What collector's item did you have to be at the right place at the right time to receive? If you said "Kanan the Swordmistress", you were successfully able to Name that Card!
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Many people ask why I duel using a deck full of toys. My usual answer is, "Why not?" The truth is, my deck chose me more than I chose it.
There's a thing about toys… You never really outgrow them. My mom once told me that the major difference between kids and adults is the price of their toys. Boys have their action figures, girls have their Barbie dolls, and their fathers have those new cars that they buy after they get a windfall. Mothers aren't very possessive, but they often buy things that they don't really need, like a fancy cutlery set, full of lots of knives that they'll only ever use half of.
No one is innocent of wanting toys to amuse them… And I'm facing an enemy on this dangerous stretch of road who uses toys that are downright dangerous…
The time to play is past… DUEL.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
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Lethal Highway
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Outside of KaibaCorp, Sheena's limo was parked. Sheena, Olga, and Nicholas were sitting in the back seat, Sheena using a laptop. More cars were parked around them.
She placed the disk that Ting had given them in the CD slot.
"Okay," she said. "I've used my private entrance to get into the computer. If this program does what it's supposed to do, it should drive that Zachtrigger's Magnet out and keep it out. And we'll be ready to move in and take back what's ours once we do that.
"In theory, that is…
"Both of you, keep your fingers crossed…"
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The theater-style duel seemed to do its job, so after saying goodbye to Jesse, the team was in high hopes as they took the path to the place she described as Route 13, the passageway to Darkspire.
However, their thoughts turned grim as they exited Nexus.
They were standing in the middle of a dark, lonely highway. No cars were around, and they were under a gloomy sky, full of smog. They could barely see some city lights in the distance, which they assumed was their destination.
"So now what?" asked Chelsea.
They heard the hum of motors ahead, and watched as six motorcycles approached. They saw that only one of them had a rider – they didn't know how he was moving the others.
The rider pulled up in front of them. He was well-dressed, in a silver formal jacket, slacks, a black shirt, and a loosely-fitting necktie.
He removed his helmet, revealing a handsome face with blue eyes and grey hair with bangs.
"Aster?" gasped Ren. "Aster Phoenix?"
"In the flesh," said the youth. "Or rather, in the virtually imitated flesh. Joan thought you guys could use some help getting around Darkspire, and I'm her specialist in this part of Xanadu."
"Ho boy…" said Ren. "This is… this is an honor…"
"Ren, don't embarrass yourself," said Chelsea.
"You've got the best Dark Warriors ever made!" gasped Ren. "I have a million questions…"
"Well, why don't you ask me them on the way?" said Aster. "Route 13 may look desolate and empty, but Daala does have a few Spirits patrolling it from time to time."
"Right," said Yumi.
They mounted the bikes, and donned the helmets that were supplied. In the next minute, they were headed towards Darkspire.
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Meanwhile, alone inside her throne room, Daala was speaking on a phone.
"That's right," she said. "Wait until they're in position. I'm sending someone to keep them occupied. Then, Operation Acrophobia will come to order.
"Yeah, yeah, I know that 'Operation Acrophobia' is a silly name! You have to give these things names that wouldn't come up in casual conversation!
"Hold on, I got another call."
She hit a button on the phone.
As she listened, a panicked voice yelled in her ear.
"Milady!" it shouted. "You'd best get down here! We're losing KaibaCorp's computer!"
"WHAT?" shouted Daala.
"The Zachtrigger's Magnet…" said the voice. "It's been… It's been destroyed! Sheena and her technicians are taking back control fast!"
Daala slammed the phone into the ground, smashing it, and ran from the room.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The six motorcycles sped across Route 13, a stretch of road that was clearly in need of maintenance. Trash was everywhere, and the rails off to the sides were bent and rusted.
Beyond those rails seemed only dark fog. Aster had told them that there was nothing but a void beyond the sides of the road, and no-one was willing to explore it.
"We're halfway there!" shouted Aster. "Once we clear the bridge, we'll be in Darkspire proper."
"I dunno," called Chelsea. "It seems a little too easy…"
Then they heard the sounds of much noisier motors behind them.
"Oh…" she shouted. "I'm sick of always being right!"
"We got company, guys!" shouted Sam.
They looked in their rearview mirrors and saw five bikers chasing them, fiendish-looking Duel Spirits riding demonic cycles. Two of them rode silvery bikes, had green skin, and carried weapons that looked like the blades from a rotary saw. (1,700/1,500 x2) Two others rode rust-red cycles, wore armor that was the same color, and carried long pikes. (1,400/1,500 x2) The apparent leader rode a bike with a huge skull in the front, and wore blue armor and a horned helmet. (1,900/1,850)
"Lovely!" shouted Yumi. "Looks like we've got two Diskblade Riders, two Chaosrider Gustaphs, and a Dokurorider to deal with!"
"Maybe we can outrun them," called Ren.
"No good!" shouted Aster. "Those things are practically born riding their bikes! Evel Knievel himself wouldn't have been able to outride even one of them!"
"Don't worry!" shouted Ren. "I got an idea! Let's hope my powers over stone work on asphalt…"
As the rider Monsters started to gain, he gestured, and the road behind them buckled. A wall of pavement shot up between them, and the next thing they heard were five screams, and the sound of the five Monsters wiping out.
"HA, HA!" laughed Aster. "Good job! They're so good at going fast, they forgot how to use the brakes!"
