Legal Disclaimer: This story follows the same rules as "The Preliminaries Begin". Natalie Granger, Christine Simmons, and any physical descriptions associated with them can't be used without my permission.
Hell's Fury Tournament
Chapter 5: Painted into a Corner
"Will Natalie Granger and Rebecca Hawkins please enter the dueling arena?" asked Rose.
Before entering the corridors, Natalie and Rebecca pulled out, exchanged, shuffled, and cut their decks. They quickly gave their decks back to each other and placed them back into their Duel Disks. Afterwards, they entered the corridors and arrived on opposite sides of the dueling arena. They plugged their Duel Disks into the arena's controls.
"Duelists, ready?" asked Rose.
"Bring it on, " said Rebecca.
"Time to play, " said Natalie.
"Begin, " said Rose.
"Let's duel!" they both exclaimed.
The Duel Disks activated and moved into position.
Natalie: 8,000
Rebecca: 8,000
Both of them drew five cards.
"I'll go first, " said Natalie as she drew a sixth card. "I summon Witch of the Black Forest in attack mode."
Natalie placed Witch of the Black Forest on top of her Duel Disk. Witch of the Black Forest appeared on Natalie's side of the field (1,100/1,200)
"I place one card facedown, ending my turn, " said Natalie as a facedown card appeared behind Witch of the Black Forest.
"My move, " said Rebecca as she drew a card. "I play Pot of Greed."
Rebecca drew two cards from her deck.
"I now summon Luster Dragon in attack mode, " said Rebecca as she placed it on top of her Duel Disk.
A sapphire-colored dragon with broad wings appeared on Rebecca's side of the field. (1,900/1,600)
"Luster Dragon, attack Witch of the Black Forest with Breath of Fire!" exclaimed Rebecca.
Luster Dragon blew blue fire from its mouth, incinerating Witch of the Black Forest. Natalie moved Witch of the Black Forest from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
Natalie: 7,200
Rebecca: 8,000
"Thank you. By destroying Witch of the Black Forest, I can activate her special effect, " said Natalie as she pulled her deck out of her Duel Disk.
Natalie searched through her deck, found and showed The Portrait's Secret to Rebecca, and shuffled and returned her deck to her Duel Disk.
"I place two cards facedown, ending my turn, " said Rebecca as two facedown cards appeared behind Luster Dragon.
"My move, " said Natalie as she drew a card. "I summon The Portrait's Secret and equip it with Axe of Despair."
Natalie placed The Portrait's Secret on top of her Duel Disk. A framed portrait of a male senior citizen with demonic eyes and arms emerging from it, who was wielding the Axe of Despair, appeared on Natalie's side of the field. (2,200/1,500)
"Portrait's Secret, attack Luster Dragon with Ink Blade Slash!" exclaimed Natalie.
"I activate one of my facedown cards, Waboku, to save my monster, " said Rebecca as a facedown card flipped up.
The Portrait's Secret used its axe to slice Luster Dragon in half but was unable to destroy Luster Dragon.
"I end my turn, " said Natalie.
"My move, " said Rebecca as she drew a card. "I now sacrifice my Luster Dragon to summon Luster Dragon #2."
Once Rebecca moved Luster Dragon from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard, it vanished from her side of the field. Next, she placed Luster Dragon #2 on top of her Duel Disk. Instantly, a large emerald green dragon with broad wings and crystals on its legs appeared on Rebecca's side of the field. (2,400/1,400)
"Luster Dragon #2, attack Portrait's Secret with Emerald Flame Attack!" exclaimed Rebecca.
"Think again. I activate my facedown card, Magic Cylinder, negating your attack and sending it back to you, " said Natalie as a facedown card flipped up.
Luster Dragon #2 blew a green-colored fire from its mouth at The Portrait's Secret; however, Magic Cylinder absorbed the attack and returned it at full force, causing Rebecca to twitch.
Natalie: 7,200
Rebecca: 5,600
"Fine. That's not a problem, " said Rebecca. "I place one card facedown, ending my turn."
