It's Columbus Day. Today, we honor the discoverer of America, despite the fact that he discovered it by accident after making a gross miscalculation of the size of the Earth, and he never realized what he had discovered. Nonetheless, as ignorant as Columbus was, today is a holiday that means a day off for many, or in my case, overtime pay, so I thought I'd put up a new chapter.
Anyway, this is another chapter where I use Japanese names for a group of Monsters. The names were given a pretty big change for the American transition, likely to avoid legal trouble with a company that is far more powerful than Konami.
I don't have to worry about that, and since the original names are so much cooler in this case, I'm using them.
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You ever have a teacher you didn't like?
If any of you said "no", I'd accuse you of lying. Everyone has teachers they don't like. There are ones who give pop quizzes, ones who have dour personalities, and ones who give lectures that could cure insomnia.
But let me ask you this: Did you ever have a teacher who hated you, wanted to see you fail, and was so obsessed with proving her superiority over you that she refused to believe your best work had been done honestly?
Probably not. Well, I had a teacher like that.
My conflict with this teacher ended badly for her. I never thought I'd see her again.
I was wrong. Seems she hated me so much, she's done the unthinkable.
One good part of this situation, though… There's no principal here, no dean of students, and no guidance counselors. She can't simply use her position to give me detention. At long last, I'm confronting her on equal terms.
Duel…
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CHAPTER SIXTY
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More Than Meets The Eye
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Neo-Space.
Alexis Rhodes – the true Alexis, not a virtual copy that Joan had created – walked quickly down a long hallway, lit by odd lights. Unlike Jaden, she had long ago left her Duel Academy outfit behind, wearing a long, white jacket over a blouse and a skirt, as well as her Duel Disk. (She'd feel naked without that.) After all, her primary role in the government here was as counselor and negotiator.
She headed towards the door at the far end. She made a quick salute to the sentry guarding it, and the door opened. Inside, several Neo-Spacians and other alien creatures were sitting at monitors, observing various locations. Some images on the screens depicted jungles, others plains, and still others building complexes.
The one human in the room, other than the one who had just entered, was Syrus Truesdale, who was supervising, and writing down the progress of one project that was being viewed on a clipboard.
"Syrus," said Alexis, as she walked up to him. "Do you know where Jaden is?"
"Uhm, he might be upstairs," replied Syrus, not looking up immediately. "Why? Big news?"
"Probably," replied Alexis. "I just got back from the detention center. Phoebe is ready to start talking. And I think that Pollux and Damocles are almost at that precipice. All it took was a little gentle persuasion."
Syrus handed the clipboard to someone next to him.
"You're a pro, Alexis," he said. "We'd better find him quickly. The sooner we know what the whole deal with those three was, the better…"
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Erik was wandering through the thick mist. He called Sam's name every now and then, but there was no answer.
He looked at himself, and worried.
After Unus the Undying told them that story about Warrior Dai Grepher, he did his own research into the Monster. Most of it was hearsay, interpreted by several Spell and Trap Cards where he was a part of the scene. Apparently, Grepher was once a heroic soldier. But he became obsessed in his rivalry with Warrior Lady of the Wasteland. And after she defeated him when she became D.D. Warrior Lady, he searched for more power.
If the Trap Card The Paths of Destiny was to be believed, he was offered power from two sources, light and darkness. He chose darkness. He got power… But it cost him his humanity.
Erik had seen the Dark Lucius cards used… The demonic Monster that Grepher had turned into. The Level Eight version was even scarier than most of Sam's Fiends. What was so appealing about it that Grepher chose that over the light?
What if someone offered him the same choice that the first Grepher was offered? Did the Archfiends even now have their eyes on him, and were they looking forward to making the dark enticement a second time?
He hoped he wouldn't have to find out… If they defeated Daala, maybe Joan could find someone who could make them human again…
As he said this, the fog started to clear.
He looked around. To his surprise, he was in a school lecture hall. There were rows of seats on a dais above a teacher's desk in the front.
I know this room… he thought.
He paused.
"No…" he said. "This in my Senior English classroom!"
"Quiet down, students," said a voice. "Class is now in session."
It can't be… thought Erik. Professor Watanabe?
Then a shimmering portal appeared on the desk. As Erik watched, an exotic female form stepped out of it. It was a woman with a halter top and long skirt, with long brown hair with two thick braids.
The Otohime looked at Erik with an evil smile.
"Professor Watanabe?" asked Erik. "Is that you?"
"In the flesh," said the Duel Spirit. "Or rather, in a much better flesh, thanks to the Devil's Fruit…"
She leapt off the desk, did a flip, and landed on her feet.
"Yeah, right!" laughed Erik. "You chose a poor form, teach! Otohime has zero Attack Points. So you're gonna let me out of here, or I'll…"
Then Watanabe's eyes glowed. Erik felt himself losing control of his muscles. He was slowly forced to kneel.
"Otohime can also force the mightiest Monster to its knees," said Watanabe. "In the game, this is translated into her ability to switch a Monster's battle position. You may be stronger, but I'll never let you get near me."
"You're something else," grumbled Erik. "You gave me a hard time all the way through my Senior year. My English Seminar paper was the best work I ever did, and yet you…"
"Best work you plagiarized, you mean!" shouted Watanabe.
"Oh, give it up!" yelled Erik. "You just won't quit! You were so certain it was plagiarism… But you didn't know from what source I had copied it from. You couldn't make that accusation without proof. So you withheld my grade so you could find the source.
