Okay, it has recently become apparent to me that no one can remember my
OCs. If this is a problem for you, then stop complaining to me about it in
your reviews and look back at the previous chapters.
Review responses!
thegymrat: No, my clone is not THAT kind of clone. If it were, then it would be very sad that I had to beat the crap out of him five times a day.
Time Mage: FURBIES! NO! –Whips out flamethrower-DIE! FUZZBALLS!
Yoshimo: If that title annoyed you, then you might be able to figure out the language it was in during this chapter.
Note: Jerry Simmons is an original character submitted by DaBlAcKmAnInReD.
Tokyo Tournament
Chapter 16-Doubled Fate
Also Entitled: Ming Yuan
Giyan examined the Warrior of Balance. It appeared to have no effect, but he could still see something on the purple card. It was as though he were remembering something that had occurred recently and he was recounting the exact details of the event. Images flashed in his mind as he stared at the card. He knew it would play a large role for what lay ahead of him.
-...Floor 1...-
Tea, Yamato, Lin, and Term searched the area in a rather hurried fashion that occurs way too often in the show. However, being that Yugi, Joey, and Bakura had vanished and were most likely in grave danger, the situation called for such an act. However, one obstacle would now impede their progress.
"Hey!" a man said as he appeared in front of them, "I can't believe this! I come here to duel, and everyone's running around doing something else! How am I supposed to get to the finals if I can't duel anyone!?" This ranting went on for who knows how long before he concluded, "I'm dueling one of you right here, right now!"
"Sorry, but we're kind of in a hurry," said Tea, trying to walk past the man.
Term acted much less patiently as he grabbed the man by the collar and yelled, "GET OUT OF OUR WAY RIGHT NOW!" into his face.
Yamato stepped up to Term, calmly grabbed him in one hand and the man in the other, and pried them apart. He then set the two down, pushed Term away, and spoke to the man, "I shall duel you."
Lin muttered worriedly, "We don't have time for this..."
Yamato turned to the other three, "You go ahead and keep looking for the others, I'll catch up later." He then turned to the man, "My name is Yamato."
"And I am Mask," the man replied as he activated the Duel Disk, "and this will be my victory."
"We'll see," said Yamato as Tea, Term, and Lin ran off to find their friends.
-...A short ways away from the elevators, on the first floor...-
"Where are they?" said Kirbin as he scanned the area.
"It's a big hotel," commented Joy, "they could be anywhere."
"I hope we find them soon," Kirbin muttered, "something tells me they'll be in trouble soon."
"I'd worry more about YOU being in trouble," someone said from behind him.
Kirbin and Joy snapped their necks to look behind their shoulders, where they saw two twins with brown hair smirking back. One had his Duel Disk on his right arm, the other on his left.
"We challenge you both to a Duel!" said the one with the DD2 on his right arm.
"A Double Duel, to be exact," said his twin.
"Who are you?" demanded Joy.
"We are Leif," said the left-handed duelist.
"And Rick, the unbeatable tag-team!" said the other.
"To make this Duel interesting, we'll raise the wagers-"
"-To include more than just the rarest cards of both duelists."
"The losers will forfeit their souls-"
"-And spend their lives in the Shadow Realm."
Kirbin stepped protectively in front of Joy, "She doesn't have any chips, she won't be able to duel!"
"That will make it all the more easier-" began Leif.
"-For us to defeat you," concluded Rick.
"Not necessarily," argued Kirbin, as his physical form began to waver. He then split into two individual bodies, each of which began to take on different physical characteristics. One had orange and yellow hair that was combed back. He wore a red t-shirt and black jeans. The other had dirty brown hair and wore a brown jacket and pants.
"Now you'll face us both," said the one in red, "I am Burn."
"And I am Stone," said the other, "now let's duel."
"A rather interesting Shadow Game," said Leif as the four activated their Duel Disks.
"Twins versus essences occupying the same body," finished Rick, "let's get started."
-...The roof...-
Giyan heard the elevator bell ring as it reached the top of the building. Taking a breath as the twin metal doors opened, he stepped out onto the roof, which was partially covered by storm clouds. In the middle of the roof, standing in a beam of sunlight, stood a man with white hair and robes. Giyan stepped up to the man and addressed him, "Hello, Luke."
"Good to see you, Giyan," replied the man as he held out his hand, which Giyan accepted in a shake.
"Where is Drake?" Giyan inquired.
"Right here, Yian Gyn," said a man as he appeared suddenly. He had pale skin, wild black hair and was coated in black leather.
"I no longer go by that name," said Giyan as he turned to Drake.
"Perhaps," said Drake as he grinned maliciously, "but you did when you helped to spread the darkness and evil of the Dark Lord's uprising."
"I was only following my duty as Yi Gai Dai Jun," snapped Giyan angrily, "as I am now. Then, goodness was dominant, and I had to bring about the balance of Yin and Yang. But now evil plots to throw off balance, and I must fight it."
"It does not matter," replied Drake, "I am free to call you as I wish, even if your duty as He Who Brings Balance now works against the darkness."
"I shall make you regret saying that," growled Giyan, "now let us begin."
"Yes, let us," replied Drake, "and Luke, I expect you to not hold back whilst we duel Yian Gyn. It would not be fair."
The three activated their Duel Disks, Luke and Drake standing opposite Giyan. The Battle For Balance was about to begin.
-...Somewhere in the hotel...-
Joey and Serenity made their way to the hotels, both remaining silent after Joey's avoiding death. But the silence would not last long. Before the two, a pair of men suddenly appeared. One was garbed in white robes and a turban. The other had black robes with golden lining on. Both had tan skin. "Oh crap," muttered Joey as he mentally predicted what was going to happen next.
"We congratulate you on your comeback victory over our colleague," said the one in white, "however, our master has requested that we make sure that you do not live to tell the tale to anyone else."
"Yes," agreed the one in black, "and that is why we challenge you both to a Double-Duel, in which the losers shall give up their souls to the Shadow Realm."
"No way!" cried Joey as he pushed Serenity behind him, "She's not experienced enough for this, I won't put her in danger."
"Then we'll change the challenge slightly," said the one in white simply, "what do you think, Kreva?"
"Well, Fang," replied Kreva, "I think a two-on-one should serve nicely."
Joey grimaced. If he lost, he and his sister would both die. But it wasn't as if he had a choice. He opened his mouth to accept the challenge when he was interrupted.
"I'll be his partner," Joey snapped his head to see-
"Mai!" he cried.
Yes, the blonde, leather-booted teen stood, Duel Disk at the ready. "I'm not about to let one of the few people who've ever defeated me get the snot beaten out of him in a completely unfair duel. I'll be his partner and we'll crush you both."
"That's fine with me," said Fang, "it will just get us another soul."
"There is no way we can lose," added Kreva, "both of us are undefeatable apart, let alone together." Four Duel Disks activated, and the Double Duel began.
-...Bottom floor...-
It was unfortunate that Tea, Yamato, Term, and Lin that they had not remained where the group had been separated for very long, as about five minutes after they had left, Yugi and Bakura appeared in that exact spot. It was immediately decided that they begin looking for the others, as they knew that Joey might need help apprehending the thief who had taken his KS. However, soon afterward the author, with every intention of setting up a Double Duel, caused two brothers to sight the pair.
"Yugi!" shouted Mokuba Kaiba as he came running through the crowd towards the two. Behind him, his older brother, Seto Kaiba, pushed his way through the crowd of duelists to catch up with his younger sibling.
Kaiba scowled slightly as he watched Mokuba, Yugi, and Bakura exchange greetings. While he had grown to appreciate Yugi as a powerful ally in times, he still considered Yugi an enemy in the tournament. However, he and Yugi would now have to become allies again...
"Yugi Moto?" asked a girl suddenly. Yugi turned his attention to her and saw that her hair was, strangely, purple. She was dressed in black and purple. Next to her was a man about six feet tall who wore all black. The girl stepped forward, "I am Veli, and this is Jerry. WE would both like to duel you."
"A Double Duel?" Yugi asked.
"Precisely," answered Jerry.
"But I don't have a partner," explained Yugi, "Bakura's out of chips."
"Then we'll both duel you together," said Veli as she and Jerry activated their Duel Disks.
Kaiba stepped forward, "It would be unfair for anyone to have to face two opponents at once. I will be Yugi's partner." Yugi looked surprised at Kaiba's volunteer. Kaiba looked back at Yugi and said simply, "I just want to make sure you make it to the finals so that we can duel."
"Then it's settled," said Jerry, "me and Veli against you two. Let's duel!"
-...Elsewhere on the first floor...-
Mask: 4000 Yamato: 4000
Mask and Yamato drew their opening hands. Then Mask drew an additional card and added it to his hand as he took the first move of the Duel. "I play two cards facedown," he stated as he placed two of his cards into the Spell/Trap slots of his Duel Disk, "as well as a monster in defense mode." The three cards appeared in front of Mask, one perpendicular to the other two. "That's all for now, your move."
Yamato drew a sixth card before making his move, "I summon the Little Swordsman of Aile (800/1300)." A small, child-like person in brown robes and sitting on the back of a large green lizard appeared. He held a small sword with an S-shaped blade in his right hand. "Then, to power up my Swordsman, I equip him with the Axe of Despair, which will increase his attack power by 1000." A large axe that seemed to emit dark energy replaced the sword in the small warrior's hand. "Now, Little Swordsman of Aile (1800/1300)," continued Yamato, "attack his facedown monster." The swordsman's reptilian mount bounded at Mask's facedown card, and the swordsman swung its axe down on it.
Before the axe made contact with the card, Mask acted, "I activate Mask of Weakness!" One of Mask's facedown cards flipped up, and a mask that gave the image of an old man latched itself on the swordsman's face. As the axe came down on the card, it was replaced by a man in purple robes wearing a mask of steel. The man warded off the axe and shoved the swordsman back.
Mask: 4000 Yamato: 3700
"Allow me to explain," said Mask, "you see, when I activated Mask of Weakness, your swordsman lost 700 attack points. Don't worry, though, it will only last for one turn. Unfortunately for you, my Masked Sorceror (900/1400) has more than enough defense points to block your swordsman's assault. Also, not only do you take the damage, but I get to draw a card from the Masked Swordsman's effect." He took the top card off of his deck and added it to his hand.
Yamato selected one more card from his hand and set it next to the Axe of Despair on his Duel Disk, "I set a card facedown before ending my turn."
