Chapter Eight: Ace in the Hole!
Nick continued on his way to the park at the center of New Mephisto City. He was courageous and had enough intent within him. Nick wasn't going to let Blackheart's eliminators bully him into being afraid to duel. Blackheart had sent out his eliminators in order to lengthen the tournament. Nick, on the other hand, wanted the finals to begin as soon as possible.
"There are always duelists in that park. Someone there has to have the guts to duel while those eliminators are around...I'm not afraid anymore. I have to do this for Duo!"
And so, Nick made his way to the park. It was nearly 5 PM. The sun would set soon, so Nick hurried to find an opponent. He asked anyone with a Duel Disk if they wanted to duel, but none of them had a Decoder. They had all lost to the same person. When asked, they all replied with the same name.
"Ace Sotras."
"Ace, eh? He must think he's a real hot-shot duelist. I'll put an end to that. Where can I find him?"
"I last saw him over by the fountain. He was dueling with some old guy."
Nick walked to the middle of the park and saw a duel in progress. A young man wearing all black and a blue shirt was dueling an elderly man. Nick could hear a lot of chatter from the gathered crowd.
"Hey that's the guy who's here at the park everyday feeding the ducks...I didn't think that geezer knew about Duel Monsters..." A group of kids were in awe as they watched the match.
"Yeah, but Ace is so cool! He gave me $200 and some rare cards for my Decoder Device."
"Hmph, so he's that type of guy. Throws around money just to look like he's better than everyone. I'll burst his bubble."
Nick continued to watch the duel. The elderly man was using a Deck Destruction deck, while the other duelist was using a Warrior themed deck. This got Nick's attention.
"Hehe, I've got you now, Ace. I flip my Needle Worm! You have to discard the top five cards in your deck! Now I'll attack with Bisto Butcher. You lose 1800 lifepoints. My Butcher's effect allows you to draw two cards, but thanks to my two Robbin' Goblin trap cards, you have to discard two cards from your hand." said the elderly man.
Ace looked as if he didn't care.
"Those cards weren't a very big loss, and this duel is pretty much over anyway."
"What's wrong with today's youth? So disrespectful and arrogant... I'll end my turn."
"Hah, I'll end this now so you can get back to feeding the ducks, geezer. I would say good game to you, John, but I'd be lying. Or would you prefer me to call you Mr. Doe out of respect?"
"Don't mock me, you whippersnapper!"
"I'll use Raigeki to destroy your Bisto Butcher. Then I summon Marauding Captain, and summon Hayabusa Knight through my Marauding Captain's effect. I'll equip my Hayabusa Knight with United We Stand, raising its attack strength to 2600! And since it can attack twice, it will be more than enough to wipe out your remaining lifepoints! Hayabusa Knight, attack him directly!"
"Hold your horses there youngin'! I play my trap card, Mirror Force!"
"I'll counter with Seven Tools of the Bandit! I'll lose 1000 lifepoints, but it negates your trap. And since my Hayabusa was free to attack, you lose! And not only that, but thanks to the tournament's rules, you're stuck with a Negative Lifepoint Time Penalty!"
A voice came from the crowd.
"Geez Ace, that was harsh. You didn't need to attack him again!"
"Yeah I did. Old geezers like him need to be put in their place. Now hand over your Decoder!"
"Fine, here just take it!" John shoved the Decoder in his hand.
The old man stormed off, as he looked at his Duel Disk that read -3600 lifepoints. He grumbled under his breath.
"Darn youngsters...no respect for the elderly..."
"I have five decoders already? I didn't realize that. Anyone else want to take me on? Soon I'll have enough to enter the finals twice! Ha ha ha..."
Nick stepped foward.
"I'll duel you, Ace! You disrespected that kind old man for no reason! And I heard you paid off some kid to give you his Decoder! If you're a true duelist, you should be able to beat me easily!"
"You're right, I should. I've seen you duel before, you're nothing special. I'll duel you for my sixth Decoder, and to finish off my day, I'll make sure you have a Negative Lifepoint Time Penalty that will last you the whole tournament!"
"I doubt it, I've had over ten-thousand negative lifepoints when I encountered one of Blackheart's eliminators! And that was before the tournament even began!"
The crowd broke out in laughter.
"HA HA HA!!! You're just a joke! If that happened to you before the tournament began, I'd hate to hear about how you're doing in the tournament!"
"I really shouldn't have said that...I really did just embarrass myself..."
"I've got three Decoder Devices. I'll wager one to duel you."
"Whatever, more for me."
"Let's begin!"
Nick: 4000 Ace: 4000
---
"Hm, I've heard about you, Nick. You're the one that caused to much trouble at the Blackheart Plaza during the Commencement Ceremony. I'll be sure I finish you quickly."
"Don't underestimate me, I'll put up a good fight, and I'll win!"
"Whatever. Go ahead and make the first move."
