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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
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Nicholas versus Felicia
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Curiouser, and Curiouser
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As Nicholas left the penthouse, Cassandra, now again using the smaller deck, had the five cards spread out.
The three cards on top were, from left to right, The Fool, The High Priestess, and The Strength.
Below them were The Magician and The Lovers.
"One side of this conflict is revealed," she said. "But an opposing force exists…"
She looked at the deck.
"I believe I will find Nicholas with this draw…"
She took the top card.
It was a strange card. It bore the picture of a young man hanging from the bough of a tree by one leg, his other leg crossed to form the shape of a four. His hands hung freely, and coins fell from his pockets.
"I didn't expect this…" said Cassandra. "The Hangman is the sign of a man in turmoil and inner strife. What confuses you so, Nicholas? What transition have you gone through that troubles your soul?"
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What indeed?
Half an hour later, Felicia – a woman who would stand out anywhere due to her strange, yet sexy costume – was relaxing with a mocha latte at a sidewalk café. She had been quite active, getting back the rank she had lost from Ren and gaining two more, putting her at Blue.
She looked strangely at the large bracelet on her wrist. She had found it just lying in a trash can, and wondered why anyone would throw it away. Not that she knew what the symbols on it meant…
Nicholas watched her from a distance.
He took a card out of his deck.
Some years ago, a booster pack had included two very strange Traps and a very strange Spell. All three of them were Ultimate Rares in the pack.
But in the whole release, there were only twenty copies of the Monster that you needed to go with them. It was an experiment by Industrial Illusions, to see if anyone would compose a deck with the Monster as its centerpiece. If you did, you'd have quite a powerful deck.
This was one of those incredibly rare Monsters. Rasputin had given it to him, as a reward for his loyalty over the two years since they'd met. His record as a duelist wasn't perfect, but his record with this deck was.
One thought was on Nicholas's mind:
Am I a hypocrite?
He had been born to poor parents on the streets of London. And if there was one thing he hated among all else, it was the rich and the aristocracy. Snobs who had everything he could never have, likely never earned any of it, and thought that it was their God-given right to have it. The spoiled rich children gobbling chocolate at the candy store filled him with rage, and the debutantes flaunting their jewelry made him want to commit murder.
Most of all, he despised the monarchy. The King of England got wealth, fame, and prestige, practically for doing nothing. Great Britain's monarch played no part in government. What did he do to deserve wealth and fame? He was born into it. It was that simple. Nicholas planned to support any Parliament proposal to abolish the monarchy once he became old enough to vote, if one ever came up. Sadly, all such proposals in the past had been defeated.
The clincher came when he was ten years old, and became so poor that he had to beg for handouts. He didn't even ask the well-dressed fop for one – but the bastard went out of his way to make him feel worse, hitting him with a cane and saying that "his kind" should be rooted out like vermin.
It was as if he wasn't even a human being… It was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.
Nicholas wanted revenge. He secretly followed that man to his house, and when darkness fell, he forced open a window. He quickly grabbed the most expensive thing he saw, a bejeweled letter opener, and fled before anyone knew he was there.
He was surprised at how easy it had been. He was even more surprised when someone directed him to a place where he could sell it for a handsome price.
He decided what he'd do. If the rich looked down at him, he'd become a thief, and make fools out of them. In his eyes, they deserved it.
And for a while it went well. He quickly turned from an amateur thief to a great thief. He got more daring, burglarizing houses and filching jewelry, cash, and anything that was valuable. He quickly found out how to tell paste jewelry from real jewelry, and soon established quite a stash.
On one of his burglaries, he noticed a strange deck of cards. On a whim, he took it. He looked at the odd cards later, not knowing what they did. Another thief was more informed than he was, and told him about the culture of Duel Monsters…
But for now, that would just be a faraway dream.
It went on until he was fourteen years old…
…at which point he was caught. He guessed he wasn't too great a thief after all.
As Nicholas lay on the cot in a cell at a police station, he wasn't worried. The police only had evidence on him for one burglary. He'd do his time in juvie for a few months, and then start over again…
One could imagine his shock when a policeman told him he was free to go. Someone had paid his bail.
His shock turned to panic when he saw who it was. His benefactor was one of his victims, whom he had robbed a week earlier. The only reason he could think of for this man to get him out of jail was to kill him – the bejeweled golden cup he had stolen had been worth a fortune…
But the man, who said his name was Rasputin, told him that he had other plans. No normal thief could have stolen that cup. He saw potential in Nicholas. And he was looking for something special… He wanted a protégé.
Nicholas was faced with a decision: Either join this man whom he had robbed, or refuse him and risk death. Self-preservation won out.
For two years now, Nicholas had lived a better life. Crime was still a part of his life, but it was on a much higher level than simple burglary. Now it was the European underworld. Rasputin had taught him many things, including how to duel. And once he had revealed to him and Olga – his surrogate sister who had joined them at around the same time – the secret of the Shadow Charms, he had said that he would gladly share the power.
He would be immortal…
Nicholas had once hated nobility and aristocrats. Now he was one – an aristocrat of crime.
Maybe he was a hypocrite… But he couldn't quit, at least not yet. The thought of immortality was appealing…
He looked at Felicia and hit a number on his cell phone.
"Target within sight," he said.