Another facedown card appeared behind Luster Dragon #2.
"My move, " said Natalie as she drew a card. "I summon Green Phantom King in attack mode."
Natalie placed Green Phantom King on top of her Duel Disk. A pale green-haired elfish man with green wooden hands, who was wearing a white robe with green leaves along the cuffs, appeared on Natalie's side of the field. (500/1,600)
"Why would you play such a weak monster?" asked Rebecca.
"Simple. It allows me to play Shield & Sword, shifting the game in my favor, " said Natalie.
Green Phantom King's stats were switched. (1,600/500) The stats of The Portrait's Secret were switched. (2,500/1,200) The stats of Luster Dragon #2 were switched as well. (1,400/2,400)
"Green Phantom King, attack Luster Dragon #2 with Vine Wrap Crush!" exclaimed Natalie.
Green Phantom King used his hands to create numerous vines that wrapped themselves around Luster Dragon #2, squeezing it until it shattered into pixels. Rebecca moved Luster Dragon #2 from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard
Natalie: 7,200
Rebecca: 5,400
"Now, Portrait's Secret, attack her Life Points directly with Ink Blade Slash!" exclaimed Natalie.
"Not likely. I activate my facedown card, Gravity Bind, " said Rebecca as a facedown card flipped up. "Now, no monsters above a level four can attack."
The Portrait's Secret attempted to use its axe to swipe Rebecca; however, a force field appeared on the entire length of the field, stopping it from moving.
"I end my turn, " said Natalie.
Each monster's stats returned to normal.
"My move, " said Rebecca as she drew a card. "I play Graceful Charity."
Rebecca drew three cards from her deck and discarded two cards from her hand.
"I summon Injection Fairy Lily in attack mode, " said Rebecca as she placed her on top of her Duel Disk.
A pink-haired girl with white wings, who was wearing a white hat with a red heart on it, a red and white nurse's outfit with small wings along the bust line, and white gloves and boots with red cuffs and riding on a huge rocket, appeared on Rebecca's side of the field. (400/1,500)
"Next, I activate my other facedown card, Life Absorbing Machine, which allows me to regain half of the Life Points I paid during the turn once I enter my Standby Phases, " said Rebecca as a facedown card flipped up.
A facedown card flipped up behind Injection Fairy Lily.
"Injection Fairy Lily, attack Green Phantom King with Needle Rocket Attack!" exclaimed Rebecca.
"Are you kidding? My monster is stronger than yours is, " said Natalie.
"Thanks to Lily's special ability, I can increase its attack strength by 3,000 points at the price of 2,000 Life Points, " said Rebecca.
Natalie: 7,200
Rebecca: 5,400
Injection Fairy Lily's attack strength increased. (3,400/1,500) Injection Fairy Lily came charging at Green Phantom King with full force, knocking Green Phantom King into the ground and shattering him into pixels. Natalie moved Green Phantom King from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard
Natalie: 4,300
Rebecca: 3,400
"I end my turn, " said Rebecca.
Injection Fairy Lily's attack strength returned to normal. (400/1,500)
"My move, " said Natalie as she drew a card. "I'll switch The Portrait's Secret to defense mode, set one monster in defense mode, and place one card facedown."
Natalie placed one card facedown and sideways and switched The Portrait's Secret sideways on top of her Duel Disk. The Portrait's Secret rested on its frame with its arms crossed, a facedown card positioned sideways appeared next to The Portrait's Secret, and another facedown card appeared behind The Portrait's Secret.
"I'll end my turn, " said Natalie.
"My draw, " said Rebecca as she drew a card.
Natalie: 4,300
Rebecca: 4,600
"What just happened? How did you gain extra Life Points?" asked Natalie. "You should have gained only 1,000 Life Points due to Life Absorbing Machine."
"Because I played Graceful Charity last turn, I was able to send Marie the Fallen One to the Graveyard. Marie the Fallen One's special effect allows me to gain 200 Life Points during my Standby Phases as long as she is in the Graveyard, " said Rebecca.
