Chapter 41: Windy Heights

"Inconceivable!"

A thrown glass shattered against the back wall, spilling out its liquid contents onto the fancy Persian rug. The elegant art on the wall was now tainted in a well-aged brown liquid that seeped into its oils, tinting them darker and establishing a distinctly discolored spot on the otherwise beautiful mosaic.

Clearly from the nature of this glass, this was not a time to admire fine works of art scrawled onto the walls. Montalban stood at his desk steaming; clearly he was upset.

"To think he learned something like that," he said to himself more than anyone in that empty office. "Nothing in those manuscripts said anything about the Spirit Dragons having the ability to combine with each other."

"Well I wouldn't lie to you about something like this."

Montalban turned his attention back to his desk, the video phone showing none other than Bandit Keith on the other line scratching his chin. Contrary to Montalban's fury, he seemed rather complacent over the revelation.

"Gotta admit, this job's paying pretty well to keep me interested in something like this," he said as he stroked his chin. "Still, I'm not sure if I should bother with our arrangement anymore."

"Now you listen here," Montalban said, "I don't pay you to turn tail and run whenever complications arise that you can't handle! I pay for solutions, results, and so far all I've seen is a disappointing mockery of what I've been told is the service of the best duelists in the world!"

"Best bounty hunters, actually," Keith corrected him.

"Best nothing, if you want out, I'll gladly replace the lot of you with someone else who can get the job done," Montalban retorted.

"Whoa, slow down there, Monty!" Keith said, holding up his hands defensively. "Don't you see the opportunity you're missing out on?"

A slight pause as Montalban took Keith's words into consideration. Was there something still to be gained from this loose end? He'd heard all sorts of sob stories in his climb to the top of the world - all those small businesses that wanted one more chance, that made offers they couldn't keep and ended up failing time and time again. They were never worth his time and always ended up assimilated under his control, and he was not amused with the thought that Keith was going to try and make a case for himself.

So rarely was it worth Montalban's time…then again, it would make a good story to the next in line.

"Go on then," he stated flatly.

Keith smiled that wicked grin of his and leaned in closer. "It's simple, really," he explained. "You just found out about something that none of us knew about, right? What's to stop us from looking into this a little? Figure out where its weak points are, test out its strengths? And then when that moment comes when you possess the Spirit Dragons - well hey, suddenly you get all those powers! And you'll actually know what you're doing, far more than someone like Matt ever would."

Montalban thought on this. What Keith was saying was true, technically; in all the ancient texts referencing the Trinity in the slightest, there were only few mentions of the Spirit Dragons, none of which referenced any sort of fusing potential. This could lead to a great insight of sorts…but there was also a great risk with Keith's proposal.

"You do realize that the more Spirit Dragons in their possession, the more powerful they become, right?" Montalban asked. "This only serves to prove that they are even more powerful together than they ever were separated."

"All the more reason to look into what they're capable of," Keith replied. "Don't forget, it only takes one duel to claim them all, and that means that no matter how powerful he becomes, one loss strips him of everything."

A pause as Montalban took this into consideration. Again based off of what he knew, it was true that defeating someone in possession of a key, chest, or even a dragon would be forced to relinquish them, and there was no proper way other than a duel to claim such a prize as one's own. Rumor had it there was a terrible punishment for anyone foolish enough to try and take the dragons from their designated owner.

"Besides, you wouldn't want Rommel to find out about Matt collecting them in the first place, right?"

Montalban scowled at Keith. "Keep silent, you worm," he spat venomously.

It was true though; Montalban had been having a lot of trouble lately keeping Rommel in line. Even the heart wasn't enough to keep him from laying waste to everything, and the Dark Leviathan's very existence wasn't helping anything. Just the idea of Rommel revolting kept Montalban far away from the water! His only hope was to obtain the Spirit Dragons in order to finally put him in his place and keep the search silent from him in the meantime - never mind Matt's return from beyond the grave.

"Well? What do you think?"

Keith was far more of a nuisance than Montalban would've liked. Still, the opportunity to gather intel on the Spirit Dragons that had never been known - and perhaps maybe even…

Montalban turned to look at Keith. "Alright," he said, "but don't screw this up for me!"

Keith smiled again. "Wouldn't dream of it."


"Barrow Island, huh?"

Andrew and the others had congregated on the deck of the Herald, looking off towards the nearby island. After debating how to get there as quickly as possible, they ended up using the jewel to get into contact with Auntie Margareta, who then suggested using the replicated Compass Medallion alongside the jewel as a means of direct transportation. Not a bad idea, save for missing the mark by a couple hundred miles, leading to a several day sail towards the island, guided only by the medallion.

"About time," Creighton moaned. "I was beginning to think we'd never see land again!"

"Technically that would be impossible unless you somehow traveled in a straight line across the world's oceans and never got caught in a storm or the tides," Izzy explained.

"Gee thanks professor," Creighton snarked at Izzy.

"Well we're here now," Kari said. "That's what matters, right?"

"Right," Andrew concurred. "And now we'll get to find out where this Emilia's at!"

"Excited as always, huh?" Izzy mused.

"All things considered, these Trinity folk aren't half-bad," Andrew said, an amused grin on his face. "At least as far as dueling goes!"

"You would say that, having fought them all so far," Creighton remarked.

"If you want to duel one for me, be my guest," Andrew retorted.

"Uh yeah, no thanks," Creighton replied. "I saw what happened the last time!"

"Yeah, Zorro was almost more than a match for three of us at once," Izzy pondered aloud. "Who knows how much tougher the others will be?"

"As long as they aren't tougher than me, at least, we'll be fine," Andrew said as he looked back to the island.


Barrow Island was a much nicer spot than they'd been to in a while. Considering their travels had so far taken them to the hottest and coldest places around, as well as beneath the surface in an ancient crypt, an actual island seemed rather tame for them all. That is, save for the wind.

If there was one thing the small group of Andrew, Izzy, Creighton, and Kari learned from climbing the steep mountains, it was that Barrow Island was far windier than most places. Even the smaller gusts were whipping at the group at nearly thirty miles an hour, chilling the air around them and forcing them to keep a tight grip on their belongings.

