The deeper we go, the more frightening this twisted Palace becomes.
I didn't admit it at the time, but dueling in a Shadow Game is more tiring and tolling than anything I've ever encountered. I feel really sorry for Francesca – she's had to endure two of these horrible battles. And if the pattern is any indication, she has another waiting for her.
But now, I've refreshed myself, and one of the most annoying duelists I've ever seen wants to put me through another one…
How long can it go on before we eventually lose?
I've long since regretted not refusing that invitation I got. I remember saying that I had nothing to lose and so much to gain…
Boy, was I wrong…
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CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
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Forbidden Forest
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A new door opened, and three weary teenagers stepped out of it…
They were already scared, and this place made it worse.
They were in a creepy forest that was even darker than the woods around Twilight Town. The trees were all twisted and lifeless. Above them was nothing but a dim light.
"Stay close, everyone," warned Francesca. "Unless I miss my guess, Leopold is around here…"
"And what are we going to do when he comes?" asked Stan. "I don't think any of us are in any condition to duel him…"
Behind a tree, a figure activated a Disk… He placed a Magic Card into a slot…
A card appeared before the three teenagers…
Mesmeric Control.
"Guys…" muttered Francesca.
The spiral on the card started to turn, and they started to get tired…
Fran never finished her sentence. She fell into a deep slumber.
Andy wanted to help her, but he couldn't look away. He fell asleep too.
Got to fight it… thought Stan. Got to fight it…
Oh, what the heck…
He collapsed…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The three of them dreamed, and each of their dreams replayed the three painful duels with the three Spawn. The dreams were accurate up to a point…
But in every case, just when the duels started to turn in their favor, something nasty happened to the three dreamers, and in the dream version of the duel, the outcome became quite different…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"You loused up, Melissa," sighed Andy. "You were so anxious to attack me with my own Dragon, you wasted the opportunity to destroy him, which is what you should of done…
"Because now I can sacrifice him… to summon THIS!"
He threw a card down…
Red Eyes Black Dragon slowly grew and mutated…
Red Eyes Darkness Dragon emerged!
"Want to know how many Dragons are in my Graveyard?" asked Andy. "Do ya? EIGHT!"
(4,800/2,000)
"Red Eyes…" ordered Andy, "attack Reshef the Dark Being with diabolic fire blast!"
The mighty Dragon blasted forth a great stream of flames, and the Dark Being roared! It erupted in fire, and then exploded!
Melissa was thrown to the ground, as her Life Points fell to 2,200.
The demon behind her grinned. A third set of arms grew under her second set, and her fingers sprouted claws. Her hair also turned from blonde to black.
"Super!" shouted Francesca. "Andy just clobbered her best Monster!"
"Not just her best…" stated Stan, as they saw Melissa get up.
Melissa glared at him…
"I think that Andy did it…" continued Stan. "Melissa's Soul Card has been destroyed, so now she's in trouble…"
"Make your move," demanded Andy.
Melissa slowly drew a card.
"I'm not out yet, Andy," she said. "I play Fulfillment of the Contract!"
She played a card, and Reshef the Dark Being reappeared in a flash of light!
"It lets me revive a Ritual Monster from my Graveyard," she stated, "so long as I pay 800 Life Points, and Equip it with this card…
"And since that was a Special Summon, I'll also summon Hysteric Fairy!"
The tall Fairy in a blue suit with glasses appeared. (1,800/500)
"And don't forget about Reshef's effect…" she chuckled, discarding a card.
The Dark Being's eyes glowed, and Red Eyes Darkness Dragon was dragged over to Melissa's side!
"Of course, his Attack is only 2,700, because there's only one Dragon in my Graveyard," she said. "But that hardly matters!
"All three of you, on three… One… two…
"Three!"
The three Monsters fired on Andy, and he howled…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"I play Monster Reborn!" shouted Francesca.
The holy ankh appeared on the ground, and Penumbral Soldier Lady appeared on it. (2,100/1,400)
"And now I summon…" she chuckled, "Cyber Harpie Lady!"
She threw the card down, and the lovely female Monster appeared, and gave her whip a lash.
"And I don't need to tell you that Bladefly's benefit applies to Monsters on /IbothI sides of the field!" continued Fran.
(1,800/1,300) –) (2,300/1,300)
"Penumbral Soldier Lady, attack Takuhee!" she shouted.
The Warrior made one swipe, and cut the bird in half!
"Cyber Harpie Lady, attack Garuda with whiplash attack!"
The Harpie lashed her whip, and Garuda shrieked! He shattered!
Kurtis staggered backwards, and his Life Points fell to 5,750.
"Your move now," dared Fran.
Kurtis slowly drew a card.
"I'll place one card facedown," he stated, playing a card, "and then play Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress in Defense Mode."
The small blue Dragon appeared, and folded its wings. (1,400/1,200) – (1,900/1,200)
"All right," said Fran.
She drew a card.
"I activate my Trap!" shouted Kurtis. "Remove Brainwashing!"
His Trap Card lifted.
"When this Trap is triggered," he said with a smirk, "all Monsters on the field go back to their true owners, so Cyber Harpie Lady goes back to where she belongs!"
Francesca gasped, as the Winged Beast vanished, and reappeared on Kurtis's side.
"I uh…" she said. "I move Penumbral Soldier Lady into Defense Mode…"
"Fine…" said Kurtis. "My draw!"
He drew.
"I play Monster Reborn, to bring back Harpie's Brother!"
He played the card, and Harpie's Brother reappeared. (1,800/600)
"And I'll summon Birdface in Attack Mode too…" he continued.
Yet another Winged Beast appeared. (1,600/1,600) –) (2,100/1,600)
"And, I'll move Bladefly and my Winged Dragon into Attack Mode as well…"
Bladefly and Winged Dragon rose up.
