I can honestly say I've known Chelsea all of my life. Our fathers were friends when they were our age, and were young duelists with dreams themselves. When they grew up and married, they lived within blocks of each other, and never stayed out of touch. Chelsea and I knew each other before we could walk. Heck, we were even in the same class in kindergarten!
I grew older and matured, knowing that Ren was a friend who I could count on. I was closer to him than any other boy my age. When our parents finally consented to let us use Duel Disks, he was the first one who sparred with me using it. Our decks were pathetic then, but it was still fun. We eventually saw each other as boyfriend and girlfriend.
It wasn't until Duelatopia last year that we finally took the next step… We saw each other as practical soulmates. We saw each other as the ones we wanted to be with all our lives.
It's funny that this situation has never happened before in our careers as duelists. Two opponents have shown up, requiring a team duel, and for the first time, I have to duel with Ren as my partner.
I imagined that when this time came, I'd be nervous. But I actually welcome it.
So do I, and for the same reason. It will prove that we truly belong together.
Let's go…
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CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
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Hidden Agenda
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Yumi and her five allies were spread out around the whole sinister shrine, searching every nook and cranny for anything that suggested a way to open the door, or reveal a new one.
"Be careful, people," said Yumi. "This place may be booby-trapped, for all we know…"
"You know, Sam," said Erik. "I just thought of something I haven't had in a very long time."
"What?" asked Sam.
"Big League Chew," replied Erik.
"HUH?" replied Sam.
"You know, Big League Chew," said Erik. "It's bubble gum, and it doesn't come in sticks or pieces like other gum. It comes shredded, so you can have as much of it or as little of it as you want. They want you to believe that baseball players use it, but I have my doubts…"
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Sam, getting annoyed.
"Well…" said Erik with a sigh. "It's just that when you're trapped in another dimension with no way out that you know of, and you have no idea whether or not you'll ever see home again, little things like this come to mind…"
They didn't know at the moment that they weren't alone. Two Duel Spirits were looking down on them from the balcony up ahead.
One of them was a young man with spiky black hair wearing a red martial arts gi with gold trim. He held an odd weapon – it looked like a long staff with a faucet head on the end.
The other was a young woman dressed in a purple jumpsuit, with long, green hair worn loose. A long knife was strapped to her belt.
Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja and Lady Ninja Yae looked down on them.
"Goe Goe…" whispered Yae, nervously. "Do we really have to do this? Isn't there another way?"
"Look, honey…" said Goe Goe, holding her arms. "You know there isn't. I don't like it any more than you do, but you know what will happen if we don't…"
"This nuts…" said Ren, putting his hands on his hips. "Maybe we should just try to…"
Then he was startled as a rope fell from the ceiling.
"GUYS!" he shouted.
Everyone turned, just as the two Ninjas slid down the rope.
"Huh?" said Yumi. "What are you two doing in here?"
"Don't shoot!" shouted Yae.
"Actually," said Goe Goe, "the two of us are kinda in the same boat as you guys."
"Come again?" asked Sam.
"Well… See…" said Goe Goe. "We were just two thieves, who wanted to make a big score. So we came here, and we got this far…"
"Yeah…" said Yae, nervously. "There were two other Spirits in this temple, and they couldn't get out either. They kinda forced us to duel them, saying that the magic of the temple demands a duel before anyone who comes in is let out. The winners leave, the losers stay."
Yumi looked at them suspiciously.
"And you two lost?" she asked.
They nodded nervously.
"And I suppose you want another duel so you can get out?" asked Sam.
"Well, yes, but we want to make a deal before we do that!" replied Goe Goe. "See, the two who left us here hinted that the magic of this temple can be shut off by turning off some generator or something in Daala's throne room. But, they weren't nice enough to ever do it."
"So…" said Yae. "We make a deal… Whoever wins finds the generator and turns it off, so we can all get out of here. Sound fair?"
"One question," asked Erik. "Why didn't you duel each other and make that deal?"
"We thought of doing that," sighed Goe Goe. "We almost did it once. But we couldn't…"
"Our decks are designed to work as a team," added Yae. "We're nothing on our own! If one of us got out, and the one who got out was challenged by one of Daala's men, he or she wouldn't stand a chance! Whoever was left behind would be trapped here forever!"
Yumi looked at them again.
"Sam…" she said. "Feel like being partners again?"
"Hold up, Yumi," said Ren. "You and Sam had best save yourselves for Daala. I think I can do this."
"Me too," said Chelsea. "How hard can it be?"
The two Ninjas beamed.
"Great!" said Yae, nervously again. "Two-on-two! And it's a deal?"
She lifted her Disk.
"Sure," said Ren.
"Hold up," said Goe Goe. "Some ground rules…"
"Make it quick," said Yumi.
"Okay, here's how it is," said Goe Goe. "Each team will share a Life Point total, but because it's a team, they'll start with double the amount of Life Points.
"No sharing of strategies, and no sharing of cards that are not already played. But, you can use anything on your partner's field. Also, both partners share the same Graveyard in terms of cards that can manipulate it.
"Are we set?"
"So who goes first?" asked Ren.
"Up to you," replied Goe Goe.
Ren looked at Chelsea.
"Then by all means, we'll go first," said Chelsea.
"Okay…" said Yae with a nervous chuckle. "Then, Ren will go first, then me, then you, then Goe Goe, and then back to Ren. No attacks allowed until each player has had one Standby Phase."
The four of them stood in a square pattern. Simultaneously, four Disks activated.
"What do you think?" asked Erik.
"I don't know what to think yet," replied Yumi.
There's something wrong here… she thought. I think we're gonna regret this…
Each player drew five cards.
"Game on!" they shouted.
(Ren and Chelsea: 16,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Yae and Goe Goe: 16,000)
"Let's go!" said Ren, drawing a card.
He looked over his hand.
"I play a facedown, and then summon my Dark Blade."