"Very well," conceded Mask as he drew another card, "now I shall summon the Grand Tiki Elder (1500/800)." A strange, blue, semi-humanoid creature wearing a purple mask appeared in front of him before he continued, "I then equip the Grand Tiki Elder with the Mask of Brutality, which will increase his attack by 1000 points at a cost of 1000 defense points! Now, Grand Tiki Elder, attack the Little Swordsman of Aile!" A blue, demonic mask appeared of the Elder's old one. The mask had yellow claws instead of eyes. Then the Grand Tiki Elder (2500/0) swooped down on the swordsman and threw a punch-
"I activate Scapegoat," said Yamato as his facedown card flipped up and four fur-balls with hooves and horns appeared behind the Little Swordsman of Aile, "I am allowed to tribute monsters to the Little Swordsman of Aile to raise its attack by 700 points for each one sacrificed."
"Little good that will do you," said Mask as he flipped his own facedown card up, "because I activate the Mask of Restrict, which will keep both of us from tributing monsters for as long as it remains on the field. That means you have nothing to power up your swordsman!" The Grand Tiki Elder completed its punch, and the Little Swordsman of Aile shattered. "Now, I'll have my Masked Sorcerer to attack as well!" The Masked Sorcerer launched a blast of energy at one of the Scapegoats, destroying it.
Mask: 4000 Yamato: 3000
-...Near the elevators...-
Leif: 4000 Rick: 4000 Burn: 4000 Stone: 4000
"I'll get this duel started," declared Leif as he drew his sixth card, "and simply summon my Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1000)." A pale-skinned, muscular man with black hair and wielding a large broadsword appeared. A blue aura seemed to surround him.
"I'll take this move," said Burn as he drew a card, "and now I'll make you feel the burn! First, I play Tremendous Fire, paying 500 Life Points to deal you 1000 in return!" A large flame burst up between Burn and Leif, and Burn got a little burnt while Leif was bathed in flames. "Next, I'll play Final Flame, which will deal you another 600 damage!" flame suddenly covered Leif's body, and he cried in agony as parts of his skin were reduced to cinders. "To finish," continued Burn, "I'll just play a monster in defense mode and end my turn." The facedown card appeared just in front of him, and Rick drew a card.
Leif: 2600 Rick: 4000 Burn: 3500 Stone: 4000
Rick set a card down on his Duel Disk, "I shall also play a monster in defense mode, but that's not all." He then placed a card in one of the Spell/Trap slots, "I also play Polymerization, fusing my brother's Warrior Dai Grepher with the Spirit Ryu in my hand to create the Ryu Senshi (2000/1200)!" A transparent, purple dragon appeared directly behind the Warrior Dai Grepher and melded into its back. The Warrior became covered by purple armor and it skin became yellow. "I end my turn," finished Rick.
Stone drew his card silently and placed his cards on the field, "I set one monster in defense mode as well. Then I play Fissure, which will destroy Ryu Senshi." A horizontal card appeared in front of him, and a crevasse in the earth opened underneath the Ryu Senshi momentarily before disappearing.
"Allow us to explain," said Leif.
"When Ryu Senshi is specifically targeted by a Spell card, that card is negated," continued Rick.
"Therefore, Fissure became useless."
"And our monster was unharmed."
Stone simply frowned momentarily, then passed the turn on to Leif.
-...The roof...-
Luke: 4000 Drake: 4000 Giyan: 4000
"I shall begin this duel," declared Luke as he drew a sixth card, "by playing a monster in defense mode and two cards facedown." The three cards appeared before him, and Giyan drew a sixth card.
"I can easily destroy your defense," he said, "by playing the Dark Hole! Now every monster on the field will be sucked into oblivion!" A tear in the space-time continuum appeared in the center of the field, and Luke's facedown monster was drawn into it rapidly before it closed. However, a second tear appeared, this one colored white, and the facedown card appeared in front of Luke again. "What happened?" Giyan asked in confusion.
"I simply activated my Trap," explained Luke, "the White Hole prevents my monsters from being destroyed by Dark Hole, meaning you wasted that card."
Giyan growled and selected another card from his hand, but Luke stopped him, "I know that you have a powerful monster in your hand, so I activate the Light Force Sword!" Luke's one remaining Trap card flipped up and a sword soared out of it, piercing the card Giyan had his hand on. The sword then carried the card several feet out of Giyan's hand, and it was revealed to be the Duke of Darkness. "That card shall remain removed from play for the next four of your turns." Giyan grimaced and continued his turn.
"I summon Shining Abyss (1600/1800) and place a card facedown," he said as a strange, bulbous, white creature appeared as well as a facedown card behind it. "Shining Abyss, attack!" The bulbous monster gathered energy in its metallic palms, then launched the energy at the facedown card, revealing it to be a man with blue and orange robes. The man pointed his finger at the Shining Abyss, and waves of light emitted from it. As the light and energy met, the energy launched by the Shining Abyss dissipated, and the waves of light continued on their path, striking Giyan.
Luke: 4000 Drake: 4000 Giyan: 3600
"Say hello to my Banisher of the Light (100/2000)," said Luke, "not only does he have enough power to resist your monster's attack, but as long as he remains on the field, all monsters sent to the graveyard will instead be removed from the game."
Giyan felt sweat beginning to form on his brow as Drake drew a card and played out his turn, "I play three cards facedown and a monster in defense mode." The four cards appeared in front of him, and Drake passed the turn back to Giyan.
Giyan eyed the four cards warily. He did not know what any of them could be, but he had to attack soon. He had to be reckless. "I summon Neo, the Magic Swordsman (1700/1000)," he declared as he slapped the monster onto his Duel Disk and the blonde, armored spell-caster appeared next to Shining abyss. "Neo, attack his monster!" Neo's blade, glowing a dim blue, swept through the air and struck the card, revealing it to be a red tomato with an evil face before it was cut in half.
"By destroying my Mystic Tomato (1400/1000)," explained Drake, "you have just allowed me to summon another weak Dark monster in its place. Behold Saggi the Dark Clown (800/1300)!" A clown dressed in purple appeared. Its face was white with blue moon and yellow star decorations. Drake then proceeded to activate one of his facedown cards, "Now that I have a Dark monster with under 1000 attack points on the field, I can sacrifice it to activate this: The Deck Destruction Virus-CRUSH Card!" Immediately Saggi disappeared, and Neo and Shining Abyss began to groan in pain before vanishing as well. "This destroys every monster in your hand and field with over 1500 attack," explained Drake, "not only that, but any monster you draw for the next three turns with over 1500 attack will be destroyed as well." Giyan grimaced as he discarded another monster from his hand. Thanks to Banisher of the Light, he had permanently lost the cards. He could only hope that the oncoming assault from Luke would be survivable.
-...Somewhere in the hotel...-
Fang: 4000 Kreva: 4000 Joey: 4000 Mai: 4000
"You are quite bold, Miss Valentine," said Fang as he drew, "giving up your life in a hopeless attempt to save another. Too bad it will all be to waste. I shall begin the Duel by placing a monster in defense mode and another card facedown as well." One horizontal card appeared in front of him, and then another card appeared behind it.
Joey cocked an eyebrow. Fang had simply played two cards, a rather simple move, especially after all his boasting. Joey drew his card as he started his own turn, "I'll place three cards facedown, and then summon Blue Flame Swordsman (1800/1600) in attack mode!" A monster very much like the Flame Swordsman appeared in front of Joey, but its armor as well as its sword was blue instead of orange. Three cards appeared behind it as well.
Kreva then took his own turn, smiling at the cards in his hand before placing some on his Duel Disk, "I'll just play a card facedown and a monster in defense mode."
Joey began to worry. If these two were happy just with two cards out on the first turn, then there would definitely be trouble later on. Mai drew a sixth card and added it to her hand as she announced, "I'll place these two cards facedown, and then summon a monster in defense mode."
The three cards appeared before Mai, and Fang grinned as he prepared to draw, "Now it's time to really begin!"
-...The Ground Floor...-
Veli: 4000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 4000 Yugi: 4000
"I'll start this Duel off," called Veli as she drew six cards from the top of her deck while the others drew five each. "I play five cards facedown and a monster in defense mode," as she said so, she placed all five cards on her Duel Disk, and five cards appeared before her.
Kaiba then drew a card, knowing that Veli could do nothing else, "Go ahead and play as many defense cards as you want, but I'll just break right through them. I play Enraged Battle Ox (1700/1000) in attack mode!" A large Minotaur appeared, its eyes blood red as it clutched its axe in an iron grip. Suddenly, a hole appeared under it and it fell, never to be seen again.
"Trap Hole," Veli said matter-of-factly.
Kaiba sneered, "Before I end my turn, I'll place this card facedown."
Jerry drew his card, "I play Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards from my deck, then discard two from my hand."
"We know what it does," said Kaiba coldly.
"Of course," said Jerry as he drew and then discarded, "now I play Painful Choice, letting me choose five cards from my deck." He flipped through his deck until he had chosen the five cards, then slipped the deck back into his Duel Disk and showed the five cards to Kaiba. Kaiba saw three La Jinns and two Sangans. Kaiba selected one Sangan, and the other four monsters went to Jerry's graveyard. Jerry then summoned a monster in defense mode and passed the turn to Yugi.
"I'll just play a card facedown and a monster in defense mode," said Yugi as the two cards appeared before him, "and that's all."
"Then I activate Curse of Fiend!" said Veli, I'll just play a card facedown and a monster in defense mode," said Yugi as the two cards appeared before him, "and that's all."
"Then I activate Curse of Fiend!" said Veli, "This card forces all monsters on the field to switch their battle positions." Veli's own facedown card flipped up, revealing the Big Eye (1200/1000), an orange-skinned being covered in large eyes. Jerry's monster was revealed to be the Sangan. Yugi's monster was the Queen's Knight (1500/1600), a woman with long blonde hair who was in red armor armed with a sword and shield. "Because Big Eye has been flipped," said Veli, "I am allowed to sort the top five cards of my deck in any order I wish." She slipped the five cards off of her deck and grinned as she reorganized them and placed them back on her deck. Then, she drew...