Nick was slightly nervious. He saw the way Ace dueled against Mr. Doe. Nick assumed that Ace's deck was full of the rarest cards money could buy. Plus, the way he was dressed made him look like a king compared to Nick. Ace wore all black with a royal blue shirt. His gold wristbands reflected the light of the soon to be setting sun. You could tell he was rich by looking at him.
"I'll start by summoning my Goblin Attack Force in attack mode and equipping it with my Axe of Despair to raise its attack power to 3300. I end my turn."
"I play the magic card, Reinforcement of the Army to take a Warrior type monster from my deck. Next, I set two magic and traps facedown, then I'll summon my Marauding Captain, and use its effect to summon my Exiled Force! I tribute Exiled Force in order to destroy your Goblin Attack Force! Now, Marauding Captain, attack him directly!"
The Captain rushed Nick and slashed him with both of his swords.
Nick: 2800 Ace: 4000
"If you think I'm going to give up, you're wrong. This duel has just begun. And I need to do this for my brother."
"Your brother? You think you're the only one in this tournament for noble causes? I need to win in order to be an honorary executive at Blackheart Corporation."
"Why? So you can get more money?"
"No. I need to use their resources to find my brother."
"I admire your dedication, Ace, but Blackheart has my brother captive....and I'm afraid there's not much time left for him."
"Hey! Don't try and sympathize with me! You're not going to make me go soft on you! Just make your move already!"
"I'll destroy your Marauding Captain with Dark Hole! Now I summon my Gearfried the Iron Knight then attack you directly!"
Nick: 2800 Ace: 2200
"That's nice. Are you finished?"
"I'll set two trap cards and end my turn."
"I draw, then play Graceful Charity. I draw three cards, then I discard my Sword Hunter and the A. Forces. Now I use my facedown card, Call of the Haunted! Revive Sword Hunter from the Grave!"
"This trap will destroy your Sword Hunter and remove it from play! Reveal Bottomless Trap Hole!"
Just as the Sword Hunter arose from the grave, it fell into a deep chasm never to return.
"Whatever. You wasted your trap. I play another Reinforcement of the Army and take the second Marauding Captain from my deck! I'll summon him, and use its effect to summon my own Gearfried the Iron Knight! I'll have it attack your Gearfried to destroy both of them! Now I attack you directly with my Marauding Captain!"
"I'll activate my second facedown trap, Michizure! I'll use it to destroy Marauding Captain and protect my lifepoints!"
"I'll counter with my Seven Tools of the Bandit. My attack goes through."
Nick: 1600 Ace: 1200
"I'll set another trap and end my turn."
"I'll set a monster in defense and set a magic card facedown."
"I play Change of Heart on your monster!"
"You took control of my Cyber Jar."
"I'll flip it in order to activate its effect. Now we both pick up five cards from our decks and show them to each other."
"I picked up Lord of Dragons, Dragon Piper, Trap Hole, Skull Lair, and Warrior Dai Grepher. I'll summon Lord of Dragons and Warrior Dai Grepher in attack mode, Dragon Piper in defense."
"I got Graceful Charity, Harpie's Feather Duster, Mage Power, Raigeki and Premature Burial. I drew no monsters so I'll just use Raigeki to destroy your monsters! Then I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards, and then discard my Seven Tools and Warrior Returning Alive. I'll summon Dream Clown and attack you directly!"
Nick: 400 Ace: 1200
"I use Change of Heart on Dream Clown and tribute it for my Luster Dragon! And Ace, nothing personal, but I need to do this for my brother's life! Luster Dragon, attack Ace directly!"
"Wait...what was that you said Nick? You activated Mirror Force?"
"Um, no I said I need to do this for my bro-"
"Oh wait! That's what I did!"
The Luster Dragon's attack was reflected and bounced right back towards it, destroying itself.
"No...All I can do to defend myself is play Shallow Grave to bring back a monster in defense mode. I'll set one last trap and end my turn."
"I'll start my turn by playing Swords of Revealing Light! Your facedown card is revealed!"
"Perfect, because you flipped my Cyber Jar again! I picked up Witch of the Black Forest, my two Mystical Space Typhoons, Spell Binding Circle, and Mysterious Guard. I'll put Mysterious Guard facedown, and Witch of the Black Forest in attack mode."
"Ugh! I didn't pick up any playable monsters again! I picked up Mystical Space Typhoon, Magic Cylinder, Freed the Matchless General, and my Pot of Greed. I set three cards facedown, and play Pot of Greed. I end my turn."
"I set a trap card, and play Mystical Space Typhoon on one of your facedown cards!"
"You destroyed my Magic Cylinder."
"Excellent, next I use Mystical Space Typhoon on Swords of Revealing Light! Now I'll attack you directly with Witch of the Black Forest!"
Nick: 400 Ace: 100
"I'll end my turn."
"In one more attack, I'll be able to enter the finals! This is great, and I'm going to shut this arrogant duelist down!"
"I know what you're thinking Nick. You're thinking you're going to win! I won't let that happen. I've got a reputation to keep."
"I am going to win Ace, I'll play Skull Lair, so if you summon a monster, I'll be able to destroy it!"