"And finally, I'll get rid of Penumbral Soldier Lady!" he shouted. "I play Lightning Vortex!"
Francesca screamed as her last Monster was incinerated!
"Now, all you, attack directly!"
The five Monsters plowed into Fran… Amazoness Fighter fended off the first, but it wasn't enough to save her…
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"Ultimate Baseball Kid, take out Pikeru!" shouted Tyson.
The batter produced another flaming baseball… Pikeru squeaked in fear…
"Activate Negate Attack!" shouted Stan.
His Trap Card lifted, and Ultimate Baseball Kid's baseball hit against an invisible barrier.
"Foul ball again…" mumbled Stan. "So that's strike two against him…"
"Aren't we funny!" growled Tyson. "This isn't fun anymore, Stan. So make your move…"
Stan drew a card, and Pikeru raised his Life Points to 4,800.
But the card was Sibling Rivalry – no good in this situation.
"I'll move all my Monsters into Defense Mode and end my turn there," he said, as all his Spellcasters knelt.
Tyson drew.
"Well Stan," he stated. "My batter may have two strikes against him, but it only takes one home run to win this game!"
He fit a card into a slot.
"I'll Equip Ultimate Baseball Kid with Fairy Meteor Crush!"
Stan stepped back in fear…
"And need I remind you," said Tyson with a grin, "that Pikeru's Defense is… zero. Ultimate Baseball Kid, attack White Magician Pikeru!"
Ultimate Baseball Kid hit a screaming liner at Pikeru, and she burst into flames! Stan was thrown back, and the Shadow Flames on him started to burn fiercely…
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Slowly, they woke up.
At first, they thought that the horrid dreams had been real… And they were quite relieved to see that they weren't prisoners in some dark void.
"Have a nice sleep, folks?" asked a voice.
They looked up, and saw Leopold above them. He was holding the Mesmeric Control card.
"That was a cheap shot, Leo," growled Andy, as the Spawn of Earth crumpled it up.
"Cheap?" asked Leopold, adjusting his glasses. "I saw that you three were exhausted, and I thought you could use a break."
"How thoughtful," said Stan, sarcastically.
"And now that you're rested," continued the Spawn, "on your feet Andy. If you thought that nap was a rough one, you're in for a rude awakening…"
"Fine," muttered Andy. "If we have to crash though the rest of you goons to get to your mother, we're as game as you are…"
He shuffled his deck.
"…and I'll send your Dinosaurs back to the Stone Age!"
"Dinosaurs?" asked Leopold. "Don't be stupid. That deck you saw was a practice deck…"
He took out a deck of cards.
"Why do you think I lost that time to Stan? Now I can use my real power!"
"I think you're just making excuses because you hate to lose," replied Stan.
"Say what you want," said Leopold, loading his deck. "But I estimate my chances of winning this time are a hundred percent!"
"Please, Leopold," said Andy. "Someone who's as smart as you claim to be should know…"
His Disk activated.
"…that there's only one absolute in life, and that's the fact that there are no absolutes!"
"We'll see…" said Leopold.
"I have something for you to think about," said Andy with a grin. "Who controls the concept of Law?"
"What?" asked Leopold. "I don't know what you're…"
"Well, is whoever controls Law a lawful being himself?" asked Andy. "He couldn't be, because then there'd be a higher law for him to follow, which makes no sense, because he's the one who controls Law!
"The other alternative is that the being who controls Law is now lawful, but that would make no sense either, because a being who is lawless simply cannot control Law… Can he?"
Leopold closed his eyes and smiled.
"I know what you're doing, Andy and it won't work," he said with a chuckle. "You're trying to make me doubt my own intelligence by posing a paradox. Unfortunately for you, I know that particular paradox well. It was posed by Plato, although he attributed it to Socrates.
"And believe me, Andy, I've read of philosophers who posed much more confusing paradoxes than that. I also know of a lot of theoretical problems, like the famous 'How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?'
"The answer to all of them is, they don't have an answer, and you shouldn't worry about them. Someone who even tries to answer them is stupid."
Okay… thought Andy. Maybe he's smarter than I'm giving him credit for... Getting into a battle of wits is likely futile.
But Merlee was right, he's full of Pride…
"But onto business…" continued Leopold.
He waved his hand, and darkness shrouded the already dark forest!
"Not again…" said Francesca with a shudder.
"So what's the deal now, Leopold?" asked Andy.
"You'll find out soon," answered the Spawn. "But for now…
"Let's duel!"
The Life Point counters each set to 8,000.
"Try not to be scared when you see my Deckmaster, Andy," chuckled Leopold, holding aloft a card. "The mighty Leogun!"
A fierce lion appeared behind him, and roared!
"Leogun?" said Stan, surprised. "You're kidding, right?"
"No one uses five star Monsters that weak anymore," commented Francesca. "This isn't 1994."
"True, Leogun is a pretty pathetic Monster by today's standards," admitted Leopold.
The Beast growled.
"But," he continued, "his Deckmaster ability is incredibly powerful… and don't think I'll tell you what it is!"
"Fine!" replied Andy. "Meet my Lord of Dragons!"
He held up a card, and Lord of Dragons appeared in a flash of light.
"You're getting sloppy, Andy!" laughed Leopold. "I saw your duel with Melissa… I know exactly what that guy can do!"
"A guy as smart as you should know the old saying," said Andy, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
"Touché," said Leopold, drawing six cards. "Now, let's get started…"
He gave them a look-over.
"I'll place a card facedown, and then summon Nekogal #1 in Attack Mode."
