the symbol for Dark and the word "Dragon" was definitely there. But despite having eight stars, its Attack and Defense were both zero.

Artemis stepped back to her position.

"I discarded it to summon The Tricky," she answered before he could ask.

"Wait!" he shouted. "What does it do?"

"Not telling," she said, returning it to her discard slot. "And since you failed to guess, I can destroy all of your Monsters, or all of your Spells and Traps, or force you to discard your hand, or draw six cards. I'm going to draw six cards."

Six cards slid off of her deck.

At least it's in her Graveyard, he thought. It can't hurt me now…

She looked over her cards.

"I summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress in Defense Mode," she said.

She played the card, and the bulky Machine made of spiked gears appeared. (800/2,200)

"Now I'll play… Yellow Luster Shield. This increases the Defense of my Monsters by 300 points."

She played the card, and Gear Golem's Defense went up to 2,500.

"I'll place two cards facedown, and end my turn."

She fit two cards into her Disk, and they appeared.

Isaiah angrily drew.

Oh, she's just goading me to attack that Golem with Disc Fighter… he thought. Well, I'm not that stupid…

"I play Pot of Avarice!" he shouted.

The goofy jar appeared on his side of the field, and Dragon Zombie, Mad Lobster, Jerry Beans Man, Mechanical Devil, and Acrobat Monkey slid out of his discard slot.

He shuffled them back into his deck, and then drew twice.

"I'll follow up with the normal Pot of Greed!" he said.

He played the card, and the original version appeared. He drew twice.

He looked at the seven cards in his hand.

Well… He thought. Who needs Disc Fighter with what I can do now?

"I play Double Spell," he said, playing a card.

He discarded his Linear Accelerator Cannon.

"The card I choose to duplicate will be… Mystik Wok."

The Spell Card appeared on his side of the field, and Disc Fighter vanished.

(A: 5,000) -------------------- (I: 3,900)

"Now," he continued, "I bring Man-Thro' Tro back with Monster Reborn…"

He played the card, and the ugly troll appeared again. (1,000/1,000) –) (1,500/1,000)

"And next…" he said, "I play Enchanting Fitting Room!"

He played another card.

"I know you know what this card does, but I'm going to explain it anyway," he said. "I pay 800 Life Points to look at the top four cards in my deck, and if any are Normal Monsters of three stars or less, I get to Special Summon them."

A white curtain appeared on the field. It opened, and then four cards flew out…

Mechanical Devil, Mad Lobster, Jerry Beans Man, and Dragon Zombie.

Isaiah smiled.

"Seems like luck smiled on me this time, Andorra!" he laughed, as the four Monsters appeared.

(1,750/0) –) (2,350/0), (1,700/1,000) –) (2,300/1,000), (1,750/0) –) (2,350/0), (1,600/0) –) (2,100/0)

"This may not finish you…" he said, "but it will come close… Man-Thro' Tro', begin the assault!"

The troll reached for Mechanical Devil…

"Oh… no… you… don't!" shouted Artemis. "I went through that once, and I'm not going to take it again…"

Her Trap Card lifted.

"I was going to use this on Disc Fighter," she said, "but it will work now just as well. I activate Divine Wrath! Now by discarding one card…"

She discarded her Medusa Worm.

"I can negate your Monster's effect, and blow it to bits!"

Thunder rolled…

And then lightning stuck the Man-Thro' Tro'! It screamed, and then shattered into triangles.

Isaiah sneered.

"I'm not done with you…" he said. "Not by a long shot. Since I haven't made a Normal Summon yet, I'll summon Sonic Duck in Attack Mode."

He played the card. A large, green duck wearing a scarf and a pail on its head appeared in a gust of wind. (1,700/700) –) (2,300/700)

"And next, I'll Equip Mechanical Devil with this… Orichalcos Fury!"

He played the card, revealing the image of a demonic iron statue with four arms smashing through a wall.

"This Card of Sin can only be Equipped to Monsters that are three stars or less," he said, "but it lets it attack directly, so long as I pay 500 Life Points each time it does so.

"Mechanical Devil… Attack with quadruple slash!"

The Machine charged. Artemis couldn't help but scream as it stabbed her with its four blades.

(A: 2,650) -------------------- (I: 2,600)

He placed his last card in his Disk, and it appeared facedown.

"I'm ending my turn," he said. "And all I need to finish you is two more rounds. One if I draw my Shield Crush."

Shield Crush… thought Artemis, drawing. I have to make every move count…

Isaiah smiled inwardly.

Even if she summons a Monster strong enough to destroy Mechanical Devil, he thought, my Bottomless Trap Hole that I just set will send it to oblivion.

Artemis looked at the card she had drawn and the card in her hand.

