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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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Shadows From a Generation Ago
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Duel of Darkness
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Sheena Arachne sat in her large office, massaging her temples.
The happenings of the last hour had given her quite a headache.
A device on her desk buzzed.
"Enter," she said, hitting a button.
A man in a business suit walked in.
"How's the patient?" she asked.
"In critical condition, but stable now," he answered. "The doctors can't tell when, if ever, she'll come out of the coma."
Sheena swung her chair so it was facing the window.
"If she does soon, she'll have some explaining to do," she replied. "I checked her badge… Although it recognized her as a tournament guest, complete with a trust fund, when I looked for her name on the official list, it wasn't there.
"And according to my daughter, she's only one of a group… Of some band of outlaws. These thugs are up to who-knows-what, and stealing company money in the process."
"They must have constructed a sort of phantom guest list to enter the tournament," said the aid, "so they could be unnoticed."
Sheena nodded.
"When I find Smalls, he's going to have a lot to answer for," she said. "But he isn't at his station right now… I checked.
"But the Centurions are looking for him right now, and he won't get far…"
She picked up her phone.
She didn't know it, but Smalls had quickly heard that one of the Ascenders had been apprehended. Fearing for himself, he had fled Duelatopia on the next available boat…
…and unfortunately, that left a lot of secrets in the system that only he could remove.
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Hundreds of miles away from Duelatopia, at the Marris residence in Domino City, Ren's kid sister and her friend Sally were engaged in a tabletop duel.
Sally's deck had a clear theme, one of Fiend-Type Monsters, even though it had more Monsters than most decks had. Connie's deck had a better Monster-Spell-Trap ratio, but her theme was very vague. It was basically only made up of Dark Monsters that she found interesting. She would have to go a long way before she constructed a proper deck.
Right now, she had Mechanicalchaser on the field, and her opponent had Newdoria.
Sally drew a card.
"Hee, hee…" she chuckled. "I'll sacrifice Newdoria…"
She placed the card in the discard pile.
"…and bring out Summoned Skull!"
She threw the card down on the table.
"So now I can scrap your Machine!"
Connie sighed, and discarded Mechanicalchaser.
She was down to 1,450 Life Points now, and Sally had 1,800. She looked at her hand.
Vorse Raider, Ebon Magician Curran, and Scapegoat…
She drew a card.
Her eyes perked up…
It was the card her big brother had given her.
"I place a facedown card, and a Monster in Defense Mode," she said, setting two cards. "Your move."
Sally made a draw.
"I attack your facedown Monster with Summoned Skull!" she laughed.
Connie made a sinister smirk, and held up the card.
"Bad idea," she said. "Any Fiend who battles Getsu Fuhma dies."
"No way…" said Sally.
"It's like my brother said…" said Connie. "She has a special power… She drives away evil creatures and night terrors."
Sally sulked.
"My move now…" said Connie.
She drew, and then placed Vorse Raider on the table.
"I attack directly. You lose."
In her mind, she saw Vorse Raider slamming his axe into Sally. How she wished she could use a Disk and make the Monsters real…
Sally sighed, and gathered her cards.
"This is getting boring…" she muttered. "I wish we were in Duelatopia."
"Hey…" said Connie. "Let's see if my brother has dueled again since last time!"
She rushed to the computer on her desk, and sat down. She quickly logged onto the Duelatopia website…
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"Okay, mom… okay," said Sam.
"Bad news," she said, putting away her cell phone. "Holly's condition has stabilized."
"Why is that bad news?" asked Yumi.
"Because she might survive," growled Chelsea. "She didn't deserve us being a bunch of goody-two-shoes. From what we saw, Yumi, she not only intended to kill you, she was enjoying it."
Yumi shook her head.
"My family has a history with such people," she said. "Give Holly slack. Consider her side…"
"Consider her side?" asked Chelsea. "Are you saying something gives her permission to be cruel?"
"Maybe something happened to her when she was a kid, Chelsea," suggested Yumi. "Maybe she was beaten… abused…
"…or raped…"
Everyone gave a look of fear…
"You see, people," continued Yumi, "her attitude isn't justified, and if she ever wakes up, she should pay for her crimes. But no-one is ever born that way. If my grandparents learned one thing about dealing with guys like her, it's that everybody has a story…
"And the story of someone like Holly is usually a tragic one."
There was a long pause.