"How much longer till we get to the temple?!" Creighton yelled out over the roaring winds.

"It shouldn't be much further!" Andrew called back, looking down at the metal disk he had received from Auntie Margareta. A part of it glowed, pointing in front of the group down the path before them. "See? No worries!"

"No worries?! Are you kidding! I thought we were gonna be there by now, not hanging around on the side of a cliff WITH A TWO HUNDRED FOOT DROP BEHIND US!"

"It's really more of a two THOUSAND foot drop if we're being honest!"

"HOW DOES THAT MAKE IT ANY BETTER?!"

It was true that their current path had led them to a narrow ledge of sorts, one that they needed to grasp firmly onto the wall, less they plummet to the bottom of the valley below. Fortunately with a light load and the aid of some hooks and rope, the quartet managed to make things work out. Not that this eased any tension from potentially falling to their untimely demise.

Eventually though, the group managed to make it to a large ledge that stuck out from the cliffside much further, enough for them to comfortably seat themselves on. At least, as comfortably as one could within the intense windy currents swirling around them. Even now it was proving tough to keep themselves attached to their small perch, their brief picnic lasting that much shorter.

"How much further is this place supposed to be?" Creighton asked once more as they gathered their belongings.

Andrew checked for the medallion's signal. "That's weird…" he muttered. "It's saying it should be right here."

"Here? As in on this cliffside?" Kari asked, looking over towards the imposing stone wall beside them.

"I don't see anything," Izzy observed as well.

"Great, now we're just going in circles," Creighton complained, idly kicking a nearby rock. Strangely, the rock sounded off with a hollow knock, triggering a strange rumbling to occur behind the wall. A shifting in the stones revealed a large opening that lead deeper into the mountain they were on, a cavernous tunnel beckoning them in. Creighton blinked in confusion before looking down at the rock he'd so absentmindedly kicked, scouring it over until he found the telltale mark of the Trinity on one of its sides.

"Well, how about that…"

Andrew simply smiled. "Good work, Creighton! That made things a lot easier than they would've been otherwise!"

"It was basically luck," Izzy sighed.

"H-heh, don't be silly! I totally knew we were in the right spot!" Creighton laughed triumphantly, his hands at his sides.

"Well, we better go in," Kari said. "The less time we're out here, the better…"

"I couldn't agree more."

The group turned to look inside the hall of the mountain, only to see a single woman standing there, her green eyes shimmering at them with a warm smile on her face. Her robes seemed to indicate her position amidst the Trinity, meaning that she must have been-

"Emilia Annabelle," Andrew announced.

"In the flesh," the woman replied, a slight chuckle following. "And I know you lot very well. Word travels quickly on the winds, as you should know."


Not more than a few hundred miles away from Andrew's group, Matt's ship had landed on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Having heard of the same travel method to get across the globe as quickly as possible, Matt was able to more accurately land the group near the large island, positioning his group at the port town of Palu. After retrieving supplies and organizing themselves for the trek ahead, Matt accompanied himself with Shannon and Willaby into the main land mass, alongside Yugi and Joey who insisted on coming despite the dangers ahead...or how long the hike would be. For several days, they traversed the land until they reached the mountain Bulu Torompupu. Near its peak…

"I regret everything I ever said about this trip!" Joey groaned for the umpteenth time as he practically crawled on the ground.

"It shouldn't be that much further, Joey," Yugi said. "Look, you can see the summit from here!"

"So the chest is supposed to be at the peak of this mountain?" Shannon asked.

"That's the idea," Matt replied. "We'll probably see a shrine of some sort housing the chest."

"Ain't it curious though that we've not run into Montalban's crew?" Willaby brought up.

"Don't jinx us now, Willaby," Shannon moaned. "I don't want to run into that Keith guy again."

"I'm just saying, we've run into them here and there and everywhere," he said. "There's no way they don't have some means of getting here faster than us."

"Personally, I'd be fine with kicking Keith's butt again!" Joey snorted, standing up and beating a hand into his fist. "That slimy creep's always up to no good."

"Still, that's just something we have to accept," Matt answered back calmly. "We're traveling by magic and boats while they've got all the technology to get them wherever they need to. I wouldn't be surprised to see them here too."

"But it's so remote and peaceful here!" Shannon retorted, spreading her arms wide and looking about the trees and the wilderness around them.

"Yeah...the view is amazing," Yugi noted, looking out across the landscape at the surrounding mountains. "It looks like people haven't climbed up this way in years."

"That's what we call the 'calm before the storm,'" Willaby murmured, looking over his shoulder.

"Hey guys! Look over dere!"

The group looked up as Joey pointed out to a spot on the top of the mountain. Sure enough, there was a small shrine sitting there. Much of it was covered in dirt and moss, as though it had been resting in its solitary spot for a long time. Shannon tilted her head to the side as they approached the area.

"Isn't it strange that it's out in the open like this?" she asked aloud. "Surely anyone who would've wanted it would've taken it already."

"True...but if I know the Trinity well enough," Matt answered back, "chances are that the chest was better off being above ground."

"Of course," Willaby smiled. "The Spirit Dragon of the Wind, right?"

Matt gave Willaby a puzzled look. "Well...yeah, but I was going to say that there's not much people would be able to do with it. I'm sure most would think it is just a shrine devoted to someone or something."

Willaby frowned at that. "R-right…"

Matt turned back to the shrine, reaching down to scrape off some of the moss covering it to reveal the edges of a large chest and the symbol of the Trinity etched onto its side. "Only someone who would really know what they're looking for would be able to find this place."

"Or just know someone."

Matt growled at the sound of that gruff voice, turning to see none other than Bandit Keith not far from the group. Shannon held up her hands defensively as Willaby stumbled around, reaching for a knife in his belt.

"And speak of the devil!" Joey scowled. "What's a matter, we didn't beat your goonies hard enough last time?"

"Whoa, whoa, aren't we quick to judge," Keith taunted as he held up his hands in front of him.. "What, you wouldn't believe I'm just here on a casual mountain stroll?"

"Not for a minute," Shannon answered back.

"Hmph. So have you finally come around to dueling me yourself, or do you have more of your goons to take care of the dirty work for you?" Matt retorted to Keith's commentary.

