Shadowchasers: Conspiracy

by 0ccam's Razor

A fanfic of the Shadowchasers by Cyber Commander. Odd things are happening, and Shadowchasers all over the world are encountering criminals with strange and peculiar goals. Is a conspiracy afoot, or is some deeper plot in the works?

61. Wannabe

Hey, everyone!

I'm not dead, seriously. A few issues have come up over the past months (including a new expansion of World of Warcraft) and I've been SWAMPED. Still, I always finish what I start, and I'm now into the homestretch.

So enjoy!

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Eden had always walked alone.

For her entire life - one that spanned thousands of years - she had trusted nobody while expecting none from others. She had been focused on her goal with a tenacity and dedication that even a platonic - ironically - would have admired.

She had worked with others beings times, calling them "allies", "associates", and maybe even "partners". But never "friends". She knew what the word meant, but not its connotations. She'd only used the word for her own ends, gaining "friends" to use and manipulate when she saw the need, leaving them behind when she did not. In the end, she always worked alone.

And she had, at first, seen the same that day when her jailer - the Damned Magician Girl - was replaced, the title passed to someone calling herself Belle...

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Chapter 60

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Wannabe

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If there was one thing Freddy Krueger loathed almost as much as being forgotten, it was being bored. Ever since his 'employer' had sent him to this pocket dimension all he could do was pace, grumble and curse. His claws were clattering restlessly as his fingers occasionally twitched longing to sink his blades into some idiot teenager like he used to back...

...home.

Freddy came to a stop and threw up his arms in exasperation. "I don't believe this, I finally get a chance to leave that shit-hole Elm Street, and now I'm somewhere that makes me miss the place! I haven't killed a damn thing since I got here (not for lack of trying) and all anybody seems to want to do is play card games and yammer on about machines!"

The Dream Master let out a rather uncharacteristic sigh, looking for lack of a better word miserable. Sure things had their fair share of ups and downs back home, but at least there he had a purpose. Imagine his surprise when a glowing portal opened up in front of him shimmering with golden and silver luminescence.

Normally Freddy didn't go near anything that looked so...benign looking if he could help it, but on the other side of the portal he could feel the siren call of his own dimension beckoning him to return.

So, it came down to a choice, either Freddy could stay here unshackled by the whims of a script and wait for a second chance that may never come, or he could go back to his roots and take up the old routine in an endless cycle of death, rebirth and gratuitous murder.

With an expression that could almost be called happy, Freddy Krueger walked through the portal, and right before it closed behind him, he stuck out his clawed hand with the middle blade extended on the off chance anyone was watching his departure.

"Freddy's out bitch!"

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"Yeah, well, when your next few movies are box-office bombs, buddy, don't expect a ride back." Karl ended the sentence by hitting the ESC key to close the portal.

He tossed the DVD for A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (which most horror fans had long considered the final descent movie in the franchise) and picked up the one for The Matrix Reloaded.

"Delores, you there?" he asked, his Duel Disk system activating.

"We took Voldemort's wand from the vault, Karl," came the reply, "but he'll likely make a move for it if it leaves HQ."

"That's the idea," replied Karl, "we're gonna use it to trap him. Send it somewhere close to New York City where civilians aren't likely to be, and I'm sure I'll have this thing set by then. The sewers might be a good idea."

"Karl, if'n I can make a suggestion?" asked Douglas.

"Shoot," replied Karl.

"Wouldn't it be better ta send these folks to a place they can'a cause trouble?"

"Certainly, Douglas, Voldemort would likely be harmless in a setting where magic simply didn't exist, but we have a limited amount of sources to work with." He gestured to the stack of media sources. "Given our location, we can't simply make a run to the Netflix distributor. Besides," he hit the ESC key again, closing the portal to Agent Smith's reality, "saddling one world with another's problems isn't what we do."

"Ready when you are, Karl," said Dolores' voice again.

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"Beautiful…" gasped Sofia.

Using such a word to describe the vast garden they had stepped in would be an understatement. It was tempting later for them to compare the place to the mythic Garden of Eden. Orchards of trees with branches weighed down by fruit stood among flowers of brilliant hues and the sweetest smells. A warm sun overhead was tempered by a gentle breeze that seemed to cause a melodious sound as it blew through the grasses and shrubs. Could such a place not be Paradise?

Still, the Garden was supposed to be a place unspoiled by man, where Adam and Eve were banished from after being polluted by Sin, and thus, this garden sadly did not qualify. There were far too many signs of it being tended. It had stone paths bordered by fancy mesh gates, and winding, babbling brook was spanned by wooden bridges. Cool fountains flanked the sides, and topiary sculptures of nymphs and fauns stood by the paths.

Most imposing were the enormous topiary-stone combinations that they could see from a distance, about the size of houses. One was a woman in a half-sitting position, another a centaurian man with antlers, yet another a woman kneeling with her hands together, a sparkling waterfall falling from the hands. They seemed welcoming, but a little too lifelike.

"Well, at least we won't starve," said Hank, his eyes on one of the large fruit trees. "So many…"

Indeed, the branches of the trees bore the most delicious-looking fruit imaginable. Figs, apples, pears, peaches, plums, and apricots all seemed within easy reach, tempting them. Some of the gates and arches even had vines with bunches of grapes.

"DON'T!" snapped Eden, startling him.

"Eden is right," affirmed Prospero. "Nobody eat or drink anything, this looks a little too inviting."

Philip unfolded the map again. "Well, at least the path is laid out. We just have to follow 'Memory Lane' as it is, until we get to the 'Road of Regret'."

"As in, you have no idea where we're going?" asked Francis. "Swell."

"It's Memory Lane, everyone," said Eden, ominously. Everyone turned to her, as she looked towards one of the distant sculptures. Then she started walking. "Before you walk down the Road of Regrets, you have to remember them…"

She started to walk off the path, and Sofia interrupted. "What do you - Eden!"

The gautiere had disappeared.

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"Yo, what's this thing?"

While Nitro was working with the chemicals, the other three gangsters had gotten pretty bored. Drago had wandered to the side wall of the room, following the mine cart tracks, and had found something odd.

It looked like the tracks ended at an archway made of white stone, the type that would act as moorings for a large door. But there was no door, just more of the concrete, brick wall. It was as if someone planned to guide the carts right through the wall.

"Think it's a portal or something?" asked curiously tapped the surface.

"Might," said Uomo. He looked up and around. "Given how much stuff is in this place, they'd need a few to transport it."

"Will you guys please just not touch anything?" shouted Fanciullo.

"S'okay boss, I'm almost done," said Nitro. "Uh, if I were you, I'd put that on."

He was indicating a chemical lab safety mask, much like the one he was wearing, along with goggles and gloves. As Fanciullo complied, he poured two tubes of red liquids into a larger beaker with a vicious blue liquid, which was being heated by a bunsen burner. The combined liquid bubbled and started to emit an eerie green smoke as Nitro pulled off the gloves.

"Okay, chief, here's the deal," he started. "Mithril is about 90% the hardness of bloodsilver. Now, just pretend for a minute this alloy used mithril instead of bloodsilver. If I were to use this stuff on it," he snapped his fingers, "like a hot knife through butter."

"It's that caustic?" asked the don. He kept watching the bubbling liquid, and it changed to a dull green.

"Yeah, but the stuff we need it to melt ain't mithril, that's the problem. Still," he looked at what was left of the android Diogenes had intended to download his soul into. "Think we can test it…"

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Viola held the Fusion Recovery card, concentrating. She looked to her left and right, then shook her head.

She shook her head, giving it back to Jennifer. "Sorry everyone, but Find the Path is as stumped as I am. Seems concepts like direction and distance are different here."

Philip rubbed his chin, looked around, at the trees and shrubs. "Maybe…" he thought.

"Philip?" interrupted Sofia. "Where -"

The rest of what she'd said was garbled. "Sofia?" he asked.

Where did she go?

He opened his eyes. Had he closed them? The spring weather turned a little chillier, and the trees and flowers got darker, less pleasant. "Philip? Please… Where are you?"

He closed his eyes again, and heard the phrase a second time, in a sad tone. Then it gave way to sobbing…

"Sofia?"

Five years ago…

Filet mignon with balsamic glaze; simply getting the right ingredients had been difficult, and I had made if five times before sending you the invitation, just to make sure it was right. Getting the flowers was even harder, and I had scrapped the plan to hire a violinist only because I was afraid of what a witness might hear.

I didn't truly know the exact reason I had gone to such expense to prepare. Either I was going to ask you to marry me, or I was going to confess why I had to leave. Maybe I had even entertained the thought of asking if you wanted to come. But what would I have done if you refused?

Long story short, I couldn't do either...

He woke up as Sofia slapped him. "PHILIP!" shouted Sofia. "S'okay everyone, he's awake."

"OW!" he said. "I… Sofia, you're beautiful!"

Then he kissed her.

"Uh, we missing something?" asked Hank.

"No, no, I know the path," he said. "This way!"

And he had. It was clear now. The Temple was as much a mental construct as a physical one.

When you walk down Memory Lane, you're sure to peer into the Road of Regrets once or twice. That was how you found it.

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Back at the prison work yard.

"You know, Yuri," said Kei with a tired and sad smile. "At very least, you got what you wanted from all this."

Yuri turned to look at her, momentarily putting her shovel down, and sweat pouring down her face.

"You know, how you always complain how we never get enough exercise on our time off…"

Yuri's hands gripped the shovel tightly. She looked at the security guard, who was listening on her mobile while watching them. She wondered if this was the type of world where a judge might approve of punishing the two of them with trial by combat...

