What odd-looking Fairy was inspired by the story of alien abductees Barney and Betty Clark? If you said "Zeta Reticulant", you were successfully able to Name that Card!
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I come from Japan. My country is known for a lot of things.
Contrary to what you may think, we did NOT invent Duel Monsters. Maximillion Pegasus gets that honor, and he was American, born and raised. Seto Kaiba made several advances to it, but he can't take credit for inventing it.
Japan can take credit for a lot of other things. Video games, for example. Again, we can't truly take the credit for inventing them (Pong was invented by Atari, and that was also American), but we pretty much perfected them when Nintendo went into computers. Their first big hit was Donkey Kong, a game that introduced their mascot, Mario, a guy who's smiling face is still around today.
Since then, video games from various companies have invaded every aspect of our lives. Arcades, home consoles, PC consoles, and hand-held systems. People never get tired of them.
Why do I bring this up? Well, true, I'm in sort of in the middle of a game right now…
And Daala seems to have arranged a crossover cameo.
And if this guy is as good at dueling as he's supposed to be at hand-to-hand fighting, I may be in over my head…
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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Forces of Nature
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"You're telling me that Sam can shoot ice from her hands?" shouted Ren.
"More or less," said Sam. "I think I may have to practice more before I can do it like that guy in the old comic book."
"Swell!" shouted Ren. "What did Yumi, Chelsea, and I get from that stuff besides indigestion?"
"Patience, Ren!" said Yumi. "If Sam and Erik are any indication, what it did to you will manifest when the time is right…"
"This is serious," muttered Erik. "If the Fruit is true to the stuff in the Manga, Sam lucked out more than ever…"
"What do you mean?" asked Sam.
"There are three… families of Devil's Fruit," said Erik. "The kind that gives a user the power to control an elemental force, like ice, is the rarest and most powerful. It not only gives them that power, it makes them practically invulnerable. As immortal as nature itself.
"The only way to harm such a user is to neutralize her powers, or use an opposing element."
Everyone gave Sam ominous looks...
Then Chelsea reached over and pinched her hard on the arm.
"OW!" she shouted. "What was that for?"
"Well, I could be wrong…" said Erik.
As Mako had hoped, the defeat of the Rare Hunter had caused the huge hand to release the ship and disappear.
However, half an hour after resuming the trip, the weather took a turn for the worse. The sky turned even darker, the wind picked up, and lightning flashed to rumbles of thunder. The sobbing coming from the sky seemed to get even worse. It seemed like the sea was crying in anguish.
"Looks like we're in for a bit of a squall," said Ren.
"This is likely the Realm Lord's doing," said Mako, as he held onto the wheel of the ship. "We think he can control the weather within a twenty-mile radius of his island. Uhm, and that's nautical miles too, which I'm fairly sure is more than normal miles."
"Mako, look out!" shouted Chelsea. "Iceberg, dead ahead!"
They all looked, and it was true. A huge iceberg was floating in the middle of the sea.
"Did you really have to say 'dead'?" asked Sam.
"Don't worry," said Mako. "I'm pretty sure we can go around it…"
Then his brow furrowed. The iceberg started to advance on them.
"Mako?" said Yumi. "Why are we heading right towards it?"
"Now we can worry," said Mako. "That's no iceberg… That's a lair."
"A lair?" asked Ren.
"Daala's minions create strongholds inside these huge blocks of ice," said Mako. "And they have ways to draw ships right to them. I've had to deal with them several times.
"I'm afraid I haven't discovered a way to get the ship out of their grasp yet people… Everyone… Be prepared to fight."
Everyone stood firm, as a huge set of doors opened on the iceberg, and drew the ship in.
They were surprised by what they saw inside. On an island of ice inside the huge icy cavern they were inside, was a large Shinto temple. The front doors to the temple were dominated by an odd symbol – the black silhouette of a dragon's head.
"Where have I seen that before?" asked Yumi.
Actually, she recognized it plainly. She was getting more and more worried by the minute.
The six duelists disembarked on the island, and approached the temple doors, which swung open to greet them. Warmth flew out of the temple, in sharp contrast to the icy exterior.
Well, we can rule out Sub-Zero, thought Yumi.
They walked into a large chamber, where the dragon design was imprinted on both the floor and the walls. Candles were lit on altars, and incense burners flanked the corners.