Keith whistled in response at first. "Man, if words were bullets, I'm sure I'd be dead," he laughed. "But yeah, I need one more good duel from you before I'm ready to take you on myself. So, as a matter of fact, I did bring a couple of helpers along."

He turned to look over as two men emerged from the trees. Each of them wore the signature purple robes of the Ghouls, but additionally they each brandished half a mask on their faces - one of a white smiling face and one of a black scowling demon. They laughed as Keith turned back to the group before him, that arrogant grin spread across his face once again.

"These are my friends, Lumis and Umbra," Keith introduced. "They're both going to be in charge of eliminating you today."


Led by the advisor into the mountain, Andrew and the others eventually found themselves in a chamber of shimmering crystals. They glowed an eerie green light through the thin layer of moss atop them, and the humid air in the cave hung about the group. Emilia crossed the chamber to the other side before turning around to address the group, with Andrew preparing himself for the inevitable combat by equipping his Duel Disk.

"So, Zorro tells me you're pretty good," Emilia said with a smile.

The others gasped collectively at the revelation. "How do you know we ran into him?" Creighton asked.

Emilia simply laughed. "Being part of the Trinity gives us certain abilities, as you ought to know," she replied. "It's little effort to use something like telepathy."

Andrew smirked. "Figures you guys would have some kind of means of communicating across great distances," he responded. "I believe he suggested you have means of travel across such distances as well."

"I'm sure you do too, to arrive here so quickly," Emilia said. Then she held out her arm to the open air, and a sudden swirling of air formed around it, creating a Duel Disk out of thin air. Emilia readied herself, positioning herself across from Andrew as she said, "But that's not why we're here, I know."

Andrew nodded as Emilia continued, "We've only so much time to work with, and in that limited time, we must make sure everything is secure. We will protect the Spirit Dragons and keep them from falling into the wrong hands no matter the cost."

"And I'll do everything I can to prove that my brother and I are worthy of their power," Andrew said with a smile, activating his Duel Disk. "Words won't do it justice for sure."

The others at the side sighed. "Is there really a need to be so dramatic?" Izzy asked aside.

"It does seem a bit much," Kari answered back.

Meanwhile, Emilia triggered her own Duel Disk, and the two began their combat.

"DUEL!"

Emilia: 4000
Andrew: 4000

"The first turn is mine," Emilia announced, drawing his first card. "And I'll summon Storm Caller (4/1600/1200) to the field!"

A swirling gust of wind brought forth a small man draped in a worn cloak. His green eyes shimmered above the confident smile he wore. Then he looked back to Emilia and held a hand out, summoning a new swirling mix of air around Emilia's deck.

"When I play Storm Caller onto the field," Emilia explained, "I'm allowed to add a Level 4 or lower WIND monster from my deck to my hand. So I'll add Lady Ninja Yae (3/1100/200) to my hand."

A card was pulled out from her deck and hovered in the air, which she plucked out and added to the rest of her hand. Then she picked out another card from her hand to play, declaring, "And then I activate the Gates of the Eastern Wind!"

Behind her a large structure rose up from the ground. A large set of crimson doors, etched with kanji spelling out, "Eastern Wind", now stood before Andrew and the others. A dull humming seemed to vibrate against the doors.

"I'll also Set two cards face-down and end my turn," Emilia concluded. "It's your turn now."

What an opening, Andrew thought, drawing his next card. Those gates have me almost as worried as her face-down cards...I'm going to have to get rid of them.

"I'll summon Ancient Hero Cosmo Star (4/1900/1800) to the field!" Andrew declared, summoning forth the star-shaped warrior with fists of starmetal!

I could use Cosmo Star's effect to take out one of her cards, he thought to himself, but I might as well test the waters. "Go, Cosmo Star! Attack her Storm Caller!"

The triumphant warrior lunged forward, thrusting its fist towards the cloaked wayward man.

"I activate the power of the Gates of the Eastern Wind!"

Suddenly, the doors swung open wide, and a fierce wind blew out from inside, sweeping across the field! The force of the wind pushed back Cosmo Star until it flew back over onto Andrew's field, leaving the Storm Caller untouched and unphased.

"The Gates of the Eastern Wind allow me to negate the first attack you make during each Battle Phase," Emilia explained with a light chuckle. "Sorry, but you're gonna have to do better than that!"

"Well in that case, let's just get rid of those Gates!" Andrew retorted. "I use the power of Ancient Hero Cosmo Star to destroy the Gates of the Eastern Wind!"

The star man's fist began to glow with power as it charged up its power. It leapt into the air once more, this time aiming for the great doors themselves. It punched at the door, landing a direct hit on its surface, only to end up bouncing off as a magic circle appeared on the door's surface!

"What the-?!"

"You've triggered my Gale-Protection Seal," Emilia announced. "Now as long as I've got a Wind monster on my field, my Spell and Trap cards can't be destroyed by card effects! Like I said, you're gonna have to try a lot harder to beat me!"

"Looks like she's locked Andrew out of getting through her defenses this turn," Izzy noted. "The Gates kept him from attacking her monster, and the Seal will prevent her back row from getting destroyed."

"In other words, she's got a solid defense for this turn," Kari concurred.

"True, but what about when he's got another monster on his next turn?" Creighton chimed in, to which the others didn't respond with anything more than a thoughtful hum.

"I'll just end my turn by Setting a card face-down," Andrew finished.

"And now it's my turn," Emilia said, drawing her next card. "Hopefully you're not too attached to that card, cause I'm Tributing my Storm Caller for the powerful Swift Birdman Joe (6/2300/1400) in Attack mode!"

The cloaked man disappeared in a whirling twister as a larger humanoid appeared in the middle and dispersed the swirling winds around him with his rainbow colored wings.

"And thanks to Swift Birdman Joe's effect," Emilia continued, "I return all Spells and Traps on the field back into our hands!"

The birdman curled up around his wings and unleashed a furious gust that swept up all the Spells and Traps on the field, including the Gale-Protection Seal and the Gates of the Eastern Wind. Andrew picked up his own cards as Emilia did hers, each of them putting them back into their hand.

"Wait, so she's just taking out all of his defenses? That's so cheap!" Creighton retorted.