-...Elsewhere on the first floor...-
Yamato drew as he stared past Mask's two monsters to he himself. He then bowed his head to look at the card he had drawn before placing it on one of the monster slots of his Duel Disk, "I play the Cyber Raider (1400/1000) in attack mode." A humanoid robot with a blue body and a head shaped like a claw appeared in front of Yamato as he explained, "The Cyber Raider has the ability to equip itself with one equip card on the field, so now it will take control of your Mask of Brutality." The Mask of Brutality detached from the Grand Tiki Elder's (1500/800) face and floated over to the Cyber Raider (2400/0), who put it on. "Cyber Raider, destroy his Grand Tiki Elder," at Yamato's command, the powered up Cyber Raider dashed at the masked monster and delivered a crushing blow with its mechanical fist, destroying the Elder.
Mask: 3100 Yamato: 3000
"That's my card! How dare you use it!" cried Mask in outrage as he drew. "No matter, let's see just how much I can hurt you with the cards I draw from Pot of Greed!" he placed the Spell card into his graveyard and then drew his two cards. Upon seeing them, he grinned and played one, "Since you like using my cards so much, have two more of them. I equip your Cyber Raider with Mask of the Accursed!" A green torture mask appeared on top of the Cyber Raider's first mask, and the Machine clutched at it in an attempt to pull it off. "The Mask of the Accursed will keep your Cyber Raider from attacking while dealing you 500 points of damage during each of my turns. In the mean time, I'll have my Masked Sorcerer in defense mode." The sorcerer crouched down in a defensive position, and Yamato drew a card.
Mask: 3100 Yamato: 2000
"I play a monster in defense mode, and end my turn," declared Yamato as the single horizontal card appeared before him.
"Then it's my turn," said Mask as he drew while grinning.
Mask: 3100 Yamato: 1500
"I'll just end my turn without playing anything," said Mask, and his grin widened as Yamato drew again. Just one more turn, and Yamato would lose.
Mask: 3100 Yamato: 500
-...Near the elevators...-
"Our monster is immune to your Spells..." said Rick.
"...but that's not the only one you'll have to worry about now," added Leif, "I flip and sacrifice my brother's facedown monster." As he said so, Rick's defense monster was revealed to be a man in armor carrying a large sack of tools on his back.
"The monster is Supply (1300/800)," explained Rick to Burn and Stone, "and now I am allowed to select two monsters in the graveyard that have been fused and add them to my hand." Leif plucked Warrior Dai Grepher from his graveyard and tossed it to Rick, who caught it and added it as well as the Spirit Ryu in his graveyard to his hand.
"And now Supply will be sacrificed," said Leif as Supply disappeared, "and Lesser Fiend (2100/1000)." A yellow, demonic creature with four arms appeared in front of Leif, and it growled as its eyes flashed red. "Lesser Fiend, destroy Stone's facedown monster!" cried Leif. Lesser Fiend responded by gathering energy in its four arms and releasing it at the facedown card, which was revealed to be the Giant Soldier of Stone temporarily before it exploded into rubble. Stone, Burn, and Joy shielded their eyes as shards of rock flew from the point of impact. Leif signaled to Burn that it was his turn.
Burn drew his card before he announced, "I summon Blazing Inpachi (1850/0) in attack mode!" A large robot made of wood that had been set aflame appeared next to his facedown card. "Next, I flip Lady Assailant of Flames (1500/1000), whose effect allows me to remove the top three cards of my deck from play to deal my opponent 800 points of damage." A woman dressed in blue garbs appeared, and she launched a stream of fire at Leif, whose shirt was set on fire before he quickly beat it out.
Leif: 1600 Rick: 4000 Burn: 3500 Stone: 4000
"You've put out such weak monsters," stated Leif.
"Our creatures will easily destroy them," added Rick.
"That's what you think," said Burn, "because now I'll play the field card Molten Destruction, which will increase all Fire monsters' attack by 500 while lowering their defense by 400." A volcano appeared in the middle of the field, smoke emitting from its mouth while lava flowed down its sides and fire flew through the air. Joy cried in panic as she tried to avoid the lava, eventually jumping behind Burn, because the lava seemed to avoid the four duelists. Meanwhile, Blazing Inpachi (2350/0) and Lady Assailant of Flames (2000/600) received power boosts. "Now then," said Burn, "Blazing Inpachi, destroy Leif's Lesser Fiend!" The burning wooden robot trumped over to the demon, flailing one burning arm to strike it.
"Ryu Senshi, defend the Lesser Fiend!" cried Rick. His dragon-armored warrior leapt in Blazing Inpachi's path, taking the tree's blow to the chest and being destroyed.
Leif: 1600 Rick: 3650 Burn: 3500 Stone: 4000
Burn frowned as he saw his attack blocked, and silently passed control to Rick, who grinned at the card he drew. "The first thing I'll do is regain my Ryu Senshi by playing a second Polymerization, which will fuse the monsters in my hand to form a new one." A second Ryu Senshi appeared before Rick, wielding its sword menacingly with a look of vengeance in its eyes. "Next, I'll play the Cave Dragon (2000/100) as well as the Fusion Gate!" The same Fusion Gate that Lin had faced before now appeared in the middle of the field, destroying the Volcano in the center and taking away Fire monsters' power boosts. A turtle-shaped dragon that seemed to have been carved from rock also appeared before Rick.
"Lesser Fiend," said Leif.
"Cave Dragon," continued Rick.
"Leap into the Fusion Gate!" they cried together as their monsters jumped into the gate and fused together. A four-armed dragon with a skull for a head then emerged from the gate.
"Now we have formed the Fiend Skull Dragon (2000/1200)," said Rick, "who will now destroy your pathetic Blazing Inpachi!" The Fiend Skull Dragon launched a burst of dark energy from its mouth at the burning machine, causing it to explode and launch burning cinders in every direction, some striking Burn.
Leif: 1600 Rick: 3650 Burn: 3350 Stone: 4000
Stone drew a card and immediately played it, "I play Card Destruction, forcing us all to discard our hands and draw new ones of the same amount." The four of them did so, with the author describing such event in the plainest way possible. "Next I'll set two cards facedown, and remove one of my Earth monsters from my graveyard to Special Summon the Rock Spirit (1700/1000) in attack mode." The two facedown cards appeared before him, and a humanoid creature of rock wearing samurai armor appeared in a battle position as well. Burn looked bewildered by his friend's move, leaving a monster in attack mode with two obvious Traps behind it. He hoped whatever Stone had planned would work...
-...The roof...-
"I sacrifice my Banisher of the Light to summon the Chaos Command Magi-" began Luke before he was cut off.
"I activate Trap Hole," Giyan cried as a wave of relief swept over him. The mage replaced the robed man temporarily before falling down a pit trap. Luke silently passed the turn to Giyan, who drew and was rewarded as he placed the card on the field, "And now I'll b protected for the next three turns by this: Swords of Revealing Light!" Twenty swords of light formed a barrier between Giyan and his opponents, and Drake snarled in frustration.
"Well," said Drake, "you obviously have nothing else to do, so I'll summon Opticlops (1800/1700)!" An eight-foot tall red demon with a single eye appeared in front of Drake, giving a roar as it stepped onto the ground. "You still have no chance of drawing a card to defeat us due to the CRUSH Card Virus," stated Drake as he ended his turn, "you're simply delaying the inevitable with your Swords. You'll soon be defeated."
Giyan glared back at Drake as he drew, and smirked at Drake as he showed him the card, "Well, let's see what I get with the Pot of Greed." He smiled at the two extra cards he had drawn and placed both in his Duel Disk, "I play Dian Keto the Cure Master and a monster in defense mode." A rotund man with green hair appeared and waved his glowing arms over Giyan, whose Life Points increased. A facedown monster then appeared in front of Giyan as well.
Luke: 4000 Drake: 4000 Giyan: 4600
Luke's turn passed eventlessly, and Giyan drew ten seconds after Luke had done so. However, the card he drew was met with disappointment, as it was a monster with over 1500 attack points, and he was forced to discard it as Drake laughed cruelly.
"You see?" said Drake, "Your efforts are useless. There is no way you can win."
"That's what you think," said Giyan, "that turn, Duke of Darkness was added to my hand again. The Light Force Sword wore off, and your Virus only affects the cards I draw."
"You think of that as a victory?" mocked Drake, "Your Duke of Darkness may be strong, but it's nothing compared to this monster. I sacrifice my Opticlops to summon Great Maju Garzett (3600/0), whose attack is equal to twice the attack of the monster sacrificed to summon him!" The Opticlops disappeared, and in its place stood a tremendous red beast. "And that's not all," continued Drake as he played a Spell card, "because I'm also equipping Great Maju Garzett with Megamorph, increasing its attack to 7200!" The beast doubled in size, letting out a roar of power as its eyes blazed. And as Drake ended his turn, the Swords of Revealing Light disappeared...
-...Somewhere in the hotel...-
"Time to really get this duel started," said Fang, "I flip the Cobra Jar (600/300)." A pot emerged from the facedown card and immediately a snake slithered out of it while hissing menacingly. "When Cobra Jar is flipped, I can Special Summon a Snake Token (1200/1200) in defense mode," explained Fang.
"Big deal," taunted Mai, "you summoned a jar and a snake, what good'll they do you?"
Fang scowled as he plucked Cobra Jar off his Duel Disk, "You'll pay for that smart remark," he threatened, "as I sacrifice my Cobra Jar for the stronger Great Dezard (1900/2300)!" The jar disappeared and was immediately replaced by an Egyptian man who wore ornate white robes.
"That's a pathetic move," shot Mai, "you sacrificed for a monster with 1900 attack? You must be pretty new to this game."
Fang snarled and then threw his arm out at Mai, "Great Dezard, show that insolent woman your power by destroying her defense monster!" The Great Dezard mumbled in Egyptian momentarily, then released a blast of magic at Mai's facedown card, revealing it to be a yellow and blue bird before it was destroyed. Fang smiled at his small victory but stopped suddenly as Mai laughed. "What do you find to be so funny?"
"The fact that you just destroyed my Birdface (1600/1600)," she replied, "if you had attacked Joey's Blue Flame Swordsman, he would have probably lost Life Points, but you attacked my defense-positioned Birdface, whose effect allows me to add one Harpie Lady from my deck to my hand."
Fang growled and snapped at Joey, "Take your turn!"
Joey grinned back at Fang and drew, "Soitenly. I play Mad Sword Beast (1400/1200), and have it attack your Snake Token!" The rhinoceros/turtle creature appeared beside the Blue Flame Swordsman and charged at the Snake, trampling it into the ground. "And 'cause of Mad Sword Beast's effect, you'll take damage just as if your snake were in attack mode."
