Chapter 9: Amy vs. Garth Part 2
With only 2900 Life Points left, no monsters on the field to protect her and a Trap Card she couldn't activate, Amy was feeling the hopelessness of her situation weighing down upon her. Her hand contained two monsters she couldn't summon and two Spell Cards that were useless to her. She had to draw something good on this turn or else she could say goodbye to her soul! Amy forced herself to stay calm, breathing in slowly to keep her nerves still. Don't panic, that won't help you win this duel! There's still a chance to win no matter what.
Amy placed her fingers on her deck and drew her next card. She closed her eyes for a moment.
Jack. I know you'll guide me to victory. Please let this be the draw I need to turn this duel around… she thought to herself.
Then she looked at the card. At first, she was disappointed. She'd only drawn Absorbing Jar. That wouldn't help her much. But then she reconsidered her options. Wait a minute…maybe it WOULD be useful to her! She remembered its effect. Yes…with her Widespread Ruin being stuck useless on the field thanks to Jinzo, it would help her out in another way.
Absorbing Jar destroys all Spells and Traps on the field and lets us draw extra cards for every one destroyed that way, so this could help me replenish my hand a bit and it'll leave Garth without that Amplifier on Jinzo to let him use Trap Cards too! Amy thought, Oh Jack, I knew you'd save my life again!
"OK you walking tin-can, it's my move now and I assure you, it's gonna be a big one!" Amy declared, "I place two cards face-down on the field," she said, slotting Polymerization and Remove Trap into her Duel Disk to set them, "And then I play a monster face-down in Defence Mode. That'll do for now."
Garth was unimpressed.
"How exactly was THAT a big move?" he sneered, "You're only setting more Traps that I won't fall for thanks to Jinzo and you've played a monster in Defence Mode. If you have some kind of strategy, it's clearly not working."
"Why don't you just shut up and play, then you'll see what I'm aiming for." Amy retorted.
Kazuki and Chloe were curious to see what Amy's plan was. Whatever it was, they weren't sure if it made any sense. Why would Amy set two cards when Jinzo prevented Trap Cards from activating? Unless they were Spell Cards that she could activate even when face-down…then Kazuki realized. Maybe Amy had some kind of monster effect lying in wait for Garth.
I think I remember this play. I remember Amy doing something like this before and when I attacked, it turned out her face-down monster was Absorbing Jar and she'd set some Spells and Traps she couldn't use just to destroy them and draw new cards with its effect. I bet that's her plan! he declared in his thoughts.
"Amy seems pretty confident right now." Chloe observed, "That's a good sign. Maybe she's not doomed after all?"
"She is deluding herself, foolish female." Garth snorted, "She's desperate for anything right now that she's clinging onto whatever foolish belief she has that she can win just so she doesn't have to acknowledge the despair of what's coming for her."
But Lord Hallows suspected otherwise. He remembered from the battle with Gypsy that Amy's face-down monsters were often ones to be weary of.
"Don't you dare go blundering in like an idiot!" he hissed, "Amy has tricky monster effects to fall back on as well! I'd think carefully before attacking my boy…"
Garth nodded. He hadn't considered that Amy could have more than just Trap Cards to worry about. Her face-down monster could be dangerous and he'd have to approach with caution. He drew his next card and smiled behind his mask.
Excellent. I've drawn my Perfect Machine King. he thought, If Jinzo fails me, this monster will seal Amy's doom instead. I just need another monster to sacrifice and I'll be able to bring it to the field next turn.
"Fortunate for you, Amy, I do not have any other monsters to play so I'll be sticking with just Jinzo." Garth boomed, "And while your face-down monster could be risky, I'll attack it anyway as I cannot play it safe forever. At least your backrow won't save you. Jinzo, destroy Amy's monster!" he ordered.
Jinzo folded its arms and stared at Amy's face-down monster. It blasted the card with lasers from its lens covered eyes and Garth was able to see what it was he'd attacked as the card flipped face-up to reveal itself. Absorbing Jar grinned mockingly at Garth before it disappeared from the field in a cloud of pixels. Then suddenly, every Spell and Trap Card on the field was completely destroyed. Garth lost his Amplifier, 7 Completed and Precious Card From Beyond while Amy lost Widespread Ruin, Remove Trap and Polymerization. But Garth ended up getting an even bigger loss than Amy did for not only where his Spells and Traps destroyed…but Jinzo was too! Amy was so shocked at this that she was left staring incredulously at the field and blinking heavily.
