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CHAPTER SEVEN
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Steakhouse Scuffle!
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Royal Shadow Warrior
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The Restaurant District was conveniently located only a stone's throw from the Hotel Strip, and consisted of a strip loaded with eateries of all shapes and sizes. Not every restaurant in Duelatopia was here – a few classy places were in parts of the city that fit their themes, and fast food places and street vendors were present everywhere – but here was the place to go when you needed a variety.
A few well-known chains had opened in Duelatopia over the years. The Olive Garden had a spot, as did TJI Fridays. Pizza Hut was here, and it would even deliver to guests. But there were enough unique establishments to please any palates. Here a Chinese place, there a Thai place.
And eventually the small group saw their goal – a large place called The Sizzling Sirloin. It was a big sit-down place, as they could see from the outside, and even from a distance they could smell the delicious aromas of charbroiled beef and grilled onions. It was clear that dinner was about to be served.
Yumi, Chelsea, and Ren walked in, and were met by a surprise. Sitting on a couch in the entrance hall were Sam and Erik.
"Sam!" said Yumi, in surprise.
The two rivals looked at each other in silence for a few seconds. Yumi noticed that both Sam and Erik were at the same spot she was, Green, as indicated by their badges. Sam slowly looked at the three of them, smirking a little when she saw that Ren was behind.
"Don't tell me they won't let you in?" asked Yumi.
"Coming here was Erik's idea," said Sam. "The waitress said that there's a ten-minute wait for a table. This is a popular spot."
She smirked.
"As long as you're all here, want to make it a party of five? Separate checks, of course."
"We'll pay for all of us," said Chelsea. "I beat a guy, and he gave me this."
She showed her the coupon and Sam looked closely at it.
"Really?" she asked. "I do hope one of you is ready to work up an appetite…"
"What do you mean?" asked Chelsea.
"Show that to the waitress when she gets here, and she'll tell you," said Sam. "But in the future, be wary of any so-called coupons that have gold stars in the upper left corners. My mom told me about them."
Chelsea looked at the coupon. There were three gold stars there.
"Uh…" said Chelsea. "Do all of these… coupons have three?"
"No," said Sam. "Three means second-hardest. Four is hardest."
"Hardest what?" demanded Yumi.
"Hey, y'all!" said a voice.
The voice came from a young woman in a short skirt and a halter top with the restaurant's logo – clearly she was a waitress. She had blonde hair tied in a ponytail and deep green eyes.
"I'm Mary Jane, and I'll be your waitress," she said. "Party of three?"
"Depends…" said Chelsea. "Can you tell us what the deal is with this?"
Mary Jane looked at the coupon and then grinned.
"Well," she said with a chuckle, "I was wondering when one'a those would show up. This should be fun…"
"What?" asked Ren.
"The coupon doesn't guarantee a free meal, per say," said Mary Jane. "That's an invitation… to one of the Bonuses."
There was a pause. They remembered what Sheena had said about the Bonuses of Duelatopia:
These folks could be any employee you see in Duelatopia. A store owner, bellhop, ice cream man… They might approach you with a challenge, and the reward is the same as a standard duel – one upgrade for winning, but no downgrade for losing. You might also be able to make some small wager in the process.
"So if one of y'all want, we can whet your appetites with a duel," she continued. "If you lose, no harm, no foul, but you aren't eating here without paying. Win, and you get upgraded, and your order is on the house."
"Don't look at the two of us," said Sam. "It's your coupon."
Chelsea sighed.
"I've dueled enough for one day…" she said.
"I might be able to…" said Ren, glancing at the menu on the wall. "The thought of a free porterhouse is hard to turn down."
He turned to Mary Jane.
"Who would I be dueling?"
"You're looking at her!" laughed Mary Jane.
Ren looked at her. Then he chuckled.
"A sweet thing like you? Yeah, I think I could handle it…"
Mary Jane turned around.
"Hey, Luke!" she shouted. "Clear off the podium! We're gonna have a dinner show!"
Lovely, thought Ren. I get to duel in front of a packed house… Ah well… It was bound to happen sooner or later…
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The podium, as she called it, was a circular, upraised, wooden stage with the proper dimensions for a dueling ring. As Ren shuffled his deck, his group was seated at a large table nearby.
"I don't think this will take long…" said Ren, "but… uh… don't order the best stuff on the menu until it looks like I'm winning."