Yumi frowned as she looked at her badge. The Yami no Oujou had not upgraded her status, even though she had won. She guessed that the powers in charge didn't care about the tournament.
She and her two friends were now in a busy section of Duelatopia, and Sam and Erik were not ready to leave them yet.
"Uhm… it's a cool hat, Yumi," said Ren, looking at the Crown of Souls. "Do you know what it can do?"
"So far, nothing except look expensive," said Yumi, touching it. "But it does look kinda good on me… I think I'll leave it on for now."
Then they heard a familiar tune…
It was Ren's cell phone. It had to be. Who else's cell phone played the refrain from "American Pie"?
"Now who could that be?" asked Ren, answering it.
"Hello?" he said, putting it to his ear.
"Hello, Reginald," said a voice that seemed both sinister and gentle at the same time.
Ren seethed with anger. He hated being called Reginald. It was his true name, sure, but it was geeky…
"Who is this?" he asked, angrily.
"Not someone you know, but someone you likely heard about," said the voice. "I knew your father, and I found him to be rather pathetic as a duelist…"
Ren was now very angry.
"I'm making you a challenge," said the voice. "If you want to prove that all members of the Marris family aren't incompetent, well, see the building to your right?"
Ren looked at the tall building, a very tall shopping center.
"I'm on the roof right now," said the voice. "Meet me up there if you dare…"
He hung up.
"Oh, I dare all right…" said Ren.
"What was that all about?" asked Yumi.
Ren quickly shuffled his deck.
"Someone just got on my bad side," said Ren, placing it back in his Disk, "and he's gonna pay. Come on!"
He rushed into the building, and everyone followed.
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They reached the top of the very tall building and looked around. The top was made up of a glass roof, situated above a four-hundred-foot drop down the center of the building, which was made up of several floors made up of landings.
The Pharaoh appeared beside Yumi.
"An ominous place for a duel," he said. "This is similar to setting where Lumis and Umbra lured your grandfather and Seto Kaiba to so many years ago."
Ren looked around.
"Where are you?" he shouted.
A tall figure walked out from behind a vent. Ren raised an eyebrow…
He wasn't a normal duelist, that was for sure. His clothing resembled armor, colored black and silver. On his head was a cross between a mask and a helmet that was egg-shaped, which was black on the right side and bronze on the left.
"Hello, Reginald," he said, crossing his arms. "I think you know who I am…"
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah…" he muttered. "You're the Phantom Duelist, or someone who looks just like him. Nineteen years ago, he defeated my father… By using Masked Beast Des Guardius to turn Crescent Moon Queen against him.
"Hard to tell since you're wearing a mask, but… You don't seem to have aged a day…"
"Hmm," said the Phantom. "True. Could be I'm the original Phantom's son. Or his apprentice.
"Or maybe I know of some method to keep myself from aging, and I'm the same man who faced your father all those years ago. Wouldn't that be creepy?
"It hardly matters… For all intents and purposes, I'm the Phantom now, and unless you are a coward, you will face me in a duel!"
"Ren…" muttered Chelsea. "This might not be a good idea… I mean, just look at him!"
"Calm down…" said Ren. "I saw the videotape of that duel. I know this guy's deck. There's no way he could surprise me. And I'm not afraid of any Mask Deck."
Fool… thought the Phantom. Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to use the same deck?
"All right, Phantom," he said. "I'm going to pay you back for what you did to my dad… With interest!"
He lifted his Disk.
"You'll find that much easier said than done…" replied the masked man.
The two Disks activated.
"Game on!" they both said.
(Ren: 8,000) -------------------- (Phantom: 8,000)
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Connie typed in Ren's name, and his face appeared on the screen.
A flash appeared on the screen.
"Duel in progress?" she squeaked in surprise. "We can see it live!"
A video came up on the screen, and Connie and Sally saw Ren facing the Phantom Duelist.
"Who's that?" asked Sally. "He looks pretty tough…"
"Aw, he's nothing my big brother can't handle…" replied Connie.
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"All right, Phantom…" said Ren, drawing a first card. "Prepare to have that mask knocked off your head…"
He looked at his hand.
"For starters, I summon Double Pinaska in Attack Mode."
He played the card, and the machete-wielding Spaniard appeared, twirling his weapons. (1,500/1,500)
"That's enough for now."
"Not bad…" said the Phantom, as he drew his first card, "but I can do better."
He chose a card from his hand.
"I summon… Picador Fiend."