"Did you forget about something Nick? A few turns back, I picked up my Harpie's Feather Duster! I'll use it to destroy all your magic and trap cards! Had you summoned another monster last turn, you would've won! But unfortunately for you, you hadn't thought of that!"
"Shut up already and go!"
"I'll be with you soon, brother...." Ace muttered to himself. "I'll use Monster Reborn on my Exiled Force to destroy your facedown Mysterious Guard! Next I'll play my facedown card, Warrior Returning Alive, to bring Marauding Captain from the graveyard to my hand! I'll summon him to the field in attack mode, then equip him with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade!"
"No...that means--!"
"Yes, you lose! I attack Witch of the Black Forest with Marauding Captain!"
Nick: 0000 Ace:100
"And you thought you were going to win... HA!"
"Here...take my Decoder and Tyrant Dragon, Ace."
"I don't want them."
"What?" Nick was surprised.
"I don't need them, nor do I want them. We're both in this tournament for a noble cause."
Nick was confused at such a change in Ace's personality.
"It truly was a good game, Nick, but I don't need all those Decoder Devices. Keep yours, you'll need them."
"Thanks."
Ace extended his hand to Nick for a hand shake.
"It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you at the finals."
The two shook hands, and Ace left the park as the crowd start to leave. The sun was about to set as well.
"Nick, we'll meet again in the future." Ace said to himself as he was leaving.
Nick looked down at his hand. Ace had left something. A Decoder Device.
"Wow, that Ace guy is pretty decent after all..." Nick smiled. "I finally have enough to enter the finals...I just have to be there to support Laurna and Tony until they're able to enter... I better get home, it's starting to get late."
---
Meanwhile, at Blackheart Headquarters...
"Zane, come in." Jeff Blackheart called for his assistant to enter.
"Yes sir? What do you need?"
"I want you to become one of my eliminators."
"I'd be honored sir, but why?"
"Don't question my orders. But if you must know why, I need you to fill in for Siefer while he works on projects within the Spire. I feel as if the finals will begin soon. There are already several duelists that have collected enough Decoder Devices. I want you to make sure that there aren't enough duelists with four Decoder Devices until the Spire is ready."
"As you wish, Mr. Blackheart, sir. I'll get my deck prepared and be out on patrol first thing tomorrow."
"Good. Now continue on with your regular duties for now."
"Thanks you sir, I will."
"On your way out, send in Hunter."
"Yes, sir."
Zane walked down the hallway, and looked for Hunter. He found him talking to one of the Eliminators, Dianah Vanderlaan. A twenty-one year old woman who had been working with Blackheart Corporation since she was eighteen. She had green hair and wore a headband with a picture of big leaf on it. She was dressed in a tan colored blouse and wore earth colored bell bottoms.
"So, Dianah, after your patrol tonight you want to go to dinner?"
"Sure, but not with you. You little bug-eyed freak...Heh." She laughed.
"Hunter! Quit flirting with Dianah and get to Mr. Blackheart's office!"
"Yes Zane, right away!"
Hunter walked down the hallway to Blackheart's office. He knocked on the door.
"Hunter? You may come in."
"Did you need me, Mr. Blackheart?"
"Yes, I want to know how your progress is going with the Spire projects."
"Construction is 68% completed, and the system configurations are 53% complete. It should take no more than a week to get it up to at least 90%."
"And in no more than a week will enough duelists be able to enter the finals!" He slammed his hand down on his desk, breaking it in half.
"Please sir, calm down. We're all trying to work as fast as possible. If it helps, we've set a trap for Nick and his friends. This time, I'm sure it will work."
"It damn well better work. You won't like me when I'm angry, Hunter. You know what will happen. I know I'll have fun watching Nick's friends suffer. He's not going to get away with insulting my honor. I don't get any amusement from the events that happen around here, so this should be fun... Are any of your other projects ready?"
"We've established the other eliminator's stations around the city. They're hidden within everyday normal structures, no one will be able to find them without an eliminator activating it. One of them is already set up for our little trap."
"Good. Anything else?"
"The chef says your meatball sandwich is ready. Should I have them bring it in?"
"Yes, please do. You may go back to your work at the Spire now. Thank you."
"Thank you for your time, sir. I'll get back to the Spire."
---
"I'm home!" Nick said as he came through the door.
There was no answer.
"Hello? Anyone home? Auntie? Laurna?"
"Maybe Auntie gave Laurna a ride home."
Nick went into the kitchen to check the bulletin board.
"If they left there would've been a note left here."
He walked into the living room, seeing if anyone was around. There was a note stuck to the TV.
"What the...?"
He read the note:
"We have your Aunt and your precious, precious, Laurna. If you ever want to see them again, you'll come to the abandoned warehouse at the wharf, tomorrow at 4:30 PM. If you're not there, they will face the same fate as Duo did.
-Jeff Blackheart"
"AGH! That, son of a- It's obviously a trap...but I don't have a choice. I won't let Blackheart do to them what he did to Duo!!"