"Not exactly," Izzy said, pointing out, "She's also removing her own defenses as well. The only difference is that she'll be able to set them up on this turn, whereas Andrew has to wait another turn to set-up his own again."

"And now, Swift Birdman Joe attacks your Ancient Hero Cosmo Star!" Emilia declared, sending her winged man charging into battle! He clawed at Cosmo Star as the latter defended himself with his arms.

Emilia: 4000
Andrew: 3600

"Well, on the bright side, my Ancient Heroes can't be destroyed in battle," Andrew noted as Cosmo Star brushed off the assault.

"And now I'll reactivate Gates of the Eastern Wind and Set two more cards face-down," Emilia declared, bringing forth her gates once more as well as two new cards. "That'll end my turn."

So she's set up again, Andrew thought, drawing his next card. With the Gates on the field, she'll be able to negate one of my attacks, and I'm sure one of her face-down cards is Gale-Protection Seal, making it hard to destroy her Gates as long as she's got a WIND monster. Quite a powerful combination. In that case…

"I'll use Cosmo Star's effect to destroy the Gates of the Eastern Wind!" Andrew declared.

"Not if I activate my Gale-Protection Seal, protecting my Spells and Traps as long as I control a WIND monster!" Emilia countered, her seal appearing to deflect the star man's attack.

"This is going to go nowhere at this rate!" Creighton groaned, but Andrew merely smiled.

"Not for long," he announced. "I'll Tribute Ancient Hero Cosmo Star for Ancient Hero Thundorus (5/2400/1200)!"

Replacing his star man was the amalgamation of thundering clouds, its glowing eyes piercing through its cloud head as it gazed down at the small birdman on the field.

"And now I'll use his effect to destroy Swift Birdman Joe at the cost of not being able to attack this turn," Andrew continued, sending Thundorus' lightning raining down upon the helpless Joe and electrocuting him to destruction.

"Hey, alright! He just got rid of his opponent's monster without even needing to attack!" Creighton cheered.

Kari simply nodded. "It may have cost him his attack, but without a WIND monster, Emilia's Spells and Traps aren't going to be protected by the Gale-Protection Seal."

"You're right!" Creighton realized. "Alright, time for the offensive!"

"I'll Set these two cards on the field and end my turn."

"...THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"


"Isn't it a little unfair to duel two against one?"

Matt looked back at the half-masked faces of his opponents, who simply snickered along with Keith in response. "Don't be ridiculous," Keith replied. "There's no sense in dueling a tag team without a partner."

"A partner?" Matt asked.

"Yo Yug, what does he mean by a tag duel?" Joey asked.

"Well, do you remember that one duel we had against the Paradox Brothers back in Duelist Kingdom?" Yugi responded.

"Hey, yeah! I remember those guys!" Joey replied, recalling the duel assailants from so long ago. "So it's supposed to be a two-on-two battle."

"That's the idea," Yugi nodded. "That being said, Lumis and Umbra are a dangerous pair to deal with. I remember dueling them alongside Kaiba, and they managed to seal off our Egyptian God cards."

"Nyeh?! They sealed off the Egyptian Gods?!" Joey exclaimed with surprise.

Shannon, listening in on their conversation, looked back over towards Matt who gazed back towards Keith and the others. She swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Well? Who's your partner gonna be?" Keith asked. "There's only one real way to have a Tag Duel, and that's only if you've got a partner!"

Matt looked back towards the group - he did have a good picking of duelists to choose from. Joey would've been alright, but he did have Yugi the King of Games on his side! And then there was Shannon as well, but would she really be a good partner?

"Heh, you sure you want me to pick?" Matt chuckled. "It really wouldn't be much of a choice if I did it."

"Ohhhh, being sporting are we?" Keith sneered. Then he turned to the others and said, "Hey, you two! Go ahead and pick one!"

"Hehehe, well Umbra? Which one should we pick?" Lumis perked up.

"I think it's obvious who we shouldn't pick," Umbra replied. "That just leaves a pair of them."

"Heh, sure, do your worst!" Joey retorted, nearly taking a step forward. "I'll be sure to-"

"I'll be Matt's partner."

Joey stumbled as the group looked with astonishment towards Shannon, who had stepped forward and walked up to Matt's side.

"Are you sure?" Matt asked. "This won't be easy."

"I don't want to just keep standing off to the side and do nothing," Shannon replied, pulling out her Duel Disk. "I want to be able to help too."

Matt smiled. "Much obliged." Then he turned towards the duo and declared, "Looks like we've got a team then!"

"Interesting choice," Keith laughed. "Well then, let's have some fun. Lumis, Umbra, you know what to do!"

"Umm...not to back out on what I was going for," Shannon murmured to Matt, "but what exactly are the rules for a Tag Duel?"

"I suppose it's for the best that we let them explain the rules," Matt replied.

"A Tag Duel is a two-on-two match-up," Lumis explained. "Both sides will share the same Life Points and the same field!"

"Between the two of you, you'll only have 5 Monster Zones and 5 Spell and Trap Zones," Umbra noted, holding up his hands to demonstrate. "You'll also be sharing a Graveyard as well!"

"Each player brings their own deck to use, and we trade off between tag partners," Lumis continued. "Only one duelist per team is active at a time! And you can only use the cards in your own hand and on the field."

"Sounds a bit different from when we dueled those Paradox Bros," Joey noticed.

"This may be using a newer variant of the tag duel rules," Yugi affirmed. "I've heard of variations that worked through a different set of rulings, and this one has become one of the more popular variants."

"Then we'll accept those parameters," Matt nodded, triggering his Duel Disk. "Together, Shannon and I will defeat you two and claim the power of the Spirit Dragon!"

"Y-yeah!" Shannon chimed in, activating her Duel Disk as well.

"Hehehe, this is going to be interesting," Keith murmured off to the side as Lumis and Umbra both responded in turn with their own Duel Disks.

"LET'S DUEL!"

Matt&Shannon: 8000
Lumis&Umbra: 8000

"Hang on, are we starting with 8000 Life Points?" Shannon asked as she noticed the display lit up.

"Since we each would normally have 4000 Life Points, and both teams are sharing their Life Points with their teammate, both teams have a total equal to the amount of both players," Umbra explained.