He played the card, and a creeping shadow appeared on the field. From out of the shadow, a horrific creature emerged. It was a skeletal figure, wearing an evil, grinning mask, with skulls mounted on its shoulders and large leathery wings. It rode a demonic horse that was gaunt and hairless, with ram-like horns. (1,600/0)
"Good lord…" muttered Sam. "I've never seen that before…"
"Great…" said Yumi. "This from someone who plays a Fiend Deck…"
"Picador…" ordered the Phantom, "attack his foolish Spaniard with mortal smite!"
Picador Fiend's eyes, the eyes of its mount, and the eyes on its skull-like shoulder-guards glowed green. It shot a wave of intense, green flames at Double Pinaska…
"Pinaska, defect!" shouted Ren.
Double Pinaska crossed his machetes, and caught the blast, knocking it away.
"So…" said the Phantom. "His effect let him survive. Oh well… He can only do that once…
"I'll place one card facedown, and then my move is over."
A facedown card materialized.
Ren drew a card.
"Heh, heh…" he chuckled. "I summon Dark Blade in Attack Mode."
He threw the card on his Disk, and the black-armored Warrior appeared. (1,800/1,500)
The Phantom's eye narrowed.
"Time to take out the trash…" said Ren. "Dark Blade, attack his Picador Fiend!"
Dark Blade made two slashes with his blades. Picador Fiend was thrown from its mount, and then shattered into pixels. Then the mount shattered.
"Double Pinaska, attack directly! Double slash!"
Double Pinaska twirled his weapons and leapt up, bringing them down on the Phantom Duelist. He staggered backwards.
(R: 8,000) -------------------- (P: 6,300)
The Phantom caught his breath.
"Having fun, Reginald?" he asked.
"Naw…" said Ren, sarcastically. "I'm having a terrible time kicking your ass! Your move, loser."
The Phantom just stared at him as he drew.
"Loser…" he said. "I'll show you who's a loser…
"I play my… Pot of Greed."
He played the card, and the evil jar appeared. He drew two cards.
"Now to set the stage that will seal your fate…" he said, as his Field Slot opened.
He placed a card in the slot and it closed.
"I play… Dark Arena!"
An aura of uncanny darkness covered the whole field. Then, structures of diabolic design rose up around them, and cheering from an audience echoed over them. It looked sort of like…
"A… bullfighting ring?" asked Ren.
"Yes…" said the Phantom. "And you're the bull."
Ren looked up. The cheering was coming from an audience consisting of demonic creatures…
"According to legend," said the Phantom, "one pastime that demons have is to kill mortals in gladiatorial matches that are similar to mortal bullfights. As you might expect, like a bullfight, the bull has no chance.
"One of those reasons is, in this arena, it's so dark, most Monsters can't see where they're going. All Monsters in Attack Mode must attack when they are able to. However, unless a Monster has the word 'Fiend' in its name, you can't choose the target – I can choose it for you."
"Now…
"I raise my Picador Fiend from the Graveyard with Call of the Haunted!"
His facedown card lifted, and Picador Fiend appeared out of the darkness. Its eyes and the eyes of its mount glowed even fiercer in the uncanny gloom. (1,600/0)
"And by the way…" he continued, "in Dark Arena, his power grows. He gains the ability to attack directly."
Picador Fiend blasted its evil smite, and Ren hollered as it hit him. The fiendish spectators cheered.
(R: 6,400) -------------------- (P: 6,300)
"Hey…" he muttered. "That… hurt!"
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Connie and Sally gasped in fear.
"He… he isn't really hurt, is he?" asked Sally.
"Uh…" muttered Connie. "I… Well… He… He told me it was rough…
"Ren, come on, beat this guy…"
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"Continuing my turn," said the Phantom, "I now bring out the true star of Dark Arena… I play the Spell Card, Ritual of the Matador!"
A gory fountain appeared on the field as he played the card.
"And I sacrifice my Beast of Talwar from my hand to do so. Arise."
Beast of Talwar appeared on the field and vanished. In its place rose a tall, gaunt Fiend, with dark skin, claws, talons, and huge, red, leathery wings. Its eyes glowed with minute pinpoints. (0/0)
"Zero attack points and zero defense points?" asked Ren.
The Pharaoh gave a worried look.
"This looks bad, Yumi," he said. "Usually a Monster with no Attack and Defense is hiding some dangerous secret. I learned that firsthand from Pegasus when he summoned Relinquished."