"I place one card facedown," she said.

A facedown card appeared.

"Now I activate… Call of the Haunted."

Isaiah grinned as the Trap Card lifted…

…but then he frowned as he saw that it was Moai Interceptor Cannons that she was Special Summoning. (1,100/2,000)

She obviously brought it back for a sacrifice, he thought. Well, no matter…

"Now I sacrifice my Cannons…" she said.

The Cannons vanished.

"To summon Millennium Shield, in Defense Mode."

A solid, steel shield with the Eye of Wdjat on the front appeared in mid-air. (0/3,000) –) (0/3,300)

Ergh… thought Isaiah. Bottomless Trap Hole only works on Monsters that have at least 1,500 Attack Points, and that thing has zero Attack Points!

"It's your move…" said Artemis.

Isaiah was getting angrier by the minute. He felt like he wanted to run over there and start hitting her…

As he looked at her, thoughts of rape followed by murder entered his mind…

He held his head…

The card! he thought. That special card that I have Equipped to Mechanical Devil! It's what's making me angry…

He nervously drew a card. It was his own Mystik Wok.

"It's starting to affect you, isn't it?" asked Artemis. "That Card of Sin is a Wrath Card, and it's filling you with more anger than you've ever felt. You'd better hope you win soon, or it's going to turn you into a feral beast.

"Pitiful… The man I respected once is going to be consumed by pure rage…"

"I can control my rage…" he said. "Mechanical Devil, attack her directly!"

"I activate a Trap!" exclaimed Artemis. "Staunch Defender!

The Trap lifted.

"Now, all your Monsters must attack, and they must attack what I tell them too. I tell them to attack my Millennium Shield.

"And once they're done, you'll have lost 5,100 Life Points, and you'll have lost this duel."

"Never!" shouted Isaiah.

He threw his Spell Card into his Disk.

"I play Mystik Wok, to sacrifice my Jerry Beans Man before he attacks!"

The candy warrior vanished.

"Now I gain 2,350 Life Points, and then I'll only lose 4,150, so I'm not dead yet!

Mechanical Devil, Sonic Duck, and Mad Lobster leapt at the Shield and bounced off of it, sprawling on the ground. Dragon Zombie breathed a blast of toxic breath, but the Shield still withstood without a scratch.

(A: 2,650) -------------------- (I: 800)

Isaiah growled.

Artemis narrowed her eyes.

"You don't have enough Life Points left to use Orichalcos Fury twice more," she said. "If you wish to win this duel, you must find another way…

"It's my move…"

She drew a card she looked at it.

"Now it ends…" she said. "I play Awakening From Beyond…"

"And what does that do?" he shouted.

"It lets you draw two cards," said Artemis, "and lets me take one Monster from my Graveyard and add it to my hand."

Isaiah drew two cards.

He started to sweat as he looked at them…

Shield Crush and Rush Recklessly! Next round, he had her!

"And now…" said Artemis. "Remember that Monster I used to activate Judgment of Solomon? Prepare to meet him!

"I sacrifice Millennium Shield and Gear Golem the Moving Fortress…"

The two barriers vanished…

"To summon… Gandora, the Dragon of Destruction!"

In a great burst of energy, a huge Dragon with scaly, black skin, batlike wings, and claws like scythes appeared! (0/0)

It let out a roar that shook the whole school. In their dorms, the students trembled…

"Meet one of the most destructive forces in the Duel Monsters universe!" shouted Dr. Artemis.

Isaiah drew back in fear at the colossus in front of him… but then he regained his composure.

"Excuse me?" he said. "It has zero Attack Points…"

Artemis glared at him.

"How can a man who claims to be so smart be so stupid?" she asked. "My great grandfather was given this card… by the son of Yugi Mouto himself!"

Gandora glared at Isaiah, saliva dripping from its massive jowls… Isaiah drew back in fear again.

"I only use it for… special occasions…" she said. "And to activate its incredible power, I have to pay half my Life Points!

"Gandora… Boundless Giga Rays!"

The great beast roared…

Isaiah screamed as the whole cursed arena was consumed in a huge explosion…

(A: 1,325) -------------------- (I: 800)

When the flames subsided, the only things left were the Seal, and the huge Dragon.

"What happened?" he asked.

"When Gandora's effect is used," said Artemis, "it destroys every card on the field except itself. Even that wasn't powerful enough to destroy the Seal, I'm afraid…

"But that's too bad for you, because it now gains 300 Attack Points for every card it destroyed. And it destroyed seven… your four Monsters, your Card of Sin, your facedown card, and my Yellow Luster Shield!"

(2,100/0)

"No fair!" shouted Isaiah.

"No fair?" asked Artemis. "Like I said, when my original strategy fails, I find a new one.