A facedown card appeared, and then Dark Blade appeared, lifting his swords. (1,800/1,500)
"And that's all for me…"
"Uh, my move…" said Yae, drawing a card.
She added it to her hand and chose another.
"I'll play a facedown too… And then summon… Silver Spirit – Sakyo."
A facedown card appeared, and then a Monster appeared in a shower of silvery light. Ren and Chelsea were surprised. They had never seen this before.
It looked like a humanoid made entirely of paper, dressed in a plain blue robe tied with a black sash. (600/800)
"Uh… yeah…" said Ren.
"I end my turn…" said Yae.
"I draw…" said Chelsea, drawing a card.
"I play a facedown of my own, and then summon Vampire Lady!"
A facedown card appeared, and then Vampire Lady appeared in a dark shadow. (1,550/1,550)
"I end my turn."
"My move!" said Goe Goe, drawing a card.
"I summon Silver Spirit – Ukyo."
In another shower of silvery lights, another Monster appeared. At first, it looked identical to the one that Yae had summoned. On closer inspection, however, it was clear that the two Monsters were mirror images of each other. What was on one's left was on the other's right, and vice versa. (800/600)
"No wonder you two lost," chuckled Ren. "With Monsters like that?"
"Oh, we're so afraid of weak Monsters!" said Chelsea, sarcastically. "Especially ones made of paper!"
"Of course they're weak," replied Goe Goe, taking a card from his hand. "I mean, if Ukyo had more than 1,000 points, I couldn't play this…
"Secret Pass to the Treasures. This lets him attack directly.
"So… Attack Ren directly! Quicksilver!"
Ukyo grunted, and pointed its hand at Ren. It blasted a bolt of silvery energy, slamming into Ren's stomach.
"ERGH!" groaned Ren, doubling over.
"Chelsea… Be careful… They pack a lot of punch for a couple of paper dolls…"
"I'll set a card facedown, and end my turn," said Goe Goe, as a facedown card appeared.
(R and C: 15,200) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 16,000)
"And back to me!" said Ren, drawing a card. "Time to play Rock, Paper Scissors… And Scissors cuts Paper! Dark Blade, attack Spirit Sakyo!"
Dark Blade lifted his swords and flew at the Spirit.
"But Rock smashes Scissors," gasped Yae, as her facedown card shot up. "I activate Mirror Bind!"
Ren and Chelsea were shocked as the whole room became full of mirrors, flying around in a chaotic pattern.
"With both Sakyo and Ukyo on the field," said Yae, "this not only destroys the Monster that attacked, but destroys another one that's weaker."
Ren and Chelsea braced themselves as both Dark Blade and Vampire Lady exploded.
"Ooh, you aren't gonna get away with that…" said Ren.
Both he and Chelsea gestured, and both their facedown card lifted at the same time.
"Go, Call of the Haunted!" they both shouted.
In two bursts of energy, Dark Blade (1,800/1,500) and Vampire Lady (1,550/1,550) appeared again.
"Dark Blade, let's try this again!" shouted Ren.
Dark Blade flew towards Sakyo again…
"Not so fast!" shouted Goe Goe.
His own facedown card lifted.
"I activate Mirror Trap!"
A card materialized in his hand.
"This takes the Trap that Yae just used and sends it to me. And best of all, I can activate it right now."
He threw it into his Disk, and once again, the chaotic storm of mirrors hit the room. Once again, Dark Blade and Vampire Lady exploded.
"And these two are stuck here because they lost?" asked Erik.
Yumi rubbed her chin.
"Uh…" said Ren, looking at his hand. "Rather than tempt fate, I'm going to end my turn…"
This seemed to give Yae a little more confidence as she drew her next card.
She looked at it. She smiled, nervously again.
"I play the Continuous Spell Card, Full Moon Mirror."
As she placed it in her Disk, an eerie fog started to rise on her and Goe Goe's side of the room. Between them, a mirror appeared – one without a reflective surface, and with several closed eyes on the face. Then, a full moon appeared above in the fog.
"I don't like that," said Chelsea. "What does your Full Moon Mirror do?"
"Nothing… yet," replied Yae. "But we'll get to it later, maybe…
"Anyway, I play Mirror Call."
Another Spell Card appeared on her side of the field.
"With both Sakyo and Ukyo on the field, I get to take a Trap Card from my Graveyard."
The Mirror Bind card slipped out of her discard slot.
Then she fit it in her Disk, and it appeared facedown.
"Terrific…" said Ren.
"Now…"continued Yae. "Sakyo, attack Chelsea directly. Quicksilver!"
Sakyo cast a bolt that was identical to the blast shot by Ukyo, slamming into Chelsea's stomach.
"Ergh…" she groaned.
"You were right… That does hurt…"
"And I end my turn," said Yae.
(R and C: 14,600) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 16,000)
Chelsea drew a card.
"That Mirror Bind is a power Trap, Yae," she said. "But you said that it destroys two Monsters.
"I wonder… Does it work if your opponent only has one Monster?"
Yae just looked at her, again noticeably nervous.
"Let's find out," said Chelsea. "I play Call of the Mummy."
She fit the card into her Disk, and it appeared on the field.
"Next, I use it to summon Vampire's Curse!"
In a dark aura, the armored, winged vampire appeared. (2,000/800)
"Attack Sakyo!" she shouted "Night shade!"
Vampire's Curse shot a ball of flaming blackness, and Silver Spirit – Sakyo exploded into scraps of paper. Yae cried out in pain.
Then one of the eyes on the Full Moon Mirror opened.
"I thought so," said Chelsea. "Now that the coast is clear, I'll Normal Summon Zombie Master."
She played another card, and Zombie Master appeared in a burst of energy. (1,800/0)
"I'll set one card facedown, and play Mirage of Nightmare."
A facedown card and the Mirage card appeared.
"Your move…"
(R and C: 14,600) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 14,600)
Goe Goe drew a card.