"Your move…" said the Phantom.
"I'll move, all right…" muttered Ren, drawing a card.
It was Crescent Moon Queen. His best card.
Time for a little payback… he thought.
"I sacrifice Double Pinaska and Dark Blade to summon Crescent Moon Queen!" he shouted.
His two Warriors vanished, and the powerful Queen appeared on the field. (2,600/1,700)
When she saw the Phantom, she gave a look best described as absolute fury…
"Oh, look…" he said. "She remembers me… Hello Queen, so good to see you again. How long has it been? A month? A year? A millennium? It seems so long…
"Did I ever tell you how much fun it was forcing you to attack Clive?"
She grit her teeth…
"Queen… Attack!" shouted Ren.
Crescent Moon Queen charged forward.
"Face her, my Matador!" shouted the Phantom.
Crescent Moon Queen charged at Matador Fiend with her blades… The Matador's eyes glowed more brightly in the gloom, and its fanged mouth opened in anticipation…
Then a beam of energy shot from the Matador's eyes, and the Queen screamed. She exploded into pixels.
"I believe," said the Phantom, "the correct word to say in such a case is… Ole."
The demonic crowd cheered with delight.
"What?" asked Ren. "But… How?"
"Heh, heh," chuckled the Phantom. "I didn't mention… To make up for its nonexistent Attack and Defense, Matador Fiend has a lethal ability. The battle damage it receives from an attacking Monster is reduced to zero, and any Monster that attacks it… dies.
"Guess you found that out the hard way."
Ren scowled.
"It's still my move, Phantom!" he shouted.
He took three cards from his hand.
"First, I place a card facedown…"
He fit a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"Next, I play the Spell Card, Frontline Base…"
The Spell Card appeared on his side of the field.
"Now I can Special Summon one Union Monster from my hand. So I summon Pitch-Dark Dragon in Defense Mode."
He placed the card on his Disk, and the Dragon appeared, folding its wings. (900/600)
"All right, that's all I can do…" he muttered.
"You're grasping at straws, Reginald," said the Phantom, drawing a card.
He looked at it.
"Your Pitch-Dark Dragon is hardly a threat to me at all. But then again, better safe than sorry… So I'm getting rid of it…"
He placed a card on his Disk.
"I summon Banderillo Fiend."
A new Fiend appeared in a burst of darkness. It was a creature that combined the worst aspects of a bat and a snake, with a sharp, pointed head, and a demonic face on its torso. (900/900)
"And just by summoning it, I can destroy one Monster."
The new creature glowed with an aura of fiery, purple energy. Pitch-Dark Dragon burst into shards.
"Be glad I can't attack with it this round," he continued. "But my Picador still can. Picador Fiend, attack directly with mortal smite!"
The Picador blasted his unholy energy, and Ren fell to his knees, sweat forming on his brow.
(R: 4,800) -------------------- (P: 6,300)
"I don't even know what a Banderillo is," muttered Erik.
"They're weapons used in a bullfight," said Sam. "My mom took me to one during our vacation to Europe. They're small spears that they jab into the bulls to weaken them so that the matadors can kill them easier.
"I found the spectacle barbaric, to say the least… Like this guy said, the bull has no chance…"
"People, show some support!" shouted Chelsea. "Ren is in big trouble, and I don't know how he's going to get out of this!"
On the contrary, thought Yumi, I know exactly how he can get out of this. He simply has to draw it.
Ren slowly drew a card.
He smirked.
"I summon Getsu Fuhma in Attack Mode!" he shouted.
In a shower of lotus petals, the lovely female ronin appeared, holding aloft her katana. (1,700/1,200)
"You never learn, do you?" asked the Phantom.
"Getsu Fuhma, attack!" shouted Ren. "Blade of Vengeance!"
Getsu Fuhma charged into the darkness.
"Face her, my Matador!" shouted the Phantom.
Getsu Fuhma confronted the Matador… It fired its deadly beams…
And then, both Monsters exploded into shards.
The fiendish crowd was silent…
"WHAT?" shouted the Phantom. "What happened?"
"Heh, heh," said Ren. "I'm full of surprises too, Phantom.
"There's a legend behind Getsu Fuhma. They say that when she was a little girl, her parents and brothers were all murdered by creatures of darkness. So when she grew up and took up the sword, she swore an oath with her own blood that she would seek out and destroy such creatures, even if doing so meant dying in the attempt.