"Yo, Angels!" shouted the guard. They stopped, standing up straight at attention.

"That was your lawyer. Move."

Kei was about to ask "why", but Yuri made a zipping motion across her lips, and she shut it.

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"That was quick."

The current Damned Magician Girl - the one Eden knew as Beatrice - was lounging under one of the giant topiaries, where a table and chairs had been set up. A teapot and plate of cookies were set on it, untouched for now.

Eden clenched her fist, realizing that Paradise had to include a Serpent.

"I learn quick," she said. "And I have a lot of regrets. One of them being the dozen or so times I passed up a chance to strangle you."

"But I'm guessing what happened to Belle was the one that led you here," said Beatrice with a sigh. She slowly poured the tea as she spoke. "Well, Eden, the gazebo here is the entrance to the physical embodiment of the Road of Regrets, and beyond that, the Pathway to Oblivion. Know why the Temple is set up that way?" She sipped the tea, waiting for a response, but got none.

"Because, if you stray too long down the Road of Regrets, you get lost in them. The regrets themselves overpower you and suck you in, drawing you deeper into obsession and despair. Sooner or later, you slip off the Road, and plummet deep into the Pathway to Oblivion. And after that, Madness."

"It's more than a metaphor, Eden. That's the whole reason Antisthenes started to malfunction in the first place. In fact, that's why most misguided platonics become that way. Ever hear the story of Qal Ulvik the Unholy?"

"The lich lord?" asked Eden.

"Indeed, he was a lich, but before he became one, he had already prolonged his life far longer than the human norm via horrid necromantic rituals that had killed hundreds of innocents. Eventually, a marut appeared, a platonic who hunts down and slays those who take extreme methods to cheat the Reaper.

"But Qal Ulvik wasn't dumb. He posed the marut his own version of a well-known paradox. Is the being who controls Law itself a lawful being?"

Eden had heard that one before, a very old philosophical problem often associated with Socrates. It wasn't as easy to answer as it seemed. If the theoretical being was indeed lawful, it meant is was following laws it did not create, meaning it was not infallible. But the alternative was that the being who controlled Law was itself lawless.

"Qal Ulvik had hoped the question would stall the creature enough to escape, but it worked too well. The marut spent over five centuries rooted to the spot pondering the question and trying to find an answer. By the time it remembered its mission, it had gone insane and misguided, while Qal Ulvik had become a lich of almost overwhelming power.

"Belle was heading down the path too."

"Are you trying to convince me it was a mercy kill?" asked Eden, getting annoyed.

"I'm saying, you're headed that way as well!" snapped Beatrice. She stood up, her hand on her wand, ready to use it should Eden make a rush at her, which seemed likely. "You think you'd be happy if you found the answers? The reason the tiere's god betrayed them? Like I said, regret leads to obsession, and that leads to madness. You claim to seek purpose? You have one, and it's consuming you!"

"Maybe that's why I want to finish it."

The blunt reply wasn't quite what Beatrice had expected. She sighed and turned while waving her hand.

The landscape started to shake, and the sky got darker...

The spell Beatrice had cast was causing something to rise from the ground. Below the two of them. First, spires of a jagged, white material that looked like ice pierced through at slight angles, turning into four into tall clusters about ten feet tall and twenty feet apart. Eden saw the four Memory Crystals, mounted in the apex of each.

Then the ground formed a square patio-like grid of the same material, lifting them up slightly. A second, larger one formed under that, then a third and a fourth under that, placing them on a wide dais.

"There you go," said Beatrice. "This platform we're on exists simultaneously in Memory Lane and the Road of Regrets. Just step up here, and you can step off onto whichever side you choose." A cold wind blew across the field, and the idyllic garden seemed far less comfortable.

"Knock yourself out." She sat down again,

"You're just letting me pass?" asked Eden, suspiciously.

Beatrice nodded as she sipped her tea again. "Of course, like I said, you'll only get lost. You've noticed by now that this entire Temple isn't just a physical place. The Road of Regrets is a manifestation of your fears and doubts, and even if they don't consume you, the Pathway to Oblivion is worse. It's where those feelings give way to hate and anger, and eventually to insanity and ruin. Go to far, and you risk your very soul."

"Let me guess, you know the safe path?"

Beatrice nodded. "I was something I learned from Belle that she never got a chance to tell you." She stood up. "She learned quite a bit that she couldn't share with anybody."

"And the hunk of tin downloaded all that into your mind," said Eden with a scowl.

"Yeah, I'm his 'backup copy', remember? I'm willing to part with it, Eden, and here's my proposition." He looked over at the table, where she'd left her Duel Disk. "I'll wager what I learned from Belle, if you ante up what you learned from her."

"You want to learn to use Wild Magic?" exclaimed Eden.

Beatrice started shuffling her deck. " Antisthenes wouldn't give me that, but you still have it because Belle taught you the old-fashioned way. You might say I want the complete file."

"I thought it's already been established, Beatrice, Wild Magic and Axiomatic Magic don't combine well."

"So says the eternal enemies of the Scions of Chaos," replied Beatrice. "Nobody questions their knowledge on the matter, but… Well, you know what they say, Eden, angels never lie, but that doesn't mean they have to speak the complete truth. Maybe they combine better than they claim."

"What are you saying?"

"The Guvners strive to find Law in all things, and study probability and statistics, using it with their skills in wizardry to uncover loopholes in the very fabric of reality. They turn math into magic! And they claim its all via study of Law. They claim Chaos is their arch-nemesis, but I beg to differ. A skilled Wild Mage can alter probability and sway the whims of Chaos in their favor. Think about it, Eden, you use Chaos to control Law! Just like the Guvners claim there are Laws that govern the Abyss, but can never find what they are. You ever hear of the unified field theory?"

"Okay, okay," exclaimed Eden, " first of all, you're crazy. Second," she lifted her Duel Disk. "You wanted to duel me? I always figured we'd throw down sooner or later, and later…"

As Beatrice activated her weapon, the overhead clouds rumbled.

(Eden: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - - (Beatrice: 8,000)

"...and I gotta say, it's been a long time coming. DRAW!"

She whipped the first card off her deck, and played one, causing a funny-looking toy tank with mean-looking eyes and hands with clenched fists to roll in front of her. (1,500 ATK)

"Pretty lackluster monster for such a boast," said Beatrice.

"Shut up," said Eden. She set two cards behind Tankroid, then waved her hand. "Be my guest."

"I draw a card, then summon this lady," started Beatrice.

"Hel-lo!" squealed Tour Guide of the Underworld as she appeared, waving playfully at Eden. (1,000 ATK) The look from the gautiere was not flattering.

"Come on, lighten up," said Beatrice. There was a eager sounding chittering noise, and Sangan hopped up and started bouncing next to Tour Guide. (1,000 ATK) "Says a lot when my monsters are cheerier than my opponent! Anyway, I'll activate the Continuous Spell Card, Unstable Polymer, and with that in place, I'll use Polymerization Sangan with my Witch of the Black Forest!"

Eden watched the two monsters closely as they merged together. In a flash, the two had become the cute, cowled, three-eyed Sanwitch. (2,100 ATK)

"Here we go..." replied Beatrice, Images of about five or six cards, all of them with 1,500 Attack Points or fewer, appeared in front of her through her D-Gazer. "First we have Sangan's effect to deal with…" She touched one of them and it appeared with the rest of her hand.

Then, she nodded to Sanwitch, and it waved its staff, shooting a darkfire bolt at Tankroid and blowing it to burning metal and melted plastic.

"Seems the warranty on that vehicle just expired."

"You wish!" replied Eden. "Tankroid has an extended warranty, so I get a refund in the form of one draw!"

She drew, and the corner of her mouth turned upward. Flash Knight! she thought. Almost there...

(E: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 8,000)

"EDEN!" yelled Sofia's voice.

"Ugh, can never do this without drawing a crowd," sighed Beatrice.

As Eden's allies started to run up the knoll, the eyes of the four Memory Crystals started to look menacing.

"Don't like the look of that," said Francis.

"Everyone, don't worry, i've got this!" warned Eden.

"Eden, uh," said Hank.

"I said I'll handle it!" she interrupted. "Now back off or I'll kick your ass later!"

"I'm not gonna stop her," said Prospero, backing away.

"I owe this bitch one," said Eden, turning back to Beatrice.

"I gotta say, you got guts," said Beatrice. She set two other cards. "Now, because I used Unstable Polymer, Sanwitch is the only monster who can attack for now, so I'll set those, and end."

"Then it's my move!" announced Eden. She drew, and let out a small cry of delight. "Time to balance it out again!"

The two Pendulum Zones on her Disk opened, and like before, the two columns of light appeared, Foucault's Cannon to her left, Flash Knight on the right, the giant Pendulum swinging between them.

'Goose-bumps," said Sofia.

"I gotta say, Eden, I'm impressed," said Beatrice, crossing her arms with a smarmy smirk. "Most players I've dueled don't catch onto a fad until it's almost passe."

"Yeah, fads, like the whole card game supposedly was."

"Touche."

"I Pendulum Summon Steamroid and Turboroid!" shouted Eden, two Vehicroids rolling into position. The first was the familiar locomotive (1,800 ATK), the second a jet plane with a green hull. (1,400 ATK)

"Now for some roid rage! Run that Spellcaster down!"

Steamroid fixated on the Fusion Monster, and a clanging noise and flashing lights broadcast a warning as it chugged head-on at its foe."

"Think again. With Unstable Polymer in play, my Fusion Monster is invincible."

