When I say the word "fairy", what do you think of? Probably Tinkerbell, the Tooth Fairy, or some rpg character. Something small and pretty and girly, with butterfly wings and fairy dust and all that.
Real fey (they don't like being called "fairies") are a lot more complicated. There's brownies, pixies, nymphs, satyrs... I think elves count too, I'm not exactly an expert on the subject. But they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The one thing they all have in common, aside from magic, is that they're annoying.
Good fey pull harmless pranks and cause mischief, while evil ones like enslaving other races and putting curses on people.
I'm about to go up against an evil fey, and while she's not the strongest opponent I've faced, she still knows how to get under my skin.
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Draw 07 - Happy Lover
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Tyler revved up his Duel Runner, driving through the downtown area. There was always something going on, illegal or not, and he really wanted a reason to test out his newly improved deck. It wasn't very professional of him, of course, but in this line of work, "professional" was hard to define.
"Maybe I should grab some lunch." The Hispanic man pulled up in front of Pandora's Box and parked, remembering the day he decided to become a Shadowchaser. After saving his life from a man-eating Sahuagin, Kim had taken Tyler to this exact restaurant to talk. She knew he was an Aware, and explained exactly what that meant. It was the perfect location to do so.
Pandora's Box looked like your average McDonald's style family eatery, albeit with a fantasy theme, but it was something much bigger. The burger joint was run by Shadowkind, and a majority of the employees and customers were Shadows as well. The Shadowchasers would often use it as a safe space to talk to potential members for this very reason.
Stepping inside the castle-shaped restaurant, Tyler immediately saw that something was wrong. Everyone was depressed. The cashier had her face in the cash register, the cooks weren't cooking anything, and the few customers that remained were slumped over in their seats, slowly eating their food. "What the -heck- is going on in here?" Tyler asked, censoring himself when he saw the children moping in front of the cancelled puppet show.
"Maybe they all got salmonella." A high pitched voice giggled. Turning around, the Shadowchaser came face to face with an odd looking girl. She was probably four feet tall, with hot pink skin and empty, almost soulless orange eyes, which were filled with tears. She wore a frilly lolita-style dress, and had ears like an elf, but Tyler knew what she really was. "Would that really be a surprise for a place like this?" The Joystealer laughed.
Joystealers were the result of an Eoshee being possessed by an Unseelie. Centuries ago, the two races had a contest, with the condition that whoever lost would be enslaved. The Unseelie cheated and won, taking control of the Eoshee. Now Joystealers, they fed off negative emotions, and could use their weak magic to cause it in everyone around them. The only way to free an Eoshee was to destroy the sympathetic item that hid the Unseelie, usually an important card in their deck.
"Alright, you little creep, I know how this works. If I beat you in a duel, everyone goes back to normal and you have to give up your slave." Tyler slid on his Duel Disk, stepping back five paces. "I hate Joystealers, almost as much as I hate..." He stopped himself, not wanting to monologue. "Never mind. Just duel."
"How rude! You Shadowchasers don't know how to treat a lady." The fairy dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, but still had an enormous grin on her face. "My name is Arabella, by the way. And who says winning will do anything?" She activated her Duel Disk, which was Barbie pink with a yellow blade.
(ALP 8000) - (TLP 8000)
"I'll take the first move, big boy~" Arabella winked flirtatiously. Tyler cringed, which only made his opponent laugh harder. "I activate Card of Variation! So I get two draws, but I have to discard a card during the end of my turn, or else I take 3000 points of damage." She drew twice, then played one of the cards from her opening hand. "I summon my favorite monster! Maiden in Love!" There was a flurry of heart-shaped bubbles, and a monster appeared. It looked like a young girl, maybe fourteen at the most, with long brown hair and huge anime eyes. She wore an enormous yellow and white dress, and had big pink ribbons in her hair. (400 ATK).
"Uh..." Tyler didn't know what to say, he'd never heard of this card before. "She looks like something in one of Sabrina's corny girl mangas."
