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CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

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The Big March of Animals

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When one thinks of heroes of Duel Monsters, they usually think of great duelists. People like Yugi Mouto, Seto Kaiba, later on Judai Yuki, and most recently, Jack Atlas.

No-one ever thinks of unsung heroes, who make the game possible. The cards that these great duelists use have to come from somewhere. They don't simply appear in stores. I2 has owned the copyright to the game since its inception, and they still create the cards. They are the ones who go through the lengthy process of designing them.

But aside from Pegasus himself, who painted as a hobby, and personally designed some of the most famous cards (including the Egyptian God Cards) most of the designers on his staff are content to remain in obscurity. They spend their time submitting ideas and sketches, and maybe for every ten ideas they submit, one gets past the drawing board. Not many of a single designer's yearly ideas get made into actual cards, but they aren't paid by commission. And while they don't get credit when they design a card that becomes popular, they also don't get blamed for designing one that turns out to be a dud. Whoever designed Marauding Captain likely didn't get a bigger Christmas bonus than whoever designed Throwstone Unit.

Of course, there are some who say that card designers have a type of second sight about their designs. Their cards are mirrors of living creatures, the Duel Spirits that folks like Judai encountered in the other dimensions. Are Duel Spirits born when these cards are approved for production? Or do they somehow cause their images to be planted in the minds of those who would design the cards? It's a mystery, and one that is very hard to answer.

I only bring this up because Shichiro was about to face someone who would mention one card designer… One who found that designing cards was, for him, much easier than using them…

On the same street in Satellite, the portal opened for the third time. Shichiro's bike sped out, with him at wheel, and Ember holding on behind.

The storm had stopped. Clearly, the pandemonium that had been occurring earlier elsewhere in Satellite had past. Stars were shining in the sky, and the fog was gone, but there was still a sense of uneasiness in the air.

Jinx and Gears's D-Wheels were missing. Someone had moved them.

Shichiro got off his D-Wheel and removed his helmet.

"Stay close to me, Ember," he said. "DaPen won't be caught by surprise this time…"

"You think he…" asked Ember.

Then her face turned sour.

"Yuck!" she said, covering her nose. "What's that awful smell?!"

Shichiro drew his sword.

"Something very dangerous…" he replied. "I recognize that smell… Get behind me…"

"What is it?" asked Ember.

"Something that has never taken a bath in its life…" replied Shichiro. "But its odor is the least of our problems…"

Shadowy shapes started to appear out of the alleyways. Low moans and growls followed.

Then, six large creatures lumbered out onto the street. Each one was about nine feet tall, but looked somewhat shorter, as they were hunched over. They were thin, almost to the point of being gaunt, with sickly green, rubbery skin, large claws, and faces with long noses, sunken eyes, and sharp teeth. They had iron grey hair.

The six Shadows drooled and snarled as they eyed the two humans.

"Okay, six things…" replied Shichiro, nervously.

"What are they?" shouted Ember.

"Trolls," replied Shichiro.

Ember backed up slightly.

"I think they look hungry…" she said, nervously.

"Ember, I have yet to meet a troll who wasn't hungry!" shouted Shichiro.

He waved his sword menacingly at the six beasts, and they hesitated.

"Well?" shouted Shichiro.

"Well what?" gasped Ember.

"Remember our deal?" he shouted. "No way I can beat six trolls! You promised to run the other way if I was in big trouble!

"Maybe I can take out two or three of them before they take me out…"

Ember was about to do just that, but then she remembered something.

She quickly activated her Disk.

"All right, you brainless sacks of leather…" said Shichiro. "Come and… Huh?"

There was a burst like an orange flare behind him, and the trolls' expressions turned to looks of fear. Shichiro turned around, and saw Ember standing next to Infernal Flame Emperor, who was holding a fireball in each hand.

The trolls screamed. Then they turned tail and fled in the other direction.

Shichiro held his chest.

"Okay, heart," he said. "Resume beating…"

He turned to Ember.

"How'd you know that would work?"

Infernal Flame Emperor vanished.

"Well," she said, "Jinx told me that trolls were pretty stupid, so I figured they might think a Disk-created hologram was real.

"And she also told me that fire was one of the few things that could truly hurt them. So I figured it might also be one of the few things they were afraid of.

"Seems I was right on both counts…"

Shichiro sighed again.

"Good going, Ember…" he said.

He stopped for a minute.