Beatrice twinged a little as the Machine smashed into the Spellcaster, who grunted and strained, but eventually pushed Steamroid away.

Turboroid, however, had something else to say on the matter, blasting twin rockets that exploded around Tour Guide, who shrieked before collapsing on her behind. She held her head in a daze before shattering.

(E: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 7,400)

Eden went on, with a Spell Card. "Now I'm using Iron Draw."

She lifted her right hand, and an iron, mechanical glove formed around it. "With exactly two Machines in play, I draw twice." As she looked over the two draws and switched them to her other hand, the glove shattered. "I'll set one more, and end."

"Which means the true effect of Unstable Polymer comes into play, and I can banish it and Sanwitch to bring both Witch and Sangan back."

The befuddled Spellcaster started to dissolve into white, wispy smoke as the card behind it broke apart, and the smoke turned into the two Fusion Materials, the three-eyed critter and the serene, dark witch. (1,000 ATK, 1,100 ATK)

"Of course, they can neither attack nor use their effects while they're here."

"Yeah, I notice you didn't mention that those two monsters have Graveyard Effects," noted Jennifer.

"As Antisthenes will attest," said Beatrice, as she drew a card, "rules don't have to get in your way, and they won't, once you learn how to use them! Of course, I also can't Fusion Summon this turn, so I'll give Witch the Wonder Wand."

She used the Equip, and a long wand tipped with a green orb formed in Witch's hand. (1,600 ATK) "Now I can use its effect, and sacrifice Witch, to draw twice." The Dark sorceress shattered, and she made two draws. "Plus I get a card from Witch's effect."

"That's actually… Pretty clever," said Hank.

"Yeah, Belle taught me the same trick," growled Eden.

"Calling me a thief now, Eden?" asked Beatrice. She waited for a reply, but got none, so she simply shrugged, using another Spell Card. The glowing, gentle form of Fairy of the Spring appeared behind her, and she took Wonder Wand again. Then she used Fusion Recovery, taking Polymerization and Witch as well.

Finally, she moved Sangan's card, causing it to defend with its claws. (800 DEF) Then she set a monster, and nodded to Eden.

Probably the Witch again, thought Eden. Well, best get it over with.

She drew then pointed at the set monster, and Steamroid made a rush for it… However, when it flipped up, it was not what she had expected. A vase with a goofy smile appeared with a mad, cackling laugh.

"DICE JAR?" shouted Eden.

"That's right!" replied Beatrice. "Surprised? Well, good, now we both roll one dice. Lets see if your luck holds out."

"How's this one work again?" asked Francis.

"They both roll a die," said Prospero, "and whoever rolls lower takes damage equal to the winner's roll times 500. Still, I'd personally put money on Eden for this."

The two dice rolled, bouncing, then coming to a stop. Eden's was a 5, Beatrice had a three.

"Looks like it held out fine," said Eden. The Dice Jar turned towards Beatrice, who smirked at it.

"Check again," she said.

Then, her die glowed with shadow, and tipped over, turning to the 6.

"What…" said Eden. Then she saw Eden's Trap Card.

"It's a potent Trap called That Six, Eden. I can use it every time a card requiring a die is used. It can change a 1, 3, or 5 to a 6, or a 2, 4, or 6 to a 1. Oh, and by the way, a 6 result for Dice Jar does 6,000 points of damage."

"NO FAIR!" screamed Eden. However, the Dice Jar itself clearly did not agree, spinning around and lashing its tongue at Eden, coiling around her like a constrictor snake. It started to squeeze.

"Like I said, Eden, once you know exactly how all the rules work, you're practically unstoppable…"

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"Leggo of me you fuckin' shitbag!" screamed Trevor.

"I said, MOVE it!" ordered Curt, giving the handcuffed criminal a shove as he was marched down the station hallway.

"When I get out of here, I'm gonna -" he started.

He was cut off as Curt belted him in the face. The portal from the Pan Dimensional Homing Device - leading back to Vice City, if Karl aimed right - started to appear.

"Listen, Trevor, on my turf, we aren't impressed by your threats, and we aren't going to take your shit, got it?"

He lifted the criminal to his feet. "And there's your ride, so consider this game over. BYE."

He slugged the crook again, knocking the notorious killer back to where, he hoped, the law enforcement of his world would find him.

The Duel Disk on his sleeve beeped. He wiped sweat from his brow and answered it. "That you, Hudson?"

Back at the TARDIS, Karl was still typing. "Affirmative, thanks again, Curt." He stopped to rest for a minute himself. "Just one more to go, then we can work on finding Jalal..."

"Arguably the hardest task," added SAL.

Karl nodded, looking over the stack of DVDs, magazines, and books as he did so. Of course, he had no idea on his end which of these the Device had used then - if it was any - and he hadn't exactly tried using the Device in the "proper" way before now.

Hopefully they would learn fast...

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"This could well be a very brutal duel," said Prospero, gravely. "And likely a short one."

Eden was on her knees, panting for breath. She looked briefly at her allies, feeling humiliated and ashamed. Not from nearly losing the duel in one powerful hit, but because she had proven Beatrice's point by carelessly falling right into her trap.

(E: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 7,400)

"Seriously, Eden, it's only been four turns! If this was a pro circuit duel I'm sure the fans would want their money back."

Eden struggled to her feet, turned the card on her Disk to move Turboroid to Defense Mode (1,800 DEF) and then slammed a card into her Spell Zone, causing a set card to appear. "THERE'S my move. No go."

'Suit yourself," said Beatrice. She drew, then took the drawn card and another card. "Would be a shame to let these new cards go to waste anyway. I activate the Pendulum Monsters, Mild Turkey and Ghost Beef!"

Everyone, Eden included, was shocked to see the two columns of light appear to either side of Eden, but the shock turned to more of revulsion when two monsters appeared that were bizarre even for Duel Monster standards. The first was a cooked turkey, wearing a conical party hat and dancing in its column on its drumsticks. The second was a phantom steer with a chef's hat and a garland collar, holding a pair of carving knives.

"What...the legitimate fuck?" said Sofia.

"Yes, put a gnome in charge of designing a card, and you get weird cards," said Beatrice. "Nonetheless, I've used these Pendulum Monsters to set a Scale of my own."

"Not a very good one," added Eden. "Your Scale is set from 4 to 7, meaning you can only Pendulum Summon Level 5 and 6 monsters."

"True, but these Pendulums have special effects. Watch…"

She opened her hand, revealing two more dice. "Ghost Beef and Mild Turkey can alter their Scales with a dice roll, once per turn. I roll for each, and then with the results, I subtract from Turkey and add to Beef."

She tossed the two dice and they bounced and skipped, one die rolling towards Turkey and coming up 5, the other rolling towards Beef and hitting 3. Beatrice smiled again as the dark shadow from her Trap tipped both over to sixes."

As a result, the Scale widened. Now reaching from 1 to 10.

"Well, that problem was certainly solved, wasn't it?" asked Beatrice.

"What is this bitch trying to prove?" asked Jennifer, who sounded annoyed.

"Exactly what she said she'd prove," replied Prospero, ominously. "She's using a prearranged system as a way of controlling chance, and may God forgive me for saying this, it works!"

"Funny you should mention Him," said Beatrice. "Dr. Zweinstein once paraphrased Einstein and said that God doesn't roll dice, but he forgot to check with God on that. Nothing ever said God can't favor a duelist who takes a chance. But when you control the roll of a dice you can do anything! Once you learn the Laws that control Chaos, you can reshape reality! You can rule reality!"

"You're nuts," said Eden.

"And you're finished!" laughed her foe. "I Pendulum Summon Witch of the Black Forest, Legion the Fiend Jester, and last but not least, ah-heh, well…"

Witch, naturally, was an only too-common sight (1,100 ATK), while Legion the Fiend Jester was recognizable, a thin spindly doll with no face and a jester's foolscap. (1,500 ATK) The third monster to appear, however, was her card, Damned Magician Girl. (2,000 ATK)

But… This was not a reflection of the duelist. The outfit was the same, but the woman wearing it was not, and the gentle, kind, regretful expression didn't match Beatrice at all.

"Belle…" said Viola. If any doubt was left in her mind - or Prospero's or Philip's - that they and Eden had the same mentor, this erased all of it.

"What?" said Beatrice. "Heh, please, it's just a card, folks, it's not like I would ever, say, trap someone's soul in a card... Probably, most likely wouldn't, in most cases..." Eden did not like how she said that. "Course, if I did, would it be wise to cross me?" She tossed her two dice in the air, then snatched them again in her fist with an evil expression.

Again, no reply from anyone, so she went on, using her recovered Polymerization. "Time to bring someone back for an encore." Sangan and Witch of the Black Forest dissolved again, causing Sanwitch to appear, also causing two more cards to be added to Beatrice's ample resources. (2,100 ATK)

Then she used Wonder Wand again, this time arming Legion with it. (2,000 ATK) "Sacrificing this guy lets me take a Normal Spellcaster Monster from my deck," she said. "Like Cosmo Queen!"

"Okay, Beatrice, I didn't call you a thief before," snapped Eden, "but I am now. That's Belle's car and we both know it."

"Well I have it now, and I found a way to use it that she never dreamed of. See, by discarding a Normal Monster, I can bring out the Cosmo Brain!"

As she tossed the card, the angry clouds over the garden cleared, but the sky turned even darker, into a night sky. A beautiful panorama of stars and a wispy aurora stretched over the celestial dome above them, in what was the most spectacular night sky any of the assembled Shadowchasers had ever seen.