"Don't underestimate my Maiden deck," The fae said. "I'll have you know the original user of this strategy once went toe to toe with Judai Yuki." She set two cards and nodded, discarding a card for Card of Variation's effect. "Let's see if you have as much luck as he did."
Tyler drew. "I summon Combustion Gladiator!" In a burst of flames, a new monster leaped onto the field. It was a muscular, humanoid lizard, wearing bright red, Roman-style armor. (1700 ATK) "Attack her maiden!" The Reptile charged forward and slashed at the young girl. She let out a high-pitched squeal, but wasn't destroyed, much to Tyler's surprise.
"I activate Damage Diet!" Arabella's set card lifted, covering her side of the field in a shimmering force field. "Maiden in Love can't be destroyed in battle, and this trap cuts the damage in half!" She smiled as her Life Points dropped. "And, any monster that attacks Maiden in Love gets a Maiden Counter." The girly monster winked and blew a kiss at Combustion Gladiator, who clutched his chest. A large, cartoon heart appeared in the same spot, thumping loudly.
"What does that do?" Tyler asked, knowing how tricky counters could be. He didn't get a response. "Fine, be that way. I set a card and end my turn."
(ALP 7350) - (TLP 8000)
"My turn~!" Arabella drew, immediately playing one of her cards. "I equip Maiden in Love with Cupid Kiss!" A tiny, blonde cherub flew out of the card and kissed Maiden on the cheek, before vanishing. "Now she'll attack your lizard! Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" Maiden in Love formed a heart with her hands, and fired a blast of pink energy. It didn't seem to do anything, at first.
"What's happening to my monster?!" Combustion Gladiator suddenly knelt down, taking Maiden's hand and kissing it. Then he stood up... on Arabella's side of the field. Before Tyler could say anything else, the Gemini attacked him, breathing fire. He fell over from the shock of it.
"That's the effect of Cupid Kiss! When Maiden in Love battles a monster with a Maiden Counter on it, and I take damage, I get to take your monster!" The Joystealer explained. "Now, I'll move to my Main Phase 2, and activate Dian Keto the Cure Master!" She slid the card into her disk and smirked as her life points increased. "I set this monster and end my turn!"
Tyler drew a card and stopped, trying to form a strategy. "You know, you're really annoying." He grumbled. His opponent just laughed. "And I'm getting real tired of your loli bait monster, so how about we bring a real woman into the duel? Like Dark Valkyria!" There was a swirl of shadowy energy, and a new monster appeared. It was female, with albino skin and platinum blonde hair. She wore a silver outfit decorated with blue gems, and had enormous wings. (1800 ATK)
"Now, Double Summon! So I can bring out another monster, like Future Samurai!" A battle cry suddenly came out of nowhere, and a monster landed on the field. A warrior in futuristic armor, wielding a katana made of energy. (1600 ATK) "Time to battle!" Future Samurai rushed forward and sliced through Arabella's set monster. It flipped up, revealing a tiny, white Persian cat.
"That was Maiden's Pet, and when it's destroyed, I get to add any card that specifically lists Maiden in Love in its text to my hand!" A card slid out of her Disk, and she snatched it.
"I hate to do this, but I'm having Dark Valkyria attack Combustion Gladiator!" The fairy raised her hands and fired a burst of dark magic, which suddenly re-routed itself and hit Maiden in Love instead. "What?!"
"That was my trap card, Defense Maiden!" The Joystealer explained, pointing to her new continuous card, which depicted a woman in armor carrying an enormous, spiked shield. "Now you can only attack Maiden in Love! And you know what happens when you do that~!"
Maiden in Love winked at Dark Valkyria, who put her hand to her chest. A Maiden Counter appeared on her, in the same spot as Combustion Gladiator. "Well that's not going to stay around for long! I activate Polymerization!" Tyler said, as the familiar blue and orange swirls appeared overhead. "Do you like dragons? Because I sure do! And by fusing any two Geminis, I can summon one!" Valkyria and Samurai vanished, and a new creature began to emerge from the fusion portal. It was clearly a dragon, walking on all fours, but an odd one. All of its body parts seemed to come from a different creature, except its wings, making it look like a patchwork creature. "Meet Superalloy Beast Raptinus!" (2200 DEF)
(ALP 5650) - (TLP 6300)
"You're gonna run out of tricks eventually, Unseelie." Tyler said, getting serious. "And I already know where you're hiding!"
