What Monster holds The Was Staff? If you said "Gravekeeper's Curse", you were successfully able to Name that Card!
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Before Marik fell victim to the true darkness, he stayed hidden in the shadows, and struck at my grandfather through minions. This presented a problem when he wanted to make an attempt to defeat him using one of the God Cards. You see, the God Cards wouldn't obey just any duelist, and certainly wouldn't obey any common thug. One who tried to use one who hadn't been specifically chosen by the gods themselves risked madness or death.
Strings was Marik's solution to this problem. He was once a mime who had gone mad long before, and was rendered comatose. With an empty mind, Marik could control him like a puppet, and there was very little that Slifer's spirit could do, seeing that Strings had no mind to assault.
Why do I bring this up? Well, my opponent isn't Strings, and he isn't using Slifer…
But there is a common thread… And I don't like it…
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CHAPTER TWELVE
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The Sound of Silence
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Early in the morning, Yumi was dreaming…
She dreamt she was on a beach, near a tropical forest, under an alien sky…
She recognized this place… She was back in Neo-Space.
Then she noticed that a duel was happening.
It was two against one. She recognized the duelists on one side. One of them was clearly Jaden Yuki. The other was easily recognizable by his spiky black hair and black trenchcoat – Jaden's ally-slash-rival, Chazz Princeton, one of the allies whom she knew had accompanied him to this place after they had faked their deaths.
Jaden had Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode (800/2,000), while Chazz had Armed Dragon LV7 in Attack Mode (2,800/1,000). He also had a facedown card.
Yumi didn't recognize their opponent. It was a woman wearing a sinister-looking black dress and a black, winged mask covering her eyes.
But her Monster was one that Yumi recognized all too well… The Wicked Eraser. The half-devil-half-dragon abomination that seemed to be made as much of metal as it was of flesh glared at the two duelists with its evil eyes.
She also had Treeborn Frog in Defense Mode (100/100), the Continuous Spell Card, Spell Absorption, and a facedown card.
Jaden and Chazz seemed to be losing. Jaden had only 1,000 Life Points remaining, Chazz had 1,500, and their opponent was well ahead at 4,200.
She drew a card.
"Summoning that thing only hurt yourselves," she mocked. "My Eraser gets stronger with each card you have on the field."
(3,000/3,000)
"Wicked Eraser, destroy his Dragon with Digestive Blaze!"
The Devil God vomited a stream of burning acid, and Armed Dragon was melted into slag.
Its Attack Score fell down to 2,000.
"Jaden…" growled Chazz. "I hope you have a plan, because I'm running out of them fast…"
Jaden looked at his cards.
"Yeah, I might," he said. "Think you can bring the Level Three version back?"
"What good will he do?" asked Chazz. "He'll only make that thing stronger!"
"Trust me," said Jaden.
"Fine!" said Chazz, drawing a card.
His facedown card lifted, revealing Call of the Haunted.
"I bring back Armed Dragon LV3!"
In a burst of energy, the lowest evolutionary form of the Armed Dragon appeared in front of him. (1,200/900)
The Eraser rose back to an Attack of 3,000.
"I end my turn. So let's see this idea."
"Right!" said Jaden, drawing a card.
He looked over the six cards in his hand.
He glared at his opponent coldly, and his eyes changed color, one of them turning orange, and the other turning bright green.
"First up," he said, "I play Tag Request."
He played a Spell Card.
"Now I get to Special Summon an Elemental Hero from my hand, so long as it has the same Attack Score as a Monster on the field. Since Chazz has his Armed Dragon on the field, I'll summon Burstinatrix."
In a burst of flame, the heroine clad in red spandex appeared. (1,200/800)
"Thank you," said his opponent, "you're too kind."
The Spell Absorption card glowed, and her Life Points rose to 4,700, as the Fiend rose to an Attack of 4,000.
Jaden ignored her, and threw a card into his Disk.
"Next up… I play Cross Change. This lets me send a Hero back to my deck, and then summon a Neo-Spacian from my deck that's the same Level.
"So, goodbye Burstinatrix, hello Grand Mole!"
