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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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Terror Tactics
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Fighting Fire With Ire!
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Rasputin rubbed his forehead as he went over the files on his flash drive.
"Clearly, dealing with that masked lunatic was a mistake," he muttered. "If I want to scare them, I'm going to need someone more loyal…"
A face came up on the screen.
"Hmm, maybe he's a little too brutal…"
He stroked his beard.
"…but then again, this isn't the Good Ship Lollypop… Maybe Yumi will be shaken enough…
"…when she sees poor Chelsea burned on a pyre…"
He took out a cell phone…
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Ren was quick to remind Yumi of the promise to get fish and chips for lunch if she had won the Yami no Oujou. But Yumi wanted as little reminder of the painful duel as possible. So the five of them settled on a small Mexican place nearby.
Soon, Yumi and Sam were trying to show each other up again, with a very unique challenge…
"I can eat this burrito with two squirts of hot sauce," said Yumi.
"I can eat my burrito with three squirts of hot sauce," said Sam, smugly.
"Four squirts," dared Yumi.
"Five squirts," replied Sam.
"Six squirts," said Yumi grinning.
"SEVEN squirts!" dared Sam.
"Eat that burrito," said Yumi.
"Must they be competitive about everything?" asked Chelsea, watching the spectacle.
Ren didn't answer. He concentrated on his taco.
They watched as Sam's eyes bugged out, and then she swallowed her whole beverage in two gulps.
She glared at Yumi.
"You won that bet," she growled, "but when we duel, you're gonna lose, so it makes no difference!"
"Wanna duel now?" asked Yumi, with an evil grin. "I warn you, the Monsters in my deck are much spicier than any old beef and cheese burrito!"
"I warn you Yumi," she replied, getting in her face, "unlike Mexican food, if you bite me, I'll bite back!"
Chelsea looked up, and noticed someone standing behind her. It was a phantom dressed in expensive, outdated clothing, with long hair tied in a ponytail. He had apparently gotten his own lunch.
"This isn't bad, Chelsea," he said. "What is it?"
"A spicy chicken fajita, Dimitri," she replied. "I'll admit, they're weren't too many of them in Eighteenth Century Leningrad."
She looked at him and shrugged.
Most folks were a little surprised by the fact that ghosts could eat. They didn't have to, but they could, despite having no physical bodies and thus no digestive tracts. Exactly what happened to the food once they swallowed it was a mystery – their phantom forms certainly produced no waste.
It didn't matter much. Most ghosts didn't anyway, as being dead came with a loss of appetite. But some ghosts, particularly very old-fashioned ones like Dimitri (who had been a nobleman under some Czar when he was alive) were incredibly curious about the modern world, and liked trying every new thing they could.
"Did somebody mention spicy?" said a voice.
The man who said it was a handsome young man with Latino features in clothes that looked expensive, and were apparently custom-tailored. His most remarkable article of clothing was the stylish fedora on his head. He had black hair that had clearly been cut by a professional stylist, and boyish face.
"Heh…" he said. "Where I come from, seven dashes would have been considered downright bland. We tend to put that stuff on everything except ice cream."
"You like Tabasco sauce?" asked Sam.
"Like it?" asked the youth.
He reached into his pocket and palmed a bottle of hot sauce. He tossed it to Sam, who caught it.
The brand name was Lobo Gourmet Style Salsa.
"Everyone in Mexico and Southwest America knows that that's the best there is in hot sauce," said the youth. "And my padre started the company from a wooden shack where his folks lived."
He chuckled.
"We have more money than the Mexican government now…
"Keep the bottle, por favor… I always give out free samples…"
"And you are?" asked Sam.
"Enrique," he said. "Enrique Lobo. And I'm also one of the top duelists in Latin America."
"Care to prove it?" asked Sam.
"Nada, gracious," he replied. "I'd rather duel her."
He pointed to Chelsea.
"Me?" asked Chelsea. "Heh… How can I say no? I warn you though…
"My Monsters… They don't care for sauce. They prefer blood."
Enrique grinned.