"Excellent," said Rasputin's voice. "Now Nicholas, this task requires excellent skill, flawless timing, and near-perfect concentration. Are you absolutely sure you can do it?"
"Nope," replied Nicholas.
"Argh!" shouted Rasputin. "Then try your hardest! And don't forget that… thing."
Nicholas frowned.
He took the flask of green liquid out of his pocket. He knew that doing this was below even his standards, but he'd make it up in the end.
He quickly swallowed the liquid. He made a face… The stuff tasted like turpentine…
He walked up to Felicia's table.
"Mind if I join you, kitty?" he asked.
Felicia purred.
"Depends…" she said. "Are you going to challenge me or ask me out?"
"The former," said Nicholas, placing a binder on the table. "But I have a wager to make that you might find interesting."
He took a card out of the binder.
"I've seen you duel," he said. "Your deck only needs one card… This one…"
He showed it to her and her eyes opened wide.
"Is that really Bast, the Queen of Cats?" she asked, getting excited.
"Indeed it is," said Nicholas. "A powerful Beast-Warrior. Here's my deal. We duel. If you win, you get this card, plus any five cards of your choice from this binder.
"Take a look. They're all quite rare…"
Felicia opened the binder and started to look through the cards. He wasn't kidding…
"If I win," continued Nicholas, "I'll give you Bast as a consolation… But I want that nice bracelet you're wearing."
This guy is nuts! thought Felicia. He'll give me that card either way? It's more valuable to a duelist than any silly bracelet…
She purred again…
"I accept," she said. "But I don't intend to lose. Since yesterday, my cats have fed well on three duelists, and they're hungry for another…"
Nicholas returned his true deck to its holder. Then he took another deck out of another holder and started to shuffle.
This deck isn't quite as powerful as my real one, he said, but it's powerful enough. And it takes most folks by surprise…
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"I have to warn you, honey…" said Felicia, as they faced each other in the street. "My cats have been extra frisky lately. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Nicholas smiled calmly as he took five cards off his deck.
"Try not to kill me too bad, kitty…" he said.
(Felicia: 8,000) -------------------- (Nicholas: 8,000)
"Game on!" they both said.
"Ladies first," said Nicholas. "Chivalry isn't dead yet, even when the goal with a woman is to kill her."
"Cute…" said Felicia, drawing her first card.
She looked over her hand.
"And they don't start out any better than this! I summon Panther Warrior!"
She played the card, and the ferocious panther-man appeared. He roared, and brandished his scimitar. (2,000/1,600)
"Heh… Best get a scratching post for that one," said Nicholas.
"Your move, hon," said Felicia, "but he's coming after you next turn."
Nicholas drew a card.
"I place a Monster in Defense Mode…" he said, as a facedown Monster appeared. "And that will be all."
"Not much else you can do," said Felicia with a grin.
She made another draw.
"I summon Nekogal #1 in Attack Mode…" she said.
In a flash, the younger Nekogal appeared, crouching over and bearing her claws. (1,100/900)
"Next," said Felicia, opening her Field Slot, "I play the Field Spell Card, Gaia Power…"
As she closed the slot, trees started to sprout all around them, until the street had been transformed into a small forest.
"This handy card increases the Attack Points of all Earth Monsters by 500, at a cost of 400 Defense Points. But who wants to defend?"
Panther Warrior rose to (2,500/1,200), and Nekogal rose to (1,600/500)
"Nekogal, go!" shouted Felicia. "Attack his facedown Monster with cat scratch!"
The cat fairy leapt forward, ready to deliver a slash with her claws. A ceramic jar appeared on the card, and a one-eyed, snaky shadow with a toothy mouth on it appeared. It cackled before Nekogal made a swipe and slashed it to ribbons.
"That was a Morphing Jar," said Nicholas. "And since you flipped it, we now have to toss every card in our hands and then draw five new cards."
Felicia looked at him. That was helping her more than it was him…
"Whatever you say…" she said, as she discarded her hand.
"But before I draw my five cards," said Nicholas, discarding his, "I should tell you that one card that I'm discarding is Ojamagic…"
"Oja-who?" asked Felicia.
"Ojamagic," said Nicholas, as three cards appeared in his hand. "When it goes to the Graveyard, Ojama Green, Ojama Yellow, and Ojama Black come to my hand."
He drew five additional cards.
"And what are you gonna do with them?" asked Felicia.
"You'll see…" said Nicholas, looking over his hand.
"Well I'm not done with you!" she shouted. "I sacrifice Nekogal so that Panther Warrior can attack you!"
Nekogal shattered, and Panther Warrior roared...
"Panther Warrior, attack him directly!"
Panther Warrior roared and slashed his sword down. Nicholas groaned as the slash hit him.
(F: 8,000) -------------------- (N: 5,500)
Nicholas took some deep breaths.
"Not bad…" he said. "But it's my move…"
He drew a card.
"First…" he said, "I summon my Beetron-1 Beetletops in Attack Mode."
"Beetle-what?" asked Felicia.
A large Machine materialized. As the name suggested, it looked like a big beetle, with wings, a frontal horn, and four legs, but also two tires in its rear. (1,700/1,500)
"And by the way…" continued Nicholas. "Since this happens to be an Earth Monster, it benefits from your Field Spell."