"Hold up," said Chelsea. "I get to draw four cards."
She made four draws.
"Then, I activate Emergency Provisions."
Her facedown card lifted up, and the Mirage card was consumed.
"Let's take this to the next level," said Goe Goe. "I set a facedown…"
A facedown card appeared.
"Then I sacrifice Ukyo…"
The Silver Spirit vanished.
"…to summon Magic Mirror Spirit – Nayuta!"
The Monster that appeared was frightening to look at. It was a woman dressed in the traditional dress of a miko, with flowing blonde hair, long claws on her hands, and an evil-looking, cat-like mask over her face. (2,600/1,400)
"Magic Mirror Spirit?" asked Chelsea. "What are these creatures?"
"They are known as shikigami," replied Goe Goe. "Sorcerers summon them for use as servants, using paper to give them corporeal forms. Some are not very strong, like those two you saw a minute ago…
"This one, however, is very strong. Attack Vampire's Curse!"
Nayuta cast a bolt of fiery energy from her claws. In an instant, Vampire's Curse was reduced to bones, and then the bones were vaporized.
A second eye on the Full Moon Mirror opened. Also, a sliver of darkness began to cover the moon overhead.
"Uh…" said Chelsea. "Don't think I'm gonna use his effect…"
"Suit yourself," said Goe Goe. "I end my turn."
(R and C: 15,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 14,600)
Ren drew a card. Any sympathy he had for these two Duel Spirits was fading fast.
"I summon Armageddon Knight!" he shouted.
He played the card, and the dark Warrior in worn armor with a cutlass appeared. (1,400/1,200)
"Now, I use his effect…"
He took a second Dark Blade from his deck, and discarded it.
"Continuing, I remove the Dark Blade I just discarded from play, to summon La Sombra!"
In a flash, the female bandito appeared, lashing her whip. (1,800/1,000)
"Now, one of you has to draw a card. The type of card you draw decides what La Sombra does next."
"Uh…" said Yae.
She made a draw.
She held it forward. It was Secret Pass to the Treasures.
"Spell Card!" said Ren. "Now she can destroy one Monster!"
La Sombra lashed her whip, entangling it around Nayuta's waist. Nayuta gasped as the bandito yanked, pulling the Fiend towards her. La Sombra made a roundhouse kick, and the Magic Mirror Spirit was blown to shards.
A third eye on the Full Moon Mirror opened.
"You two are defenseless!" shouted Ren.
"No we aren't!" replied Goe Goe, as his facedown card lifted. "I activate Call of the Haunted! Now, I'll bring back Silver Spirit – Ukyo!"
In a flash of light, Ukyo appeared again. (800/600)
"And when Ukyo is summoned from the Graveyard, its effect activates, meaning that Sakyo isn't far behind."
Silver Spirit – Sakyo appeared next to Ukyo. (600/800)
"Ren, watch out!" shouted Ren. "This means they can use that stupid Mirror Bind thing again!"
Ren looked at the other three cards in his hand.
"Thanks for the safety tip, Chelsea," he said. "I play the Spell Card, Bait Doll. This forces you to trigger that Trap early."
"Huh?" said Yae, as her Mirror Bind lifted up.
"However," said Ren, "since the timing for it is wrong, it's destroyed."
The Mirror Bind shattered in to pieces.
"Now," he said, taking the Spell Card, "after using Bait Doll, I return it to my deck, and then reshuffle…"
He shuffled his deck, and then placed it back.
"Next, I play Monster Reborn!"
He played the card, and the ankh appeared on his side of the field. His first Dark Blade appeared again. (1,800/1,500)
"Now, let's take these guys out. Get 'em!"
Armageddon Knight and Dark Blade flew at the two Silver Spirits. With two slashes of swords, the two shikigami were torn into shreds.
Two more eyes opened on the Full Moon Mirror, and the shadow covering the moon got bigger, now covering half of it.
"La Sombra, attack Goe Goe directly!" ordered Ren.
La Sombra leapt up, and slashed her whip downward. Goe Goe cringed and fell backwards.
"Goe Goe!" screamed Yae.
"I'm all right, darling…" muttered the Ninja, getting up.
"Your move, Yae," said Ren. "We have you grossly outnumbered now…"
(R and C: 15,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 11,000)
Yae drew a card. She seemed to have lost the confidence she had gotten back the last turn.
"I… I set a Monster, and a facedown card, and that will be all…" she said.
A facedown Monster and a reversed card appeared.
"My move…" said Chelsea, drawing a card.
"Okay, I'm using Zombie Master's effect," she said. "I'll discard my second Vampire Lady…"
She slipped the card into her discard slot.
"…to bring back my first one!"
In an aura of shadow, Vampire Lady reappeared. (1,550/1,550)
"Next, I sacrifice her…"
Vampire Lady vanished.
"To summon Ryu Kokki!"
With a roar, the giant Bone Dragon Ogre loomed over the field. (2,400/2,000)
"Next, I'll drop 800 Life Points to play Premature Burial, and bring Vampire's Curse back to the field."
She played the card, and a red aura surrounded her as Vampire's Curse appeared again. (2,000/800)
"Zombie Master, destroy the facedown Monster!"
Zombie Master cackled, and threw a volley of lightning bolts at the facedown Monster. A Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.
Another eye opened on the Mirror, and the moon continued to eclipse.
All four duelists discarded the cards in their hands, and made five draws.
"Vampire's Curse, attack…"
"I activate my Trap!" screamed Yae, as her facedown card lifted. "Limit Reverse! This lets me summon a Monster from my Graveyard with 1,000 Attack Points or less!"
In a flash of light, Sakyo appeared again. (600/800)
"And, its effect summons Ukyo."
Ukyo appeared next to Sakyo. (800/600)
Vampire's Curse blasted his Night Slade, blowing Ukyo away. Then Ryu Kokki punched Sakyo with its mighty fist, flattening it.