Dimitri put his hand on Chelsea's shoulder as he swallowed the last of his fajita.
"Chelsea, be careful," he said. "If there's one thing I learned while I was alive, it was to be wary of rich merchants."
Chelsea gave him an odd look.
"Merchants are spoiled fops," said Dimitri, "and the richer they get, the more they want. I knew one who practically owned the salt trade in Russia. Salt was a precious commodity back then… It was the only way to preserve food. If the Czar did something that he didn't like, people could go without salt and let their stores rot until he got his way."
"Believe me, Dimitri," said Chelsea, "in the world of business, not much has changed since then…"
She got up.
"Let's duel," she said.
Enrique smirked.
Then his eyes narrowed.
This is it, Rasputin, he thought. The minute this duel is over, you and my padre are through… And he is never, EVER going to accept a favor from a jerk like you again…
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"So tell me…" said Chelsea, as she shuffled, "which goes better on nachos… salsa, or jalapeño?"
"Heh, heh," chuckled Enrique. "Señorita, several men in my country have gone mad trying to answer that question. My opinion is, why choose? They're both good."
"Ain't it the truth?" said Ren. "So what sort of deck do you think the heir to a condiment company uses?"
"I have no idea," said Yumi. "Mexico doesn't have all that many duelists. Most of them have to cross the border to find serious competition."
Si, thought Enrique, loading his deck. But with my padre's money, and a modern miracle called the internet, my deck is the envy of Latin America.
Hot sauce is good, but if you aren't used to it, it burns your mouth badly…
And anyone meeting my cards unprepared…
Gets burned…
Chelsea saw that Dimitri was standing behind her, and apparently he was still hungry. He had a taco with him now. She frowned.
Just how did he pay for it, anyway?
"I'd say you'd get the runs, if that were possible…" she muttered.
"Excusa?" asked Enrique.
"Nothing," said Chelsea.
The two Disks activated.
"Game on!" they both shouted.
(Chelsea: 8,000) -------------------- (Enrique: 8,000)
Enrique tilted his hat slightly. He drew his first card and looked over his hand.
"I'll start out slowly…" he said.
He placed a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"That's it for now…" he said.
"Heh…" said Chelsea. "That wasn't much…"
She drew a card and looked over her hand. She smirked.
Then she noticed that Dimitri was looking at them closely.
"Do you mind?" whispered Chelsea.
"Sorry," he replied.
"I activate Call of the Mummy," she said, playing a Spell Card. "This lets me Special Summon a Zombie, so long as I have no Monsters on the field.
"And I'll use it to summon Zombie Werewolf."
In an eerie fog, the vicious werewolf appeared. He glared at Enrique and howled. (1,200/1,200)
"Now I can Normal Summon a Monster…" she said. "And I think I'll summon a second Zombie Werewolf! Double the pleasure, double the fun!"
With a howl and a burst of darkness, a second wolfman appeared next to the first. (1,200/1,200)
"I know that Día de los Muertos isn't until November," she said, "but these guys likely won't be able to make it to your party then. So…
"Zombie Werewolf number one, attack!"
Zombie Werewolf flew towards the facedown card. The creature that appeared on it looked like a boulder with a face on it, and arms and legs.
The werewolf swiped with his claw, and it was smashed to pieces.
"What was THAT?" asked Chelsea.
"A Galeb Duhr," replied Enrique. "A spirit of the land. And you activated its Flip-Effect. First, you get to draw once…"
Chelsea gave him a quizzical look. Then she drew one card. She glanced at it, and added it to her hand.
"Then…" he continued, "I get to take a Field Spell from my deck and activate it."
His Field Slot opened, and he placed a card in it.
"Welcome to… Volcanic Cavern!"
The air turned hot and hazy, and before everyone knew it, they were surrounded by stone walls. Then came the big shock… Everyone was standing on islands of stone in a lake of molten lava. Surrounding them was a huge cavern, with lava pouring into the lake through inlets.
Chelsea looked around nervously.
"Okay…" she said. "Interesting… But I'm not done with you…
"Second Zombie Werewolf, attack him directly!"