Then thunder rolled again, and lightning struck in front of them, causing them to take a step backwards.
An intimidating man appeared where the bolt had struck. He was large and overbearing, standing seven feet tall. His most distinguishing feature was his oversized coolie hat, and the Chinese character for Thunder was printed on his blue and white costume. His eyes glowed with electric energy. He held a simple bo staff in his right hand – a primitive weapon, but deadly in trained hands.
"Raiden…" muttered Yumi.
"Huh?" said Ren. "Raiden? Yumi, you've heard of this guy?"
"That's an explanation I'd like to hear myself," said the figure.
"He's one of the most popular characters from the old Mortal Kombat video game series," said Yumi. "The thunder god and the protector of Earthrealm. I played these games on my Nintendo Classics downloads."
Raiden nodded.
"Lovely," said Ren. "Now we're dealing with video game characters!"
"It isn't too much of a stretch, Ren," said Sam. "Your own Getsu Fuhma was a video game character long before she was ever a Duel Monster."
Yumi walked up to the thunder god and stood up to him
"Raiden, I don't get it," she said. "You're the defender of the Earthrealm… Your purpose is to protect it from the threats of other dimensions. Why the heck would you work for Daala?"
"I know of no Daala!" said Raiden. "But as you say, I investigate all dimensions of power and make certain that they pose no threat to the realm that I protect. This Xanadu seems a dangerous source of power, and I might need to take action."
"Well, then, we're on the same side!" shouted Ren. "Raiden… We're all natives of Earth – well, except Mako – and we want to overthrow the ruler of this place!
"But you can trust Mako, he's an ally."
Raiden looked at him and frowned.
"A likely story, young man…" he said. "You claim to be natives of Earthrealm… But ironically, your friend Mako is the only one I come close to trusting."
"Are you accusing us of lying?" asked Chelsea.
"My senses are very acute, young lady," said Raiden. "And I detect within each of you evil magic that originated in the nether regions.
"You claim to be warriors from Earthrealm, and yet you possess magic inside you that was spawned by fiends? You look like teenagers, but you may well be devils posing as them."
"That's the most ridiculous…" started Sam.
She stopped short. She held her stomach.
"He… He's right…" she said. "He's talking about the Devil's Fruit…"
There was dead silence for about a minute.
Erik stepped forward.
"Raiden…" he said. "It's… it's true… We all ate from a well of power that originated in Hell… But we did so in hopes of obtaining powers that would help us serve the greater good."
Raiden chuckled.
"Thought to use evil's power against itself, eh?" he said. "Not the wisest choice, if that is indeed the case. In most cases, no good can ever come out of power spawned from evil.
"I'm afraid I've never heard of Devil's Fruit…"
"I've never heard of it either," said Mako.
"Tell you what…" said Raiden.
His eyes started to glow again.
"One of you step up here and face me in combat. I can easily tell the fighting style of an Earthrealm warrior from that of one from another dimension."
"Figures," said Yumi. "This guy is a character from a fighting game. He settles everything through fighting. Guys, maybe I should do this."
"No…" said Erik. "People, the Devil's Fruit was my idea, so I'll get us out of this."
He stepped up towards the storm god.
"Well then, Erik was it?" said Raiden. "Would you prefer to fight using Duel Monsters or martial arts?"
"Erik!" shouted Yumi. "I strongly advise Duel Monsters! According to one source, Raiden is a master of all seven-hundred and fifty documented forms of Jujitsu."
"That's impossible!" shouted Sam.
"This guy is immortal," said Ren. "It's possible for him."
"I've also mastered twenty-two forms of Jujitsu that are no longer documented in the modern era," said Raiden, with a slight smirk.
"Okay!" said Erik, nervously. "I think I'll choose Duel Monsters…"
"Suit yourself…" said Raiden.
He held his staff out in front of him, and electricity surrounded it in a bright flash. It changed shape, and turned into a Duel Disk that formed around his left arm. The same dragon symbol decorated the deck holder, and on the tray were the Kanji symbols for the five mystical elements of nature: Water, Earth, Fire, Metal, and Wood.
"Game on!" they both shouted.
(Erik: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Raiden: 8,000)
"It seems you know no fear," said Raiden.
Erik made his first draw, and looked over the cards in his hand.