Arabella frowned, dropping the silly facade. "You're still no closer to winning than you were at the start of the duel, Shadowchaser." The voice didn't come from her, however. Instead, the speaker was Maiden in Love herself. "I equip my avatar with Happy Marriage!" Arabella's body moved like a puppet with loose strings, sliding a card into her Duel Disk. Maiden in Love's outfit changed into a wedding dress, and a bouquet of black roses appeared in her hand.
"Now I gain attack points equal to your Gladiator's!" Her ATK rose to 2100, and she smiled darkly. "Next, I'll play a very special card. Love Triangle!" Two summoning portals opened up on the Joystealer's field, and two monsters stepped out. The first was a young man, probably the same age as Maiden in Love, wearing a Japanese school uniform (500 ATK). The second was a girl who looked almost exactly like Maiden in Love, but blonde, and with a pink dress (800 ATK).
"Meet Maiden's Friend and Maiden's Rival!" The Unseelie giggled. "Friend gains a Maiden Counter when he's summoned, and he prevents Maiden in Love from being destroyed by card effects! And Rival can't be attacked while you have a monster with a Maiden Counter!"
"Now, I attack your dragon!" Maiden in Love fired her pink energy blast, which did nothing. Raptinus growled as a Maiden Counter appeared on it, looking very out of place. "Next, my spell card, Box of Chocolates! This puts two more Maiden Counters on him!"
"How's that going to help?" Tyler asked, getting annoyed.
"You'll see!" Was the only reply.
Tyler drew a card, bringing his hand up to two. "I equip Raptinus with Broken Bamboo Sword! Then, I activate Golden Bamboo Sword, so I get to draw 2 cards!" He looked at his draws, and quickly set both of them. "That's all I can do for now."
(ALP 5550) - (TLP 6300)
Arabella drew, and smiled wickedly. "My monsters' effects activate now!" Both players were surrounded by auras, a bright one around Arabella and a dark one for Tyler. "First, Maiden's Rival deals you 300 points of damage for each Maiden Counter on the field, then Maiden's Friend heals me for the same amount!"
"Now, I set one card, and end my turn." Right before Arabella could tap the button on her Duel Disk to signify her End Phase, both of Tyler's set cards lifted up.
"I activate Balance of Judgment!" The same man depicted on the "Solem" traps appeared behind him, carrying a scale. "Because the number of cards on your field is more than the total number of cards on my field and in my hand, I get to draw cards equal to the difference!" He drew three cards, sighing with relief.
"Next, Dust Tornado! So say goodbye to Cupid Kiss!" The equip card shattered, and the Unseelie gasped.
"Alright, my second wind starts now!" Tyler drew, grinning. "You like that trap card, creepy? Because my monster's going to love it!" An enormous, fanged mouth appeared behind Defense Maiden, biting down on the card and shattering it. The mouth moved over to Tyler's side of the field, and the rest of the monster appeared. It was a squat, goofy looking fiend, with large horns. (1900 ATK) "Meet my Trap Eater!"
"For my normal summon, I'll play Heavy Knight of the Flame!" The monster that appeared was hard to describe. It looked like a chariot being pulled by a single, undead horse, but its bottom half was gone, replaced by the chariot itself. Riding it was a monster dressed in metallic armor, covered in spikes, with a cape and sword, both made out of flames. (1800 ATK)
"You certainly like fire monsters, Shadowchaser." The Unseelie giggled. "If only your dueling skills were as hot as they are."
Tyler glared at her. "I activate Monster Reborn!" The holy ankh shined above the duel, and Dark Valkyria rose from the grave. "Now I tune my monsters together!" Trap Eater turned into four glowing rings, which surrounded Dark Valkyria. "I Synchro Summon Black Brutdrago!" An enormous black dragon, covered in spikes and with ragged wings, stepped out of the summoning portal, its fists clenched tight. (3000 ATK)
"I hate to do this, but Heavy Knight attacks Combustion Gladiator!" The zombie rode on its confusing vehicle, using its sword to slice the Reptile in half.