The other Zombie Werewolf pounced, and slashed at Enrique with a claw. He grunted and staggered backwards.
"I'll place this facedown," said Chelsea, "and that will be my turn."
A facedown card appeared on her side.
As soon as he tries to attack, she thought, unless the benefit this Field Spell gives his Monsters is immunity to Traps, my Widespread Ruin will blow his Monster to pieces.
(C: 8,000) -------------------- (E: 6,800)
She looked at Dimitri, who was looking very uncomfortable.
"You okay?" she asked.
"I lived in Russia all my life," he replied. "I prefer the weather on the cold side."
"My Spanish is a little rusty…" said Erik. "What exactly is Día de los Muertos?"
"The Day of the Dead," replied Sam. "It's kind of like Halloween."
"Tell me, Señorita…" asked Enrique, drawing a card. "Have you ever read Interview With The Vampire?"
"Yes," said Chelsea. "Yes I have, in fact."
"Then you might remember something that Louis said about vampires," continued Enrique. "He said that most of the things that legends stated could weaken or kill them meant nothing in reality. Garlic, mirrors, and even wooden stakes were worthless against real vampires.
"But he did admit that there were a few things that could kill him, like sunlight…
"And also…
"Fire…
"I use the effect of my Field Spell. Every round, a player can add a Fire Monster from his deck to his hand, so long as it's Level Three or less.
He took a card from his deck.
"And Volcanic Shell is only Level One."
"What good is a Level One Monster against my Level Four Zombies?" asked Chelsea.
"I'll show you…" said Enrique, fitting a card into his Disk. "I play a Spell Card, to fire up my Blaze Accelerator!"
The lava erupted in front of him, and a frightening-looking device rose out of the lava. It was a flamethrower of some sort, mounted on a tripod. It glowed with fiery energy.
"What on earth…" muttered Yumi.
"Blaze Accelerator is a powerful weapon that can reduce the most powerful Monster to ashes," said Enrique. "But as you see, it's a gun, and it can't do anything without ammunition. And the only ammunition it takes is Pyro-Type Monsters that have 500 Attack Points or less.
"So… I'll send Volcanic Shell to the grave, so it can fire!"
Blaze Accelerator glowed, and then it shot a stream of flames at the first Zombie Werewolf. He howled as he was covered by fire, and then exploded in a fiery burst.
"HEY!" shouted Chelsea. "That's playing dirty!"
"No, this is," said Enrique. "I have another Volcanic Shell right here, and I can use this thing more than once per round. I can't attack on a round that I use it, but I don't need to!"
The Blaze Accelerator blasted again, hitting the other Zombie Werewolf. He howled, and burst.
"You know…" said Dimitri, "a nobleman who was above me said that guns were a passing fad. He believed that right up to the day he was murdered… By an assassin using a gun."
"Uh huh…" said Chelsea. "That sounds… Quite ironic…"
"All right…" said Ren. "I knew that this game could get violent at times, but this is a little… What's the word I'm looking for?"
"I think it's passed the line from violent into gratuitous violence," said Yumi.
Enrique placed two cards into his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.
"Your move," he said.
Chelsea looked at him funny.
"No Monsters?" she asked. "Are you sure?"
He just glared at her. She drew a card.
"I use the effect of Call of the Mummy," she said, "to summon Ryu Kokki!"
The lava pool burst in front of her, and the huge Bone Dragon Ogre rose out. (2,400/2,000)
"Next…" she said, "I Normal Summon Blood Sucker!"
She played the card, and Blood Sucker appeared, also leaping out of the fiery pit. It screeched. (1,300/1,500)
"Good, Chelsea!" shouted Ren. "Way to stack your side!"
"Ryu Kokki… attack him directly!" shouted Chelsea.
Ryu Kokki lumbered towards Enrique.
I'm still protected by Widespread Ruin in case those facedown cards can kill my Monsters, she thought.
"Not so fast, Señorita," he said. "I activate… Firewall!"