"But your search of all the websites that students commonly download papers from turned up nothing even similar. For over a month, you combed the internet, searching every keyword you could think of, hoping something would lead you to the paper I had copied from. You looked through every essay book in the library with a fine-toothed comb, and still came up empty.
"Finally, my parents got upset, and demanded my grade. They went to the school board."
Watanabe growled.
"I told them my reasons," she said, "and I thought they would take my side. But they accused me of 'antagonizing an innocent student'."
"As I recall, it wasn't the first time you had 'antagonized an innocent student'!" replied Erik.
"They took the paper out of my hands," growled Watanabe. "You ended up getting an A on it, while I was reprimanded, and my files were investigated. I lost my chance for tenure because of it all! You deserved to be expelled for what you did, and instead you graduated with honors and I was the one who was disciplined!"
"Give it up!" shouted Erik. "Why don't you admit it, Watanabe? The truth is, you were jealous because that paper was better than anything you had ever written! You just hate teenagers, and that makes you a lousy teacher!"
Then Watanabe's eyes glowed again, and Erik was forced to his feet. A Duel Disk appeared on her arm.
"It was plagiarized, and you know it," she said. "And once I defeat you, I'll be able to drag the truth right out of your very soul."
Erik laughed, and activated his Disk.
"Oh, I thought you'd never ask," he said. "Like I need incentive to duel you? What high school student wouldn't jump at the chance to kick the butt of a teacher who always gave him a hard time?"
"I hope you remember what all your Deck Lord's powers were," said Watanabe, "because they're yours now.
"And I'm going to show you what it feels like to have your ideas copied. My deck also uses toys."
"Your deck is just like mine?" asked Erik. "Talk about dumb. That means there's no way for you to surprise me."
"Oh, it's very different than yours," replied Watanabe. "I use more… modern toys."
They both drew five cards off their decks.
"Game on!"
(Erik: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - (Watanabe: 8,000)
"I'm gonna teach you a thing or two, teach," said Erik, drawing a card.
He looked at his hand.
"I'll use one of my Deck Lord abilities right away. I toss one Spell Card…"
He discarded his Pot of Avarice.
"And in return, I get to activate Toy Town from my deck."
The classroom faded away, and the gingerbread houses and sugarplum hills of Toy Town rose around them.
"Nice place, huh?" asked Erik.
"I was diabetic, you little brat!" replied Watanabe. "This place would have been a nightmare before Daala gave me my new body…"
"The problem with you, Watanabe," said Erik, "is that the world dealt you a bad hand, and you dealt with it by taking it out on everyone else."
He played a card, and Toy Soldier appeared in front of him. (800/300) –) (1,100/300)
"That's all for now…"
Watanabe drew a card.
"I summon… Deformer Mobaphon!" she exclaimed.
"Say what?" asked Erik. "Deformer?"
With a loud whir, a cellular phone the size of a man appeared in front of Watanabe. Erik raised an eyebrow.
Then, the phone's parts started to turn, shift, and change shape. After a few seconds, it had become a cute robot with the features of a cellular phone. (100/100)
"Now, I activate its effect. Okay, Mobaphon… Dial On!"
Deformer Mobaphon whirred and beeped, and then the numbers on its chest started to light up in an apparently random sequence. Finally, it stopped on the five.
"Five?" asked Erik. "Five what?"
"That means I get to check the top five cards of my deck," replied Watanabe, "and if there's a Deformer Monster among them that's Level Four or less, I get to Special Summon it."
She took five cards off of her deck and looked at them.
"And there is… The Level Three Deformer Magnen U! I summon it in Attack Mode."
With another whir, a large, steel magnet appeared next to Mobaphon. Then it started to change shape, just like Mobaphon did, until it was another cute robot, this one blue with an elongated head. (800/800)
"I get it…" said Erik. "Your Monsters are those toy robots that turn into things."
"You got it," replied Watanabe. "Next, I reshuffle these other four cards back into my deck…"
She quickly shuffled.
"And by the way, a Deformer's effect depends on its battle position. Take Deformer Magnen U, for instance. If it were in Defense Mode, it would be the only Monster you could attack. However, since it is now in Attack Mode, you can only attack it with your strongest Monster.
"With that, I set one card facedown, and then end my turn…"
A reversed card appeared behind the Deformers.
Erik drew, and looked at the two Deformers.
I know what she's planning, he thought. She thinks I'm going to attack Mobaphon because it's weaker.
But… If she summoned another Magnen U and managed to switch them both into Defense Mode, it would form an attack lock, like two Marauding Captains… I have to take it out.
"I use Toy Soldier's effect, to summon two more Soldiers."
In two flashes of light, two more Toy Soldiers appeared. (800/300 x2) –) (1,100/300 x2)
"Next, I use my most powerful Deck Lord effect," said Erik. "My Toy Tinker ability. I get to take a low-Level Toy Monster from my deck this turn, and ever other turn thereafter."
He looked through his deck, and took Toy Magician from it. He nodded.
"Now, I play Crowning of the Emperor!"
The Toy Soldier in the middle saluted, and then vanished into grains of light. Toy Emperor appeared, galloping onto the candy street on his toy horse. (2,300/800) –) (2,600/800)
"Toy Emperor, attack Deformer Magnen U!"
Toy Emperor pointed his saber, and charged at the robot…
"I activate… Negate Attack!" exclaimed Watanabe.
Her facedown card flipped up, and an invisible shield stopped Toy Emperor dead in his tracks.
Erik looked at his hand, and sighed.
"I'll end my turn there," he muttered.
Watanabe drew again.
"Once again, I use Mobaphon's effect," she said. "Dial On!"
Again, Mobaphon's button's flashed with a series of beeps. They landed on the three.