"I summon Card Blocker," he said, playing one of them.
He played the card, and the small, toy Warrior appeared. He quickly crouched down in Defense Mode. (400/400)
"And I'll leave it at that."
Raiden drew a card. He looked over the cards in his hand.
"I'll set one Monster in Defense Mode, and then three cards facedown," he said.
Four cards appeared on the field in front of him, three vertical, and one horizontal.
"And that will conclude my turn…"
"My move," said Erik.
He looked at the card he had just drawn. He played it.
"I summon… Toy Magician," he said.
In a flash of light, the toy sorcerer appeared, holding his glowing scepter. (1,600/1,500)
Okay… he thought. What sort of deck would a storm god-slash-martial artist-slash-video game character play?
I have absolutely no idea…
Wait…
He started to sweat.
He's a thunder god… Could he possibly be using… Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder?
He sweat even more. He could see that powerful demon quite clearly in his mind…
No, that's impossible! he told himself. The Sacred Beasts were lost forever!
There's only one way to find out…
"Attack his…" he started.
Then one of Raiden's facedown cards lifted up, showing the image of Freed the Matchless General at a table with a map in front of him.
"It's a Trap called A Feint Plan," said Raiden. "This round, you aren't allowed to attack any of my facedown Monsters."
"Swell," said Erik, looking at the rest of the cards in his hand. "That means I can't attack at all…
"I'll set one of my own cards facedown, and that will be all."
A facedown card appeared behind Toy Magician.
It's likely a Flip-Effect Monster that he wants to flip himself for some reason, thought Erik. But what?
Lightning danced over Raiden's body as he drew another card.
"I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode," he said, as the card flipped up. "Meet The Immortal of Thunder!"
Lightning flashed, and the Monster appeared in front of him. It was an old man with blue skin and a full beard, dressed in a green and red toga, and holding a golden staff topped with a lightning symbol. (1,500/1,300)
"By flipping him face-up, my Life Points go up by 3,000 points," he said, as he started to glow with energy.
"Yeah, but there's a hefty cost," said Sam. "When he leaves the field, you lose 5,000 Life Points."
"That's only the case if he goes to the Graveyard," said Raiden.
As everyone was trying to figure out what this meant, Raiden played another card.
"I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan!" he said.
In another flash of lightning, a catlike woman wearing a leopard-skin leotard and gloves, with a set of drums in front of her appeared. (1,900/800)
"Now, her appearance activates another Trap Card," he said, as another of his facedown cards lifted. "Judgment of Thunder! By summoning a Thunder Monster, I can use this card to destroy any card on the field."
Lightning flashed, and then a bolt crashed down and struck Card Blocker, reducing him to ashes.
He's no rookie! thought Erik. Clearly he knew that neither of his two Monsters could defeat Card Blocker by attacking him…
Of course, he is a god…
"Nyan Nyan," shouted Raiden, "attack his Toy Magician with death solo!"
"Me-rowr!" purred Thunder Nyan Nyan. She twirled her drumsticks, and then started to beat her instrument, sending sparks flying. As she hit the cymbals, a bolt of energy shot towards Toy Magician, and he was electrocuted.
"Immortal, attack him directly!" commanded Raiden.
The Immortal of Thunder aimed his staff. However, Erik gestured with his hand, and his facedown card lifted. Call of the Haunted appeared, and Toy Magician appeared on the field again. (1,600/1,500)
"In that case," said Raiden, "I'll call off my attack, and trigger my last Trap Card…"
His third facedown card lifted.
"Compulsory Evacuation Device. Now, I can send one Monster on the field back to my hand."
A strange machine appeared on the field, and a set of chains shot out of it, grabbing The Immortal of Thunder. He was pulled into the machine, and then shot out like a cannon. He vanished, and his card reappeared in Raiden's hand.
"Say…" said Sam. "That was a clever move… By sending The Immortal back to his hand, it won't go from the field to the Graveyard, and he'll never have to worry about its nasty side effect!"
"I end my turn," said Raiden.
(E: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 11,000)
I gotta do something, thought Erik. My Toy Magician only has 1,600 Attack Points, while Thunder Nyan Nyan is a longtime member of the Nineteen-Hundred Club…
He drew a card.
Hey… he thought. I haven't gotten a chance to use this yet…
"I play a facedown, and move Toy Magician to Defense Mode," he said.