Burstinatrix vanished, and a new Monster appeared. It was a chubby little mole, with a drilling mechanism around its neck. (900/300)
"Not so fast!" shouted the woman, as her Life Points rose again, to 5,200. "I was prepared for that annoying hedgehog…"
Her facedown card lifted.
"I activate The Regulation of Tribe. Now I name one Type of Monster, and that Type can't attack. I name Rocks."
Grand Mole looked at Jaden and shrugged, but Jaden just nodded to it.
"I'll just keep going by playing E N Shuffle," he said, holding up another card. "This lets me send Clayman to my deck, to summon another Neo-Spacian. Like my Flare Scarab."
Clayman vanished, and a large, black, humanoid beetle with a large frontal horn appeared. (500/500)
"Are you quite though?" asked the woman, as her Life Points rose again, to 5,700. "You're only hurting yourself…"
"Not by a long shot," said Jaden. "I haven't Normal Summoned yet. And since Necroshade is in my Graveyard, since I sent him there to summon Darkbright, I can summon this guy with no sacrifice. I summon Elemental Hero Neos!"
In a burst of energy, the powerful cosmic Elemental Hero appeared. (2,500/2,000)
The Wicked Eraser rose to an Attack of 5,000.
Yumi's heart leapt. She remembered him from her own duel with Jaden. Clearly, Jaden was about to enact Contact Fusion.
"Now…" said Jaden. "Triple Contact Fusion!"
Yumi's eyes nearly bugged out. Triple Contact Fusion?
Neos, Grand Mole, and Flare Scarab flew into the sky, and combined in a bust of light…
A new Hero descended. He was dressed in glowing green and silver armor, with bear-like arms, and beetle-like wings. (3,000/2,500)
"Meet Elemental Hero Magma Neos," he said.
"Lovely," said the woman. "Now we have a standoff."
It was true. The Wicked Eraser fell to an Attack Score of 3,000.
"Oh, really?" said Jaden. "Magma Neos gains 400 Attack Points for every card on the field."
"Wait…" said the woman, opening her eyes wide. "With four cards on my side of the field, and three on yours…"
"You got it!" said Jaden. "2,800 more Attack Points!"
(5,800/2,500)
"Magma Neos… Attack The Wicked Eraser with Meteor Meltdown!"
"Jaden, no!" screamed Yumi. "It's a trick!"
Jaden didn't seem to hear her. Magma Neos raised his hand, and formed a great ball of fire that was larger than himself. He hurled it, and the devil god screamed as it erupted in a fiery conflagration. The woman cringed as her Life Points fell to 2,900.
But she grinned evilly.
"Thank you," she said. "When The Wicked Eraser is destroyed, it drags every card on the field into the grave with it!"
There was a huge burst of dark flames, and Elemental Hero Magma Neos, Armed Dragon LV3, Treeborn Frog, and her Trap and Spell Card were incinerated.
Jaden took the last card in his hand. A Quickplay Spell appeared on his side of the field.
"Actually, I knew that," he said. "And I was counting on it.
"I play… Reverse of Neos! Since Magma Neos was destroyed, this lets me Special Summon the regular Neos, with 1,000 more Attack Points!"
In a flash of light, Elemental Hero Neos appeared on the field in a heroic pose. (2,500/2,000) –) (3,500/2,000)
"WHAT?" shouted the woman.
"Neos," commanded Jaden, "attack directly with cosmic crusher!"
Neos flew at the duelist, and struck at her with a mighty karate chop. She screamed and collapsed…
Yumi woke up with a start.
She took some deep breaths. It wasn't just a dream. She knew it was a vision.
Jaden was facing The Wicked Eraser? she thought. Is someone working for Shogarr trying to assault Neo-Space?
She sighed.
I don't have time to find a way to help him… I have bigger problems…
Besides… I think he can handle himself.
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Yumi had to admit, Joan treated her guests well. When she got up, she found that someone had washed her clothes, and the shower she had been provided with was supplied with scented soap and perfumed shampoo.
After getting dressed, she walked into the common room of the temple, where breakfast had been set out. Croissants, bagels, and a pot of hot chocolate sat on a long table where her friends were already helping themselves.
"Where's our host?" asked Yumi.