"Now, Injection Fairy Lily, attack The Portrait's Secret with Needle Rocket Attack!" exclaimed Rebecca.
Injection Fairy Lily's attack strength increased. (3,400/1500)
Natalie: 4,300
Rebecca: 2,600
Injection Fairy Lily used her attack to hit The Portrait's Secret, shattering it into pixels. Natalie moved The Portrait's Secret from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard
"I end my turn, " said Rebecca.
Injection Fairy Lily's attack strength returned to normal. (400/1,500)
"My move, " said Natalie as she drew another card. "I flip summon my set monster, which is Cyber Jar, to activate its effect."
Natalie flipped Cyber Jar upright on top of her Duel Disk. Cyber Jar appeared on Natalie's side of the field, sucked Injection Fairy Lily into itself, and immediately self-destructed. (900/900) Natalie moved Cyber Jar from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard. Rebecca also moved Injection Fairy Lily from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard. They both picked up five cards from their decks and showed them to each other.
"I set one monster in defense mode and summon 7 Colored Fish in attack mode, " said Natalie as she placed one card upright and another card facedown and sideways on top of her Duel Disk.
First, a rainbow-skinned fish with a yellow fin and horns on both sides of its face appeared on Natalie's side of the field. (1,800/800) Then, a facedown card positioned sideways appeared next to 7 Colored Fish.
"I summon both Cannon Soldier and Fire Princess in attack mode, " said Rebecca as she placed both cards on top of her Duel Disk.
First, a white-haired woman with a broach in her hair, who was wearing a fire red dress and was wielding a wooden staff, appeared in Rebecca's side of the field. (1,300/1,500) Next, a purple and green robot with silver claws and a green cannon head appeared next to Fire Princess. (1,400/1,300)
"I activate my facedown card, Dust Tornado, to destroy your Gravity Bind, " said Natalie as a facedown card flipped up.
A tornado appeared and destroyed Gravity Bind. Another facedown card appeared where Dust Tornado was originally.
"7 Colored Fish, attack Fire Princess with Spectrum Splash!" exclaimed Natalie.
7 Colored Fish swam toward Fire Princess and slammed her onto the ground, shattering her into pixels. Rebecca moved Fire Princess from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
Natalie: 4,300
Rebecca: 2,100
"I end my turn, " said Natalie.
"My move, " said Rebecca as she drew a card.
Natalie: 4,300
Rebecca: 3,300
"I play the Magic card, Scapegoat, filling my remaining Monster Card Zones, " said Rebecca.
Four goat-like creatures that were colored orange, blue, pink, and red, respectively, appeared on Rebecca's side of the field. (0/0)
"I activate the special effect of Cannon Soldier. By sacrificing a monster on my side of the field, I can inflict 500 points of Direct Damage to your Life Points. Therefore, I'll destroy two goat tokens to inflict 1,000 points of Direct Damage to your Life Points, " said Rebecca.
The pink and blue goat tokens shattered into pixels.
"Cannon Soldier, attack her Life Points directly with Rapid Laser Barrage!" exclaimed Rebecca.
Cannon Soldier quickly fired two blasts of yellow energy at Natalie, causing her to twitch.
Natalie: 3,300
Rebecca: 3,300
"Next, I play Tribute to the Doomed. By discarding one card, I can destroy 7 Colored Fish instantly, " said Rebecca.
Rebecca discarded Cure Mermaid to her Graveyard. Suddenly, bandages appeared and wrapped 7 Colored Fish up. A mummified hand appeared out of the field and dragged 7 Colored Fish into the Graveyard. Natalie moved 7 Colored Fish from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
"Cannon Soldier, attack her set monster with Mega Laser Blast!" exclaimed Rebecca.
Cannon Soldier fired a huge yellow energy blast at the set monster. Natalie quickly flipped her set card upright on top of her Duel Disk. Magician of Faith appeared on Natalie's side of the field and instantly shattered into pixels. (300/400) Natalie moved Magician of Faith from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard
"Thank you. Now I can get my Shield & Sword back, " said Natalie as she grabbed and showed it to Rebecca.