"Strange…" he said. "With the trolls gone, I smelling something different now… Smells kind of like…

"…garlic salami?"

Then they heard a match strike. They turned around, and saw a big guy in front of them leaning against the wall light a cigarette.

It was Albert.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said the minotaur, sarcastically. "I didn't have time to gargle."

"Shichiro, I know this guy…" said Ember. "He's Vincent's brother…"

"I suppose you brought the trolls?" asked Shichiro.

"Nah," said Albert. "Satellite had a lot of those guys scattered around. DaPen did something that brought them all together in one place. It wasn't easy. His powers hardly work on guys like that. They're so dumb."

"Is that why he hasn't brainwashed you?" asked Ember.

Albert frowned.

"I suppose you're looking for your two friends," he said. "Well, the boss has them, and he's not letting them go. Serves you right for throwing my brother in the slammer."

"Where's Jinx and Gears?" demanded Shichiro.

"Where you can't find them," replied Albert. "I don't know why you even came. You think you're gonna do any better?

"But, if you insist on trying…"

He lifted up a Duel Disk, and placed a deck in the holder.

"Stand back, Ember," said Shichiro. "This won't take long…"

"Whoa, whoa," said Albert. "I want to ask you a question, bub… You ever hear of a guy named Hayato Maeda?"

"No," replied Shichiro. "Should I have?"

Albert chuckled.

"Hayato was a young man who dreamed of being a great duelist, like so many others," replied Albert. "He even enrolled in the first Duel Academy.

"But he had a problem… He couldn't duel! He was downright terrible at it. As you might expect, he didn't do well at the Academy. He flunked his promotion exam twice."

"And you're saying you could do any better?" asked Shichiro.

Albert frowned again, but then he went on.

"But, fortunes would change for him," he continued. "You see, he had another talent that he was good at: art."

"Art?" asked Shichiro.

"Art," replied Albert. "He could paint much better than he could duel. And he tried his hand at card design. He was so good at this, that Pegasus himself recognized his work, and hired him as a card designer for I2."

"So I guess he lived happily ever after, even though it wasn't as a duelist," replied Shichiro. "Does this story go anywhere?"

"Course it does!" laughed Albert, lifting his Disk. "DaPen managed to recreate his deck. I'm going to… try something."

"Try something?" asked Shichiro, rather annoyed.

"Yeah, just for fun," said Albert. "What's more important, the duelist or the deck?"

"Huh?" said Shichiro.

"I mean, think about it…" continued Albert. "Seto Kaiba used a deck full of rare and powerful cards, and he was a great duelist. But Yusei Fudo's deck doesn't have cards that nearly as rare, other than that Dragon of his. His deck is makeshift at best. But due to his skill, he's still a great duelist."

Shichiro looked at him with a frown.

"Compare it to horse racing!" exclaimed Albert. "Is the jockey or the horse more important? There have been jockeys who have had great records riding several horses over their careers. But there have also been horses that have had great records while having many different jockeys."

"I guess you have a point," said Shichiro.

"Well, we're going to see what was the case with Hayato," said Albert. "We're going to see if Hayato's problem was a bad deck, or if he truly was someone who couldn't duel to save his life."

Shichiro glared at him.

"Jinx and Gears are being held hostage…" he snarled, "and you want to 'try something just for fun'?? Buddy, the judge is not gonna accept this as an insanity defense, I hope you realize!"

"And there's no such thing as a stupidity defense," added Ember. "How can you be certain that it wasn't poor deck construction that was to blame for Hayato's failure as a duelist?"

"Let me put it this way," said Albert. "As of right now, the only door into the factory is locked with a padlock that you are never gonna be able to break or pick…"

He held up a small, iron key.

"And if you want the way to open it, you're gonna have to beat me."

"Fine!" shouted Shichiro. "Have it your way…"

Both Disks activated.

"Duel!" they shouted.

(Shichiro: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Albert: 8,000)

"I'll start!" laughed Albert, making a draw.

He looked at the six cards in his hand, and then chose one. He threw it on his Disk.

"I'll set a Monster," he said, as a hidden Monster appeared. "And I think I'll leave it at that."

"Going defensive, huh?" asked Shichiro, making a draw. "Well, I always say that the best defense is a good offense.

"Come on out, Warrior Dai Grepher!"

Grepher materialized, holding his broadsword. (1,700 ATK)

"Attack!" ordered Shichiro.

