Eliminator

Magicman: Greetings all. First order of business is to mention those who figured out Strings' strategy. BECA got her hand up first so she wins!

Smokegirl: Winners receive a free copy of 'Dark Side on the Loose', my autobiography! Waves book over head If it gets lost in the mail, do not blame us.

Magicman: Second order of business is to address the mistakes I made that several of you pointed out. Sorry about that. First, I wasn't aware that Slifer isn't a Light attribute monster. I only saw one once and the symbol did look kind of like the Light symbol. Second, I also didn't know about the variable rule. I figured it would count, but I guess it doesn't. Again, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to turn it into another 'Yugi vs. Strings' match. One other thing; though the rules are the same, I have schemes that will make this plotline different from Battle City. What are those schemes you ask? Well, they will go more in depth with the whole 'guardian' thing. I think it's quite clever actually.

Smokegirl: You would. But then you were also wrong about Shining Angel/Slifer the Sky dragon.

Magicman: -/'

IIIIIII

Joey stared in awe at the gargantuan beast until something finally occurred to him. "Hey wait a minute! Shining Angel can only bring back monsters that had less than 1500 attack points! So your overgrown lizard can't be a match for Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600)."

"That is true for most monsters, but Slifer is unlike any other monster in existence. This Egyptian God card gains 1000 attack points for each card I hold in my hand. I held no cards when I ended my turn, but Slifer was summoned to the field by special means so Card of Safe Return allows me to draw one." Strings drew the card slowly, mocking Joey's intelligence. "Now when you end your turn I can draw another card to increase Slifer's power to 2000."

"Yeah? Well first I have to actually end my turn." Joey set one card. "There! Now just go."

"With pleasure." Strings drew a card, increasing Slifer's power to 2000 and his own lifepoints to 5000. "Now I will show you a power that only my master can control. Slifer the Sky Dragon, attack Gearfried the Iron Knight with Thunder Force."

The great beast opened its mouth, gathering massive amounts of electrical energy. The blast hurtled at Joey's monster and destroyed it. Joey frowned at the shattered pixels of his card. He hadn't wanted to lose his monster just yet. "Alright tough guy, if you're done, I'll go now." Joey drew. "Alright pal, your dragon might be a tough cookie but this oughtta do the trick. I play Smashing Ground! This magic card automatically destroys your monster with the highest defence. So say goodbye to your dragon!" Joey crossed his arms and waited for his magic card to do its stuff. Unfortunately he was destined for disappointment.

The magic card struck the dragon dead on with a sledgehammer's blow, yet it did nothing. Slifer roared but it wasn't destroyed as it should have been. Joey blinked in shock. "What the heck? Why is that thing still standing!"

"Slifer is a God card. No pathetic magic card can destroy him." Strings cracked his knuckles dispassionately. "End your turn now so I can finish you."

Frowning, Joey played the card he'd drawn last turn. "I play one monster in defence mode and end my turn."

"You have activated Slifer's special ability." The puppet man continued to make weird hand gestures. It seemed to Joey that he was walking against the wind while standing in place. "When you summon a monster to the field, Slifer automatically attacks it with his second mouth. Any monster of 2000 or less attack points will be destroyed. You wasted your entire turn."

"Not quite!" Even as the second mouth from Slifer's upper jaw opened and charged up for a devastating lightning attack, Joey smirked. "My monster is a Newdoria (1200/800). He's a handy little pest. Whenever he's destroyed as a result of battle he can destroy any one monster on the field. So you can say goodbye to your giant lizard!"

Strings did not blink as the attack was launched. "What makes you think Slifer's second mouth counts as an attack?"

"Because you declared it as an attack." Joey thumbed his nose as the blast hit home. "I'm an eliminator, remember? It's my job to take out duellists but I also have to interpret the rules."

"True. A very clever technicality. Your strategy would have worked but once again you underestimate Slifer's power. Like magic cards, monster effects cannot destroy him. So your plan fails." Joey's fiend was blown to pieces like so much useless trash. Strings remained emotionless. "Are you finished?"

Joey scowled. "I end my turn."

"Good. I draw and my lifepoints increase to 5000. Slifer's attack power also increases, to 3000." Strings drew and his lifepoints increased. "Now you have nothing to protect you from the full fury of Slifer the Sky dragon. Now attack this fool with Thunder Force."