"We wouldn't think of it, Ren," said Chelsea. "Now knock 'em dead."
Ren stepped up to face Mary Jane, who had her own Duel Disk set.
"Ready, hon?" she asked. "I should warn you, the cards in my deck are rather… Unorthodox…"
"So you have a unique strategy," said Ren. "That's actually good. If there's one thing a serious duelist hates it's jerks who show no creativity and build decks that are cookie cutter."
"That's for sure," said Sam. "Mom won't invite anyone who uses cookie cutter decks. Those people give dueling a bad name. No one will ever win glory on this island with such a deck."
"Well then…" said Mary Jane, as her Disk activated, "as they say in my business…"
She drew five cards.
"Dinner is served!"
(Ren: 8,000) -------------------- (Mary Jane: 8,000)
Ren drew his sixth card.
"I'll start out by playing Graceful Charity…" he said, holding the card aloft.
In a sparkle of light, the lovely angel appeared, and her feathers fell on his deck. He drew three cards.
He looked over his hand, and then made two discards.
"Next I'll summon one of my favorites," he said. "Come on out, Getsu Fuhma!"
He threw the card on his Disk, and in a shower of petals, the lovely, red-headed, female ronin appeared, holding aloft her katana. (1,700/1,200)
Several whistles and catcalls came from the audience. Getsu Fuhma looked rather annoyed…
"Ignore them…" muttered Ren.
Then he spoke up.
"That's enough to start…"
"All right!" said Mary Jane energetically.
She drew her first card.
"First I'll set a Monster in Defense Mode, and a card facedown…"
A facedown card, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"And then I play a Continuous Spell Card. Soup's on, hon!"
She placed the card in her Disk, and with a rumbling, a huge device rose up behind her. It was basically a giant iron cauldron with a fire burning under it, with a huge ladle inside. Steam was coming out of whatever was cooking inside the immense crockery. The smells of cooked meats and spices wafted from it.
"What is that?" asked Sam.
"Well, uhm…" muttered Erik. "I think it's supposed to be a very big pot of soup…"
"Brilliant deduction," said Mary Jane. "It's called a Curry Pot, and for as long as it's on the field, any Monster that would normally go to the Graveyards is removed from play.
"It does something else, but we'll get into that later. For now, my turn is over, so I'll leave it to you to bring out the next course."
"You got it!" said Ren, drawing.
What's she playing? thought Yumi. If this is some sort of RFG Deck, it's a weird one…
Ren looked at the card.
Wow, he thought, I haven't gotten a chance to use this guy yet!
"Chew on this!" he shouted. "I summon Double Pinaska!"
A new Warrior leapt onto the podium with a somersault. He had Spanish features, slick hair, and a slim moustache. He was dressed in leather pantaloons and a vest, and he had two sharp rapiers which he twirled dramatically. (1,500/1,500)
"All right!" he said, "Getsu Fuhma, attack her facedown Monster! Blade of Vengeance!"
Getsu Fuhma charged, and an odd Monster appeared on Mary Jane's card. It looked like… Some sort of orange tuber with arms and legs, and a green, leafy plume on top, with arms and legs. It was crouching in defense.
Getsu Fuhma slashed with her sword, and it was blown into pieces.
"Uh, were my eyes deceiving me, or was that a carrot?" asked Ren.
"It was a Carrotman," said Mary Jane, nodding. "Low in calories, high in vitamin A."
She turned her head as the pieces of her Monster flew up and landed in the Curry Pot.
And all's going according to plan, she thought. All I need to do now… Is brace myself…
"I don't know what's up…" said Ren, "but now you're wide open! Double Pinaska, attack Mary Jane directly! Double slash!"
The Spaniard leapt up and did a somersault again, and when he came down, he made two slashes across Mary Jane's torso. She gasped and fell on her behind. Everyone in the audience cheered.
"Getting nailed is the hardest part of dueling…" muttered Sam.
"Lucky for Mary Jane, she fell on her softest part," chuckled Erik.
(R: 8,000) -------------------- (M J: 6,500)
"I'll place this facedown and end my turn…" said Ren, fitting a card into his Disk.
A facedown card appeared behind his two Warriors.
"All right," said Mary Jane, drawing a new card.
She looked at it, and then chose another.
"I summon another Monster, this time in Attack Mode. Don't cry, it's only Onionman!"
