What was the first Level Four Monster to have an incredibly high Attack Score? If you said "Jirai Gumo", you were successfully able to Name that Card! (Give yourself half credit if you said "Dark Elf". Both cards were released in the same set, but Jirai Gumo came first in the order of Set Numbers.)
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All five members of the Big Five were unique, but Leichter… Well, he was uniquely unique. And he had more reasons to hate Seto Kaiba then the others.
He was Gozaburo's right-hand man, and he was given the task by his boss to aid young Seto in an apparently difficult test to prove his competency in business, in order to prove that he was worthy of the Kaiba name. Seto had to take the two percent of Kaibacorp's stock that he was given, and increase its value by a hundredfold within a year. Leichter would be the only employee of Kaibacorp allowed to help him. Seto passed the test easily. This test would prove to be Gozaburo's biggest mistake, because that two percent turned out to be exactly the amount Seto needed to wrest control of Kaibacorp.
However, Leichter bore resentment long afterwards. He had believed that he would take over the company when Gozaburo eventually retired, and believed that Seto could not have passed the test without his aid. Seto's version of the facts, however, was vastly different. He believed that Leichter was nothing more than a lickspittle who was good for nothing but following orders, and even Gozaburo knew it.
Whichever version you believe, you cannot deny that Leichter became very dangerous when the Big Five put their plans into action. Using Jinzo as his Deckmaster, he was clearly the best duelist of the Big Five, using cards chosen for usefulness rather than any personal preference. He goaded Kaiba during the whole duel with accusations, including one that he manipulated and betrayed his own brother Mokuba in order to deceive Gozaburo. Was it the truth? Kaiba flatly denied it, and we may never know. Still, he learned his lesson the hard way… Very few strategies, in Duel Monsters or otherwise, are any good when they were used against Kaiba.
And so it's come to this… Him against me, with Sam on the line. Daala isn't taking chances any more… Everything from this point on is for keeps.
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CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
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The Key
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Hiroki led the group into a large chamber. Everyone was surprised. The wooden floors and banners with kanji script reminded them of a dojo.
"What the heck is this place Hiroki?" asked Erik. "Is Leichter teaching martial arts in his spare time?"
"If he's still Jinzo," added Ren, "that would be hard to do. I would think Jinzo would lack the motor skills for martial arts."
"Not martial arts in the traditional sense," said Hiroki. "As you said, he has taken the form of Jinzo. As such, he has adopted the lifestyle of the old Psycho Style of dueling."
"Never heard of it," said Yumi.
"I'm not surprised," replied Hiroki. "Not many have heard of it these days, since it's pretty much defunct.
"A long time ago, the Psycho Style was a respected and powerful style of dueling. It was a style that focused on Jinzo and other Dark Machines. But like most styles, it had rivals. Its biggest rival was the Cyber Style."
"The one that Zane Truesdale belonged to," said Ren.
"Exactly," replied Hiroki. "During Jaden's third year, the Psycho Style produced an incredibly ambitious champion. Maybe he was too ambitious for his own good. Frankly, he was rather arrogant. He decided to end the rivalry by challenging Zane to a battle for dominance."
"Let me guess," muttered Chelsea. "Zane kicked his butt good, and the Psycho Style had to shut its doors."
"No," growled Hiroki. "That was the ironic part. Zane was too weak and sick to duel him, so his brother Syrus agreed to duel in his place. And Syrus kicked his butt good!
"After that, people started taking Syrus seriously for a change, and the Psycho Style faded into oblivion.
"But that's all water under the bridge…
"Leichter will be here shortly. I don't believe you folks will be seeing me again."
He walked to the other side of the room where a door opened.
"Come back here!" shouted Erik.
Hiroki walked through the door, and it slammed shut.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Atticus sweat heavily.
He had Red-Eyes on his side of the field, and 2,000 Life Points remaining. His opponent had three Solar Flare Dragons, a facedown card, and 3,000 Life Points remaining.
"I'm not done yet," said Atticus, drawing a card. "In case you forgot, I've already beaten this strategy once."
"Go ahead!" mocked the Lady Assailant of Flames. "Use Burst Breath… I dare you…"
Atticus looked at the facedown card.
It's clearly Destruction Jammer, he thought. Or maybe My Body as a Shield… Well, you aren't the only one who can burn your opponent, sister…
"I play Dragon's Gunfire!" he shouted. "This lets me inflict 800 points of damage on you, so long as I have a Dragon on the field."
"Huh?" said the Assailant.
Red-Eyes spit a ball of flame, and the Assailant screamed. Her Life Points fell to 2,200.
"That the best you can do?" she asked.
"No," said Atticus. "I can do better…
"I play Inferno Fire Blast!"
The Assailant's eyes opened wide…
Red-Eyes blasted an even more intense blast of flame from its jaws, and she screamed as her Life Points fell to nothing.
She fell to her knees, smoke pouring from her body. Atticus didn't say anything as she started to vanish into motes of light.
He took out his cell phone.
Better call for backup, he thought. I have a feeling they're gonna need it up there…
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Erik switched the last card from his side deck to his deck.
If Leichter's Deck Lord ability is anything like his old one, he thought, Traps are no good against him. That makes dealing with him chancy at best… I guess…
And then they were all shocked as the whole back wall lifted up.
Behind it was a room full of computers and monitors. And standing in front of them was one of the most dreaded Monsters in the game. It was easily recognizable, by its alien-looking cranium with a metal faceplate, atop a stiff, spiked collar, over a black, metallic robe.
"You're something else, Leichter," said Yumi. "Jinzo was once one of my grandfather Joey's most powerful cards. And now, with you as one of the rulers of Xanadu, it's become a symbol of evil…"
"You're grandfather couldn't comprehend half of the secrets that Jinzo possessed," replied Leichter. "Heck, even I couldn't when I took it for my Deckmaster in Noah's world. Back then, I simply admired it for its ability to nullify Trap Cards.
"But Daala has shown me secrets about the card that I never knew existed… I'm more powerful now than I ever was before. Jinzo possesses a special power… The power of…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" interrupted Erik. "Tell it to someone who cares! Where's Sam, Leichter?"
"Direct and to the point, I see," said Leichter. "Well, to answer your question, Mr. Matell… She's over there."
He lifted a small remote control and hit a button on it, while pointing to the side. Something started to rise out of the floor…
Everyone gasped…
The "something" appeared to be a huge diamond, about eight feet tall and five feet wide. If it were an actual diamond, it would clearly be worth a king's ransom. However, what startled them was the fact that Sam was imprisoned inside it, like a fly in a block of amber. Her eyes were closed – whether she was conscious or not, it was impossible to tell.
"Is that a…" gasped Yumi.
"Yes," replied Leichter. "A soulgem. One of Shogarr's special prisons."
"No…" moaned Erik.
"I'm sure Unus mentioned these to you," replied Leichter. "How each one is designed to hold one specific mortal being. In truth, Shogarr is far more merciful than most demon lords, who would consume a victim or work him to death in slavery. Shogarr merely keeps them as keepsakes."
"That's more merciful to enemies than killing them?" shouted Erik. "Forcing them to serve as… trophies?! It's sick!"
"Don't cry yet," said Leichter. "I lack the skills to complete the magic that completely binds a mortal to one of these things. Only Shogarr and certain other powerful demon lords can truly finish what I've started here…"
He lifted the remote.
"But… I can send her to him with one little flick of my thumb. And it would be the first thing he'd do."
"DON'T!" screamed Erik. "What do you want, Leichter?"