But, there was an ominous feeling of dread in the air, As they looked back at the dais, smoke rose around Beatrice, and the two Spellcasters in front of her lifted their staffs, calling lightning down from the heavens. The smoke blew into a funnel, which shaped itself into a spiral. The spiral became a small - proportionately - galaxy

Rising out of this odd spiral was a mysterious, eerie figure. It looked somewhat like Cosmo Queen, but with a conical helmet version of her headdress, a long, billowing cloak, and the tabard covering the lower part of its face. It held a staff in its thin, spindly arms with a curvy haft and an odd sigil-shape on the other end with three pink rubies. As Eden looked the Spellcaster in its eyes, she saw a soul that had delved into secrets that had been hidden by races even older than the tierre… (1,500 ATK)

"Cosmo Brain's Attack Score may not be very impressive along, but it gains 200 more for each Level of the monster I discarded." (3,100 ATK)

"Okay, I've got monsters with 2,000, 2,100 and 3,100, your Steamroid is in Attack Mode and you have 1,400 Life Points left. Given my skills at math, I'd say your chances are… squat. Wreck that train!"

The duplicate Damned Magician Girl aimed her scepter at the Machine…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Listen closely, ladies, I don't want to repeat myself here."

Yuri and Kei didn't dare say anything, too afraid now to talk back. The man in the suit whom they'd only spoken to briefly before (although they had heard Dolores use the name "Xavier") adjusted his glasses as Dolores stood nearby. Jabels was watching from the door to the office, ensuring they'd have to get by him if they tried anything.

"I was able to convince the judge that kidnapping was not your intent," continued Xavier, "so he's willing to plea bargain…"

"We're saved!" squeaked Kei.

"...down to assault and endangering the welfare of minors, along with trespassing, distributing liquor without a proper license, and distributing said liquor to said minors. There's also the assault and battery charge and grand theft D-Wheel."

Kei's expression broadcast rather well that she had tempted fate too soon in the last comment.

"Best case scenario, you two are looking at fifteen to thirty."

"Couldn't you arrange for the death penalty?" moaned Kei.

"Quiet!" snapped Yuri.

"Truthfully, I'd love to arrange it," said Dolores, speaking up. "Given what we know of you two, it wouldn't take long for a disaster of cataclysmic proportions to strike. But seeing as that is not how we operate, we're willing to offer this." She pushed a set of forms across her desk.

"We've arranged a way for you to return to where you came from. Just sign here and we'll enact it."

"Uh," said Kei.

"It's a contract stating that you promise never to come back," explained Xavier," putting your superior in charge of disciplining you for this incident. Just sign on the top line of that one and then let him sign the other."

The two Lovely Angels couldn't believe their luck now. "Got a pen?" chirped Kei, eagerly.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I activate Care Package!" exclaimed Eden.

Her Trap lifted, and the Damned Magician Girl in the foreground paused.

"First you draw twice. That's the cost of the card. Then, however, i get to take a Spell Card from your Graveyard and use it right now. I choose Polymerization!"

As Beatrice drew two cards, she lifted her elbow in a slight jerk as a card flew out of her Graveyard, towards Eden, and enlarged to giant size, replacing the Care Package card.

"I'll fuse Steamroid with Gyroid to summon, ahem, Steam Gyroid!"

Steamroid's face became rounder and more human-shaped, forming a wide grin below shifty eyes. A rotary blade encircled its waist as it stood up straighter. (2,200 ATK)

"You have that old thing in your deck?" asked Beatrice. "Seriously, I know a few duelists who have Vehicroids, but they usually leave that one out."

"Yeah, he may not be tough, but he is 200 points tougher than she is," she pointed to Damned Magician Girl, "and one of the oldest rules in Duel Monsters is, higher score wins."

"Here's another old rule. Summoning a monster in the middle of a battle triggers a replay."

Dark Magician Girl diverted her aim, casting her spell at the Turboroid instead and blowing it to little bits. "My Cosmo Brain can attack too, and I only need to land an attack once! Destroy it with Phlogiston Wave!"

Cosmo Brain lifted its staff, and a maelstrom of mighty, stellar energy surrounded it. Its cloak spread, and multicolored burning orbs darted towards the Machine Fusion.

"I activate Limiter Removal!" yelled Eden.

The expression on Beatrice's face at the sight of the all-too-familiar Spell Card was enough to show she should have thought about that more. Steam Gyroid's propellers spun rapidly and its eyes burned as its Attack Score rose to 4,400. The incredible gust from the blades deflected the phlogiston orbs back upon Cosmo Brain, exploding around it until the Spellcaster burst.

"Ugh…" groaned Beatrice. "Well, that could have gone better… I'll end my turn there, meaning the Scale of my two Pendulum Monsters return to normal and the overall Scale is back to 4/7."

"And I'll use Mystik Wok!" replied Eden. Her second Quickplay opened, and Steam Gyroid dissolved into vapor as Eden held her chest and closed her eyes.

"Looks like you'd better recalculate those odds."

(E: 5,800) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 6,100)

"Mmm, true," said Beatrice, "not a bad strategy there, but I wonder… Heh… Heh, heh."

"What?"

"What might have happened had you switched the order of activating those cards? Used Limiter Removal first?"

"What…" said Philip.

"I see what she means," said Sofia, her voice taking a grim tone. "If Eden used Limiter Removal on the first attack, there wouldn't have been a replay, and Steamroid would have defeated Damned Magician Girl. Then she could have defended with Steam Gyroid"

"Lack of judgment, maybe?" asked Beatrice. "Or maybe you just can't get it out of your head that this somehow is Belle, brought back to life and under some dark curse?"

Eden didn't answer the question, and really didn't want to. Truthfully, it was hard to make herself believe that the card wasn't Belle, and it was getting to her. She fit two cards on her Monster Zone, sideways.

"I Pendulum Summon Expressroid and Shovelroid, both in Defense Mode."

The first Vehicroid was the familiar express train (1,600 DEF) while the second was a backhoe with eyes underneath the dipper. (1,500 DEF)

"Then I'll use Expressroid's effect to regain two other roids." She took two cards - Steamroid and Tankroid - from her discard pile. "Turn end."

"Very serious, as always," said Beatrice. She drew, then the two dice rolled again, bouncing towards Mild Turkey and Ghost Beef, both coming up four. "Think I'll pass on using That Six this time, meaning i now have a Scale of 3 to 8. And I'm going to show you the true potential of these cards, and Pendulum Summon Magician's Valkyria, Apprentice Magician, and Breaker the Dark Magical Warrior!"

Eden couldn't help but tremble a little seeing three more Spellcasters appear. The first was a brunette with an outfit much like Dark Magician Girl's, and another was female, with short blonde hair (1,600 ATK) and another in a violent, tight-fitting robe. (400 ATK) The third, however, was new to everyone. In theory, it could be recognized as Breaker, maybe in silhouette. But here, Breaker's robe-armor combination had been replaced by full plate armor with a longer, flowing cape. He had a much larger shield and a longer, nastier sword. The sword had three violet orbs on the hilt lined in a row, the shield had the same three orbs in a triangular pattern, and his armor had them on the chest, waist-guard, and shin-guards. (1,600 ATK)

"Now for that potential. When this version of Breaker is Pendulum Summoned, he gains three Spell Counters, and each gives him 400 Attack Points." (2,800 ATK) "But can use one of them once per turn to, ahem, 'break' a Spell Card."

Breaker lifted his sword, swinging it downwards, and cleaving right through Foucault's Cannon, slicing it in half, causing Eden's whole Pendulum Scale to shatter.

"Yeah, well, in case you didn't know," added Eden, "Flash Knight is still there. Breaking one end of the Scale doesn't destroy the other."

"I know that," replied Beatrice, "so I brought this!"

Using another card caused Breaker to swing his sword in a roundhouse stroke twice destroying both Flash Knight and Mild Turkey.

"Pendulum Overboost lets him expend his Spell Counters all at once and use his effect twice more." (1,600 ATK) Now, before anyone asks why I wrecked my own Scale, the answer is simple. I'm replacing the Turkey with Hallohallo."

The column of light started to rise again, with an eerie, ominous tune, as a jack-o-lantern with a long, armless robe and a witch's hate floated up to replace Mild Turkey, setting the ow end of Beatrice's Scale to 2.

"Now, before I show everyone what he can do, let's bring out a special guest. I'll sacrifice Apprentice Magician to summon Maximum Six!"

The Spellcaster shattered, and there was a guttural grunt, and a huge, muscular, bare-chested, six-armed ogre dropped down from a portal below. It flexed all six of its arms, proudly showing off its muscular abs, with a "VI" tattooed on the left one. (1,900 ATK)

Again, a dice appeared, dropping, and rolling, landing on the 3. Beatrice nodded again to her Trap Card, and it turned to the 6, causing the giant Warrior to beat its chest and flex even harder. (3,100 ATK)

Now, lets see, she thought. I could end this right now, but… Heh, think I can have a little fun if I draw this out more…

"Time for Hallohallo to use that effect," she continued. Another dice appeared, and it started to roll, landing on a 1. Again, Beatrice nodded to the Trap, and it rolled over onto the six. "Hallohallo can change the Level of one of my monsters to that of the die roll; Giving that bonus to Valkyria. And because Pendulum Overboost would destroy Breaker at the end of the turn anyway, I'll Overlay him and Valkyria to summon Norito the Moral Leader!'

"Oh, crap…" muttered Prospero. He watched the two Spellcasters absorbed into the vortex, forming a new one. The young man wore the raiment of a Shinto priest, with a long, grey robe and a tall miter, and a wooden oriental fan. Most unusual, he wore a white, porcelain mask, the expression on it anything but friendly. (2,700 ATK)

"Boy, does that bring back unpleasant memories," muttered Prospero.