"Uh…how did I do that?" she murmured in confusion, "Absorbing Jar doesn't destroy monster cards so why did Jinzo just die like that?"
"An unfortunate side-effect from Amplifier." Garth muttered, clearly annoyed with what had happened, "When it leaves the field, the equipped monster is destroyed. Curse you to have Spell and Trap removal like Absorbing Jar!"
"Well, that wasn't my plan but to hell with it, it worked out for me so I'm happy!" Amy cheered, "I can't believe that went better than I expected!"
"Did you know that about Amplifier?" Chloe asked curiously.
"No, not at all!" Kazuki exclaimed, "I don't duel many players who use Jinzo and Amplifier at the same time so I never knew it had that kind of side-effect! Talk about stumbling into an accidental solution to the problem! I don't blame Amy for being so relieved about that!"
"At least she can use her Trap Cards again now Jinzo's gone!" Chloe said optimistically, "Garth won't stand a chance now!"
Amy and Garth drew three cards each for all the Spells and Traps that had been destroyed by Absorbing Jar. Amy smiled with pleasure at what she'd drawn She'd drawn Kaibaman, Dark Blade and a new Trap Card. She'd be all too happy to set that for Garth now Jinzo couldn't negate its effects anymore. For Garth, he'd drawn X-Head Cannon, Battle Footballer and One-Time Passcode. The first two were Monster Cards and the third was a Spell. With Jinzo gone, Garth would have to set the stage to bring out his Perfect Machine King. He winced as Lord Hallows started snarling angrily at him.
"I WARNED YOU! I WARNED YOU NOT TO GO BLUNDERING IN LIKE THAT!" he bellowed, "I warned you to be careful of that face-down monster and you still attacked it anyway!"
"It was a necessary risk!" Garth protested feebly, "There was a 50% chance it could've been nothing and its effect wouldn't have harmed me in the long run!"
"Yes, but that also meant there was a 50% chance it could've done serious damage to you in the long run! Did that factor into your equations or did you make a massive miscalculation, boy?!" Hallows shot back angrily.
"Curb your anger, master. The duel is far from over. I still calculate a 100% chance that I will emerge victorious in this match." Garth said, trying to sound confident.
"Are you trying to convince ME of that or are you trying to convince yourself?" Hallows sneered.
Garth shivered. He didn't trust himself to answer that question. The tech wiz studied his hand and made his move. As he hadn't conducted his Normal Summon yet, he could still summon a monster for his second Main Phase. At least he wouldn't be leaving himself wide-open for an attack from Amy on the next turn.
"I play Battle Footballer in Defence Mode." he announced, playing a monster that looked like a robot in football gear to defend himself from an attack. It would be a tough defence to get by as it had 2100DEF points. Amy could see that she would need a particularly strong monster to get past it.
"Next, I play One-Time Passcode." Garth continued, slotting the Spell Card into his Duel Disk, "This card allows me to Special Summon a Security Token to the field."
His token materialized onto the field. Garth chose to play his Security Token (2000ATK/2000DEF) in Defence Mode. He felt he could no longer take Amy for granted and had to play cautiously now. The Security Token looked like a small floating robot with a singular lens. True to its name, it looked like some kind of surveillance drone and Amy could imagine some secret spy organization using something like this to spy on people. She didn't recognize the card. Was this another card that Hallows had invented for the Fiendish Five to use? It didn't matter. Amy wouldn't let it throw her off her game.
"Is that all for now?" Amy asked.
"Affirmative. The turn passes to you now." Garth confirmed.
"Alright, time for me to make my epic comeback! Watch me Kazuki and Chloe, you're both gonna LOVE this!" Amy cried excitedly.
She drew her next card and grinned with delight. Another Trap Card! Garth would really have to be cautious when it came to attacking her now!
"I'll set two cards face-down on the field." Amy announced, setting both her Trap Cards, "And now I play Kaibaman in Attack Mode!"