"Simple," said Leichter. "In exchange for Sam's safe return, I want the Key."
A screen behind him flickered, and Daala's face appeared on it.
"The Key?" said Erik. "What is that?"
"Well, I guess I have time to explain…" muttered Leichter. "I have nowhere to go, after all…
"Joan used a lot of enchantments while building her temple that were hard to come by. Do you recall the legend of the philosopher Diogenes? He was said to have wandered the world at night with a lantern in hand, looking for an honest man."
"True," said Yumi. "And he had a reason for doing so. He was a cynic, and believed that such a thing did not truly exist. The legend never specified whether or not he ever found one."
"Well," said Leichter, "when Joan built the temple, she needed the blessings of an honest Duel Spirit, one who wasn't a Fairy. She found that one did exist. The Unhappy Girl. She was all too willing to help out. But unfortunately for her, when she did so, she learned important secrets of its construction. When Daala found out she knew these things, it didn't take much persuasion to coerce them out of her."
"You…" gasped Ren. "The Unhappy Girl… Daala tortured her?"
"We learned of the existence of the Key," said Leichter, not answering the question. "A spiritual linchpin that held the enchantments of the temple together. At first, it was stored in a gemstone inside the temple, and was what held the protective barriers in place.
"But the Key was fragile. It was slowly decaying, as it lacked a proper container. Joan knew that after a while, it would break apart, and the temple's defenses would fail.
"At first, Daala thought she could wait Joan out, and attack when the Key finally died. But her patience started to wear thin. She knew how Joan could preserve the Key and keep it from dying…
"She had to implant it in the subconscious mind of a sentient being. But Duel Spirits and AI programs could not hold it. Their minds tend to be too one-sided. Only a mind as complex as a human's could store the spiritual linchpin."
Yumi's eyes opened wide.
"That's why she forced us to come to Xanadu…" she gasped.
"Daala knew Joan would recruit you," said Leichter. "And she knew she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to put the Key in one of you for safekeeping. She didn't know that we knew about it. Once we found out which of you had it through our scans, we would take it and destroy it."
He pointed to Erik.
"The other members of the Big Five have scanned everyone but you, Mr. Matell," he said. "The process of elimination puts it in your head. I don't need to waste time dueling you to make sure. Now you will kindly sit still and let me take it…
"Or…"
He held up the remote.
"Erik, wait…" said Chelsea.
"I'm not giving you time to make up your mind, Erik," said Leichter. "You have thirty seconds to agree. Then Sam is doomed."
"No…" gasped Erik, starting to sweat.
"Twenty seconds…" said Leichter.
Erik looked at Sam in horror…
"ALL RIGHT!" he screamed.
He bowed his head.
"You win…
"I'm sorry, Joan…"
"I knew you'd see it my way," said Leichter.
Behind him, Daala grinned.
Leichter reached to the console by his side, and tapped a few buttons.
"Just stand still and breathe normally…"
There was a low hum, and some data appeared in front of him. A few tense seconds passed.
More seconds passed. Leichter's brow became more wrinkled than normal.
"Where is it…" he whispered. "It's gotta be here…"
"Problems, Leichter?" asked Daala, speaking for the first time.
"N-no…" said Leichter. "No, milady… Just let me double-check… It has to be…"
Then he paused.
"This… This is impossible!" he shouted.
"What?" demanded Daala.
"The… The scan's results are negative…" said Leichter.
"What do you mean?" shouted Daala. "That IS impossible!"
"Oh?" asked Yumi. "Maybe the Key is indeed in one of us… But it's so well-hidden, that Daala's technology can't detect it. Just like her technology can't duplicate Aster's and Jesse's cards the way Joan's can."
The four of them activated their Disks.
"Release Sam now, Leichter," demanded Yumi.
"Stay back!" shouted Leichter, lifting the remote again. "Or Sam's history!"
"Oh?" said Yumi. "You sure that would be wise? What if the Key is in Sam's head? You banish Sam, the Key goes with her."
"LEICHTER!" yelled Daala. "Drop that remote right now!"
"But… Milady…" gulped Leichter.
"I mean it, Leichter," growled Daala. "If Sam is banished, the next one to be banished will be you."
Leichter dropped the remote like a hot potato.
"What do I do?" he shouted, starting to panic.
"Duel the boyfriend," said Daala. "I'll send help."
Her face vanished from the screen.
Erik stepped forward.
"Oh, by all means," he said. "I might even enjoy this…"
Leichter gestured, and a Duel Disk appeared on his arm. Erik stepped back nervously…
It was an Anarchist Disk.
"O-kay…" he gulped. "Didn't expect that…"
Leichter looked at the deck, and smiled inwardly.
"So, Leichter…" said Erik. "As leader of the Big Five, Daala has taught you some pretty intense secrets… She's shown you the secrets of Chaos, and you've become her eager pupil. You know how to use that Disk… You can begin to craft soulgems… How much of your own soul does Shogarr have ownership of by now? Is it a controlling percentage?"
"You say that as if it were a bad thing," replied Leichter. "Do you realize how many times mankind has benefited from the power of Chaos?"
"Name one," replied Erik.
"Penicillin," replied Leichter. "Sir Alexander Fleming discovered the miraculous antibiotic completely by accident, when some foreign material got into another experiment he was working on."
Erik was dumbfounded. That was true.
"The thing is," said Leichter, "most people confuse chaos with insanity. Well, they said Socrates was crazy… They said Aristotle was crazy… They said Koji Horanai was crazy…"
"Who was that?" asked Erik.
"He was my uncle," replied Leichter. "He was crazy. But I'm not crazy. You see, there's a line between genius and insanity that's hard to determine sometimes. I mean, if a scientist accidentally mixes two chemicals together and discovers a cure for a crippling disease, they call him a genius. But if he accidentally mixes two chemicals together and blows up his laboratory, they call him an idiot.
"A lot in this life depends on luck, Mr. Matell… The unexpected can often change the world, and Chaos can often make a difference."
His Disk activated.
"And I will defeat you."
Blockman appeared behind Erik.
"You think you scare me just because you're Jinzo?" asked Erik. "I knew you were Jinzo! I reworked my deck before you showed your ugly face! I don't have a single Trap Card in it."
"That's all well and good," replied Leichter, "but that still takes away a lot of your defenses. I, on the other hand, can still use them, and I intend to."
"Game on!" they both shouted.
(Erik: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Leichter: 8,000)
Erik looked at Sam again.
I'll get you out of there, baby, he thought. I swear… Just hang on…
"I'll go first…" said Leichter, making the first draw.
He looked over his hand.
"I'll set one Monster on the field, and then one facedown card…"
A concealed card and a concealed Monster appeared.
"…and then you go…"
Got to be careful, thought Erik, making his first draw. This is one guy I'm not taking chances with…
He looked at his opening hand.
"Having trouble deciding?" asked Leichter. "Well, if you're lucky, you may get a couple more options…"
His facedown card lifted.
"I activate DNA Physical Examination."
"Say what?" asked Erik.
He looked at the odd Trap Card. Its picture depicted Magical Scientist being given a physical by three comical demons dressed like the doctors on DNA Surgery.
"Here's the deal," said Leichter. "You have to try to guess what Attribute my facedown Monster is. In fact, you get two guesses. That's fair, isn't it?
"If you guess right, you get to draw two cards. If you guess wrong, I get to draw two cards."
"Be careful, Erik!" cautioned Yumi. "Think before you answer!"
Erik thought.