Two more eyes opened on the Mirror.
"I believe that means it's Goe Goe's turn…" said Chelsea.
(R and C: 14,200) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 8,000)
Yae looked anxiously at Goe Goe as he drew a card.
"I toss three cards facedown, and that will do it," he said, as three facedown cards appeared.
"Then it's my move!" shouted Ren, drawing a card.
"And I summon Mataza the Zapper!"
With the flourish of a somersault, Mataza leapt onto the field, and drew his katana. (1,300/800)
"Mataza, attack Yae directly!" he shouted.
Yae gasped in fright as the ronin charged towards her.
"Don't worry, honey," said Goe Goe.
One of his facedown cards lifted.
"I activate Soul Mirror!" he shouted. "Now, I send one of my cards on the field to the Graveyard…"
Another of his set cards vanished.
"And I get to summon a Monster from it."
Once again, Sakyo appeared, this time in Defense Mode. (600/800) And again, Ukyo appeared close behind. (800/600)
Sam shook her head.
"Man, this whole duel is one vicious cycle," she said. "What benefit do they have summoning these things over and over again?"
"I dunno," said Erik. "Ren and Chelsea are just gonna smash them over and over again."
"This is getting annoying!" growled Ren.
He turned to Mataza.
"Go ahead…"
Mataza rushed at Sakyo and slashed with his sword. The Silver Spirit burst.
"Now I use his effect to attack a second time!"
Mataza slashed at Ukyo, and it was torn to shreds.
"I activate Buried Soul Talisman!" shouted Goe Goe, as his last Trap Card lifted up. "Since both my Monsters were destroyed in one turn, I can destroy the Monster who destroyed them."
A talisman appeared on Mataza's face. He screamed, and then exploded into shards.
"And that's not all…" continued Goe Goe. "I get to Special Summon a high-Level Monster from my hand. So I summon Magic Mirror Spirit – Asogi in Defense Mode."
He played the card, and another of the advanced shikigamiappeared. This one was apparently male, and dressed in a brown robe. It crouched and shielded itself in Defense Mode. (1,500/2,500)
"And when Asogi is summoned, I get to bring Nayuta back from the Graveyard."
In a burst of energy, Nayuta appeared again in Attack Mode. (2,600/1,400)
"Oh, great…" muttered Ren.
"Uh… Ren…" said Chelsea.
"What?" said Ren.
Chelsea pointed at the Full Moon Mirror.
The eyes were gone, and it had gained a reflective surface. And the moon overhead had been completely eclipsed. Even worse, Yae was smiling. She had seemed to have gotten over her lack of confidence.
"The Full Moon Mirror absorbed the power from every Monster that perished during this duel," she said. "Since more than ten Monsters have now been destroyed between the four of us, its true power can finally be released…"
"Chelsea…" said Ren. "I think we may have been played for suckers…"
"My move!" said Yae, drawing a card.
"I sacrifice both our Monsters…"
Asogi and Nayuta vanished into grains of light.
"To summon the beast of a thousand nightmares… The Dark God!"
A huge, hulking shape started to form behind the two Ninja. Then it came fully into view. It was fifteen feet tall, and almost as wide, with an armor-like black hide, two huge claws, a mass of tentacles in place of legs, and one, huge glaring eye. (3,000/1,000)
"Man…" muttered Chelsea. "Why are these Monsters always big and hideous? Why can't we ever duel someone who uses Monsters like the Ice Cream Sandwich Man?"
"Or the Calzone With Extra Pepperoni Creature?" asked Ren.
"Don't make us hungry now," said Sam.
"Now…" said Yae, "I send Full Moon Mirror to the Graveyard, in order to activate Infinite Fiend Mirror!"
The Full Moon Mirror vanished, and she placed a card in her Field slot. All of a sudden, the whole temple turned into a void of pure darkness, and winged imps carrying mirrors in their claws started to circle around all four duelists.
"What's going on?" shouted Chelsea.
"When Dark God is on the field, Infinite Fiend Mirror multiplies its abilities by ten!" exclaimed Yae.
Then, more Monsters started to form on Yae and Goe Goe's side of the field. On each space in both their Monster Zones, a man-sized version of the Dark God formed. (3,000/1,000 x9)
"You have GOT to be kidding!" shouted Chelsea. "TEN Monsters with 3,000 Attack Points EACH?"
"Now I KNOW we were played for suckers," shouted Ren. "You two aren't a couple of common thieves… You're duelist assassins working for Daala!"
"We're not going to explain ourselves now," said Yae. "Suffice to say, you're talking to two Duel Spirits who have nothing left to lose.
"Dark God… Mow their Monsters down!"
The Dark God and five of its duplicates blasted beams of burning darkness from their eyes, striking Armageddon Knight, La Sombra, Dark Blade, Ryu Kokki, Vampire's Curse, and Zombie Master. The six Monsters erupted into black flames and were reduced to ashes. Ren and Chelsea screamed.
"And Dark God has an added effect," said Yae. "For each Monster that it or one of its doppelgangers crushes, you lose 700 Life Points."
Ren and Chelsea screamed again as a wave of evil energy struck them.
(R and C: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 8,000)
"Well, Chelsea…" gasped Ren. "I guess this is goodbye…"
"I set two cards facedown, and end my turn," said Yae, as two facedown cards appeared.
Ren and Chelsea looked at her with an expression that could best be defined as complete confusion.
"Uhm, hello?" asked Erik. "Can someone tell me why we aren't scraping Ren and Chelsea off the floor right now?"
"I… I really don't know…" said Yumi. "There has to be some reason why Yae didn't declare a direct attack…"
Chelsea slowly drew a card. She looked at it.
"Chelsea!" whispered Ren. "Be very, very careful… She had us dead to rights, so why didn't she attack? I think it may be less of a question of whether or not she would, and more of whether or not she could."