Kaibaman (200ATK/700DEF) made his appearance on the field. A lot of duellists joked that this card was essentially Seto Kaiba himself as a Duel Monster. But Amy wasn't going to use Kaibaman for battling. Kazuki grinned excitedly.
"Aw yeah, it's coming!" he declared, "Show Garth the power of the card I gave to you, Ames!" he cheered.
"With pleasure!" Amy crowed, "For I now sacrifice Kaibaman to Special Summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand!"
It had been in her hand since the first turn of the duel and it felt good for Amy that now she could finally bring it to the field. Kaibaman disappeared and in a flash of lightning, the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon made its terrifying entrance. With 3000ATK points and 2500DEF points, it was one of the strongest cards in the game and a monster few others could match in terms of raw power. Blue-Eyes White Dragon was true to its name, looking like a majestic white dragon with blue eyes. It had huge wings, a long scaly tail, spiked cheeks and sharp teeth. It let out a thunderous roar that shook the whole room. Kazuki and Chloe both cheered ecstatically for Amy. Garth was never going to beat their friend now, not when she had the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in play! Lord Hallows trembled in his seat as he watched the whole thing through Garth's eyes.
"Impossible! How did Amy acquire such a rare and powerful card like the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?!" he exclaimed.
"Bet you're scared now, scrap brain!" Amy crowed, "I bet you don't have a single card in your deck that can handle this big bad dragon! I've so longed to see it in action and now here it is! One of my favourite monsters in all of Duel Monsters here in glorious 3-D holograms to bring this duel to a crashing end for you!"
"Negative. Just because you have Blue-Eyes White Dragon in play, does not mean I am defeated." Garth muttered, "A powerful monster doesn't guarantee a win."
"You keep telling yourself that. I'm sure it'll make your defeat less crushing for you!" Amy taunted, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy that Battle Footballer of his! White Lightning Attack!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its massive jaws and obliterated Battle Footballer with a colossal blast of white electrical energy. The robotic footballer didn't stand a chance. It was like being caught up in the most fantastical lightning storm ever. Garth had to shield his eyes for it was too bright for him to see with that attack. All that was left of Battle Footballer was a wisp of smoke from where it had once knelt. Amy punched the air in excitement.
"WOW! That was epic! I've wanted to do that all my life!" she shrieked, "No wonder Kaiba gets a rush out of this! Get used to it Garth for there'll be plenty more White Lightning Attacks to come!"
"Such ignorance and idiocy." Garth muttered, rolling his eyes, "You get one powerful monster on the field and you act like you've already won this duel. You forget I still have plenty of cards left to draw."
"OK, maybe I am getting a bit drunk on power, sue me." Amy sniffed, "But as if you're any better. You've been going on about how "Oh, I calculate a 100% chance of winning this duel!" and you have the nerve to say I'M being arrogant? Tell me, is it a requirement to be a massive hypocrite in order to join the Fiendish Five? Then again, why would you want any reason to join Hallows's little cult club? Surely you had a much better life than serving that asshole and claiming souls for him?" she asked, hoping she could maybe appeal to Garth's better side and tempt him to quit the Fiendish Five so this duel could be over with nobody losing their souls.
"I had no life before I met Hallows." Garth muttered, his amplified voice doing little to disguise the pained tone of his words as he spoke, "Before then, I was nothing. I was a skilled inventor and could create devices that few could even dream up."
Some of his machines walked up to him as if to offer their sympathy. Garth patted them like they were his pets and he was their loving master.
"Science and technology was my true calling. But nobody cared for what I could create." Garth said grimly, "My genius was underappreciated, overlooked…UNNOTICED. Nobody seemed to care that I was a child prodigy able to create machines far advanced what they'd ever seen. They just saw me as a joke, a boy who should pursue more "interesting" hobbies like sport and that I should spend more time doing something "more useful" than "making useless machines". My machines were the only companions I had as nobody ever wanted to give me the time of day. But they're still just machines…devices I control and programme. They're not the same as actual companions. As part of Lord Hallows's Fiendish Five, I have a purpose in life and a true calling at last. My talents are actually appreciated and I get to pay back those that ever put me down and ridiculed me. Tell me, foolish girl…why would I EVER want to go back to that miserable existence where my life was nothing and I was never to be appreciated for what I could do?"