Then the barrier exploded into a burst of pebbles, and a much larger Monster sped through. It was a ten-foot-tall thing that looked like a cross between a car and a very dangerous robot. Exhaust poured from multiple pipes. (2,800/2,000)
"Aw, no!" shouted Ren. "That's a Demonic Motor Omega!"
Aster pulled his bike to a stop, and everyone followed suit. He activated his Disk and drew a card.
"Go!" he shouted, throwing a card on it. "Destiny Hero Devilguy!"
A spooky-looking, man-sized creature appeared in front of him. He wore a black bodysuit, a cape with an exaggerated color, claws on his hands, and a skull-like full-face mask. (600/800)
The Destiny Hero flew at the mad Machine and gripped at it with his claw. The Omega vanished in a burst of energy.
"All right!" shouted Chelsea. "He vaporized it!"
"No he didn't," said Aster. "Devilguy sent it a minute or two into the future. When it comes back, it's probably gonna be angry."
Ren quickly drew a card.
"You got anything stronger than him right now?" he asked.
"Uhm…" said Aster, drawing a card.
"I'll sacrifice him for Destiny Hero Dashguy!"
Devilguy vanished, and a new Destiny Hero appeared. This one also looked like he was part car, but was much slimmer and more streamlined than the Omega, with a glossy, black casing. (2,100/1,000)
"Okay, that will do," said Ren, placing a card in his Disk.
A facedown card appeared.
"Be ready to attack that thing when it comes back…"
They looked tensely at the spot where it had vanished.
"You mind telling me what you're planning?" asked Aster.
Ren was about to tell him, but he didn't get a chance. The Demonic Motor Omega reappeared. It furiously sped at Dashguy.
"GO!" shouted Ren, as the facedown card lifted. "Rush Recklessly!"
Dashguy's Attack Score rose to 2,800, and its own engine started. It sped towards the Machine…
In a deafening explosion, both Monsters were blown to scrap.
When everyone could look again, only a scorched crater remained of the Omega.
"Well," said Aster, "that's that…"
"Uh, guys…" said Erik.
Another motorcycle was slowly pulling up from ahead of them. But it wasn't a Duel Spirit this time.
The biker got off, and apparently, he had taken pains to conceal his identity. He was wearing a long, brown trenchcoat and gloves, and his face was concealed by dark sunglasses, a scarf, and an old, battered fedora. He also wore a standard-issue Duel Disk.
"Well, what have we here?" he said. "Six duelists lost on Lethal Highway…"
"Lethal Highway?" said Aster. "That's the first time I've ever heard Route 13 called that."
"Times change," said the man. "You should know that there's a toll in effect now."
"Who are you?" asked Erik.
The man chuckled.
"Can't give my name right now," he said. "You can call me the Mechanic if you like. I'm the ruler of Lethal Highway now…"
"You rule a broken down stretch of road?" asked Ren. "I can bet no-one's ever challenged you for that position."
"This road has more strategic value than you think," said the Mechanic. "It's the main thoroughfare into and out of Darkspire, and Darkspire is the industrial center of Xanadu. The Realm Lord is working on numerous projects in his factories, and once they're done, this road will be the supply line. Daala wouldn't have put me in charge if she didn't trust me.
"And those rider Monsters were nothing. There's a lot more where they came from. You want to get into Darkspire, you'll have to get past me."
Erik sighed.
"I'll handle it," he said.
He walked up to the man.
"I've dealt with tougher," he said. "If you're too afraid to even give your name, how tough can you be?"
The man rubbed his chin.
"Okay, make you a deal," he said. "You want to play a little game?"
"Game?" asked Erik. "Depends."
"Yeah," said the Mechanic. "See, I'm an AI program just like fancy pants over there. So… if you can correctly guess who I am before the duel ends, I'll surrender and let you all by."
"No joke?" said Erik.
"That's the deal," said the Mechanic. "Now, let's see your Deck Lord."
Erik gestured, and Blockman appeared behind him.
"HA!" laughed the Mechanic. "Pathetic… Mine is a lot better…"
Then a huge creature started to land behind him, like a rocket making a landing. Everyone gasped at the huge Machine. It looked like it was part robot and part jet plane, like something out of Gundam Wing.
"Meet my Armoroid Gaidengo," said the Mechanic.
"Bigger isn't always better," said Erik.
"We'll see," said the Mechanic, as the two Disks activated.
"Game on!" they shouted.
(Erik: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Mechanic: 8,000)
"Feh," said the Mechanic, "feel free to make the first move…"
"Fine," said Erik, making a draw.
"I play a facedown, and then summon my Toy Tank."
A facedown card appeared, and then Toy Tank appeared, aiming its turret. (1,300/1,100)
"And that's all for now."
The Mechanic simply drew. It was clear he wasn't impressed.
"I'll set a Monster of my own in Defense Mode," he said, as a Defensive Monster appeared, "and that's all for me."
I have to be careful, thought Erik, drawing a card. He's clearly using Machines, and Machines aren't known for Flip-Effects, aside from Dekoichi…
Yeah, that's most likely what it is… But I'll stay on the safe side…
"I summon Toy Magician," he said.
He played the card, and the toy Spellcaster appeared.
"Take out his facedown Monster!" he shouted. "Sparkle blast!"
Toy Magician aimed his scepter and fired…
Then he was struck by a backlash, and fell backwards.
Crouching on the card now was a large mach truck, with eyes for headlights, and arms in front with tires for hands. (1,000/2,000)
"You just attacked my Truckroid," said the Mechanic, "and he's a little too strong for your Spellcaster."