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 4000 Joey: 3500 Mai: 4000
"Hey!" cried Joey in surprise, "How did I lose Life Points?"
"Because of the effect of my Snake Token," explained Kreva, "that's its effect, so it would seem that I come out on top from your attack."
"And now it's my turn," said Kreva as he drew, "so I flip my Gravekeeper's Spy (1200/2000), which allows me to Special Summon any Gravekeeper's monster! So now I can summon Gravekeeper's Curse!" A young woman garbed in black robes appeared, followed by an old, wicked-looking man in the same kind of robes carrying a cane. "When Gravekeeper's Curse is summoned," explained Kreva, "I can deal 500 points of damage to my opponent, so now Mai will take the damage."
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 4000 Joey: 3500 Mai: 3500
"Now," continued Kreva, "I summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier (1500/100)." A muscular man in the same robes as Kreva's monster appeared between the two, wielding a decorated spear. "To power up my monsters, I play Necrovalley, increasing all Gravekeeper's monsters' attack and defense by 500 (Gravekeeper's Spy-1700/2500, Gravekeeper's Curse-1300/1300, Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier-2000/1500)!" A setting sun appeared to the west of the field, and the field itself became a desolate wasteland (Cool! I used desolate in the story!). "Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, attack Mai directly!"
The Spear Soldier charged Mai with its spear held ready, but Joey cut him off, "I have my Blue Flame Swordsman block the attack!" The Blue Flame Swordsman leapt in the Spear Soldier's path, sword held at the ready though it was outmatched. But Joey was prepared to protect the Blue Flame Swordsman as well, "Then I activate Magic Arm Shield!" A strange device appeared on the Blue Flame Swordsman's left arm. It had two suction cups aligned like a claw. The suction cups were launched together at the Great Dezard, whom they latched onto. "This Trap card will stop your attack and redirect it at Great Dezard!" Unfortunately, the Magic Arm Shield suddenly broke apart, much to Joey's surprise.
Fang laughed before explaining, "Great Dezard, after destroying a monster in battle, is immune to all Spell and Trap cards designating him as a target. So you've just wasted your Trap and sacrificed the Blue Flame Swordsman for nothing!" The Spear Soldier plunged its spear into the Blue Flame Swordsman, sending blooding spurting from the wound in its stomach. Serenity covered her mouth in horror as she looked on. However, as the Blue Flame Swordsman fell, it burst into a brilliant blue flame.
"What's happening?" demanded Kreva as he watched the flame turn orange.
"When Blue Flame Swordsman is destroyed," explained Joey, "the Flame Swordsman (1800/1600) is summoned in his place." At his words, the Flame Swordsman materialized from the fire, sword held at the ready.
"That Flame Swordsman may be stronger than either of my monsters," said Kreva, "but your Mad Sword Beast isn't! Gravekeeper's Spy, attack the Mad Sword Beast!" The Spy charged the rhinoceros-like creature, a dagger appearing in her hand.
"I activate Graceful Dice," countered Joey, as an angel appeared from one of his facedown cards and tossed a die, which rolled or a while before landing on a 4. "Alright!" cried Joey in victory as the Mad Sword Beast's attack increased to 1800, "Say goodbye to your Spy!" The Spy was skewered by the Mad Sword Beast's sharp horn, then trampled on in a very gruesome fight. Kreva ended his turn with a frown.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 3900 Joey: 3300 Mai: 3500
"Before I draw, I'll activate Triple Mirror," announced Mai as her facedown card flipped up, "this card lets me summon Harpie Ladies until I have just as many monsters as my opponent, so I get to summon two." The two harpies appeared before her, and Mai drew. "Next, I'll play the Harpie Lady (1300/1400) that went to my hand from Birdface's effect. So now I have a trio of Harpies at my command!" A third Harpie Lady appeared, but Mai still continued her turn, "Now I'll summon another trio of Harpies by playing Elegant Egotist, allowing me to Special Summon the Harpie Lady Sisters (1950/2100)!" A second set of three Harpie Ladies appeared, and Mai ordered an assault, "Harpie Lady Sisters, destroy Gravekeeper's Curse!" The three flew through the air, bringing their talons down on the elderly man's head.
"I discard the Charm of Shabti!" yelled Kreva, "That prevents any of the Gravekeeper's monsters from being destroyed for this turn, though I'll still take damage."
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 3250 Joey: 3300 Mai: 3500
"Now it's my turn," declared Fang as he drew, "so I'll set a monster in defense mode and have Great Dezard attack one of the Harpie Ladies." A facedown monster appeared next to the Great Dezard, who muttered in Egyptian again and launched a blast of magic at one the three Harpie Ladies.
"I activate Suzaku Formation!" countered Mai as her facedown card flipped up and the six Harpies formed in a hexagon formation and then into a great bird of flame. The large bird then batted away the magical blast with one of its wings. "For this turn, my Harpies will be safe from all forms of attack," explained Mai.
"My Great Dezard still gets to attack," said Fang, "so now it will destroy the Mad Sword Beast!" The Great Dezard released another blast of magic, this one causing the rhinoceros-turtle to explode.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 3250 Joey: 2800 Mai: 3500
"Now that my Great Dezard has destroyed two monsters," said Fang, "I can sacrifice him to summon Fushioh Richie (2600/2900)!" The Great Dezard fell to its knees suddenly, his brow beaded with sweat. He then began to act insanely, walking in jittery steps, flailing at the air, and eventually falling to the ground again with his head bowed. When he lifted his head, the skin on his face began to peel away to reveal the skull underneath, and his eyes shrunk to red beads of light. He opened his mouth to scream, and his tongue began to rot away, causing Joey, Mai, and Serenity to nearly hurl. At last, the Great Dezard fully became a skeleton. At a wave of the skeleton's arm, it became garbed in red. A golden rod with a hook at the tip also appeared in its hands. "Now I'll flip Fushioh Richie into defense mode, and end my turn," concluded Fang.
[His Fushioh Richie is freaky AND powerful] thought Joey as he drew, [I'd better find a way to make my monsters stronger... PERFECT!] "I equip my Flame Swordsman with Salamandra, increasing his attack power by 700!" A flame shaped like a serpent appeared, and wrapped itself around the Flame Swordsman's (2500/1600) sword. "Flame Swordsman, attack the Gravekeeper's Curse!" The Flame Swordsman pointed its blade at the elderly man, and the flame leapt out at him, burning him into ash.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 2050 Joey: 2800 Mai: 3500
"Celebrate your minor victory while you can," mocked Kreva, "because it will be the last you'll have in this duel after I sacrifice Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier to summon Gravekeeper's Chief (1900/1200) in attack mode!" The Spear Soldier vanished, only to be replaced by an Egyptian man garbed in white robes and wielding a cobra-headed golden staff. The Chief's power then rose to 2400/1700 due to Necrovalley's effect. "When the Gravekeeper's Chief is summoned, I can summon another Gravekeeper's monster to the field from my graveyard, so say hello to Gravekeeper's Curse again, in defense mode! "Now, Gravekeeper's Chief, destroy the Harpie Lady Sisters!" The Chief's staff emitted golden bursts of energy from its eyes and mouth, striking each of the sisters and destroying them.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 2050 Joey: 2800 Mai: 2550
-...Ground floor...-
"The card I'm drawing right now is Pot of Greed," said Veli, "so I'll just play it to get the next two cards, which happen to be Curse of the Masked Beast and The Masked Beast (3200/1800)!" She immediately played the two cards, sacrificing her Big Eye and a monster in her hand to summon a hideous beast with four legs whose entire body was covered by masks. "I also activate two of my facedown cards, Dark Room of Nightmare and Skull Invitation, which together will deal 500 Life Points to a Duelist whenever one of their cards goes to the graveyard. Now, Masked Beast, attack the Queen's Knight!" The fiend bounded at the knight, its strange weapons held at the ready.
"I activate Negate Attack!" countered Yami as a barrier swept up around he and the Queen's Knight, causing the Masked Beast to halt its attack.
Veli: 4000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 4000 Yugi: 3500
"My turn," declared Kaiba as he drew, "so I play this: Enemy Controller!" A Super Nintendo-ish controller appeared in front of him, and he explained its purpose, "By paying 1000 Life Points, I can choose to either destroy or sacrifice one monster on the field, so I choose to sacrifice the Masked Beast!" The controller went into a button combo: Left, Right, A, B. Then, the Masked Beast disappeared, and a purple vampire wearing a cape that looked like a red claw appeared in its place. "Say hello to Vampire Lord (2000/1500)," introduced Kaiba as he motioned to the vampire, "he's about to suck you dry. Vampire Lord, attack directly!" The vampire glided at Veli and bit into her neck, causing her to jump backwards.
Veli: 1500 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 2500 Yugi: 3500
"That's not all," said Kaiba, "because now, I choose for you to discard a monster, spell, or trap card directly from your deck into your graveyard. So say goodbye to one of your monsters!" Veli reluctantly searched through her deck, selected a card, and dropped into her graveyard.
Veli: 1000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 2500 Yugi: 3500
"You'll pay for my partner's injuries," vowed Jerry, "for now I remove six Fiends from my graveyard in order to summon two Dark Necrofears (2200/2800)!" Two of the cyber-demons appeared before him, grinning in anticipation. "Now, my Fiends, attack together!" ordered Jerry, and the two leapt at Kaiba, one tearing apart his Vampire Lord and the other going right for him.
"I activate Ring of Protection!" Kaiba yelled in the knick of time, and a ring appeared before him, blocking the second Dark Necrofear.
Veli: 1000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 1300 Yugi: 3500
"Thanks for the support, Jerry," thanked Veli, "but I can handle this. I'll prove it by activating my Trap card, Minor Goblin Official." A goblin that was even uglier than most of his kind appeared. He was dressed in golden armor. "With Minor Goblin Official active," explained Veli to Kaiba, "you'll lose 500 Life Points during each of your turns. And with Dark Room of Nightmare active, that damage is increased to 700. If I were you, I'd prepare to lose."
[Kaiba is taking too much of this Duel] though Yami, [if we're going to win, we need to help each other. But the way Kaiba is dueling, he's leaving himself open to both our opponents, and he'll be out if we don't do something soon!]
Well, I have to cut this chapter a bit shorter than I had intended to. I wanted to get this chapter up before this evening (when I'll be leaving until Saturday). But before ending this chapter, I'd just like to say YES, I KNOW I MESSED UP ON MASK OF BRUTALITY AND DARK ROOM OF NIGHTMARE, SO SHUT UP!