Grepher lunged sword-first. The Monster that appeared on the card didn't look very intimidating. It was a cute, furry, chubby koala. (1,800 DEF)

Grepher's sword glanced off its thick coat.

"Now you're gonna get it!" laughed Albert. "Not only is Des Koala too strong for your Warrior, but you activated its Flip-Effect! You lose 400 Life Points for each card in your hand!"

"Huh?" said Shichiro, looking at his hand.

He had five cards…

"Crap…" he said.

Then he screamed as five bolts of lightning struck him in quick succession. He fell on one knee.

(S: 5,900) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 8,000)

Man… thought Ember. Shichiro lost 2,100 Life Points, and Albert hasn't even attacked yet!

Shichiro got up, panting for breath.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he shouted. "An engraved invitation?"

Albert chuckled, and drew a card.

He placed another card on his Disk, and another set Monster appeared.

"You cannot tell me that that's another Des Koala…" growled Shichiro.

"Okay, it's not another Des Koala," said Albert. "Your move…"

Shichiro drew a card.

I sure hope it isn't, he thought. Cause if it is, I'm going to get blasted again.

"I summon Command Knight," he said.

In a burst of fire, Command Knight appeared on the field. (1,200 ATK)

Her Attack Score rose to 1,600, while Grepher's rose to 2,100.

"Grepher, destroy Des Koala!" he shouted.

Grepher made a slash with his blade, and the marsupial cringed before shattering.

Shichiro hesitated for a minute.

Aw, spit… he thought.

"Command Knight, attack!"

Command Knight rushed at the facedown Monster. This time, the Monster that appeared looked like a small hedgehog with a mane of green leaves down its back and tail. Command Knight's sword cleaved it in half.

"Told the truth," chuckled Albert. "That wasn't a Des Koala. But it was a Eucalyptus Mole, and since you destroyed it, I get to Special Summon any Monster from my deck with the word 'Koala' in its name.

"So… I'm bringing out Des Koala's big brother… Big Koala!"

The Monster that appeared in front of Shichiro was certainly a koala, and it was certainly big. It stood almost twenty feet tall. Other than its size, it didn't seem any different than the typical koala. (2,700 ATK)

"Okay, that's certainly… interesting…" said Shichiro. "Uhm, strange that someone like you should be using these Monsters… You do know that koalas are herbivores, right?"

"So are elephants," said Albert.

He made a draw.

"But if one of them was angry and stampeding, my advice to you would be to get out of its way, fast!

"I summon Sea Koala!"

Another koala appeared. This one was smaller than Des Koala, and held a seashell in its paws. (100 ATK)

"It may not look like much, but it has a powerful effect. If I have another Beast on the field, and I do, I can reduce the Attack Score of one of your Monsters to zero."

Warrior Dai Grepher groaned as an aura of green energy surrounded him. (0 ATK)

"Big Koala, attack Warrior Dai Grepher! Thunder from down under!"

Big Koala lunged forward, and slugged the Warrior hard. Shichiro was thrown off his feet by the force of the blow as his Monster was blown to pieces.

"I end my turn," said Albert.

(S: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 8,000)

"Mystery solved," said Shichiro, getting up.

"Huh?" said Albert.

"Hayato's deck was not to blame," said Shichiro. "It isn't a bad deck. But if he made the same mistake you just made, it's little wonder he was a bad duelist."

"Mistake?" shouted Albert. "I'm trouncing you good!"

"Your Sea Koala made Grepher's Attack Points zero," explained Shichiro. "So you attacked him with Big Koala so I'd lose more Life Points. But with zero Attack Points, even Sea Koala could have beaten him.

"What you should have done was attack Grepher with Sea Koala, and then attacked Command Knight with Big Koala. I might not have lost as many Life Points, but I'd have lost two Monsters and you'd have gained field advantage.

"So it seems that the deck wasn't the problem. It seems Hayato was a bad duelist… Like you are.

"It's my draw!"

He drew a card.

"I set a Monster," he said, as a reversed Monster appeared.

"Then Command Knight attacks Sea Koala!"

Command Knight rushed at Sea Koala, and gave the little marsupial a kick. It shattered into pixels, and Albert groaned.

(S: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 6,500)

"That's all for me," he said. "Don't forget, Command Knight is off-limits so long as I have another Monster on the field."

"Fine," said Albert. "First I draw…"

He made a draw.

"Then I attack! Get it!"

Big Koala leapt at the facedown Monster. Big Shield Gardna briefly appeared before the huge Beast crushed him under its huge bulk.