A facedown card appeared, and then a tall form appeared. It was a young girl with catlike features, claws, and a tail, wearing a green bikini. She purred. (1,100/900)
"You gotta be kidding," said Andy, drawing a card. "I'm surprised she even has as Attack Mode!"
He put a card down.
"I'll summon Twin-Headed Behemoth in Attack Mode!"
The fierce, two headed Dragon appeared. (1,500/1,200)
"Twin-Headed Behemoth, turn that cat into Meow-Mix!"
Nekogal gasped as Behemoth shot fire towards her…
"I activate… Interdimensional Matter Transporter!" shouted Leopold.
His Trap Card lifted. A strange machine, just like the one that took the three teenagers to the Crystal Stars appeared…
Both it and Nekogal were sucked into a portal, and the blast hit nothing.
"What happened to your Monster?" asked Andy.
"My Trap Card removed her from play until the end of the turn!" laughed Leopold. "So your attack missed!"
He chuckled.
"You really didn't think I was so dumb as to put an obviously weak Monster in Attack Mode without protection, did you?"
"Clever…" muttered Andy. "Fine, that's all I can do…"
Nekogal reappeared out of the portal.
I've got to stop underestimating this guy, thought Andy. Maybe he's not the smartest duelist in the world as he claims to be, but he's likely pretty smart. Thinking that he's incompetent might well lead to doom…
"I'll place another card facedown," said Leopold, playing a card.
Another facedown card appeared.
"And since you weren't impressed with Nekogal #1," he stated, "I'll sacrifice her to summon the stronger Nekogal #2!"
Nekogal #1 vanished, and another Beast-Warrior appeared. She looked pretty much the same as the first Nekogal, but her bikini was purple. (1,900/2,000)
"Oh, Nekogal?" stated Leopold.
She turned to him.
"See that Dragon?" he told her. "He tried to attack your little sister."
Nekogal #2 snarled…
And then she pounced, clawing at the Dragon! Behemoth shattered.
"Tattletale," muttered Andy, as his Life Points fell to 7,400.
He waved his hand, and Twin-Headed Behemoth reappeared. (1,000/1,200)
"Ow…" muttered Andy, looking at his hand. "I feel…"
"…stiff?" asked Leopold with a chuckle. "Yeah, that's usually the feeling one gets when his body starts to petrify…"
Andy looked at him with a look of fright.
"You mean the loser gets…" he gasped.
Leopold nodded.
"As usual, the loser will be banished," said Leopold, "but also, as you lose Life Points, your flesh will slowly start to be replaced by fine, white marble. When you're defeated, you'll be turned to solid stone…
"A living monument to your dueling career…not a bad way to go, even though no one will be able to view you to appreciate it…"
He chuckled again.
"I assure you that as long as you have at least a few Life Points left, your muscles will be flexible enough to draw and use the Disk… But I can't say it will be easy…"
"This is madness…" muttered Andy.
"I've seen bigger examples of madness," said Leopold. "This particular punishment was developed by an early practitioner of the Shadow Games, five millennia ago… He would smash his defeated foes to pieces to ensure their defeat was final.
"But he got his in the end… His apprentice turned on him, and defeated him.
"I promise not to shatter you Andy… But I wonder… Is spending eternity as a piece of marble preferable?"
"You'll be able to see for yourself!" replied Andy. "My move!"
He drew a card.
"I'll place one card facedown," he stated, "and then I'll sacrifice Behemoth for Des Volstgalph!"
Twin-Headed Behemoth vanished, and the powerful sand Dragon appeared. (2,200/1,700)
"Attack!" he shouted.
Des Volstgalph reared up…
"I activate… Curse of Aging!" shouted Leopold.
His Trap Card lifted, and he discarded a card.
The Dragon moaned, and its scales started to molt. Its stats fell to (1,700/1,200). It tried to attack anyway, but Nekogal leapt over his attempt, and struck back!
The Dragon shattered, and Andy's Life Points fell to 7,400.
He felt a tightening in his stomach…
"Meow!" said Nekogal, with an evil smile.
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"This is getting serious," said the Unfriendly Amazon. "This has only started, and Leopold already has Andy on the ropes.
"Andy will come back, trust me," assured Peten. "After all, he beat me twice…"
"And what does that prove?" asked the Amazon. "I could outduel you on my worst day!"
"You want to make a bet on that?" asked Peten.
"People, we'll argue about who the better duelist is later," sighed End. "That won't change the fact that Andy is getting his butt kicked…
"And he's about to get it kicked harder…"
"My draw!" exclaimed Leopold.
He drew a card.
He placed a card down.
"And I'll summon Alligator's Sword in Attack Mode!"
A ferocious gator man bearing a scimitar leapt forth! (1,500/1,200)
The two Beast-Warriors stared Andy down.
"Take him down!" ordered Leopold.
"Activate… Threatening Roar!" shouted Andy.
The Trap lifted, and the great beast bellowed!
Nekogal screeched, and ran, hiding behind Leopold.
"Don't hide behind me, stupid!" scolded Leopold.
He sighed.
"It's bad enough I have to deal with stupid humans, but now I'm dueling using stupid Monsters too! That's the problem with Beast-Warriors – they're strong, but they have the intelligence of bricks!"
"That's just sad, Leopold," said Stan. "Your Monsters fight for you, they protect you, they even die for you, and you insult them? You should really be more respectful… As a duelist, without your Monsters, you'd be nothing!"
"Stan," remarked Leopold, "if I wanted your advice, I'd ask for it, and I didn't ask for it. And just so you know, I'll insult them if I want to! What are they going to do about it?"
Nekogal's face fell…
"Hello? Can I take my turn?" asked Andy.
"Fine," muttered Leopold.
Andy drew.
"I'll summon Luster Dragon in Attack Mode," he stated.