Amy fell silent for a moment. She had to admit, Garth had a good point. She couldn't imagine wanting to live that kind of life either. It must've been a very lonely and sad existence for Garth in his pre-Hallows life. But she knew that it was no excuse for his betraying mankind to join an evil demon in his soul-stealing crimes to get what he wanted. She shook her head.
"I'm sorry your life was so bad back then Garth…but I can't sympathize with you. Like, AT ALL." she said coldly, "I know it must suck to live a lonely life with nobody appreciating what you're capable of, but that is NEVER a good excuse to join an evil skull-faced guy and steal people's souls for him! Besides, you're a bigger idiot than I thought you were if you SERIOUSLY think Hallows cares shit about you! How can you not see he's clearly just using you for his own ends? Hell, he banished Gypsy to the Shadow Realm just because she lost to me! He'll get rid of you the moment you lose to me! Does that sound like someone who actually cares about you, or someone who sees you as just a pawn in their little scheme?"
That seemed to stun Garth into silence for the mechanical genius was left standing still and left to ponder over what Amy had just said. Amy shuddered. It was so unnerving not being able to see Garth's face thanks to the mask he wore. What must be going through his head at this moment? Eventually, he seemed to spring back into life as he drew his next card.
"Your words mean nothing to me, insolent girl." Garth said coldly, "All that matters is that I claim your soul for Lord Hallows and I get to continue my fulfilling existence as I am now. And now I play my Pot of Greed Spell Card!" he announced, showing the card he'd just drawn to Amy.
"No way, you have two Pot of Greed cards in your deck?" Amy cried in surprise, thinking back to earlier in the duel when Garth had used one.
"It's only logical to have a deck that lets me draw plenty of extras." Garth retorted as he drew his next two cards, "And now I have all the pieces necessary to destroy your pitiful dragon. I play another One-Time Passcode to summon another Security Token." he declared.
Another Security Token materialized beside the first one. Once that was done, Garth sacrificed both his tokens to bring forth his Perfect Machine King (2700ATK/1500DEF). Amy stared as a huge robot materialized onto the field. It looked like something out of a sci-fi film with its huge metal body, bulky body proportions and white and red colour scheme. It had enormous shoulders each containing missiles to launch at the enemy, chunky arms that could throw powerful punches and a long horn protruding from the middle of its head. With Perfect Machine King and Blue-Eyes White Dragon about to battle, the whole scene started to look like something straight out of Power Rangers. Amy could imagine the superhero team inside the Perfect Machine King and piloting it to battle against her mighty dragon.
"Your Perfect Machine King isn't as perfect as you think it is. It's still weaker than my dragon." Amy noted.
"I know, I'm not an idiot." Garth snapped, "Luckily, with Pot of Greed, I drew another 7 Completed Spell Card so I can power my Perfect Machine King up with another 700ATK points!" he declared, placing the Spell Card in his Duel Disk.
"Oh no!" Chloe cried in horror, "It'll be stronger than Blue-Eyes White Dragon now!"
She was right. Perfect Machine King's attack points went up to 3400 thanks to 7 Completed. It could now destroy Blue-Eyes White Dragon and leave Amy without her powerful monster. Perfect Machine King bashed its huge, metal fists together and lowered itself into a battle ready stance.
"Say goodbye to your precious dragon, Amy." Garth gloated, "Perfect Machine King, destroy Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"No you fool! You forgot that Amy has two face-down cards! You're walking into a trap!" Hallows barked furiously.
But it was too late. The attack had been called and Garth couldn't stop it. Perfect Machine King propelled itself towards Blue-Eyes White Dragon and drew its arm back ready to punch it out of the game. But Amy was ready for it.
"And now you just pulled a Gypsy!" Amy sneered, "I activate Spellbinding Circle!"
Perfect Machine King's fist stopped just millimetres in front of Blue-Eyes White Dragon's face as Spellbinding Circle formed around its waist and anchored it into place. The dragon didn't even flinch in spite of the close call. With Spellbinding Circle in play, Garth's mechanical monster couldn't attack and its battle position couldn't be switched so it couldn't defend him either. It was a sitting duck, completely unable to do anything. Garth cursed himself for letting his emotions get in the way of common sense and falling for such an obvious trap. But he was in the clear. Amy's monsters would be too weak to destroy Perfect Machine King so at least his Life Points would be safe. His monster was now a giant wall protecting him from harm. At least that would let him stall the duel out long enough to draw any cards that could get him out of this situation.