But as Slifer prepared to attack Joey grinned. "You just triggered my trap!"

"Irrelevant. Traps cannot destroy Slifer anymore than magic cards."

"Who said anything about destroying Slifer? Activate Magic Cylinder!" As Joey pointed, two rune-carved, glowing cylinders appeared on the field. One of them pulsed, drawing Slifer's Thunderforce into its opening and to oblivion. The second cylinder then glowed, and without another warning it fired the attack back. The redirected energy flew past Strings' monsters and slammed into the annoying mime. He was nearly flung from the box as his lifepoints dropped to 2000. Joey laughed and thumbed his nose at Strings. "Too bad you forgot your own monster's effects! Traps won't destroy it, but they can still affect it. And you are not indestructible."

Strings slowly pulled himself back up to his feet. "Lifepoints are meant to be sacrificed" he droned, seemingly unphased by the deadly attack. "I will gain them back quickly enough. I will end my turn by activating one of my facedown cards, Infinite Cards. It allows me to hold as many cards in my hand as I please."

"So it was just a throwaway card after all, eh? I'm starting to think that all you have is hot air and threats." Joey drew and grinned. "Alright! I play the magic card Reinforcements of the Army to bring one warrior card from my deck to my hand." Joey picked his card eagerly, a strategy forming in his mind. "Now I summon the card I just brought to the field, Marauding Captain (1200/400)! His special ability calls another monster from my hand. SO I choose another Marauding Captain!"

The first warrior materialised and called forth his brother via the horn on his belt. Both warriors stood side by side against the dragon. Joey grinned. "Now I got an impenetrable defence. You see, you can't attack a warrior card if a Marauding Captain is on the field. And since Marauding Captain is a warrior card, neither can be attacked and you can't attack me at all!"

"Activate trap Torrential Tribute."

As Joey's second monster appeared on the field a sudden rush of water swept them both away, taking Revival Jam with it. Slifer stood strong against the vicious trap and soon remained alone on the field.

Strings blinked slowly. "My trap card destroys all monsters on the field. But Slifer cannot be destroyed by traps so he remains. Are you finished?"

Joey winced. This was getting desperate. "I play two cards down and end my turn."

"Then I begin my turn. I draw one card, gaining 500 lifepoints and giving Slifer another 1000 attack points. Prepare to lose. Attack, Slifer."

The Rare Hunter pointed and the monster fired its awesome attack. The thunder tore the air but was swallowed by Joey's counter move. "I play Negate attack and block all damage you throw at me for the turn!"

Strings nodded. "Then I play one card facedown, ending my turn."

Joey released a breath. 'That card bought me some time' he thought, 'But I need to pull a winner out of my hat right now. Come one deck…' He drew. "Hmm. I play Graceful Charity."

"Draw as many cards as you want." Strings taunted Joey in the same dull voice he'd used since the duel began. "They will not help you."

Joey drew and examined his options. His eyes immediately rested upon his favourite trap. 'Grave Robber? How can that… Wait a minute. I think this will work. It will be tricky but if I'm right his dragon will be gone for good.' He grinned. Joey Wheeler was on the rebound.

"I play one card facedown and end my turn. Do your worst!" Joey (LP: 3800) crossed his arms and waited.

Strings (LP: 3000) drew and contemplated the field. "You have a scheme. I doubt it will work, but I will summon one monster in defence mode just in case. Now Slifer (3000/3000) attack his lifepoints directly."

Joey grinned broadly. "I was hoping you'd do that. I reveal my facedown card Grave Robber!"

The short, twisted little man cackled evilly and held a card carefully in his hand. His floppy hat twitched as he turned it around, showing off the Shining Angel (1400/1100) it had stolen from Strings' graveyard. The light-based fairy monster was then transported onto Joey's field where it stood stoically against Slifer's attack. Since it had a new target, the god card took aim and fired with its second mouth. The attack blew the monster away.

Strings snorted. "I am disappointed. You did nothing but disrupt my attack for a moment. Now Slifer will continue his attack uninterrupted."

"No it won't! You forget your own monsters ability? When sent to a graveyard, Shining Angel lets one summon a light type monster with 1500 or less attack power. And now it's going into MY graveyard, so I get to bring out a monster. So say hello to Different Dimension Warrior Lady (1500/1600)!"

The monster Shinging Angel had summoned was small and human looking. The woman wore a light chain mail and wielded a short sword, though her armour had a strange mechanical box attached to the front.