She played the card, and another strange Monster appeared. This one was definitely an onion, standing five feet tall, again with arms and legs. (1,200/1,200)
"Good grief, are all your Monsters edible?" asked Ren. "I wouldn't mind if a few weren't vegetables, but…"
"I admit that this onion looks rather bland…" said Mary Jane. "That's why no good chef is ever far from his spice rack.
"I play the Spell Card, Mixed Spice – Garam Masala."
She played the card.
"Say WHAT?" asked Ren.
"If you want to know what Garam Masala is, let's just say that it's a seasoning that only serious cooks use. And this Spell lets me search my deck for three similar Spells, and add them to my hand…"
She took her deck and looked through it, quickly taking three cards.
"Now I play one of them," she said. "It's called Spell Spice – Red Pepper."
As she played the card, a cloud of red dust covered the field, and Getsu Fuhma started to cough…
"What's wrong?" asked Ren, getting nervous.
"She must not be a fan of spicy food," said Mary Jane. "This Spell Card deducts 300 Attack Points from one of your Monsters for one round."
Getsu Fuhma fell to an Attack of 1,400.
Then they noticed that Onionman was burning with flames.
"And what do you know?" continued Mary Jane. "Those 300 points go right to MY Monster!"
Onionman rose to an Attack of 1,500.
"Want more?" asked Mary Jane. "I always say, there's no such thing as too much seasoning. I'll play a second Spell Spice – Red Pepper!"
She played the card, and Getsu Fuhma fell to 1,100, while Onionman rose to 1,800.
"That should do…" said Mary Jane. "Onionman, attack Getsu Fuhma with bulb basher!"
Onionman flew at the ronin, fist-first…
"Double Pinaska, defend!" shouted Ren.
There was a loud WHACK! and Onionman fell backwards, landing on its back.
When everyone looked, Double Pinaska was holding Getsu Fuhma in a gentle embrace and glaring at Onionman with a look of anger…
"How…" asked Mary Jane.
"Didn't tell you about Double Pinaska's ability," said Ren. "It's a powerful ability that I can use once per duel. When I choose to use it, I can negate one attack, no matter what the target, no matter how powerful it is."
Mary Jane looked at her other cards.
"In that case…" she said, "I'll play this. It's called Spell Spice – Cinnamon."
She played the card, and sparkling brown dust fell on Onionman.
"It moves my Monster to Defense Mode."
Onionman knelt in Defense.
"Oh no you don't!" laughed Ren, as his facedown card lifted. "I activate Final Attack Orders. Now any Monster in face-up Defense Mode is moved to Attack Mode and kept there."
Onionman stood back up.
Mary Jane looked at her hand again.
"Very well…" she said. "I'll place another card facedown, and my turn is over…"
A facedown card appeared.
Onionman's Attack fell back down to 1,200, and Getsu Fuhma's rose back to 1,700.
"About time," said Ren, drawing a card.
"Sam, I thought you said three stars was second-hardest," said Chelsea. "She's hardly giving Ren a challenge, and her cards are barely better than stuff you'd find in a starter pack."
"Are you calling me a liar?" asked Sam. "I was told that three stars is second-highest."
"I dunno…" said Yumi. "I'm getting some pretty ominous vibes from that Curry Pot up there… Something tells me it's hiding a secret, and Mary Jane is waiting for the right time to let it loose."
Mary Jane looked at her and smirked.
Ren added his card to his hand.
"I'll sacrifice Double Pinaska…"
Double Pinaska faded away into mist.
"…and summon Penumbral Soldier Lady!"
In an aura of darkness, the gorgeous, armored Warrior of Darkness appeared, holding her sword and shield. (2,100/1,400)
"Getsu Fuhma, chop up that onion!" he shouted.
Getsu swung with her sword, slicing the vegetable into slices. The pieces flew up and fell into the Curry Pot.
"I activate a Trap Card!" shouted Mary Jane, as one of her facedown cards lifted. "It's called Counter Spice – Cumin. Since one of my Monsters was destroyed, I can Special Summon another from my hand. So meet Potatoman!"
A new vegetable Monster leapt out. This one… well, it was a potato, again with arms and legs. (900/800)
"I say potato, you say po-tat-o…"
"Now you're talking…" said Ren with a smile. "I love potatoes. And I especially love them when they're turned into French fries! Penumbral Soldier Lady, cut up that tater!"
Penumbral Soldier Lady charged forward and brought her sword down on Potatoman, smashing it to pieces. Once again, the pieces flew up and fell into the Curry Pot.