He played the card, and the large, sapphire Dragon appeared.
"And since you're getting tired of Nekogal," he continued, "why don't I take her off your hands? I play Snatch Steal!"
He played the card. Two tendrils grabbed Nekogal and dragged her over to Andy's side.
She glared at Leopold…
"What are you doing?" asked Leopold.
"Just giving her a dinner invitation," answered Andy. "But she's the main course. I play Draconic Offering!"
He played the card.
As the hungry Dragon bore down on her, Nekogal seemed to take her fate with acceptance. She continued to stare angrily at Leopold, and it was only broken when Luster Dragon picked her up with its jaws.
The Dragon swallowed the Beast-Warrior, slurping up her tail last like a string of spaghetti.
Andy's Life Points rose to 9,400.
The stiffness slowly started to go away.
"And I'm not done yet, Leopold!" shouted Andy. "Luster Dragon, attack Alligator's Sword with sapphire flash blast!"
Luster Dragon shot forth his breath, and Alligator's Sword shattered!
"Not bad," chuckled Leopold, as his Life Points fell to 7,600.
He slowly bent his elbow.
"But those two were among the weakest of my servants."
"Oh, so they're servants now?" asked Francesca, getting annoyed herself.
"If you care about your Monsters so much," answered Leopold, "what position does that put you in during a duel? Certainly, they aren't equals."
"A duelist is more the commander of a regiment," answered Francesca. "Monsters should be willing recruits, not slaves!"
"Well who cares what you think?" said Leopold, drawing.
He fit two cards into slots, and placed a card on his Disk. A facedown Monster appeared, followed by two facedown cards.
"That will be all," he said.
Andy drew.
Aw, this hand is terrible, he thought.
"Luster Dragon, attack!" he shouted.
Luster Dragon shot forth his Attack; a Morphing Jar appeared on the card and cackled before it was blown apart!
"I'm sure you know what that means, Andy," said Leopold.
"No problem!" answered Andy, discarding his hand. "The cards I had stank anyway!"
He and Leopold drew five new cards.
Andy grinned as he looked at them.
"I can tell by your satisfied expression that you drew some good cards, Andy," said Leopold. "Well don't end your turn yet…"
A facedown card lifted.
"I activate Scapegoat!"
Four sheep tokens appeared.
"Fine," sighed Andy. "Just move…"
Leopold drew.
"I summon Panther Warrior in Attack Mode!" he shouted.
He played the card, and the fierce panther-man in armor, and a cape, carrying a sword appeared. (2,000/1,700)
"Make that slayer mode, because he's going to destroy your Dragon!"
"Aw, cripes," muttered Stan. "That's one of Joey Wheeler's favorite Monsters… and Leopold is using the same combo that he does…"
"Panther Warrior can't attack unless I sacrifice another Monster first," stated Leopold, "so I'll sacrifice one Scapegoat…"
The yellow token vanished.
"And Panther Warrior, slay his Dragon!"
Panther Warrior leapt forward and swiped with his sword, and the Dragon was blown into pixels!
Andy's Life Points fell slightly, to 9,300.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Beast-Warriors," sighed The End of Anubis. "I'll say one thing for the Spawn, they certainly know how to create useful decks out cards that aren't otherwise useful."
"I dunno," muttered the Amazon. "I heard him talking about a special Beast-Warrior that he had…
"An incredibly powerful and rare card that has never been defeated. One that's… cursed…"
"Cursed?" asked Peten. "Never been beaten?"
"Well," sighed the Amazon. "He might have been exaggerating, but this special card was created in the image of a creature that even the practitioners of the original Shadow Games were afraid of. It was only summoned in those contests on only one occasion…"
"…and let me guess," muttered End. "Something went terribly wrong."
"That's the theory," replied the Amazon. "When Pegasus created the game of Duel Monsters, the Egyptian God Cards were far from the only mistake he made. Several times he unleashed forces in his cards that simply should have stayed buried with the Pharaohs…
"One powerful Monster Card that he created… Pegasus produced a few of them as promotional cards, but even in normal duels, they were frightening. These cards seemed incredibly evil… The duelists who owned them were successful, but using them was like using some demonic spirit. It was as if the card was controlling them, and not the other was around…
"He stopped producing them, but a few were left…
"And I believe Leopold has one…"
"What's the name of this card?" asked End.
"Uhm…" said the Amazon.
She thought for a minute.
"Now what was its name?" she asked herself. "Oh, it's on the tip of my tongue…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Andy drew a card.
"I summon Koops the Bashful in Attack Mode!" he exclaimed.
He put the card down, and the shy Koopa appeared. (1,800/500)
"I knew you were small-minded, but that was just stupid," said Leopold. "He's not strong enough to defeat Panther Warrior…"
"Who said he was going to attack your Panther Warrior?" said Andy with a grin.
Leopold looked at him strangely.
"He's going to attack his power supply!" shouted Andy. "Koops, take out the three Scapegoats with shell slam!"
Koops retracted into his shell, and shot forward, striking one Scapegoat after another, blowing them to particles!
Koops leapt up on Andy's side.
"Now you'll have to sacrifice real Monsters to have him attack," stated Andy.
"Good thinking, Andy!" shouted Francesca.
"Well, it seems I underestimated you," chuckled Leopold.
He drew a card.
"But I've still got plenty of tricks in store for you…"
He played a Magic Card.
"I play Tribute Doll!" he stated. "That means…"
"I know what it means!" interrupted Andy. "You can sacrifice one Monster to summon a seven-star Monster. So do it already!"
Leopold gave a disdainful sniff.
"You know how the lion is called the King of the Jungle?" asked Leopold. "Well, that's a misnomer. I sacrifice Panther Warrior to summon Garnecia Elefantis!"