"In other words, because there's two of us, we combined our Life Points to reflect the team's Life Points," Matt summarized.

"That is correct," Lumis nodded. "Now if you'd like, you may have the first turn."

Matt turned to Shannon, who nervously looked over her hand before nodding. "Alright then, it's my move!" she declared as she drew her next card. "And I'll activate Terrorizing the City and use its effect to Special Summon a Monster King from my hand! So come forth, Tri-Dragon Monster King (10/3300/3000)!"

All at once, Shannon summoned forth a towering dragon with three heads that loomed over the field, roaring with triumph over the small duelists. Everyone looked up at the monster with shock and awe. Then Keith started laughing out loud.

"Oh this oughta be good! She's playing a Monster King deck!" he called out amidst his laughter.

"Wait, why's dat a bad thing?" Joey asked.

"Monster Kings are really powerful monsters to be sure," Yugi explained, "but because they're all so powerful, players can't have any other monsters on their field. On their own, they can be a difficult deck to face off against, but in a Tag Duel…"

Oh no, did I mess up? Shannon wondered. I was playing like I normally would, I forgot we were sharing a field!

She looked back at Matt who simply stood by, not really saying anything. No...no, Matt knows my deck just as well as I do. He'll be able to use my cards with his own just as effectively as always. "I'll end my turn with that!"

"Then it's my turn!" Umbra declared, drawing his next card. "And I'll Set a monster on the field. That's all."

"Fine, then it's my turn," Matt said, drawing a card. "And I'm going to use the Tri-Dragon Monster King Shannon Summoned to attack your face-down monster!"

One of the dragon's heads lunged forward and breathed down a powerful lightning bolt against the face-down monster, revealing a large pink germ that exploded and sent an infectious set of spores towards Matt.

Matt&Shannon: 7500
Lumis&Umbra: 8000

"Looks like you've attacked my Giant Germ (2/1000/100)!" Umbra said. "And with its effect, you take 500 points of damage, and I get to Special Summon two more Giant Germs from my deck!"

As he made the announcement, two new germs appeared on the field. But Matt simply smiled at that.

"That makes this a lot easier," he said. "Tri-Dragon Monster King can't attack you directly, but he can attack up to three times in a turn. And with two new monsters on the field, I'll easily make that trade for a huge lead! Go, Tri-Dragon Monster King! Attack the Germs!"

The other two heads then opened up and unleashed their own bursts of lightning, disintegrating the germs and causing massive damage across the field, leaving Lumis and Umbra's Life Points trickling down to a much smaller number.

Matt&Shannon: 7500 - 7000 - 6500
Lumis&Umbra: 8000 - 5700 - 3400

"Alright! Looks like they messed up big time!" Joey cheered from the sidelines.

"You got em on the ropes, sir!" Willaby added in.

"I'll play two cards face-down on the field and end my turn," Matt continued, finishing his move.

Lumis and Umbra merely exchanged a brief look as Lumis walked forward. "Then it's my turn!" he declared, drawing his next card. "And unfortunately for you, there's not much more your monster will be able to do! Not if I equip it with the Mask of the Accursed!"

A strange yellow mask skewered with nails suddenly appeared, strapping itself around the three-headed dragon's torso and leeching its strength as it roared in pain.

"Now as long as your dragon wears this Mask, he won't be able to attack at all!" Lumis explained as he pointed towards the mask in question. "And additionally, you will take 500 points of damage during every Standby Phase!"

"And since the two of you are a team, your total Life Points are drained during each of your turns - no matter who's active!" Umbra laughed from the sidelines.

He's right! My monster is powerful, but if it can't attack, there's nothing we can do! Shannon thought to herself. It may have given us the edge, but if we can't replace it, the Mask will drain our Life Points dry!

"I'll now Set three more cards face-down before ending my turn," Lumis declared, placing several cards at once.

Hmm...interesting, Matt thought. He didn't summon a monster at all. And come to think of it, Umbra didn't play any Spells or Traps of his own either. Could it be…

"Th-then it's my turn!" Shannon said, drawing a new card.

"And immediately you take 500 damage from the effect of my Mask!" Lumis interrupted as a red aura surrounded Shannon and drained her Life Points.

Matt&Shannon: 6000
Lumis&Umbra: 3400

She looked back at her newly drawn card and smiled with relief. "I'll activate my Metallizing Monster King Crystal, which lets me Tribute my Tri-Dragon Monster King to play a metallic version of it - the Mecha-Tri-Dragon Monster King (11/3800/3500) - from my hand!"

A mysterious crystal appeared on the field that emitted a glow that suddenly generated several silver pieces of armor. The armor pieces shackled themselves to the triple-headed dragon, even smashing the Mask of the Accursed into pieces as the newly enhanced form of the monster appeared on the field!

"This monster is better than my Tri-Dragon Monster King in a number of different ways, the most important being that he can attack you directly!" Shannon explained. "Go, Mecha-Tri-Dragon Monster King! Triple Metallic Bolt Barrage!"

The metal dragon reared its heads and aimed them towards the tag team before them, causing their opponents to flinch for a moment.

"If this attack goes through, then Matt and Shannon will win for sure!" Willaby pointed out.

"Go get em, you guys!" Joey threw in his support.

There's no way those two are going to go down so easily, Yugi thought as he watched Lumis and Umbra's side of the field - noticeably their face-down cards. The dragon charged up its thunderbolts before unleashing a hellish barrage of lightning down upon the duo!

"We did it!" Shannon yelped, partially out of surprise - she was sure they were going to-

"Not quite," Matt stated. "Don't celebrate just yet."

He nodded to draw Shannon's attention to the smoke cloud before them. As the dust settled, Lumis and Umbra stood by with broad smiles on their faces and a large metal mask holding up a set of hands in front of its mouth.

"I'm afraid my Mask of Impregnability has something to say about that," Lumis sneered. "Thanks to the power of this iron mask, your direct attack has been rendered completely useless!"

"No…" Shannon murmured softly, almost despairingly. "I thought I could…"

"Stay focused, Shannon," Matt said patiently. "This duel's not over yet. And we've still got a long ways to go."