"Attack directly!"

"AH!" screamed Isaiah. "Stay back!"

Gandora fired a blast of burning black flames, and the once proud Dr. Isaiah Rackham-Kerwin's final scream echoed all over campus…

(A: 1,325) -------------------- (I: 0)

Artemis panted for breath…

Gandora glared at her with a look that didn't seem at all friendly.

Then it vanished into mist.

Sweat poured down Dr. Artemis's face…

There was a reason she only rarely used that card – it scared her. And every time she did, she was sure to have nightmares for a week. That card had a mind of its own, and she knew she had to respect it, and not treat it like just another card.

She went over to her foe's prone body, and started to look through his coat. She knew it was in there somewhere.

Finally, she found it… Isaiah's cell phone.

She turned it on and opened the menu.

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Fortunado was nervously watching the progress of the students in his building when his cell phone rang.

He looked at the number. He answered it.

"Talk to me," he said.

"Isn't it amazing the numbers some people will put on their cell phones?" said Dr. Artemis's voice. "I'm calling to tell you that Dr. Rackham-Kerwin's idea didn't work."

Fortunado turned white.

"And thank you so much for bringing back such unpleasant memories," continued Artemis. "While you're at it, why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour salt on it? Next time you want to face me, why not come yourself?

"You hide at the top of your ivory tower, Fortunado, but you can't hide behind your henchmen forever. Eventually, you will have to confront the Dark Messiah, and he's going to beat you black and blue."

She hung up.

Fortunado looked at the phone… He snarled…

Then he crushed it in his hand.

Tuesday, November 10th, 2106, 8:05 PM

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THE TRICKY (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 5
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: You may Special Summon this card from your hand by discarding one card to the Graveyard from your hand.

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TRICKY'S SPELL 4 (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Quickplay
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -

Image: A colorful capsule with the number 4 on it.

Card Description: Offer one "The Tricky" on your side of the field as a Tribute. Special Summon one "Tricky Token" in Defense Position for every Monster your opponent has on his side of the field. (Spellcaster/Wind/5 Stars/2,000 ATK/1,200 DEF) "Tricky Tokens" cannot attack.

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GANDORA, DRAGON OF DESTRUCTION (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 0
DEF: 0

Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. Pay half your Life Points to destroy all cards on the field except this card. This card gains 300 ATK for every card that it destroys with its effect. This card is destroyed at the End Phase of the turn in which it is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned.

Note: "The Tricky", "Tricky's Spell 4", and "Gandora, Dragon of Destruction" are Japanese cards that have not yet been released in the United States. They were used by the Pharaoh and Little Yugi during the Pharaoh's Memory Arc.

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AWAKENING FROM BEYOND (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -

Image: A ghostly face superimposed over a group of coffins.

Card Description: Your opponent draws two cards. Take one Monster Card from your Graveyard and add it to your hand.

Note: "Awakening From Beyond" was first used by the Pharaoh in the anime episode "The Final Duel (Part Three)". All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

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JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Card of Virtue
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -

Virtue: Prudence

Image: King Solomon on a throne of gold. Beside him is a guard holding an infant. Before him are two women on their knees.

Card Description: Take one Monster from your hand, deck, Graveyard, or Fusion Deck. Tell your opponent the following information on the card: Type, Attribute, star level, ATK, and DEF. If your opponent can identify the card's name, remove the card and all cards in your Graveyard from play, and take 2,000 points of direct damage. If your opponent cannot identify the card's name, return the card to the previous location and choose one of the following effects:

Remove all Monsters on your opponent's side of the field from play.

Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on your opponent's side of the field. The cards cannot be activated.

Your opponent discards all the cards in his hand.

Draw until your hand consists of six cards.

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MECHANICAL DEVIL (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK: 1,750
DEF: 0

Flavor Text: Built by forgotten demons, this creature runs on a core of pure darkness, hunting down whatever it wishes.

Note: "Mechanical Devil" was created by Man Called True for his fanfic "Yu-Gi-Oh! Tilting the Balance". Used with permission. All creative credit goes to him.

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ORICHALCOS FURY (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip/Card of Sin
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF: -

Sin: Wrath

Image: A demonic iron statue with four arms smashing through a wall.

Card Description: This card can be Equipped to a Monster with three stars or less. The Equipped Monster can attack your opponent directly. Pay 500 Life Points every time the Equipped Monster attacks directly.

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Coming up next:

Old Ben enters a place in Fortunado's tower where no-one except Duel Monsters have names. He can't remember his name, and the duelist he encounters can't remember either. So why does this strange duelist with stranger cards seem so familiar?

Find out… In a chapter called "The Unhappy Girl", coming soon.