Review responses!
thegymrat: No, my clone is not THAT kind of clone. If it were, then it would be very sad that I had to beat the crap out of him five times a day.
Time Mage: FURBIES! NO! –Whips out flamethrower-DIE! FUZZBALLS!
Yoshimo: If that title annoyed you, then you might be able to figure out the language it was in during this chapter.
Note: Jerry Simmons is an original character submitted by DaBlAcKmAnInReD.
Tokyo Tournament
Chapter 16-Doubled Fate
Also Entitled: Ming Yuan
Giyan examined the Warrior of Balance. It appeared to have no effect, but he could still see something on the purple card. It was as though he were remembering something that had occurred recently and he was recounting the exact details of the event. Images flashed in his mind as he stared at the card. He knew it would play a large role for what lay ahead of him.
-...Floor 1...-
Tea, Yamato, Lin, and Term searched the area in a rather hurried fashion that occurs way too often in the show. However, being that Yugi, Joey, and Bakura had vanished and were most likely in grave danger, the situation called for such an act. However, one obstacle would now impede their progress.
"Hey!" a man said as he appeared in front of them, "I can't believe this! I come here to duel, and everyone's running around doing something else! How am I supposed to get to the finals if I can't duel anyone!?" This ranting went on for who knows how long before he concluded, "I'm dueling one of you right here, right now!"
"Sorry, but we're kind of in a hurry," said Tea, trying to walk past the man.
Term acted much less patiently as he grabbed the man by the collar and yelled, "GET OUT OF OUR WAY RIGHT NOW!" into his face.
Yamato stepped up to Term, calmly grabbed him in one hand and the man in the other, and pried them apart. He then set the two down, pushed Term away, and spoke to the man, "I shall duel you."
Lin muttered worriedly, "We don't have time for this..."
Yamato turned to the other three, "You go ahead and keep looking for the others, I'll catch up later." He then turned to the man, "My name is Yamato."
"And I am Mask," the man replied as he activated the Duel Disk, "and this will be my victory."
"We'll see," said Yamato as Tea, Term, and Lin ran off to find their friends.
-...A short ways away from the elevators, on the first floor...-
"Where are they?" said Kirbin as he scanned the area.
"It's a big hotel," commented Joy, "they could be anywhere."
"I hope we find them soon," Kirbin muttered, "something tells me they'll be in trouble soon."
"I'd worry more about YOU being in trouble," someone said from behind him.
Kirbin and Joy snapped their necks to look behind their shoulders, where they saw two twins with brown hair smirking back. One had his Duel Disk on his right arm, the other on his left.
"We challenge you both to a Duel!" said the one with the DD2 on his right arm.
"A Double Duel, to be exact," said his twin.
"Who are you?" demanded Joy.
"We are Leif," said the left-handed duelist.
"And Rick, the unbeatable tag-team!" said the other.
"To make this Duel interesting, we'll raise the wagers-"
"-To include more than just the rarest cards of both duelists."
"The losers will forfeit their souls-"
"-And spend their lives in the Shadow Realm."
Kirbin stepped protectively in front of Joy, "She doesn't have any chips, she won't be able to duel!"
"That will make it all the more easier-" began Leif.
"-For us to defeat you," concluded Rick.
"Not necessarily," argued Kirbin, as his physical form began to waver. He then split into two individual bodies, each of which began to take on different physical characteristics. One had orange and yellow hair that was combed back. He wore a red t-shirt and black jeans. The other had dirty brown hair and wore a brown jacket and pants.
"Now you'll face us both," said the one in red, "I am Burn."
"And I am Stone," said the other, "now let's duel."
"A rather interesting Shadow Game," said Leif as the four activated their Duel Disks.
"Twins versus essences occupying the same body," finished Rick, "let's get started."
-...The roof...-
Giyan heard the elevator bell ring as it reached the top of the building. Taking a breath as the twin metal doors opened, he stepped out onto the roof, which was partially covered by storm clouds. In the middle of the roof, standing in a beam of sunlight, stood a man with white hair and robes. Giyan stepped up to the man and addressed him, "Hello, Luke."
"Good to see you, Giyan," replied the man as he held out his hand, which Giyan accepted in a shake.
"Where is Drake?" Giyan inquired.
"Right here, Yian Gyn," said a man as he appeared suddenly. He had pale skin, wild black hair and was coated in black leather.
"I no longer go by that name," said Giyan as he turned to Drake.
"Perhaps," said Drake as he grinned maliciously, "but you did when you helped to spread the darkness and evil of the Dark Lord's uprising."
"I was only following my duty as Yi Gai Dai Jun," snapped Giyan angrily, "as I am now. Then, goodness was dominant, and I had to bring about the balance of Yin and Yang. But now evil plots to throw off balance, and I must fight it."
"It does not matter," replied Drake, "I am free to call you as I wish, even if your duty as He Who Brings Balance now works against the darkness."
"I shall make you regret saying that," growled Giyan, "now let us begin."
"Yes, let us," replied Drake, "and Luke, I expect you to not hold back whilst we duel Yian Gyn. It would not be fair."
The three activated their Duel Disks, Luke and Drake standing opposite Giyan. The Battle For Balance was about to begin.
-...Somewhere in the hotel...-
Joey and Serenity made their way to the hotels, both remaining silent after Joey's avoiding death. But the silence would not last long. Before the two, a pair of men suddenly appeared. One was garbed in white robes and a turban. The other had black robes with golden lining on. Both had tan skin. "Oh crap," muttered Joey as he mentally predicted what was going to happen next.
"We congratulate you on your comeback victory over our colleague," said the one in white, "however, our master has requested that we make sure that you do not live to tell the tale to anyone else."
"Yes," agreed the one in black, "and that is why we challenge you both to a Double-Duel, in which the losers shall give up their souls to the Shadow Realm."
"No way!" cried Joey as he pushed Serenity behind him, "She's not experienced enough for this, I won't put her in danger."
"Then we'll change the challenge slightly," said the one in white simply, "what do you think, Kreva?"
"Well, Fang," replied Kreva, "I think a two-on-one should serve nicely."
Joey grimaced. If he lost, he and his sister would both die. But it wasn't as if he had a choice. He opened his mouth to accept the challenge when he was interrupted.
"I'll be his partner," Joey snapped his head to see-
"Mai!" he cried.
Yes, the blonde, leather-booted teen stood, Duel Disk at the ready. "I'm not about to let one of the few people who've ever defeated me get the snot beaten out of him in a completely unfair duel. I'll be his partner and we'll crush you both."
"That's fine with me," said Fang, "it will just get us another soul."
"There is no way we can lose," added Kreva, "both of us are undefeatable apart, let alone together." Four Duel Disks activated, and the Double Duel began.
-...Bottom floor...-
It was unfortunate that Tea, Yamato, Term, and Lin that they had not remained where the group had been separated for very long, as about five minutes after they had left, Yugi and Bakura appeared in that exact spot. It was immediately decided that they begin looking for the others, as they knew that Joey might need help apprehending the thief who had taken his KS. However, soon afterward the author, with every intention of setting up a Double Duel, caused two brothers to sight the pair.
"Yugi!" shouted Mokuba Kaiba as he came running through the crowd towards the two. Behind him, his older brother, Seto Kaiba, pushed his way through the crowd of duelists to catch up with his younger sibling.
Kaiba scowled slightly as he watched Mokuba, Yugi, and Bakura exchange greetings. While he had grown to appreciate Yugi as a powerful ally in times, he still considered Yugi an enemy in the tournament. However, he and Yugi would now have to become allies again...
"Yugi Moto?" asked a girl suddenly. Yugi turned his attention to her and saw that her hair was, strangely, purple. She was dressed in black and purple. Next to her was a man about six feet tall who wore all black. The girl stepped forward, "I am Veli, and this is Jerry. WE would both like to duel you."
"A Double Duel?" Yugi asked.
"Precisely," answered Jerry.
"But I don't have a partner," explained Yugi, "Bakura's out of chips."
"Then we'll both duel you together," said Veli as she and Jerry activated their Duel Disks.
Kaiba stepped forward, "It would be unfair for anyone to have to face two opponents at once. I will be Yugi's partner." Yugi looked surprised at Kaiba's volunteer. Kaiba looked back at Yugi and said simply, "I just want to make sure you make it to the finals so that we can duel."
"Then it's settled," said Jerry, "me and Veli against you two. Let's duel!"
-...Elsewhere on the first floor...-
Mask: 4000 Yamato: 4000
Mask and Yamato drew their opening hands. Then Mask drew an additional card and added it to his hand as he took the first move of the Duel. "I play two cards facedown," he stated as he placed two of his cards into the Spell/Trap slots of his Duel Disk, "as well as a monster in defense mode." The three cards appeared in front of Mask, one perpendicular to the other two. "That's all for now, your move."
Yamato drew a sixth card before making his move, "I summon the Little Swordsman of Aile (800/1300)." A small, child-like person in brown robes and sitting on the back of a large green lizard appeared. He held a small sword with an S-shaped blade in his right hand. "Then, to power up my Swordsman, I equip him with the Axe of Despair, which will increase his attack power by 1000." A large axe that seemed to emit dark energy replaced the sword in the small warrior's hand. "Now, Little Swordsman of Aile (1800/1300)," continued Yamato, "attack his facedown monster." The swordsman's reptilian mount bounded at Mask's facedown card, and the swordsman swung its axe down on it.
Before the axe made contact with the card, Mask acted, "I activate Mask of Weakness!" One of Mask's facedown cards flipped up, and a mask that gave the image of an old man latched itself on the swordsman's face. As the axe came down on the card, it was replaced by a man in purple robes wearing a mask of steel. The man warded off the axe and shoved the swordsman back.
Mask: 4000 Yamato: 3700
"Allow me to explain," said Mask, "you see, when I activated Mask of Weakness, your swordsman lost 700 attack points. Don't worry, though, it will only last for one turn. Unfortunately for you, my Masked Sorceror (900/1400) has more than enough defense points to block your swordsman's assault. Also, not only do you take the damage, but I get to draw a card from the Masked Swordsman's effect." He took the top card off of his deck and added it to his hand.
Yamato selected one more card from his hand and set it next to the Axe of Despair on his Duel Disk, "I set a card facedown before ending my turn."