"R-right," Shannon nodded. She looked over her hand and continued, "I'll Set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn!" Umbra said, drawing his next card. He looked towards Lumis who nodded to signal his hunch. Smiling, Umbra declared, "And now I'll activate my partner's face-down Mask of Fortune!"

A shimmering golden mask appeared and illuminated the field with a bright glow as Umbra continued, "By discarding a card from my hand, I'm allowed to draw 2 cards with this effect. And by sending Shining Abyss to my Graveyard, I'll do just that!"

After the exchange of cards was complete, the golden mask faded away from the field. Umbra then looked over his hand once more and smiled. "Now I summon the Mask Collector (4/1600/1400) to the field in Attack mode!"

A curious long-limbed creature wearing several masks - one over its face and several more across its tribal robes - appeared and laughed mirthfully as it clutched one of its prized masks.

"The Mask Collector is the perfect compliment to our strategy, as when he's summoned I can add any Mask card from the Deck or Graveyard to my hand!" Umbra explained. "And I'll use it to add back and then activate the Mask of the Accursed from our Graveyard, now equipping it to your Mecha-Tri-Dragon Monster King!"

The masked creature shuffled about before pulling out the yellow mask and reattaching it to Shannon's new metallic dragon. Shannon gasped as Matt simply watched on, taking note of the move before turning back towards Umbra.

"Now your monster is paralyzed again, and you're gonna take more damage on your next turn!" he laughed. "Looks like it's the end of the line for you two! I'll end my turn by Setting this one card!"

Matt shook his head in response. "When will they ever learn," he muttered quietly as he drew his next card, the aura draining away at his Life Points.

Matt&Shannon: 5500
Lumis&Umbra: 3400

"The monster isn't the most important part of what's on the field," he continued. "There's much more to the game than just summoning a big monster, after all. It's about how you use that monster, and I intend to put Shannon's hard work to good use!"

"We'll see about that!" Lumis hissed from the sidelines.

Matt looked over at Shannon who nodded her head firmly. "I'll start by activating my partner's Mystik Wok!"

Beneath his three-headed dragon, a large wok appeared, ready to go.

"And with it, I'm going to sacrifice our Mecha-Tri-Headed Dragon in order to gain back some Life Points," Matt declared. "And with 3800 Atk points, we'll gain back-"

"Nothing!" Umbra countered. "I activate the Trap, Mask of Suffering!"

Out of nowhere, a gaunt and decaying mask strapped itself to Matt's face, startling him as it proceeded to drain away his Life Points!

Matt&Shannon: 1700
Lumis&Umbra: 3400

"Excellent work, Umbra!" Lumis cackled from the side. "With the Mask of Suffering, when you would gain Life Points, we can use this card to make sure you lose the same amount instead!"

"Matt! Are you okay?" Shannon asked with concern as the mask fell off of his face.

"Hang in there, Matt!" Yugi called out.

Matt took a moment to himself before looking back up at the duo before them. "If you're quite done," he said, "I hope you'll realize that my turn's nowhere near done yet."

Lumis and Umbra flinched a moment at Matt's remark. "Feh, I'd like to see what you can do at this point!" Lumis hissed. "With so few Life Points between the two of you, there's not much more you can do!"

"Then let me show you just what I can do. I fuse together the Spirit Dragons in my hand!"

"Say what?!"

Matt held up his hand high and summoned forth trailing spirals of blue and red energy, bringing forth a large blue dragon and a large red dragon to his side!

"Flowing through the mighty streams, surging fire blazes forth as celestial beings draw close and together rise into the air!"

The two dragons danced together, merging into a new dragon in the midst of his chant!

"I bring the Spirit Dragons of Water and Fire together," he continued, "and from this power, I bring forth the mighty Spirit Dragon of the Steam (12/?/?)!"

The two dragons then swirled together and combined to form a misty-white dragon that fumed out geysers of steam from the pores on its body, growling as it was played onto the field. Keith smiled at the arrival of this new monster as Lumis and Umbra nervously shifted about. Shannon and the others marveled at the beast as it descended onto the field just behind Matt, who looked over to his opponents with a powerful gaze.

"You better be ready for my new monster."


"I Set one monster and end my turn."

Emilia made her play fairly quickly, but she still maintained a calm expression and an air of levity as Andrew drew his next card. It doesn't really matter what her monster is, Andrew noted. If I can't get past her Gates, I'm not going to make much progress. Sure, Thundorus can destroy monsters, but he won't be able to attack. And whatever else I have to attack will lose the opportunity if I have to keep dealing with the Gates.

He perused his hand once more and saw it - the card he needed! That'll work!

"I'll Summon Ancient Hero Lunasolares (4/1500/1500) to the field!"

The half-moon half-sun monster appeared on the field, its robes billowing in the wind of its summoning. Andrew smirked as Emilia watched, amused.

"So you plan to destroy my monster and attack me directly with your new one? It's too bad that won't work this time," she noted. "At least not as long as I have my Gates of the Eastern Wind in play."

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna be using an effect this time," Andrew retorted. "I attack with Lunasolares first!"

The cosmic being charged up its first attack, the power of the sun in its hands as it fired it towards Emilia's monster.

"I'm afraid I'll be negating that attack with my Gates!" Emilia countered, with the doors opening up to unleash the potent wind, blowing away the ball of energy with ease.

"Then I'll be using Lunasolares to attack again!" Andrew continued, with the cosmic being now hurling an orb of moonlight down upon Emilia's monster, destroying it and revealing the mantis-like creature hidden beneath.

"You've attacked my Flying Kamakiri #1 (4/1400/900), meaning I can Special Summon a WIND monster from my deck with 1500 or less Atk points," Emilia explained. "So I'll summon another Flying Kamakiri #1 to my field!"

A new mantis appeared, fluttering its wings and adjusting its antennae. Andrew confidently smiled as he spoke up, "That'll work. Thundorus attacks your newly summoned Kamakiri!"

The beastly thunderclouds formed together before unleashing a powerful burst of lightning towards the mantis!

"Sorry, but I activate the Fierce Winds of the South to destroy the attacking monster as it's targeting a WIND monster!" Emilia countered once again, sending a flurry of wind against the mighty thunderhead.