"Okay, okay, let me get this straight…" said Erik. "A big rig is better at defending than it is at attacking? That makes no sense!"
"Well, uhm…" said the Mechanic. "See, it… Uhm…
"Okay, fine! It doesn't make sense to me either! But I go with what works."
Erik turned a card on his Disk.
"I'll move Toy Tank to Defense Mode," he said, "and that will be all."
(E: 7,600) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 8,000)
The Mechanic drew.
"Now my Deck Lord ability comes into play," he said, "just as it will every two rounds. It only has one, but it's a good one. I call it Heavy Traffic.
"Simply put, I get to search my deck for any Vehicroid that's Level Four or less.
"And by the way, just so you know… Every Monster I have in my regular deck fits that description!"
"Vehicroids?" said Sam.
"Well," said Aster, "he's too tall and muscular to be Syrus… That guy isn't a bad duelist, but even the real one had a desperate need of a growth spurt."
"Did Joan make a virtual duplicate of Syrus?" asked Yumi.
Aster bowed his head.
"Yes…" he muttered. "And he was one of our best… Until…"
He paused.
"What?" asked Ren.
"Daala beat him in a duel personally," said Aster. "We have no more idea what happened to him than we do any other member of the resistance who loses."
"I'll be sure you'll see him very soon," said the Mechanic. "And my deck may be similar to Syrus's, but he's far from my equal.
"In the meantime, I'll switch Truckroid into Attack Mode."
Truckroid got down on its wheels, and exhaust started to pour from its mufflers.
"Next, I'll summon Steamroid."
He played another card, and a cartoonish steam locomotive with a face on the front chugged into view. (1,800/1,800)
"Next, a Spell Card," he said, throwing a card into his Disk. "The dreaded Riyoku. This powerful spell takes half of your Monster's Attack Points, and adds them to one of mine. So I'll cut Toy Magician's Attack Points in half, and add them to Truckroid."
Toy Magician fell to an Attack Score of 800, and Truckroid rose to 1,800.
"Now, my Truckroid is gonna mow your Magician down!"
Truckroid's motor roared, and it sped towards Toy Magician. As it collided with the Spellcaster, Toy Magician was thrown into the air. Truckroid's cargo trailer opened up on top, and Toy Magician fell inside.
"What happened?" shouted Erik.
"When Truckroid smashes a Monster," said the Mechanic, "the Monster is Equipped to Truckroid, and Truckroid gains that Monster's Attack Points.
"And I'm not done! Just so you know, when Steamroid attacks, it gains 500 Attack Points.
"Steamroid, attack his tank! Full steam ahead!"
Smoke poured from Steamroid's stack. Its Attack Score rose to 2,300, and it charged at Toy Tank, blowing it to bits.
"I activate Toy Tank's effect!" shouted Erik. "I get to summon another Toy Monster from my deck. So here comes another Toy Magician!"
A second Toy Magician appeared. (1,600/1,500)
"Fine," said the Mechanic. "I'll set two facedown cards, and end my turn. That means Riyoku's effect wears off, but like I said, my Truckroid still has your first Magician's Attack Points."
Two facedown cards appeared. Truckroid fell back to 1,000 Attack Points, and then rose to 2,600.
(E: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 8,000)
Erik quickly drew a card.
"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" he shouted. "And my target is the Toy Magician Equipped to Truckroid!"
He played the card, and the cyclone shot at Truckroid. It shuddered, and its Attack Score fell back down to 1,000.
"Now…" said Erik, "Call of the Haunted!"
His facedown card flipped up, and his first Toy Magician appeared again. (1,600/1,500)
"Next, I summon Toy Soldier."
He played another card, and the small toy infantryman appeared. (800/300)
"Toy Magician number one," he said, "scrap his Truckroid!"
Toy Magician fired his blast, and Truckroid exploded, sending a cloud of flames and debris into the sky.
"Whoa," said Ren. "He must have hit the fuel tank…"
"Toy Magician number two," said Erik, "attack Steamroid!"
The second Toy Magician pointed his scepter at Steamroid. The Machine's Attack Score fell to 1,300.
The Spellcaster fired its blast, and it blew into scrap iron.
"Punk," said the Mechanic.
"How'd Erik know that would work?" asked Chelsea.
"He did his homework," said Sam. "He knew Steamroid's weakness. It may gain 500 Attack Points when it attacks, but it loses 500 when it's being attacked."
"Yeah?" shouted the Mechanic, as one of his facedown cards lifted, "well, he didn't study enough, or he'd have known about THIS!
"It's called Supercharge. Since my Vehicroid was attacked, I get to draw two cards."
He quickly made two draws, and looked them over.
"I still have another Monster," said Erik. "Toy Soldier, attack him directly!"
Toy Soldier fired his musket, and the Mechanic staggered backwards.
"It's gonna take more than that, Blondie," he snarled.
"Just make your move…" muttered Erik.
Something awfully suspicious about this guy… he thought.
(E: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,200)
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Meanwhile, Daala rushed into the nerve center of her palace. A Magical Scientist and a Cyber-Stein were inputing commands into a console, while several Kinetic Soldiers and a few Science Soldiers were monitoring.
"What's happening!" shouted Daala. "How did they destroy it? How did they even find out it was in there?"
"We don't know," said Magical Scientist. "And we don't have time to figure it out. We're breaking the connection."
"Breaking the connection?" shouted Daala. "If you do that, we'll lose KaibaCorp for sure!"