"Guess your Big Shield wasn't quite big enough," he chuckled. "I'll set a Monster and a facedown card, and that will be all."

A reversed card and a reversed Monster appeared.

Shichiro frowned as he drew a card.

That'll do it, he said.

"I sacrifice Command Knight…" he said.

Command Knight vanished into pixels.

"To summon Jack's Knight."

Jack's Knight appeared, holding aloft his sword and shield. (1,900 ATK)

"Big deal," said Albert. "He's no good without his two pals."

"Not if I also sacrifice him…" said Shichiro.

Jack's Knight vanished.

"…to Special Summon Turret Warrior!"

The huge humanoid made of concrete, with gun turrets on its shoulders appeared where Jack's Knight had been. (1,200 ATK)

"And it gains Attack Points equal to those of the Warrior I just sacrificed."

(3,100 ATK)

"Destroy his Big Koala!"

Turret Warrior blasted its guns, and Big Koala squeaked in pain. It collapsed with a mighty crash, and then shattered.

(S: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 6,100)

"Your move, horn-head," said Shichiro.

Vincent growled, and drew a card.

He quickly set a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared behind his facedown Monster.

"Mmm!" he said.

"My draw!" said Shichiro.

He drew a card.

"I set two cards," he said.

Two reversed cards appeared.

"Then I attack with Turret Warrior!"

Turret Warrior fired its cannons. A muscular kangaroo wearing a boxing belt and gloves appeared on the card, and was blown to shards.

"Good grief," said Shichiro, "did this guy's whole deck have nothing in it but Australian marsupials?"

Albert lifted his hand, and a facedown card lifted. It was Animal Trail, the same Trap Card that Vincent had used.

"I forgot to mention," he said, as he looked through his deck. "He couldn't see Duel Spirits as well as some famous duelist could, but he could see one specific one out the corner of his eye sometimes. That one was Des Koala. Maybe it was a Spirit guide of some sort… I dunno. But for this reason, he was inspired to make a Deck From Down Under."

He found what he wanted and shuffled his deck.

"And by the way, that Monster your Turret Warrior just destroyed was a Kangaroo Champ. A Monster that battles it moves to Defense Mode."

Turret Warrior knelt and crossed its arms. (2,000 DEF)

Ember was getting very nervous at this point. Her cousin had mentioned an incredibly powerful Monster that Albert likely had the components to summon, assuming he had it somewhere in his deck. If he managed to summon it, she didn't know if Shichiro would be able to beat it.

"My move!" chuckled Albert, drawing a card.

"Heh, heh," he said. "Check out this Spell Card!"

He played it, and the card showed a humorous picture. The picture showed an orange koala wearing a red band leader's jacket, waving a flag, leading a parade of blue koalas.

"Koala March?" asked Shichiro. "You gotta be kidding…"

"It may look funny," replied Albert, "but it has a useful effect. First I get to Special Summon a low-level Koala from my Graveyard…"

Des Koala appeared in front of him.

"…then I summon one with the same name from my hand."

A second Des Koala appeared. (1,100 ATK x2)

"And since both of them were Special Summons, I can sacrifice both of them…"

The two Des Koalas vanished.

Shichiro stepped back as a second Big Koala appeared. (2,700 ATK)

"Smash his Turret Warrior!" he shouted.

Big Koala lunged at the concrete Warrior. Shichiro shielded himself as his Monster was blown to pieces.

Albert chuckled, and his facedown card lifted up. It was Beast Soul Swap.

"Now I can return the big guy to my hand," he said, "then summon him again, so he can attack again!"

Big Koala vanished, and then quickly reappeared. (2,700 ATK)

"Attack him directly!" he ordered.

Big Koala lunged at Shichiro

"Activate… Defense Draw!" shouted Shichiro.

His facedown card shot up.

"Now, I take no damage, and I get to draw one card!"

Big Koala tried to punch Shichiro, but Shichiro merely caught the huge Beast's fist with his hand.

Big Koala whined a little, and backed off…

Shichiro made a draw.

"It's your move," said Albert.

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At Shadowchaser Headquarters, Jalal was in his study. He was still studying the book he had taken from the Black Library, trying to find some clue as to what DaPen's intent for the Regalia of Day might be.

A device on his desk beeped. He hit a button on it.

"Sir," said a voice. "Maskent on line four."

"I'll take it here," said Jalal.