He played it on his first move… he thought. I have no idea whether he's using his old deck or a new deck…
What Monsters did he use in his old deck? Cyber Jar… No, that's illegal… Satellite Cannon… He couldn't have set that without a sacrifice… Injection Fairy Lily… Who'd set her in Defense Mode? Dreamsprite… No, he wouldn't set that on his first turn…
Oh, who am I kidding? He's using that Anarchist Disk. He likely doesn't have any of his old cards…
"Well?" asked Leichter.
"Uh… Light and Dark!" shouted Erik.
"Heh, heh, heh…" chuckled Leichter.
The card slowly lifted up, and was revealed to be D.D. Crazy Beast.
"As you can see, my Monster is neither Light nor Dark," said Leichter, "so you lose."
The card set back down, and he drew two cards.
Erik looked at the six cards in his hand.
At least I know what his Monster is, he thought. D.D. Crazy Beast has 1,400 Defense Points, and I have nothing here that can beat that…
But…
"I set a facedown card, and then summon Toy Wind-Up."
A facedown card appeared, and then the tall, tin soldier appeared, pointing its blunderbuss. (1,000/700)
Eh? thought Leichter. If he has no Traps, what's the facedown card? Some sort of Quickplay?
"My draw," said Leichter.
He drew a card.
"And I play Card Destruction!"
He played a Spell Card.
"Huh?" said Erik.
"Now we both have to fold all the cards in our hands, and draw an equal number," said Leichter.
"I know how Card Destruction works," said Erik, discarding the cards in his hand.
He drew five cards, and Leichter drew six.
"Perfect," said Leichter. "Now I flip my Monster into Attack Mode… You guessed it…"
His facedown Monster flipped.
"D.D. Crazy Beast!"
The Monster that appeared was huge and weird. It looked like a big, wormlike thing, with six clawed legs, and a huge set of jaws, with beady eyes to either side. (1,400/1,400)
"That guy's bark is worse than his bite," muttered Ren.
"Perhaps," said Leichter. "But his breath is worse than his bark, as Toy Wind-Up is about to find out. And any Monster he destroys is removed from play.
"Attack his Toy Wind-Up!"
D.D. Crazy Beast opened its jaws, and bright blue flames started to appear in them…
"Go, Spell Card!" shouted Erik. "Toy Robot Box!"
His facedown card lifted, and he quickly discarded one of his cards (it was Double Snare). Three Monsters that looked like armored robot superheroes appeared. They knelt and crouched in Defense Mode. (0/0 x3)
"Dolls?" asked Leichter.
"They aren't dolls," said Leichter. "They're action figures! And so long as these tokens are on the field, you can't attack any Monsters except them."
"Fine!" shouted Leichter. "I think I'll do just that."
D.D. Crazy Beast shot a blast of bright blue flame from its jaws, and one of the three Toy Robots exploded.
And since Tokens aren't considered cards in this respect, he thought, I can't use the effect I need to yet. But I will soon…
"I set one card facedown on the field," said Leichter, as a facedown card appeared, "and then it's your move."
Erik quickly drew a card.
All right, he thought, looking at it.
"Thanks to Bandit Keith," he said, "my Deck Lord now has a Greater Power of his own."
Blockman started to glow with golden light.
"It's called Toy Tinker, and lets me take a low Level Toy Monster from my deck every other round."
Toy Soldier slipped out of his deck, and he looked at it.
"But I won't be using him yet. I sacrifice my two Tokens…"
The two Toy Robot Tokens vanished into grains of light.
"To summon Puppet King!"
In an explosion of energy, the mighty Puppet King appeared, looming over the field. (2,800/2,600)
"Impressive," said Leichter.
"Attack his D.D. Crazy Beast!" shouted Erik. "Majestic Checker!"
Puppet King lunged at the Beast.
"It isn't so easy, Mr. Matell," said Leichter. "I activate No Entry!!"
His facedown card flipped up.
"Now, all Monsters on the field move to Defense Mode."
Puppet King, Toy Wind-Up, and D.D. Crazy Beast squatted in defensive positions.
Erik sighed.
"I'll throw two cards facedown," he said, "and that will be all."
Two facedown cards appeared.
Leichter drew a card.
"Just what I needed," he said, as he placed it in his Disk. "Gaze upon… The Different Dimension Gate!"
With a rumbling noise, a huge apparatus appeared behind him. The giant contraption had a portal of rainbow-colored lights in its center, which were moving in a haphazard pattern.
"This Continuous Spell Card lets me remove two Monsters on the field from play. But there is a catch. One of those Monsters has to be one of mine.
"So I'll remove your Puppet King and my D.D. Crazy Beast."
There was a fierce suction, and both Monsters were swept up, and sucked through the portal.
"HEY!" shouted Erik.
"And that's not all," said Leichter. "One of the cards I tossed when I played Card Destruction was a creature called Zeta Reticulant. When it's in my Graveyard when one of your cards is removed from play, I get to summon an EBE Token."
A small creature appeared on Leichter's side of the field. It looked like your standard little alien, with a big head on a small body with large eyes. (500/500)
"EBE stands for Extraterrestrial Biological Entity, by the way."
"And just what are you going to do with it?" asked Erik.
"I'm going to sacrifice it," said Leichter, holding up a card. "To Special Summon this! Zeta Reticulant!"
The EBE Token vanished, and a much bigger, much nastier alien appeared. It was a monstrous creature with sharp spurs all over its body, spherical orbs on its chest, razor-sharp teeth, and claws, standing seven feet tall. (2,400/2,100)
"Wait a minute!" shouted Erik. "You said it was in your Graveyard, not in your hand!"
"True," said Leichter. "Is there any rule that says my deck can't have more than one copy?"
"I've heard of this creature," muttered Chelsea. "It may not look like any relative of Joan's, but it's a Fairy of some sort. And a powerful one…"
"Attack his Toy Wind-Up!" ordered Leichter. "Plasma blaster!"
Zeta Reticulant fired a beam of destructive energy from its hands, and Toy Wind-Up was atomized.
"Consider yourself lucky your Monster was in Defense Mode," said Leichter. "It's your move…"
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Joan was still working her main console, while Sheena nervously sat at another console.
"It's working, Sheena!" said Joan. "Leichter is too occupied by the duel to notice my sabotage, and Daala has drawn her attention elsewhere. She's likely upset at her failure to get the Key. We'll likely have our window in a matter of minutes.
"Be ready to start communications, and be prepared for what you have to tell your allies."
"Right," said Sheena, starting to type. "Uh…
"Out of curiosity Joan… Who does have the Key?"
Joan looked a bit uncomfortable.
"I can't tell you, Sheena," she said. "Especially now that we know that Daala knows of its existence. If I told you and you were captured, Daala would force the information out of you, and then send wave after wave after the one I gave it to until he or she was also captured, and the rebellion would fall.
"Suffice to say, it's safe."
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Okay… thought Erik. He's got a butt-ugly alien, and I got…
He drew a card.
Spell Striker?! Not exactly the king of Warriors…
Then he noticed something behind Leichter, at the podium where the big gem was that was holding Sam prisoner.
Vita? thought Erik.
It was indeed Vita. She had apparently snuck in, and had crept up to the big gem.
She turned to Erik, and put her finger to the mouth on her mask, as if to say "Shhhh."
Erik got the idea. He paused for a minute as Vita placed her hand on the gem, and a dark blotch started to form on it, like a bruise.
He placed a card on his Disk.
"I summon Spell Striker," he said.
In a flash of light, the toy wizard with his horned helmet and cape appeared. (600/200)
"Attack him directly!" shouted Erik.