Watanabe took three cards from her deck, and looked at them.
"I Special Summon Deformer Clockn in Defense Mode," she said.
In a whir, a large digital clock appeared in front of her. Its numbers read 0:00. (600/1,100)
Watanabe quickly shuffled the other two cards into her deck.
"Next," she said, "I Normal Summon a second Magnen U."
Another of the large magnets appeared, and it changed shape, turning into a twin of the first Magnen U. (800/800)
"Now, I'll Equip my first Magnen U with Deformer Cord."
She played a card, and a large, leather strap covered with circuits with plugs on each end appeared in the air. It plugged into the sides of Magnen U.
"Then," continued Watanabe, "I move it to Defense Mode…"
The first Magnen U started to change shape again. After a few minutes, it had reverted to magnet shape.
"Due to that Cord, whenever it changes its battle position, one Spell or Trap Card on the field is destroyed."
Then an electric storm erupted over the whole arena. Erik shielded himself as the buildings of Toy Town were blasted into dust.
"Then I use my Deck Lord effect," continued Watanabe. "It's called Battle Dance. During my first Main Phase, I can switch the Battle Position of one of my Monsters, regardless of any conditions that say I can't. So, even though I just summoned my second Magnen U in Attack Mode, it goes into Defense Mode as well."
The second Magnen U changed shape like the other one did. Then they both were surrounded by an aura of electricity, which grew into an electrical field that surrounded her whole side of the field.
"An attack lock," muttered Erik. "Great…"
"You don't know the half of it," replied Watanabe. "Now I can use the effect of my Clockn. Each round that it's in Defense Mode, I get to put one Deformer Counter on it."
The number on Deformer Clockn changed to 1:00.
"At any time, I can sacrifice my Clockn to inflict damage to you equal to 1,000 times the number of Counters it has."
"So, it's not a clock," replied Erik. "It's a time bomb."
"More or less," replied Watanabe. "I set a facedown, and end my turn."
She played another card, and a facedown card appeared behind her Deformers.
Erik drew a card.
It was Puppet King.
I have enough Monsters to summon this guy, he thought, but I think I'll save him for later…
He added the card to his hand, and chose another card.
"I summon Toy Magician," he said.
In a flash of bright energy, Toy Magician appeared next to his other toys. (1,600/1,500)
"Maybe I can't attack your Monsters," he said, as he played a Spell Card, "but with my Forced March, my Monsters can attack you directly, so long as I cut their Attack Scores in half."
The Toy Soldiers aimed their guns, and their Attack Scores fell to 400 each. Toy Emperor's fell to 1,150, while Toy Magician fell to 800.
"Wait a minute…" said Watanabe.
The two Toy Soldiers fired, and Watanabe shrieked as the shells hit her. Then Toy Magician cast his spell, and she groaned.
Then Toy Emperor galloped forward, and slashed at her with his saber. She fell backwards.
(E: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - (W: 5,250)
"That's all for my turn," said Erik. "You may have a bunch of toy robots, teach, but you can't beat that old-fashioned charm."
"I'll show you," said Watanabe, drawing a card.
Her facedown card lifted.
"I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device."
"You're going to bounce my Emperor back to my hand!" shouted Erik.
"No," replied Watanabe. "Actually, I'm going to return Mobaphon to MY hand."
An odd machine looking somewhat like a mortar cannon appeared on her side of the field. Mobaphon was grabbed by a set of chains and drawn into it, and then shot out with a blast. Its card appeared in Watanabe's hand.
"Next," she continued, as a Spell Card appeared, "I play the Spell Card, Deformer Speed Unit. By sending one Deformer back to my deck, I can destroy one card on the field."
She shuffled Mobaphon back into her deck, and a machine that looked like a streamlined rocket engine appeared. Its engine ignited, and it flew into Toy Emperor, blowing him to bits. Erik scowled.
"Also, I get to draw one card," she said, making a draw.
She looked at it, and added it to her hand.
"Now, I add one more Counter to Clockn."
The clock's number changed to 2:00.
"Then, I summon Deformer Chakkan!"
In a burst of flames, a man-sized cigarette lighter appeared in front of her. Like before, it whirred and changed shape, transforming into another toy robot. (1,200/600)
"Not exactly the best toy for kids," said Erik.
"Indeed," said Watanabe, as another Spell Card appeared. "Any parent will tell kids they shouldn't play with fire. And you're about to learn why. I play the Continuous Spell Card, Gadget Box."
It was an odd Spell Card. It showed the picture of a cartoonish machine with weapons built into its limbs looming over a collection of stuffed toys.
"This card is a Monster creator," said Watanabe. "Once per round, I can use it to summon a Gadget Token."
In a flash of energy, an odd Machine appeared. It was a goofy gizmo, with six arms, each one with a tool in place of a hand, such as a hammer, shears, cleaver, metal fist, and wrench. (0/0)
"But, if you think this card is just like Jam Breeding Machine, and will keep me from summoning Monsters, think again. I can summon all the Monsters I want. The downside is, I can't sacrifice the Tokens for a Tribute Summon.
"But I can sacrifice them for other things. Such as Chakkan's offensive effect. By sacrificing a Monster, it can deal 600 points of damage. So, I'll sacrifice my Token."
The Gadget Token vanished, and a blast of flame shot from Deformer Chakkan. Erik winced a little.
"Now, thanks to my Battle Dance ability, Chakkan moves to Defense Mode…"
Chakkan turned back into its lighter mode, moving to Defense.
"And that means I can use its defensive ability, which lets me inflict 300 points of damage without sacrificing anything."