One of his facedown cards lifted, and a wall of flames shot up, blocking Ryu Kokki's advance.
"What happened?" asked Chelsea.
"Firewall is a powerful Continuous Trap," answered Enrique, holding up one of the Volcanic Shell cards. "If you try to attack me directly, I merely have to remove a Pyro Monster in my Graveyard from play, and the attack is negated."
Chelsea looked at him.
"Then I'll just have to get you to use them up…" she said. "Blood Sucker, you attack him!"
Blood Sucker leapt up and flew at Enrique.
"Firewall, activate!" he shouted.
The wall of flames shot up, and Blood Sucker was thrown backwards.
"You know…" muttered Sam, "now that I see them, I remember reading about these cards somewhere…"
"Oh?" asked Yumi.
"Yeah…" replied Sam. "I think they were used a few decades ago by a guy who was the head student at West Duel Academy…
"What was his name again?
"Oh, he was some guy from Egypt who was known for having absolutely no sense of humor. Erik, you know who I'm talking about… He always wore that vest?"
Erik shrugged.
"Anyway, he used this Volcanic Burn Deck, as he called it, both in school, and later in the Pro League. These cards aren't exactly common…"
True, thought Enrique, but neither were your own padre's Dragons, Señorita Arachne! If there was a law against using rare cards, they'd have locked him up before he was half the duelist he was.
He drew a card.
"I pay 500 Life Points to keep Firewall…" he said. "Then I use the effect of my Field Spell…"
He took a card from his deck.
"Now I have my third Volcanic Shell.
"Fire!"
The Blaze Accelerator blasted, hitting Ryu Kokki. It groaned, and then burst into an explosion of flaming skulls.
"You know…" said Chelsea. "The name of this game is Duel Monsters… As in, you're supposed to fight using Monsters, not just Spells."
"I do use Monsters…" he said. "There are just other ways to use them besides attacking with them. I'll give you a sample…"
He placed a card into his Disk.
"First, I play Dark Room of Nightmare."
As the card appeared, the whole cavern grew dark, and creepy, shadowy shapes appeared on the walls.
"What does that do?" asked Ren.
"It isn't good…" replied Yumi. "With that card in play, every time Chelsea takes effect damage, she'll lose 300 extra Life Points."
"Now…" said Enrique, "I play Soul of Fire…"
A Spell Card appeared on his side of the field.
"I have to let you draw once to play this card," he said.
"No argument from me," replied Chelsea, making a draw.
"…but then I get to take a Pyro Monster in my deck," continued Enrique, "and remove it from play, and you lose Life Points equal to half of its Attack Score…"
He held up a card: Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi.
"This might hurt…"
A roaring column of flame rose in front of Chelsea, and a giant man with flaming hair and fire surrounding its fists stepped out of it…
The Spirit socked her in the stomach with its flaming fist, and she shrieked before she fell over.
Then the Dark Room of Nightmare card glowed, and she cringed as a shadowy aura covered her…
"Consider yourself lucky that you don't have Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi's effect to deal with," said Enrique.
(C: 6,300) -------------------- (E: 6,300)
"It's your move…" he said.
"The score is tied…" said Ren.
"Soon to change…" muttered Yumi.
Chelsea snarled at him as she got up. She drew a card.
Dimitri finished the taco and put his hands on Chelsea's shoulders.
"Chelsea," he said. "His Firewall may be a powerful defense, but he can't use it forever. If you want my advice, just keep slamming into that wall until it comes crashing down."
"Gotcha," she replied.
"I play Premature Burial," she said, playing the card. "Ryu Kokki, welcome back…"
Ryu Kokki burst out of the lava again. (2,400/2,000)
"Seems like you're up the creek without a paddle," said Chelsea, "because you have only one Pyro Monster left in your Graveyard, and I have two Monsters!
"Blood Sucker, attack!"
Blood Sucker flew at Enrique.
"Firewall, activate!" shouted Enrique.
The wall of flames shot up, and pushed Blood Sucker back.
"Bad choice…" said Chelsea. "Ryu Kokki, get him!"
Ryu Kokki leapt forward.