"I'll inquire about them later," said Beatrice. Both Sanwitch and her twin lifted their wands, channelling Dark Magic. "For now, it's time for him to strut his stuff, once these two eliminate those Roids."

Twin blasts of magic struck the defending Expressroid and Shovelroid, blowing both into pixels.

"I use Shovelroid's effect!" responded Eden. "I'll discard one card, and gain a Spell from my deck!"

"Big deal," said Beatrice. "I'm sick of this duel and sick of you, so my monsters are ending this now. Norito…"

"I activate Threatening Roar!" yelled Eden.

NO! thought Prospero. Indeed, the "unpleasant memory" he had of the duelist using this card included the knowledge of Norito's effect, and it was quickly played out in front of him, as the Moral Leader's eyes burned, shattering the Spell Card.

"Nice try, but your attempt to abort this battle has just been, uhm, aborted." Eden stopped, thought for a minute, then said, "Yeah, that makes sense."

Then, to everyone's shock and horror, Norito sped towards Eden and grappled the gautiere, slamming her over his knee.

He was going to spank her!

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

As Kei eagerly scrawled her name under Yuri's signature on the contract, a new portal started to form in the hallway outside Dolores' office.

"Perfect," said Dolores. She nodded to the security guard watching the pair, and their shackles and manacles were unlocked just as the portal was complete.

"There's your ride, girls. I recommend you take it now."

"Gotcha!" laughed Kei. "WEE! Sayonara!"

Dolores watched as the Dirty Pair dove through the portal, knowing they'd obviously throw away those contracts the instant they were through… Or at least try to.

"There's a geas on them, right?" asked the lawyer.

Dolores nodded. "I'll have to remember to thank Rayearth once this is over. Hopefully, this will teach them to be more careful in the future. If so, countless worlds of their own reality might be spared…"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Eden was on her knees, almost crying.

(E: 3,100) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 6,100)

"Well?" asked Beatrice, looking at Eden's supporters. "Nothing?" She put her hand on her hip. "Tough crowd."

"Lady, you are sick!" shouted Francis.

"Hey, she had it coming. She's given me nothing but a headache since the day we met."

"Oh, really?" said Eden with a scowl. "I give you headaches? You heartless bitch!

"You destroy lives, wreck everything you touch, and threaten all of reality for selfish, greedy ambitions! You're sick of me? Well I'm sick of you!"

"Yes, yes, you're mad as hell and ain't taking it anymore, I get it! Maximum Six, finish her off."

"I activate Revolution!" shouted Eden. Her other facedown card, a Quickplay Spell, opened.

"That card…" gasped Beatrice. "You… you activated that Threatening Roar as a ruse, didn't you?"

"Yep," said Eden, "so now I get to seize control of one of your monsters until the end of the turn."

Sanwitch was yanked from Beatrice's side, positioning itself in front of Eden. Unfazed, Maximum Six smashed the ground, sending a shockwave towards the Spellcaster which blew him to bits.

(E: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 6,100)

"Of course, since it was on my side of the field, I lost 1,000 Life Points, but I'm still here, and you lost a monster. You see, Beatrice, 'luck' in this game isn't always expressed by rolling dice."

"You're pressing your luck, Eden," replied Beatrice. "I'll set one card and end my turn, but I suggest you look over this more carefully. I have three othermonsters, and the weakest one has 2,000 Attack Points. Plus, Norito has one more use of his effect. Let's see who's luck holds out longer."

Eden drew, then used a card, causing Takroid to appear again. (1,500 ATK)

"That's all, huh?" asked Beatrice. "Guess your luck ran out."

She drew, and Maximum Six grunted as she pointed at the roid. "Get it."

"From my hand, I use Torpedoroid!" Eden threw a card in her Disk, causing Tankroid to fire a missile with a grinning face. It slammed into the brute's chest, and it fell on its butt with a loud crash. (1,600 DEF)

"Not only does that stop its attack, it calls off your Battle Phase this turn."

"Okay, okay, almost run out. I'm done. But how long can you keep it up?"

"You aren't using 'luck', Beatrice." Eden drew a card as she spoke. "You may think you're altering probability, but all you're doing is something you've already admitted to, using a loophole to your advantage. The Trap Card puts the odds in your favor the same way a set of loaded dice would. Funny you mentioned Zweinstein, he had a deck that did something similar. But while his strategy had a flaw, it wasn't that he 'didn't check with God', as you claimed. His biggest flaw was the same as yours, depending on a limited number of variables in a game that has hundreds."

She stopped for a minute, looking at the cards in her hand. The move she was about to make would either turn the duel around - if it worked - or end it for her in the most humiliating way - if it didn't. She looked at the monster in front of Beatrice, the one with Belle's face. Her expression was… different.

Is that… a smile?

"Case in point… I summon Card Trooper!" She used the card, causing the small, cute toy cannon to roll onto the field. (400 ATK) "Since I'm guessing you're good at math, Beatrice, I assume you know how this works. I'll send three of my cards to the Graveyard, and increase this little guy's Score by 500 for each." She flipped the top three cards, then spread them out and looked at them. "All right!" She flipped them forward, revealing Stealthroid, Strikeroid, and Kiteroid. "Now that I've put those three into my Graveyard, I can banish Stealthroid, Strikeroid, and Turboroid, to summon Solidroid β!"

As she pocketed the three cards, there was a sound of rockets igniting as a jet streaked across the sky, doing a loop and then swooping downward. The jet - or rather, a giant mecha with chrome-silver armor and wings. (2,500 ATK)

"Whoa, it's like Gundam X!" exclaimed Francis.

"Uh-huh, right," said Beatrice. "Very pretty, but… HEY!" She held her head as a powerful beam of light blasted from the mecha's chest, vaporizing the Moral Leader!

"Simply summoning Solidroid β destroys a monster, said Eden, "so Noriko was a sitting duck. And not the only one. Attack!"

Missiles fired from Card Trooper, honing in on the defending Maximum Six and blowing it to little triangles. Eden stopped, then looked at Damned Magician Girl.

Definitely a smile now.

She closed her eyes, tightly, and Solidroid β lifted its arms, photon beams blasting from its gauntlets and explosion bursting around Belle...

(E: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 5,600)

Her eyes shot opened. Something had changed. She felt… different… Everyone watching her felt it, even Beatrice.

Like the "death" of the card had unlocked some great power…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Okay, Dolores, I'll get back to to you in an hour, hopefully."

As Karl logged off and started typing again, Douglas started to look through the stacks of media again. "So how exactly are we gonna find the chief?" he asked.

"We'll have to use this thing on each one of them, one at a time," said Karl. "And pray like crazy the one we need is here."

He sounded a little glum as he said that. Indeed, he had no idea what model Diogenes had used to create the end point of that trap-portal, and had a nagging suspicion that the platonic had destroyed it or at least hid it somewhere. What better way to truly get rid of Jalal.

"We'll have to keep our fingers crossed…"

"Uh, Karl, sorry to interrupt," said SAL, "but we have an incoming email message."

"Is it urgent?"

"Let's just say this is the one time I will say this: the Google Glass was a work of genius."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Pot of Dichotomy!" yelled Beatrice. "...whatever the hell that means."

She used the Spell Card, then took Sangan, Witch, and Maximum Six, reshuffled all three, then made two draws.

"Well, since I can't attack this turn anyway… Nightmare's Steelcage!"

Eden actually looked bored now, even as a flaming circle erupted around her, the flames growing and solidifying into an iron domed cage. "Seems you aren't quite as confident as you claimed."

"Fine, I'm not, happy? I'll set one monster, and it's your go."

The garden around them started to get darker and chillier, Sofia started to shiver a little.

"You think Karl is having any luck?" asked Philip. She could tell in his tone that what he meant was, "Think we should have stayed to help him?"

"He's a Shadowjack, Philip, this is his territory. You have to stop thinking you can solve every problem."

Philip turned back to the duel, where Eden simply set one card, and nodded to Beatrice, who drew, set another monster, and then nodded back.

Yeah, that was MY whole problem…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Seriously, chief? You actually beat Ornstein and Smough on the first try?"

"Karl, I'm pretty sure in this version, you're only allowed one try," came Jalal's reply, sounding a little irked.

"Bad news, fellah's," said Douglas, who was still looking through the piles. "No game called Dark Souls here."

"Guess Diogenes wasn't dumb," added Karl.

"Okay, we'll move to plan B," said Jalal. "Wells, Voltaire and I thought up a way to remedy this for just such an emergency."

"Like a Contingency spell?"

"Sort of. First, I don't suppose you've ever taught SAL how to speak Gaelic?"

"No, but I'm a quick learner," answered SAL. "Just have to find a website on old languages and I should be able to download it in ten minutes or so, give or take."

"Good, in the meantime, Karl can fill me in. ""One way or another, this is ending TODAY."

"Well, we've found one of Emily's co-workers," said Karl, sadly, looking over at Dunstan's now-covered corpse. "Wells is missing, and then there's the bomb Diogenes set. He pushed pause on it, but I'm pretty sure he'd include a way to restart it."

"Maybe we should beat him to it," answered Jalal.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I'll set one monster, and then move Tankroid and Card Trooper to Defense Mode."

Trooper crossed its arms (400 DEF); Tankroid did the same, and lowered its turret. (1,900 ATK)

"And I end my turn." The Steelcage crumbled and fell apart.