"Very well," conceded Mask as he drew another card, "now I shall summon the Grand Tiki Elder (1500/800)." A strange, blue, semi-humanoid creature wearing a purple mask appeared in front of him before he continued, "I then equip the Grand Tiki Elder with the Mask of Brutality, which will increase his attack by 1000 points at a cost of 1000 defense points! Now, Grand Tiki Elder, attack the Little Swordsman of Aile!" A blue, demonic mask appeared of the Elder's old one. The mask had yellow claws instead of eyes. Then the Grand Tiki Elder (2500/0) swooped down on the swordsman and threw a punch-
"I activate Scapegoat," said Yamato as his facedown card flipped up and four fur-balls with hooves and horns appeared behind the Little Swordsman of Aile, "I am allowed to tribute monsters to the Little Swordsman of Aile to raise its attack by 700 points for each one sacrificed."
"Little good that will do you," said Mask as he flipped his own facedown card up, "because I activate the Mask of Restrict, which will keep both of us from tributing monsters for as long as it remains on the field. That means you have nothing to power up your swordsman!" The Grand Tiki Elder completed its punch, and the Little Swordsman of Aile shattered. "Now, I'll have my Masked Sorcerer to attack as well!" The Masked Sorcerer launched a blast of energy at one of the Scapegoats, destroying it.
Mask: 4000 Yamato: 3000
-...Near the elevators...-
Leif: 4000 Rick: 4000 Burn: 4000 Stone: 4000
"I'll get this duel started," declared Leif as he drew his sixth card, "and simply summon my Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1000)." A pale-skinned, muscular man with black hair and wielding a large broadsword appeared. A blue aura seemed to surround him.
"I'll take this move," said Burn as he drew a card, "and now I'll make you feel the burn! First, I play Tremendous Fire, paying 500 Life Points to deal you 1000 in return!" A large flame burst up between Burn and Leif, and Burn got a little burnt while Leif was bathed in flames. "Next, I'll play Final Flame, which will deal you another 600 damage!" flame suddenly covered Leif's body, and he cried in agony as parts of his skin were reduced to cinders. "To finish," continued Burn, "I'll just play a monster in defense mode and end my turn." The facedown card appeared just in front of him, and Rick drew a card.
Leif: 2600 Rick: 4000 Burn: 3500 Stone: 4000
Rick set a card down on his Duel Disk, "I shall also play a monster in defense mode, but that's not all." He then placed a card in one of the Spell/Trap slots, "I also play Polymerization, fusing my brother's Warrior Dai Grepher with the Spirit Ryu in my hand to create the Ryu Senshi (2000/1200)!" A transparent, purple dragon appeared directly behind the Warrior Dai Grepher and melded into its back. The Warrior became covered by purple armor and it skin became yellow. "I end my turn," finished Rick.
Stone drew his card silently and placed his cards on the field, "I set one monster in defense mode as well. Then I play Fissure, which will destroy Ryu Senshi." A horizontal card appeared in front of him, and a crevasse in the earth opened underneath the Ryu Senshi momentarily before disappearing.
"Allow us to explain," said Leif.
"When Ryu Senshi is specifically targeted by a Spell card, that card is negated," continued Rick.
"Therefore, Fissure became useless."
"And our monster was unharmed."
Stone simply frowned momentarily, then passed the turn on to Leif.
-...The roof...-
Luke: 4000 Drake: 4000 Giyan: 4000
"I shall begin this duel," declared Luke as he drew a sixth card, "by playing a monster in defense mode and two cards facedown." The three cards appeared before him, and Giyan drew a sixth card.
"I can easily destroy your defense," he said, "by playing the Dark Hole! Now every monster on the field will be sucked into oblivion!" A tear in the space-time continuum appeared in the center of the field, and Luke's facedown monster was drawn into it rapidly before it closed. However, a second tear appeared, this one colored white, and the facedown card appeared in front of Luke again. "What happened?" Giyan asked in confusion.
"I simply activated my Trap," explained Luke, "the White Hole prevents my monsters from being destroyed by Dark Hole, meaning you wasted that card."
Giyan growled and selected another card from his hand, but Luke stopped him, "I know that you have a powerful monster in your hand, so I activate the Light Force Sword!" Luke's one remaining Trap card flipped up and a sword soared out of it, piercing the card Giyan had his hand on. The sword then carried the card several feet out of Giyan's hand, and it was revealed to be the Duke of Darkness. "That card shall remain removed from play for the next four of your turns." Giyan grimaced and continued his turn.
"I summon Shining Abyss (1600/1800) and place a card facedown," he said as a strange, bulbous, white creature appeared as well as a facedown card behind it. "Shining Abyss, attack!" The bulbous monster gathered energy in its metallic palms, then launched the energy at the facedown card, revealing it to be a man with blue and orange robes. The man pointed his finger at the Shining Abyss, and waves of light emitted from it. As the light and energy met, the energy launched by the Shining Abyss dissipated, and the waves of light continued on their path, striking Giyan.
Luke: 4000 Drake: 4000 Giyan: 3600
"Say hello to my Banisher of the Light (100/2000)," said Luke, "not only does he have enough power to resist your monster's attack, but as long as he remains on the field, all monsters sent to the graveyard will instead be removed from the game."
Giyan felt sweat beginning to form on his brow as Drake drew a card and played out his turn, "I play three cards facedown and a monster in defense mode." The four cards appeared in front of him, and Drake passed the turn back to Giyan.
Giyan eyed the four cards warily. He did not know what any of them could be, but he had to attack soon. He had to be reckless. "I summon Neo, the Magic Swordsman (1700/1000)," he declared as he slapped the monster onto his Duel Disk and the blonde, armored spell-caster appeared next to Shining abyss. "Neo, attack his monster!" Neo's blade, glowing a dim blue, swept through the air and struck the card, revealing it to be a red tomato with an evil face before it was cut in half.
"By destroying my Mystic Tomato (1400/1000)," explained Drake, "you have just allowed me to summon another weak Dark monster in its place. Behold Saggi the Dark Clown (800/1300)!" A clown dressed in purple appeared. Its face was white with blue moon and yellow star decorations. Drake then proceeded to activate one of his facedown cards, "Now that I have a Dark monster with under 1000 attack points on the field, I can sacrifice it to activate this: The Deck Destruction Virus-CRUSH Card!" Immediately Saggi disappeared, and Neo and Shining Abyss began to groan in pain before vanishing as well. "This destroys every monster in your hand and field with over 1500 attack," explained Drake, "not only that, but any monster you draw for the next three turns with over 1500 attack will be destroyed as well." Giyan grimaced as he discarded another monster from his hand. Thanks to Banisher of the Light, he had permanently lost the cards. He could only hope that the oncoming assault from Luke would be survivable.
-...Somewhere in the hotel...-
Fang: 4000 Kreva: 4000 Joey: 4000 Mai: 4000
"You are quite bold, Miss Valentine," said Fang as he drew, "giving up your life in a hopeless attempt to save another. Too bad it will all be to waste. I shall begin the Duel by placing a monster in defense mode and another card facedown as well." One horizontal card appeared in front of him, and then another card appeared behind it.
Joey cocked an eyebrow. Fang had simply played two cards, a rather simple move, especially after all his boasting. Joey drew his card as he started his own turn, "I'll place three cards facedown, and then summon Blue Flame Swordsman (1800/1600) in attack mode!" A monster very much like the Flame Swordsman appeared in front of Joey, but its armor as well as its sword was blue instead of orange. Three cards appeared behind it as well.
Kreva then took his own turn, smiling at the cards in his hand before placing some on his Duel Disk, "I'll just play a card facedown and a monster in defense mode."
Joey began to worry. If these two were happy just with two cards out on the first turn, then there would definitely be trouble later on. Mai drew a sixth card and added it to her hand as she announced, "I'll place these two cards facedown, and then summon a monster in defense mode."
The three cards appeared before Mai, and Fang grinned as he prepared to draw, "Now it's time to really begin!"
-...The Ground Floor...-
Veli: 4000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 4000 Yugi: 4000
"I'll start this Duel off," called Veli as she drew six cards from the top of her deck while the others drew five each. "I play five cards facedown and a monster in defense mode," as she said so, she placed all five cards on her Duel Disk, and five cards appeared before her.
Kaiba then drew a card, knowing that Veli could do nothing else, "Go ahead and play as many defense cards as you want, but I'll just break right through them. I play Enraged Battle Ox (1700/1000) in attack mode!" A large Minotaur appeared, its eyes blood red as it clutched its axe in an iron grip. Suddenly, a hole appeared under it and it fell, never to be seen again.
"Trap Hole," Veli said matter-of-factly.
Kaiba sneered, "Before I end my turn, I'll place this card facedown."
Jerry drew his card, "I play Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards from my deck, then discard two from my hand."
"We know what it does," said Kaiba coldly.
"Of course," said Jerry as he drew and then discarded, "now I play Painful Choice, letting me choose five cards from my deck." He flipped through his deck until he had chosen the five cards, then slipped the deck back into his Duel Disk and showed the five cards to Kaiba. Kaiba saw three La Jinns and two Sangans. Kaiba selected one Sangan, and the other four monsters went to Jerry's graveyard. Jerry then summoned a monster in defense mode and passed the turn to Yugi.
"I'll just play a card facedown and a monster in defense mode," said Yugi as the two cards appeared before him, "and that's all."
"Then I activate Curse of Fiend!" said Veli, I'll just play a card facedown and a monster in defense mode," said Yugi as the two cards appeared before him, "and that's all."
"Then I activate Curse of Fiend!" said Veli, "This card forces all monsters on the field to switch their battle positions." Veli's own facedown card flipped up, revealing the Big Eye (1200/1000), an orange-skinned being covered in large eyes. Jerry's monster was revealed to be the Sangan. Yugi's monster was the Queen's Knight (1500/1600), a woman with long blonde hair who was in red armor armed with a sword and shield. "Because Big Eye has been flipped," said Veli, "I am allowed to sort the top five cards of my deck in any order I wish." She slipped the five cards off of her deck and grinned as she reorganized them and placed them back on her deck. Then, she drew...
-...Elsewhere on the first floor...-
Yamato drew as he stared past Mask's two monsters to he himself. He then bowed his head to look at the card he had drawn before placing it on one of the monster slots of his Duel Disk, "I play the Cyber Raider (1400/1000) in attack mode." A humanoid robot with a blue body and a head shaped like a claw appeared in front of Yamato as he explained, "The Cyber Raider has the ability to equip itself with one equip card on the field, so now it will take control of your Mask of Brutality." The Mask of Brutality detached from the Grand Tiki Elder's (1500/800) face and floated over to the Cyber Raider (2400/0), who put it on. "Cyber Raider, destroy his Grand Tiki Elder," at Yamato's command, the powered up Cyber Raider dashed at the masked monster and delivered a crushing blow with its mechanical fist, destroying the Elder.