"There is nothing left to do but conclude my turn." he said bluntly.
He grimaced as Lord Hallows started bellowing angrily in his head again.
"YOU INCOMPETENT IDIOT! HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID AS TO TRY ATTACKING AMY'S DRAGON WHEN SHE HAD TWO FACE-DOWN CARDS TO WORRY ABOUT?!" the Shadow Demon roared, "DID THAT FAIL TO FACTOR INTO YOUR CALCULATIONS, BOY?!"
"Forgive me master, I fell victim to a simple lapse in judgement." Garth said weakly, "I was hasty and too hyper-focused on getting rid of Blue-Eyes White Dragon that I overlooked her face-downs. I shan't make that same mistake again."
"At the rate this duel's going, you won't get a chance to make up for that mistake!" Hallows growled, "I may as well just declare Amy the winner and banish you right now!"
"Master, I have a 3400 attack monster on the field. It may not be able to attack, but it'll stop Amy from getting to my Life Points at least." Garth pointed out, "By the time she gets past Perfect Machine King, I'll have drawn what I need to turn things around."
Lord Hallows wasn't convinced but he decided to let the duel continue anyway. Maybe Garth would draw what he needs to turn things in his favour so he would wait and see how things go from here. He cast his eyes over to Amy to see what her next move would be. With how well she was duelling, he almost considered sparing her soul and making her a new member of the Fiendish Five. With Amy on his side, he would truly be unstoppable! The red-haired girl drew her next card and grinned with pleasure.
"Oh yeah, I am SO good!" she cheered, "Once again, I drew exactly what I needed! I now equip Blue-Eyes White Dragon with my handy little United We Stand Spell Card!"
She slotted the card into her Duel Disk and all at once, Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack power increased from 3000 to 3800. Garth stared in horror from behind his goggles. Now Amy would be able to get past his immobilized Perfect Machine King! But it wouldn't matter too much. He wouldn't lose that many Life Points in the long run. But then Amy added insult to injury by playing Dark Blade in Attack Mode. With another monster in play, United We Stand increased Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack even higher. Now it was at 4600! Garth would have no way of getting past a monster that powerful now! He braced himself as Blue-Eyes White Dragon destroyed Perfect Machine King with its White Lightning Attack. The mighty machine was reduced to nothing in a matter of seconds. With nothing to protect his Life Points, Garth winced as Dark Blade charged towards him and sliced at him with its twin swords. Garth staggered backwards in pain. The robot tallying the Life Points held up the scores to show that Garth had fallen down to 3000 Life Points. He was only 300 points ahead of Amy now. Kazuki and Chloe cheered for their friend. How had she gone from being obviously doomed to suddenly being within a hand's reach of victory? They were both feeling very confident that Amy was going to win now. With two monsters, one of them with over 4000 attack points in play and one face-down card, her victory was more than assured!
But then things took a dark turn and it seemed as if Garth was on top again. The Machine Duellist drew his next card. Amy could see he was visibly shaking as he drew it. It was the first time she'd seen him truly lose his composure. He was clearly getting worried that he was going to lose this duel. She still felt bad that once she won this duel, he would end up going to the Shadow Realm. It was so unfair that he had to suffer because she won the duel, especially as Garth could've gone on to have a better life if he'd been able to get away from Lord Hallows. She watched as Garth made his move. He suddenly stopped shaking and he seemed to show visible pleasure with what he had.
"This will definitely come in handy." he declared, "For this move, I play my handy Card of Demise."
A holographic image of a card showing a picture of a worried looking hooded man watching a deck of cards get shredded by a guillotine flashed on the field as Garth played it.
"I recognize that card. Doesn't Kaiba use something like that?" Amy asked, "And if I remember, you draw until you're holding five cards in your hand, but in five turns you have to discard your whole hand."
"That is correct." Garth confirmed, drawing four new cards as he still had X-Head Cannon in his hand.