"Milady," said the Scientist, "to be frank, that's going to happen no matter what we do. We've tried every possible proceedure to regain control of the computer. Whatever program Sheena ran is too strong. It's like the whole security system was redesigned, rebuilt, and reinforced. If we don't pull out, she'll likely back-hack us and turn the tables completely."
Daala slammed her fist down on the console. Then she slumped down into a chair.
"We've lost KaibaCorp..." she muttered. "We've lost our ability to control Domino... This certainly puts a snag in our plans..."
"When I discover who is reponsible for this... He will suffer the pain of a thousand deaths..."
She got up.
"Where are you going?" asked the Scientist.
"The prison," she replied. "With that computer back in Arachne's hands, it's time to make a deal with one of the inmates.
"I have a job that she can handle better than most, and I doubt she'll refuse."
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"I activate… Pot of Greed," said the Mechanic.
He quickly drew two more cards.
"I throw one more card facedown, and then summon Stealthroid."
Another facedown card appeared. Then a large Machine descended from the clouds. It looked like a stealth fighter jet, with two eyes in the front, and landing gear that looked like arms. (1,200/0)
"I end my turn."
Man, this guy has a game face, thought Erik, drawing a card.
He looked at the two facedown cards.
But this is obviously a trap… He didn't even attack my Toy Soldier with that thing, even though I clearly had no way to stop him…
"The score is close," said Ren.
"Erik has field advantage though," said Aster. "You have to take all things into account before you can tell how a duel will go."
"Eh, maybe I'm not too good at counting," said Ren. "But thanks to Erik, I can at least count to three."
Erik gestured, and two more Toy Soldiers appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode and holding their guns in their laps. (800/300 x2)
"Now, I'll play Crowning of the Emperor," he said. "I'll sacrifice one Toy Soldier…"
The Toy Soldier in Attack Mode held his gun to his side and saluted, before vanishing into grains of light.
"…to summon Toy Emperor!"
With the sound of hooves, the toy version of Napoleon Bonaparte rode onto the field on his toy horse. (2,300/800)
"But I'm not dumb enough to attack with such an obvious setup on the field," he said. "It's your move."
"Then I draw," said the Mechanic. "Then, once again, my Deck Lord effect activates."
A card slipped out of his deck, and he took it.
"I'll set one Monster…"
A facedown Monster appeared.
"Then I'll play Premature Burial. Guess who's back?"
He fit the card into his Disk, and Steamroid rose out of the ground. (1,800/1,800)
"Stealthroid, attack one of his Soldiers!"
A missile lowered out of Stealthroid's wing, and it launched, blowing one of the Toy Soldiers to bits.
"Now, I play the Spell Card, Shrink! This will make your Emperor even shorter than usual."
Toy Emperor shrank to half his size, and his Attack Score fell to 1,150.
Steamroid sped towards Toy Emperor, its Attack Score shot up to 2,300, and the monarch was blown to pieces.
"And that's not all," said the Mechanic. "When Stealthroid successfully attacks when I have another Vehicroid on the field, then after I'm done attacking, I get to destroy one Spell or Trap Card.
"I think I'll destroy your Call of the Haunted."
Stealthroid launched another missile, and both Call of the Haunted and the Toy Magician it had summoned was blown to pixels.
"Heh, heh…"chuckled the Mechanic. "Your move…"
(E: 5,350) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 5,400)
Erik drew a card.
"Go, Monster Reborn!" he shouted, playing a card.
The holy ankh appeared, and Toy Emperor appeared again. (2,300/800)
"Attack his Steamroid!" he shouted.
Toy Emperor charged at Steamroid. Its Attack Score fell to 1,300 again.
"I activate… Cyber Repairer!" shouted the Mechanic, as his facedown card lifted. "Now, you get to draw one card, but my Machines become invincible!"
Erik drew a card as Toy Emperor slashed at Steamroid with his saber. The Mechanic cringed a little.
"You still lost Life Points!" shouted Erik. "Toy Magician, attack Stealthroid!"
Toy Magician cast his sparkle blast, and Stealthroid shuddered from the impact.
"That's it for now…" said Erik.
(E: 5,350) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 4,000)
The Mechanic quickly drew a card.
"Let's keep going," he said. "My motors are still running. I summon Drillroid."
He played a card, and the street in front of him burst open. A large drilling machine with eyes and arms with tank treads in place of legs burrowed out. (1,600/1,600)
"And I'll flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode," he said. "My Gyroid!"
His facedown card flipped, and a cartoonish, blue helicopter with a face appeared. (1,000/1,000)
"Lovely," said Sam. "I know about that thing… It has to be attacked twice to be destroyed."
"I'm taking your toys out, punk," said the Mechanic. "Steamroid, attack his Toy Emperor!"
Steamroid got down on all fours again. Its Attack Score rose to 2,300, and it charged at Toy Emperor. There was a big explosion, as both Monsters were incinerated.
"Drillroid, attack his Toy Magician! Open wide!"
Drillroid's drill spun, and it sped towards Toy Magician. Toy Magician cast his spell, and both Monsters were blown apart.
"Gyroid, destroy his last Toy Soldier with downdraft gust!"
Gyroid's propeller spun, causing a windstorm. Toy Soldier cringed, and then shattered into bits.
"Stealthroid, attack him directly!"
Stealthroid launched another missile, and Erik screamed as it hit him.
(E: 4,150) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 4,000)
"And that's all!" he said with a laugh. "You want more, punk?"
Erik took some deep breaths. Then he put his hand on his hip.