Joey grinned. He was REALLY glad that he'd listened to Shannon and Serenity. Both had told him he needed to add a female element to his deck, so he picked a few tough yet feminine cards to add.

Strings snorted. "You waste your time and cards. Since you special summoned two monsters, I get to draw two cards and gain 1000 lifepoints." He drew as his lifepoints rose to 3500. "And now you will lose this monster as well, thanks to Slifer's second mouth attack."

The upper half of Slifer's jaw opened up and spewed forth electric death yet again. The attack struck Joey's monster and something happened. Just as the attack hit, Different Dimension Warrior Lady grabbed a lever on the box on her armour and jerked it hard to the side. The thuder force struck and both Slifer and the Warrior Lady disappeared instantly. There were no flashy effects or an explosion; both were simply gone.

"What!" Strings' expression did not change but his voice twisted with sudden anger. "What have you done to my God card! Where is Slifer!"

"It's simple, mime-boy. Slifer couldn't be destroyed by magic cards, monster effects, or traps and the damn thing was too strong to overpower. So my Different Dimension Warrior Lady used her power to transport both of them from the game. Now your giant pest can't get in the way." Joey laughed out loud. "Looks like I blew your strategy out the window."

Strings growled silently. This was a major setback. He had no use for most, if not all of the cards he now had on the field. But…

"I end my turn. Enjoy this small win because I will recover. You cannot defeat me."

"Big talk." Joey drew. "I summon Mataza the Zapper (1300/1000) in attack mode, and I equip him with Dragon Nails! This magic card increases his attack power by 600 points." He grinned. "You know how your Dark Door allows only one monster to attack per turn? Well Mataza can attack twice per turn. I think that you'll be running out of lifepoints very soon."

"Then attack me, if you are so sure you will win."

"I will! Mataza, attack his facedown monster!"

Mataza leapt up into the air and brought his sword down with stone shattering force. The monster was destroyed, revealing a pair of strange black ghosts.

"Now Mataza", Joey shouted as the attack was completed, "Attack again!" The samurai pulled out his second sword and rushed at Strings. He brought the blade back and slashed hard sideways. The Rare Hunter grunted as his lifepoints dropped to 1600 and Joey grinned. "That's it for me. Your move."

"Good. Now I can activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted. I assume you know how it works."

Joey snorted. "Sure, but it won't do you any good. Slifer is no longer in play, remember?"

"I'm not aiming for Slifer. I'm aiming for the card you just destroyed; my Double Coston (1700/1650)." The twin ghosts that Strings just destroyed were returned to the field. Now Joey could see that they were joined by a red stream of plasma. But there was little time to examine it. "Thanks to my field cards, I get to draw an extra card, and gain 1000 lifepoints, boosting me back up to 2600."

Joey scowled. This was getting annoying. 'Every time I hurt him', he thought, 'He gains back the lifepoints just as fast.'

"And now I shall sacrifice Double Coston to summon Invader of Darkness (2900/2500). Thanks to my ghosts, I only need to give up one monster for this awesome force. Beware Wheeler. This beast is the strongest fiend in Duel Monsters and he's come for you."

The Double Coston ghosts disappeared and were replaced by a giant. Fifteen feet tall and incredibly broad shouldered, the monster towered over every card on the field. It wore a long black cloak to conceal itself from the light but its glowing red eyes revealed hideous features on a face that looked like a broken skull. It growled deep in its throat and Joey shivered.

"Now my beast of Darkness" Strings said to his monster as he lay one card facedown on the field, "Destroy Mataza the Zapper with Shadow Slash."

The invader stretched out one heavily muscled, scaled arm and grabbed Mataza by the head. Ignoring the warrior's struggles, the monster slammed it into the ground and Mataza shattered into pieces. The monster roared in triumph and Joey's lifepoints dropped to 2900. While Joey winced, Strings allowed himself a brief smile. "You defeated Slifer, which is very impressive. I doubt that anyone else on the island could have done that and I am sure that you are the one my master wishes to destroy. But you've used up your best cards against my god card while I have several more tricks left."

"Oh yeah? Well I'm not out of it yet!" Something occurred to Joey. "Hey, what do you mean I'm the one you're supposed to destroy?"