Toy Magician knelt and held his scepter in his lap. A facedown card appeared behind him.
"Humph, is that all?" asked Raiden, drawing a card. "You fight like Johnny Cage…"
He looked at the card he had just drawn.
"I sacrifice Thunder Nyan Nyan…"
Nyan Nyan blew a kiss to Erik before she vanished into grains of light.
"…to call forth Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!"
The Monster that appeared towered fifteen feet above the arena. It was one of the infamous Monarchs, dressed in white, fancy armor with green trim, with purple, metallic skin, and a spherical dome on his head that sparked with electricity. (2,400/1,000)
"Why did I just know he had that card?" sighed Erik.
Lightning flashed, and then it struck Toy Magician, blowing him to atoms.
"Zaborg, attack Erik directly with rolling thunder!"
The giant cupped his hands together, and formed a huge ball of lightning between them, which he threw at Erik…
The next thing everyone knew, Erik was standing under a huge sand castle that had been conjured up out of nowhere. The ball of lightning struck the wall of the castle, blowing away half of it.
"What?" said Raiden.
Erik took some deep breaths.
"I activated my Trap," he said. "Fortress of Sand. My sand castle has 3,000 Life Points… Or rather, it did before your Monarch just blasted away 2,400 of them. You can't attack me directly until you first tear down the Fortress, and the Fortress isn't a legitimate target unless I'm vulnerable to a direct attack."
Raiden chuckled.
"Well, I'll admit that this is magic that Shang Tsung and his ilk would never have dreamed of using," he said.
"Yes," said Erik. "So why don't we stop this duel before someone gets hurt?"
"I didn't say I was convinced yet," said Raiden. "Sure, your cards may reflect innocence, but then, so did Mileena until Kitana revealed her true identity.
"I end my turn…"
He's certainly using Thunder Monsters, thought Erik, but if he is using Hamon, his deck seems to have a critical shortage of Continuous Spells…
He quickly drew a card.
"Hey…" he muttered.
"I set one Monster in Defense Mode," he said, "and then set two cards facedown."
A facedown Monster, and two facedown cards appeared.
"Over to you," he said.
Raiden drew a card.
"Zaborg, attack his facedown Monster!"
Zaborg powered up his attack again.
"I activate my first Trap!" shouted Erik, as his first facedown card lifted. "Toy Cannon!"
Erik's Trap Card lifted, and a small, revolution-era cannon appeared, manned by two toy soldiers.
"What's going on?" said Raiden.
"You'll see," said Erik.
One of the Soldiers loaded a cannonball into the cannon, and the other rammed it down with a pole. They covered their ears, and it fired with a mighty blast. Zaborg the Thunder Monarch groaned and toppled over, and Raiden fell over from the impact.
"Impressive…" he said, "for a toy…"
"Now part two of my brilliant plan," said Erik, as his other facedown card lifted. "The Trap Card, Tragedy!"
"Huh?" said Yumi.
"This card activates when Monsters move into Defense Mode," said Erik, "and destroys them!"
Zaborg shattered into shards.
"When did you put that in your deck, Erik?" shouted Yumi.
"About two weeks ago," said Erik. "I figure I had a lot of cards that moved Monsters into Defense Mode, so why not?"
"You are clever," said Raiden. "Maybe you have more sense than Johnny Cage after all.
"I end my turn. Seems you have an advantage… I would use it…"
(E: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 10,600)
Erik drew a card.
"First, I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode… My Toy Tank."
His facedown Monster flipped up, and Toy Tank appeared. (1,300/1,100)
"Then, I summon my second Toy Magician!"
Another of the toy Spellcasters appeared in a flash of light.
"Toy Magician, attack directly! Sparkle blast!"
Toy Magician cast a burst of glowing motes, and Raiden cringed.
Erik pointed, and Toy Cannon blasted a bolt of pure energy from its turret, striking the storm god in the gut. He fell over.
Raiden got up. His eyes glowed with electric energy again.
"Uh, I set one card facedown, and end my turn…" muttered Erik.
He placed a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
(E: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 7,700)
"Not bad…" said Raiden. "If Sonja and Jax were recruiting, you'd clearly pass their test with flying colors.
"Or you could pass the test for the Black Dragon…"
"Black Dragon?" said Ren.