"I was wondering when you'd use that trick," Andrew chuckled. "Now I activate Ancient Heroes' Shield to protect my Ancient Heroes from your card effects this turn!"

As the wind approached Thundorus, an ancient seal appeared to block and deflect the razor-sharp winds, protecting him from any harm! They opened up the path for him to strike down the Flying Kamakiri, destroying it for good and hurting Emilia's Life Points for a hefty amount of damage.

Emilia: 3000
Andrew: 3600

"Alright! Way to outplay her!" Creighton whooped from the side.

"Don't get too excited," Izzy said, "she still gets to summon a new monster."

"And the monster I'll Summon is Whirlwind Prodigy (4/1500/1600)!" Emilia declared, bringing forth a small smiling kid that whipped up a couple of small twisters to demonstrate his modest strength.

"Guess I'll be ending my turn there then," Andrew said.

"Then it's my turn," Emilia said, drawing a new card. "And I'll summon Lady Ninja Yae (3/1100/200) in Attack mode!"

A green-haired ninja appeared, clad in a purple bodysuit and brandishing a small blade and a red scarf appeared on the field, ready for battle next to the slick whirlwind kid.

"And then I'll play Insect Neglect and switch Whirlwind Prodigy to Defense mode before ending my turn," Emilia continued, shifting the kid to a kneeling self-protective stance.

Whirlwind Prodigy (4/1500/1600 - 4/1500/1600)

"That's it? Looks like Andrew's got her on the ropes after all!" Creighton laughed.

"Not exactly," Izzy said. "Emilia's got a powerful defense set-up for herself."

"With those Gates still active and now Insect Neglect on the field, she's going to be able to stop a lot of Andrew's attacks," Kari concurred.

"Wait, Insect Neglect can negate attacks?!" Creighton yelped.

"Not only can it do that, but with that Whirlwind Prodigy in Defense mode, the only monster he can reasonably attack with to get through is Thundorus," Izzy continued as Andrew drew into his next card. "And that's assuming he can get past all the other defenses she's got."

She's really set up a powerful defense, Andrew thought, but what gets me is why did she play her Lady Ninja Yae in Attack mode? Even if its Defense is so low, there's no real reason to play it in Attack mode...unless…

Andrew smiled for a moment before looking down at his hand. "Then I guess I'll see what happens," he said. "I Tribute my Ancient Hero Lunasolares in order to summon Ancient Hero Piratical Demon (5/2300/1200)!"

The dual-colored figure soon disappeared as a powerful skeletal pirate captain appeared on the field, cackling with its glowing eyes as it raised its sword above its head.

"And during the turn I summon Ancient Hero Piratical Demon," Andrew explained, "all of my Ancient Heroes this turn can each attack twice!"

"Intriguing," Emilia responded with a nod. "Well then, let's see what you can do with that."

Alright, so Gates will negate my first attack, and Insect Neglect can negate two more attacks because of both Flying Kamakiri in her Graveyard, Andrew thought to himself. That ultimately leaves me with only one attack to hit my target - I have to get rid of that Whirlwind Prodigy!

"I'll attack with Ancient Hero Piratical Demon! Go get that Whirlwind Prodigy!"

The pirate lunged forward to try and pierce through the young boy!

"I negate the attack with Gates of the Eastern Wind!"

The gates opened up to blow back the demon, protecting the prodigy from the attack!

"Then I'll make my second attack with Piratical Demon!" Andrew declared, sending his pirate back into the fray.

"I'll negate it with Insect Neglect, banishing a Flying Kamakiri #1 from my Graveyard!"

The demon's sword was blocked by the fallen corpse of the mantis, catching it between its hands.

"My third attack comes from Thundorus!"

"I negate it again with Insect Neglect!"

A brief exchange occurred where lightning fired off and struck down another insect corpse. Andrew smiled triumphantly. "Now with all those monsters out of the way, Thundorus attacks again! Go get that Whirlwind Prodigy!"

The cloud monster lunged forward and prepared to hurl another thunderbolt down at the young prodigy!

Emilia smirked. "You didn't think I'd let you take out my monster so easily, did you? I activate Hurricane Guidance!"

The trap card revealed itself, and a fierce wind blew across Thundorus' palm as he threw down the thunderbolt. Instead of striking the kid as intended, it struck Lady Ninja Yae, who took the full brunt of the attack and perished.

Emilia: 1700
Andrew: 3600

"Since you declared an attack target while I controlled a WIND monster," Emilia explained, "Hurricane Guidance could be used to redirect the attack to my Lady Ninja Yae. And with that, your attacks have been expended."

Creighton tilted his head. "She really went out of her way to keep that Whirlwind Prodigy safe."

"That's not a surprise," Kari noted. "She's protecting it for a big Tribute."

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"Because Whirlwind Prodigy has the ability to be treated as 2 Tributes for the Tribute Summon of any WIND monster Emilia might have," Izzy explained. "Which probably means…"

Andrew scowled a little before setting a card. "I've no choice but to Set one card and end my turn."

"Things just got a lot harder."


AUTHOR'S NOTE

They really have, haven't they? What new cards could be the cause, I wonder?

Emilia vs. Andrew

Storm Caller (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1200 Def, Spellcaster, WIND
Effect: If this card is Summoned: you can add 1 Level 4 or lower WIND monster from your Deck to your hand.

Lady Ninja Yae (Effect Monster)
Level 3, 1100 Atk, 200 Def, Warrior, WIND
Effect: You can discard 1 WIND monster; return all Spell/Trap cards your opponent controls to the hand.

The Gates of the Eastern Wind (Continuous Spell)
Effect: Negate the first attack your opponent's monster declares during the Battle Phase.

Ancient Hero Cosmo Star (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1900 Atk, 1800 Def, Warrior, LIGHT
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. Once per turn: you can target 1 Spell/Trap card your opponent controls; destroy that target, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to them.

Gale-Protection Seal (Continuous Trap)
Effect: If you control a WIND monster: your Spell/Trap cards cannot be destroyed by card effects.

Swift Birdman Joe (Effect Monster)
Level 6, 2300 Atk, 1400 Def, Winged-Beast, WIND
Effect: If you Tribute Summon this card by using a WIND monster, return all Spell/Trap cards on the field to the owners' hands.