"Which means its time for something completely different," said Beatrice. She drew, then one of her two set monsters flipped up, a bent, wizened, toothless old wizard with long, tangled hair and colorful - almost gaudy - robes. (450 ATK)

"Old Vindictive Magician!" screamed Eden. The Spellcaster started to chant a dark, eldritch curse, and Card Trooper burst.

"Actually, two Old Vindictive Magicians," corrected Beatrice. She flipped the other one (450 ATK) and the same dark spell made short work of Tankroid.

"I draw two cards, one for each monster!"

"I hope they're good ones," said Beatrice, "for now I sacrifice both these Magicians…" A circle traced around the Spellcasters with glowing, green lines, which crisscrossed within and formed a pentagram, From the center, a huge Warrior rose, with a horned helmet, plate armor, and a sword longer than Eden was tall, rose from the center. (2,500 ATK)

"Orgoth the Relentless?" said Francis. "Isn't that guy from Dungeon Dice Monsters?"

"He's moonlighting," answered Beatrice. "But I still use dice to use his effect." She held up her outstretched hand, which held three dice between the fingers. "I roll these dice, and multiply by 100. Getting the same number twice gives him one of three effects, and getting three of a kind gives him all three effects."

"Now wait just a minute," started Prospero.

"Before you ask, I can only use That Six to change one roll. Doesn't make it all too-much easier for me, but makes it much worse for you, Eden."

She threw the three dice, and they rolled while growing to the size of fuzzy novelty dice, landing on 1, 4, and 5.

"Hmm, think I'll change the 5," she said, lifting her hand and causing the die to flip. In response, Orgoth lifted his blade, absorbing magical energy into it. (3,200 ATK) He rushed at Solidroid, making one quick slash. The huge roid teetered and rattled for a few seconds, then slowly came apart, the diagonal cut having cleaved it clean in half. Finally, it shattered.

"Whoa, good thing that was a Machine," said Eden, nervously.

"Just keep that in mind when he comes after you, which he will next turn if I roll sixes. For now, the two ones make him invulnerable until my next turn. And I'm ending this one now."

(E: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 5,600)

"Yeah, yeah, you said yourself that it's not as reliable with more than one dice."

She made a draw, and an idea started to come, slowly. I can dismantle this whole strategy and force Miss Drunk-With-Power to sober up, I just need a round or so more…

She played the card, causing Bokoichi the Freightening Car too appear (500 ATK) and then played Machine Duplication, producing two more. Then, she flip-summoned Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive (1,400 ATK), drawing four more cards. With a small amount of renewed vigor, she set one.

"I build the Overlay Network!" she shouted. "I'll use these three Level 1 Bokoichi to Xyz Summon the Bulldozeroid!"

The noise of a backup warning came with the rumble of a large, heavy duty vehicle, which was exactly what the new Monster was, a sturdy and bulky bulldozer with eyes behind the shovel. (1,800 DEF)

Beatrice drew a card, then threw the dice again. This time the numbers came up 6, 5, and 1. She got excited, pointed to the 1, and it changed to six. Orgoth swelled to almost half-again his size as he prepared to attack. (4,200 ATK)

"That's… a lot," said Sofia.

"AND her gets to make a direct attack this turn! Say goodnight, Gracie!"

"Goodnight, Gracie," replied Eden, far more somber than the actress who had made the quote famous. Both of her facedown cards lifted up.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Three, two, one," said Nitro. A loud SNAP cam from the blasting cap that had been hooked to the test tube, which he had taped to the inert android body. The liquid spilled over the casing, and with a sinister-sounding hissing noise, started to melt the whole thing into sludge.

"Beeeeyooootiful," said Fanciullo.

"Ugh, smells pretty bad there boss," said Drago.

"Well, it's a dirty job, but we gotta do it," said the don. "Nitro, how much more of this crud can we make here?"

"Mmm, I'd say about twelve ounces, give or take."

"Good, an idea is coming. Uomo!"

The bandaged assassin turned and stood at attention.

"Uomo, how's your aim these days?"

"Uh, better than ever," he answered. Of course, he was a little bemused at the inquiry. Nobody had ever questioned his aim; the whole reason Fanciullo had hired him as a hitman in the first place was because it was excellent. A hired gun would last long in the underworld otherwise.

"Look at that," said Fanciullo, nodding to the half-dissolved pile of junk that Diogenes had intended to be his upgraded body. "You could hit that, right?"

"Sure boss," he said with a shrug.

"How about if it were alive? And moving? And trying to shoot back?"

"Uh, sure…"

"Would you bet your life on it?"

There was no answer for a moment. Then Fanciullo shoved something into his hand. The hitman looked at it. A hollow, metal shell. One used to launch such a substance.

"Just making sure, because you're the best marksman I have. When we find this guy, you'd better aim like your life depended on it, cause trust me… it will…"

Uomo just nodded, and Fanciullo back off. He turned to the portal that Drago and Tormento had found. Hmm, he thought, rubbing his chin.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Wh-what's going on?" gasped Beatrice.

When Eden had activated the two cards, sparkling, shimmering stars flew from one of them, creating a cartoonish spacescape full of colorful moons and planets with cheering, laughing grins.

"Is this that Out of this Dimension place?" asked Philip. He remembered the weird bonus level of the video game.

"WHAT is going on Eden?" demanded Beatrice.

"C'mon, lighten up!" laughed Eden, smiling herself. She started tapping her foot and snapping her fingers. "Turn the frown upside down! Smile Universe is a happy card! Happy, happy, happy!"

Beatrice didn't seem amused, so she dropped the act and went on. "This card Special Summons those two Pendulum Monsters you destroyed earlier, but as Monsters."

Both Flash Knight (600 DEF) and Foucault's Cannon (1,200 DEF) appeared in front of her, kneeling. "In return for that, you gain Life Points equal to the combined Attack Scores of those two Monsters."

(E: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 9,200)

"Suit yourself," said Beatrice. She shrugged, and Orgoth lifted his sword again. "If there's one thing I love more than winning it's doing so by shutout!"

"Well, that's why I had the other card. It's called Mustdie Draw. This card gives me one draw. If it's a Trap Card, not only is your attack halted, I get to activate it! NOW!"

Orgoth seemed tired of waiting, leaping at Eden with his weapon over his head as she drew the card.

"There we go, the Trap Card, Pendulum Switch!"

As Eden brandished the card, Orgoth's sword slammed against a barrier and he fell to his knees.

"Now that I've done that," she continued, fitting the card into her Disk proper, "I can use the actual effect of Pendulum Switch, which I can do once per turn, and move Flash Night from there to there.

She pointed to the monster, then above her and to the right, causing the Warrior to disappear as the column of light descended again. Flash Knight again appeared within it. "It's just half a Scale, but that's better than nothing."

"Well, I have a full Scale," replied Beatrice, "and I'm using it to bring back Mild Turkey, just in case."

The living roast fowl appeared, this time in her monster Zone, crossing its drumsticks. (2,000 DEF)

"I'll set two cards facedown, and then I'll use… The Shallow Grave."

Everyone fidgeted nervously as she used it, causing set monsters to appear on each side of the field.

Sofia looked closely towards the That Six card while doing the math in her head. "A 50/50 chance of getting a six on Dice Jar… Not good odds."

"Actually, it's a 4 out of 6 chance," replied Philip. "She can still roll a 6 on her own. So unless Eden rolls a six…"

"Then Beatrice can use it on Eden's roll," added Prospero.

"Will you guys pipe down?" said Hank. "Imagine how Eden feels!"

Sofia looked up at Eden, whose head was bowed with her eyes closed…

"Actually… I'm going to improve those odds right NOW! Draw!" She drew, then pointed to the crouching Foucault's Cannon. "Time to show you how this guy got his name, I use this turn's use of Pendulum Switch to move him to my other Zone."

The mechanical Spellcaster disappeared as the other column of light formed, and he appeared within it, setting the full Scale from 2 to , it lifted its cannon-arm, using its other hand to cock the lever.

"Wh-what's happening?" asked Beatrice.

"This guy has a Pendulum Effect too, Beatrice, sorry if I neglected to mention that. Time to give you a lesson in Reality 101."

Foucault's Cannon aimed the weapon at the That Six card, then fired, blowing it to little bits.

"There, no more loaded dice. Next, I'll flip-summon my Monster." The set card she gained from the Shallow Grave flipped up, and Tankroid to appeared again. (1,500 ATK)

"Now I use the Spell Card, Axis Regeneration! And discard one of my roid Monsters to Special Summon a monster from your Graveyard."

Beatrice looked at her Disk, then looked at Eden as a new monster appeared, one she recognized right away. It was Damned Magician Girl… sort of. Eden's spell had given her a cybernetic arm, left eye, and had turned her skimpy outfit into metallic plating. But despite the change, she seemed far less upset than before. (2,000 ATK)

"Think that scares me? Axis Regeneration prohibits you from sacrificing her, and at the end of the turn, you take damage equal to her Attack Points, meaning all of them."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. First off, because I just discarded a Machine, I can use Bulldozeroid's effect, and give up an Overlay Unit to decrease the Attack Score of all monsters on the field other than Machines by an amount equal to that of the monster I discarded. Since Motor Cycroid has 1,400 Attack Points, Orgoth the Relentless becomes a lot less relentless."

The point of the huge Warrior's sword dipped a little, and he held his chest with the other hand. (3,200 ATK)

"AND, Motor Cycroid has an effect too. For this turn only, all high-Level Roids can be summoned for one less sacrifice, so I'll get rid of Dekoichi to summon Armoroid!"