Spell Striker flew at Leichter and shot sparks from his wand. Leichter barely flinched.
"That the best you can do?" asked Leichter.
"I do the best I can," replied Erik.
(E: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 7,400)
"My move!" shouted Leichter.
He drew a card.
It was Destruction Jammer.
I'll save this for when I need it, he thought.
"I summon a second D.D. Crazy Beast," he said.
He played a card from his hand, and another of the weird dimensional Monsters appeared. (1,400/1,400)
"Attack his Spell Striker!" he ordered.
The Crazy Beast breathed its blast of blue flames, and Spell Striker was disintegrated.
"Due to his effect," said Erik, "I take no damage…"
"I know that," said Leichter, "that's why I attacked with him first.
"Zeta Reticulant, attack him directly!"
Zeta blasted its plasma blaster, and Erik screamed as he was struck and propelled backwards.
Erik groaned and sat up.
"Facedown card activate," he said. "Emergency Provisions. I'll send my other facedown card to the Graveyard to gain 1,000 Life Points back."
His Quickplay lifted up, and then his Symbol of Heritage lifted up and vanished.
(E: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 7,400)
"It's your move, Mr. Matell," said Leichter. "You may have prepared your deck against Jinzo, but you hardly had any idea what else you'd be facing."
Erik quickly drew a card.
I hate villainous rant, he thought. Especially when it makes a valid point.
He looked at it.
"I use my Toy Tinker ability again," he said.
He took a card out of his deck. He looked at it.
"I set a card facedown, and end my turn."
A facedown card appeared.
"Let me get this straight," said Leichter. "You used your Deck Lord's effect to search for a low Level Monster, and you didn't even defend with it?"
Erik just glared at him.
"Oh, fine," said Leichter, drawing a card.
"D.D. Crazy Beast, attack him directly!"
"Go, Spell Card!" shouted Erik. "Mystical Space Typhoon!"
His Quickplay lifted up, and the cyclone shot towards the Different Dimension Gate, causing the portal to crack. It smashed into pieces, and two orbs of light flew onto the field…
Two Monsters materialized, Puppet King on Erik's side of the field in Defense Mode. (2,800/2,600) and Leichter's original D.D. Crazy Beast on his side of the field, also in Defense Mode. (1,400/1,400)
"I'm not dumb, Leichter," he said. "I knew that destroying the Gate would bring those two back."
"Okay, you're very smart," growled Leichter. "I'll move Zeta to Defense Mode, and end my turn."
Zeta Reticulant knelt down and shielded itself with its claws.
"My move!" shouted Erik, drawing a card.
He paused as he drew, and looked at what Vita was doing. The black spot she was creating on the gem had spread, creating an ugly imperfection on the huge gemstone.
God, I hope you know what you're doing… he thought.
"I play Pot of Greed," he said.
He played the card, and drew two.
"I move Puppet King to Attack Mode."
Puppet King stood up.
"Then, I summon Toy Soldier."
Toy Soldier appeared in a flash. (800/300)
"Now," he said, opening his Field slot, "I play Toy Town!"
The computer room faded away, and the fairy tale village with its gingerbread houses and the rainbow in the sky appeared. Toy Soldier grew to an ATK of 1,100.
"Bah!" said Leichter.
"Puppet King, attack Zeta Reticulant!" shouted Erik.
Puppet King lunged, and clobbered the alien. It shattered into shards.
"Now I play… Shrink," continued Erik, "to cut your Crazy Beast to a more manageable size."
The Crazy Beast in Attack Mode shrunk to half its size, and an Attack Score or 700.
Toy Soldier aimed his musket and fired, and the Crazy Beast roared before it shattered.
(E: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 7,000)
"That's all for me."
Leichter drew a card.
He played two cards, and a facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared.
"That all?" asked Erik. "You must be slipping…"
He drew a card.
"I get to use my Toy Tinker ability again…"
A card slipped out of his deck, and he took it.
"Then, I get to summon two more Toy Soldiers from my deck."
Two more Toy Soldiers appeared in Attack Mode. (800/300) –) (1,100/300)
"Next, I summon Toy Magician!"
In a flash of light, the colorful, plastic mage appeared. (1,600/1,500) –) (1,900/1,500)
"Finally, I play Crowning of the Emperor! I'll trade in one Toy Magician, to summon Toy Emperor!"
One Toy Magician vanished, and Toy Emperor appeared astride his wooden steed. (2,300/800) –) (2,600/800)
"You," he said to one of the Soldiers, "attack his facedown Monster!"
The Soldier fired his musket, and Dark Mimic LV1 appeared on the card. It was blown to pieces.
"I get to draw one card," said Leichter, making a draw.
"Toy Magician, destroy the last D.D. Crazy Beast!" ordered Erik.
Toy Magician fired his blasts of light, and the Crazy Beast exploded into colored lights.
"Puppet King, attack him directly!"
Puppet King charged at Leichter.
"I don't think so!" shouted Leichter.
His facedown card lifted, and Negate Attack appeared. Puppet King was thrown backwards.
"Huh?" said Ren. "He could have used that to protect his Crazy Beast… But for some reason… He waited… Why?"
Leichter chuckled.
"I'll show you all why," he said. "It's time for my true strategy to be unveiled…"
He drew a card. Then his own Field slot opened.
"I play… Cosmic Space!"
Toy Town crumbled into dust, and the whole room went dark. As everyone looked around, they saw that they had been transported off the Earth, and into the astral. Around them were the bodies of the cosmos… Stars, planets, suns…
They were in outer space.
"What is going on?" asked Erik.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
At this moment, in Kaibaland…
Olga was facing Nicholas at a table in the main computer room in the virtual reality lab, and she was thinking very hard.
"Okay, Nicholas," she said. "I think I've found the killer…
"I believe…
"That it was Ms. Scarlet, with the Revolver, in the Billiard Room!"
Nicholas looked at her.
He took the envelope in the center of the game board, and opened it. He looked at the three cards inside.
Then he groaned, and held his head in frustration.
"I'm right, aren't I?" laughed Olga. "HA!
"You gotta admit, Nicholas, I'm either the greatest Clue player who ever lived, or you just plain stink."
"Let's play something else…" growled Nicholas.
"Wanna duel?" asked Olga.
Before Nicholas could answer, the screen behind them came to life.
"Hello?" said Sheena's voice. "Hello? Nicholas… Olga… Are you still there?"
The two of them jumped up, and went to the screen. Sheena's face appeared, blurry, but still there.
"We're here, Ms. Arachne," said Nicholas. "Are you safe?"
"More or less," said Sheena. "But Domino is in trouble…
"Listen… I need your help again… We know Daala's plans…
"Pretty soon, they're going to go far beyond Xanadu…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"What's going on, Leichter?" asked Erik. "What is this? Macro Cosmos?"
"Macro Cosmos is a Continuous Trap," replied Leichter. "This is a Field Spell."
"I can see that," said Erik. "What does this Field do?"
"It's one of the deadliest Fields in existence," said Leichter. "Most Field Spells have some sort of benefit for one Type, Attribute, or archetype of Monster.
"Not this one. The void of Cosmic Space is hostile to all forms of life. So it technically doesn't benefit any Monster at all. It has a debilitating effect on all Monsters on the field.
"During each End Phase, yours and mine, all Monsters have their Levels reduced by one. If a Monster is Level One at the time, it is destroyed."
"The same goes for your Monsters, Leichter!" shouted Yumi.
"True," said Leichter. "However, I have a Monster that has a unique way of surviving.