Ancient Hero Thundorus (Effect Monster)
Level 5, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def, Thunder, LIGHT
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. Once per turn: you can target 1 monster on the field; destroy that target, also this card cannot declare an attack this turn.

Ancient Hero Lunasolares (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1500 Def, Spellcaster, LIGHT
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. This card can attack twice during each Battle Phase.

Flying Kamakiri #1 (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1400 Atk, 900 Def, Insect, WIND
Effect: When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: you can Special Summon 1 WIND monster with 1500 or less Atk from your deck to your field in face-up Attack Position.

Fierce Winds of the South (Normal Trap)
Effect: If a WIND monster you control is targeted for an attack: Destroy the attacking monster.

Ancient Heroes' Shield (Normal Trap)
Effect: "Ancient Hero" monsters you control are unaffected by your opponent's card effects until the end of the turn.

Whirlwind Prodigy (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1600 Def, Fairy, WIND
Effect: This card can be treated as 2 Tributes for the Tribute Summon of a WIND monster.

Insect Neglect (Continuous Spell)
Effect: When your opponent's monster declares an attack: you can banish 1 Insect monster from your GY; negate the attack.

Ancient Hero Piratical Demon (Effect Monster)
Level 6, 2300 Atk, 1200 Def, Fiend, WATER
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. If this card is Summoned: during the Battle Phase, "Ancient Hero" monsters you control can attack twice. If you use this effect, you must skip your next turn's Battle Phase.

Hurricane Guidance (Normal Trap)
Effect: If a WIND monster you control is targeted for an attack: change the target to another monster on your field.

Matt and Shannon vs. Lumis and Umbra

Terrorizing the City (Continuous Spell)
Effect: Once per turn, during your Main Phase: you can Special Summon 1 Level 8 or higher "Monster King" monster from your hand. You cannot Normal Summon or Set the turn you activate this effect.

Tri-Dragon Monster King (Effect Monster)
Level 10, 3300 Atk, 3000 Def, Dragon, LIGHT
Effect: This card's controller can only control 1 monster. This monster can attack three times during each Battle Phase, but cannot attack directly.

Giant Germ (Effect Monster)
Level 2, 1000 Atk, 100 Def, Fiend, DARK
Effect: When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: inflict 500 damage to your opponent, then you can Special Summon any number of "Giant Germs" from your Deck in Attack Position.

Mask of the Accursed (Equip Spell)
Effect: The equipped monster cannot attack. The controller of the equipped monster takes 500 damage during each of their Standby Phases.
NOTE:The effect listed here is a little more akin to the anime, since the actual effect of the card states that the controller takes damage during each of your Standby Phases. The only drop in the effect is the ability to attack directly if the equipped monster is the only one they control.

Metallizing Monster King Crystal (Normal Spell)
Effect: Send 1 Level 8 or higher "Monster King" monster you control to the GY; Special Summon 1 "Monster King" monster with "Mecha" in its name from your hand.

Mecha-Tri-Dragon Monster King (Effect Monster)
Level 11, 3800 Atk, 3500 Def, Machine, DARK
Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned by using "Metallizing Monster King Crystal" to send "Tri-Dragon Monster King" to the GY. This card's controller can only control 1 monster. This monster can attack three times during each Battle Phase. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage.

Mask of Impregnability (Normal Trap)
Effect: When your opponent's monster attacks you directly: for the rest of this turn, you take no Battle Damage from direct attacks.
NOTE: This is really more of a rough assumption of what this card's effect would be if it were printed in the TCG, i.e. it'd be more of a Trap/Quick-Play Spell, and it would apply its original effect, the "players protect themselves from enemy attacks" clause, in the form of a "no Battle Damage" kind of way.

Mask of Fortune (Normal Spell)
Effect: Discard 1 card; draw 2 cards from your Deck.
NOTE: It's like Graceful Charity, but Pot of Greed!

Shining Abyss (Normal Monster)
Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1800 Def, Fairy, LIGHT

Mask Collector (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1400 Def, Fiend, DARK
Effect: If this card is Summoned: you can add 1 "Mask" card from your Deck or GrY to your hand. You can discard 1 card; add 1 "Mask" card from your Deck or GY to your hand.

Mystik Wok (Quick-Play Spell)
Effect: Tribute 1 monster you control; Gain LP equal to either its Atk or Def.

Mask of Suffering (Counter Trap)
Effect: If your opponent would gain LP: negate the effect and inflict damage to them equal to the same amount.

Spirit Dragon of Water (Ritual Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Ritual Summoned with "Oceanic Tranquility". This card's Attribute is also treated as WATER. Unaffected by your opponent's Spell cards. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished WATER monster, also gains 200 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. During your Standby Phase: gain 500 LP for every card on the field. Your Level 5 or higher monsters require 1 less Tribute to be Tribute Summoned. Once per turn: you can discard 1 card; until the end of your opponent's turn, your opponent cannot play cards of the same card type (Monster, Spell, Trap) as the card you discarded.

Spirit Dragon of Fire (Ritual Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Ritual Summoned with "Volcanic Surge of Renewal". This card's Attribute is also treated as FIRE. Unaffected by your opponent's Trap cards. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished FIRE monster, also it gains 200 ATK/DEFfor every Dragon monster in your GY. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage. You can only activate one of the following effects of "Spirit Dragon of Fire" during your turn, and only once each turn. You can inflict 300 damage to your opponent for every card on the field. This card cannot attack when this effect is used. You can have this card lose 1000 ATK/DEF; inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. You cannot activate this effect for 5 turns, also during the next 5 Standby Phases, this card gains 200 ATK/DEF.

Spirit Dragon of the Steam (Fusion Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by sending "Spirit Dragon of Water" and "Spirit Dragon of Fire" from your hand or field to the GY (you do not use Polymerization). This card's Attribute is also treated as WATER and FIRE. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished WATER and FIRE monster, also gains 300 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY...?


Things have gotten pretty difficult for our heroes! Can Andrew break through Emilia's impenetrable defenses, or will she summon something he can't get over? Will Matt's new Spirit Dragon tip the scales in their favor, or will Shannon ultimately lead to the duo's defeat?