(R: 8,000) -------------------- (M J: 4,800)
"So what's next?" said Ren with a grin. "You gonna bring out Hungry Burger?"
"No way," said Mary Jane, with a wicked smile. "Hamburgers are only on the lunch menu. And I have something far more tantalizing. And you've helped me bring it out.
"You see, now that carrots, onions, and potatoes have been added to the mix, I can activate Curry Pot's true effect…
"The time for soup, salad, and appetizers is past. The main course is about to begin. Start hoping you'll last until dessert…"
"I knew it…" muttered Yumi.
"First…" said Mary Jane, "all Monsters remaining on the field are now removed from play…"
Ren stepped back in shock as Getsu Fuhma and Penumbral Soldier Lady exploded into gibbets of light.
"HEY!" he shouted.
"And then…" continued Mary Jane, taking a card from her deck, "I get to summon this…"
As she put the card on her Disk, the Curry Pot began to boil and then overflow…
And then, a huge creature leapt out of it, and landed on the podium with a crash. It was ten feet tall, with white armor decorated by garlands of roots and tubers, and a helmet that resembled a gravy boat. Its feet were clawed, and it held a huge spoon in its right hand and carried some sort of beverage cooler in its left. Its eyes glowed with evil light. (0/0)
"Meet my Curry Fiend Roux," said Mary Jane. "Don't try serving him with ketchup… He prefers the taste of blood!"
"Okay…" muttered Ren. "Zero attack points… I'm guessing this is one of those Monsters that gains Attack Points based on some sort of condition…"
"Indeed…" said Mary Jane. "For every Monster that has been removed from play, he gains 300 Attack Points. And for every card with the word 'Spice' in its name in my Graveyard, he gains 200 more.
"Do the math…"
"Math was never my strong point…" muttered Sam.
Erik counted on his fingers.
"Six Monsters…" he muttered. "Five spices… It all adds up to 2,800!"
"That's as strong as my Dark Magician of Chaos!" shouted Yumi.
Ren sneered. He fit a card into his Disk.
"All right!" he said. "I'll place this facedown, and that will be my turn…"
A facedown card appeared.
He started to sweat. He remembered one time he had dueled Yumi and had taken a direct attack from Dark Magician of Chaos. Yumi had apologized to him for a straight three hours afterwards before he spoke again, it had been so painful…
Mary Jane drew a card.
I'll save this for when I need it… she thought, looking at it.
"Curry Fiend Roux…" she ordered, "attack Ren directly! Montezuma's revenge!"
As the huge Fiend lumbered forward, Ren looked at his facedown card.
Okay, decision time… he thought. If I spring my Trap, I'll lose less Life Points… But then, my chances of beating this thing go from slim to almost nonexistent.
Well, like my dad said… Sometimes you gotta fall down before you can get back up.
Curry Fiend Roux swung its spoon, and hurled a mass of soup, and the soup turned into fire. Ren screamed as it struck him, and fell down on one knee.
(R: 5,200) -------------------- (M J: 4,800)
He gasped for breath.
"Ow…" he muttered.
He glared at his foe.
"I'm not beaten yet, MJ," he said, "You know what the strangest thing about food is?"
"What's that?" asked Mary Jane.
"One minute it may be haute cuisine…" said Ren, standing up, "but the instant you put it in the sink, it becomes garbage.
"And that's what I'm going to do your big lug over there!"
"Yumi," asked Sam. "Out of curiosity, does Ren have another Getsu Fuhma in his deck?"
"I'm not sure," replied Yumi. "We all agreed not to ask each other about the exact compositions of our decks in case we ever had to duel each other. Why do you ask?"
"Well, seeing as that big thing is a Fiend," she said, "she's someone who might be kinda useful to have right now…"
She's right, thought Ren. Any Fiend that Getsu Fuhma battles is automatically destroyed. She'd be killed too, but at least I'd solve the immediate problem…
I do have a second one… But she could be at the bottom of my deck for all I know…
He drew a card.
"I play… Pot of Greed," he said, playing it.
The laughing jar appeared in the air, and he drew two cards.
My father's best card… he thought, looking at one of them.
He looked at his other cards and did a quick calculation.
But even if I used everything here…
He looked at Mary Jane.
"Question…" he said.
"Yes?" she answered.
"What Attribute is your Curry Fiend Roux?"