"It's still my turn, I believe…"
He placed a card in his Disk.
"I activate Premature Burial. Once I give up 800 Life Points, I can bring back someone else I discarded when I played Card Destruction. My EBE Abductor."
Another weird alien appeared on the field. Its body looked like it combined both its torso and head into one, with arms on the sides and legs at the bottom. Its eyes were cold and inhuman. (1,000/500)
"This is one of those aliens that is notorious for kidnapping humans in order to study them," said Leichter. "And it can do so once per turn if I simply discard one card."
He discarded a D.D. Trainer from his hand.
"Take one of his Toy Soldiers!"
EBE Abductor's eyes glowed with hypnotic light, and one of the two Toy Soldiers looked dizzy. He was pulled over to Leichter's side.
"Huh?" said Chelsea. "I don't get it… If Leichter could have brainwashed any of Erik's Monsters, why did he choose Toy Soldier instead of Puppet King?"
"Because, I would benefit more if Mr. Matell kept his stronger Monsters," said Leichter. "The reason why will become apparent in a minute.
"I sacrifice Toy Soldier and EBE Abductor…"
The Toy Soldier and the strange alien vanished.
"…in order to summon Greed Quasar!"
A new, much more frightening creature appeared. This one looked more like a space-age demon than a true alien. Its torso was a fiendish skull with a fanged jaw, with small, clawed arms and no legs, and a head with a pointed top.
"Let me explain how Greed Quasar works," said Leichter. "Its Attack and Defense Score are each 300 times its Level. When I summon it, it's Level Seven, so…"
(2,100/2,100)
"HA!" laughed Chelsea. "If that's true, your Field Spell will weaken it every turn!"
"Yes and no," replied Leichter. "You see, every time Greed Quasar defeats an enemy, its Level increases by an amount equal to the defeated Monster's Level.
"So, if it were to destroy Toy Emperor, it would gain six Levels, and gain 1,800 points."
"That would make it Level Thirteen!" exclaimed Ren. "The maximum Level a Monster can be is Twelve!"
"Uh, Ren, technically, that isn't true," replied Yumi. "There's no rule that puts a maximum limit on the Level a Monster can be. Granted, no Monster has ever been designed that was greater than Twelve, but…"
"Regardless," said Erik, "I see another thing wrong with your plan. It isn't strong enough to defeat Toy Emperor."
"It could if Toy Emperor were in Defense Mode," said Leichter.
He took a card from his hand.
"I play Book of Moon!"
Erik gasped as Toy Emperor vanished, and was replaced by a facedown Monster.
"Attack!" shouted Leichter. "Quantum blast!"
Greed Quasar exhaled a blast of violet flames from the jaw on its torso. The facedown Toy Emperor exploded.
Greed Quasar glowed with energy, and rose to (3,900/3,900).
"See how it copes now?" asked Leichter. "It may lose a Level every round, but it gains Levels by battling enemies. So it can easily survive the debilitating effect of Cosmic Space."
Even worse, thought Erik, the higher in Level it is, the stronger it is… And with no Trap Cards in my deck, destroying it is going to be very hard…
Leichter looked at the last card in his hand, which was Destruction Jammer.
It needs a discard to use, so setting it this round would be pointless, he thought. I'll take my chances for now…
"I end my turn, which means that all Monsters on the field lose one Level."
Greed Quasar fell to (3,600/3,600)
(E: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 6,200)
"All right, my draw…" said Erik, drawing a card.
His eyes opened when he saw what it was.
One of the cards that Sam won from Nezbitt… he thought. Oh, but it would be no good now…
He turned the cards on his Disk, and Toy Magician, Puppet King, and the last Toy Soldier moved to Defense Mode. Then he took the other Toy Magician in his hand, and placed it on his Disk, and it appeared facedown.
If I manage to flip it into Attack Mode, he thought, its effect can destroy this Field Spell. Let's just hope it lasts that long.
"That's all," he said.
Greed Quasar fell to (3,300/3,300)
Leichter drew quickly.
"Perfect," he said. "I set one card, and then play Coins from Heaven."
A facedown card appeared, and then golden motes shown through the whole void.
"How lucky can you get?" muttered Chelsea.
Erik frowned. Leichter was getting twice as many cards out of this as he was.
"Now let's use them," said Leichter. "I play Shield Crush."
The Spell Card appeared, and a beam of energy shot towards the facedown Toy Magician, blowing it to pieces.
"Crud…" muttered Erik.
"Next," continued Leichter, "I summon Lyra the Giver."
"Huh?" said Erik.
A new alien appeared on the field. It was tall, thin, and skeletal, with a skull-like, inhuman face. (1,800/1,500)
"Don't worry, it isn't staying," said Leichter. "As its name suggests, it likes to give things. Case in point, by sacrificing it, its Level is added to the Level of any other Monster on the field. So I'll sacrifice it, and give that value to Greed Quasar."
Lyra the Giver vanished into grains of light, and Greed Quasar glowed with energy again. (4,500/4,500)
"Next," said Leichter, "I play Fairy Meteor Crush, and I'll Equip it to Greed Quasar."
He played the card, and Greed Quasar burned with fiery energy.
"Attack his Puppet King! Quantum blast!"
Greed Quasar blasted its flames at Puppet King, and the wooden monarch exploded.
"ERGH!" shouted Erik.
(E: 4,700) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 6,200)
"Your Puppet King was Level Five just then," said Leichter, "so my Greed Quasar gains five more Levels, and 1,500 more points."
Greed Quasar glowed again. (6,000/6,000)
"Six thousand?" shouted Chelsea. "That's insane!"
"Like the guy using it," added Ren.
"I end my turn," said Leichter. "Unfortunately for your Toy Soldier, that means his time is up."
Toy Soldier vanished in a plume of smoke and flames. Greed Quasar fell to (5,700/5,700).
"By the way, the same thing's gonna happen to your Toy Magician as soon as you end your next turn. So make the most of it."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"This is serious, Nicholas!" said Olga. "Invasion… A dark army… We gotta tell the authorities…"
"And tell them what, Olga?" asked Nicholas. "Oh, officer, an army of Duel Spirits from another dimension is planning to invade the city, and we won't be able to see them until they're right on top of us. We have to call in the National Guard.
"In case you forgot, Olga, something similar to this has happened before. When…"
He shuddered in fear.
"When that thing with the Orichalcos started, Duel Spirits appeared worldwide, and they were very visible. Everyone then accused Kaiba of using satellite technology to create them as a publicity stunt.
"It'll be just like that old 1950's monster movie… What was it called? The Glob?"
"The Blob," sighed Olga.
"That's the one," said Nicholas. "When things like this happen, the authorities never believe it until it's too late."
"So what do we do?" asked Olga.
"We have to prepare ourselves," said Nicholas. "We have to make sure our decks are ready… We have to…"
He stopped short.
"We have to make a phone call…"
He turned to the computer screen, and typed in some commands. The Domino telephone directory appeared on it.
"Who you gonna call?" asked Olga.
"This is kinda a long shot," said Nicholas. "But ever since I started using the Six Samurai, I heard rumors from other duelists.
"One of Yumi's father's old allies might, just might have something I can use that would make my deck far more powerful…"
"Will he give it to you?" asked Olga.
"She," said Nicholas. "And frankly, I doubt it. But if it exists, she likely knows how one can get it…
"It wouldn't hurt to ask…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"My draw…" muttered Erik, drawing a card.
He looked at Vita. The black stain had now covered fully half of the diamond, and it was covered with cracks now.