Another blast of flame shot at Erik, and he winced again.
"So, Deformers are just an exotic burn strategy?" asked Erik.
"I end my turn," replied Watanabe, not bothering to answer the question.
(E: 7,100) - - - - - - - - - (W: 5,250)
Erik drew.
That's it, he thought.
"First, I use my Toy Tinker ability again," he said.
He took his deck, and took a second Toy Magician from it.
"But I won't be using him yet… I sacrifice both my Toy Soldiers…"
The two Toy Soldiers vanished into grains of light.
"To summon Puppet King!"
With a roar, the mighty Puppet King appeared on his side if the field. (2,800/2,600)
"So what are you going to do with him?" asked Watanabe. "You still can't attack."
"I'll be able to as soon as I play Enemy Controller!" replied Erik.
The large video game pad appeared on Erik's side of the field. Watanabe gasped as the Deformer Magnen U that was Equipped with the Deformer Cord changed shape, moving to Attack Mode.
"I'm guessing that the effect of that Equip Spell isn't optional," said Erik. "Am I right?"
"Yeah, you were right…" mumbled Watanabe. "But I can use the effect to destroy the Cord itself."
The Cord shattered.
"I didn't forget Deformer Magnen U's offensive ability," continued Erik. "When it's in Attack Mode, I have to attack it with my strongest Monster.
"Puppet King, attack the Attack Mode Deformer Magnen U! Majestic Checker!"
Puppet King lunged at the small robot, and slugged it hard. It shattered into pieces of broken metal.
"ERGH!" shouted the Otohime.
"Now, my Toy Magician attacks your defensive Magnen U," said Erik. "Sparkle blast!"
Toy Magician cast his powerful spell, and the second Magnen U exploded.
"I throw a card facedown," said Erik, as a reversed card appeared, "and my turn is over."
(E: 7,100) - - - - - - - - - (W: 3,250)
Watanabe frowned, and drew a card.
"I play Pot of Greed," she said.
The evil jar appeared, and she made two draws.
Darn, she thought, looking at one of them. I drew this one a turn too late…
"I activate Chakkan's defensive ability again," she said.
Erik groaned as a blast of flame hit him again.
"Then, I move it to Attack Mode."
Chakkan changed shape, turning to robot form again.
The Gadget Box card glowed, and a second Gadget Token appeared. Then it vanished, and Erik hollered as Chakkan blasted him a second time.
"Now," said Watanabe, "I place another Counter on Clockn…"
The number on Clockn turned to 3:00.
"Then I move Clockn to Attack Mode as well…"
Clockn started to change shape as the others did, and also turned into a robot, with its number on its chest.
"While in Attack Mode, I can't place any new Counters on Clockn. But, it gains 500 Attack Points for each Counter it already has."
(2,100/1,100)
"Then, I summon Deformer Radion!"
With another whir and a burst of energy, a digital radio appeared. It changed shape, turning into a radio robot. (1,000/900)
"When Radion is in Attack Mode, all Deformers gain 800 more Attack Points."
Clockn rose to an Attack Score of 2,900, Chakkan rose to 2,000, and Radion itself rose to 1,800.
"Finally," she said, playing another card, "I Equip Chakkan with Deformer Power Unit."
Chakkan glowed, and an engine appeared on Chakkan's back. It pulled a ripcord, and the engine started to hum.
"This Equip Spell doubles its base Attack Score. Of course, after two of my turns, the Unit will be destroyed, and I'll take damage equal to that base score."
Chakkan rose to an Attack Score of 3,200.
"So," said Watanabe, "to answer your previous question, no, Deformers are not 'an exotic burn strategy'. They are quite capable of battling when they have to.
"Chakkan, attack Puppet King! Flame blaze!"
Chakkan blasted flames at the huge Warrior with the power of a flamethrower…
"Not so fast!" shouted Erik, as his facedown card shot up. "I activate Draining Shield!"
She shielded himself as the flames were blocked by an invisible barrier.
"OOH!" shouted Watanabe. "Clockn, you attack!"
Clockn pointed, and a blast of energy composed of glowing numbers shot at Puppet King. Puppet King groaned, and then exploded.
"Radion, attack Toy Magician!"
Radion blasted a beam of energy that looked like a radio band. Toy Magician was blown to pieces.
"And that's all," laughed Watanabe.
(E: 9,100) - - - - - - - - - (W: 3,250)
Erik looked at her.
"Gee, Watanabe…" he said. "You were never this enthusiastic before. Your lectures on the symbolism of Milton's works could bore a rock to sleep. What happened?"
"Well, just look at me," replied Watanabe.
She made a seductive pose.
"Aren't I more beautiful now than I ever was when I was human? Once I left my human body behind, I was free to express myself in ways I never though I would be able to…"
"But at what cost?" asked Erik. "What did you promise Shogarr for your beauty and power? People never think of the consequences when making such decisions… Heck, you said so yourself in your lecture on Marlowe's The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus.
"Of course, you also believe that dumb conspiracy theory about Marlowe… About how he faked his death and then wrote all of Shakespeare's plays…"
"I never admitted that!" shouted Watanabe.
"Of course you didn't," replied Erik. "People would think you were ignorant, which you are. Still, you always seemed to take a dim view of any student who gave Shakespeare credit for his own works and quotations, and lectures about his biography were always strangely absent from your lesson plans."
He drew a card. Watanabe was simply looking at him blankly, as if he had struck a nerve.