Chelsea looked at them, and then looked at her hand.
"The butt-ugly Monster has a weakness, right?" she said out loud. "You didn't have it attack us directly, because it can't do that!
"So, if I just don't put any Monsters on the field, we're completely safe from your Dark God.
"But just in case, I'll set a facedown."
She fit a card in her Disk, and it appeared.
"And I'll turn it over to the not-so-Gallant Ninja."
"I'm still gallant!" shouted Goe Goe, drawing a card. "I never stopped being gallant!"
"Then why do you work for Daala?" asked Chelsea.
"I don't recall ever admitting that I did," said Goe Goe. "And you were right, by the way. Dark God can only attack Monsters. But that doesn't mean we can't hurt you with it.
"Yae, if you would…"
One of Yae's facedown cards lifted.
"I activate Ojama Trio," she said. "If you won't summon a Monster, I'll just give you a few."
In three bursts of light, three tokens resembling Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black appeared in front of Chelsea in Defense Mode. (0/1,000 x3)
"And I'll chain my other Trap to it," she said, as her other facedown card lifted. "Trap Reclamation. I toss one card…"
She discarded a card.
"…and as soon as my Ojama Trio goes to the Graveyard after being activated, I get it back."
The Trap Card slipped out of her discard slot, and she added it to her hand.
"This is bad!" exclaimed Sam. "Not only will Ren and Chelsea lose 700 Life Points for each token that's destroyed, but because those are Ojama Tokens, they'll lose 300 more apiece!"
"Now," shouted Goe Goe, "Dark God, attack!"
The true Dark God's eye glowed.
"You like cards that depict the moon?" asked Chelsea. "Here's one… Red Ghost Moon!"
Her facedown card flipped up, and she discarded her Vampire Lord, just as the blast shot at Ojama Green. The ominous harvest moon appeared behind Ren and Chelsea.
"Now, your attack is deflected, your Battle Phase ends, and we gain Life Points equal to your Monster's Attack Score."
(R and C: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 8,000)
She turned to Ren.
"I held them off one round," she said. "You got any ideas?"
"I might…" said Ren. "Wish me luck…"
He drew a card.
"Yes!" he shouted.
He played it.
"I summon New Moon Princess!" he shouted.
He played the card, and the young squire with ebony skin appeared, holding her practice sword. (1,300/1,200)
"Next, I sacrifice her, to summon her big sis…"
New Moon Princess vanished.
In an aura of darkness, the mighty form of Crescent Moon Queen appeared out of the shadows, holding her gleaming scimitars. (2,600/1,700)
"Not bad," said Yae. "But Dark God is still stronger."
"It won't be," said Ren, "once I Equip my Queen with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade!"
He played the card, and the Queen's scimitars vanished. A much larger, much deadlier sword appeared in her hands. (3,400/1,700)
"Attack!" shouted Ren. "Destroy their Dark God!"
Crescent Moon Queen shouted a war cry, and flew at the Dark God. She slammed the sword into it, causing sparks to fly…
(R and C: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 7,600)
…and then, she looked up, dumbfounded, to see that her foe was still there.
"Not a bad try," said Yae, "but it can't be destroyed in battle."
Ren and Chelsea looked at each other.
"Okay!" shouted Ren. "I wanna know where you got these cards!"
"Don't worry, Ren," said Chelsea. "At least Dark God can't defeat your Queen."
"It could if she lost that sword," said Yae.
"Fusion Sword can't be destroyed," replied Ren. "Anyway, I set a facedown, and end my turn…"
A facedown card appeared.
"My move…" said Yae, drawing a card.
"And I play the Spell Card, Spiritualism. This lets me return one Spell or Trap Card on the field to its owner's hand."
A cackling ghost flew out of the Spell Card. It flew into the Fusion Sword, and the weapon vanished. The card reappeared in Ren's hand.
"Dark God, destroy his Queen!"
The Dark God blasted it bolt of evil energy, and Crescent Moon Queen screamed before she was struck. She was blown to atoms.
Three of the Dark God's clones shot their beams at the three Ojamas. Ren and Chelsea screamed as they were shocked again.
(R and C: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 7,600)
"I set a facedown card, and end my turn," said Yae.
It has to be Ojama Trio again, thought Ren. If they attack another three Ojama Tokens, we lose. We have one last chance…
"Chelsea!" he said.
Chelsea was about to draw, but stopped.
"It's all up to you…" he said. "We can still win, but neither of us can do it alone.
"Just keep us alive one more round, and show them the best you've got!"
Chelsea looked at Ren. She slowly drew a card.
Was that a suggestion? he thought. The most he could do without violating the rules?
Well, here goes nothing…
"Trap Card, activate," said Yae.
"Her facedown card lifted, which was Ojama Trio again. The three Ojamas rematerialized on Chelsea's side of the field. (0/1,000 x3)
Chelsea looked at her hand.
"I throw one card facedown," she said, as a facedown card appeared. "Then, I play Book of Life. I'll raise Vampire Lord from my Graveyard, and remove Nayuta from play."
Magic Mirror Spirit – Nayuta fell out of Goe Goe's discard slot, and Vampire Lord appeared on Chelsea's side of the field. (2,000/1,500)
"Then, I remove my Vampire Lord from play, to summon Vampire Genesis."
Vampire Lord vanished into grains of light, and the powerful vampire deity appeared. (3,000/2,100)
"And that's all for me…"
"My move!" said Goe Goe, drawing a card. "And it's time to end this…
"Dark God, attack her Vampire!"
Dark God's single eye glowed again.
"Go, Trap Card!" shouted Chelsea. "I activate Trap of Darkness!"
Her facedown card lifted.
"Trap of Darkness can only be activated when I have 3,000 Life Points or less. Then, I can spend 1,000 of them to remove a Normal Trap in my Graveyard from play. Then, this Trap's effect duplicates that of the removed Trap."