Panther Warrior vanished, and a hulking form arose. It was a muscular, humanoid elephant, dressed in African trappings and holding a wavy sword. (2,400/2,000)
"Even the mighty lion stands aside to acknowledge the mighty power of a pachyderm!" laughed Leopold.
"You call that a seven-star Monster?" asked Andy. "I've seen six-stars that were stronger."
"True, he isn't much for a seven-star," replied Leopold. "But I put him in my deck for a vital reason, which you'll soon see.
"Since he can't attack this round since I summoned him with Tribute Doll, I'll end my turn."
Andy drew a card.
I may have talked tough, he thought, but the truth is, I have nothing in my hand right now that can even come close to beating Garnecia Elefantis. Guess I'll have to defend for now…
"First, I'll summon Mirage Dragon in Defense Mode," he stated.
He put a card down, and the wispy Dragon of Light appeared. (1,600/600)
"Then I'll use my Deckmaster ability, to summon Grey Wing in Defense Mode."
Lord of Dragons glowed, his Life Points fell to 8,800, and the small Dragon appeared. (1,300/700)
"And Koops goes into Defense Mode too," he added, turning the card.
Koops shielded himself.
"You'll have to smash through my defenses before you can get to my Life Points!" warned Andy.
"No problem!" laughed Leopold, drawing a card. "You're about to see the incredibly useful ability of my Deckmaster!"
"What?" gasped Andy. "Your Deckmaster?"
"Yes," stated Leopold, adjusting his glasses. "It's called Frenzy. By paying only 500 Life Points…"
His Life Points fell to 7,100.
"…I can have a Beast or Beast-Warrior of seven stars or more attack ALL of your Monsters at once!"
"Holy…" muttered Andy.
"Garnecia Elefantis," he ordered, "attack with tusk trample!"
The huge creature trumpeted! It charged forward, plowing into the three Monsters, blowing them to pieces!
Andy looked in disbelief.
"To end, I'll place a Monster facedown in Defense Mode, and that will be my turn," he stated.
A facedown Monster appeared in front of him.
"All right…" muttered Andy, making a draw.
He placed a card down on his Disk.
"I summon The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave in Defense Mode…"
The large, rocky Dragon appeared. (1,300/2,000)
"Clever," chuckled Leopold, "but not clever enough…"
He drew a card.
"I summon Beaver Warrior in Attack Mode…" he stated.
A cute-looking rodent dressed in knight-like armor holding a sword and shield leapt up with a squeak! (1,200/1,500)
"And now I'll Flip-Summon my other Monster," he continued. "Mostly because it can only be summoned via Flip-Summon… Boar Soldier!"
The card flipped, and a creature resembling a warthog in armor holding a huge, stone axe appeared. (1,000/500)
"Garnecia Elefantis, wipe out his wall!"
The pachyderm Beast-Warrior charged, and the Dragon was blown to bits!
"Beaver Warrior, attack directly!"
Beaver Warrior leapt forward, and stabbed Andy in the stomach with his blade. He winced…
"By the way," added Leopold. "When you have no Monsters on your side of the field, Boar Soldier's Attack Score doubles…"
Boar Soldier's attack rose to 2,000…
Leopold pointed, and the Beast-Warrior charged, and clobbered Andy with his axe!
Andy fell over, and his Life Points tumbled to 5,600.
"Andy!" shouted Francesca.
"Ooh…" muttered Andy.
He searched himself…
He was still in one piece, but his skin was starting to turn pale, and his skin was getting taunt…
He got up, and doing so took effort!
He could tell now that Leopold wasn't just trying to scare him… If he lost, he'd be entombed in stone forever… He started to wonder if Leopold's spell would render him unconscious, or if he'd be able to remain aware…
He didn't want to find out!
He slowly took some deep breaths, and even breathing was starting to get difficult. He drew a card…
"I'll summon… Cave Dragon… in Attack Mode…" he said, placing the card down.
The large, elderly Dragon appeared. (2,000/100)
"And also, a card facedown," he stated.
He fit a card into a slot, and it appeared.
"Your… move…" he said.
"Heh, heh, heh…" chuckled Leopold, making a draw. "Please Andy, only someone who was very stupid would fall for something that obvious…"
He drew a card.
"And since I'm not very stupid, unlike you, I'm simply going to draw one card, and pass for this turn…"
"Swell," muttered Andy, making a draw. "You aren't very stupid… But you were dumb enough not to know that I didn't really care what you did that turn…"
"You don't mean…" said Leopold, stepping back.
Andy's Trap Card lifted.
"Oh, criminy, not Burst Breath!" shouted Leopold.
Cave Dragon blasted a burst of vapor at the three Beast-Warriors, and they howled!
Within seconds, the arena was clear.
Andy fit another card into a slot.
"Now I'll play Premature Burial to bring back Des Volstgalph," he stated.
His Life Points slipped to 4,800, and the huge Dragon appeared.
"Attack…" ordered Andy.
Des Volstgalph blasted forth his breath, and Leopold screamed…
His own Life Points fell to 4,900.
"So Leopold," muttered Andy, as his foe picked himself off the ground. "You're smart, and I'm stupid, right? So how come the score is almost tied?"
"It's going to change soon…" cursed Leopold.
He drew a card.
"I summon Wolf Axwielder in Attack Mode!" he stated.
He placed a card down, and a humanoid wolf holding a nasty axe appeared. (1,650/1,000)
"Now I play… Wild Nature's Release!"
He played a Magic Card, and Wolf Axewielder glowed with green fire! His Attack Score rose to 2,650!
"Attack Des Volstgalph!" shouted Leopold.
Wolf Axewielder pounced, and beheaded the Dragon! It shattered.