"Marlowe's life was tragically cut short, Watanabe," continued Erik. "He was murdered by three guys with unclear motives. That dumb theory was started because the upper class just refused to believe that a commoner like Shakespeare could have written such genius work. Just like you didn't believe that a mere student like me could have written such a good paper. You're simply ignorant, and I'm gonna see to it that you regret it…
"I play Toy Memorial! Now, I get to draw once for each card in my Graveyard with the word 'Toy' its name. With Toy Emperor, Toy Magician, Toy Town, and three Toy Soldiers, that's six cards!"
He quickly made six draws. He looked them over.
"I have to skip my Battle Phase, but it's a small price to pay.
"Next, I play Toy Box."
He played the Spell Card, and the goofy Toy Box materialized on his side of the field. (0/0)
"You can't attack it, nor can you use Spell Cards on it. And I get to take two Monsters in my hand with the word 'Toy' in their names, and hide them in the Toy Box."
Two cards in his hand turned into motes of light, and then flew inside the Toy Box.
"Then, I set a card facedown, and that will be all."
A facedown card appeared.
Watanabe laughed as she drew a card.
"Six new cards," she laughed, "and you couldn't get a Monster that you could defend yourself with?
"I summon Deformer Cameran!"
In a bright flash of light, another robot appeared on her side of the field, this one short and blocky, colored red and blue. (800/600)
"And thanks to my Battle Dance ability, I can move it to Defense Mode."
Cameran started to whir and change shape, turning into a very large photographer's camera.
"When Cameran is in Defense Mode, none of my Deformers can be targeted by Spell or Trap Cards. So unless your facedown card is a Mirror Force, it isn't gonna work.
"But before I attack, I'll use the effect of Gadget Box again…"
The Spell Card glowed, and another Gadget Token appeared. (0/0)
It vanished, and Chakkan shot a stream of flames at Erik again. Erik groaned.
"Now, Chakkan, show him some real fire! Attack directly!"
Deformer Chakkan's Power Unit started to hum again. It blasted an even more intense stream of flames…
"Go, Toy Robot Box!" shouted Erik, as his facedown card lifted.
He quickly discarded a Toy Wind-Up. Three toy robot action figures appeared in front of him, crouching in Defense Mode. (0/0 x3)
Watanabe growled.
"You just don't give up, do you?" she asked.
Chakkan's flame incinerated one of the robots. Clockn shot its numbers at another, and it exploded. Radion shot its band of energy at the third, and it burst.
"I end my turn," she said.
"Not before I activate the effect of my Toy Box," said Erik. "I use it to bring Toy Magician out of it."
The Box opened, and Toy Magician hopped out. (1,600/1,500)
(E: 8,500) - - - - - - - - - (W: 3,250)
"Now I'll draw," said Erik.
He drew a card.
"I'm going to skip using my Toy Tinker ability… My deck is running a little short of Monsters as it is…
"But I will play Premature Burial. Now, my Toy Emperor returns!"
He placed the card in his Disk, and glowed with a red aura, and Toy Emperor appeared in a flash of light. (2,300/800)
"Now, I use another Deck Lord ability," he continued. "When Toy Emperor is on the field, I can toss one card in my hand to recover another Monster with the word 'Toy' in its name."
He discarded his Dark Designator, and his other Toy Magician slipped out of his discard slot.
"Now I'll summon it while I'm at it…"
In a flash of light, the first Toy Magician appeared next to the second. (1,600/1,500)
"Now, I'll bring out the other Monster I hid inside my Toy Box… Meet my Toy Dragon!"
With a loud roar, Toy Dragon leapt out of the Toy Box, its eyes blinking red, and its articulated parts ready to strike. (2,300/2,000)
The Toy Box disappeared.
"Toy Dragon gains 400 more Attack Points for each other Toy Monster I have on the field. That equals 1,200 more big ones."
(3,500/2,000)
"All right!" shouted Erik. "First Toy Magician, destroy Deformer Cameran!"
The second Toy Magician cast his spell, and Cameran exploded into pieces of broken metal.
"Toy Emperor, attack Deformer Radion!"
Toy Emperor charged at the robot, and slashed with his saber, cutting it in half.
Clockn fell to an Attack Score of 2,100, while Chakkan fell to 2,000.
"Now, I get to take a Trap Card from my deck…"
He looked through his deck, and took what he wanted.
"Toy Dragon, stop her clock!"
Toy Dragon shot a blast of glowing motes from its jaws, and Deformer Clockn exploded. Watanabe cringed.
(E: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - (W: 1,350)
"Since Chakkan is still too much for my other Magician to handle, I set one card facedown, and end my turn."
A reversed card appeared.
"It's your move…"
Watanabe snarled as she drew.
"I seem to remember you saying that Deformer Power Unit is destroyed this round," said Erik, "and that you take 1,200 points of damage."
The Equip Spell shattered, but Watanabe just laughed.
"I forgot to mention the other Deck Lord effect I have," she said. "I take no effect damage from any cards that I control."
"You're kidding…" said Erik.
"No joke," replied Watanabe. "You should have seen the face on the fool who used a Lava Golem against me.
"Now… I'm sure you remember Mobaphon."
She played a card, and with another whir, the cell phone robot appeared again. (100/100)
"Now, once again, Dial On!"
Mobaphon's numbers flashed, and beeped, until they landed on the three.
Watanabe looked at the top three cards on her deck, and then chose one.
"I summon Deformer Radiocassen in Defense Mode!" she exclaimed.
With another loud whir, a large, old-fashioned boom box, the type that was used to play cassette tapes, appeared in front of her. (1,200/400)
"Once again, Gadget Box activates…"
A Gadget Token appeared again. (0/0) Once again, it vanished, and the flames shot at Erik. Fortunately, he was used to it happening by now.