He played the card, and the Pot of Avarice appeared. All three Toy Soldiers, Puppet King, and Toy Wind-Up slipped out of his discard slot, and he shuffled them into his deck. He made two draws.
"Now, I use my Deck Lord ability to get back Toy Soldier…"
One Toy Soldier slipped out of his deck and he took it.
"As if that pathetic thing scared me," replied Leichter.
"We'll soon see," said Erik, playing a card. "I play Toy Box."
He played the card, and the smiling Toy Box appeared on the field. (0/0)
"This Token can't be attacked," said Erik, "and it's immune to Spells, so it's safe from your Field Spell. Plus I get to hide two Toy Monsters in it."
The box opened, and the Toy Magician that was cowering in Defense Mode jumped into it. Then one of the cards in Erik's hand turned into to an orb of energy, and flew into it.
"I set one card facedown, and end my turn."
A facedown card appeared. Greed Quasar fell to (5,400/5,400).
Leichter drew a card.
"You seem to have made a fatal error," he said. "I happen to know that if a Monster can't be targeted by attacks, it also can't defend against direct attacks."
Erik just stared at him.
"I could wipe you out with one blast from Greed Quasar," continued Leichter, "but something tells me that you aren't that dumb… Your facedown card may well be a Quickplay that will protect you… Maybe another copy of Shrink, perhaps… You'd take a lot of damage, but you'd still be in the duel…
"So to better my chances, I'll summon EBE Epsilon."
He played a card, and another Monster appeared. It was little more than a pair of sharp claws on a bony, crustacean frame. (1,500/1,600)
"Epsilon, attack him directly!"
The EBE Epsilon flew at Erik, and slashed at him with its claws. Erik screamed and fell on his behind.
"Goodbye, Mr. Matell," said Leichter. "Greed Quasar, attack him directly!"
Greed Quasar glowed with energy.
"Activate… Enemy Controller!" shouted Erik.
His facedown card flipped up.
"Typical…" muttered Leichter.
The video game control pad appeared, and Greed Quasar backed up, shielding itself in Defense Mode.
"You've only bought yourself a turn," said Leichter. "My Quasar has just as many Defense Points as it has Attack Points.
"And the effect of my Toy Box activates," said Erik.
The Toy Box opened, and Toy Soldier hopped out. (800/300)
"Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?" asked Leichter. "He won't last long here.
"I end my turn."
Greed Quasar fell to (5,100/5,100).
(E: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 6,200)
"Draw…" said Erik.
He quickly drew a card.
"I use Toy Soldier's effect once again, to summon two more of his comrades."
Two more Toy Soldiers appeared. (800/300 x2)
"Next, I'll use the effect of Toy Box again, to bring Toy Magician out, this time in Attack Mode."
Toy Magician hopped out of the Toy Box. (1,600/1,500) The Toy Box vanished.
"By the way, Leichter, since he left the field and was summoned to it again, his Level is reset to four."
"As if it mattered," said Leichter.
"But it does matter!" shouted Erik, thrusting a Spell Card forward. "Thanks to your overconfident friend Nezbitt, I'm about to bring out the strongest Monster in my deck!
"I play Sky Union!"
"Sky Union?" gasped Leichter. "Wait… Doesn't that summon…"
"You gotta be kidding me…" said Chelsea.
"I sacrifice three Monsters…" continued Erik.
All three Toy Soldiers vanished…
A shadow slowly started to fall across the field as it appeared out of the astral. It was a giant, armored airship, like a flying navy battleship with far more emphasis on armaments. Dominating it was a huge, robotic head in the center with glowing eyes, and it was armed to the teeth with dozens upon dozens of cannons, gun turrets, and missile launchers.
"This is a toy that isn't recommended for children ages ten and under," said Erik. "The Air Fortress Ziggurat!"
(2,500/2,000)
"And guess what, Leichter? It's completely impervious to all Spell and Trap Cards, so your Field Spell can't hurt it in the slightest."
"Big deal!" shouted Leichter. "It may be… big, but my Greed Quasar is still over twice as strong!"
"I'll get to him in a minute," said Erik. "First, I Normal Summon Toy Tank."
He placed a card on his Disk, and the small, plastic tank appeared on the field. (1,300/1,100)
"Now, for your Greed Quasar. As I've already said, I was ready for you, Leichter. I switched all of the Trap Cards in my deck with useful Quickplays."
He held a card forward.
"Does this look familiar? It should… You used it on my Toy Emperor."
"Book of Moon?!" shouted Leichter.
"And I think I'll use it on your Greed Quasar," said Erik.
Leichter gasped as Greed Quasar vanished, and was replaced by a facedown Monster.
"What have you done?" he screamed. "If Greed Quasar is flipped facedown…"
"Its effect is reset," said Erik. "Just like any Monster is if it's flipped facedown. That means its Level is now seven, so its Defense Score is now 2,100.
"So good luck dodging THIS!"
All at once, every artillery on Air Fortress Ziggurat ignited. Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea covered their ears as missiles, shells, and rockets flew towards the facedown Monster, blowing Greed Quasar to oblivion.
"I'm not done with you!" shouted Erik. "Toy Magician, attack EBE Epsilon with sparkle blast!"
Toy Magician cast his spell, and the bony alien shattered into splinters.
"Toy Tank, attack him directly!"
With a loud BOOM, a blast of energy shot out of Toy Tank's turret, and Leichter staggered backwards, clutching his chest.
"It's your move, Leichter…" chuckled Erik.
(E: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 4,800)
Leichter slowly drew a card.
Okay, now I'm in trouble… he thought. Darn, it Daala, where's the help you promised to send? I don't have another Monster in my whole deck that can defeat that thing…
He looked at a card in his hand.
Except this one… It will be risky, but it's my only option right now…
He chose a card from his hand.
"I play Giant Trunade," he said. "Now, all Spell and Trap Cards on the field return to the owners' hands."
The void of Cosmic Space vanished, as did Leichter's facedown card, and both appeared in his hand.
"Next, I set two cards facedown on the field…"
Two facedown cards appeared (one of them obviously the one he had just sent back to his hand).
"…then, I pay 1,000 Life Points to summon my favorite Monster… Myself."
He stepped forward five paces, onto the field. (2,400/1,500)
"Now you've done it," said Erik. "You realize, Leichter, that those facedown cards can't stop my Fortress, and it's stronger than you are."
"That won't be the case," said Leichter, "once I make a small upgrade…"
He placed a card on his Disk, and he slowly began to glow with an eerie, dark aura…
Slowly, his stiff robe became covered with bulky battle armor. His faceplate became more streamlined, and a third optic sensor appeared. Then, six long cords with sharp buckles on the ends sprouted from his back. (2,600/1,600)
"What in the name of…" gasped Yumi.
"I've upgraded myself to Jinzo-Lord," replied Leichter.
"What the Hell is that?" shouted Ren.
"I don't expect you kids to have ever heard of it," replied Leichter. "It isn't a card that just any duelist can obtain. Jinzo is rare enough. This evolved version is a card that was only given to licensed practitioners of the Psycho Style.
"But… The power of this Anarchist Disk can work wonders. As you're about to find out…"
He played another card.
"And I'll also summon something that Nezbitt would be fond of. The Battle Android Trooper, also known as the B.A.T."
A faceless android made of black metal, with a rifle in place of its left hand and a large pincer in place of its right appeared next to him. (1,400/1,900)
"This Monster's effect is similar to Command Knight. With it on the field, all Machines gain 400 Attack Points. And you can't attack it if there's another Machine on my side of the field."