"In game terms, any Fiend or Zombie that Getsu Fuhma battles is automatically destroyed. And that was still a battle, despite your Matador's powers.
"So while your Matador reduced the battle damage to zero and destroyed her with its effect, Getsu Fuhma destroyed it with her own effect.
"And now I activate… Call of the Haunted!"
His Trap Card lifted, and a tombstone appeared on his side of the field…
Crescent Moon Queen burst out of the ground. (2,600/1,700)
"This can't be!" shouted the Phantom.
"Oh, it be all right," said Ren. "And you be in big trouble. Crescent Moon Queen, destroy his two nightmares!"
The Queen charged, and two slashes of a sword, Picador Fiend and Banderillo Fiend howled. Both of them exploded into shards. The Phantom stepped back nervously...
(R: 4,800) -------------------- (P: 3,600)
Crescent Moon Queen panted in exhaustion, and knelt in Defense Mode.
"I place one card facedown," said Ren, "and I end my turn…"
A facedown card appeared on his side.
The Phantom gave an angry look, and drew a card.
"I activate my Trap," said Ren, as his Trap Card lifted. "Final Attack Orders. Now my Queen moves back into Attack Mode."
The Queen stood up, and glared at the Phantom again.
"It won't help you," said the Phantom, looking at the card he had drawn. "I still have another trick up my sleeve.
"Like I said, in a bullfight, even if the Matador dies, the bull never leaves the ring alive."
He played a card, and a Spell Card appeared on the field that bore the image of an angelic form ascending into the clouds.
"Whoa…" said Ren. "Never saw that one before."
"It's a Spell called Ritual Foregone," said the Phantom, "and it works as follows. I pay 1,000 Life Points, and then I am able to Special Summon a Ritual Monster from my hand without the required Ritual Spell Card."
A second Matador Fiend appeared on his side of the field. (0/0)
"Of course," he continued, "there is a catch. It can't attack, and it would be destroyed when I ended my turn. So what's the point, you may ask?
"I'm going to sacrifice it, to summon a creature that will win the whole duel for me. But don't take my word for it…"
The Matador vanished, and a new Fiend appeared. This one was female, and dressed in a torn and ragged dress. She wore a white, grinning mask, and had tangled hair. She looked at Ren, and lifted her hands. Large claws sprouted from them. (2,100/1,000)
"Meet Macarena Fiend."
"She can't beat my Queen," said Ren.
"Can she?" asked the Phantom.
Macarena Fiend cackled, and stared at Crescent Moon Queen without blinking. Her eyes glowed red. The Queen gasped, and stared back with a look of horror.
Then, to Ren's horror, she turned to stone. Macarena Fiend made a slash with her claw, and smashed the statue to pieces.
"What happened?" gasped Ren.
"You Special Summoned her with Call of the Haunted, remember?" replied the Phantom. "So long as Dark Arena stands, Macarena Fiend destroys all Special Summoned Monsters."
"You mean I can't Special Summon Monsters?" gasped Ren.
"You can," said the Phantom, "they just won't last very long.
"And since you're now defenseless…
"Macarena Fiend, attack Reginald directly!"
Macarena Fiend slid up to Ren…
WHAM! She landed a kick directly in his crotch.
Ren fell to his knees, wincing in pain, as Macarena Fiend stood over him and laughed and the diabolical spectators cheered again. Black roses were thrown onto the arena floor.
He told himself, he should have known that such a nasty Monster would stoop to such a low attack…
(R: 2,700) -------------------- (P: 2,600)
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Ren! thought Connie. Oh, please don't lose! I'd die, I'd die!
She looked at the screen.
"Don't give up big brother!" she shouted. "You can beat that creep!"
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"This is brutal," exclaimed Chelsea. "We have to stop it!"
"We can't!" interrupted Yumi. "This is an official duel, and if we do anything, Ren loses."
Ren got to his feet slowly.
Somehow, he felt a warm feeling in his chest, despite the uncanny darkness. Something told him to continue…
"My move…" he muttered.
He drew a card.
He placed it on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"Your move…"
"I draw one card…" said the Phantom, drawing.
He placed the card on his Disk.
"And I summon a second Picador Fiend."
Another Picador, much like the first, appeared out of the gloom. (1,600/0)
"You remember what he can do, right? Picador Fiend, attack directly."