Mask: 3100 Yamato: 3000
"That's my card! How dare you use it!" cried Mask in outrage as he drew. "No matter, let's see just how much I can hurt you with the cards I draw from Pot of Greed!" he placed the Spell card into his graveyard and then drew his two cards. Upon seeing them, he grinned and played one, "Since you like using my cards so much, have two more of them. I equip your Cyber Raider with Mask of the Accursed!" A green torture mask appeared on top of the Cyber Raider's first mask, and the Machine clutched at it in an attempt to pull it off. "The Mask of the Accursed will keep your Cyber Raider from attacking while dealing you 500 points of damage during each of my turns. In the mean time, I'll have my Masked Sorcerer in defense mode." The sorcerer crouched down in a defensive position, and Yamato drew a card.
Mask: 3100 Yamato: 2000
"I play a monster in defense mode, and end my turn," declared Yamato as the single horizontal card appeared before him.
"Then it's my turn," said Mask as he drew while grinning.
Mask: 3100 Yamato: 1500
"I'll just end my turn without playing anything," said Mask, and his grin widened as Yamato drew again. Just one more turn, and Yamato would lose.
Mask: 3100 Yamato: 500
-...Near the elevators...-
"Our monster is immune to your Spells..." said Rick.
"...but that's not the only one you'll have to worry about now," added Leif, "I flip and sacrifice my brother's facedown monster." As he said so, Rick's defense monster was revealed to be a man in armor carrying a large sack of tools on his back.
"The monster is Supply (1300/800)," explained Rick to Burn and Stone, "and now I am allowed to select two monsters in the graveyard that have been fused and add them to my hand." Leif plucked Warrior Dai Grepher from his graveyard and tossed it to Rick, who caught it and added it as well as the Spirit Ryu in his graveyard to his hand.
"And now Supply will be sacrificed," said Leif as Supply disappeared, "and Lesser Fiend (2100/1000)." A yellow, demonic creature with four arms appeared in front of Leif, and it growled as its eyes flashed red. "Lesser Fiend, destroy Stone's facedown monster!" cried Leif. Lesser Fiend responded by gathering energy in its four arms and releasing it at the facedown card, which was revealed to be the Giant Soldier of Stone temporarily before it exploded into rubble. Stone, Burn, and Joy shielded their eyes as shards of rock flew from the point of impact. Leif signaled to Burn that it was his turn.
Burn drew his card before he announced, "I summon Blazing Inpachi (1850/0) in attack mode!" A large robot made of wood that had been set aflame appeared next to his facedown card. "Next, I flip Lady Assailant of Flames (1500/1000), whose effect allows me to remove the top three cards of my deck from play to deal my opponent 800 points of damage." A woman dressed in blue garbs appeared, and she launched a stream of fire at Leif, whose shirt was set on fire before he quickly beat it out.
Leif: 1600 Rick: 4000 Burn: 3500 Stone: 4000
"You've put out such weak monsters," stated Leif.
"Our creatures will easily destroy them," added Rick.
"That's what you think," said Burn, "because now I'll play the field card Molten Destruction, which will increase all Fire monsters' attack by 500 while lowering their defense by 400." A volcano appeared in the middle of the field, smoke emitting from its mouth while lava flowed down its sides and fire flew through the air. Joy cried in panic as she tried to avoid the lava, eventually jumping behind Burn, because the lava seemed to avoid the four duelists. Meanwhile, Blazing Inpachi (2350/0) and Lady Assailant of Flames (2000/600) received power boosts. "Now then," said Burn, "Blazing Inpachi, destroy Leif's Lesser Fiend!" The burning wooden robot trumped over to the demon, flailing one burning arm to strike it.
"Ryu Senshi, defend the Lesser Fiend!" cried Rick. His dragon-armored warrior leapt in Blazing Inpachi's path, taking the tree's blow to the chest and being destroyed.
Leif: 1600 Rick: 3650 Burn: 3500 Stone: 4000
Burn frowned as he saw his attack blocked, and silently passed control to Rick, who grinned at the card he drew. "The first thing I'll do is regain my Ryu Senshi by playing a second Polymerization, which will fuse the monsters in my hand to form a new one." A second Ryu Senshi appeared before Rick, wielding its sword menacingly with a look of vengeance in its eyes. "Next, I'll play the Cave Dragon (2000/100) as well as the Fusion Gate!" The same Fusion Gate that Lin had faced before now appeared in the middle of the field, destroying the Volcano in the center and taking away Fire monsters' power boosts. A turtle-shaped dragon that seemed to have been carved from rock also appeared before Rick.
"Lesser Fiend," said Leif.
"Cave Dragon," continued Rick.
"Leap into the Fusion Gate!" they cried together as their monsters jumped into the gate and fused together. A four-armed dragon with a skull for a head then emerged from the gate.
"Now we have formed the Fiend Skull Dragon (2000/1200)," said Rick, "who will now destroy your pathetic Blazing Inpachi!" The Fiend Skull Dragon launched a burst of dark energy from its mouth at the burning machine, causing it to explode and launch burning cinders in every direction, some striking Burn.
Leif: 1600 Rick: 3650 Burn: 3350 Stone: 4000
Stone drew a card and immediately played it, "I play Card Destruction, forcing us all to discard our hands and draw new ones of the same amount." The four of them did so, with the author describing such event in the plainest way possible. "Next I'll set two cards facedown, and remove one of my Earth monsters from my graveyard to Special Summon the Rock Spirit (1700/1000) in attack mode." The two facedown cards appeared before him, and a humanoid creature of rock wearing samurai armor appeared in a battle position as well. Burn looked bewildered by his friend's move, leaving a monster in attack mode with two obvious Traps behind it. He hoped whatever Stone had planned would work...
-...The roof...-
"I sacrifice my Banisher of the Light to summon the Chaos Command Magi-" began Luke before he was cut off.
"I activate Trap Hole," Giyan cried as a wave of relief swept over him. The mage replaced the robed man temporarily before falling down a pit trap. Luke silently passed the turn to Giyan, who drew and was rewarded as he placed the card on the field, "And now I'll b protected for the next three turns by this: Swords of Revealing Light!" Twenty swords of light formed a barrier between Giyan and his opponents, and Drake snarled in frustration.
"Well," said Drake, "you obviously have nothing else to do, so I'll summon Opticlops (1800/1700)!" An eight-foot tall red demon with a single eye appeared in front of Drake, giving a roar as it stepped onto the ground. "You still have no chance of drawing a card to defeat us due to the CRUSH Card Virus," stated Drake as he ended his turn, "you're simply delaying the inevitable with your Swords. You'll soon be defeated."
Giyan glared back at Drake as he drew, and smirked at Drake as he showed him the card, "Well, let's see what I get with the Pot of Greed." He smiled at the two extra cards he had drawn and placed both in his Duel Disk, "I play Dian Keto the Cure Master and a monster in defense mode." A rotund man with green hair appeared and waved his glowing arms over Giyan, whose Life Points increased. A facedown monster then appeared in front of Giyan as well.
Luke: 4000 Drake: 4000 Giyan: 4600
Luke's turn passed eventlessly, and Giyan drew ten seconds after Luke had done so. However, the card he drew was met with disappointment, as it was a monster with over 1500 attack points, and he was forced to discard it as Drake laughed cruelly.
"You see?" said Drake, "Your efforts are useless. There is no way you can win."
"That's what you think," said Giyan, "that turn, Duke of Darkness was added to my hand again. The Light Force Sword wore off, and your Virus only affects the cards I draw."
"You think of that as a victory?" mocked Drake, "Your Duke of Darkness may be strong, but it's nothing compared to this monster. I sacrifice my Opticlops to summon Great Maju Garzett (3600/0), whose attack is equal to twice the attack of the monster sacrificed to summon him!" The Opticlops disappeared, and in its place stood a tremendous red beast. "And that's not all," continued Drake as he played a Spell card, "because I'm also equipping Great Maju Garzett with Megamorph, increasing its attack to 7200!" The beast doubled in size, letting out a roar of power as its eyes blazed. And as Drake ended his turn, the Swords of Revealing Light disappeared...
-...Somewhere in the hotel...-
"Time to really get this duel started," said Fang, "I flip the Cobra Jar (600/300)." A pot emerged from the facedown card and immediately a snake slithered out of it while hissing menacingly. "When Cobra Jar is flipped, I can Special Summon a Snake Token (1200/1200) in defense mode," explained Fang.
"Big deal," taunted Mai, "you summoned a jar and a snake, what good'll they do you?"
Fang scowled as he plucked Cobra Jar off his Duel Disk, "You'll pay for that smart remark," he threatened, "as I sacrifice my Cobra Jar for the stronger Great Dezard (1900/2300)!" The jar disappeared and was immediately replaced by an Egyptian man who wore ornate white robes.
"That's a pathetic move," shot Mai, "you sacrificed for a monster with 1900 attack? You must be pretty new to this game."
Fang snarled and then threw his arm out at Mai, "Great Dezard, show that insolent woman your power by destroying her defense monster!" The Great Dezard mumbled in Egyptian momentarily, then released a blast of magic at Mai's facedown card, revealing it to be a yellow and blue bird before it was destroyed. Fang smiled at his small victory but stopped suddenly as Mai laughed. "What do you find to be so funny?"
"The fact that you just destroyed my Birdface (1600/1600)," she replied, "if you had attacked Joey's Blue Flame Swordsman, he would have probably lost Life Points, but you attacked my defense-positioned Birdface, whose effect allows me to add one Harpie Lady from my deck to my hand."
Fang growled and snapped at Joey, "Take your turn!"
Joey grinned back at Fang and drew, "Soitenly. I play Mad Sword Beast (1400/1200), and have it attack your Snake Token!" The rhinoceros/turtle creature appeared beside the Blue Flame Swordsman and charged at the Snake, trampling it into the ground. "And 'cause of Mad Sword Beast's effect, you'll take damage just as if your snake were in attack mode."
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 4000 Joey: 3500 Mai: 4000
"Hey!" cried Joey in surprise, "How did I lose Life Points?"