Andy cringed a little as his Life Points fell to 4,350.
"You think that scares me?" he asked. "You played Wild Nature's Release to destroy my Dragon, meaning your Monster will be destroyed when you end your turn, meaning you'll be defenseless!"
Leopold placed a card into a slot, and it appeared in front of him.
"You're never defenseless so long as you plan ahead, Andy," he stated.
He waved to signal the end of his turn, and Wolf Axewielder shattered.
I've almost got all the cards in my hand that I need to make him sorry he ever set foot in this Palace, he thought. I'll show him who the superior one is…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"This is getting tense," muttered Peten. "That Monster you mentioned… Think Andy's Cyber-Twin Dragon could beat it?"
"Just barely," answered the Amazon. "But Leopold has ways of strengthening it. He has Equip Cards in that deck that can cross the gap, and make it even stronger than Cyber-Twin Dragon…"
Peten sighed.
"Heaven help him…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Andy drew a card.
"I play… Pot of Greed…" he muttered, playing the card.
The jar handed him two cards.
He made a smirk.
"I play Monster Reborn, to bring back Des Volstgalph again!"
Des Volstgalph reappeared!
"And now I play… Stamping Destruction!"
"Hey, wait a minute…" muttered Leopold, as Andy played the card.
Des Volstgalph stamped his foot, and a shockwave tore through Leopold, and his facedown card shattered.
"Shadow Spell, huh?" asked Andy. "I should have known."
Des Volstgalph's Attack rose to 2,400.
Leopold gulped.
"Attack!" shouted Andy.
Des Volstgalph blasted Leopold again!
His Life Points tumbled to 2,000.
Leopold groaned. Now his skin was starting to turn pale…
"Way to go Andy!" shouted Francesca.
"Isn't it ironic, Leopold?" asked Andy. "Ironic that an Earth Monster has kicked your behind twice now?"
"There are many ironies in the universe, Andy," muttered Leopold, "and you'll soon have lots of time to ponder them all…"
He drew a card.
"I'll play my own Pot of Greed…" he stated.
The Pot handed him two more cards.
He fit a card into a slot.
"I play Frontline Base!" he stated, as the card appeared. "This card lets me summon an extra Monster every round. Of course, it has to be a specific kind of Monster, but I have that covered.
"Next, I summon Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei in Attack Mode!"
A hulking brute in armor with hairy arms appeared. (2,300/0)
"And now I'll use Frontline Base to summon Protective Soul Ailin!" continued Leopold.
He placed another card down, and a delicate, pink fairy with wings dressed in a toga appeared. (0/0)
"You're probably wondering why I summoned a Monster with a nonexistent Attack Score who isn't even an Earth Monster," started Leopold. "Well, you may have noticed that Lei Lei here has the same stats as Goblin Attack Force… He also has the same weakness as Goblin Attack Force. Are you getting this? I can slow down if it's too much for you…"
"Yeah… pretty much," stated Andy (as much as he could, seeing as it hurt to talk). "He has to shift into Defense Mode after he attacks, right?"
"Right," answered Leopold. "But Ailin is a Union Monster that can be Equipped to him. When they're together, he can switch right back into Attack Mode after being forced into Defense Mode!"
Protective Soul Ailin floated behind Lei Lei, and the Beast-Warrior's eyes glowed…
"Lei Lei, attack Des Volstgalph with berserker punch!" shouted Leopold!
The Indomitable Fighter socked the huge Dragon, and it shattered into shards.
Andy's Life Points fell a little, to 4,250.
"It's not that much!" assured Francesca.
Yeah, but what now? Andy asked himself.
Lei Lei knelt in Defense Mode… Then Ailin massaged his shoulders, and he stood back up into Attack Mode.
"Your move…" dared Leopold, looking at the two cards in his hand.
Andy drew a card.
"I summon…" he muttered.
He put a card on his Disk.
"Divine Dragon Ragnarok, in Defense Mode…"
The wispy Dragon appeared. (1,500/1,000)
Yeah, I know, he thought, looking at Stan and Francesca. They think I'm out of my mind. I know it's a weak Monster, but it's the best I can do…
"My draw!" laughed Leopold, drawing a card.
"I always say Andy, when one is good, two is better, so I'll just summon another Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei!"
A twin of the first Fighter appeared!
"And thanks to my Frontline Base, I can summon another Protective Soul!" he continued.
He put a card down, and another Fairy appeared… And then it merged with the second Lei Lei.
Oh, this is going to hurt… muttered Andy.
"You…" said Leopold, "take down his Dragon!"
The first Lei Lei punched Ragnarok, and it burst.
"You!" he said to the second. "Attack directly!"
The second Indomitable Fighter socked Andy in the face…
His Life Points fell to 2,050, and he fell on his behind.
Andy tried to get up…
Only to find that he couldn't. His legs had no feeling.
He pulled himself up into a sitting position, and felt his legs, which were bent with the knees upward…
They were solid marble.
He shivered, and did a quick check…
The same was true of the rest of his body below the waist…
Andy looked as the two Fairies urged their hosts back from defense to offense.
If I don't do something fast, he thought, the next round will be it…
He paused.
"You still have one more round to turn it around…" said a voice.
A hand fell on his shoulder.
"What?" replied Andy. "Lord of Dragons?"
"Indeed," replied the Spellcaster. "Your hour may be dark, but I'll guide you through it."
"There is a difference between you and Leopold, Andy," continued the Spellcaster. "While both of you are skilled duelists, Leopold uses his victories as an incorrect proof that he is superior to others. Even if you are better at a skill, that doesn't make you a better person than your peers. Leopold has skill, but skill alone doesn't make him a superior duelist.