The train dissolved, and a huge, stronger-looking, bulkier version of the Solidroid with a shinier paint job appeared, causing the platform to shake as it slammed its foot down. (2,700 ATK)

"Now, back to Damned Magician Girl. I can't Tribute her, yes, but I can use her for a Synchro Summon." She stopped, noting her opponent's expression as she looked at Tankroid and Armoroid.

"True, I need a Tuner. And for this Tuner, I can use any Pendulum Monster in the Pendulum Zone to do so!"

Flash Knight leapt from his perch, and the pendulum behind Eden started to swing again as he and

"In the myriad realms of the cosmos where the conflict between Law and Chaos rages, a lone Warrior strides the middle path!"

(*4 + *6 = *10)

" Light and Darkness combine to create… Nirvana High Paladin!"

As the two monsters flew through the rings, the rings themselves burst, and two golden gear designs appeared, spinning and then combining as the stars flew through it. This too burst, and a huge, armored figure appeared in the center, with blue, silver, and golden armor, the same gear design on the shoulder pads and helmet. He carried a huge sword that would have made Cloud Strife jealous, and the same odd facial symbols Dark Magician Girl had. (3,300 ATK)

Everyone cheered as the new Synchro leapt and thrust at Ogroth, jabbing with his weapon and impaling through the middle. Even the eyes-holes on Orgoth's horned helmet reacted as his sword clattered the floor and he shattered.

"Seems he's Orgoth the Relenting now."

Unfortunately, it was clear that the joke had been lost on Beatrice, who fell to her knees, screaming, trembling, and clutching her arms, as if she was trying to keep them in place. "Wh-what happened?" she gasped.

(E: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 4,550)

"You only lost a hundred Life Points, but via Paladin's effect, they were cut in half. Nirvana High Paladin can do that even if he crushes a defending Monster."

Tankroid swung and aimed its turret at the set monster. "Time to see just whose luck is really holding out better."

It now became clear what Eden's overall strategy was; she couldn't stop the Dice Jar from flipping up, but now the effect could resolve the right way. The weapon fired, and the laughing jar appeared, along with two dice, which launched towards the center, skipped, and bounced.

Eden's came up six, and Beatrice cringed, seeing hers come up one.

"Now lets see how you like it."

"I… WILL… NOT BE BEATEN!" screamed Damned Magician Girl. Her set card lifted up, showing Emergency Provisions. "Not by a runt like YOU!"

Ghost Beef, Hallohallo, and her other set card were consumed by the Spell, but Beatrice was cut off from her rage as the tongue from the creature lashed and constricted her, dealing her the same brutal punishment she had so eagerly given Eden.

(E: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 1,550)

Eden nodded to Armoroid, and a wave of energy flashed from its chest, barbecuing Mild Turkey into extra-crispy style.

"Looks like you can forget about that shutout. Your move."

Beatrice didn't speak for a while; she felt her heart pounding and her lungs about to give out, the shock of taking ten-thousand points of damage within the span of seconds nearly too much to bear.

Look at that runt. She thinks she's so clever.

Of course, she'd never admit it, but as jealous as she had been before, this new monster her foe had… It was amazing. She wanted this card. Badly. Her eyes fell on the chamber in her Disk that held the Extra Deck.

Okay, Eden, looks like I'll have to use that card I was saving for a special occasion.

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"Okay, chief, think we got the info."

"The last part is going to be tough," continued Jalal. "You're going to need a font of clean water. The cleaner the better."

"Well, we're not going to find that around here," said Karl, "but we intended to catch up to the others anyway."

"Then before you leave, restart the countdown."

Karl's reaction to that made him mistype and write "whtrt" instead of "where". "Uh, Jalal," he started to say.

"The Pan Dimensional Homing Device is too dangerous to leave behind, Karl. I doubt we can destroy it with the resources we have, so we'll have to bury it. Setting the implosion device off will hopefully do that."

"It could wind up anywhere, but I guess that's the best bet," said Karl with a nod. "Douglas!" The burly Shadowchaser leapt from his chair, throwing the magazine he'd been looking at aside.

"Time to blow this place…"

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"Ancient Rules!" shouted Beatrice. "I can use this Spell Card to summon any Normal Monster, regardless of Level. Here it comes!"

She used the card and placed a monster widthwise on her Monster Zone, causing a huge robot to appear with no head, a broad chest and a cannon for an arm. It had three 7s on its chest. (2,000 ATK)

Viola adjusted her glasses looking at it. "Slot Machine? That was an old one even when I started this game."

"True, it's practically an antique, but I only need it as a catalyst to summon a very special Fusion Monster. I activate Evolution Mechanation! I have to admit, I can't take full credit for this one, but it puts some new kick into some old cards."

As she used it, the armor on Slot Machine started to warp, becoming more streamlined, with sharp, flared wrists and shoulders, the paint job changing to violet with bronze streaks. Then horrible sounding - and totally off-key - horn music started to play as the instruments themselves seemed to sprout from its back. It also had a fourth slot, below the other three. (2,300 ATK)

"Kinda liked the old version better," said Hank.

"Slotzky Malone is a very powerful yet very unstable Machine," explained Beatrice. "Each time it attacks - or is itself attacked - its slot results will determine how powerful it becomes and what effect it will have.

"So… Time to tempt the hands of fate." Slotzky Malone aimed at Armoroid, throwing its lever down with the free hand, and causing the slots to spin. They came up Lemon, Lemon, and the third, a Key. (2,900 ATK)

"Not the best, but beggars can't be choosers. Attack with Plasma Laser Cannon!"

The fiery bolt of energy shot at the roid, and sparks flew from its chest before it toppled over and an explosion burst from the engine; the whole thing shattered.

(E: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 1,550)

"All right," said Eden. "This might actually be fun." She drew a card, then shouted, Paladin, break that bank!"

As Nirvana High Paladin leapt at the Machine, it raised its weapon in response, and the slots started spinning again. Cherry, Cherry, and a third Cherry. (2,600 ATK)

"Looks like you just blew it!"

"Maybe, maybe not," replied Eden. "Three of a kind means I get a bonus roll!"

Then the fourth slot spun, then came up with a Diamond (the playing card symbol). Slot Machine shielded itself with the cannon arm, and the sword slammed against it.

"That means neither monster can be destroyed this turn."

(E: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 850)

"This could take all day," muttered Sofia.

Then a thought came to her… Was Beatrice trying to stall?

It seemed everyone else realized it too, Eden included. After all, Beatrice was guarding the way in to where they assumed Antisthenes had already gotten to…

She quickly moved Tankroid's card, and it switched to Defense Mode. (1,900 DEF) "Done!"

Beatrice snatched her next card, then pointed at Nirvana High Paladin again, as Slotzki lifted its cannon. All comes down to this, she thought. The Machine's slots started to spin, landing on 7, 7, and finally, a third 7.

"Lucky Seven!" she laughed. "Jackpot!" (3,800 ATK) "But first…"

The fourth sot spun, then landed on what seemed like a golden coin, with a dollar sign on it.

"Perfect," she said, and the plasma cannon fired, hitting Paladin and blowing him to pieces.

"You may notice you took no damage," she continued. Slotzky aimed again. "But… that roll means I can make another attack… On you."

A crosshairs appeared on Eden's chest, as Slotzky's score returned to 2,300...

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"Here we go…" said Karl.

He hit the button, and the countdown started again, causing the alarms to again sound as the clock ticked down from 2:64.

"Move it!"

"Ya don' have to tell me twice!" replied Douglas.

The two Shadowchasers leapt through the portal, into the realm beyond. At the same time, however, the ones who had stopped it in the first place took notice.

"Aw, crap," said Tormento.

"Don't worry, folks," said Nitro. He pointed to the portal on the wall that Drago and Uomo had found, and started to pack up his things as he spoke. "Seeing as Diogenes planned to escape after he finished the download, that portal should be activating right about… now."

As the clock hit the two-minute mark, a portal indeed started to open, similar in hue and texture as the one Karl and Douglas was using.

"Gentlemen," said Fanciullo. "And as always, I use the term loosely… onward!"

Behind them, the clock continued to tick down. What happened next was hard for anyone to describe, as nobody could have witnessed it and lived to tell about it. Still, the implosion would cause the entire structure to collapse in on itself, causing everything inside to be destroyed utterly or sucked into the "space between spaces" and lost forever.

Jalal hoped this would get rid of the Pan Dimensional Homing Device; while he knew of the resilience of such potent magical artifacts, he figured hurling it into the void would at very least get rid of it.

The challenge now was dealing with the one who had used it.

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"How in… Impossible..."

(E: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 950)

Eden was still standing, despite doing her best not to collapse. Another Vehicroid was hovering overhead, a blue hang glider with a face and arms, who oddly seemed to be clutching its own handlebar.

"Kiteroid?" shouted Beatrice. "Dammit, why won't die?"

"Uh, in all fairness," added Jennifer, "we all saw it when she used Card Trooper."

"So I banished it to deflect your direct attack," said Eden. Her hand shook as she slipped the card into her pocket. "Oh, and Paladin says thank you…"

She pointed upward, and to Beatrice's shock, Paladin was standing in the spot where Flash Knight had last been. "That's right, Paladin is not only summoned using a Pendulum, he IS a Pendulum, and losing in battle is a shortcut to the Pendulum Zone."

"I… guess it makes sense," mused Philip.

"Bah, I end my turn," said Beatrice. "You think these defenses will last forever?"

Actually, that was my last one, thought Eden. But it's time to go on the offense.

She drew, holding her chest, the exhaustion starting to get to her. Sweat poured down her forehead, stinging her eyes.