"You fancy yourself so good with Machines, do you Mechanic?" he said.
"That's right," said the Mechanic.
"Well..." said Erik. "I'll bet you can't tell me the Attack and Defense Scores of a Saber Slasher."
"Easy!" laughed the Mechanic. "1,450 over 1,500!"
Erik closed his eyes and smiled.
"Okay, the costume party's over, Keith," he said. "Lose the mask..."
"HUH?" said everyone watching.
The Mechanic just glared at him for a minute. Then he growled.
Then he cast off the scarf, fedora, and trenchcoat. It was indeed the infamous Bandit Keith, recognizable by his leather jacket, bandana in the colors of the American flag, and punk jewelry.
"How did you know?" he asked.
"I figured you'd be the only one who even knew what a Saber Slasher was," said Erik. "See, I read Joey Wheeler's autobiography. He looked through your deck after Pegasus kicked you out of Duelist Kingdom, and one of his comments was, it would have been no good in Battle City.
"It had no Monsters that were under Level Five! Most of them were at least Level Seven, and a lot of those weren't so great, like Slot Machine and Launcher Spider. The best one was probably Barrel Dragon, and the rules for that card changed after Duelist Kingdom.
"Saber Slasher is one card you had in that deck, and its a card that's fallen out of use since then. It looks pretty nasty, but it's Level Five with no effect. Like you said, its scores aren't worth it."
"So why Vehicroids, Keith?" asked Sam.
"I'll tell you why," said Aster. "Keith is an expert with Machines. But in a place like Xanadu, using them is harder.
"Machine Duel Spirits tend to be cold, emotionless, ruthless creatures. Putting them in the hands of someone with Keith's level of common sense is not a good idea. He'd likely not be able to control them. Vehicroids, however, are more willing to be tamed than most Machines. Much like Erik's Toy Monsters, they represent a tamer side of a brutal concept. They're sort of like children to Machine Spirits. In a world of Duel Spirits, they're the only Machines that someone like Keith can safely use."
"For now!" shouted Keith. "Once I prove my worth to Daala and the Lord of Darkspire, I'll be able to use much stronger Machines. In fact, Daala has promised me a real Machine Deck if I bring one of you in... One with a Chimerach Overdragon! My ultimate dream..."
"Well, sorry Keith," said Erik with a laugh. "You lost the game. I found out who you are. So now you gotta give up."
"Shut up!" shouted Keith. "I wear leather and gold chains, I call myself Bandit Keith... Do you really expect someone like me to tell the truth? Make your move..."
He tapped his Disk, and a bolt of energy shot from it, striking Erik.
"OW!" shouted Erik.
"...or I'll set it to something higher than stun," said Keith with a grin.
"Oh, you are asking for it..." said Erik, drawing a card.
(Erik: 4,150) - - - - - - - - - - (Bandit Keith: 4,000)
"I play Heavy Storm!" he shouted, playing a card. "Say bye-bye to that facedown card!"
A storm ripped across the field, and the facedown card shattered into bits.
"Thank you," said Keith. "You just destroyed my Wonder Garage. Now I get to summon another Vehicroid from my hand. Like another Truckroid."
Another Truckroid appeared, in Defense Mode. (1,000/2,000)
"All right, Keith," said Erik, placing a card in his Disk. "I play Symbol of Heritage. Since I have three of the same Monster in my Graveyard, this Spell Card allows me to Special Summon one of them."
He played the card, and an odd variation of the ankh symbol appeared. A Toy Soldier appeared again. (800/300)
"Next, I play my second Crowning of the Emperor, to summon my second Toy Emperor. That's right, I have two of them."
Toy Soldier vanished, and Toy Emperor appeared again.
"Next, my Pot of Avarice."
He played the card, and all three Toy Soldiers, one Toy Magician, and his first Toy Emperor slipped out of his discard slot. He combined them with his deck, reshuffled, and then drew twice.
"Next, I use one of my new Deck Lord abilities," he said. "It's called Troop Rally. Since Toy Emperor is the only Monster on my side of the field, I can pay 800 Life Points to summon another Toy Monster from my Graveyard, so long as it isn't higher than Level Four."
He glowed with a red aura as Toy Magician appeared again. (1,600/1,500)
"Now, I Normal Summon my third one!"
He played a card and a third Toy Magician appeared. (1,600/1,500)
"Toy Emperor, go! Destroy Truckroid!"
Toy Emperor charged, and the huge truck exploded. Keith shielded himself from the debris.
"Now," he said, "another of my Deck Lord's effects come into play. It's called Imperial Powers, and it lets me use Toy Emperor's effect to not only search for Trap Cards, but for Spells as well."
A card slipped out of his discard slot.
"I know I have to attack your Gyroid twice to destroy it," said Erik. "But fortunately, I have two more Monsters.
"Toy Magicians, attack his Gyroid!"
The two sorcerers fired twin blasts at Gyroid. The first just made a dent in its casing, but the second blew it it pieces. Keith growled a little...
"Next, I play the Spell Card I got with Toy Emperor's effect... Pot of Greed!"
He played the card, and the evil jar appeared, he drew two cards.
"It's your move, Keith," said Erik, as he looked at them. "And since you yourself said that you don't have any high-level Monsters in your deck, I'm really not worried."
(E: 3,350) - - - - - - - - - - (BK: 2,800)
"My regular deck, no," said Keith, drawing a card. "My Fusion Deck... That's another story..."
"That's right!" shouted Yumi. "These things form fusions! Man, if he has Power Bond in that deck..."