"Black Brutdrago, attack Maiden's Friend with Crushing Claws!" The Synchro simply raised one of its gigantic hands and brought them down on the young man, shattering him. The Unseelie shrieked as her Life Points fell.
"I'm gonna win this duel soon enough." Tyler smiled, always enjoying his job. Once he figured out how to destroy Maiden in Love, Arabella would be free and the world would have one less Joystealer.
(ALP 4450) - (TLP 4800)
The Unseelie growled as her puppet drew a card. "I activate Bouquet Toss! I get to draw one card for every Maiden Counter on the field." She made three draws, looking at them through Arabella's eyes. "And you get to draw once, because I drew more than two cards." Tyler did so, not looking at it. Maiden's Rival's effect activated, but he didn't even wince.
"I'll use a second Box of Chocolates, placing two counters on your Synchro monster." Black Brutdrago roared as two pink hearts appeared on it. "Prepare to meet my strongest monster, a gift from Mama Killa herself!" The Overlay Network appeared, but this time, it was pure black. "I overlay Maiden in Love and Maiden's Rival!"
"I Xyz Summon my new avatar, Temptress Maiden!" The monster looked very much like Maiden in Love, but older, clearly a young woman now. Her dress was black, and revealed a good amount of cleavage, and she had abandoned her ribbons for a silver tiara studded with black jewels. She wore the same necklace that Lance had been wearing when he dueled Caspian.
Temptress Maiden smiled coldly, and spoke in the Unseelie's voice. "What do you think, Shadowchaser?" She asked, winking seductively. Tyler took a step back, not liking this at all. "It doesn't matter, you won't be around for much longer. When Temptress Maiden is summoned, her- I mean my- attack and defense points are equal to the number of Maiden Counters on the field, multiplied by 500!" Her scores rose to 2500 a piece.
"Before I do anything else, I'll activate Poison of the Old Man!" A haggard old man in heavy robes appeared over the field, carrying two vials. "I can either damage you, or heal myself. I think I'll use the first effect." The old man took one of his vials, filled with a boiling purple liquid, and tossed it at Tyler, making it explode. That got a reaction out of him, knocking him back a bit.
"Now I use my effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can take control of any monster with a Maiden Counter!" Temptress Maiden blew a kiss at Black Brutdrago, who, almost reluctantly, stumbled over to her side of the field. "Time to battle!" Black Brutdrago clenched its fists and slammed them down on Heavy Knight of the Flame, crushing it into embers.
"I activate Gemini Trap Hole!" The burger joint began to shake, and a fissure opened up in the ground, right underneath the Unseelie's field. "Since my Gemini was an effect monster when you destroyed it, this card destroys all your monsters!"
"You little-!" Temptress Maiden screamed in rage. "I activate my effect! If I would be destroyed, I can destroy another monster I control with Maiden Counters instead!" Black Brutdrago shattered, but she remained. "Now I'll destroy your other monster!" The Unseelie fired a blast of dark energy, destroying Raptinus.
"You're officially on my last nerve." She said, ending her turn.
"It's my turn! I draw!" Tyler made a big show out of drawing this time, smiling when he saw that the despair was wearing off. Some of the Joystealer's victims were starting to brighten up, entertained by the duel. "I activate Dark Factory of Mass Production! So I can add two Normal Monsters from my graveyard to my hand." The cards slid out of his discard slot, and he picked them up.
"Now, prepare to see the newest evolution in dueling!" Two new card zones appeared on his card tray, one on each side, and he placed two cards in them. "I load the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 2 Gemini Champion and the Scale 7 Gemini Drake!" Two pillars of light appeared next to him, each one containing a monster suspended in mid-air. The first monster was a scrappy young warrior in black and white clothing, and underneath him was a runic number 2. The second was a four-legged dragon with no wings and golden scales; underneath it was a 7, in the same font.