"Forgot about my other facedown card, did you?" asked Enrique.
His other facedown card activated.
"I activate Burial From a Different Dimension. Now those three Shells I removed from play go back to my grave…
"So my Firewall has something to work with again…"
The wall of flames leapt up again, and Ryu Kokki was thrown backwards.
"Fine!" shouted Chelsea, "I'll place one card facedown, and activate a nightmare of my own… Mirage of Nightmare."
The facedown card, and the Mirage card appeared.
"I end my turn… So what are you gonna do now? You have no Shells left, and there can't be THAT many Pyro-Type Monsters with Attack Scores that low."
(C: 5,500) -------------------- (E: 6,300)
Enrique drew a card. He smirked.
He showed it to her.
Jigen Bakudan.
"Me and my big mouth…" muttered Chelsea. "My Mirage card activates!"
She quickly drew four cards.
"As does my facedown card… And since it's obvious you're never going to attack…"
The Emergency Provisions card appeared, and consumed both Mirage of Nightmare, and the unused Widespread Ruin.
"Never going to attack?" he asked. "Maybe… Maybe not… You may yet regret doing that…
"I'll pay 500 Life Points to keep Firewall, and I think I'll use the effect of my Field Spell to get my other Jigen Bakudan."
He took a card from his deck.
"Fire uno!"
Blaze Accelerator blasted, blowing away Ryu Kokki for the second time.
"Fire dos!"
Again, the flames shot from the Accelerator. Blood Sucker screeched before it was incinerated.
(C: 7,500) -------------------- (E: 5,800)
"All right…" said Chelsea. "My move…"
She drew a card.
She smirked.
"I'll use Call of the Mummy first…" she said. "And summon Vampire Lord."
In a burst of shadow, the undead lord appeared. (2,000/1,500)
"Next, I'll play Book of Life," she continued. "I'll remove one of your Jigen Bakudans from play, to bring back Ryu Kokki again…"
Ryu Kokki appeared, for the third time. (2,400/2,000)
"Then, Monster Reborn! Zombie Werewolf, return!"
The ankh appeared on the field, and Zombie Werewolf appeared. (1,200/1,200)
"And finally…" she said, "I'll Normal Summon Pyramid Turtle."
She played a card, and in a burst of sand, dust, and grit, a large, brown, sandy turtle with a stone pyramid on its back and an Egyptian crown on its head appeared. (1,200/1,400)
"Four Monsters in one turn?" shouted Erik. "This is… wild…"
"Please…" said Enrique, casually. "None of them will get to me."
"Want to put money on that?" asked Chelsea. "Pyramid Turtle, attack with dust of decay."
Pyramid Turtle opened its jaws, and breathed a blast of dust and grit at Enrique. Once again, the Firewall sprang up, blocking it.
"Zombie Werewolf, your turn!"
Zombie Werewolf flew at him, and he was thrown back by the wall as well.
"Vampire Lord, attack!"
Vampire Lord lifted his cape, and a swarm of bats shot forward, only to be incinerated by the wall again.
Chelsea grinned.
"Check your Graveyard, amigo…" she said.
"Que?" said Enrique, looking at his Disk.
"Caramba!" he shouted. "I'm out of Pyro Monsters!"
"And I'm out of patience!" shouted Chelsea. "Ryu Kokki, attack him directly! Bone basher!"
Ryu Kokki lumbered forward, and this time, no wall of flames could impede it. Enrique screamed as it clobbered him with its powerful fist.
Everyone cheered as he fell to his knees… His hat fell off and fell to the ground.
Dimitri laughed.
"Wish I could have done that to that greedy salt merchant," he said with a chuckle.
(C: 7,500) -------------------- (E: 3,400)
"Your move…" said Chelsea. "Next round, my undead army is going straight for you..."
Enrique slowly picked up his hat and replaced it…
His hand shook and sweat as he drew a card. He was nervous now… It was a long time since he had taken a direct attack that strong…
"I pay… 500 Life Points… to keep Firewall…" he said.