"We aren't sure," said Sam. "She left this…"
She handed Yumi a note. She read:
Children,
I have made a short trip out of Xanadu to consult the powers of my home realm. I will be back around noon.
I suppose I must tell you now. Due to a special privilege I was given by someone of great power, I am able to transport myself from Xanadu to my home realm and back, despite Daala's control over the borders. But this ability is of no use to anyone else. I cannot bring anyone or anything with me on this trip except the clothes I am wearing. Perhaps in the future, I can increase my control over this power, and an escape from Xanadu will indeed be possible. I'd enjoy showing you my home.
I ask that you get an early start. The map will lead you from Nexus to Rye, the small town that borders the Sea of Infinite Tears. Your guide will be waiting. His boat does not have its name printed on its hull, but it is recognizable by the figurehead, which is shaped like me.
Again, I wish you luck. And should you find the four duelists who made it to the Realm Lord's island and did not return, try to rescue them.
Take care,
Guardian Angel Joan
"Her home realm?" asked Yumi.
"I'm guessing the Higher Plane," said Chelsea. "That's the best bet…"
Yumi shrugged.
"So, should we leave, or should we wait?" she asked.
Sam drained the last of her hot chocolate.
"Waiting for her won't help us any more than she has already," she said. "And besides… I personally feel like kicking some ass!"
"Agreed," said Ren. "So we'll go, we'll take down Krump, and we'll have penguin au gratin for dinner."
They walked out of the temple as Yumi looked over the map.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, people," she said. "Krump is the most likely suspect at this point, but we can't know for sure."
"Well, I think we can rule out Nezbitt," said Erik. "He'd rust if he were in charge of an ocean domain. Not that his motor was ever running very smoothly to begin with."
"Whoever it is," said Chelsea, "we can handle him…"
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After taking the right path, the strange spatial effect kicked in again, and the location changed.
The first thing they noticed was the chill. The weather had turned brisk, the sky had turned overcast, and the smell of seawater was in the air.
They were in the middle of a run-down series of wooden buildings next to a series of docks looking over the sea. Moored at the docks were various boats and ships, some functional, others looking like they were about to sink. In fact, the whole town looked seedy and derelict.
"Welcome to Rustbucket Bay," muttered Erik.
"Huh?" said Yumi.
"Nothing," said Erik. "You'd have to be there."
They looked out to the sea, and saw islands in the distance, but not many distinguishing features.
As the wind blew over the docks, they heard an ominous sound that brought to mind the sound of someone sobbing softly. It gave them chills – clearly, this region was well-named.
Then they saw someone walking towards them from ahead. Yumi raised an eyebrow.
It was a man dressed in the colorful clothes and makeup of a street mime. His face was covered with white rouge and black markings, and he wore a striped shirt, a bow tie, black pants, suspenders, and a beret. He was apparently engaged in his strange art, despite the fact that there was a lack of an audience.
He turned towards the group and bent his head sideways. Then he lifted his hands, and pressed them against an invisible surface, moving them as all mimes are wont to do.
"Is this guy for real?" asked Chelsea.
"Man, mimes have to be the only guys I hate more than clowns," said Ren.
"Hey, buddy, beat it!" said Yumi. "Go walk against the wind somewhere else!"
The mime responded by simply staring her in the face.
"I mean it, Frenchie," she said.
She stepped aside to walk around him, and the mime copied the move. She put her hands on her hips, and so did he.
She waved her hand, and he copied that move too.
"Oh, the old Harpo Marx gag, huh?" she said. "Look, if you're looking for handouts, I left my purse back on Earth."
"That's not what he wants, Yumi," said a voice.
Everyone gasped and turned around.
Hanging in midair was Daala… Or rather, what seemed to be a holographic projection. She was reclining on her couch in a seductive pose, and was dressed in a very low-cut cocktail dress, with fishnet stockings. She also wore a hair clip that had two silk rabbit ears on top. If it weren't for the halo of dark flames surrounding her head, she would have looked very sexy.
"What do you want, Daala?" demanded Yumi.
"And why the heck are you wearing a bunny outfit?" asked Chelsea.
"Heh, got your attention, didn't it?" asked Daala, picking up a coffee cup. "You all are probably wondering who the hell this mime is, and why is he bothering you?