"Power Bond?" asked Keith. "Well, maybe I do, and maybe I don't... But with Vehicroids, there's actually a better card to use than that thing.
"I use my Deck Lord ability again."
A card slipped out of his Disk.
"Now, I summon Expressroid."
He played another card, and a new Machine sped down the highway, coming to a stop in front of Keith. It looked like an express train, again with a face and arms. (400/1,600)
"When Expressroid is successfully summoned, two Vehicroids go from my Graveyard to my hand."
He took two cards from his discard slot. He grinned as he held them up – Truckroid and Drillroid.
"Now, I play this!" he shouted, as a Spell Card appeared in front of him. "The Fusion card that's even better than Power Bond... Vehicroid Connection Zone!"
"Say what?" said Erik.
"Like Polymerization, it fuses Monsters together," said Keith, "but it can only summon Fusion Monsters with the word 'Vehicroid' in their name.
"Why is it better than Power Bond, you may ask? Well, it may not double the Monster's Attack Score, but what it does do is render it impervious to destruction from card effects.
"So... I'll fuse together Truckroid, Drillroid, Stealthroid, and aw heck, let's throw Expressroid in too."
The four Machines leapt soared into the air, and started to change shape...
"A four-Monster Fusion?" shouted Ren. "What the heck is he summoning?"
"Something bad..." said Aster. "I know this Monster... Syrus had one..."
Truckroid and Stealthroid fused into a torso. Expressroid split in half, and became arms. Drillroid also split in half, and formed into legs. The huge thing sprouted fists, and a head appeared on top. The giant robot fell to the street with a crash. It was even bigger than Armoroid Gaidengo and just as intimidating. (3,600/3,000)
Erik stepped back in fright.
"Meet my Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union," said Keith. "This is a toy for big kids!"
Erik didn't respond. He was paralyzed with fear.
"But, I'm not ready to attack yet," said Keith. "I'll end my turn there."
Erik shook his head.
"HUH?" he said.
"Erik!" shouted Aster. "That thing..."
Then a blast from Keith's Disk struck Aster.
"No help from the spectators!" shouted Keith.
"Big mistake!" said Erik, drawing a card.
"Everyone, move to Defense Mode!" he shouted.
Both Toy Magicians knelt. Then Toy Emperor sheathed his sword, and his mount crouched.
"Oh, nuts..." muttered Aster.
Keith grinned evilly.
"That's all for me," said Erik. "Do your worst."
"My worst, eh?" said Keith. "Okay..."
He made a draw.
"I summon Cycroid."
He played the card, and Monster appeared that was rather cute for a change. It was a bicycle with one eye, and hands on the end of its handlebars. (800/1,000)
"A bike??" said Erik.
"Like you could do better," said Keith. "The strategy behind this will become apparent in a few seconds.
"I play the Spell Card, Creature Swap!"
A Spell Card appeared on his side of the field.
"This card requires us to both select a Monster, and then trade them. I select my Cycroid.
"Ugh! Fine!" shouted Erik. "I select one of my Toy Magicians!"
Both Monsters vanished, and reappeared on the opposite sides of the field.
Then Toy Magician stood up. Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union lowered its huge hand, and then lifted him up to its chest. A cockpit opened, and Toy Magician leapt inside.
"What's happening?" shouted Erik.
"Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union is powerful on its own," said Keith, "but it can do even more if it has a pilot. And the pilot can't be another Machine. That's why I needed your Monster.
"See, with your Monster at the controls, it gains the ability to attack every Monster on your side of the field in one Battle Phase!
"And that's not all... When it attacks a Monster in Defense Mode, and it has a higher Attack Score, the difference is taken out of your Life Points."
"NO!" screamed Sam. "ERIK!"
Erik bowed his head. Sam fell to her knees and started to cry.
"Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union..." shouted Keith, "wipe out his Monsters!"
The huge Vehicroid's eyes glowed... Then a blast of pure energy shot from them, vaporizing Toy Emperor, Toy Magician, and Cycroid, and knocking Erik over.
Erik pulled his head up. He was dizzy. The impact that had destroyed his Monsters had started a fire around him.
"Huh?" he muttered. "I'm still here? But..."
(E: 1,050) - - - - - - - - - - (BK: 2,800)
"What?" said Yumi.
Keith laughed out loud.
"Oh, I forgot to mention," he laughed. "My Monster has a little drawback... When it attacks, it has to cut its Attack Score in half."
Erik got up, with a look of fury in his eyes. He glared at Keith. His left hand clenched into a fist.
"You..." he snarled. "You made my girlfriend cry... She thought I had lost..."
"You're going to anyway," said Keith with a shrug.
"Oh, don't count on it, buddy..." muttered Erik. "I'm sending both you and your Machines to the scap heap."
"Whatever," said Keith. "It's your move."
Erik growled as he drew a card.
"I play Toy Memorial!" he shouted. "I only have two Toys in my Graveyard right now, but two is better than nothing..."
He made two draws. He looked them over.
"Now I'll set two cards, and then one Monster in Defense Mode, and that will be all."
He threw three cards into his Disk, and two vertical cards and one horizontal one appeared.
Keith chuckled.
"Weren't you listening a minute ago?" he asked as he drew a card. "Since I used Vehicroid Connection Zone to summon this thing, it can't be destroyed by Trap Cards. Or Monster effects, if that thing happens to be a Night Assailant."
He looked at the card he had just drawn.
CRAP! he thought. Why couldn't I have drawn this last round?