A card slipped out of her discard slot.
"I choose to duplicate… Red Ghost Moon!"
She quickly discarded a Zombie Werewolf, and the Red Ghost Moon appeared again. The blast was halted dead in its tracks.
Goe Goe grunted in frustration.
"I end my turn!" he shouted.
"It's all up to you now, Ren…" said Chelsea.
(R and C: 4,100) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 7,600)
"I draw!" shouted Ren.
"I play Premature Burial. So I'm bringing my Queen back…"
He glowed with an aura of red energy, and Crescent Moon Queen appeared again. (2,600/1,700)
"Next, I give her Fusion Sword Murasame Blade once again…"
The Sword appeared in the Queen's hands again. (3,400/1,700)
"Now, I activate my own facedown card… Rising Energy. I toss one card…"
He discarded the card he just drew.
"And my Queen gets even stronger."
(4,900/1,700)
"Wait a minute…" said Yae.
"And finally…" said Ren, taking the last card in his hand. "I play Gift of the Martyr! I sacrifice Vampire Genesis…"
Vampire Genesis vanished into grains of light.
"…and give his Attack Score to my Queen!"
(7,900/1,700)
"Seventy-nine-hundred Attack Points?!" shouted Goe Goe and Yae.
"That's right," said Ren. "And due to her own effect, my Queen can attack twice. Sure, your Dark God will survive…
"But it doesn't really matter.
"Crescent Moon Queen, attack the Dark God!"
The Queen leapt up, and slammed her blade into the behemoth. The whole room shook, and the two Ninja screamed.
"Now… Take another swipe at it!"
Crescent Moon Queen struck at it a second time, and the two Ninja screamed again.
Yae collapsed on her knees, and started sobbing.
(R and C: 3,300) - - - - - - - - - - (Y and GG: 0)
The Monsters vanished, but Yae didn't stop crying. Goe Goe hugged her gently.
"We're doomed…" she cried.
"Oh, no," said Yumi. "You two aren't getting off that easily. You know the way out, and you're gonna tell us, now."
"Don't hurt, us please," sobbed Yae.
"Look, I'll explain," said Goe Goe. "We had no choice but to work for Daala. Our only other choice was to be sent to some demon king."
"What?" asked Sam.
"Shogarr?" asked Yumi.
"We don't know…" said Goe Goe. "See, the part about being thieves wanting to make a big score was true. In our home dimension, we belong to a clan that works kind of like Robin Hood did… Stealing from corrupt people in positions of power for the benefit of the impoverished. When we found ourselves stuck in Xanadu, we figured we should start doing the same thing. This place is full of corruption.
"But we stole something very, very valuable from Daala. We had no idea it was so valuable. We thought it was only a gemstone, but it was really a magical artifact of incredible power that could control the chaotic energies of the Abyss.
"We were caught quickly, and charged not with theft, but with treason. We didn't know that what we did was so bad, but Daala said that ignorance was no excuse. After spending some time in prison, we were dragged out, thrown in the middle of the Burnt Paradise, and forced to face… Daala's executioner…"
"Ruin…" whispered Chelsea.
"Yes…" said Goe Goe. "The most frightening experience of our lives. Our decks were not nearly as good as the one you saw, and we didn't have a chance. But before she banished us, Daala stepped in. She gave us one chance.
"We simply had to stay in this temple, wait for you, and… Keep you occupied… She gave us those decks. We've spent most of our time here studying the cards and figuring out how they work."
Yae was still quietly sobbing.
"We failed…" she sobbed. "We lost our only chance…"
"Show us the way out," said Yumi. "And stay in this temple. Here's the best we can promise you: If we are successful in our mission, the new government of Xanadu will grant you full asylum from anyone who was affected by the theft."
Yae stopped crying. She looked at Goe Goe.
They nodded.
They put their hands together, and made an odd sign. A trapdoor in the floor opened up.
"One more thing you two," said Yumi. "Before we go…"
She pointed to the case with the eleven Monster Cards.
"What are those for?"
"Well… We aren't sure," replied Yae. "We were told not to touch them, or the deal was off. But we did hear Daala say something about how this temple was supposed to be for a special duel of some sort."
Yumi looked at the case again. She didn't like just leaving, but they had already tried to break open that case. It was likely protected by magic.
"Let's go, people," said Yumi.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
In her throne room, Daala was getting a little concerned. She wondered why none of the Big Five had contacted her in the past hour.
Then Skull Knight ran in, quite out of breath.
"What's going on?" shouted Daala. "What's the status of the battle?"
"Lost," gasped Skull Knight. "More or less…"
"What do you mean?" said Daala, getting off her throne. "The Angels of Entropy…"
"Were released too soon," interrupted Skull Knight. "Thanks to the Elemental Heroes wiping out most of our forces with Gilford the Lightning. And Freed defeated them with a Dimensional Prison.
"And all your AI duelists realized that you intended to kill them as well. They've all surrendered to Freed. Freed is in the process of healing and regrouping. It won't be long before the palace is besieged.
"And the Big Five all lost to Joan's generals. Zane and the others have infiltrated the palace."
A look of rage came across Joan's face.
"Yumi!" she snarled. "Where is Yumi?"
"We lost track of her…" said Skull Knight. "Your handmaidens reported that she and her group killed their Dragon, so they clearly went through that area of the palace. But now, they could be anywhere…"
Daala paused.
"Go on ahead of me," she said. "Remember the final plan."
Skull Knight nodded. Then he vanished in a burst of shadow.
Daala gestured, and her iron scepter flew to her hand.
She threw the curtain aside.
"Bad news, Joan," she said. "I have to crush your army now. I had hoped to lure Yumi to me with hopes of rescuing you… But I guess she'll be just as willing to chase me if she's on a revenge mission."
She pointed the scepter at Joan…
"Dread Emperor…" she chanted. "I offer you the…"
"Stop right there, Daala!" screamed Yumi's voice.