"Well, his name is Philippe, and I'll explain.
"Early in Joan's rebellion, she had a very powerful duelist. This guy had a powerful strategy, and was wasting my best men left and right.
"I needed a duelist who could handle him, and I needed one PDQ. In other words, fast. When writing the program for the virtual construct, I was forced to take several shortcuts to get it done faster.
"Philippe was the result. He was programmed with his own very powerful dueling strategy. But due to the shortcuts I had taken, he came with a few small problems. The most obvious one was, he couldn't talk!
"So I made due… I had him dress like a mime and programmed him to act like one to make up for it. And he took care of that annoying duelist quickly."
She sighed, and sipped the coffee.
"He may have flaws, but he got the job done… I have no regrets…
"So Yumi… Can you beat the strategy that took down one of Joan's best duelists? Time to find out…"
She vanished.
All the time she was saying this, Philippe was doing an old mime trick – mimicking a man trapped in a shrinking box.
Then he bounced up, and a Duel Disk appeared on his arm.
"I can't believe this!" said Ren. "Usually, mimes are just annoying. Now they're dangerous?"
"Have my grandfather tell you how he won Slifer some time," said Yumi.
She looked at Philippe.
"Can't talk huh?" she said. "Can you at least hear?"
Philippe nodded (in fact, he nodded his head far more dramatically than was necessary).
"All right," said Yumi. "Fine… You obviously won't leave us alone until I get rid of you…"
Philippe nodded again.
Her Disk activated.
"So game on!"
Philippe's own Disk activated.
(Yumi: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Philippe: 8,000)
Philippe lifted his finger, and then drew a card.
"Want to go first, huh?" said Yumi. "Fine, go ahead…"
Philippe placed three cards on his Disk, and a facedown Monster and two facedown cards appeared.
He nodded.
"Guess that means your done," said Yumi, making a draw.
"I summon… Magician's Valkyria!"
She played a card, and the brunette female mage appeared. (1,600/1,800)
Boy, this guy has a pretty serious game face, she thought. Attacking may be a bad idea…
Aw, heck with it…
"Valkyria, attack!"
Magician's Valkyria shot a blast of light towards the facedown Monster…
Shining Angel appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.
Then Philippe gestured, and one of his facedown cards lifted.
"Aw, crap!" shouted Ren. "That's Michizure!"
The ground cracked, and a huge crevasse tore open. Valkyria screamed and plummeted into the pit.
"You're gonna pay for that…" said Yumi.
Then a flash of light appeared on the field, and a new Monster materialized where Shining Angel had been. It looked like a child, wearing a blue sea captain's jacket, a helmet with a bladed crest, and holding a sword that looked too big for him to use. (1,000/1,000)
"Crap… again…" said Ren.
"Who is that?" asked Chelsea.
"Silent Swordsman LV3…" said Ren. "Figures, in a strange way."
Yumi started to sweat. She knew how these Warriors worked…
She took a card from her hand, and fit it in her Disk. A facedown card appeared.
"That's all I can do," she said.
Philippe drew a card.
Silent Swordsman glowed with energy, and started to change. In a flash of light, he turned into an adult version of himself, holding an even larger sword. (2,300/1,000)
"I assume he went up a Level?" asked Chelsea.
"Two levels, actually" said Ren. "And if that facedown card can't stop a direct attack, Yumi is in very big trouble."
Then Philippe's other facedown card lifted up, and a Dust Tornado ripped across the field. Yumi's Mirror Force was blown to pieces.
"No…" gasped Ren.
Philippe pointed, and Silent Swordsman slammed his sword into Yumi, knocking her over.
(Y: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 8,000)
"So now what?" asked Chelsea.
"On Philippe's next turn, he can trade him in for Silent Swordsman LV7," said Ren. "And if he's on the field, neither player can use Spell Cards.
"And it's going to be even harder for Yumi, because the Level Five version is already immune to Spell Cards."
"Yumi…" muttered Chelsea.
As Yumi got up, Philippe placed three of his cards into his Disk, and three facedown cards appeared.
He nodded.
Okay, thought Yumi, drawing a card. His facedown cards are definitely NOT bluffs! But I have to try to do something, or that Swordsman will be nearly unstoppable!