"That IS handy!" Chloe complimented, "I know I'd like a card like that in my deck if I ever became a duellist…"
Garth studied his five new cards and grinned behind his mask. The five cards he'd drawn were just what he needed!
"Next I play Graceful Charity!" he announced, playing a Spell Card that showed a picture of an angel receiving a gift in her hands, "This allows me to draw three cards but I have to discard two."
He drew his three cards. He added them to his hand and picked two to discard. Amy was amazed at Garth's luck. He'd managed to draw TWO cards that let him draw extra in a single turn! He was certainly making sure he could replenish his resources for this turn! But Garth still wasn't done for he ended up playing a third Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Now he had six cards in his hand to use!
"Plan to draw anymore cards, bolt brain, or are you gonna actually play them?" the rookie duellist muttered sarcastically.
"For now, I have everything I need." Garth explained, "For I play my Spell Card, Double Summon. This card lets me Normal Summon two monsters in a single turn. And I choose X-Head Cannon and Z-Metal Tank".
He played his two monsters on the field. X-Head Cannon looked like a battle robot with two shoulder mounted cannons, no legs and thick powerful arms. X-Metal Tank was a yellow tank-like machine with caterpillar treads and a singular optic. Amy wasn't sure she understood Garth's plan here. Neither of his monsters were strong enough to destroy her Blue-Eyes White Dragon! But Garth wasn't done yet.
"Next I play Monster Reborn!" he declared, "And I will use it to bring back my Y-Dragon Head from the Graveyard."
"Hold on, when was that card ever in your Graveyard?" Amy asked.
Then she remembered. Garth used Graceful Charity moments ago. He'd clearly discarded it as one of the two cards he had to throw away after using it. She had to admit it was clever of Garth to put Y-Dragon Head in the Graveyard so he could then bring it back from the Graveyard with Monster Reborn. But what was the point? Garth now had three monsters that weren't strong enough to do anything to her dragon. She watched as Y-Dragon Head made its entrance. As the name suggested, it looked like a red robotic dragon. Amy observed Garth's machines for a moment, wondering what his plan was. Then realization came to her and her blood ran cold.
"Oh no…you're gonna summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon, aren't you?" she gasped.
"I wondered how long it would take for you catch onto my strategy." Garth crowed, "Now X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank, combine together into your ultimate form!"
The three machines combined together to form XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800ATK/2600DEF). The whole sequence played out like something from an anime, namely one involving transforming robots combining together into one. Y-Dragon Head slotted on top of Z-Metal Tank and X-Head Cannon slotted on top of both of them, forming an all-powerful metal monster that packed tremendous firepower and looked as if it could demolish a city with little effort. Amy felt very worried now. She knew this monster very well as she'd watched Kaiba use it in some of his duels before, namely in Battle City and his duel against Zigfried Von Schroder. Not only was it a powerful monster, but it had a deadly effect that would throw her off her entire game.
"Yes, you have every right to be scared Amy." Garth gloated, "For I discard Gold Gadget from my hand in order to activate XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect. By discarding from my hand, I can destroy any card you have on the field. And I choose your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"NO!" Amy screamed.
She was helpless to do anything about it. XYZ-Dragon Cannon aimed its cannons at Blue-Eyes White Dragon and blasted it to pieces. It didn't matter that its attack points were lower; its effect would destroy it regardless. With Blue-Eyes gone, United We Stand was destroyed as well. Amy only had Dark Blade, which was too weak to stand up to Garth's combined mecha, left on the field. She had a face-down card still but that didn't last long for Garth played the last card he had in his hand. To Amy's horror, it was Mystical Space Typhoon, a Spell Card that allowed Garth to destroy one Spell and Trap card on the field. He chose Amy's face-down card. Amy watched in dismay as it was blown off the field by the raging typhoon.
"Oh no, my Waboku!" Amy exclaimed, "I really, really needed that card!"
"Too bad. It cannot protect you now." Garth sneered, "You have nothing that can stop my machine's onslaught. XYZ-Dragon Cannon, obliterate her Dark Blade now with Dragon Cannon Attack!"