With an explosion, the door to the throne room flew open, and Yumi and her five friends rushed through.
Daala quickly tried to complete the spell. Then Chelsea gestured, and shot a blast of flame from her fingertips. Daala screamed in pain, and dropped the scepter.
She tried to pick it up, but Sam gestured, and the floor around Daala was covered with ice. She slipped and fell over.
Then Ren gestured, and the stone floor opened up, swallowing the scepter. It contracted, and crushed it.
"How do you like that?" asked Ren.
Daala snarled.
She waved her hand, and the chains holding Joan vanished. Joan started to collapse, but Daala caught her in a headlock.
"I like having a hostage!" she said.
Joan tried to struggle, but she was too weak. The Mask on her face prevented her from seeing or speaking, but she could still hear, and she knew what was happening. If she could have, she would have screamed to Yumi and the others that it was a trap, but she was helpless to do so.
"Well… Ain't this a pretty picture?" said Daala. "If this was a movie and I was the villain, we'd be entering the scene now that's universally called 'the chase'.
"I would probably say something evil and dramatic like… 'Don't even think of following me, or she suffers the worst fate you can dream of!' But you know something? I want you to follow me. If you didn't, what fun would that be?"
Then she laughed, and both she and Joan turned into an orb of darkness. Then, they literally flew through the floor, leaving a big hole.
Yumi and the others ran up to it. A staircase going down had been revealed.
"Talk about a prima donna," said Ren.
"You realize she's leading us into something?" asked Sam.
"We don't have much of a choice, Sam," said Yumi.
They were about to follow, when Erik clutched his head.
"What?" asked Chelsea.
"A vision?" asked Sam.
"Yeah…" muttered Erik, "and a very clear one…
"Chaos Sorcerer!"
"That jerk?" asked Ren. "Well, if he's down there, we'll just beat his butt again…
"Come on!"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Down, down, and down. They followed the very straight path down into the bowels of the castle.
"We're getting closer," said Yumi. "I can sense a powerful source of energy nearby."
After what seemed a long time, they came to the portal that led to the Core. They took notice of the sign that said "No humans beyond this point", but they didn't care about it. They continued running…
But when they tried to enter the portal, they were thrown backwards.
"What happened?" asked Sam.
"Can you not read?" asked a sinister, inhuman voice. "The sign clearly says, 'No humans beyond this point'."
Everyone slowly turned to see a pair of glowing, white eyes in a dark alcove.
The creature came slowly into view. It was vaguely feminine, with blue skin, a hairless head, and pointed ears. Her clothing looked like it had been issued from a torture chamber, and half of her torso was eaten away, revealing metallic rib bones underneath. She carried a broken, demonic-looking infant doll in her arms.
"Dark Necrofear…" gasped Yumi.
"Behind that portal lies the true Core of Xanadu," said Dark Necrofear. (Her lips didn't move – she was likely speaking telepathically.) "The source of all power in this dimension. It is a sacred place, where humans simply are not allowed."
Yumi lifted her Disk. The demon chuckled.
"Well, I'll certainly duel you if you like," she said. "But even if you defeat me, and you won't, the portal still won't let you in. The will of Shogarr enforces this rule, not me."
"There must be some way in," growled Sam, clenching her fist.
Dark Necrofear smirked.
"The only way humans may enter is if they are no longer human," she replied. "But there is one way that will be possible, at least for you five… I notice you have sampled the Devil's Fruit. And I am the one who controls the Fruit's power in this world. Would you like me to awaken its true power within you?"
"True power?" asked Yumi.
She didn't like the sound of that.
"Devil's Fruit contains not devils," said Dark Necrofear, "but the spark from which Duel Spirits are created. If the fruit is eaten by humans, that spark can merge with the one whom has eaten it with the right surge In other words, I can transform humans who have eaten it into Duel Spirits, if I have their permission.
"Then you could easily use that portal and deal with Daala any way you like."
The five humans looked a little scared.
"Can you change them back?" asked Chelsea.
"Don't know," said Dark Necrofear. "No one has ever asked me."
"I don't trust this creature," said Ren. "How do we know she won't turn us into Kuribohs?"
"I usually do not choose the specific Spirit," said Dark Necrofear. "To do that would require a ritual that takes hours to complete. If you have time, you could choose the Spirit yourself."
"We don't have hours to do it for all five of us," said Sam. "Or even one of us."
"In that case," said Dark Necrofear, "I can do it instantly, but in that case, the choice is dictated by the recipient's dreams and subconscious desires. But I can at least guarantee a humanoid form."
"Look everyone," said Yumi. "I don't trust this Fiend either. After all, she was used by someone who gave my grandfather a hard time…"
Dark Necrofear chuckled.
"The dark spirit that possessed Bakura?" she asked. "I found him quite amusing. True, he used my card, but he had no idea what he was truly using."
"I have to go into that portal," said Yumi. "If any of you want to turn back, it's okay. Daala invited me here alone at the start of this mess, after all."
There was a pause.
"I'm going with you," said Ren.
"If you are going, I am going," said Chelsea.
"Eh, why not," asked Sam. "It wouldn't be any riskier than what we've already done."
"Count me in too," said Erik.
Yumi looked at the Fiend.
"Do it," she said.
"Then I guess the decision is made…" said Dark Necrofear.
Her eyes started to glow. Yumi and her friends screamed as a terrible pain shot through their heads.
"So then," said the demon, with a sinister smile. "You five will surrender your humanity so you may face Daala…
"Pray that you don't regret it later…"
At that, Yumi and her four friends collapsed, out cold.