"I play… Pot of Greed!" she said.
She played the card, and made two draws.
Here goes nothing… she thought.
"I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer," she said.
In a dark shadow, the bald monk appeared, clutching his beads. (1,800/700)
"Now I play… Rush Recklessly!"
She played the card, but as she did, Philippe gestured, and one of his three facedown cards activated.
"Ah, no!" shouted Sam. "That's Dark Bribe! A powerful Counter Trap… I should know…"
The Rush Recklessly card burst into pixels. Yumi frowned, and drew a card.
She looked at it.
"All right, buddy…" she growled. "I have to end my turn…"
Philippe drew. Then he gestured, and Silent Swordsman glowed again…
In a burst of light, he transformed into a far more radiant form, with a flowing cloak and a sword that was as long as he was tall. (2,800/1,000)
Then Philippe gestured, and another of his facedown cards lifted. The Jar of Greed appeared on the field, and he drew once.
Then he played a card, and Marauding Captain appeared on the field. (1,200/400)
"More bad news," said Ren. "Now Yumi can't even attack the big guy."
Philippe pointed, and Silent Swordsman slashed with his blade, cutting Kycoo down.
Then Marauding Captain's sword slammed into Yumi, and she staggered backwards.
(Y: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 8,000)
Philippe nodded again.
"Well," said Erik, "at least he can't use Spells either."
"Hello! Anybody home?" asked Sam, knocking on his head. "He's playing a Silent Swordsman deck! He likely hardly has any Spells in it at all! He probably makes up for that handicap with an arsenal of Trap Cards!"
Yumi nervously drew a card.
She placed the card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"Go ahead…" she muttered.
Philippe drew a card.
He placed it in his Disk, and another facedown card appeared next to the first one.
Then he pointed again, and Silent Swordsman charged at the facedown card.
Old Vindictive Magician appeared on the card.
"All right!" shouted Chelsea.
Then Philippe waved, and the facedown card that was already on the field lifted.
"Divine Wrath?" she shouted. "Man, this guy has something for everything!"
Philippe discarded one of his cards. As Silent Swordsman's blade struck, there was a crash of thunder. Lightning fell from the heavens, and Old Vindictive Magician was obliterated.
Then Marauding Captain slashed at Yumi again, and she fell on her behind.
(Y: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 8,000)
"Yumi's in big trouble, guys!" shouted Chelsea.
"I'd say she passed 'big trouble' two rounds ago," said Sam. "Her Spells are shut down, she's lost Old Vindictive Magician and Mirror Force, her Life Points are nearly down to 2,000 while his aren't even touched.
"Frankly, it's gonna take a miracle."
Yumi started to sweat hard…
I'm beginning to see how he took down one of Joan's best duelists, she thought. I haven't been in a bind like this in a very long time…
She looked at the cards in her hand.
She closed her eyes as she made a draw.
As she looked at what she drew, Philippe gestured, and his other Trap Card lifted.
"Huh?" said Yumi. "The Transmigration Prophesy?"
"What does that do?" asked Erik.
"It lets Philippe add two cards from either Graveyard to the owner's deck," said Sam. "Useful in many ways."
Yumi's eyes narrowed.
Michizure and Dust Tornado slipped out of Philippe's discard slot. He combined them with his deck, and reshuffled.
So, he just wanted to recycle his Trap Cards, thought Yumi. Thank goodness… He'd have beaten me if he had chosen another option…
"I throw one card facedown, and summon a second Magician's Valkyria," she said.
A facedown card appeared, and a twin of the first Valkyria appeared. (1,600/1,800)
"Attack his Marauding Captain!" she shouted. "Magic illusion!"
Valkyria cast her spell, and the Captain was blown to shards. Philippe frowned.
(Y: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 7,600)
"I end my turn…" said Yumi, with a slight smirk.
Philippe made a draw. He pointed, and Silent Swordsman lifted his sword.
"Not so fast!" shouted Yumi. "I activate… Call of the Haunted!"
Her facedown card lifted, and in a burst of energy, the first Valkyria appeared on the field next to the other one. (1,600/1,800)
"Gotcha!" said Yumi. "When Valkyria is on the field, you can't attack any Spellcasters except her. I have two of them, and they're both Spellcasters!