"Then… I play… Pot of Greed…"
The laughing jar appeared in front of him. He drew two cards.
Well, he thought, looking at them. Time to bring this duel to the next level…
"I use the effect of my Field Spell," he said, "to add Volcanic Scattershot to my hand…"
He took his deck, and took a card from it.
"Now…" he said, "I bid adios to my Blaze Accelerator…"
Blaze Accelerator vanished in a ripple of light.
"And I bring forth Tri-Blaze Accelerator!"
With a burst of lava, a new weapon rose in front of him. It was a nastier, bulkier, squat cannon, with three barrels.
"Let me explain the combo I'm about to use," he said with a frown. "This weapon is an upgraded version of the basic Blaze Accelerator. Not only can it destroy Monsters, but when it does, their owner of the destroyed Monster loses 500 Life Points.
"And this is the perfect ammunition… The Volcanic Scattershot. It has two effects.
"First, when it goes to the Graveyard, you lose 500 Life Points…
"Second, when I use it to fire my Trident, I can send two more of them from my deck to the Graveyard, and wipe out every Monster on the field in the process."
"That's 2,000 Life Points!" shouted Ren.
"No, actually, it's 3,200…" said Yumi, shaking her head. "Dark Room of Nightmare, remember?"
"CHELSEA!" screamed Ren.
The Tri-Blaze Accelerator fired…
What happened next was hard to watch. First Vampire Lord (clearly Enrique's target) went up in flames. Then Pyramid Turtle, Zombie Werewolf, and Ryu Kokki were consumed in flames as well. Then, most horribly, Chelsea erupted in fire too. She fell to her knees, and gasped for breath as the fire started to die away.
She couldn't help but check herself to make sure she wasn't really burned.
Get a grip, Chelsea… she thought. No matter how realistic it gets, it isn't real! Keep telling yourself that!
"Feeling the heat yet, Señorita?" laughed Enrique.
"That's it, pal!" shouted Ren. "Once she's done with you, I'm gonna deal with you!"
"Not a wise choice…" said Yumi. "You have no luck with fire, Ren. Need I remind you of last year's attempt to barbecue hamburgers? It took a month for your eyebrows to grow back…"
"I thought we all agreed we'd never speak of that again…" said Ren, speaking out of the side of his mouth.
(C: 4,300) -------------------- (E: 2,900)
"I'll place this facedown, and let you go," said Enrique, as a facedown card appeared next to the Trident.
"This is bad…" muttered Ren. "She can't keep anything on the field for more than a round."
"Not only that," said Erik, "he just added three more Pyros to his Graveyard, so that annoying Firewall is a problem again."
Dimitri helped Chelsea to her feet. Not the first time one of these ghosts had done that.
"Thanks…" she muttered.
Come on… she thought, drawing. My Heavy Storm has gotta be somewhere in this deck…
She looked at the card.
Nuts. I'm just gonna have to take out his defense the hard way…
She gestured, and a dark, mahogany coffin rose out of the lava.
"Que?" said Enrique.
"Fire might be lethal to Lestat and his ilk," said Chelsea, "but not Vampire Lord. When he's destroyed by any card effect, he makes a quick recovery."
The coffin opened, and Vampire Lord emerged. (2,000/1,500)
"Now, I'll summon my third Zombie Werewolf."
Yet another Zombie Werewolf appeared, and he looked pissed. (1,200/1,200)
"Both of you, get him!" she shouted.
Vampire Lord and Zombie Werewolf leapt at Enrique, only to be thrown backwards as the Firewall activated twice.
"Coward…" muttered Sam.
Enrique stopped short. His hand trembled…
"Coward, Señorita Arachne?" he said.
He tensed. Clearly he was very angry now.
"Chelsea…" he muttered. "If you have no other moves to make, let me take my turn, so I may show your friend how much of a… coward I truly am!"
Chelsea fit her last card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"Be my guest," she said.
"Fine!" shouted Enrique. "I draw!"
He quickly drew a card.
"And I'm sick of paying for this Trap Card, so I'll destroy it! Begone!"