"A criminal organization headed by Kano," muttered Yumi, "Sonja's mortal enemy."
"But it's my move now…" said Raiden.
He made a draw.
"All right, Erik," he said, "I play, Graceful Charity."
The Spell Card appeared, and he drew three cards. He quickly discarded two (one of which was The Immortal of Thunder).
Then he fit a card into his Disk.
"I play Premature Burial. I simply have to give up 800 Life Points, and Zaborg returns."
In a flash of lightning, Zaborg appeared again. (2,400/1,000)
"Next, I summon Thunder Knight."
He played a card, and figure appeared, wearing bulky, bronze armor and a cape, holding a bronze sword. (1,300/1,200)
"Thunder Knight gains 400 more Attack Points for each Thunder Monster on the field, and as you can plainly see, I have two of them."
(2,100/1,200)
"I could simply attack," he said, taking another card from his hand, "but I don't like the look of that facedown card of yours, or that apparently weak Toy Tank…
"So instead, I'll play Makiu."
As he played the card, a sinister looking fog started to emit from Zaborg.
"Makiu is a Spell that destroys all opposing Monsters with Defense Scores less than my Thunder Monster's Attack Score, so long as I forfeit my Battle Phase this turn. So both of your toys won't be lasting much longer…"
Both Toy Tank and Toy Magician sparked, and then melted into molten plastic.
"Good lord…" muttered Erik.
"And with that," said Raiden, "I conclude my turn…"
(E: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 6,900)
Erik made a draw.
All right, now I'm in trouble… he thought.
"I… have to pass…" he muttered.
Raiden grinned, and he drew one card.
I'll save this for later, he thought, looking at it.
"Thunder Knight, attack him directly and tear down his Fortress!"
Thunder Knight flew at Erik. The Knight's sword slashed through the Fortress of Sand, and it collapsed into a pile of dust.
"Erik!" shouted Sam.
"Zaborg," ordered Raiden, "rolling thunder!"
Zaborg threw his ball of lighting, and Erik screamed as it hit him. He fell over and winced in pain.
Raiden glared at his foe as he lay there…
Erik slowly got up.
"My move…" he muttered.
(E: 5,300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 6,900)
Well, he certainly has one trait that all Earthrealm warriors share, thought Raiden. He doesn't give up. But then, Outworld warriors rarely do either.
And his fighting style is hard to gauge. I've never seen anything like it.
But one thing's for sure…
The evil power I sensed inside him… He's not drawing on it to fight in this battle.
Erik drew a card.
"Okay pal," he said. "I'll skip my own Battle Phase to play Toy Memorial."
He threw the card into his Disk.
"And while I'm doing that, I'll chain Emergency Provisions to its activation."
His facedown card flipped up, and a mouth appeared, and devoured the Toy Memorial card.
"Now, I get to draw one card for every card in my Graveyard with the word 'Toy' in it. I have two Toy Magicians, one Toy Tank, and one Toy Cannon.
He drew four cards he looked them over.
"Next, I remove Toy Memorial from play, to Special Summon Spell Striker."
He played the card, and a toy wizard with a horned helmet, cape, and a smiling face, holding a wand appeared in front of him. (600/200)
"Next, I'll set a Monster in Defense Mode."
He played a card, and a Defensive Monster appeared.
"Now to take care of that fifteen-foot eyesore. I play Mystical Space Typhoon. This destroys your Premature Burial, and takes Zaborg with it."
He played the card, and the cyclone shot across the field. Zaborg strained, and then shattered.
"That's all for my turn."
(E: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 6,900)
Raiden drew a card.
It was Pot of Avarice.
It wasn't of any use right now. He only had three Monsters in his Graveyard.
He added it to his hand.
"Thunder Knight, attack his Spell Striker!" he ordered.
Thunder Knight flew at the small Warrior and slashed with its sword, blowing it to pieces.
"Tough break," said Erik. "Due to his effect, I take no damage."
And my plan worked… he thought, looking at his facedown Monster. I was able to trick him into attacking the more obvious target, and now my more important Monster is still safe. I guess even the gods don't know everything.
"Then it's your move," said Raiden.
Erik quickly drew a card.
"I Flip-Summon… My Toy Wind-Up!" he shouted.