"Crush his facedown Monster!" he shouted.
Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union lifted its fist.
"Oh, yeah," said Erik, "I was listening... I was listening really well..."
One of his facedown cards lifted up.
"You said card effects can't destroy it. They can still affect it in other ways. I activate Enemy Controller!"
The large video game pad appeared on the field, and the huge Vehicroid sparked with electricity. It knelt down and crouched in Defense Mode.
"Punk," growled Keith.
He quickly looked at the card he had just drawn. He was about to use it, but he noticed Erik's other facedown card.
He placed it in his Disk.
"I'll set this, and end my turn," he said.
A facedown card appeared.
"Can it be?" said Erik, angrily. "My move?"
He drew a card.
"I Flip-Summon my Magician of Faith," he said.
His facedown Monster flipped up, and Magician of Faith appeared. (300/400)
A card slipped out of his discard slot, and he took it. He nodded, and added it to his hand.
"Now, I play Premature Burial!"
He threw the card into his Disk, and Toy Magician appeared again. (1,600/1,500)
(E: 250) - - - - - - - - - - (BK: 2,800)
"Heh..." said Keith. "Your Life Points are almost gone..."
"I have more than enough left," said Erik, as his other facedown card lifted. "I activate Curse of Anubis!"
The ghostly jackal appeared over the field and howled. Magcian of Faith and Toy Magician both crouched in Defense Mode, and then the Defense Scores of both them and Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union fell to zero.
"What's the point?" asked Keith.
"I'll show you," said Erik. "I sacrifice both my Monsters..."
Magician of Faith and Toy Magician vanished...
"...to summon Puppet King!"
The mighty Puppet King appeared in a burst of energy. (2,800/2,600)
"GO! Smash his Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union!"
Puppet King charged at the huge mecha...
"I'll show you!" shouted Keith. "I activate De-Fusion!"
His facedown card lifted, and the huge robot turned into a blur of energy, that split into four seperate blurs. Then, Expressroid (400/1,600), Truckroid (1,000/2,000), Drillroid (1,600/1,600), and Stealthroid (1,200/0) all appeared in Defense Mode.
"And since I just summoned Expressroid, its effect activates!" laughed Keith.
Steamroid and Gyroid slipped out of his discard slot, and he took them.
"Fine!" shouted Erik. "I'll tear your Roids apart one at a time! Puppet King, smash his Truckroid!"
Puppet King punched Truckroid, and it exploded into fiery debris.
"Man, I'm getting sick of these Roids," muttered Chelsea.
"Erik seems to be getting even sicker of them," said Ren. "In fact, I'd say he's got a bad case of roid-rage."
"I'll set this facedown," said Erik, as a facedown card appeared, "and then you go. I'd say there aren't many more dumb-looking vehicles you could use against me, Keith."
"We'll see about that," said Keith, drawing a card.
"Perfect," he said, looking at it. "I'll use my Deck Lord ability one last time. This time, I'm bringing Submarineroid to my hand."
A card slipped out of his deck.
"NO!" shouted Sam.
"Submarineroid can attack directly..." gasped Yumi. "Erik has only 250 Life Points left..."
"Oh, don't worry..." said Keith. "I'm not stupid enough to do that with his facedown card there."
His Field Slot opened.
"I play Fusion Gate!" he shouted, placing a card in it.
A dark cloud started to form overhead.
"Now then..." he said. "I'll remove from play Drillroid on the field, and Steamroid and Submarineroid in my hand..."
Drillroid vanished into grains of light...
Then the ground burst open in front of Keith, and a giant drilling machine, much bigger than Drillroid, appeared. It had a cartoonish face like the other Vehicroids, but it seemed much more serious. (3,000/2,000)
"The Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill!" laughed Keith, as Expressroid and Stealthroid moved to Attack Mode. "Now to wipe you out!
"Go! Attack Puppet King!"
Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill's weapon spun with a horrible and incredibly loud noise. It started to burrow into the ground...
"Activate... Mirror Force!" screamed Erik.
His facedown card lifted up...
And then, Erik braced himself as the whole field erupted in a titanic explosion. More than a vehicle explosion, it was more like a miniature star exploding. Small comets and meteors shot out of the huge burst.
"Whoa..." muttered Erik, as the smoke started to clear. "My Mirror Force never did THAT before..."
"Uh, I don't think it was your Mirror Force, Erik," said Sam.
The smoke sumbsided, and Erik looked at his opponent. Keith's Jumbo Drill and two other Monsters were gone, but two others had taken their place – Steamroid (1,800/1,800) and Submarineroid (800/1,800) were crouching in Defense Mode. Keith had apparently activated a Quickplay Spell.
Erik looked at it.
"Dimension Explosion?" he asked. "What the Hell is that?"
"Told you I wasn't stupid," said Keith. "As soon as you activated Mirror Force, this Spell sent my Drill back to my Fusion Deck, and then let me Special Summon two Monsters that had been removed from play. Technically, you could have done the same, but you didn't have any."
He fit one card into his Disk.
"I'll play a facedown, and that will be all."
He's obviously going to attack Submarineroid with Puppet King, he thought. With only 250 Life Points left, he doesn't have a choice.
What he doesn't know is, my facedown card is Call of the Haunted, which will bring it right back next turn. So I'll finish him off!
Erik quickly made a draw.
"Okay Keith..." he said. "Now... You're finished..."
"Says who?" said Keith.
"Says me!" shouted Erik. "I play Double Spell."
He discarded the Autonimous Action Unit he had just drawn.