(2,200/1,100)
"Purr…" said Felicia. "So what? Panther Warrior is still stronger."
"Not for long," said Nicholas," playing a card. "I play my Ojama Ride Spell Card. And it works like this. I first have to toss the three Ojamas…"
He discarded the three cards.
"And in return, I get to Special Summon up to three Machine-Type Union Monsters from my deck in Defense Mode.
"So here comes Beetron-2 Beetle Turbo!"
Another robotic beetle appeared, this one with huge mandibles and a stinger, shielding itself in Defense Mode. (1,500/1,800) –) (2,000/1,400)
"And I'll follow up with Beetron-3 Spider Base!"
A third robot appeared, this one consisting of two saucer-shaped units on top of each other walking on eight stilt-like legs. (1,000/2,000) –) (1,500/1,600)
"And now to show you the neat trick these things can do. Beetrons… Combine!"
The three Machines whirred and changed shape, fusing together into a much bigger, must nastier-looking Machine. It had wings, claws, a stinger with a huge blade, and a large cannon on its front.
It aimed its cannon at Felicia and her Monster…
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On the other side of Duelatopia, Heck was speaking to a girl he had met an hour ago.
"So you played high school football?" she asked.
"Yeah…" he said. "Until ah got hurt, you know…"
Then he sneezed.
"Weird…" he said.
He took one of his XYZ-Dragon Cannons out of his fusion deck and looked at it.
"Ah had the strangest feeling that this Monster just figured out a secret that it wants to tell me…"
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Felicia gulped…
"Meet my Assault Cannon Beetle," said Nicholas.
(2,400/2,800) –) (2,900/2,400)
"And this thing has a cool effect," he continued. "It works sort of like Cannon Soldier."
"Oh?" said Felicia, nervously. "Well you have no Monsters to sacrifice except itself."
"In a minute, I'll have three," said Nicholas, taking a card from his hand. "I play Ojamandala."
He played a card that had the image of the three Ojamas as figures on a Buddhist painted Mandala.
"So, I give up a thousand Life Points, and I get to summon back my three Ojamas."
Three small, goofy forms materialized in bursts of colored light. One was green, had one eye, and a lolling tongue. Another was yellow and had eyes on stalks. The third was black, bulky, and had sharp teeth. (0/1,000 x3)
A large claw from Assault Cannon Beetle picked them up, one by one, and loaded them into a chamber.
"And for each one I sacrifice…" he continued, "I can blast away 800 of your Life Points.
"Fire!"
The Assault Cannon Beetle fired three blasts, sending the three Ojamas flying at Felicia. She grunted as she was hit in the stomach, then in the chest, and then in the face.
She held her head in a daze.
"I'm not done," said Nicholas. "I still have its normal attack to use on your panther."
Assault Cannon Beetle fired a bolt of burning plasma from its cannon with a huge blast, and Panther Warrior exploded into pixels.
(F: 5,200) -------------------- (N: 4,500)
Felicia closed her eyes tight as smoke rose from the spot where her Monster had been.
"I hate Machines…" she said. "I hate bugs… I really hate Machines shaped liked bugs…"
"Sorry I have to be so rough," said Nicholas, "but this is still a duel… I play to win…"
Felicia hissed, and bore her fangs. Nicholas got a little nervous.
He looked at his three remaining cards, one of which was a Spell called Front Change.
Next turn, he thought, I'll use this to swap my Assault Cannon for a Machine that will be nearly unstoppable, especially in this Gaia Power Field.
Felicia drew a card.
"You and your Cannon are going to pay…" she said, playing a Spell Card. "I activate the War Lion Ritual!
"Now, I sacrifice Nekogal #2 and my Cat's Ear Tribe, to summon Super War Lion!"
The two Monsters appeared on the field, and were consumed in a fiery conflagration…
Then the mighty Super War Lion leapt out.
"And my Field Spell gives him an added boost," she added.
(2,300/2,100) –) (2,800/1,700)
"A slight error in your calculations," said Nicholas. "My Assault Cannon Beetle is 100 Attack Points stronger."
"Not for long," said Felicia, taking one of the two cards left in her hand. "I play Rush Recklessly!"
She played the card, and Super War Lion roared as its Attack shot up to 3,500.
"Super War Lion, tear that Bug-Bot or Beetle-Bot or whatever it is apart!" shouted Felicia.
Super War Lion pounced, landing squarely on top of the Assault Cannon Beetle. The Machine exploded into hot metal and flaming debris. Nicholas shielded himself from it. Super War Lion roared in bloodlust.
(F: 5,200) -------------------- (N: 3,900)
"Well that's bloody awful…" muttered Nicholas.
He drew one card.
"Here's a good card," he said, revealing it. "Pot of Avarice. Now I first get to take five Monsters from my Graveyard and shuffle them back into my deck. So I'll do that with the three Ojamas, my Morphing Jar, and a Man Thro-Tro that I discarded when Morphing Jar was flipped."
The cards slipped out of his discard slot, and he shuffled them into his deck.
"Then I get to draw twice…"
He drew two cards.
"And it seems I get three of those Monsters back. I play… Graceful Charity."
He played the card, and his deck glowed. He made three draws.
"Now, I'll discard my Front Change, and a second Ojamagic…"
He discarded two cards.