The card flipped up, and a new Monster appeared. It looked similar to his Toy Soldiers, but taller and bulkier, and made of metal. A bronze turnkey was on its back, and it carried a blunderbuss rather than a musket. (1,000/700)
"Next, I play… My Fife and Drum Corp!"
He fit the Spell Card into his Disk, and the parade of Toy Soldiers marched into the temple, playing their rousing tune. Toy Wind-Up glowed, and its Attack Score rose to 2,000.
"Go! Attack his Thunder Knight with blunderbuss blast!"
Toy Wind-Up aimed his gun, and with a large BOOM, Thunder Knight was blown to pieces.
"I'm not done," said Erik. "When Wind-Up damages your Life Points, I get to Special Summon another one."
Another Wind-Up appeared. (1,000/700)
"And my Battle Phase continues… Attack him directly!"
Toy Wind-Up blasted its gun at Raiden, and the thunder god grunted in pain.
"I'm still not done," said Erik. "I've got one more Wind-Up…"
A third Wind-Up appeared. (1,000/700)
It aimed its gun and fired. This time, Raiden truly fell over.
(E: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,600)
Raiden slowly got up. Sweat poured from under his hat.
I'm convinced, he thought. This is no Outworld fighter…
But can he actually win? If he can prove his worth by winning this duel, perhaps he and his group would make excellent allies.
My new campaign may even have the success that it didn't have against the Deadly Alliance…
He drew a card.
"On with the duel!" he exclaimed.
He looked at the card.
"The card I just drew was a Thunder Dragon. And its effect activates when I send it to the Graveyard."
He quickly discarded it.
"Case in point, I get to take two more Thunder Dragons from my deck."
Two cards slipped out of his deck, and he took them.
"Now comes the good part. I play Polymerization, to combine them together, into Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"
He played the card, and two green, scaly dragons appeared. They swirled together into a vortex of light…
A huge creature stepped out of the vortex. It was a large, wingless dragon, and while it didn't have two heads, it had a second mouth on its back. Its actual head had a long horn on its snout. (2,800/2,100)
"Uh oh…" muttered Erik.
"Next," said Raiden, "I play Pot of Avarice."
He played the card, and Zaborg, Thunder Knight, Thunder Nyan Nyan, and two Thunder Dragons slipped out of his discard slot. He shuffled them into his deck, and then drew two cards.
"Now…" said Raiden, "if you liked Nyan Nyan so much the first time… I think I'll summon her twin."
Lightning flashed again, a second Thunder Nyan Nyan appeared, twirling her drumsticks again. (1,900/800)
"Super…" said Erik.
"Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon," ordered Raiden, "attack one Toy Wind-Up with thunder blast!"
The dragon breathed a burst of electricity at the Wind-Up, and it was blown into metal slag.
"Nyan Nyan, destroy another one. Death solo!"
A wave of electricity flew towards another of the Wind-Ups, and it exploded into white-hot metal. Erik cringed.
(E: 2,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 4,600)
"Man, what's Erik gonna do?" gasped Chelsea. "Those high-voltage Monsters have him totally outgunned!"
"He's dealt with worse," said Sam. "Uhm… At least I think he has…"
Erik slowly drew a card.
Time to take this up a notch, he thought.
"All right," he said. "First, I move my last Wind-Up to Defense Mode…"
The last Wind-Up knelt, and held its gun in its lap.
Erik played a card, and a Spell Card appeared on the field.
"Now I play… Dark Designator!" he shouted. "I name any Monster I can think of, and if that Monster is in your deck, you have to add it to your hand."
Raiden looked at him strangely.
"I name Thunder Dragon," he said, "seeing as you obviously sent it back to your deck when you played Pot of Avarice."
Raiden frowned, and took the card from his deck.
"Perfect," said Erik. "And since you added a card to your hand via a means other than drawing, I get to Special Summon this guy… My Puppet King!"
An enormous creature appeared in front of Erik, eight feet tall and broad. He was made of wood, suggesting that he was in fact a puppet, but he radiated an aura of strength. He wore a royal cape and an elaborate crown. (2,800/2,600)
"Ergh!" said Raiden. "That Monster is the size of a Shokan! But if you attack, it will just be a draw."
"No it won't," said Erik, playing another card. "I play… Shrink!"
Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon shrank to half its size, and to an Attack Score of 1,400.