He turned on a switch, and an image came on a holographic screen. His closest ally among non-Shadowchasers, the Incantifer Maskent, appeared on the screen.

Like all Incantifers, Maskent appeared as an old man with leathery skin, silvery hair and a beard. He was immortal, but looks didn't matter much to him, and he couldn't be bothered using resources to stay youthful-looking. After all, if he ever needed to [I]appear[/I] youthful for some reason, it was simple feat of magic to do so. Plus, an Incantifer's frail appearance hid great strength and agility, not that they used physical strength to do much. To an Incantifer, magic was always the best way to deal with a problem.

Fact was, an Incantifer reeked of magic. Magic hung around him like a smell that wouldn't go away. The race had mastered it long ago, and had practically become one with the magical flow that permeated the universe.

"I hope this means you have news, Maskent," said Jalal. "I'm not getting anywhere at my end."

"Well, I looked into all the stories about these two races you mentioned," replied Maskent. "The two Gith races… Frankly, I can't find any first-hand witnesses who have seen them, although I've found some stories in a few books that have turned up in caches in some Lower Planar libraries. Not that I make a habit of frequenting there."

"Understood," said Jalal.

"I was able to find one interesting story about the leadership of the githyanki… If you want to trust the word of the devilish scribe that wrote this, it's quite revealing…"

He cleared his throat.

"Supposedly, after the fateful civil war that divided the forerunner race and destroyed Penumbria, Gith took her people to the Astral Plane where she ruled them for a time.

"Then, at one point, she embarked on a journey to the Underworld… Her goal was to meet with the Evil Queen of Dragonkind, Tiamat, and strike a bargain."

"Indeed," said Jalal.

"Well, here's where it gets interesting," continued Maskent. "The details of the meeting are mostly unknown, but soon after, a great red wyrm came to their capital, and said that a treaty had been established, making red dragons everywhere in the cosmos the allies of the githyanki."

"I'm starting not to like them…" muttered Jalal.

"Mmm, I don't blame you," replied Maskent. "The dragon also said that Gith would not be returning. Most believe that one condition of the treaty required her to serve Tiamat personally, forever. The dragon then presented a letter of authority signed by Gith that named her advisor, the battle-mage Vlaakith, as the new king of their race. Since then, every heir in Vlaakith's line has taken his name.

"Apparently, the current Vlaakith is Vlaakith CLVII, and she is one of the most powerful of her family line."

"Wait a second…" said Jalal. "One-hundred and fifty-seven rulers? That's clearly a long dynasty, but… The illithid empire was supposed to exist hundreds of thousands of years ago. Vlaakith's legacy would seem too short… Just how long do the githyanki live?"

"Well, that's the scary part…" replied Maskent. "Like I said, Vlaakith CLVII is one of the most powerful individuals ever to rule the githyanki. It's no secret that she's a wizard, but she's clearly lived longer than any mortal being has a right to live. No-one can even remember any details about her predecessor.

"Of course, this story might all be lies… Like I said, some diabolic scribe wrote it down. But if Vlaakith truly exists, one thing is for certain… She's powerful.

"But until I can find some actual githyanki, we can't make any definite conclusions."

"As far as I know, none of them live on Earth," said Jalal. "If they exist at all, they must never leave the Astral Plane. Maybe they're safe from whatever brings Shadows to Earth while they're there…

"But… That would make them even deadlier if they even know about Earth…"

"I see what you're saying, Jalal," said Maskent, "but we've tried that. Both I and several other Incantifers have tried several times to use the Astral as a bridge between Earth and the homeworld of Shadow. It doesn't work. Whenever we try, the paths we take turn back on themselves, and no matter how hard we try to picture our goal, we can never make it clear enough to come close.

"That might be why we can't find the githyanki. Think of it this way: the Astral Plane may have two sides, with Earth on one side, and our homeworld on the other. Everything on the side opposite Earth is inaccessible, including Shadow and wherever the githyanki make their home."

"But you admit that it might be possible?" asked Jalal.

"Well, theoretically," replied Jalal. "The Astral is supposed to be a Great Path. It's a big place, and there may be a portal somewhere that we missed…"

"A portal that we missed…" muttered Jalal. "Somewhere in the most remote area of the Silver Void…

"Somehow, I have a nagging feeling that someone found it at one point…"

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Shichiro drew a card. He looked at it closely.

I summon Rose, Warrior of Revenge!" he shouted.

Rose appeared in a burst of flame. (1,600 ATK) Ember started to get excited. For some reason, Rose's appearances were starting to thrill her.