"What in the nine hells is this?" Temptress Maiden asked, confused. She moved Arabella, checking the screen on her Duel Disk. "Pendulum Monsters?"
"Yep! This is the brand new summoning method, straight off the printing press!" Tyler explained. "I'm allowed to summon monsters from Level 3 through 6, all at the same time!" Combustion Gladiator and Dark Valkyria returned to the field, looking visibly upset. "It's time to end this duel! I Gemini Summon my gladiator, and then I'll activate his effect!" The lizardman hissed at Temptress Maiden, and spat a fireball at her feet.
"By dropping 500 Life Points, I can negate your effect until the end of the turn!" Temptress Maiden gasped as her ATK dropped to 0. "Attack!" Gladiator pulled a short sword out of its armor and sliced the wicked fairy in two.
"I activate Heartbreak!" Her face down card lifted up, and exploded. When the dust settled, Tyler's monsters were still on the field.
"Gemini Drake stops my Geminis from being destroyed outside of battle." He said, before noticing that Arabella had fallen down. He ran over to her and helped her up, noticing a significant difference.
Her skin had changed back to its original color, a dark tan, and when she opened her eyes, they were brown, not orange. "I'm free!" She cheered, wrapping her arms around the Shadowchaser, much to his surprise.
"You're welcome." Tyler smiled, being reminded of one of his sisters. "Do you want to continue the duel?" She shook her head, hitting the surrender button on her disk.
(ALP X) - (TLP 1400)
As everyone in Pandora's Box began to cheer up, Tyler picked up his cards and sat down, ready to finally get that lunch he had come for. "Love this job." He said to himself, shuffling his deck.
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The first minion of the Ebon Sun goes down. Will Kim and Sabrina be as lucky?
I know, but you can find out in the next chapter, Burden of the Mighty!
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Anime original cards-
Card of Variation: *a card floating in water*
Card Type- Spell
Spell/Trap Type- Normal
Text- Draw 2 cards. During your End Phase, either discard 1 card or take 3000 damage.
First Appeared: GX anime, "Primal Instinct"
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Maiden in Love: *young-ish girl in a fancy dress, with waist length curly brown hair*
Card Type- Effect Monster
Monster Type- Spellcaster
Level- 2
Attribute- LIGHT
ATK/DEF- 400/300
Text- This face-up Attack Position card cannot be destroyed by battle. If this card battles an opponent's monster, place 1 Maiden Counter on that monster at the end of the Damage Step.
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Cupid's Kiss: *small, blonde cherub with a golden bow, superimposed over a cartoon heart*
Card Type- Spell
Spell/Trap Type- Equip
Text- If the equipped monster battles an opponent's monster with a Maiden Counter and you take Battle Damage from that battle, take control of that monster at the end of the Damage Step. You can only use this effect of "Cupid's Kiss" once per turn.
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Happy Marriage: *a pair of wedding bells*
Card Type- Spell
Spell/Trap Type- Equip
Text- Equip only to "Maiden in Love". When this card is activated, target 1 monster you control that is owned by your opponent. The equipped monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of the targeted monster.
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Defense Maiden: *female knight with long red hair, carrying an enormous shield*
Card Type- Trap
Spell/Trap Type- Continuous
Text- While you control a face-up "Maiden in Love", your opponent cannot select other monsters you control as an attack target.
The following cards were all used by Blair Flannigan in the GX episode "The Maiden in Love".
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Cards I invented-
Combustion Gladiator: *muscular lizard man wearing scarlet, Roman-style armor*
Card Type- Gemini Monster
Monster Type- Reptile
Level- 4
Attribute- FIRE
ATK/DEF- 1700/1200
Text- This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the GY. While this card is a Normal Monster on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be treated as an Effect Monster with this effect: Once per turn, you can pay 500 Life Points, then Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. That monster's effects are negated, until the End Phase.
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Gemini Champion: *scrappy young warrior in black and white clothing*
Card Type- Pendulum Monster
Monster Type- Warrior
Attribute- DARK
Level- 2
ATK/DEF- 1200/800
Scale- 2/2
Pendulum Effect- ?
Text- ?