"Because of the effect of my Snake Token," explained Kreva, "that's its effect, so it would seem that I come out on top from your attack."
"And now it's my turn," said Kreva as he drew, "so I flip my Gravekeeper's Spy (1200/2000), which allows me to Special Summon any Gravekeeper's monster! So now I can summon Gravekeeper's Curse!" A young woman garbed in black robes appeared, followed by an old, wicked-looking man in the same kind of robes carrying a cane. "When Gravekeeper's Curse is summoned," explained Kreva, "I can deal 500 points of damage to my opponent, so now Mai will take the damage."
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 4000 Joey: 3500 Mai: 3500
"Now," continued Kreva, "I summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier (1500/100)." A muscular man in the same robes as Kreva's monster appeared between the two, wielding a decorated spear. "To power up my monsters, I play Necrovalley, increasing all Gravekeeper's monsters' attack and defense by 500 (Gravekeeper's Spy-1700/2500, Gravekeeper's Curse-1300/1300, Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier-2000/1500)!" A setting sun appeared to the west of the field, and the field itself became a desolate wasteland (Cool! I used desolate in the story!). "Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, attack Mai directly!"
The Spear Soldier charged Mai with its spear held ready, but Joey cut him off, "I have my Blue Flame Swordsman block the attack!" The Blue Flame Swordsman leapt in the Spear Soldier's path, sword held at the ready though it was outmatched. But Joey was prepared to protect the Blue Flame Swordsman as well, "Then I activate Magic Arm Shield!" A strange device appeared on the Blue Flame Swordsman's left arm. It had two suction cups aligned like a claw. The suction cups were launched together at the Great Dezard, whom they latched onto. "This Trap card will stop your attack and redirect it at Great Dezard!" Unfortunately, the Magic Arm Shield suddenly broke apart, much to Joey's surprise.
Fang laughed before explaining, "Great Dezard, after destroying a monster in battle, is immune to all Spell and Trap cards designating him as a target. So you've just wasted your Trap and sacrificed the Blue Flame Swordsman for nothing!" The Spear Soldier plunged its spear into the Blue Flame Swordsman, sending blooding spurting from the wound in its stomach. Serenity covered her mouth in horror as she looked on. However, as the Blue Flame Swordsman fell, it burst into a brilliant blue flame.
"What's happening?" demanded Kreva as he watched the flame turn orange.
"When Blue Flame Swordsman is destroyed," explained Joey, "the Flame Swordsman (1800/1600) is summoned in his place." At his words, the Flame Swordsman materialized from the fire, sword held at the ready.
"That Flame Swordsman may be stronger than either of my monsters," said Kreva, "but your Mad Sword Beast isn't! Gravekeeper's Spy, attack the Mad Sword Beast!" The Spy charged the rhinoceros-like creature, a dagger appearing in her hand.
"I activate Graceful Dice," countered Joey, as an angel appeared from one of his facedown cards and tossed a die, which rolled or a while before landing on a 4. "Alright!" cried Joey in victory as the Mad Sword Beast's attack increased to 1800, "Say goodbye to your Spy!" The Spy was skewered by the Mad Sword Beast's sharp horn, then trampled on in a very gruesome fight. Kreva ended his turn with a frown.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 3900 Joey: 3300 Mai: 3500
"Before I draw, I'll activate Triple Mirror," announced Mai as her facedown card flipped up, "this card lets me summon Harpie Ladies until I have just as many monsters as my opponent, so I get to summon two." The two harpies appeared before her, and Mai drew. "Next, I'll play the Harpie Lady (1300/1400) that went to my hand from Birdface's effect. So now I have a trio of Harpies at my command!" A third Harpie Lady appeared, but Mai still continued her turn, "Now I'll summon another trio of Harpies by playing Elegant Egotist, allowing me to Special Summon the Harpie Lady Sisters (1950/2100)!" A second set of three Harpie Ladies appeared, and Mai ordered an assault, "Harpie Lady Sisters, destroy Gravekeeper's Curse!" The three flew through the air, bringing their talons down on the elderly man's head.
"I discard the Charm of Shabti!" yelled Kreva, "That prevents any of the Gravekeeper's monsters from being destroyed for this turn, though I'll still take damage."
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 3250 Joey: 3300 Mai: 3500
"Now it's my turn," declared Fang as he drew, "so I'll set a monster in defense mode and have Great Dezard attack one of the Harpie Ladies." A facedown monster appeared next to the Great Dezard, who muttered in Egyptian again and launched a blast of magic at one the three Harpie Ladies.
"I activate Suzaku Formation!" countered Mai as her facedown card flipped up and the six Harpies formed in a hexagon formation and then into a great bird of flame. The large bird then batted away the magical blast with one of its wings. "For this turn, my Harpies will be safe from all forms of attack," explained Mai.
"My Great Dezard still gets to attack," said Fang, "so now it will destroy the Mad Sword Beast!" The Great Dezard released another blast of magic, this one causing the rhinoceros-turtle to explode.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 3250 Joey: 2800 Mai: 3500
"Now that my Great Dezard has destroyed two monsters," said Fang, "I can sacrifice him to summon Fushioh Richie (2600/2900)!" The Great Dezard fell to its knees suddenly, his brow beaded with sweat. He then began to act insanely, walking in jittery steps, flailing at the air, and eventually falling to the ground again with his head bowed. When he lifted his head, the skin on his face began to peel away to reveal the skull underneath, and his eyes shrunk to red beads of light. He opened his mouth to scream, and his tongue began to rot away, causing Joey, Mai, and Serenity to nearly hurl. At last, the Great Dezard fully became a skeleton. At a wave of the skeleton's arm, it became garbed in red. A golden rod with a hook at the tip also appeared in its hands. "Now I'll flip Fushioh Richie into defense mode, and end my turn," concluded Fang.
[His Fushioh Richie is freaky AND powerful] thought Joey as he drew, [I'd better find a way to make my monsters stronger... PERFECT!] "I equip my Flame Swordsman with Salamandra, increasing his attack power by 700!" A flame shaped like a serpent appeared, and wrapped itself around the Flame Swordsman's (2500/1600) sword. "Flame Swordsman, attack the Gravekeeper's Curse!" The Flame Swordsman pointed its blade at the elderly man, and the flame leapt out at him, burning him into ash.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 2050 Joey: 2800 Mai: 3500
"Celebrate your minor victory while you can," mocked Kreva, "because it will be the last you'll have in this duel after I sacrifice Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier to summon Gravekeeper's Chief (1900/1200) in attack mode!" The Spear Soldier vanished, only to be replaced by an Egyptian man garbed in white robes and wielding a cobra-headed golden staff. The Chief's power then rose to 2400/1700 due to Necrovalley's effect. "When the Gravekeeper's Chief is summoned, I can summon another Gravekeeper's monster to the field from my graveyard, so say hello to Gravekeeper's Curse again, in defense mode! "Now, Gravekeeper's Chief, destroy the Harpie Lady Sisters!" The Chief's staff emitted golden bursts of energy from its eyes and mouth, striking each of the sisters and destroying them.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 2050 Joey: 2800 Mai: 2550
-...Ground floor...-
"The card I'm drawing right now is Pot of Greed," said Veli, "so I'll just play it to get the next two cards, which happen to be Curse of the Masked Beast and The Masked Beast (3200/1800)!" She immediately played the two cards, sacrificing her Big Eye and a monster in her hand to summon a hideous beast with four legs whose entire body was covered by masks. "I also activate two of my facedown cards, Dark Room of Nightmare and Skull Invitation, which together will deal 500 Life Points to a Duelist whenever one of their cards goes to the graveyard. Now, Masked Beast, attack the Queen's Knight!" The fiend bounded at the knight, its strange weapons held at the ready.
"I activate Negate Attack!" countered Yami as a barrier swept up around he and the Queen's Knight, causing the Masked Beast to halt its attack.
Veli: 4000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 4000 Yugi: 3500
"My turn," declared Kaiba as he drew, "so I play this: Enemy Controller!" A Super Nintendo-ish controller appeared in front of him, and he explained its purpose, "By paying 1000 Life Points, I can choose to either destroy or sacrifice one monster on the field, so I choose to sacrifice the Masked Beast!" The controller went into a button combo: Left, Right, A, B. Then, the Masked Beast disappeared, and a purple vampire wearing a cape that looked like a red claw appeared in its place. "Say hello to Vampire Lord (2000/1500)," introduced Kaiba as he motioned to the vampire, "he's about to suck you dry. Vampire Lord, attack directly!" The vampire glided at Veli and bit into her neck, causing her to jump backwards.
Veli: 1500 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 2500 Yugi: 3500
"That's not all," said Kaiba, "because now, I choose for you to discard a monster, spell, or trap card directly from your deck into your graveyard. So say goodbye to one of your monsters!" Veli reluctantly searched through her deck, selected a card, and dropped into her graveyard.
Veli: 1000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 2500 Yugi: 3500
"You'll pay for my partner's injuries," vowed Jerry, "for now I remove six Fiends from my graveyard in order to summon two Dark Necrofears (2200/2800)!" Two of the cyber-demons appeared before him, grinning in anticipation. "Now, my Fiends, attack together!" ordered Jerry, and the two leapt at Kaiba, one tearing apart his Vampire Lord and the other going right for him.
"I activate Ring of Protection!" Kaiba yelled in the knick of time, and a ring appeared before him, blocking the second Dark Necrofear.
Veli: 1000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 1300 Yugi: 3500
"Thanks for the support, Jerry," thanked Veli, "but I can handle this. I'll prove it by activating my Trap card, Minor Goblin Official." A goblin that was even uglier than most of his kind appeared. He was dressed in golden armor. "With Minor Goblin Official active," explained Veli to Kaiba, "you'll lose 500 Life Points during each of your turns. And with Dark Room of Nightmare active, that damage is increased to 700. If I were you, I'd prepare to lose."
[Kaiba is taking too much of this Duel] though Yami, [if we're going to win, we need to help each other. But the way Kaiba is dueling, he's leaving himself open to both our opponents, and he'll be out if we don't do something soon!]
Well, I have to cut this chapter a bit shorter than I had intended to. I wanted to get this chapter up before this evening (when I'll be leaving until Saturday). But before ending this chapter, I'd just like to say YES, I KNOW I MESSED UP ON MASK OF BRUTALITY AND DARK ROOM OF NIGHTMARE, SO SHUT UP!