Then Shichiro's facedown card lifted up.

"Next, Birthright," he said. "I'll bring back an old friend…"

Warrior Dai Grepher appeared again. (1,700 ATK)

"Now, let's go, people!"

Rose's eyes burned with fire. Then she and Grepher flew into the sky, trailing wakes of flame…

With a roar, Colossal Fighter landed on the field. (2,800 ATK)

"Right now," said Shichiro, "there's a grand total of five Warriors in my Graveyard…"

Warrior Dai Grepher, Command Knight, Jack's Knight, Turret Warrior, and Rose appeared behind him in phantom form. They vanished, and Colossal Fighter rose to an Attack Score of 3,300.

"Destroy Big Koala!" shouted Shichiro. "Mega-knuckle!"

Colossal Fighter roared again, and threw a punch that propelled the huge Beast backwards. Albert shielded himself as it shattered.

(S: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 5,500)

"Are you quite through?" asked Albert.

"Mmm," said Shichiro.

Albert drew a card.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" he said.

"I think he just got a good draw…" said Ember.

"Oh, you'd better believe it…" replied Albert. "Symbolic, really… This card was Hayato's first successful design. It was what made Pegasus recognize his talent…

"Take a look! I play Ayer's Rock Sunrise!"

A bright light like that of the rising sun illuminated the dark street. Albert grinned, as the imposing shape of Ayer's Rock rose behind him.

"It's a powerful card, too," continued Albert. "First it lets me Special Summon a Beast-Type Monster from my Graveyard. Think I'll choose this one…"

Big Koala appeared again. (2,700 ATK)

"Next, for every Beast, Beast-Warrior, and Winged Beast I have left in my Graveyard, your Monster loses 200 Life Points!"

"Huh?" said Shichiro.

Then he noticed that six phantasmal Beasts, two Des Koalas, Kangaroo Champ, Sea Koala, Eucalyptus Mole, and the other Big Koala, were biting and clawing at Colossal Fighter. He groaned in pain. (2,100 ATK)

"I'm not done!" laughed Albert. "I've also got this…"

He turned one of his two other cards around, revealing it to be Des Kangaroo.

"And now… I play Polymerization!"

He played the card, and the two Beasts combined into a blue and green vortex…

A titanic form loomed over Ayer's Rock…

"No…" gasped Ember. "The Master of Oz!"

It was indeed the Master of Oz. The huge creature was even bigger than Big Koala, looking like an enormous green koala with a kangaroo's tail, wearing Des Kangaroo's outfit, a purple jacket, red boxing gloves, and red sneakers. (4,200 ATK)

"Okay…" said Shichiro. "Not bad…"

"I'll show you not bad!" shouted Albert. "Attack his Fighter! Ayer's Rock uppercut!"

Master of Oz threw its fist and clobbered Colossal Fighter, blasting the Synchro into particles. Shichiro struggled to keep from being blown away himself.

(S: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 5,500)

"So…" said Albert. "Whaddaya think?"

"I think you forgot something," said Shichiro. "Colossal Fighter's effect. When he's destroyed by battle, I get to Special Summon a Warrior from either Graveyard, even Colossal Fighter himself."

Colossal Fighter reappeared. (3,300 ATK)

"Your Master of Oz may throw a powerful haymaker, but Colossal Fighter will be back up long before the ref makes it to ten."

"Well, fine!" shouted Albert. "With 4,200 Attack Points, my Monster will be taking home the trophy for this bout soon enough."

"Boxers don't get trophies, stupid!" replied Shichiro. "They get belts! Of course, how would you know? I doubt a guy like you ever participated in a fight that had any sort of formal rules involved.

"It's my move!"

He went to make a draw.

Then he paused.

There's no way I'm going to be beaten by some thug using a deck with a borrowed strategy… he thought. No way that this jerk and his twisted idea of "fun" is going to stop me from saving Jinx and Gears. If there's any justice in this world, the card I draw will be the right one…

He drew a card.

He glared at Albert.

"I activate, the Spell Card, Tuning!" he shouted, as he played the card.

Hope this works… he thought.

"First I get to take a Tuner from my deck…"

He looked through his deck, and took Junk Synchron from it.

"Then, I shuffle…"

He shuffled the deck.

"…and then send one card from it to the Graveyard for each Level of the Tuner I searched for."

He took the top three cards from his deck and looked at them.