Everyone gasped as the Firewall card shattered into bits.
"Uh… oh…" said Dimitri. "I think your friend just hit a nerve…"
"You HAD to make him mad…" said Yumi to Sam.
"No more hiding behind a defense," growled Enrique. "I'm going on offense. I activate a Trap Card…"
His facedown card lifted.
"Forge of Hephaestus!" he exclaimed. "Now, I get to take from my deck or Graveyard, the Monster with the highest Attack Score, and my opponent gets the same benefit."
Chelsea was shocked to say the least. She took her deck, and leafed through it until she found Vampire Genesis.
"Who's Hephaestus?" asked Dimitri.
"The god of the forge…" muttered Chelsea.
"Whatever Monster he just pulled…" muttered Ren, "it's likely his best one…"
"Next…" said Enrique, playing a Spell Card, "I play Blasting Vein. I now have to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on my side of the field. So my Dark Room of Nightmare goes."
Glowing red cracks appeared over the Spell Card, and it shattered into flaming pieces. The spooky shadows on the walls of the cavern faded.
"In return, I get to draw two cards."
He made two draws.
"Excellente," he said. "Now I can summon my ultimate Monster… I destroy Tri-Blaze Accelerator…"
The three-barreled weapon exploded…
"And in return, I can summon a beast born in the fiery, molten core of the Earth…"
The lava around them started to boil uncontrollably. Then, geysers of lava shot up in flaming fountains.
"Hey, about that coward crack…" said Sam, nervously. "I take it back, okay?"
"Too late…" muttered Yumi. "I think this volcano is about to erupt…"
Then, a huge creature, twelve feet tall, burst out of the lava. It was a fiendish, reptilian creature, with huge claws, a tail, a carapace, and a mane of flames where one might expect it to have hair.
It roared in bloodlust… (3,000/1,800)
"Okay…" said Chelsea, with a nervous grin, "now that guy's cool!"
"Si…" said Enrique. "You say that my Volcanic Doomfire is 'cool'. But trust me, things are about to get very HOT!
"Attack her Vampire Lord! Volcanic blast!"
The Volcanic Doomfire blasted a breath weapon that looked, for all practical purposes, like a ten-foot-tall volcano erupting. As the blast hit Vampire Lord, Chelsea was knocked off her feet by a fiery explosion.
When she looked up, she noticed that the explosion had apparently taken Zombie Werewolf with it.
"What?" said Chelsea. "It can attack twice?"
"Nada…" said Enrique. "When it kills one of your Monsters, it kills all of them. And for each one that dies aside from the target, you lose 500 Life Points.
"It has another effect too, by the way… Any of your Monsters in Attack Mode must attack it. Monsters are drawn to this creature like moths to a flame.
"And it's still my turn…"
(C: 2,800) -------------------- (E: 2,900)
He was smart… thought Chelsea. He could have done more damage by attacking Zombie Werewolf… But he attacked Vampire Lord so his effect wouldn't activate on my next turn…
"First, I'll place a card facedown," said Enrique. "Then, I'll play another Blaze Accelerator."
A facedown card appeared, followed by a second of the original Blaze Accelerators.
"And finally, Chelsea…" he said, taking his last card, "I know that the Monster you got with my Forge is Vampire Genesis, a Monster who's Attack Score is equal to this one. So in case you somehow manage to summon it, I'm prepared…"
He fit a card into his Disk.
"I Equip my Doomfire with Kishido Spirit. Now, it will survive a battle with a Monster who has equal Attack Points."
Chelsea's eyes narrowed.
Prepared? she thought. He put a card in his deck so that his best Monster could defeat one of my best?
Is this guy… an assassin?
"My move…" she said.
She drew a card.
She nodded.
"Now, Enrique…" she said. "I'm going to use the effect of your Field Spell."
"Que?" said Enrique, startled. "You play vampires! All your Monsters are Dark!"
"I have one Fire Monster…" said Chelsea, looking through her deck.
She held up a card.
"It's called a Pyre Ghost, and at Level Three exactly, I was able to use your Field to pull it.