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Gemini Drake: *golden dragon with four legs and no wings*
Card Type- Pendulum Monster
Monster Type- Dragon
Attribute- LIGHT
Level- 5
ATK/DEF- 2100/1400
Scale- 7/7
Pendulum Effect- Gemini monsters you control cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects.
Text- ?
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Box of Chocolates: *an unseen man handing over a large box of chocolates to Maiden in Love*
Card Type- Spell
Spell/Trap Type- Normal
Text- Place 1 Maiden Counter on a face-up monster your opponent controls. If you control a monster with a Maiden Counter on it, you can use this effect twice. You can only activate 1 "Box of Chocolates" per turn.
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Heartbreak: *burning photograph depicting Maiden in Love and an unseen man*
Card Type- Trap
Spell/Trap Type- Normal
Text- Activate only when a face-up "Maiden in Love" you control is destroyed by an opponent's card or effect. Destroy all monsters on the field.
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Maiden's Friend: *handsome bishounen in a Japanese school uniform, resembling a shoujo manga character*
Card Type- Effect Monster
Monster Type- Spellcaster
Level- 2
Attribute- LIGHT
ATK/DEF- 500/500
Text- When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, place 1 Maiden Counter on this card, then you can Special Summon 1 "Maiden in Love" from your hand or Deck in face-up Attack Position. You can only use this effect of "Maiden's Friend" once per turn. While you control this face-up card, "Maiden in Love" you control cannot be destroyed or targeted by your opponent's card effects. During each of your Standby Phases, increase your Life Points by 300 for each Maiden Counter on the field.
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Maiden's Rival: *doppelganger of Maiden in Love, this time wearing a pink dress and with a cruel expression*
Card Type- Effect Monster
Monster Type- Spellcaster
Level- 2
Attribute- LIGHT
ATK/DEF- 800/600
Text- This face-up card's name is treated as "Maiden in Love". During each of your Standby Phases, inflict 300 damage to your opponent for each Maiden Counter on the field. While your opponent controls a monster with a Maiden Counter on it, this card cannot be selected as an attack target. If you control a face-up "Maiden in Love" or "Maiden's Friend", you can Special Summon this card from your hand. You can only use this effect of "Maiden's Rival" once per turn.
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Maiden's Pet: *small, fluffy white kitten with a pink ribbon tied around its tail*
Card Type- Effect Monster
Monster Type- Spellcaster
Level- 2
Attribute- LIGHT
ATK/DEF- 0/0
Text- FLIP: Add 1 "Maiden" monster, or 1 Spell or Trap Card that specifically lists "Maiden in Love" in its text, from your Deck to your hand.
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Love Triangle: *Maiden in Love and Maiden's Rival glaring at each other, each grabbing one arm of Maiden's Friend, who looks flustered*
Card Type- Spell
Spell/Trap Type- Normal
Text- If you control a face-up "Maiden in Love", "Maiden's Rival", or "Maiden's Friend", you can Special Summon up to 2 "Maiden" monsters from your hand or Deck with different names from each other and that monster. You can only activate 1 "Love Triangle" each turn.
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Bouquet Toss: *Maiden in Love, wearing a wedding dress, throwing her bouquet into a waiting crowd*
Card Type- Spell
Spell/Trap Type- Normal
Text- Draw 1 card for every Maiden Counter on the field. If you draw 3 or more cards with this effect, your opponent can draw 1 card. You can only activate 1 "Bouquet Toss" each turn.
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Temptress Maiden: *older Maiden in Love, wearing a black dress and a tiara*
Card Type- Xyz Monster
Monster Type- Spellcaster
Level- Rank 2
Attribute- DARK
ATK/DEF- ?/?
Text- "Maiden in Love" + 1 Level 2 monster. This card's name is always treated as "Maiden in Love". When this card is Xyz Summoned, its original ATK & DEF become equal to the number of Maiden Counters on the field x 500. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, take control of 1 face-up monster your opponent controls that has a Maiden Counter on it. If this card would be destroyed, you can destroy 1 other monster you control that has a Maiden Counter on it instead.
(Dark Card)