"Heh, heh…" chuckled Mary Jane. "He's an Earth Monster, unlike most Fiends. Uhm… Why do you ask?"
Ren grinned.
"That's all I wanted to know!" he said with a laugh.
His Trap Card lifted up.
"I activate my facedown Call of the Haunted!"
"What good will that do you?" asked Mary Jane. "All your Monsters were removed from play."
"Not all of them," replied Ren. "I played Graceful Charity on my first turn, before you even played Curry Pot, remember? One card I discarded was a Monster."
The floor cracked, and Chthonian Soldier burst out of the ground. (1,200/1,400)
"Now I play… Frontline Base," he said, playing a Spell Card. "Now I can Special Summon a Monster from my hand, so long as it's a Union Monster… As long as it's Level Four or less, of course. And I choose to summon Pitch-Dark Dragon."
He played a card from his hand, and the small, Dark Dragon appeared. (900/600)
"And now… I sacrifice both of them…"
Chthonian Soldier and Pitch-Dark Dragon vanished…
"A double sacrifice?" exclaimed Yumi. "Can it be…"
The arena darkened, and a sliver of a crescent moon appeared above. Stepping out of the darkness was a powerful-looking woman with ebony-black skin, silvery hair, and glowing, silver eyes. She wore silvery armor, a cape that looked like the night sky, and a silvery crown set with a single white diamond. In each hand was a scimitar shaped like a crescent moon.
"Good lord…" said Yumi. "The Crescent Moon Queen!"
The Queen raised her scimitars menacingly at Curry Fiend Roux… (2,600/1,700)
"Heh, heh," chuckled Mary Jane. "Impressive, but I see two things wrong with that. First, my Curry Fiend was stronger to start out with, and second, now you've removed two more Monsters from play, making him even stronger."
Curry Fiend Roux glowed… (3,400/0)
"Oh really?" asked Ren. "Well I'm not done. I Equip her with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade."
He played the card, and the Queen's scimitars vanished, and were replaced by a much more impressive katana. (3,400/1,700)
Mary Jane stepped back in shock.
"They'll destroy each other!" she gasped.
"No they won't," said Ren, taking his last card.
His Field Slot opened, and he placed it inside.
"I play Mystic Plasma Zone!"
An aura of darkness covered the field, and Crescent Moon Queen grinned. She rose to (3,900/1,300)
"And by the way…" said Ren. "My Queen has the ability to attack… twice! Crescent Moon Queen, attack Curry Fiend Roux!"
Crescent Moon Queen leapt up, and brought her blade down on the huge Fiend. Its eyes bugged out, and then it exploded in a fiery blast.
"And now…" continued Ren. "Attack directly!"
Mary Jane screamed bloody murder as the Warrior's sword slammed into her like a hammer and she fell on her back.
"How does that taste?" asked Ren.
(R: 5,200) -------------------- (M J: 400)
"Of course," said Ren, "my Queen has one weakness. She has to move into Defense Mode after attacking twice."
Sweat beaded on the Queen's face, and she knelt in Defense Mode…
"But thanks to my Final Attack Orders, she can gain her second wind right away, and move right back to Attack Mode."
The Queen stood back up.
"It's your move…" said Ren.
Mary Jane slowly got up. She took some deep breaths, and then drew a card.
"I play… Pot of Greed…" she said, playing it.
She drew two cards.
"All right…" she muttered, "plan B. First I'll play Emergency Provisions to sacrifice my facedown card, which has been sitting here useless the whole time…"
She played the card, and the Trap Card – revealed to be Judgment of Anubis – lifted up and vanished.
"Now I'll play this…" she said, playing a Spell Card. "It's called Spell Spice –Garlic!"
"Garlic?" said Ren. "Don't like the sound of that…"
"To play this card, I have to pay half my Life Points, and destroy the Curry Pot…" continued Mary Jane.
The Curry Pot shattered into shards.
"But in return," she continued, "I get to bring Carrotman, Onionman, and Potatoman back."
In three bursts of light, the anthropomorphic carrot (800/900), onion (1,200/1,200), and potato (900/800) reappeared.
"Go ahead!" laughed Ren. "I'm not afraid of them!"
"Did I mention that my Spell Card also gives them the ability to attack directly this round?" asked Mary Jane.
Ren stepped back…
"No, you didn't…" he said, nervously.
"Carrotman, tuber thrash!" she shouted.