"…and you know what that means."
The three Ojama cards appeared in his hand.
"I suppose you're going to try to summon all three and then play Hurricane," said Felicia. "Guess again. I'll never give you three rounds to summon them all."
"I don't need three rounds," said Nicholas. "With the right planning and the right cards, I can summon all three of them in only one round."
He played a Spell Card, showing the image of a burly biker crackling with electricity.
"It starts with this card… It's called Desperado Manager. You probably never even heard of it, because no sane duelist would use it, unless he was using the right kind of deck. It's highly situational.
"It works like this. I draw two cards from my deck, but then I have to place three cards from my hand on the top of my deck."
Felicia gave a strange look as Nicholas drew two cards and looked at them. Then he took the three Ojama cards and placed them on the top of his deck.
"Next up…" he continued, "another Spell Card. It's Enchanting Fitting Room."
"Wait… That card…" said Felicia.
"I pay 800 Life Points," said Nicholas, playing the card. "Then I look at the top four cards on my deck, and if any of them are Normal Monsters that are Level Three or less, I get to Special Summon them. Anything else is reshuffled back into my deck."
It was the perfect combo… thought Felicia. He's knows exactly what the top three cards are…
A curtain appeared on Nicholas's side of the field, and four cards flew out. Three of them, of course, were the three Ojamas. The other was De-Fusion.
"Well, De-Fusion is certainly not a Monster," said Nicholas, as the Spell vanished, "but now I get to summon Larry, Moe, and Curly to my side of the field."
In three bursts of multicolored light, the three Ojamas reappeared in Defense Mode. (0/1,000 x3)
Felicia stepped back nervously…
"And about your assumption that I was going to play Hurricane," continued Nicholas, taking a card from his hand, "wrong. I have here a deadlier Ojama accessory…
"Ojama Delta Thunder!!"
The sky darkened, and thunder started to roll… The three Ojamas held hands, and leapt into the air. Electricity started to emit from the small creatures…
Then there was a colossal roar of thunder. Felicia screamed as she was struck by lightning.
"What… happened…" she gasped.
"Simple…" said Nicholas, as the three Ojamas alighted back on his side. "You lost 1,500 Life Points, 500 for each card you have on the field and in your hand."
"Such… power…" she muttered.
"And Thunder has another effect," said Nicholas, spreading his deck out. "I can take the aforementioned Ojama Delta Hurricane card from my deck, discard it, and its effect activates."
He discarded a card, and a fierce storm erupted around the field. The trees of Gaia power were uprooted and blown away, and Super War Lion shattered into bits.
(F: 3,700) -------------------- (N: 3,100)
"I'll get you yet, Nicholas," said Felicia, drawing a card. "A humorist a few decades ago once said that the biggest difference between men and women was that men think the Three Stooges are funny and women don't. I see his point.
"I play Pot of Greed."
The jar appeared in front of her, and she drew two cards.
"Now I'll play Stray Lambs, and that will do will do for now."
She played the card, and two Lamb Tokens appeared in puffs of smoke.
Nicholas drew a card.
He carefully considered his hand. Ojama Delta Thunder was an incredibly rare card, and he could never hope to have more than one in his deck. But there was no sense in telling her that.
He fit two cards into his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.
"Your move…" he said.
Felicia drew a card.
"All right…" she said, "time to lose your gruesome threesome. I summon Lady Panther."
She played the card, and a new Beast-Warrior appeared in a burst of energy. It was a woman dressed in a toga, with a female panther's head. She carried a spear with a crescent blade in one hand, and a bronze shield in the other. (1,400/1,100)
"Now I'll give her an Equip Spell Card… Infernal Gauntlet!"
She threw the card into her Disk, and a glove that looked like it was made of red goo formed on Lady Panther's right hand. She snarled and bore her own fangs.
"This Equip lets my Monster make extra attacks, so long as I sacrifice a Monster for each one.
"So… I'll sacrifice one Lamb Token for one attack. Destroy the green one!"
One of the lambs vanished. Lady Panther rushed at Ojama Green and made a savage thrust, and the small Beast was thrown backwards before shattering.
"Now I'll sacrifice another Lamb Token for another go," she said, as the other token vanished. "Take out the yellow one!"
Lady Panther attacked again, eradicating Ojama Yellow.
"I still have her normal attack, and third time's the charm. Destroy the last one!"
Lady Panther stabbed with her spear, and Ojama Black was blown away.
"You were lucky they were in Defense Mode," she said. "Seems your luck has run out."
"No it hasn't," said Nicholas. "I activate a Trap Card."
One of his facedown cards lifted, showing a goofy picture of all three Ojamas stuffed into the same set of shorts.
"Ojama Delta Wear. Since my three Ojamas were destroyed in battle, they come right back."
The three Ojamas appeared again, in another flash of light. (0/1,000 x3)
"Does this ever end?" moaned Felicia.
Nicholas drew a card.
He smirked. This was what he was waiting for.
"Actually," he replied, "it's gonna end on this turn.
"I play Polymerization."
He played the card, and the three Ojamas merged into a swirl of multicolored light and an explosion of stars…
Then, a giant, egg-shaped creature crashed down on his side of the field. It was pale white, had eyes on stalks, wore trunks similar to the other Ojamas, with a small crown and a short cape. It let out a throaty laugh. (0/3,000)
"That's Ojama King, right?" asked Felicia. "I've heard of him…"
A card slipped out of Nicholas's deck and he took it.