Then he grinned. He discarded them.

"Now, I summon Junk Synchron!" he shouted.

The small, cute robot appeared next to Colossal Fighter. (1,300 ATK)

"Go ahead!" laughed Albert. "I'm not scared of your Junk Warrior!"

"That's not who I'm summoning!" shouted Shichiro. "I use Junk Warrior's effect to summon Tuningware from my Graveyard!"

Tuningware appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (300 DEF)

"Now, I Tune both of them together!"

Junk Synchron pulled the ripcord on its side, and both it and Tuningware flew towards the sky. They split into four glowing stars.

"Synchro Summon… Armory Arm!"

With a blast of rockets, the robotic, clawed arm flew down to Shichiro's side of the field. (1,800 ATK)

"In case you didn't realize it," he continued, "I just added another Warrior to my Graveyard."

Colossal Fighter rose to an Attack Score of 3,400.

Then he lifted his arm, and Armory Arm's sleeve opened up. It fit over Colossal Fighter's left hand like a glove. (4,400 ATK)

"Four-thousand, four-hundred?" gasped Albert.

"And he's about to get even stronger," said Shichiro, as he played the card he had just drawn. "I play the Battle-Tuned Spell Card!

"I remove Rose from play, to boost his Attack Score even more!"

Colossal Fighter fell to an Attack Score of 4,300, but then rose to 5,900 as Rose appeared behind him, and burned with energy.

"Attack!" shouted Shichiro. "Show Master of Oz some moves of your own!"

Colossal Fighter's fist burned with fire. He flew at the bestial titan, and socked it hard. Master of Oz toppled with a crash, and shattered into pixels.

"This isn't over!" screamed Albert.

"I'm afraid it is," replied Shichiro. "Because thanks to Armory Arm, you take damage equal to your defeated Monster's Attack Score."

Albert screamed as a big, flaming hand reached for him…

(S: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 0)

Albert was lying on the ground, his eyes glazed, muttering something that sounded like "Deal the cards," over and over again.

"Guess he ended up pretty punch drunk," said Ember.

Shichiro took the small key from the thug's coat.

"Save it," he said, taking out the gemstone. "I'd wager the only thing he can hear right now is the sounds of little birdies flying around his head."

Albert vanished.

"I've got to thank you for getting rid of him," said a voice that came from a place they couldn't see. "Mr. DaPen may have liked those two fools, but I hated them.

"They kept leaving food everywhere, and it attracted mice. I, for one, was getting sick of mice getting into everything!

"Not to mention the fact that both of them stank."

"Edmund!" shouted Shichiro. "Show yourself!"

No answer.

"I mean it, you walking bait shop," growled Shichiro. "Show yourself so I can kick your butt good! I still haven't lost the five pounds I gained after your Enervation made me hungry enough to…"

Then a small, metal, mechanical device rolled in front of them.

"EMBER!" he screamed. "GET DOWN!"

Ember dove for cover, just as the device exploded in a flash of light that seemed brighter than the sun.

Ember looked up. She saw Shichiro covering his eyes.

"Shichiro!" she shouted. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, Ember, I'm just peachy," he replied. "Except we got one tiny little problem…"

He uncovered his eyes and opened them.

"I can't see…"

Shichiro would later tell me that the device that had exploded was an alchemical weapon called a flash grenade. It seemed that Edmund was in no mood to fight fair any more, and had decided to pull out dirty tricks to subdue us.

Now Shichiro was blinded, and the evil wizard was about to strike. We only had one chance at this point, and it would be a dangerous one…

Possibly my most daunting task to date was about to start…

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

KOALA MARCH (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: An orange koala holding a flag, leading a parade of koalas.

Card Description: Special Summon 1 "Koala" Monster that is Level 4 or less from your hand. Then, Special Summon a Monster with the same name from your Graveyard.

Note: "Koala March" was first used by Hayato in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Family Business". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

EUCALYPTUS MOLE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Beast/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 800
DEF: 1,300

Card Description: When this card is destroyed by battle, Special Summon 1 "Koala" Monster from your deck.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

AYER'S ROCK SUNRISE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A spectacular view of the sun rising over Ayer's Rock.

Card Description: Special Summon 1 Beast-Type Monster from your Graveyard in Attack Position. Then, decrease the ATK of 1 opposing Monster by 200 for each Beast, Beast-Warrior, and Winged Beast in your Graveyard.