Strings blinked slowly. "Someone defeated the King of Games, Yugi Mutoh. An eliminator was said to be the one who did it but no one knew which eliminator. So the master commanded his hunters to strike at you all. All over the island, your comrades are being attacked and defeated by highly trained Rare Hunters. If we'd only known that it was you, we would have left the others alone."

"But why me? Why am I so important to you whackos?"

"Not your business. I've said enough already. Make your move or be defeated in silence."

Joey growled and drew a card. 'Little twerp' he grumbled to himself. 'His Invader of Darkness can destroy me if it gets a hit at me. I need to protect myself.' He considered his hand. 'My Red Eyes. This could really help, especially with my facedown card. This will take every card in my hand, but it just might work. Watch out Strings. I'm coming for you!'

"Why don't you move?" Strings taunted. "Are you surrendering to despair?"

"You wish freak-boy! I've got you now! I summon Little Wing Guard (1400/1800) in attack mode!" Joey slapped down the card revealing the small blue warrior with the diminutive wings. Strings snorted.

"That card is much too weak."

"I didn't play him for his attack strength. I played him so I could activate this!" Joey played the second card from his hand. "I play the magic card Dice Blaster!"

A small man popped up on the field and sat on Little Wing Guard's head. The warrior then vanished and a large dice appeared in the little man's arms. Grunting with the effort, he threw the dice and it bounced across the field. Joey watched the roll tensely, nearly wincing when it almost stopped on a 6, while Strings blinked in confusion. Finally it halted on a 3 and Joey crowed. "Yes! It worked! I can't believe it worked!"

"What was that all about?"

"Let me explain. To activate Dice Blaster I had to sacrifice one monster, so I picked my Little Wing Guard. Now for the good part". Joey grinned in elation. "A dice is rolled with the level of my monster being added to the roll of the dice. My monster was a level four and the roll was three, which makes seven."

"Good" Strings sneered. "You can count."

"But the best part of all is this; I can now summon a level seven monster from my hand!" Joey held up his trademark monster and laid it down gently. "So here's my choice; my Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)."

The black scaled dragon appeared on the field and roared at the fiend, who hissed back. Strings was unperturbed. "Your beast is impressive but mine is mightier still."

"I'm not done yet. Activate Metal Morph!"

As Joey played his trap, Red Eyes became coated in metallic armour. This time when it roared, Strings winced.

"I guess you know my monster's effect? Good, because now I'm going to wipe out your fiend! Red Eyes Metal Dragon? Attack him with Flash Flare Blast!"

Red Eyes opened its mouth and emitted a high pitched whining sound before unleashing a stream of pure destruction. Thanks to the power of Metal Morph, its strength rose to 4150. The fiend stood no chance, and Strings' lifepoints dropped to 1150.

But even as his monster was blown to pieces, the Hunter's lifepoints rose. Thanks to Solemn Wishes and Card of Safe Return, he drew a new card for Red Eyes' summoning and was back up to 1650. Joey growled. 'I need to destroy those cards somehow.'

The Strings began to laugh.

"You are indeed better than my master expected. But once again I have outmaneuvered you. I play my facedown magic card, A Deal With Dark Ruler."

Joey winced. He knew that card, and he knew that he was in trouble.

Strings continued to rant even as Joey prepared for the worst. "Now face my mightiest monster and the fiercest Zombie of them all! Come forth Berserk Dragon and crush Wheeler forever!"

A black hole in the air grew from the magic card, and it spread until it covered the whole field. From out of that hole crawled a skeletal dragon, its bare wings flapping in the darkness and its jagged-toothed mouth gaped in a silent roar of hate.

Strings cackled madly. "I was surprised when you beat Slifer, and even more so when you followed up with Invader of Darkness, but now you truly have no chance. You are out of cards and you are overpowered. Face it. My master has won. You have nothing in your deck that can stop me."

'Maybe not' Joey thought, 'But there is still a chance.'

'If only I can hang on long enough to exploit it.'

IIIIIII

Magicman: Whew! Sheesh, that was rough. The hardest part is keeping track of where every card in the hand, in the deck, and on the field are at the same time.

Joey: Tell me about it. Oh, by the way, Magic doesn't really know id Dice Blaster works that way. He's seen it used on the show before and he's guessing at the effect.

Magicman: Well, this duel is almost over. Then on with the rest of the plot. Including Joey's part to play in history. Intrigued? Well then you'll just have to tune in next time.

Joey: Same net time, same net site.