The combined mecha took aim with all the guns it had and blasted Dark Blade into atoms. The force of the blast was so powerful that Amy was thrown into the back of her cage, crying out loudly in pain as she hit the bars. She was thankful she hadn't done any damage to her back and shoulders despite that hit. But her Life Points had taken an even worse hit, dropping down to 1700. The giant gear moved closer to Amy, coming so close that it was only inches away from crushing her like a bug. Chloe put her hands to her mouth in worry while Kazuki was clenching his fists so tightly they were starting to turn white.
"This is so bad! How can Amy stop a powerful monster like that?!" Chloe whimpered.
"I'm not sure if she can right now." Kazuki said grimly, "It looks pretty hopeless for her. I have an idea on how she might win, but it'll just depend if she can actually draw the card she needs in order to pull it off."
"I sure hope she does!" Chloe screeched, her eyes filling with tears, "I can't bear to watch her get crushed by that gear!"
It made her chest tighten just imagining the grisly fate Garth had in store for Amy. She prayed with all her might that her best friend would draw what she needed in order to turn this duel around. Lord Hallows had watched the whole thing with delight. He stroked the top of his cane and grinned to himself.
"Looks like I was a little…presumptuous a moment ago." he purred, "Garth never lost control at all. He had Amy in the palm of his hand and now he's one turn away from victory! Ha, ha, ha…maybe I won't need two new replacements after all!"
Amy picked herself up, massaging the backs of her shoulders as she did so. The teen duellist knew that she still had a chance. As long as she had Life Points left, anything could happen in this duel. She still had a Valkyrion the Magna Warrior in her hand that she couldn't use but the next card she drew might be one she could use. Her heart pounded as she drew her next card.
Deck, don't fail me now! she pleaded.
She glanced at the card.
"About time I got some draw power." Amy said gleefully, "Hopefully I can draw what I need. Now I play my own Pot of Greed!" she declared.
Kazuki and Chloe smiled hopefully. Those two extra cards Amy drew might be just what she needs in order to win the duel! Amy drew her two cards and looked at them. She'd drawn two Spell Cards, and both of them were exactly what she needed!
"YES! Oh I must be the luckiest duellist in the world!" she cheered, "Game's over for you Garth! For I play Monster Reborn!"
She placed the card in her Duel Disk and it flashed on the field. Garth recoiled. What was Amy planning to do with it? She had plenty of monsters to choose from.
"Are you going to bring back your Blue-Eyes White Dragon?" Garth asked, sounding worried.
"I am tempted as it would be able to destroy your XYZ-Dragon Cannon." Amy admitted, "But I have a better idea. I'm going to use it to bring back your Perfect Machine King instead!"
As Amy declared, Perfect Machine King rematerialized on the field, this time under Amy's control. Chloe stared at the machine in confusion.
"But I don't understand. I thought Perfect Machine King was weaker than XYZ Dragon Cannon?" she noted.
"By 100 points, yes it is." Kazuki agreed, "However, Perfect Machine King has an ability that grants it 500 extra attack points for every Machine Monster on the field. So when you consider Garth uses a Machine themed deck, Garth can't play ANY monster without giving that Machine King a power boost."
"Wow! That was really clever of Amy to do that!" Chloe complimented.
"Thanks Chloe!" Amy replied cheerfully, "And I just thought it'd be fun to use Garth's own monster against him! I'm not done yet for I equip Perfect Machine King with Axe of Despair to make it even stronger!"
A huge axe materialized in Perfect Machine King's hands as Amy equipped the card to her monster. With its effect and Axe of Despair powering up Perfect Machine King, it now sported a meaty 4200 attack points. Even Garth's XYZ-Dragon Cannon looked pitiful and weak compared to it. Perfect Machine King sprang into action, slicing Garth's mighty mech in two with its equipped Axe of Despair. Garth was now left with only 1600 Life Points left. Amy had finally taken the lead, even if by only 100 Life Points. Garth had no cards left in his hand, having depleted all his resources in his last turn. Whatever he drew was unlikely to help him now. The duel looked to be well and truly over for him.
Garth's hands trembled as he drew his next card. He was visibly disappointed at what he drew.
"All I can do is set a monster in Defence Mode and end my turn." he muttered.