"Puppet King, attack with Majestic Checker!"
Puppet King rushed at the dragon, and slugged it in the snout with his fist. It exploded into a shower of sparks.
"I set a new Monster in Defense Mode, and that will end my turn," he said, as a facedown Monster appeared on his side. "Unfortunately, since Puppet King was summoned by his own effect, that means he leaves now."
Puppet King shattered into pixels.
(E: 2,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 3,200)
Raiden frowned as he drew a card.
Then he grinned.
"I play… Monster Reborn!" he exclaimed.
He played the card, and Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon reappeared in a flash of light. (2,800/2,100)
"Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, destroy the last Wind-Up!" he shouted.
The dragon blasted its thunder blast, and the last tin soldier was atomized.
"Good thing it was in Defense Mode," said Sam, wiping her brow.
"Nyan Nyan, attack his facedown Monster!" shouted Raiden.
Nyan Nyan beat her drums again, and shot a volley of lightning towards the facedown card. Armor Breaker appeared on the card, and cringed before he was blown to pieces.
"It's your move," said Raiden.
Erik drew a card.
"I play… Pot of Greed," he said, as he played it.
He made two draws quickly.
He looked at them for a minute, and then placed two of his cards in his Disk. Two facedown cards appeared.
"Now I play… Monster Reborn!"
He played the card, and the ankh appeared, glowing with shining light. Puppet King appeared again. (2,800/2,600)
"Puppet King…" he shouted, "smash Thunder Nyan Nyan!"
Puppet King delivered a crushing punch to the drummer, and she shrieked before she was blown to bits.
Erik glared at Raiden.
"I'll set this in Defense Mode, and that ends my turn…"
He played his last card, and a facedown Monster appeared next to Puppet King.
"And guess what? Since Puppet King wasn't summoned by his own effect this time, he gets to stick around."
(E: 2,600) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,300)
"My move!" said the storm god, drawing a card.
"And I play the Field Spell, Luminous Spark!"
He opened his Field Slot, and placed the card inside. A bright wash of light enveloped the field, and Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon was boosted to a score of (3,300/1,700).
"No!" screamed Sam. "It's too powerful!"
"Thunder Dragon!" shouted Raiden. "Attack his Puppet King!"
A supercharged bolt of electricity shot towards Puppet King. Erik cringed as he exploded into particles.
"It's your move…" said Raiden. "The true test begins."
(E: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 2,300)
Erik slowly drew a card.
"I play… my own Pot of Avarice!" he shouted, playing the card.
He took two Toy Wind-Ups, Spell Striker, Toy Tank, and one Toy Magician from his Graveyard, shuffled them with his deck, and drew twice.
He looked at his two cards.
"Next I play… Graceful Charity!"
He played the card, and the lovely angel appeared in a burst of light. Her feathers fell on his deck, and he drew three cards.
He smirked. He quickly chose two cards and discarded them.
"First, I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode… Magician of Faith."
His facedown card flipped up, and Magician of Faith appeared in front of him. She nervously looked at the large Dragon. (300/400) –) (800/0)
"That means I get a Spell Card back…"
A card appeared in his hand.
"Now I'll use it… Monster Reborn!"
The ankh appeared again, and a Toy Magician appeared in a flash of light. (1,600/1,500)
"By the way, Toy Magician is a Light Monster, so he benefits from your Field Spell."
(2,100/1,100)
"Next, I'll summon my trusty Toy Soldier."
He played another card, and one of the small wooden soldiers appeared, holding his musket. (800/300)
"Finally, I play Premature Burial to summon someone who I just tossed when I played Graceful Charity… Meet Toy Dragon!"
He played the card, and Monster made out of colored, plastic blocks appeared. Unlike Blockman, this one was a giant Dragon, with glowing eyes and sharp claws. (2,300/2,000)
"And this guy is not only a Light Monster, he gains 400 more points for each score for each Monster on the field with the word 'Toy' in its name."
(3,600/2,800)
Raiden stepped back in shock.
"Toy Dragon," shouted Erik, "destroy Twin-Headed Thunder Dragons, with shooting star shower!"
Toy Dragon roared, and a volley of flashing shooting stars shot from its jaws. Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon roared, and was blown into sparks.
"Toy Magician… Finish him off."