"Maybe you have…" he said. "But not many people have heard of what I'm summoning next. I play this… Mecha Ojama King Transformation!"
Ojama King rose into the air, and glowed with blinding light…
After a few seconds, a transformation had indeed taken place. It had turned into a large, mechanical version of itself, made of shining metal. It laughed again, with a laugh that was deep and robotic. (0/3,000)
"What in the world…" muttered Felicia.
"As you can see…" said Nicholas, "this guy has exactly the same amount of Attack Points as the regular Ojama King – zero. But he does have the ability to summon an Ojamachine every round.
"What's an Ojamachine you may ask?"
He placed a card on his Disk.
"This is an Ojamachine. Ojamachine Yellow to be precise."
The creature that appeared looked like a grinning, robotic version of Ojama Yellow, crouched down on all fours. (0/1,000)
"This is seriously weirding me out…" said Felicia.
"It's about to get weirder…" replied Nicholas. "This little dorkatron has a neat trick of its own."
Ojamachine Yellow's mouth opened wide, and a second Ojamachine Yellow popped out. Then that one's mouth opened, and third popped out. Then that one's mouth opened, producing a fourth. (0/1,000 x4)
"See?" said Nicholas. "When it's summoned, I get to summon a token just like it on every free space I have.
"Now my Trap activates… Solar Ray."
His other facedown card lifted.
"This Trap blasts away 600 of your Life Points for every Light Monster I have, in other words, five."
Felicia's eyes opened wide.
This is gonna sting… she thought.
A beam of light shot out of the Trap Card, and it hit her squarely. She screamed in pain.
(F: 700) -------------------- (N: 3,100)
She gasped for breath.
"I still have… Life Points… left…" she gasped.
"Not for long…" he replied. "Ojamachines… Attack Lady Panther!"
The four Ojamachines grinned even wider, and hopped towards the Beast-Warrior like frogs.
"What are you doing?" shouted Felicia. "They have zero Attack Points!"
The first one leapt at Lady Panther and exploded.
Then Felicia screamed as hot metal debris rained on her.
"True," said Nicholas. "But when they're destroyed in battle, my Life Points are safe. You, on the other hand, lose 300 for each one."
Three more exploded, and Felicia screamed as she was showered in the burning metal. She collapsed on her back and moaned.
(F: 0) -------------------- (N: 3,100)
Nicholas paused.
The Gale Shield on Felicia's wrist vanished, and then reappeared on his.
"Not bad…" he said, looking at it.
He took Bast, the Queen of Cats out of his pocket and walked up to Felicia, who was still moaning on the ground. He knelt over her.
"You fought well," he whispered. "I see bright things in your future…"
He playfully tucked the card into her cleavage.
"Keep dueling… That card will make you much stronger… I'll be back for you soon…"
Then he bent down and kissed her.
Felicia's eyes opened… And then she closed them. A few wisps of green mist escaped from where their lips met.
Nicholas got up and walked away.
Once he was out of sight, he growled and took out his cell phone.
"Rasputin?" he said angrily, speaking into it. "The Gale Shield is mine… I hope you're bloody happy…"
"And the pheromone solution?" asked Rasputin.
"It's been done…" he growled. "Thank you so much for making me feel like a total bastard."
"You make it sound like you raped her," replied Rasputin.
"I kinda feel like I did!" said Nicholas, through his teeth. "Isn't that what a rapist does after all? Make a woman helpless in front of him? Make her 'his'?"
"Don't concern yourself," said Rasputin. "She'll recover. It wasn't thrall powder after all…"
"If you even think of ever telling me to use thrall powder…" snapped Nicholas.
"Calm down, Nicholas," said Rasputin. "That isn't a concoction that one uses frivolously. If it ever has to be used, and I doubt it will come to that, I will use it personally.
"We'll keep Felicia under watch. She may yet be of some use to us. If the problem we have escalates, then and only then will we make use of what you did.
"But anyway, you're at Violet now, right?"
Nicholas looked at his badge.
"Yeah," he replied.
"Then you're in good standing…" said Rasputin. "And we have plenty of time. Don't duel again until I say so. With Yumi possessing the Crown, you and Olga must stay at roughly the same rank as her in case I decide to have either of you challenge her.
"Until that becomes necessary… uhm… well… find something to do."
"Find something to do, he says," muttered Nicholas, turning off the cell. "Sure, I'll grab a beer and a pizza, take in a rugby game…"
He looked around.
"I wonder if Yumi is busy?"
He smirked. He thought of the Jacuzzi in his room, and wondered if Yumi would like to share it…
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One hour earlier…
The temporary truce between Yumi's group and Sam's group was still in effect, and the group of five were having milkshakes. They had decided to watch a few duels without actually getting involved in them.
From the pair of park benches they were on, they looked at the situation. On one side was a tough-looking kid wearing a gym t-shirt. His side had Battle Footballer in Defense Mode (1,000/2,100), and he had 4,000 Life Points.
On the other side was a geeky-looking kid with glasses. He had one Monster on his side of the field – a cartoonish Machine that looked like a steam locomotive. (1,800/1,800) He had 5,000 Life Points remaining.