Leichter's Attack Score went up to 3,000, while the B.A.T. itself went up to 1,800.
Then Erik noticed that Air Fortress Ziggurat's Attack Score went up to 2,900, and Toy Tank's Attack Score went up to 1,700.
Huh? thought Erik. Oh, I see… Unlike Command Knight, the B.A.T.'s effect applies to Machines on both sides of the field…
Hmm… There might be a way I can use that to my advantage.
"Now to ground your Fortress…" said Leichter.
He held his hands together, and a crackling ball of blackness formed in them.
"Cyber Energy Impact!"
He hurled it at the huge structure, and it exploded on the center of the hull. Erik shielded himself as explosions rocked all over the hull of Air Fortress Ziggurat, and debris rained down on him. The airship started to go down in flames, and finally burst into pixilated remains.
"No…" moaned Erik. "It was my best card…"
"Then you're in trouble," said Leichter. "Because now my B.A.T. attacks your Toy Tank!"
The B.A.T. pointed its rifle and fired a burst of rounds. Toy Tank exploded into scrap.
"I use its effect!" shouted Erik. "I get to summon a Toy Wind-Up!"
Toy Wind-Up appeared once again, pointing its blunderbuss. (1,000/700)
Then its Attack Score rose to 1,400.
Leichter looked at his two facedown cards.
I still have Destruction Jammer, he thought. The only way he can defeat me is to summon something with more than 3,000 Attack Points. Only his Toy Dragon fits the bill, and he'd need at least two other Toys on the field.
So, I'll simply wipe them out before he can do it. With no way for him to protect them, it shouldn't be hard.
"Your move, Mr. Matell."
(E: 3,000) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 3,800)
Erik drew a card.
Oh, Armor Breaker?! he thought. Just the card I DIDN'T need!
"I set one Monster in Defense Mode, and then move Toy Magician and Toy Wind-Up to Defense Mode," he said.
The facedown Monster appeared, and Toy Magician and Toy Wind-Up knelt and held their weapons in their laps.
"My draw," said Leichter, drawing.
"B.A.T., destroy his facedown Monster," he commanded.
The B.A.T. fired its rifle, and Armor Breaker was blown apart.
"Since I destroyed one of your Monsters in Defense Mode," he continued, "I'm able to activate this…"
One of his facedown cards lifted.
"Lineage of the Destructor Lord. Now I can attack twice with a Level Eight Monster. Such as myself."
He threw his Cyber Energy Impact, and Toy Wind-Up was blown to metal shards.
Then he blasted his lethal bolt at Toy Magician, and he exploded.
"Seems you have nothing left, Mr. Matell. It's your move…"
All right, now I'm in trouble, thought Erik. I'm running low on cards, and he's powering up to finish me!
He closed his eyes and drew a card.
He looked at it.
"All right, Leichter…" he said. "I'd like to say it's been fun, but it hasn't.
"I play Autonomous Action Unit! It costs me 1,500 Life Points, but I get to raise a Monster from your Graveyard!"
"Huh?" said Leichter.
Erik played the card, and a creature appeared in a burst of steam. It was Zeta Reticulant, and it had apparently been resurrected using cybernetics. Its left arm was bionic, and it had a breathing apparatus connected to odd tanks on its back. It made a heavy breathing noise that reminded everyone present of that made by the villainous Darth Vader. (2,400/2,100)
(E: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 3,800)
"And just how is that going to hurt me?" asked Leichter.
"It's gonna get some help," said Erik. "From your Battle Android Trooper."
"That's ridiculous!" shouted Leichter. "Zeta isn't a Machine. Regardless of what your Spell Card appeared to do to it, it's still a Fairy!"
"Then I'll just have to change your B.A.T.'s effect to accommodate it," said Erik.
He played the Spell Card he had just drawn.
"I play Code Change!"
"Code Change?" replied Leichter. "What does THAT do?"
"It lets me choose a card on the field whose effect specifies a Monster Type," explained Erik, "and change that Type to any I desire."
Leichter's optic sensors widened in horror.
"That means you're going to…" he gasped.
"That's right," said Erik. "I'm going to change the Type of Monster that B.A.T. bestows its bonus on from Machines to Fairies!"
The Code Change card glowed with energy. Leichter fell to an Attack Score of 2,600, the B.A.T. fell to 1,400, and Zeta Reticulant grew to 2,800.
"This can't be!" screamed Leichter.
"Oh, but it is," said Erik. "This is for kidnapping my girlfriend, you jerk. Zeta Reticulant, attack Jinzo-Lord with plasma blaster!"
Zeta pointed at Leichter, and fired its bolt of energy, striking the evil Machine in the chest. He fell to his knees, with smoke and sparks pouring from the wound.
"This duel is over!" gasped Yumi. "Leichter may have Life Points left, but his Deck Lord was just defeated… That means he loses!"
Sparks started to fly from Leichter's armor.
"Yeah…" sighed Chelsea. "And so the fifth one falls… Let's hope this is the last we see of the last of the Big Five…"
Leichter let out a bloodcurdling scream, before he exploded into dark shards.
(E: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 0)
The remaining Monsters vanished, and Erik took a deep breath.
"Sam!" he shouted.
He looked to where Vita was working on the crystal.
"Stay back, Erik," warned Vita. "Just a few seconds more…
"Almost there…"
Then the diamond crumbled into powder, and Sam started to collapse. Vita stood up and caught her.
"Baby!" screamed Erik, running up.
Vita handed her to Erik, and Erik hugged her. Sam moaned a little as he felt her pulse. Fortunately, it was strong.
"Vita," said Yumi. "What…"
"Guys!" shouted Atticus's voice.
He ran in. Then Aster ran in behind him, followed by Mako and Jesse.
"We intercepted a few of Daala's duelists that she sent Leichter for backup," said Aster.
"But apparently, the situation is under control," said Mako.
"Mostly," said Erik, holding Sam close.
Sam tried to say something, opening her eyes a little.
"Don't try to talk, Sam," he said.
"There's something missing here," said Yumi. "Wait… Leichter didn't display his prisoners like the other members of the Big Five did…"
"You don't suppose…" gasped Chelsea. "You don't suppose he did to them what he threatened to do to Sam?"
"No," said Vita. "AI programs are perhaps the only sentient creatures that are truly safe from demons. Artificial life doesn't interest them. Only true life with true souls does.
"That's why Daala never told Ruin to 'execute' a member of the resistance who was an AI. Shogarr doesn't want them.
"Leichter likely keeps his prisoners in a more secure area of this compound."
"You know…" said Ren, "it's kinda odd that he doesn't have any servants aside from Hiroki…"
Yumi looked at the door that Hiroki had gone through.
"We'd best start looking for them," she said. "Until we find them, our job isn't done…"
She paused for a minute.
And the mystery deepens… Who has the Key anyway?
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
It was late in the afternoon in Domino.
Dr. Ting sipped dry cognac as he sat alone in his study. A lot was on his mind.
He didn't know why, but he was suddenly reminded of something. The odd e-mail he had gotten from Joan shortly after she agreed to come to Xanadu.
He remembered it word-for-word. He had a photographic memory.
Dear Dr. Ting,
Attached to this e-mail is a link. Read this entire e-mail before you click on it, because if you choose to do so, this e-mail will delete itself. This e-mail will also delete itself when you close it or try to save it, so read it carefully now.
I am asking for a favor. I need you to keep something safe, something that the forces I am fighting must never have.
I cannot tell you what it is. If you knew, others might trace it to you. Suffice to say, it is important.