"To be superior duelist, one must have traits that Leopold lacks – honor, integrity, loyalty, and respect for others. These are the traits of the true duelist. Leopold was destined for failure a long time ago.
"If you possess such traits, you can defeat him; because you know you're not only a better duelist…
"You're a better person."
"Are you going to take all day?" asked Leopold.
"I just needed a pep talk, Leo," said Andy. "And if I have to duel you sitting down, I will!"
He drew a card.
"And I play Graceful Charity!" he exclaimed.
The angel flew out of his deck with three cards.
He took them, looked them over, and handed her two.
"I summon Warrior Dai Grepher!" he shouted.
He put a card down. Grepher appeared. (1,700/1,600)
"And now I'll pay 500 Life Points to use my Deckmaster's ability!" he said, as his Life Points fell to 1,550. "I'll sacrifice Grepher, to summon Luster Dragon #2!"
Grepher shattered, and the huge emerald Dragon appeared! (2,400/1,400)
Lord of Dragons gave him a thumb's up.
"Luster Dragon, attack the Lei Lei on the left!" shouted Andy. "Emerald flash blast!"
The Dragon shot his blast at Lei Lei, and the Beast-Warrior cringed…
Leopold's Life Points fell to 1,900, but the Monster was still there.
"What?" said Andy, in surprise.
"Don't you know anything about Union Monsters?" said Leopold, in disgust. "When a Monster is attacked when a Union Monster is Equipped to it, the Union Monster takes the hit for it! You only managed to destroy the Protective Soul."
"Then make your move," said Andy.
Leopold drew a card.
"Ergh…" he growled.
"Disappointed with your draw, Leo?" asked Andy, with a smile.
"I'll move my two Indomitable Fighters to Defense Mode…" growled the Spawn, as the two Beast-Warrior's knelt.
"Then I'll draw…" said Andy.
Aw, Tyrant Dragon? he thought. I need to swap two Monsters for that!
"Luster Dragon, attack the un-Equipped Fighter!" he ordered.
Luster Dragon attacked, and the first Lei Lei was blown away.
"Your move again…" said Andy.
Leopold drew.
"I play… The Shallow Grave…" said Leopold, playing a card. "This Magic Card lets us both revive a Monster from our Graveyards in facedown Defense Mode."
A facedown Monster appeared next to Lei Lei.
"Great!" answered Andy.
He placed Divine Dragon Ragnarok on his Disk, and it appeared facedown.
Now I'll be able to summon my Tyrant Dragon! he thought.
"And now play… Book of Taiyou!" continued Leopold, playing a card. "This lets me Flip-Summon the Monster I just brought back! Morphing Jar!"
The card flipped face up, and the Morphing Jar appeared! (700/600)
Andy was clearly disappointed…
They both folded their hands, and drew five new cards.
"Leopold just took a big risk…" said Stan.
"I hear you," said Francesca. "That Morphing Jar has only 700 Attack Points, and now it's in Attack Mode. If Andy manages to attack it…"
"Wait…" said Stan.
He paused.
"What?" asked Francesca.
"I felt something…" said Stan, getting afraid. "When Leopold drew the fifth card, I sensed something… A force of incredible…"
He paused again.
"…incredible evil…"
Leopold grinned a sinister grin.
"I'll move Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei to Attack Mode…" he stated.
Lei Lei stood up.
"Then I'll separate him from Protective Soul Ailin…"
Protective Soul Ailin floated away from the Beast-Warrior.
Thunder started to roll over the forest. The sky darkened even more as Leopold held up a card…
"And now, I'll sacrifice my Morphing Jar and my Protective Soul Ailin…" he continued. "To summon a Beast-Warrior of legendary might…"
The two Monsters vanished…
"I summon… Sengenjin!"
What happened next resembled an earthquake. The ground shook, and a huge form rose out of the ground…
It was a huge ogre, fifteen feet tall, with blue skin and red hair. It had one eye, and a maw of sharp teeth. It wore a spiked harness, and fur trunks and boots. On its back it carried axes, maces, and other dangerous looking weapons.
The huge creature roared…
(2,750/2,500)
"What is that?" yelled Andy.
"His name is Sengenjin," chuckled Leopold. "Quite a looker, isn't he?"
Leopold chuckled softly.
"There's a history behind this card, Andy," he continued. "In the days of the ancient Shadow Games, this creature was only summoned in one Shadow Game. When he was, he broke free, intending to conquer the Earth!
"To do so, he embarked on a quest to collect all seven of the Millennium Items, and he collected three of them before he was defeated and banished back to the Shadow Realm."
Leopold chuckled again.
"Pegasus was a fool to immortalize his image in a card when he created the game. Bad luck stuck every duelist who used this rare card. They said these cards were cursed with his wicked aura! Sengenjin won't serve anyone willingly. He hates serving others. But he'll serve me… Do you know why?
"Because as one of the most powerful Earth Monsters in existence, Sengenjin only obeys a true master of Earth! His evil curse has no effect on me!"
Sengenjin growled in acknowledgement.
"But onto what we were doing…" he continued. "I play the Equip Card Mystical Moon! This Equip increases the Attack and Defense of a Beast-Warrior by 300 points."
He played the card, and Sengenjin rose to (3,050/2,800)
"God help him…" muttered Francesca.
"Now I activate my Deckmaster ability!" laughed Leopold, as his Life Points fell to 1,600. "Sengenjin, Frenzy!"
The huge ogre charged forward, first striking Luster Dragon and blowing it to pieces, and then punching at the facedown card, destroying Ragnarok.
Andy's Life Points fell to 900.
No… thought Andy. It's over… As soon as he attacks with Lei Lei…
"Now, Lei Lei…" said Leopold with a grin.