He drew a card.
"I summon Cycroid…" he said.
He played the card, and a cartoonish bicycle with an eye between its handlebars and fists on the handlebars themselves appeared. (800/1,000)
"A bicycle?" laughed his opponent. "All it will get is a bad flat!"
"Yeah, yeah, laugh if you want, Norman…" said the smaller duelist, "but now I'm Equipping it with Training Wheels."
He played the card, and a pair of training wheels appeared on the Cycroid.
"This lets it attack you directly. Go!"
Cycroid's pedals spun, and it charged at the bigger duelist. He grunted as it slammed into him. His Life Points fell to 3,200.
"Now my Steamroid attacks your Monster," continued the Vehicroid duelist, "and it gains 500 Attack Points when it makes an attack."
Steam blew from Steamroid's stack, and it chugged forward, slamming into Battle Footballer and blowing it to pieces.
"My turn is over," he said, "and due to Training Wheels, my Cycroid goes away until my next turn."
Cycroid vanished, along with the Training Wheels card.
The tough-looking kid drew a card.
"Okay, Wendell…" he said. "I play… Pot of Greed."
He drew two cards.
"And fate is on my side," he said. "I summon Familiar-Possessed Hiita!"
In a burst of flame, a teenage girl with fiery-red hair wearing a halter, skirt, and cape appeared, holding a staff topped with a red ruby. A large fox with blazing fur was next to her. (1,850/1,500)
"She's strong enough to take down your Steamroid," he continued, "but I'm going to make her stronger… I play the Field Spell, Molten Destruction."
In an explosion of energy, the city street was turned into a volcanic wasteland. Fiery lava cascaded down slopes where buildings once were.
Hiita's stats changed to (2,350/1,100)
"Of all the Field Spells in the game…" said Ren, "I hate this one the worst."
"Worse than that Dark Arena?" asked Chelsea.
"I stand corrected…" he said.
"Hiita, break his toy train!" shouted the duelist.
Hiita twirled her staff, and fired a stream of flames at the Vehicroid. It exploded into scrap.
Wendell cringed as his Life Points fell to 3,950.
"Well, so much for that…" he muttered.
He drew a card. Then he looked at Hiita.
Cycroid reappeared, still Equipped with its Training Wheels.
"I summon Jetroid," he said.
In a sparkling light, another goofy machine appeared. This one resembled a fighter plane with an angry face, hovering over the ground. (1,200/1,800)
"Cycroid, go!" he shouted.
Cycroid sped forward, and slammed into Norman again. He grunted again as his Life Points fell to 2,400.
"I end my turn," said Wendell, as Cycroid vanished again.
"What the heck is he doing?" asked Erik. "Anyone can see that Hiita is far stronger than that toy plane…"
"Heh, heh…" chuckled Sam. "Not quite… Jetroid may look funny, but it's incredibly dangerous. If one of those two cards in Wendell's hand is a Trap Card, he can activate it from his hand as soon as Norman's Monster attacks it."
Norman drew a card. Then he looked hard at Jetroid.
"I summon Tenkabito Shien in Attack Mode," he said.
In another burst of flame, a noble-looking Samurai on a coal-black horse appeared. He was dressed in fine clothing, and held a razor-sharp nodachi. (1,500/1,000) –) (2,000/600)
"Looks like Norman is onto him," said Chelsea. "Shien there is immune to Traps."
"Shien, attack his Jetroid!" shouted Norman.
Shien galloped forward on his horse, and with one swipe, cut Jetroid cleanly in half. The pieces shattered.
"Hiita… roast him…"
Hiita aimed her staff. Wendell screamed as he was burned by her fiery spell.
"You can stick a fork in that guy," laughed Sam. "He's cooked!"
Wendell slowly got up, his Life Points having dropped to 900.
He drew a card. Cycroid appeared on the field again.
"All right!" he exclaimed. "Check out the card I just drew."
He held up the card, and Yumi and her friends looked up, startled.
It was Power Bond.
"Don't do it!" screamed Chelsea. "You're making a mistake!"
"She's right, you know…" said Norman. "That card has a nasty side effect. Unless the Monster you summon with it has a base Attack Score of at least… Let's see… 2,200, you'll lose when you end your turn!
"And, might I add, you have only two other cards in your hand, and one is obviously the Trap you were intending to use… Exactly what do you plan on fusing with that Cycroid?"
"Why, another Cycroid, of course," said Wendell with a smile. "I use Power Bond to fuse together my two Cycroids, to form my Pair Cycroid."
A second Cycroid appeared next to the first, and they faded into a blur.
The end result was a larger, two-seated version of Cycroid, with two eyes and a ten-speed wheel. It made a dinging sound as it looked at Norman. (1,600/2,000) –) (3,200/2,000)
"Not even close!" laughed Norman.
"Oh, really?" asked Wendell. "Two words: special ability. If I reduce its Attack Score by 500, it can attack you directly!"
"Hey, hold on!" shouted Norman.
"Attack him directly!" shouted Wendell. "Double cyclone!"
Pair Cycroid flew into the air, glowing with energy. Its attack fell to 2,700…
And then it slammed into Norman, knocking him over. He groaned as his Life Points hit zero.