"That means you can't attack me at all. So what are you gonna do?"
Philippe frowned. He placed the card he had drawn into his Disk, and it appeared facedown.
He nodded.
Yumi drew a card.
"I summon… Breaker the Magical Warrior!"
She played the card, and the red-robed mage appeared, holding his sword and shield. (1,600/1,000) –) (1,900/1,000)
"Breaker, wipe out his facedown card."
Breaker's shield glowed, and the Mirror Force on Philippe's side of the field was blown to shards.
"Well, Yumi's on the right track," said Sam. "But she still doesn't have anyone on the field who can actually beat that Swordsman."
"Give her time," said Ren. "If there's one thing I know about Yumi, she can often find a solution where most folks would find nothing."
"Maybe," said Sam. "But with all his Trap Cards, he likely has three Dust Tornadoes in his deck. And he sent his first one back there. Yumi has to find a solution before he draws even one."
Philippe drew a card. He looked at it.
He placed it on his Disk, and a defensive Monster appeared. He nodded again.
"All right watch out!" shouted Yumi, drawing a card.
She added it to her hand.
"First, I throw a card of my own facedown."
A facedown card appeared behind her three Spellcasters.
"Then, I sacrifice Breaker and one Valkyria…"
Breaker and one of the two Valkyria (the one that had been summoned with Call of the Haunted) vanished into grains of light…
"To call forth Dark Magician of Chaos!"
In a burst of dark energy, the mighty chaos mage appeared on Yumi's side of the field. (2,800/2,600)
"All right!" shouted Chelsea. "But… But wait, wait… His Attack Score is equal to Silent Swordsman's…"
"And that's good enough for me!" said Yumi. "But first, due to his effect, I get a Spell Card back from my Graveyard."
Pot of Greed slipped out of her discard slot, and she took it.
"Dark Magician of Chaos… Attack the Silent Swordsman!"
The Spellcaster lifted his scepter and flew towards the Warrior. Silent Swordsman lifted his sword and charged to meet him…
Yumi's friends all cringed as an explosion lit up the whole docks, eradicating both Monsters.
"It was a draw!" shouted Ren.
"But guess what?" said Erik. "Since Dark Magician of Chaos destroyed Silent Swordsman in battle, both Monsters were removed from play!"
"I'm not done," said Yumi. "Valkyria, attack his facedown Monster!"
Valkyria cast her Magic Illusion at the facedown card. A withered, yellow mask appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.
"Mask of Darkness," said Sam. "Figures. Now he gets one of his Trap Cards back."
A card slipped out of Philippe's discard slot, and he took it.
"Next up," said Yumi, "Now that I can use Spell Cards again, I play Pot of Greed."
She played the card, and the jar appeared. She made two draws.
"And I'll use one of them right now… Monster Reborn!"
She played the card, and the Magician's Valkyria that she had just sacrificed appeared next to the other one. (1,600/1,800)
"All right!" shouted Ren. "Go, Yumi!"
"I end my turn," said Yumi.
Philippe quickly drew.
Then he threw a card into his Disk.
"Uh oh," said Sam. "That's Level Modulation. Seems he does have a few Spell Cards after all. Yumi gets to draw twice, but he gets to bring back one of his Leveled Monsters."
Yumi made two draws. In a flash of light, Silent Swordsman LV5 appeared again. (2,300/1,000)
Philippe placed his last two cards in his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared behind Silent Swordsman.
He nodded again.
Yumi drew, and looked at the field.
My facedown card is my own Dust Tornado, she thought. One of his is clearly Mirror Force, which he obviously got back using Mask of Darkness. He wants to clear my side so he can attack and finish me.
Okay… So it's a fifty-fifty chance…
Her facedown card lifted up, and the Dust Tornado tore across the field. One of Philippe's cards lifted up and shattered. Yumi was relieved to see that it was indeed Mirror Force.
"I sacrifice one Valkyria to summon Dark Magician Girl," she said.
The Valkyria on the left vanished. In a flurry of hearts, Dark Magician Girl appeared with a pirouette. (2,000/1,700)
"Next," she said, "I play Sage's Stone. Dark Magician, you're on!"