"Next, I move Chakkan to Defense Mode, so it can use its other effect."
Chakkan quickly turned back to lighter mode, and shot another stream of flames at Erik.
"I set two cards facedown, and end my turn."
She played the last two cards in her hand, and two reversed cards appeared.
(E: 6,800) - - - - - - - - - (W: 1,350)
Erik quickly drew a card.
I don't like the look of that boom box, he thought. I'd better get rid of it first...
"Toy Magician, destroy Deformer Radiocassen!"
The first Toy Magician pointed his wand…
"I activate Radiocassen's effect!" shouted Watanabe. "Once per round, it can negate one attack against it!"
The blast shot at Radiocassen, but simply glanced off it casing.
"Toy Emperor, destroy it!" shouted Ren.
Toy Emperor slashed at the Machine with his saber, and the boom box exploded.
Erik paused to look through his deck, and took a Trap Card from it.
"This next hit is going to wipe you out!" shouted Erik. "Toy Dragon, attack Deformer Mobaphon!"
Toy Dragon roared…
"I activate a Trap!" shouted Watanabe, as a facedown card lifted. "It's called simply, Deform. This shifts my Deformer to its other battle position, and negates your attack!"
As Toy Dragon's blast shot towards Mobaphon, it quickly changed to phone form, and the blast glanced off an invisible shield.
"Second Toy Magician, attack Deformer Chakkan!" ordered Erik.
Toy Magician pointed his wand at the lighter.
"Surprise…" said Watanabe, as her second facedown card lifted. "I have two copies of Deform."
Chakkan quickly turned into robot mode, and Toy Magician's blast bounced off the same invisible shield.
Erik looked at his hand for a second.
"I set another card facedown, and end my turn," he said.
A facedown card appeared next to his other one.
"I draw one card…" said Watanabe.
She drew.
"And my Trap Card activates!" shouted Erik. "Dust Tornado!"
One of his facedown cards lifted up, and the Tornado shot across the field, blowing the Gadget Box card to pieces.
"So much for you getting free uses of that thing's effect," he said.
"Well, I'll still be able to delay you a little," said Watanabe. "I play Swords of Revealing Light!"
She played the card she had just drawn, and a blizzard of swords shot from it, trapping Erik and his Monsters.
"Now, I use Mobaphon's defensive ability…"
The lights on the huge cell phone flashed again. They landed on the four.
"That means I get to look at the top four cards on my deck before I draw them."
She looked at the top cards on her deck. She smirked, and then put them back.
"Now, I move Chakkan to Defense Mode, to use its effect again."
Chakkan moved back to lighter mode, and then blasted its flames at Erik again.
"And I end my turn."
(E: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - (W: 1,350)
This is getting to be annoying… thought Erik, as he drew a card.
"I'm just going to pass," he said. "It's your move…"
Watanabe grinned, and drew a card.
She gestured, and Chakkan shot its flames at Erik again.
"I play Psychic Cyclone," she said, holding up the card she had just drawn. "This Spell is kind of like Mystical Space Typhoon, but it only works on set cards. Before I use it, I have to guess whether the target is a Trap or a Spell. If I'm right, I get to draw one card. If I'm wrong, then you get to draw one card.
"Doesn't that sound interesting?"
Erik just glared at her.
"Since you searched for that facedown card with Toy Emperor's effect, I'm gonna guess Trap Card."
A cyclone tore across the field. Erik's Mirror Force lifted up and shattered. Watanabe laughed, and drew a card.
She quickly placed it on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"Your move…"
Erik drew a card.
Let's see, he thought, looking at his hand. What is that facedown Monster? Deformers don't seem like the Flip-Effect type…
Since she used up all the cards in her hand, it's likely a Flip-Effect Monster that will likely let her make more draws… Maybe even Morphing Jar…
And since she waited until then to use Psychic Cyclone, when she knew exactly what her next card would be due to Mobaphon's effect… Yeah, it's definitely Morphing Jar…
So…
"I set two cards facedown, and end my turn," he said.
Two reversed cards appeared.
Watanabe quickly drew a card.
She looked at it, and then set it on her Disk, a second facedown Monster appeared.
Then she flipped the facedown Monster face-up, and Morphing Jar appeared. (700/600)
Bingo… thought Erik.
He discarded the cards in his hand. They both drew five cards.
Erik looked at his deck.
Only seven cards left in my deck… he thought. All the drawing and searching has caught up to me… I'd better win this fast…
Then he was shocked as Chakkan's flame burned him again.
(E: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - (W: 1,350)
"Your turn!" laughed Watanabe.
Erik growled as he made a draw.
"I'm just going to pass, and end my turn there," he said. "Now your Swords wear off, and my Monsters will be free to attack next round."
"That will be too late, Erik," replied Watanabe, drawing another card. "Time to show you what my deck can truly do…
"First, I move Chakkan and Mobaphon to Attack Mode."
The two Deformers quickly switched to robot mode.
"Then, I use Chakkan's offensive effect, and sacrifice Morphing Jar to do so…"
Morphing Jar vanished, and Erik sweat as more flames scorched him.
"Then, I use my Battle Dance to switch it to Defense Mode, and use its other effect."
Chakkan turned back to lighter mode, and another blast of flame hit Erik.
"Next, I use Mobaphon's effect one last time. Dial On!"
Mobaphon's buttons flashed again, this time landing on the three. Watanabe looked at the top three cards on her deck.
"I summon a second Clockn in Defense Mode," she said.
Another of the digital clocks appeared. (600/1,100)
"Now, I place one Counter on it…"
Clockn's number changed to 1:00.