A transformation started to occur…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SILVER SPIRIT – SAKYO (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 600
DEF: 800
Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned, you may Special Summon one "Silver Spirit – Ukyo" from your Graveyard.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SILVER SPIRIT – UKYO (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 800
DEF: 600
Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned, you may Special Summon one "Silver Spirit – Sakyo" from your Graveyard.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MAGIC MIRROR SPIRIT – NAYUTA (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 6
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 1,400
Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned, you may Special Summon one "Magic Mirror Spirit – Asogi" from your Graveyard.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MAGIC MIRROR SPIRIT – ASOGI (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 6
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 2,500
Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned, you may Special Summon one "Magic Mirror Spirit – Nayuta" from your Graveyard.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DARK GOD (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 10
ATK: 3,000
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed by battle. This card cannot attack your opponent directly. When this card destroys an opposing Monster as a result of battle, inflict 700 points of direct damage to your opponent's Life Points.
Note: In the English dub, this card was called "The Dark Creator". I have referred to it by its original name here to avoid confusion with the real card with that name.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FULL MOON MIRROR (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: A mirror without a reflective glass covered with closed eyes; over this is a cloaked demon holding a glass mirror.
Card Description: When a Monster is destroyed, place one "Full Moon Counter" on this card (max. 10). You may send this card with ten "Full Moon Counters" on it to the Graveyard to activate an "Infinite Fiend Mirror" from your hand or deck.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
INFINITE FIEND MIRROR (Spell Card)
Field Spell
Image: The image on this card was not shown.
Card Description: This card can only be activated via the effect of "Full Moon Mirror". If a "Dark God" is face-up on the field, the controller of the "Dark God" must summon a "Dark God Token" on every available space on his/her Monster Zone. "Dark God Tokens" have the same ATK, DEF, Level, Type, Attribute, and effects as "Dark God". If a "Dark God" is destroyed, all "Dark God Tokens" summoned by this effect are destroyed.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MIRROR CALL (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A cloaked figure in a silvery flame.
Card Description: Activate only if you have a "Silver Spirit – Sakyo" and a "Silver Spirit – Ukyo" face-up on your side of the field. Select one Trap Card in your Graveyard and add it to your hand.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MIRROR BIND (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: Silver Spirit – Sakyo and Silver Spirit – Ukyo fighting between two panes of glass.
Card Description: Activate only if you have a "Silver Spirit – Sakyo" and a "Silver Spirit – Ukyo" face-up on your side of the field and your opponent declares an attack. Destroy the attacking and Monster and one other face-up opposing Monster with a lower ATK than the attacking Monster.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MIRROR TRAP (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A very nervous frog surrounded by mirrors.
Card Description: During the turn this card is activated, select one Normal Trap Card from your Graveyard and set it in your Spell/Trap Zone. You may activate the selected Trap Card this turn.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BURIED SOUL TALISMAN (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A skeletal zombie with a burning talisman on its forehead.
Card Description: Activate this card during a turn when two of your Monsters are destroyed as a result of battle. Destroy the Monster(s) that attacked your Monsters. Then, Special Summon a Level Five or higher Monster from your hand.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SOUL MIRROR (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A hand mirror surrounded by flames, with a fiendish face in the glass.
Card Description: Send one card on your side of the field to the Graveyard. Special Summon one Monster from your Graveyard.
Note: The proceeding twelve cards were first used by Sarina in the multi-part "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Mirror, Mirror". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lords of Chaos
The Dark Side of Nature; Nocticula the Witch Queen
Members of the Wicca faith hate to be confused with followers of Nocticula. This demon queen is the primary reason that Wicca gets the bad rap it often does. Practitioners of Wicca and cults that follow the Witch Queen both worship nature, but the similarities end there.
More than a little mad, this demon may have once been a succubus, and she believed early on that a woman's emphatic mind and bodily cycles held the key to understanding the natural world. Her cults started slowly, and by leading mortals to the knowledge of mind-altering and hallucinogenic properties of certain plants and fungi, she created a widespread cult who specialized in the use of psychedelic drugs, both for pleasure of their own, and to make a good profit. Such things were always highly sought after.
As she got stronger, Nocticula set herself up as a protector of women, of which there were not many in those times. If a woman was abused by a husband, or was the victim of infidelity, some might tell her there was someone whom she could pray to who would answer. If she took this action, the abusive or unfaithful spouse might find himself the target of a succubus temptress sent by the Witch Queen to seduce him and then slay him in a deadly embrace. Once that was done, the succubus usually tried to convert the woman into the cult (assuming she was not already a member) and was usually successful. Scorned women were not her only recruits – sympathetic men sometimes joined, even though females outnumbered them, and more than one large-scale opium dealer secretly carried the symbol of Nocticula on his person.
One might think that Nocticula would have grown stronger in the modern age, but this was not the case. As it happened with most demon lords, her cults were opposed by heroic warriors, and fighting was not the skill that her worshippers were best at. Even worse, conflicts between the more powerful cults and the Wind Dukes often resulted in a disaster for the Witch Queen's side, as the Vaati are impervious to poisons and toxins, the principle weapon of this type of cult.
Drugs and hallucinogens are still a vital concern in every culture, but few who use them and fewer who deal in them ever consider paying tribute to some demon lord. The drug trade is an illicit business to those who engage in it now, not a religion. Women who are the victims of abuse or infidelity now have better ways of dealing with it than selling their souls to an even greater evil. Cults of Nocticula still exist in secluded areas, grim parodies of the groups formed by Wicca and other pagan religions that worship the natural world, but they are nowhere near as powerful as they used to be.
Clearly, Nocticula is a demon lord in decline, and it may be only a matter of time before the Vaati decide to eliminate her for good.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
You all likely want to find out what the outcome of Dark Necrofear's spell will be on our heroes. Sorry, but I've left this part of the story on that little thing called a "cliffhanger". You all will have to wait.
Next chapter, we leave Yumi for now, and go to the real world, where Nicholas struggles to save Domino by confronting the general of Daala's invasion force, a member of the Dread Council itself. Can even the power of the True Master defeat this incredible force of Chaos? "The Other Side" is coming next.