Carrotman leapt up, ignoring the Queen, and socked Ren in the face.
"Onionman, bulb basher!"
Onionman charged, and hit him in the stomach.
"Potatoman, spud spinner!"
Potatoman spun like a top, and slammed into Ren, knocking him over.
"I'm not gonna take this sitting down…" growled Ren.
He tried to get up, but stumbled.
"Okay, I'll take it sitting down, but I won't like it…"
Crescent Moon Queen gave him a look of concern. He slowly got to his feet…
Mary Jane placed her last card in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
(R: 2,300) -------------------- (M J: 700)
"And mom always told me that veggies were good for me," said Chelsea.
"Those three are mostly starch," replied Sam. "Not many vitamins, except for the carrot…"
"This isn't funny, people," said Yumi. "Ren has nothing except his Queen. No other cards in his hand, and no other ones on the field except Frontline Base and Final Attack Orders. If that facedown card is something that can destroy the Queen, those oversized salad ingredients might finish him off…"
She's right… thought Ren. My next draw had best be a good one…
He drew a card.
"Hey, Mary Jane," he said, "know what I like about this game? The duel isn't over until the last card is played!
"I play Bait Doll! This forces you to trigger that Trap now!"
Mary Jane gasped as her Trap, revealed to be a Mirror Force, lifted up.
"I thought so," said Ren. "And since I didn't declare an attack yet, it's wasted."
The Trap shattered.
"Crescent Moon Queen, attack the Carrotman! Chowtime!"
The Queen leapt up, and sliced the veggie down the middle.
Everyone cheered as Mary Jane fell to her knees…
(R: 2,300) -------------------- (M J: 0)
"I believe that means dinner is on the house for our group…" said Ren.
"Yes…" moaned Mary Jane. "And it will… be my pleasure to serve you…"
Ren smiled as he looked at his badge, which had just been upgraded to Green…
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While they were waiting for the food, the two groups swapped stories of the duelists they had encountered on the first day.
"You're kidding," said Sam. "A Batteryman Deck?"
"More formidable than it seems," replied Chelsea.
Mary Jane came up to the table with a huge tray of food.
"Here we are," she said. "Sirloin and mashed potatoes…"
She handed it to Yumi.
"Prime rib and fries…"
She handed it to Chelsea.
"Surf 'n turf…"
She gave it to Sam.
"Roast beef and corn on the cob…"
She gave it to Erik.
"And for the breadwinner, our best porterhouse with a fully loaded potato and onion rings."
She smiled as she gave it to Ren.
"You earned it hon," she said. "I hope you're hungry. Call me if you need anything else."
"So, Sam," said Yumi, "how did you do on day one?"
"Well, the first guy was easy," answered Sam. "He played a Magnet Warrior Deck. I beat him senseless before he knew what hit him.
"The next guy was harder. He claimed he was a West Point cadet on furlough. He played an Army Deck."
"Army Deck?" asked Chelsea.
"Let me put it this way," she replied. "His kill-card was Air Fortress Ziggurat."
"Grandpa told me about that one…" muttered Yumi. "He didn't face it, but Seto Kaiba told him about it. It's a giant, flying nightmare…"
"Whatever did you do?" asked Ren.
"Well…" said Sam. "I'd rather not reveal the secrets of my deck…"
"Oh come on…" said Yumi. "I heard that threat you made at Kaibaland. You called yourself the Consort of Ha Des. Admit it – you play a Fiend Deck."
"Maybe," muttered Sam.
"So how did you do, Erik?" asked Ren.
Erik took a bite and grinned.
"My first duel was easy too," he answered. "I went up against someone who used a Human Wave Deck. Nothing I couldn't handle.
"The big trouble came next… The guy used two Manticores."
"Manticores of Darkness?" asked Chelsea. "Ho boy… Those things give Beast-Warriors a bad name. They just refuse to die."
"I was able to beat them," said Erik. "They're easy to beat once you have a strong Monster or two of your own on the field. The guy kept sacrificing Monsters to regenerate them, but I kept killing them again and again, until he had no Monsters left to sacrifice, and he couldn't bring them back again. Then he was in trouble, with no Monsters to summon, and me able to plow into him."
"Good for you," said Chelsea.
"So…" said Yumi, between bites, "I have to wonder, where do we go from here?"
"It's just starting," said Sam. "And you and I are going to duel eventually, I guarantee it!"