"Then I sacrifice it to use its effect!"
Clockn vanished, and Erik cringed as a red aura surrounded him.
(E: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - (W: 1,350)
"I'm just getting started," said Watanabe. "I flip my facedown Monster to Attack Mode. Reveal… Penguin Soldier!"
The card flipped up, and a cute-looking penguin carrying a sword appeared. (750/500)
Oh, no… thought Erik. She can use that to bounce two of my Monsters back to my hand…
"I use its effect to send Deformer Mobaphon and Deformer Chakkan back to my hand," said Watanabe.
The two Deformers vanished.
"Confused?" asked Watanabe. "It will all become clear in a minute. You likely thought I had no high-level Monsters in this deck… Well, I have one. I sacrifice my penguin…"
Penguin Soldier vanished.
"…to summon Gadget Hauler!"
In a large burst of energy, a large semi rig truck appeared next to Watanabe. It didn't seem very remarkable as far as rigs went, but Erik could tell, this meant business. (1,300/0)
"Next," continued Watanabe, "I use my Hauler's effect. For each Deformer in my hand that I discard, it receives a permanent gain of 800 Attack Points."
She quickly discarded Mobaphon and Chakkan, and Gadget Hauler glowed, rising to an Attack Score of 2,900.
"Next," she continued, "I play the Spell Card, Factory of 100 Machines!"
A creepy-looking Spell Card appeared on her side of the field. It had the picture of Jinzo with two shadowy Deformers behind it.
Then nine Deformers appeared behind Watanabe: Mobaphon, two Magnen U, two Clockn, Radion, Radiocassen, Chakkan, and Cameran. They all faded into nothing.
"By removing from play every Deformer in my Graveyard, one Machine on my side of the field gains 200 Attack Points for each!"
(4,700/0)
Gadget Hauler's cab split in two, its trailer opened, and a large cannon with a giant engine emerged from it…
Ho boy… thought Erik. This is gonna hurt…
"FIRE!" shouted Watanabe.
Gadget Hauler's cannon blasted with a roar so explosive that the whole half of the room behind Erik was blown to pieces, revealing a dark void outside. Toy Magician was vaporized, and Erik was thrown backwards.
Erik narrowly avoided the same fate. He grabbed hold of a broken pipe just in time to keep from falling into that void…
He caught his breath, and pulled himself back into the room.
(E: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - (W: 1,350)
He looked, and saw that, by some miracle, his hand of cards had fallen on the floor right before he had nearly been blown away. He slowly picked them up.
"Anything else?" he said, with a hint of anger in his voice.
Watanabe placed a card in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"I end my turn, which means the effect of my Spell Card wears off," she said. "But like I said, any increase that my Hauler gains by its own effect is permanent."
(2,900/0)
Then this is my last chance, thought Erik. If she manages to use that effect next round with even one more Deformer, it will be too strong for anything I've got to defeat…
He drew a card. He held it to the light.
One of his facedown cards lifted.
"Go, Monster Reborn!" he shouted.
In a flash, the ankh appeared, and the Toy Magician appeared again. Toy Dragon rose to an Attack Score of 3,500 again.
"Go ahead!" laughed Watanabe. "Attack if you think it will work!"
"Oh, but it will," replied Erik. "I play… Sky Union!"
The Spell Card appeared, and glowed with energy.
"I sacrifice three Monsters…"
Both Toy Magicians and Toy Emperor vanished.
"To bring out my most powerful beast… Arise!"
From out of the void behind him, the mighty Air Fortress Ziggurat appeared. (2,500/2,000)
"HA!" laughed Watanabe. "That's not strong enough!"
"It will be in a minute," replied Erik. "I play… Shrink!"
His other facedown card lifted.
"It doesn't truly cut your Hauler's Attack Score in half… But it does reduce its Score by half of its base Attack Score, which I believe was 1,300. That means it loses 650 Attack Points, which makes it just the right size for my Fortress to handle."
Gadget Hauler fell to an Attack Score of 2,250.
"Attack her Gadget Hauler!"
Air Fortress Ziggurat's eyes glowed with golden fire.
"I activate… Sakuretsu Armor!" shouted Watanabe.
Her Trap Card lifted up.
Then she was startled, as it was smashed to pieces.
"My Monster is immune to Traps," replied Erik. "I'm guessing you didn't research the game as much as you researched the cheat sites so you could find the proof you imagined existed that I had copied that paper."
A volley of missiles fired from the Fortress, blowing Gadget Hauler to scrap. Watanabe screamed.
"Before I attack, teach," said Erik, "here's one last thing to remember me by… I didn't plagiarize that paper. If I did, don't you think I'd gloat about it right now?"
"Wait… don't!" begged Watanabe, looking at Toy Dragon. "Mercy, please!"
"Mercy?" asked Erik. "As if! I've wanted to do this ever since you assigned us to read Gulliver's Travels over Christmas break!
"Toy Dragon… Attack directly with Shooting Star Shower!"
Watanabe screamed as the barrage of glowing motes from Toy Dragon slammed into her. She fell to her knees.
(E: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - (W: 0)
Erik walked up to Watanabe, who was panting for breath.
"So you beat me…" she said, with a voice that was thick with bile, "but consider this, Erik… I've learned a few things about the politics of the Twelve Dimensions…
"Dark Lucius is one of the Archfiends' greatest assets. As a general of the armies of Pandemonium, he's led battalions of their troops to many victories in the darker parts of the Dimensions…
"You can just imagine how much the Terrorking is salivating with anticipation right now, now that the possibility has arisen of another Dark Lucius eventually being born…"
That was too much for Erik. He drew the sword out of the sheath at his side. But before he could use it, Watanabe erupted into green flames, and vanished.