For the third time, the Picador's blast hit Ren in the chest, and he howled in pain.
"Macarena Fiend, destroy his facedown Monster."
Macarena Fiend leveled a kick, and Ren's second Dark Blade was smashed to pieces.
"Pity…" said the Phantom. "I could have attacked it with Picador and hurt you even worse with my Macarena. Oh well, better safe than sorry…"
(R: 1,100) -------------------- (P: 2,600)
"What's Ren gonna do?" asked Chelsea. "Can Zombyra stand up to that thing?"
"Sure…" muttered Yumi. "But if he attacked with Zombyra, it would be a draw, and Ren would face a direct attack from the Picador on the next turn. If Ren attacked the Picador with Zombyra, Zombyra would lose 200 Attack Points, and Macarena Fiend would destroy him on the next turn. And don't forget, Ren can't choose who his Monsters attack.
"Let's face it… Without being able to Special Summon, Ren is at a tremendous disadvantage."
That's for sure, thought Ren. Even if I drew my second Getsu Fuhma, he'd obviously direct her attack against the Macarena, leaving me defenseless against the Picador on his next turn.
There's gotta be something I can do… But what? This Dark Arena gives him too much power…
He paused.
That's it… All his Monsters gain power from this Field Spell… The key to beating him is destroying this blasted Arena… But how…
He drew a card.
"I play… Pot of Greed," he said, playing the card.
The jar appeared, and he drew twice.
"Perfect," he said. "Time to end this twisted show…"
His Field Slot opened.
"I play Mystic Plasma Zone!"
The fiends in the audience groaned, as they faded into mist. Dark Arena crumbled, falling into rubble, and a dark fog replaced it.
"Heh, heh…" chuckled the Phantom. "Nice. In case you didn't notice, all my Monsters are just as Dark as yours. You may have destroyed my Field, but you made my Fiends even stronger."
Picador Fiend rose to (2,100/0) and Macarena Fiend rose to (2,600/600).
"Oh, did I?" asked Ren. "Well, now that she no longer has Dark Arena, Macarena Fiend can no longer destroy Special Summoned Monsters.
"And since you have two Monsters on the field and I have none, I can Special Summon this guy… The Fiend Megacyber!"
He threw the card on his Disk, and the hulking, cybernetic Warrior appeared. He clenched his fists and growled. (2,200/1,200) –) (2,700/800)
"Wait a minute!" shouted the Phantom.
"Fiend Megacyber…" ordered Ren. "Attack Picador Fiend with mega-slash!"
The Fiend Megacyber slashed at the Fiend with his blades, and it tumbled from its mount. Both exploded into particles.
(R: 1,100) -------------------- (P: 2,000)
"Your move…" said Ren with a smile.
The Phantom drew a card.
This will not do! he thought, looking at the card. Thanks to that Trap of his, I can't even move Macarena into Defense Mode!
Even worse, even if I bring back Dark Arena, that Warrior won't be affected by it… the word 'Fiend' is clearly there in its name… As if it matters… Thanks to what I thought was a good plan, I'm reduced to topdecking!
He placed a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
He waved his hand.
Ren drew a card.
Well, I guess I can use him after all, he thought.
"I summon… Zombyra the Dark!" he shouted.
In a burst of energy, a dark portal opened, and Zombyra flew out. (2,100/500) –) (2,600/100)
"Megacyber, attack Macarena Fiend!"
Megacyber made a slash across Fiend's chest with its blade, and she shrieked. She exploded into triangles
"Zombyra, attack his facedown Monster! Super-powered punch attack!"
Zombyra flew at the facedown card, and Manju of the Ten-Thousand Hands appeared on the card. It was blown to pieces.
(R: 1,100) -------------------- (P: 1,900)
Zombyra held his chest, and his Attack Score fell to 2,400.
"So what now, metalhead?"
The Phantom stared at him angrily.
"I don't like that…" he said with a growl. "I never thought I did, and now I'm sure…"
He drew one card.
He looked at it.
"I summon Dark Elf in Attack Mode," he said.
With a sinister cackle, a tall woman in a black robe, with pointed ears and black hair, wearing a tiara appeared in front of him. (2,000/800) –) (2,500/400)
"Smooth move," said Yumi. "She's stronger than Zombyra. But you forgot something… If you attack using her, it will cost you 1,000 Life Points, and you're low enough as it is."