Sam didn't know that a young man with fiery red hair was eyeing her from a table across the room…
As soon as her party ordered dessert, he was going to make a challenge, and he was intending to leave her on the floor writhing in pain…
Winning his second victory and a free meal to boot, Ren advances to Green. The day isn't over yet, and more duels may be in the works before our heroes decide to turn in to sleep!
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CARROTMAN (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Plant
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK:
800
DEF: 900
Flavor Text: An odd species of creature believed to be created from common tubers tainted by fiendish magic.
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0
0
POTATOMAN (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Plant
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK:
900
DEF: 900
Flavor Text: This weird plant is believed to be related to the Mystic Tomato. It refuses to believe it is only a potato.
0
0
0
ONIONMAN (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Plant
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK:
1,200
DEF: 1,200
Flavor Text: Though not the most formidable monster, this plant has been known to bring tears to folks' eyes.
0
0
0
CURRY FIEND ROUX (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK:
0
DEF: 0
Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except via the effect of "Curry Pot." For each card in your Graveyard with the word "Spice" in its name, increase the ATK of this card by 200. For each Monster that has been removed from play by each player, increase the ATK of this card by 300.
0
0
0
COUNTER SPICE – CUMIN (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A spice shaker full of yellow spice, glowing with energy.
Card Description: You can activate this card when one of your Monsters is destroyed. Special Summon a Level Four or lower Monster from your hand in Attack Position.
0
0
0
CURRY POT (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: A large pot of bubbling soup.
Card Description: When this card is face-up on the field, whenever a Monster would be sent to either Graveyard, remove it from play. When one "Carrotman", one "Potatoman", and one "Onionman" are removed from play by this effect, remove all Monsters on the field from play, and Special Summon one "Curry Fiend Roux" from your hand or deck.
0
0
0
SPELL SPICE – RED PEPPER (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A red pepper, glowing with energy in front of a spice shaker.
Card Description: Increase the ATK of one Monster on your side of the field by 300 for one round. You may then decrease the ATK of a Monster on your opponent's side of the field by 300 for one round.
0
0
0
SPELL SPICE – CINNAMON (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A cinnamon stick, glowing with energy.
Card Description: Shift one Monster on your side of the field to Defense Position. You may then shift one of your opponent's Monsters to Attack Position.
0
0
0
MIXED SPICE – GARAM MASALA (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A spice shaker with a green top full of brown spice.
Card Description: Search your deck for three cards with the words "Spell Spice" in them and add them to your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
Note: The proceeding nine cards were first used by Don Simon in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Curry Worries". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
SPELL SPICE – GARLIC (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A clove of garlic glowing with green energy.
Card Description: You can activate this card if a "Curry Fiend Roux" on your side of the field has been destroyed. Pay half your Life Points and destroy one "Curry Pot" on your side of the field. Special Summon one "Carrotman", one "Potatoman", and one "Onionman" that has been removed from play in Attack Position. Monsters Special Summoned by this card may attack your opponent directly on the round they are Special Summoned.
0
0
0
DOUBLE PINASKA (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK:
1,500
DEF: 1,500
Card Description: When this card is face-up on your side of the field, you can negate one attack made by your opponent. This effect can only be used once per duel.
Note: "Double Pinaska" first appeared in "Legacy of the Duelist".
0
0
0
CRESCENT MOON QUEEN (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK:
2,600
DEF: 1,700
Card Description: This card can attack twice in the same Battle Phase. If this card attacks twice in the same Battle Phase, move it to face-up Defense Position at the end of the Battle Phase.
Note: "Crescent Moon Queen" first appeared in "City of Souls".
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0
0
Chelsea: Sam, don't look now, but that guy is looking at you really strange.
Sam: Aw, maybe he just wants an autograph.
Yumi: I don't think he's a fan, Sam. I think he's more intent on handing you your head.
Coming up next, "Heir of Kaiba! Evil versus Medieval!"
As Samantha's destiny begins to unfold.
Ren: So, we're finally gonna get to see Sam duel? With her actual deck?
Chelsea: Sure looks like it… So be here!
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One final note:
To all those who have read Man Called True's fic, "Shadow Realm: Fifteen", tomorrow I will be debuting on fanfic a Central Shadow Realm story of my own. This fic has already been completed on another website, so you don't have to worry about it slowing me down.
Fans of True's work, don't miss "Shadow Realm: PI".