Erik took a deep breath.
"Deformers, huh?" he muttered. "Weird…"
He looked, and saw a glowing portal open where Watanabe had stood.
"That's my way out…" he muttered. "Let's hope Sam isn't at the mercy of some other psycho…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GADGET BOX (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: An odd-looking machine with cartoon weapons built into its limbs looming over a collection of stuffed toys.
Card Description: Once per turn, you may Special Summon one "Gadget Token" (Machine/Earth/Level One/0ATK/0DEF) in Attack Position. "Gadget Tokens" cannot be used as Tributes for a Tribute Summon.
Note: "Gadget Box" was first used by Rua in an episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PSYCHIC CYCLONE (Spell Card)
Quickplay Spell
Image: A mysterious man holding up one finger with a whirlwind around it.
Card Description: Target one set card in your opponent's Spell/Trap Zone. State whether the set card is a Spell or Trap Card. Then, destroy that card. If the card is the type of card you stated, draw one card. If the card is not the type of card you stated, your opponent draws one card.
Note: "Psychic Cyclone" was first used by Takasu in an episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Erik's Deck Lord: "Warrior Dai Grepher": "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) "Realm of Toys": You must use this ability on your first turn. Discard one Spell or Trap Card from your hand. Activate one "Toy Town" from your deck. (Minor Power) "Imperial Rally": If a "Toy Emperor" is face-up on your side of the field, you may discard one card from your hand to select one "Toy" Monster from your Graveyard that is Level Four or less and add it to your hand. (Minor Power)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Watanabe's Deck Lord: "Otohime": "Battle Dance": Once per turn, during your Main Phase 1, you can change the battle position of one face-up Monster you control, disregarding any condition that would prevent you from doing so. (Greater Power) "Desensitization": Negate any effect damage you would take from the effects of cards you control. (Extraordinary Power)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lords of Chaos
The Sleepers; The Irecundia
What are the Irecundia? What purpose do they serve? The simple answer is, only the gods may know for sure. They are quite likely the most dangerous threat that the Abyss has to offer.
Irecundia are demons of mind-boggling size, the size of mountains. If you are able to look at the entire creature – which is difficult – apart from its colossal size, it would look like a typical demon, except that its body is covered with strange runes that have no meaning in any known language. No-one knows how many there are, how they manage to eat enough to maintain their enormous bulk, or what drives them. These goliaths are found in the most desolate areas of the Abyss, always singly, and asleep almost all the time. They do not seem to be related to the obyriths, and they are certainly far older than the current race of demons. Some have theorized that they wait for the end of all times, when they all will awake to devour the universe. Thankfully, these giants are asleep almost constantly.
Irecundia are so powerful, they cannot be summoned or controlled. Sometimes, when the need is dire enough, groups of powerful demon sorcerers can use mighty spells that can wake one of them up. Even then, there is no guarantee that the behemoth won't flatten the ones who did so, but if a demon with power on par with a demon lord speaks to it sternly, there is a chance it might decide to obey.
This is usually done when a demon lord must end a long and very frustrating Blood War conflict. Any battle where an Irecundia shows up is very one-sided, with the great beast stomping and devouring the devilish forces, and often most of the demonic ones as well. Even after the battle is won, the Irecundia doesn't stop slaughtering every living creature who can't escape its grasp, and does so until it gets bored, and decides to leave and find a place to go back to sleep.
Only once in history was there a record of an Irecundia being defeated. Roughly two-hundred years ago, several representatives of the planar races representing Order in the universe decided to form a council, holding a meeting in an area of the Outlands known as Common Ground. This great meeting was overseen by Alorous, one of the group of Archlords that governed Heaven.
News of this council of Order leaked, and one of the most ambitious – but not necessarily the smartest – demon princes, an up-and-coming lord named Bifrons, decided it was the perfect opportunity to decimate the powers of Law. He formed an army, and managed to awaken an Irecundia and convince it to come with them.
His first mistake was thinking he could take the council by surprise. The area of the Outlands that surrounded Common Ground is a vast, grassy plain, and the council was able to see the Irecundia coming from fifty miles away. They were long gone by the time Bifrons's army got there – all except Alorous, who decided to stay behind and deal with the great beast. And he did so, flying at the walking mountain with his celestial sword drawn. Bifrons laughed at this apparent foolish act, until he saw that the look on the Irecundia's face was clearly one of terror. Exactly where on the huge demon Alorous stuck, it was hard to tell, but it was a lethal wound, which sent the great beast toppling over, crushing Bifrons's army and Bifrons himself. The giant demon's body quickly fossilized, becoming a series of hills, but Outlands natives avoid the place to this day.
This victory has led many to believe that the Archlords know something about the Irecundia that even most demons don't. Clearly, Alorous knew of a weakness in the giants, possibly one connected to their origins. However, the Archlords keep this weakness a secret, obviously to prevent any would-be heroes from going to their deaths hoping to slay the great beasts. Perhaps, as an old saying goes, some secrets are not meant for man to know.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coming up next:
You've been reading this fic for a long time, and you've likely suspected that the Skull Knight who works for Daala is not the same one who was a follower of the Supreme King. Well, let me say right now, he is a completely different Spirit.
Coming up next, the solo missions continue, as Sam confronts Skull Knight, and he reveals just who he is, someone whom Sam remembers only too well, and has reason to hate. And you can bet that he won't go down easily. "Old Issues" is coming soon.