You are not required to do anything. It will not harm you in any way. And I will not ask for anything else. All you must do is promise to be wary of anyone who might be working for your daughter.
If you accept this responsibility, simply click on the link, and it will do the rest, right before this e-mail is deleted. If you choose not to, just close the e-mail and forget about it.
I trust you will do the right thing.
Thank you,
Guardian Angel Joan
It was a strange e-mail, but Ting wanted to help any way he could. He clicked on the link, and the e-mail simply disappeared. That was all.
But in his gut, he knew that there was more to it than that…
Just what, he didn't know. And he wondered if he ever would…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ZETA RETICULANT (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: 2,400
DEF: 2,100
Card Description: If this card is in your Graveyard, when a Monster on your opponent's side of the field is removed from play, Special Summon an ''EBE Token'' (Dark/Fiend/Level 2/ATK 500/DEF 500) to your side of the field in Attack Position. Offer an ''EBE Token'' on your side of the field as a Tribute to Special Summon a "Zeta Reticulant" from your hand.
This card was inspired by the story of Barney and Betty Clark, two alleged alien abductees who claimed that their abductors told them that they were from Zeta Reticuli.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GREED QUASAR (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: ?
DEF: ?
Card Description: This card's base ATK and DEF are equal to this card's Level x 300. Whenever this card destroys a Monster as a result of battle, its Level is increased by the Level of the destroyed Monster. This increase lasts as long as this card remains face-up on the field.
Note: "Zeta Reticulant" and "Greed Quasar" are Japanese promotional cards that have not yet been released in the United States.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
EBE ABDUCTOR (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 500
Card Description: Once per round, you may discard one card from your hand to take control of one opposing Monster. If this card changes battle position, the controlled Monster(s) change to the same battle position. If this card attacks, the controlled Monster(s) must also attack. If this card leaves the field, return control of the controlled Monster(s) to your opponent.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
COSMIC SPACE (Spell Card)
Field Spell
Image: A cosmic scene, full of stars and planets.
Card Description: During the End Phase of each turn, downgrade the Level of all face-up Level Two or higher Monsters on the field by one, and destroy all face-up Level One Monsters. The decreases in Level last until the respective Monsters are no longer face-up on the field or this card leaves the field.
"EBE Abductor" and "Cosmic Space" were first used by Depre Scott in the "Yu-Gi-Oh R" episode "Battle in the Space Void!!". Creative credit goes to the writers.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
LYRA THE GIVER (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,500
Card Description: During your Main Phase, by Tributing this card, you can increase the Level of another Monster on the field by an amount equal to the Level of this card. This increase lasts until the Monster whose Level was increased by this effect is no longer face-up on the field.
"Lyra the Giver" was first used by Depre Scott in the "Yu-Gi-Oh R" episode "Toy Magic!!". Creative credit goes to the writers.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
EBE EPSILON (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 1,600
Card Description: When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, increase the Level of one Monster on the field by an amount equal to the Level of this card. This increase lasts until the Monster whose Level was increased by this effect is no longer face-up on the field.
"EBE Epsilon" was first used by Depre Scott in the "Yu-Gi-Oh R" episode "Another Partner!!". Creative credit goes to the writers.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
AIR FORTRESS ZIGGURAT (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 8
ATK: 2,500
DEF: 2,000
Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of "Sky Union". This card is not affected by Spell or Trap Cards. This card is not destroyed as a result of battle with a Monster that has equal ATK. During your End Phase, you may Special Summon one "Toy Robot Token" (Machine/Earth/Level One/0 ATK/0 DEF) to your side of the field in Defense Position. "Toy Robot Tokens" cannot attack. So long as you have at least one "Toy Robot Token" on the field, your opponent cannot attack any Monster except a "Toy Robot Token".
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SKY UNION (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: The silhouette of Air Fortress Ziggurat flying above the clouds.
Card Description: Offer three Monsters on your side of the field as a Tribute. Special Summon one "Air Fortress Ziggurat" from your hand, deck, or Graveyard.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOY ROBOT BOX (Spell Card)
Quickplay Spell
Image: Three robot action figures.
Card Description: Discard one card from your hand. Special Summon three "Toy Robot Tokens" (Machine/Earth/Level One/0 ATK/0 DEF) to your side of the field in Defense Position. "Toy Robot Tokens" cannot attack. So long as you have at least one "Toy Robot Token" on the field, your opponent cannot attack any Monster except a "Toy Robot Token".
Note: "Toy Robot Box", "Air Fortress Ziggurat", and "Sky Union" were first used by Alister in the original anime episode "Flight of Fear (Part Two)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CODE CHANGE (Spell Card)
Quickplay Spell
Image: A papyrus scroll being written in kanji with a brush.
Card Description: Declare one Monster Type, and choose one face-up card on the field that includes a Type in its effect text. The Type written on that card's effect is assumed to be the one you declared until the End Phase of the current turn.
Note: "Code Change" was first used by Jaden in a fourth season episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DNA PHYSICAL EXAMINATION (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: Magical Scientist being examined by three comical demons dressed like the doctors on "DNA Surgery".
Card Description: Select one set Monster on your side of the field. Your opponent declares two Attributes. Then, reveal the selected Monster. If the selected Monster is an Attribute that your opponent declared, your opponent draws two cards. If not, you draw two cards.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
LINEAGE OF THE DESTRUCTOR LORD (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: Giant Soldier of Stone and Mystical Elf caught in an explosion as Vennominon the King of Poisonous Snakes looms in the background.
Card Description: Activate by selecting a Level Eight Monster you control during a turn when a Monster in Defense Position that your opponent controls is destroyed. The selected Monster may attack twice in that turn's Battle Phase.
Note: "DNA Physical Examination" and "Lineage of the Destructor Lord" were released in "Crossroads of Chaos", recently released for the OCG (American release date unknown).
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B.A.T. (Battle Android Trooper) (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,400
DEF: 1,900
Card Description: As long as at least one other Machine-Type Monster exists on your side of the field, your opponent cannot select this card as an attack target. Also, increase the ATK of all Machine-Type Monsters on the field by 400 points.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Erik's Deck Lord: "Blockman": "Toy Tinker": Once every two turns, starting on your second turn, you may search your deck for a Monster with the word "Toy" in its name that is Level Four or less and add it to your hand. (Greater Power)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Leichter's Deck Lord: "Jinzo": "Trap Malfunction": Your opponent cannot activate Trap Cards. If the Deck Lord has been summoned to the field, it keeps its Deck Lord Power but its actual effect is not applied. (Greater Power) "Psycho Upgrade": If the Deck Lord is summoned to the field, you may Tribute the Deck Lord to Special Summon "Jinzo-Lord" as you would Tribute an ordinary "Jinzo". If you use this ability, "Jinzo-Lord" becomes your new Deck Lord, remaining on the field, and the original Deck Lord is removed from play. The new Deck Lord acquires all Deck Lord Powers of the original Deck Lord, except this one. (Minor Power)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coming up next:
It isn't hard to find Leichter's prisoners, but standing in the party's way is a familiar face isn't about to let them go. And this duelist has a potent weapon – the fourth Apocalyptic Monster, and the most powerful of the four. But there's even more at stake… This time, a higher power is intervening, and both sides of this conflict have an ally, whether they want it or not.
"Vision" is coming up next.
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Name that Card!
This rarely-used Quickplay Spell, that might be used to foil your opponent's plan to use "Scapegoat", has the four Scapegoats in its artwork. Can you name it?