Amy almost felt sorry for Garth at this point. He'd played so well and now he was left unable to make any meaningful moves. All he could do was defend, nothing more. She drew her next card. She knew this duel was well and truly over, even if she didn't want to have to send Garth to the Shadow Realm.
"You've been a tough opponent Garth, but I'm afraid it's all over for you." she said solemnly, "I'm so sorry that I have to do this, but I have to. My brother has to come first. I conclude this duel by playing Spear Dragon in Attack Mode!"
Her sharp-nosed dragon appeared beside Perfect Machine King and the two monsters launched into action in a two-pronged attack that saw Spear Dragon wipe out Garth's Red Gadget and Perfect Machine King wipe out the rest of his Life Points. Garth didn't even have the energy to voice his dismay at losing. He just took it in total silence, standing there sullenly as his Life Points dropped to zero. Amy had defeated another member of the Fiendish Five. Unlike the last time, Amy felt no joy in this victory, only delight that she was alive to carry on duelling. The gear retracted back into the wall and the cage rose back up to free Amy. Kazuki and Chloe ran up to their friend and hugged her, relieved she wasn't going to be crushed after all.
"What a win Amy! You did it again!" Chloe cheered.
"It sure was close, but you made it." Kazuki put in, "But I see why you don't look so happy about it. It really is a hollow victory…" he sighed.
Amy could only nod in agreement. She watched sadly as Lord Hallows rose up from the shadows and clapped for her.
"And my magnificent guest wins another close duel! Well done indeed Amy Spears!" Hallows applauded, "Of course, I thank you for this as you've just provided me with another soul to feast upon!"
He turned to Garth, aiming his cane at him.
"Got any last snivelling words to say before you leave this world?" he sneered.
"Negative. I have no excuse for my failure." Garth muttered, "I clearly miscalculated and now I'm paying the price for it. Do what you wish. This world has nothing left for me."
"How ironic that you turned to me for companionship, yet you'll end your miserable existence as lonely and empty as ever!" Hallows cackled sadistically, "Say hello to Gypsy for me in the Shadow Realm!"
Amy turned away as Hallows snatched Garth's soul from his body. She couldn't bear to watch knowing that she had played a part in Garth's demise. His last words had especially left her feeling wounded inside. Garth was that depressed that he didn't even care that he was being banished to the Shadow Realm, feeling there was nothing left in life for him. How sad and lonely had his life truly been? Hopefully if she could find a way to save him, he could start again and find true companionship somewhere. Hallows turned back to Amy.
"Ready for your next challenge, my child?" he purred, "Or would you rather back out now so you can stop sending these poor unfortunate souls to the Shadow Realm?"
"You already know the answer to that question, asshole." Amy snarled, "Let's just get this over with."
"Very well! The third member awaits you in the next room…" Hallows directed as he led the teens out of Garth's room.
Amy, Chloe and Kazuki followed him. Amy took one last glance at Garth's soulless body before they left the room. His robot companions were all gathering around him as if in mourning for their creator.
I'll save you and Gypsy somehow. I'll make sure you get your souls back along with my brother. Amy promised, And hopefully you can live better lives without Lord Hollows when I do…
The doors closed behind them as they headed into the room of the third Fiendish Five member…
Amy has pulled through in spite of everything. Garth's mechanized machinations have been deconstructed! Two down, three to go. What will Amy face next time? Find out as we meet the third member of the Fiendish Five in "Amy vs. Jack the Ripper"...
Trivia: This duel was originally going to end with Amy beating Garth with her powered up Blue-Eyes White Dragon but in the end, I felt it wasn't a satisfying enough defeat and so I rewrote it so Garth could make a grander final stand with XYZ-Dragon Cannon and also Perfect Machine King gets to redeem itself from its early exit by being the one that finishes the duel entirely, even if it's Amy that's using it rather than Garth. XD
Also One-Time Passcode is yet another card that came out in the 2010's despite this story taking place between Yu-Gi-Oh and Yu-Gi-Oh GX. Once again, it was necessary to include it to make the duel flow a certain way even if it doesn't make sense for the time period this story's set in.
Oh and Chloe commenting on how she'd like to use Card of Demise? That's deliberate foreshadowing for the fact Chloe will become a duellist herself should this story ever get any sequels. ;)