The toy sorcerer cast his spell. Raiden groaned, and then fell over on his back.
Erik's allies cheered.
(E: 1,300) - - - - - - - - - - (R: 0)
Then Erik watched as Raiden slowly got up.
The thunder god stared at him for a minute. Lightning surrounded him like some eldritch aura.
"So now what?" muttered Yumi.
Raiden extended his hand.
"Well done!" he said.
Erik hardly knew what to say. He took the hand, and shook.
"You and your friends are warriors worthy of the greatest names of the Earthrealm," said Raiden. "Your methods may be different, but your power cannot be denied.
"What would you say to an alliance?"
"An alliance?" said Erik.
"This Xanadu is clearly a threat," said Raiden. "You may need all the help you can get to bring it down. Perhaps I can be of help…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Daala was watching intently at her console. She sighed.
"You've overstayed your welcome, Raiden," she grumbled. "Maybe Lara Croft would have been a better idea after all…"
She typed in the delete command.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Raiden," said Yumi. "It's true we can use all the allies we can get. We can…"
And then, Raiden started to fade away.
"Huh?" said Yumi. "Come back!"
Then he vanished, and the temple started to vanish as well. Within seconds, all that was left was the interior of the iceberg, with the ship moored nearby, and the entrance open for them to leave.
"People," said Ren. "I think that Daala is playing games with us."
Yumi sighed.
"And until we make much headway," she said, "we have no choice but to play them…"
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TOY WIND-UP (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 700
Card Description: When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent's Life Points, you may Special Summon one "Toy Wind-Up" from your hand or deck.
0
0
0
TOY DRAGON (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 2,300
DEF: 2,000
Card Description: This card can be Normal Summoned with one Tribute if the Monster used as a Tribute has the word "Toy" in its name. This card gains 400 points to its ATK and DEF for every Monster on your side of the field with the word "Toy" in its name (except this one).
0
0
0
TOY CANNON (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A toy, Revolution-era cannon manned by Toy Soldiers.
Card Description: Shift one opposing Monster into Defense Position. Inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points.
Note: "Toy Cannon" was first used by Bonaparte in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Dormitory Demolition". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
PUPPET KING (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 7
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 2,600
Card Description: If your opponent adds a card to his hand by an effect other than drawing, you may Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Special Summoned via its own effect, it is destroyed at the End Phase of the turn it is Special Summoned.
Note: "Puppet King" is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.
0
0
0
FORTRESS OF SAND (Trap Card)
Continuous Trap
Image: A large sand castle.
Card Description: When this card is activated, assign 3,000 Life Points to this card. If you are attacked directly, negate the damage to your Life Points and deduct the same amount of Life Points from this card. When this card's Life Points reach zero, destroy this card.
Note: "Fortress of Sand" was first used by Little Yugi in the "Yu-Gi-Oh R" issue "The Battle in the Space Void!!". Creative credit goes to the writers.
0
0
0
THUNDER KNIGHT (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Thunder/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: This card gains 400 Attack Points for every Thunder-Type Monster face-up on the field.
Note: Thunder Knight was first used by Thunder in the multi-part "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Taken by Storm". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
MAKIU (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A skull in a smoky mist.
Card Description: Select either one "Summoned Skull" or any Thunder-Type Monster you control. Destroy all face-up opposing Monsters whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the selected card. During this turn, you cannot conduct your Battle Phase
Note: "Makiu" is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.
0
0
0
JUDGMENT OF THUNDER (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: Oscillo Hero #2 in a burst of electricity.
Card Description: You may activate this card when a Thunder Type Monster is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Destroy one card your opponent controls.
Note: "Judgment of Thunder" was released in "The Duelist Genesis," now available in Japan. (TCG release date not yet known.)
0
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Coming up next:
The heroes learn the legendary origin of Devil's Fruit. Unfortunately, this knowledge comes from an evil Duel Spirit who intends to drown them, after defeating Ren in a dangerous duel. Can Ren duel with not only his life, but the lives of all his allies on the line? "The Scars of Battle" is coming up next.
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Name that Card!
This Monster that was one of Yugi's favorites, oddly enough appears on the artwork of two cards that Kaiba used, one of which is real, another of which is Manga-only. Can you name it?
One final note. As of this moment, I will no longer accept anonymous reviews. I am sorry for any incovientience this will cause.