The three Monsters and the fiery surroundings vanished.
"Next time, stop and think before you call someone a nerd," said Wendell.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," said Yumi. "This game never ceases to amaze me…
Sam sighed.
"He made a bicycle stronger than one of my dad's Dragons…" she muttered. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry…"
"Why don't one of you offer to duel him?" asked Yumi.
"Uh-uh…" said Chelsea, shivering.
"Not me!" shouted Ren.
Yumi sighed. She certainly wasn't going to, but it wasn't due to lack of confidence or courage.
She took off the Crown of Souls and looked at it. That Shadow Game had taken more out of her than she had let them all believe.
According to Anastasia, there were seven more of these things, and she needed them all. Would that mean seven more Shadow Games?
She considered all the variables.
First, her enemy. Rasputin was somewhere in this city. She assumed he was a legitimate tournament guest because he had a badge, but she didn't even know what hotel he was in.
Not that it mattered. She couldn't just go there and start leveling accusations. More than likely, he had hired Holly, but there was no proof at all. And Holly couldn't say anything until she woke up… If she ever did…
At this point she wondered if the coma Holly was in was simply a coma… Or if something horrible was happening to her right now, like what Marik did to poor Mai in Battle City… She shuddered at the thought of it. No one deserved that…
She thought about those two teenagers, Nicholas and Olga.
She frowned, and reached into her pocket.
He had actually given her his phone number. That was something… Was Nicholas going to attack her or ask her out?
She sighed… He was sort of handsome, actually… Such beautiful hair… That rolled-out-of-bed look…
She shook her head and came to her senses.
Then there was Olga. She knew even less about her…
A frightening thought came to her. Were Nicholas and Olga with Rasputin via their free will, or were they slaves? Anastasia said he was an alchemist… Could he have drugged them at some point? Forced them to serve him?
She knew a little bit about the ancient practice of alchemy. Most modern folks confused it with magic, but it wasn't. It was more or less the science (the term was used loosely – many modern-day scientists didn't accept it as a real science) of transmuting matter. Simply put, alchemists turned substances into other substances. Since everything that wasn't energy was made of matter, a true master of alchemy could pretty much do anything to anything.
That was the goal of alchemy… the Philosopher's Stone. An artifact that could literally do anything. Turn metal into gold, heal any illness, even grant the user true immortality…
Slowly, she came back to awareness.
She thought of a few other factors…
There was Maria. A duelist from her grandparents' time who was no slouch, with a rare card that could destroy an Egyptian God Monster. But it was strange… Three of her four grandparents were great duelists, and they had never met a duelist named Maria. At least if they had, they had never mentioned her. You'd think if she could defeat the God Cards, she would have sought Yugi Mouto out and challenged him for them, as so many duelists with dreams of glory did in those days…
Come to think of it, that card of hers would have also destroyed the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon pretty easily… So why wasn't Seto Kaiba ever bothered by a teenage girl who wanted to beat him to prove she could? Kaiba would never have refused a challenge. If anything, he liked crushing gloryhounds who thought he wasn't as good as he really was.
Yumi had seen the card with her own eyes… But apparently, Maria had never used it for anything.
Then she thought of Maria's strange ally, Cassandra. She hadn't revealed anything about her own past. Those Arcana Force Monsters were downright creepy…
Why was she helping? She apparently worked for Arachne… Did that mean that Arachne knew something about this? Or did Sheena not know a few things about her own employees?
She heard a gurgling sound.
She noticed what it was – her stomach.
It was one o'clock, the time she usually had lunch.
She turned to her friends, but they had found something new to watch. Two new duelists were facing off.
"Game on!" they said.
Yumi sighed.
She could wait.
Unbeknownst to Yumi, one of the Shadow Charms has fallen into the hands of her foes, even though the one in personal possession of it has some sort of crush on her. The danger has now increased, and the gap of power has now narrowed. The heroes had best widen it again soon…
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OJAMANDALA (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: The three Ojamas as figures on a Buddhist painted mandala.
Card Description: You may activate this card when you have one "Ojama Green", one "Ojama Yellow", and one "Ojama Black" in your Graveyard. Pay 1,000 Life Points. Special Summon the above-named Monsters from your Graveyard.
0
0
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OJAMA RIDE (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: The three Ojamas riding on the front of a truck.
Card Description: Discard one "Ojama Green", one "Ojama Yellow", and one "Ojama Black" from your hand. Special Summon up to three Machine-Type Union Monsters that are Level Four or less from your hand or deck in face-up Defense Position. The battle position of these Monsters cannot switch.
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0
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OJAMA DELTA WEAR (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A goofy picture of the three Ojamas stuffed into the same pair of shorts.
Card Description: You may activate this card during a round that one "Ojama Green", one "Ojama Yellow", and one "Ojama Black" on your side of the field are destroyed as a result of battle. Special Summon the above-named Monsters from your Graveyard.
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0
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MECHA OJAMA KING TRANSFORMATION (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: The image on this card was never shown.
Card Description: You may add this card to your hand from your deck when you Fusion Summon an "Ojama King". Offer one "Ojama King" as a Tribute to Special Summon one "Mecha Ojama King" from your hand or deck.