"I'm not going to," said the Phantom. "She's just going to stall. Your Megacyber can certainly kill her, but Zombyra can't attack me. Unless you draw a third Monster, I still have a chance to turn this around."
Ren looked at him.
"I draw one card…" he said.
He looked at it.
"Hmm…" he said.
"Didn't draw a Monster, did you?" asked the Phantom.
"Not technically, no…" replied Ren. "But I drew a way to bring my best one back…"
He played the card.
"I play The Warrior Returning Alive. Now I can take one Warrior from my Graveyard, and add it to my hand."
A card slipped out of his discard slot.
"And since Level doesn't matter, you can probably guess who it is."
The Phantom's one eye that was visible widened…
"So now, I sacrifice The Fiend Megacyber and Zombyra the Dark to bring back Crescent Moon Queen one more time…"
The two Warriors vanished, and then the powerful female Warrior appeared, brandishing her blades in fury. (2,600/1,700) –) (3,100/1,300)
"As Sam once said," said Ren, "you can't keep a good Monster down for long. Queen, destroy his Dark Elf!"
The Queen charged, and cleaved Dark Elf in two.
"Now, finish him off! Attack directly!"
The Warrior charged towards the masked duelist in rage, and her sword slammed into him with the force of a sledgehammer. The Phantom Duelist flew backwards, striking something with a loud clang.
(R: 1,100) -------------------- (P: 0)
Everyone watching cheered as Crescent Moon Queen turned to Ren and smiled…
…and then she slowly disappeared, along with the darkness of the Field Spell.
Chelsea ran up to Ren and hugged him.
"Oh, if only your dad could have seen that!" she laughed.
"Yeah…" said Ren, somewhat surprised.
He looked at his badge. It was Blue now.
Then both of them noticed that they were hugging each other. They blushed, and slowly let go.
"Okay, Phantom, I want to know…" started Ren.
He stopped.
The Phantom was gone. All that remained where he had been was the dented ventilation duct that he had crashed into.
"Strange…" muttered Yumi. "I have to wonder if there was something about that whole thing that we didn't know about…"
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"YAY!" shouted Connie and Sally.
"That's my brother!" laughed Connie. "And he's going all the way! I just know it!"
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One hour later…
Rasputin was sitting at the computer in his hotel suite. Louis was standing next to him, while Olga and Nicholas were sitting on a couch nearby, visibly nervous.
The Phantom was staring at him from behind, but Rasputin wasn't looking at him.
"You have a lot of nerve coming back here, Phantom," said Rasputin. "I hire you to duel one kid, and you louse up royally."
"Rasputin…" said the Phantom, who was somewhat annoyed, "the terms of you hiring me was for me to duel him to scare those kids. You said I would be paid whether I won or lost. My end of the bargain has been fulfilled, and I merely have come to collect my fee."
"Have you now?" said Rasputin, not turning around. "Phantom, they certainly didn't look scared to me, and I don't pay for abysmal failures. It doesn't make me look good.
"If you think you can force me, think again. Think of the contacts I have, and how dangerous they are. Consider yourself lucky I'm not charging you anything for getting you to this island with the others.
"This conversation is over. Louis, please show the man out."
Louis moved towards the Phantom…
…only to get a fist in the eye that knocked him out cold.
"It will be a cold day in Hell before some musclebound thug is able to 'show me out'," said the Phantom.
Rasputin looked at his bodyguard, and a look of fear crossed his face.
"Will you look at me when you speak to me now, you bastard?" asked the Phantom, grabbing his neck. "It's only polite, after all…"
Rasputin choked as the Phantom forced him too. Nicholas and Olga dove behind the couch.
"Listen closely, Rasputin…" said the Phantom. "I'm a mercenary with contacts that reach far wider than yours, and if there's one thing I can't stand, it's folks who renege on a deal.
"And I happen to know of many powerful individuals who would pay handsome bounties for proof that you were no longer alive.
"So you will either hand over the promised payment, or I will get restitution from one of them…"
"Olga…" gasped Rasputin. "Get my… checkbook…"
"We agreed on cash!" shouted the Phantom.
"Open the safe!" shouted Rasputin.
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Ten minutes later…
The Phantom finished counting the stack of Euros.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you," he said, sarcastically. "If you need me again…
"Well, tell you what, if that happens, I'll find you…"
He glared at Rasputin and left.
Rasputin slumped in a chair, still shivering. Louis sat in another chair, holding a piece of raw meat on his black eye.