"Now I can use one Spell Card in your Graveyard. And I seem to recall you had a Riyoku."
The art for Double Spell changed to that of Riyoku.
"So, I'll take half of Steamroid's Attack Score, and add it to Puppet King's.
The two Monsters glowed with energy. Steamroid fell to an Attack Score of 900, while Puppet King rose to 3,700.
"Big deal," said Keith. "My Monsters are in Defense Mode, in case you didn't notice."
"Not for long," said Erik, playing another card. "Remember when I flipped my Magician of Faith? Now, what card did I get back with her ability, you may ask?"
He threw a card into his Disk.
"I play Enemy Contoller!"
Steamroid got up, and moved into Attack Mode.
Behind his sunglasses, Bandit Keith's eyes bugged out.
"Don't forget, Keith," said Erik, "Steamroid will lose another 500 Attack Points when it's attacked. So you can forget about ever getting that Chimeratech.
"Puppet King... Attack Steamroid with Majestic Checker!"
Puppet King charged at the Machine, and Steamroid's Attack Score fell to 400. The huge Warrior slugged it with his fist, and the explosion knocked Keith over.
(E: 250) - - - - - - - - - - (BK: 0)
Blockman glowed with energy. Armoroid Gaidengo glowed, and sparked as it started to short circuit. Then it burst into silvery shards.
Bandit Keith chuckled as he started to glow with light.
"What's so funny?" asked Erik.
"I may have lost," he said, "I may have lost Gaidengo, but my mission was a success..."
He stood up.
"You are all a bunch of idiots. Daala didn't send me to stop you. Beating you in a duel would have just been a bonus... But the real plan was to stall.
"And since you fell for it, your two friends are wide open for our true plan. So Daala might just give me that better deck after all. See you around... Maybe..."
And then he turned transparent, and faded away.
"What do you mean?" shouted Erik. "Come back!"
Then there was a loud shriek. Everyone looked up...
The next thing they saw was a Harpie's Brother and a Sonic Shooter diving at them from out of the sky.
Before any of them could even activate their Disks, the two Winged Beasts swooped on Ren and Chelsea. The two of them screamed, and in the next instant, the two Spirits flew away, taking them with them.
"HEY!" shouted Yumi.
"Follow them!" shouted Sam.
Before they could even try, it was clear that they were impossible to follow. They had already disappeared into the dark clouds.
"Aster..." said Yumi. "Do you want to explain what just happened?"
Aster looked to the sky with a somber look.
"Let's get into Darkspire proper..." he muttered. "I have a bad feeling about this..."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
In the main computer room of KaibaCorp, Sheena and her technicians were working at the consoles.
"All clear," said one technician. "Everything is back online."
"Call Chief Yamaguchi," said Sheena. "Tell him that the threat has been neutralized. He'll be happy to hear it."
"So, now what Ms. Arachne?" asked Nicholas.
"Well, part one is finished," said Sheena. "We've retaken my computer.
"Now we move onto part two...
"Defeating Daala for good and rescuing Yumi and the others.
"And I've already got an idea about how to do that."
"Can you get Yumi out of Xanadu?" asked Olga.
"I don't think so," said Sheena. "Daala's control over its borders are incredibly tight.
"I can't get anyone out from here, but I can get in using Kaibaland's equipment. The best way to help them now...
"...is for me to sneak into Xanadu, and help them personally..."
She sighed. She looked at a Duel Disk on a table a few feet away from her.
"I thought I was mostly though with serious dueling..." she said. "But it seems that it's time for the Spider Savant to come out of retirement..."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ARMOROID GAIDENGO (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: 2,700
DEF: 2,000
Card Description: If this card is Tribute Summoned by Tributing at least one "roid" Monster, remove from play all Spell and Trap Cards on the field.
Note: "Armoroid Gaidengo" is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.
0
0
0
CYBER REPAIRER (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A group of mechanical arms moving towards a central point.
Card Description: Your opponent draws one card. During the turn you activate this card, Machine-Type Monsters you control cannot be destroyed as a result of battle (damage calculation still applies).
Note: "Cyber Repairer" was first used by Syrus in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Tough Love". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
Erik's Deck Lord: "Blockman": "Imperial Powers": "Toy Emperor's" effect can be used to search for both Trap Cards and Spell Cards. (Intermediate Power) "Troop Rally": If "Toy Emperor" is the only Monster on your side of the field, you may pay 800 Life Points to Special Summon a "Toy" Monster from your deck or Graveyard that is Level Four or less. (Minor Power)
0
0
0
Keith's Deck Lord: "Armoroid Gaidengo": "Heavy Traffic": Every other turn, starting on your second turn, you may search your deck for one "roid" Monster that is Level Four or less and add it to your hand. (Greater Power)
0
0
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Coming up next:
Aster Phoenix is a duelist who can make a claim that only three other duelists can – he defeated Jaden Yuki. It is thus little wonder that Joan made a virtual form of this individual to advance the cause of the rebellion in Xanadu. And quite likely, Aster's contributions to Joan's cause are many.
Coming up next, the legacy of the Destiny Heroes lives again, as the team's investigation into Ren and Chelsea's sudden abduction is interrupted by an assassin who is wholly unimpressed with his reputaion.
"Fire and Water" is coming up next.
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Name that Card!
It seems that the rivalry between Yugi and Kaiba will never end. This Trap Card, used by an important character in GX, shows one of Yugi's Monsters and one Kaiba's fighting each other. Can you name it?