"Now that I've set the Scale from 2 to 8, I'll Pendulum Summon one more time."

The shining, armored Warrior was rather familiar now as he appeared, threateningly leveling his sword at Slotzky. (1,400 ATK)

"Flash Knight?" laughed Beatrice. "What in the world are you going to do with him?"

"Show you in a minute. For now, I'll use these two Spell Cards, Polymerization boosted by Cybernetic Fusion Support! See, I don't have the monsters I need handy at the moment, but by paying half my Life Points I can use the ones in my Graveyard. So I'll fuse together Bulldozeroid, Armoroid, Solidroid, Steamroid, and Tankroid…"

Tankroid's eyes glowed and its fists clenched, as the cards depicting the other four monsters appeared and started to rotate around it, faster and faster, until all five broke into pixels. Slowly again, the pixels combined, reforming to build a creature that was much, much bigger.

"I summon Barbaroid, the Ultimate Battle Machine!"

The end result was a gigantic weapon in the outline of a giant, monstrous valve plated with crimson and silver armor. It had two stubby legs that generated energy that levitated it over the floor, and twin cannons for arms. Its head was, again, like something out of a giant robot from an anime, or the pilot of one. (4,000 ATK)

"Fine, bring it on," dared Beatrice.

"Actually, not going to attack with this one yet. Not until Flash Knight is done."

"HUH? You…"

To her utter and complete disbelief, along with everyone else's Flash Knight was attacking Slotzky Malone first.

"Say WHAT?" said Philip. "That's suicide! That thing doesn't even need its effect to defeat Flash Knight!"

"Well, let's give it a whirl anyway," said Beatrice. Not like I have a choice here…

The Machine aimed its gun in response to the charge, its slots spinning again, coming up Lemon, Key, and another Key. (3,100 ATK) It fired…

The smoke started to clear. Flash Knight was not only unharmed, his weapon had made quite a nasty scratch on Slotzky Malone.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" shouted Beatrice. Then Slotzky's left arm fell off with a "CLUNK!" (1,700 ATK)

"Nirvana High Paladin has both a regular Effect and a Pendulum Effect. Since he's in my Pendulum Zone right now, Pendulum Monsters on the field gain a new trick. Flash Knight is unharmed, as am I, but Tubby the Tuba there loses Attack Points equal to his Arrack Score.

"And because your monster can only use its effect once per turn…"

Barbaroid's cannons started to fire up. "No… NO! STOP!" yelled Beatrice.

"Attack Slotzky Malone and end this! Cosmic Flux Cannons!"

The twin cannons ignited, and as Slotzky Malone was blasted out of existence, Beatrice - the Damned Magician Girl - let out a scream of anguish, topping backwards off the dais…

(E: 600) - - - - - - - - - - - (B: 0)

Eden clutched her forehead, barely aware of the rain of burning debris her winning move had caused, the stress overcoming her until finally, she also tumbled backwards…

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Jemorille: As much as Eden despised Beatrice, she admitted the point she'd made was valid. As much as she truly wanted a true purpose to guide her, she had always hoped it wouldn't be something as petty as revenge. Still, she hoped now that Belle's soul rested easier.

Of all the companions Eden had gained and lost, Belle stood out. A prisoner like herself who had pretended to capitulate and convert to the mad platonic's side, she had learned the gautiere's true goal, offering both help and emotional support. At first, Eden had suspicions that Belle's concern was not genuine, and that she had intended an eventual betrayal. She did little to hide these feelings, which did not ebb for years. The patience Belle had shown rivaled even her own, and resulted in more progress towards Eden's goal than she'd made in centuries.

It took awhile, but Belle had become the first person Eden had truly trusted. She had shown Eden that she did not have to walk alone.

Not being able to save Belle had indeed been her greatest regret. As much as she hated Beatrice, Eden had to admit she'd made a valid point.

And it seemed her true goal was in sight. A goal that she - and Belle - had toiled so long to reach.

And now, she wouldn't face it alone.

"Eye of the Storm" is coming soon.

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Manga/Anime cards

Tankroid (Effect Monster)

Machine/Earth/Lvl4/1,500ATK/1,900DEF

Effect: When this card is sent from the field to the GY, draw 1 card.

First appeared in Yu-Gi-Oh GX manga, 008.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Shovelroid (Effect Monster)

Machine/Earth/Lvl3/1,000ATK/1,500DEF

Effect: When this card is destroyed by battle, you may discard 1 card; if you do, add 1 Spell Card to your hand from your deck.

First appeared in Yu-Gi-Oh GX manga, 057

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Turboroid (Normal Monster)

Machine/Wind/Lvl4/1,400ATK/1,800DEF

Flavor Text: A Vehicroid with the power of flight. It has untapped potential…

First appeared in Yu-Gi-Oh GX manga, 025

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Solidroid β (Effect Fusion Monster)

Machine/Earth/Dark/Lvl7/2,500ATK/1,900DEF

Strikeroid + Turboroid + Stealthroid

Effect: This card is Fusion Summoned by banishing the above-named cards from your GY (you do not use "Polymerization"). You can only control 1 "Solidroid" monster. When this card is Fusion Summoned, destroy 1 opposing monster.

First appeared in Yu-Gi-Oh GX manga, 026.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Kiteroid (Effect Monster)

Machine/Wind/Lvl1/200ATK/400DEF

Effect: Activate when you discard this card from your hand during damage calculation after a direct attack. Any Battle Damage you would receive from that direct attack becomes 0. Only once, if you remove this card from the game when it is in your Graveyard, any Battle Damage you would receive from a direct attack becomes 0.

First appeared in Yu-Gi-Oh GX manga, 143

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Original Cards"

Unstable Polymer (Continuous Spell Card)

Image: Witch of the Black Forest holding Sangan to her chest and peeking behind a corner, where the two policemen from "Mistaken Arrest" are guarding a door with the words "Restricted Area" printed on it.

Effect: When you control this card, you may select 1 Fusion Monster you control; that Fusion Monster may not be destroyed by battle, you may not declare an attack with any monster except the selected monster. During your next Standby Phase after the selected monster battles, banish it and this card. Then, if the monsters used in the Fusion Summoning of the selected monster are in your GY, Special Summon them in Attack Position; they cannot use their effects. You may only control 1 "Unstable Polymer".

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Care Package (Normal Trap Card)

Image: Tour Guide from the Underworld slyly passing by the cell holding Sangan and

Witch of the Black Forest (from "Mistaken Accusation") pushing an envelope to Witch through the bars.

Effect: Your opponent draws 2 cards. Select 1 Normal Spell Card from your opponent's GY and activate it.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Pendulum Overboost (Quickplay Spell Card)

Image: Hypnosister floating above Stargazer Magician and Magical Abductor, her three eyes glowing with spooky light as her dark powers start to entrance both of them.

Effect: Select 1 monster you control that was Pendulum Summoned this turn and has used an effect that is only usable once per turn. The selected monster can use its effect a second time. At the End Phase of the turn, destroy that monster and inflict damage to your Life Points equal to its base ATK.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Motor Cycroid (Effect Monster)

Earth/Machine/Lvl5/1,400ATK/2,100DEF

Effect: The turn this card is sent to the GY from the field or your hand, Level 5 or higher "roid" monsters can be Normal Summoned with 1 less Tribute. The effect of "Motor Cycroid" can be used once per duel per player.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Bulldozeroid (Effect Xyz Monster)

Earth/Machine/Rank1/1,000ATK/1,800DEF

3 Level 1 Machine Type monsters

Effect: Once per turn, when a Machine Type monster is sent from your hand or the field to the GY, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card. Select 1 face-up monster and decrease its ATK by an amount equal to the ATK of the sent monster.

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Evolution Mechanation (Spell Card)

Image: A giant slot machine surrounded by multiple devices of the type used to upgrade Woodborg Inpachi.

Effect: Send 1 face-up Normal Machine-Type monster you control to the Graveyard. Special Summon 1 Fusion monster with the same name and 2 Levels higher from your Extra Deck.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Axis Regeneration (Normal Spell Card)

Image: Gogiga Gagagigo floating in a larger version of the Level Conversion Lab, with Cyborg Doctor - rather than Kozaky at the controls, with Marauding Captain and Raging Eria watching.

Effect: Send 1 Machine-Type monster you control or from your hand to the GY; select 1 monster from your opponent's GY and Special Summon it. The Special Summoned monster is considered Machine-Type, cannot use its effect, and cannot be Tributed. At the end phase of the turn, destroy the Special Summoned monster, and then inflict damage to your Life Points equal to its bae ATK.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Slotzky Malone (Fusion Effect Monster)

Dark/Machine/Lvl9/2,300ATK/2,000DEF

Effect: Can only be summoned via the effect of "Evolution Machinations"; this card's name is considered "Slot Machine". Once per turn, during either players' turn, if this card battles a monster, you may roll 3 dice. If the dice rolls consist of 3 different numbers, destroy this card and deal damage to its owner equal to its current ATK. If 2 or more of the results are the same, increase the ATK of this card by 300x the value of ONE of the matching results until the End Phase of the turn. If 3 of the results are the same roll a fourth time, and then also apply an on the result.

1: Reduce the current ATK of the attacking monster by half until the End Phase.

2: Reduce the current ATK of the attack target by half until the End Phase.

3 or 4. This card and the monster battling it cannot be destroyed by battle this turn.

5 or 6: If the attacking monster destroys the targeted monster, Battle Damage for that 1 battle is reduced to zero; the attacking monster can then make a direct attack with its base ATK.