"Don't get it…" muttered Louis. "How'd he get the drop on me?"
"Because he's a master of twenty-eight styles of martial arts, and your fighting skills were learned on the streets," said Olga. "Frankly, I was against hiring him from the start… There are just some folks that can't be intimidated."
"Rasputin…" said Nicholas, "she has a point. You have to learn that there are some people you just can't bully. He wasn't like my old tutor… or your last secretary… Or the pizza guy! I can't believe what you did to that poor bloke…"
"Hey!" shouted Rasputin. "When I order a large, half-pepperoni, half-veggie deep dish pizza, I expect to GET a large, half-pepperoni, half-veggie deep dish pizza!"
He picked up the talisman.
"I'll get revenge eventually," he said. "On him and all those 'individuals' he mentioned that want me dead. Once I have all eight Charms, I'll be able to move mountains…"
He paused as he looked at it.
"And we're in luck… Another Charm has revealed itself. A powerful one. The Gale Shield, the Charm crafted by Malnus the Recluse."
"What does that one do again?" asked Nicholas.
"It's powerful," said Rasputin. "It's a bronze armband. It gives the user partial immortality, making him impervious to physical harm. Except from anyone holding another Charm, that is. If it made him ageless, it would be all we needed, but unfortunately, that isn't the case."
He paused.
"Unfortunately, it's been claimed already… By that crazy cat duelist…"
He paused again.
"Well, a Yami no Oujou isn't necessary now, but the only way to get it is to win it. Someone has to do so before Yumi and her cohorts find out about it… and/or Felicia realizes that it's more than a cheap trinket…
"Nicholas… Feel in the mood for a duel?"
Nicholas shrugged.
"Why not?" he said, reaching for his Disk. "It's better than sitting around here doing nothing…"
"Wait…" said Rasputin. "We might be able to get a bonus along with this…"
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small flask of green liquid.
"You can NOT be bloody serious," said Nicholas. "The last time I did that, it took the poor girl six months to recover!"
"Do it," said Rasputin, handing it to him. "I looked up Felicia's duel with Ren. We might need a weapon against him later, especially if he's capable of beating an assassin like the Phantom.
"Trust me, my boy… It will all be worth it in the end…"
Having beaten the Phantom Duelist, Ren gains long-awaited vengeance for his father. But now, Rasputin prepares to make a move that he and his friends remain unaware of. What will happen next?
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PICADOR FIEND (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,600
DEF: 0
Card Description: When "Dark Arena" is active on your side of the field, this card can attack your opponent directly.
0
0
0
MATADOR FIEND (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Ritual/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 0
DEF: 0
Card Description: This card is Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card "Ritual of the Matador". You must also offer as Tribute from the field or your hand Monsters whose total levels equal six or more. When this card is attacked by another Monster, reduce the battle damage to this card to zero, and destroy the opposing Monster.
0
0
0
BANDERILLO FIEND (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK: 900
DEF: 900
Card Description: This card cannot attack on the round it is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. When this card is Normal Summoned successfully, destroy one opposing Monster.
0
0
0
DARK ARENA (Spell Card)
Field Spell
Image: A fiendish bullfighting arena shrouded in darkness.
Card Description: When this card is in play, all Monsters in Attack Position must attack whenever they are able to. If a player's Monster does not have the word "Fiend" in its name, his/her opponent may choose the target of the attack for that Monster.
0
0
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RITUAL OF THE MATADOR (Spell Card)
Ritual Spell
Image: An altar resembling the interior of a fanged mouth.
Card Description: This card is used to Ritual Summon "Matador Fiend". You must offer as Tribute from the field or your hand Monsters whose total levels equal six or more.
Note: The proceeding five cards were first used by Titan in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "A Reason To Win". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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MACARENA FIEND (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 2,100
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. When this card and "Dark Arena" are both on the field, all Monsters that were Special Summoned are destroyed.
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Yumi: Feel good, Ren?
Ren: Well, it was good to beat that creep. I can't help shake the feeling that Rasputin was hiding behind him somewhere. He'd probably be just the type to send an assassin.
Chelsea: So much about him we don't know. What about Nicholas and Olga? What do they do? Are they just there for him to have someone to talk to?
Yumi: Maybe we'll find out…
Coming up next, "Nicholas versus Felicia; Curiouser, and Curiouser".
The battle is well waged…