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MECHA OJAMA KING (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 6
ATK: 0
DEF: 3,000
Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of "Mecha Ojama King Transformation". Once during each of your turns, you may Special Summon one "Ojamachine Yellow", one "Ojamachine Green", or one "Ojamachine Black" from your hand or deck.
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OJAMACHINE YELLOW (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 3
ATK: 0
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned, Special Summon one "Ojamachine Yellow Token" (Machine/Light/Level 2/0 ATK/1,000 DEF) on every available space in your Monster Zone. Battle Damage to you from a battle involving this card or an "Ojamachine Yellow Token" is reduced to zero. If this card or an "Ojamachine Yellow Token" is destroyed as a result of battle, inflict 300 points of direct damage to your opponent's Life Points.
Note: The proceeding six cards were first used by Chazz in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Champion or Chazz-Been". All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. (It also should be noted that the effects of "Ojamachine Green" and "Ojamachine Black" are unknown.)
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BEETRON-1 BEETLETOPS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,700
DEF: 1,400
Flavor Text: A high-performance fighting droid. It is able to integrate with other machines for a variety of combat techniques.
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BEETRON-2 BEETLE TURBO (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Union
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 1,800
Card Description: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this card on your side of the field, you may Equip it to your "Beetron-1 Beetletops" as an Equip Spell Card OR change it back to a Monster in face-up Attack Position. When Equipped to a Monster by this card's effect, increase the ATK/DEF of that Monster by 400 points. (One Monster can only be Equipped with one Union Monster at a time. If the Monster that this card is Equipped to is destroyed in battle, this card is destroyed instead.)
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BEETRON-3 SPIDER BASE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Union
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 2,000
Card Description: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this card on your side of the field, you may Equip it to your "Beetron-1 Beetletops" as an Equip Spell Card OR change it back to a Monster in face-up Attack Position. When Equipped to a Monster by this card's effect, increase the ATK/DEF of that Monster by 600 points. (One Monster can only be Equipped with one Union Monster at a time. If the Monster that this card is Equipped to is destroyed in battle, this card is destroyed instead.)
Note: The effect of this Monster given here is an assumption, made by comparing it to "Z-Metal Tank". Its true effect is unknown.
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ASSAULT CANNON BEETLE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 7
ATK: 2,400
DEF: 2,800
Card Description: Beetron-1 Beetletops + Beetron-2 Beetle Turbo + Beetron-3 Spider Base
This card cannot be Special Summoned except by returning the above-named cards from the field to your deck and reshuffling; then, Special Summon this card from your Fusion Deck. (You do not use "Polymerization") For each Monster you Tribute on your side of the field, inflict 800 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points.
Note: "Beetron-1 Beetletops", "Beetron-2 Beetle Turbo", "Beetron-3 Spider Base", and "Assault Cannon Beetle" were first used by Chazz in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Magnetic Personality". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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DESPERADO MANAGER (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A burly biker in a leather jacket, his body crackling with electricity.
Card Description: You can activate this card when you have at least one card in your hand other than this card. Draw two cards from your deck. Then, take any three cards from your hand and place them on the top of your deck in any order.
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OJAMA DELTA THUNDER!! (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: The three Ojamas holding hands in a triangular pattern in a burst of electricity.
Card Description: You can only activate this card when you have one "Ojama Green", one "Ojama Yellow", and one "Ojama Black" face-up on your side of the field. Inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent for each card in your opponent's hand and on his/her side of the field. Then, you may send one "Ojama Delta Hurricane!!" from your hand or deck to the Graveyard to destroy all cards on your opponent's side of the field.
Note: "Desperado Manager" and "Ojama Delta Thunder!!" were first used by Chazz in a third season episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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INFERNAL GAUNTLET (Spell Card)
Equip Spell
Image: A warrior with a flaming glove.
Card Description: During your Battle Phase, the Monster Equipped with this card can attack multiple times if you offer as a Tribute one other Monster for every attack it makes before its normal attack(s). The additional attacks this card allows cannot be used to attack your opponent directly.
Note: "Infernal Gauntlet" was first used by Chazz in the two-part "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Blinded by the Light". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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TRAINING WHEELS (Spell Card)
Equip Spell
Image: The rear wheel of a bicycle with a pair of training wheels.
Card Description: This card may only be Equipped to "Cycroid". The Monster Equipped with this card may attack your opponent directly. At the End Phase of a turn in which the Monster Equipped with this card has attacked directly, remove the Equipped Monster and this card from play. On your next Standby Phase, Special Summon the Monster back to your side of the field and Equip it with this card again.
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PAIR CYCROID (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 5
ATK: 1,600
DEF: 2,000
Card Description: Cycroid + Cycroid
This card can attack your opponent directly. In order to attack with this card directly by using its effect, reduce this card's ATK by 500 until the end of the Battle Phase.
Note: "Training Wheels" and "Pair Cycroid" were first used by Syrus in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Tough Love". All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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Chelsea: Well guys, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to start dueling again.
Ren: We're in Duelatopia, Chelsea. Challenges are everywhere.
Yumi: A challenge may be waiting for you Chelsea… But be calm, don't panic, and remember your skills. What comes next may be hard for you… Your next opponent intends to play rough…
Coming up next: "Terror Tactics; Fighting Fire With Ire!"
This one ain't gonna be a picnic…