He paused. Andy closed his eyes, waiting for the end...
Then Leopold laughed!
"HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!" laughed Leopold. "Gotcha!"
He grinned.
"Scared you, didn't I?" laughed Leopold. "I was joking, Andy… If I use my Deckmaster's ability on one Monster, I can't attack with any others. It's just like Diffusion-Wave Motion."
Andy stared at him, and Leopold laughed out loud.
The three teens gave him dirty looks.
"It was a joke, people!" laughed Leopold. "Where's your sense of humor?"
"It wasn't funny!" shouted Francesca, now angry.
"Ah, well," muttered Leopold. "Since I'm getting sick of Lei Lei anyway, I'm going to play Mystik Wok, and sacrifice him to do so."
He played the card, and Lei Lei vanished into smoke. Leopold's Life Points went up to 3,700.
"That's my turn, Andy. Bet you're feeling really stiff now, huh?"
Andy was numb all over. He felt his chest, and it was solid stone too. Whatever was keeping him alive right now, it clearly wasn't his heart…
Go ahead and summon anything you want, Andy, thought Leopold, looking at the Monster Reborn in his hand. I just played Mystik Wok to lure you into a false sense of security. Nothing you summon can have a defense that Lei Lei can't break when I bring him back. And then, one direct attack from Sengenjin will finish you!
Andy looked at his hand.
Only one card in my deck can possibly save me… he thought. Given that backstory he gave, Sengenjin is clearly a Monster of Pride… but to defeat it, I have to draw that one card…
He paused.
I don't have much of a deck left… I have pretty good chances…
He strained to reach his Disk… He drew a card…
The card shone in the dim light of the forest…
"Okay, Leopold," he said grimly. "Sengenjin is a powerful Monster, I'll admit that, but he'll be small potatoes compared to what I'm about to summon…"
Both Leopold and his Monster gave him confused looks…
He showed Leopold the card…
Polymerization.
"HA!" laughed Leopold. "Your Cyber-Twin Dragon isn't strong enough, Andy!"
"I'm not fusing two Cyber Dragons together this time, Leopold…" answered Andy.
He played the card.
"I'm fusing THREE of them!"
All three Cyber Dragons appeared on the field, and then swirled into a morass of light…
And then they formed into a huge, three-headed beast! It was half-again as big as Sengenjin, with enormous metal wings, and furious jaws!
"Meet my Cyber End Dragon!" shouted Andy.
(4,000/2,800)
Leopold gasped, and the huge Beast-Warrior drew back in fear…
"Four-thousand Attack Points?" gasped Leopold. "How… where…"
Stan and Francesca were just as surprised.
"Where did Andy get that?" gasped Francesca.
"Marty sure had some good stuff…" chuckled Stan.
"I'm ending my turn, Leopold," said Andy. "Now use your smarts to think of a way out of this… If you can."
Leopold shakily drew…
"I… I shift Sengenjin to Defense Mode…" he gasped, as the huge Beast-Warrior knelt.
"And now I'll play Monster Reborn, to summon back Nekogal #2 in Defense Mode!"
He played the card, and the catlike Beast-Warrior reappeared, crouching in Defense. (1,900/2,000)
"Is that all?" asked Andy.
"Yes!" cried Leopold.
Andy drew a card.
"Then I should tell you that defending doesn't work with this guy," he said, "due to his trampling effect! Cyber-End Dragon, ultimate strident blast!"
Cyber-Twin Dragon shot forth three blasts of flame, and Sengenjin was incinerated!
Leopold screamed as his Life Points fell to 2,500.
"And I'm not done with you yet, Leo!" shouted Andy, playing the card he had just drawn. "I play De-Fusion!"
Cyber-End Dragon faded into a blur, and split into three Cyber Dragons! (2,100/1,600 x3)
"And that means I get three more attacks!" shouted Andy. "One…"
A Cyber Dragon shot forth a stream of flame, and Nekogal was burned up.
"Two…" continued Andy.
The second Dragon attacked, and Leopold hollered as his Life Points fell to 400.
"Three!" commanded Andy.
The last Cyber Dragon attacked, and this time there was no scream…
Andy looked up, as his three Dragons vanished. Leopold had been frozen in mid scream…
He was solid stone.
And then, darkness started to surround the statue, and he faded away.
The feeling came back to Andy's body, and slowly, his flesh was restored.
"Oh, Andy…" said Francesca, almost crying. "I thought for a minute you would…"
"It's okay, baby…" he said, slowly getting up. "It's okay… It was a terrible joke he made, but I had the last laugh…"
The stiffness slowly went away, and he could move with ease again…
But he was now exhausted. He knew he wouldn't be able to duel a normal duel again today, much less a Shadow Game…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Take heart, Andy, thought Merlee. For the time being, the Shadows will not plague you again. I can only hope your two friends are just as successful.
The Sengenjin card appeared in his hand.
This card is a destructive thing that does nothing but destroy. I should burn it. But it is still of use for now. And my faith is growing that the Chosen Ones will succeed in the current task…
But when the Queen plans the next one, I will throw a wench into her machinery…
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"Leogun": Beast/Earth, Level 5, (1,750/1,550)
Deckmaster SA: "Frenzy": Pay 500 Life Points. One of your Beast or Beast-Warriors of seven stars or more can attack all opposing Monsters during the turn you use this ability. If you use this ability, none of your other Monsters can attack on the same turn.
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Coming up next:
Maria greets the heroes, and she's itching for revenge for the humiliation that Francesca handed her last time! Fran may be in over her head now, as Maria literally tries to put her on ice. Tyson's Shadow Flames were bad enough, but Shadow Ice is just as bad.
Don't miss "Cold Shoulder," coming soon.