In an explosion of energy, the powerful sorcerer appeared. Dark Magician Girl smiled sweetly. (2,500/2,100)
"Dark Magician… Dark magic attack!"
Dark Magician cast his powerful spell, and Silent Swordsman was blown to pieces.
"Dark Magician Girl… Valkyria… Attack directly!"
The two female mages leapt up, and clashed their scepters together. A powerful blast of magic shot towards Philippe, knocking the mime on his back.
"Yeah!" shouted Ren.
"Clobber that clown!" shouted Chelsea.
"I play a facedown, and end my turn," said Yumi.
A new facedown card appeared on her side of the field.
(Y: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 3,800)
For the first time, Philippe actually looked angry. He made a draw.
He played it right away, and the Pot of Avarice appeared in front of him. He took Mask of Darkness, Silent Swordsman LV3, Silent Swordsman LV5, Shining Angel, and Marauding Captain from his Graveyard, shuffled them into his deck, and then drew twice.
"Talk about a lucky draw," said Erik.
Philippe looked at the two cards for a minute.
Then he gestured, and his last facedown card lifted. Purple smoke drifted out of it…
A frightening creature slithered out of the card. From the waist down, it was a large serpent. From the waist up, it was semi-humanoid. It had two heads, one human-like, and one that was a snake. It clutched a sharp kopesh in one hand and a decorated shield in another. (1,600/1,800)
"Embodiment of Apophis?" said Ren. "What's he up to?"
Philippe gestured, and the Reptile vanished into grains of light.
"Looks like he's gonna sacrifice it," said Chelsea.
In a flash of light, Silent Swordsman LV5 appeared again, brandishing his sword. (2,300/1,000)
"I should have known you had another one," said Yumi. "Well, I'll just destroy him again."
Philippe smirked. He played the other card.
"Oh no!" shouted Sam. "That's Level Up!"
In an explosion of energy, Silent Swordsman was transformed into his Level Seven form. He glared at Yumi with brilliant, blue eyes. (2,800/1,000)
"Not again…" said Ren.
Philippe pointed, and Silent Swordsman made a slash with his blade. Magician's Valkyria screamed and toppled over before shattering. Yumi cringed.
(Y: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 3,800)
"I don't get it," said Chelsea. "You said that the Level Five form was immune to Spell Cards. How could he have used Level Up! on him?"
"Level Up! doesn't 'affect' a Monster per se," said Sam. "The Monster on the field is sent to the Graveyard as a cost. Thus, you can indeed summon the Level Seven version using Level Up!"
And I'm in big trouble, thought Yumi, looking at the cards in her hand. I've only got one Monster in my deck that can deal with this… And I have to draw her NOW.
She quickly drew a card. She closed her eyes.
She looked at it.
"All right!" she shouted.
"I sacrifice both my Monsters…"
Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl vanished into grains of light.
"…to summon… Cosmo Queen!"
In a burst of energy, the mighty ruler of the galaxy appeared, her eyes glowing with eldritch light. (2,900/2,450)
A look of fear appeared on the mime's face.
"Cosmo Queen…" said Yumi, "prepare to attack. Cosmic nova!"
Cosmo Queen gestured with her palms, and a ball of dark, cosmic energy formed in them.
"While she's doing that," said Yumi, "my Trap Card activates… Magician's Circle!"
Her facedown card lifted.
"Now, each player must Special Summon in Attack Mode, a Spellcaster that has 2,000 Attack Points or less. And I choose Gemini Elf!"
In a burst of energy, the two elf sisters appeared. (1,900/900)
Philippe frowned again. He gestured, and Magician of Faith appeared on his side of the field. (300/400)
Cosmo Queen blasted her cosmic nova, and Silent Swordsman was blown to bits.
"Gemini Elf, attack!" shouted Yumi.
The two elves cast their lightning bolts, and Magician of Faith was incinerated.
"And finally," said Yumi, throwing a card into her Disk, "I play Magical Dimension! I'll sacrifice Gemini Elf, to summon Chaos Command Magician to the field."
The two elves vanished. The powerful mage in his glossy, black robe and hat appeared. (2,400/1,900)
"Attack him directly and finish this! Chaos magic!"