Note: "Eucalyptus Mole" and "Ayer's Rock Sunrise" were first used by Hayato in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Magna Chum Laude". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TUNING (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Spirit of the Harp playing her harp, surrounded by colorful lights.

Card Description: Search your deck for one Tuner Monster and add it to your hand. Then, shuffle your deck, and then send 1 card from the top of your deck to the Graveyard for each Level of the searched-for Tuner.

Note: "Tuning" was first used by Yusei in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "A Web of Deceit (Part 1)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Coming up next:

Edmund shows his face, and challenges Shichiro to a duel. But how is Shichiro supposed to duel Edmund if he can't see? Answer: he can't. Ember convinces the dark sorcerer to let her duel in Shichiro's place, the only option the two Shadowchasers have. Can she make the grade against this deadly adversary and his wicked Worms? Edmund has plenty of new tricks… There are a total of twenty-six sub-species of Worms, and he only used nine last time.

"Heart of the Underdog" is coming soon.

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Shadowchaser Files

Jamon the Splitter, Golem Hunter

They say when you have a hard job that needs to be done, you call a professional. And when the job is too hard for a regular profession, you need a specialist. One specialist in dealing with a particular type of Shadows is the high elf named Jamon, who some people call the Splitter. His specialty is golems.

Jamon was once little more than a pre-med college student working as an intern at a hospital, as many youths his age (physical age, that is) and field of study do. He also studied martial arts, but didn't think he would take it very far. He was shocked when he learned that one of the doctors, who was also an elf, was using the more degenerate cadavers to build a flesh golem, using a Tome of Flesh Golems. Tomes of Golems are magical books used as "shortcuts" by wizards who lack the skills to create the proper magical energies on their own.

Jamon pleaded with the doctor to stop, knowing that what he was doing was not only illegal, but dangerous. The doctor was taking many shortcuts in building the golem, and with lesser golems (a moniker that includes flesh and clay golems) a sloppily-built one risks going berserk. When this happens, the elemental spirit bound to the golem breaks free, and the golem goes on a murderous rampage that lasts until it is destroyed.

But the doctor refused to listen, threatening to fire Jamon from his internship if he even breathed a word of it. Not wanting to jeopardize his college career, Jamon secretly studied the Tome, and the doctor's notes, comparing them to the knowledge of human anatomy he had learned as a student.

Jamon was right, of course. Soon after the golem animated, it went berserk, and killed its creator. Then Jamon faced the mad monster – barehanded. Every Shadow present thought he had lost his mind, and perhaps Jamon thought so as well. Striking a golem with bare fists is always suicide. But two well-placed strikes from Jamon's fists shattered its legs, and another smashed its skull. The golem fell to the floor in a broken heap.

Jamon later explained that it had been a simple matter of studying the nature of the golem's construction and knowing exactly where to hit it. He simply found the weak spots and hit there.

But he didn't stop there. Jamon later studied the construction of clay golems, another golem where berserk often happens. Later, he studied stone and iron golems. Stone and iron golems are greater golems, and never go berserk, but Jamon realized that you can never be too careful. Soon, Jamon was able to combat any constructed creature using no weapon at all.

Today, Jamon is in medical school, and to earn money for it, he sells his services as a golem hunter. Anyone who needs a golem done away with can hire him if they can afford his reasonable prices. His unique method has earned him the name the Splitter among Shadowkind, as he can literally split a golem made of the hardest steel in half with one karate chop.

Story Ideas: Jamon is a mercenary, and his skills can be harnessed by anyone. Heroes who have problems with someone who uses golems could hire him if they can meet his price, although he is not the best warrior otherwise. (He only has a brown belt, so he'd be hard pressed against a true master of the martial arts.) On the other hand, a villain might use his services if the heroes happen to own a golem themselves. Jamon isn't stupid however, and would never try to take on an army of golems. (Such as the security force at Shadowchaser Headquarters. Even if he thought he could do it, he wouldn't want to become an international fugitive.)

On another note, Jamon is always interested in finding information on exotic and new golems. The standard four types of golems are flesh, clay, stone, and iron, but many different variants have been made by wizards over the centuries, made of such materials as bone, wood, sand, and even ice. One sage once said that a golem could be made of practically any solid material. Jamon likely could find the weak spot in any of them.

Deck Suggestions: Jamon prides himself on being able to defeat creatures that are much bigger and stronger than he is. His deck might reflect that. Human Wave seems the most likely scenario, possibly one which focuses on a Mokey Mokey rush.