"I end my turn, " said Rebecca.
"My move, " said Natalie as she drew a card. "I play Monster Reborn to bring back Marie the Fallen One, the monster you used to gain Life Points."
Rebecca moved Marie the Fallen One from her Graveyard and gave it to Natalie, whom placed on top of her Duel Disk. A dark skinned woman with black wings and snow-white hair, who was wearing a lavender vest, a pink and lavender dress, and leather wrapped around the lower legs and feet, appeared on Natalie's side of the field. (1,700/1,200)
"Next, I summon Aqua Madoor in attack mode, " said Natalie as she placed him on top of her Duel Disk.
A purple-haired masked man with long red fingernails, who was wearing a blue and white robe with a yellow collar, appeared on Natalie's side of the field. (1,200/2,000)
"Marie the Fallen One, attack Cannon Soldier with Dark Energy Orb!" exclaimed Natalie.
Marie the Fallen One created and threw a ball of black light at Cannon Soldier, instantly shattering it into pixels. Rebecca moved Cannon Soldier from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
Natalie: 3,300
Rebecca: 3,000
"Aqua Madoor, attack a goat token with Cascade Wall Smash!" exclaimed Natalie.
Aqua Madoor used his hands to create and release a giant wall of water at an orange goat token, shattering it into pixels.
"I place one card facedown, ending my turn, " said Natalie as a facedown card appeared behind Aqua Madoor.
"My move, " said Rebecca as she drew a card. "I play Premature Burial to bring back Guardian Angel Joan, a monster I also sent to the Graveyard via Graceful Charity for the small fee of 800 Life Points."
Natalie: 3,300
Rebecca: 2,200
Rebecca moved Guardian Angel Joan from her Graveyard to the top of her Duel Disk. An orange blonde-haired woman with white sheer wings, who was wearing a white dress with gold trim, white and gold armbands, and a white and gold cape with golden crescent moons along it, appeared on Rebecca's side of the field. (2,800/2,000)
"Guardian Angel Joan, attack Aqua Madoor with Angelic Light Blast!" exclaimed Rebecca.
"Not so fast. I activate my last facedown card, Order to Charge, " said Natalie as a facedown card flipped up.
"Order to Charge? What does it do?" asked Rebecca.
"It allows me to destroy one monster on your side of the field by sacrificing a non-effect monster on my side, " said Natalie. "I may lose my Aqua Madoor, but he is taking your Guardian Angel Joan with it."
Once Natalie moved Aqua Madoor from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard, Guardian Angel Joan shattered into pixels. Rebecca moved Guardian Angel Joan from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
"I place one card facedown, ending my turn, " said Rebecca as a facedown card appeared behind a goat token.
"My move, " said Natalie as she drew a card. "I play Raigeki, destroying your last goat token."
Lightning bolts appeared in the sky and struck the last goat token, instantly destroying it. Rebecca moved Scapegoat from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
"Next, I play Dark Factory of Mass Production, allowing me to move two Normal monsters from my Graveyard to my hand, " said Natalie as she quickly grabbed Aqua Madoor and 7 Colored Fish. "I now summon 7 Colored Fish in attack mode."
Natalie placed it on top of her Duel Disk. 7 Colored Fish reappeared next to Marie the Fallen One. (1,800/800)
"Marie the Fallen One, attack her Life Points directly with Dark Energy Orb!" exclaimed Natalie.
"Not so fast. I activate my facedown card, Negate Attack, canceling your attack immediately, " said Rebecca as a facedown card flipped up.
Marie the Fallen One used her attack to blast Rebecca; however, a force field appeared in front of Rebecca and dissipated the orb.
"I place one card facedown, ending my turn, " said Natalie as a facedown card appeared behind Marie the Fallen One.
"My move, " said Rebecca as she drew a card. "I play Change of Heart to take Marie the Fallen One from you."