Chaos Command Magician cast a blast of multicolored energy, and Philippe toppled over. He fell on his face with a splat.
(Y: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (P: 0)
"All right!" shouted Ren.
He and the others ran up to Yumi.
"I never doubted you for a minute, Yumi…"
Chelsea hit him in the back of the head.
"Well, uh…" he said. "Maybe I had a few teeny-tiny doubts for a while, but…"
Yumi looked at the mime, as he slowly vanished into grains of light.
"Enough clowning around," she said. "Let's find this boat before Daala sends anything else after us…"
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"So what are we looking for again?" asked Erik.
"Remember?" said Yumi. "A boat with a figurehead shaped like Joan…"
She looked up.
"There!"
The boat moored at the dock in front of them did indeed have a figurehead shaped like Joan, but they didn't like the look of the ship. It was apparently an old fishing vessel made of wood, and was in a desperate need of a paint job, with a great deal of wear on the hull. The sails were still intact, but looked like they might not stay that way for long.
"Good lord…" muttered Sam. "We'd be better off on the Merrimac!"
"She doesn't look like much," said someone from up above, "but she's got plenty of wind in her sails."
They looked up.
Standing at the bow was a muscular youth, with spiky, black hair held back with a blue bandana. A long scar was on the left side of his face. He wasn't wearing much – only a pair of blue shorts with a work belt and a Duel Disk.
Yumi noticed that a white feather – clearly one of Joan's – was stuck in his bandana.
"Mako Tsunami?" said Ren, in surprise.
"That's me," said the youth. "Or rather, a virtual imitation. I'm Joan's primary transport for the Sea of Infinite Tears.
"And don't you folks worry about traveling across the place in The Sea Angel, she's much sturdier than she looks. I've taken her across this Realm more times than I care to count.
"I just wish that at least once I could come back to Rye with the passengers I took across it…"
"We'll take down the Realm Lord this time," said Chelsea.
"I hope so," said Mako, as the gangplank lowered. "I'd take him down myself, but Joan won't allow it. She's afraid that if I lose, she'd lose her most reliable means of transport across this accursed sea.
"Now, I'd love to chat some more, but I'd like to get going. Large groups tend to attract a lot of attention.
"With good weather, we'll be there by two…
"Although, I must admit, good weather in this Realm is incredibly rare…"
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CROSS CHANGE (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Elemental Hero Avian and Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin standing side-by-side with their arms crossed.
Card Description: Select and activate one of the following effects.
Return one "Elemental Hero" Monster on your side of the field to your deck. Special Summon from your deck one "Neo-Spacian" Monster that is the same Level as the Monster that you returned to your deck.
Return one "Neo-Spacian" Monster on your side of the field back to your deck. Special Summon from your deck one "Elemental Hero" Monster that is the same Level as the Monster that you returned to your deck.
Note: "Cross Change" was first used by Jaden in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Return of the Sacred Beasts". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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TAG REQUEST (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Elemental Hero Clayman inside a wrestling ring, while Elemental Hero Bubbleman waits outside the ring.
Card Description: Select one face-up Monster on your side of the field. Special Summon an "Elemental Hero" Monster from your hand that has the same ATK as the selected Monster.
Note: "Tag Request" was first used by Jaden in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Unleash the Dragon! (Part One)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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E N SHUFFLE (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Elemental Hero Avian striking a heroic pose as Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin flies up behind him.
Card Description: Return one "Elemental Hero" Monster on your side of the field to your deck. Special Summon one "Neo-Spacian" Monster from your deck. The Monster that is Special Summoned by this card cannot use its effect.
Note: "E N Shuffle" was first used by Jaden in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Unleash the Dragon! (Part Two)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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Coming up next:
Yumi and her friends had better take their Dramamine, because they will soon find that the Sea of Infinite Tears holds far more hazards than the Tzimisce did. Next chapter, another villain from the past challenges Sam with a deck that holds a beast with great power.
Don't miss "Lost Parts", coming soon.
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Name that Card!
This Warrior is known for its incredible defensive properties. Despite this, it is shown being destroyed on the artwork of two Spell Cards. Can you name it?