Natalie moved Marie the Fallen One from the top of her Duel Disk and gave it to Rebecca, whom placed her on top of her Duel Disk. Marie the Fallen One immediately moved to Rebecca's side of the field. (1,700/1,200)
"I now sacrifice your Marie the Fallen One to summon Shadow Ghoul, " said Rebecca.
Once Rebecca moved Marie the Fallen One from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard, it vanished from her side of the field. Next, she placed Shadow Ghoul on top of her Duel Disk. A green lizard-like creature with multiple red eyes and long claws appeared on Rebecca's side of the field. (1,600/1,300)
"Thanks to its special ability, it increases its attack strength by 100 points for each monster in my Graveyard. Currently, I have eight monsters in my Graveyard, " said Rebecca.
Shadow Ghoul's attack strength changed. (2,400/1,300)
"Shadow Ghoul, attack 7 Colored Fish with Green Vapor Shroud!" exclaimed Rebecca.
Shadow Ghoul fired green energy blasts from its eyes at 7 Colored Fish, shattering it into pixels. Natalie moved 7 Colored Fish from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
Natalie: 2,700
Rebecca: 2,200
"That is all for now, " said Rebecca.
"My move, " said Natalie as she drew a card. "This duel is about to end. I summon Aqua Madoor in attack mode."
Natalie placed Aqua Madoor on top of her Duel Disk. Aqua Madoor reappeared on Natalie's side of the field. (1,200/2,000)
"Just like you did to me, I now play Snatch Steal to take Shadow Ghoul from you, " said Natalie.
Rebecca moved Shadow Ghoul from the top of her Duel Disk and gave it to Natalie, whom placed it on top of her Duel Disk. Shadow Ghoul quickly moved next to Aqua Madoor with its attack strength changed. (2,100/1,300)
"Finally, I play Shield & Sword, which switches all monsters' stats, " said Natalie.
Shadow Ghoul's stats changed. (1,800/1,600) Aqua Madoor's stats were switched. (2,000/1,200)
"Aqua Madoor, attack her Life Points directly with Cascade Wall Smash!" exclaimed Natalie.
Aqua Madoor used his attack to slam Rebecca, causing her to twitch.
Natalie: 2,700
Rebecca: 0200
"Shadow Ghoul, finish her off with Green Vapor Shroud!" exclaimed Natalie.
Shadow Ghoul used its attack to blast Rebecca, causing her to fall to her knees.
Natalie: 2,700
Rebecca: 0000
The monsters and the field instantly vanished. Every card remaining on the Duel Disks were removed and placed back into both Natalie's and Rebecca's decks. They unplugged their Duel Disks from the arena's controls.
"Our second quarterfinalist is Natalie Granger from Africa, " said Rose.
The crowd applauded and shouted.
"That was a tough duel, " said Rebecca.
"You really pushed me to the limit, " said Natalie.
Both women left the arena and headed up to the balcony to watch the other six matches.
Next, Jasmine Kennedy appeared next to the bingo machine.
"Hello, everybody, " said Jasmine.
Everyone immediately turned toward Jasmine.
"It's time to announce our next pairing for the quarterfinal matches. Everyone in the anteroom listen up, " said Jasmine. "Let's begin."
Jasmine pressed a button on her remote, causing the sixteen numbered balls to rotate. One of them moved through a tube and exited the machine through the third eye on the Witch of the Black Forest's forehead. Jasmine immediately picked up the ball.
"Our next competitor is number three, Ishizu Ishtar from Africa, " said Rose.
"Let's start the machine again, " said Jasmine.
The bingo machine immediately began to spin the balls around. Soon, another ball was released from the machine. Jasmine immediately picked up the second ball.
"Her opponent is number thirteen, Christine Simmons from North America, " said Jasmine as a 19-year-old, fair-skinned, competitive, and tomboyish woman with blue eyes and light reddish blond side-swept hair with golden highlights stepped forward.
Christine was wearing a white and pale red softball uniform and a pair of black and white sneakers. Inside the anteroom, Ishizu and Christine shook hands.
"This should be a spirited match, " said Ishizu as she shook Christine's hand.
"Same here. It's game time, " said Christine as she shook Ishizu's hand.