"Now, I'll use Call of the Mummy once more, to summon my second Vampire Lord…"
She played the card, and Vampire Lord appeared again. (2,000/1,500)
"Now, I'll remove him from play, to summon Vampire Genesis."
Vampire Lord faded away, and Genesis arose, roaring with anger. (3,000/2,100)
"What are you planning?" said Enrique, nervously.
"I'll show you," said Chelsea. "I summon Pyre Ghost."
A flame erupted, this time on Chelsea's side of the field. The creature that appeared was a phantom made of blazing fire, with a burning skull for a head. (1,200/200)
"Now…" she said, "I activate its effect… I can sacrifice one Zombie, and then raise its Attack Points by that of the Zombie I'm sacrificing. At the end of my turn, it will burn out, but not until after it takes down your Doomfire.
"Because, the Zombie I'm sacrificing… is Vampire Genesis!"
Vampire Genesis shattered into pixels, and Pyre Ghost's Attack Score rose… (4,200/200)
"Erk!" gulped Enrique. "I'm not out of tricks yet Señorita! I didn't want to do this, but…
"I activate… Feugo Loco!"
His facedown card lifted.
"Excusa…" he said. "I meant, Wild Fire…"
"Huh?" said Chelsea.
What happened next fit the name of the card perfectly. It seemed that the whole arena erupted into wild, uncontrollable fire.
When Chelsea looked, both Pyre Ghost and Volcanic Doomfire had been wiped out.
"What happened?" asked Chelsea.
"It cost me 500 Life Points and my Blaze Accelerator," muttered Enrique, "but I destroyed every Monster on the field. And Wild Fire has another effect…"
A flame appeared in front of him, and it transformed into a large, flaming snake with claws. (1,000/1,000)
"It creates a Wild Fire Token."
"Indeed…" said Chelsea.
Her own facedown card lifted.
"Call of the Haunted?" gasped Enrique.
"That's right," said Chelsea. "There's someone here who wants a word with you…"
Ryu Kokki burst out of the lava for the umpteenth time, and roared with incredible anger… (2,400/2,000)
"Destroy his Wild Fire Token!" shouted Chelsea.
Ryu Kokki needed no prompting. It lunged forward and grabbed the fiery snake, and then slammed it against the ground, once, twice, and then three times, before it finally shattered into pieces.
(C: 2,800) -------------------- (E: 1,000)
"Your move…" said Chelsea.
Enrique gulped. He drew a card.
"Last chance…" he said. "I play Apollo's Blessing…"
In a beam of light, an imposing form appeared on the field. It was a blazing chariot, pulled by two fiery horses, ridden by a man in golden armor with a Spartan helmet.
Apollo? thought Chelsea. The god of the sun?
Enrique looked through his deck and took a card out (it was a Monster called Volcanic Blaster). He pocketed it and quickly reshuffled.
Apollo vanished in a burst of fire.
"I just have to… remove one Fire Monster in my deck… from play…" he said, putting it back, "and then I get to make… three draws…"
He drew three cards from his already-thinning deck. The fiery deity vanished.
"Heh, heh…" he said, as he looked at them. "I'm not done yet, Chelsea…"
He played a Spell Card.
"I play my second Burial From a Different Dimension. You remember how that works, right?"
He slipped three cards into his discard slot (two Volcanic Scattershots and the Volcanic Blaster itself).
"What's the point?" asked Chelsea. "Your Firewall is gone."
"Firewall isn't the only benefit I get from having Monsters in my Graveyard," he replied, taking a second card. "Next, Monster Reborn. I'll summon a Volcanic Scattershot."
The ankh appeared on the field, and a small Monster appeared. Chelsea finally got a good look at the thing – it was a three-headed lizard made of metal. (500/0)
There's only one reason he'd summon a Monster that pathetic… she thought. Sacrifice…
"Now," continued Enrique, "I'll sacrifice my Scattershot…"
The small Monster vanished.
"Uh, you remember what happens when it goes to the Graveyard, right?"
Chelsea cringed in pain as a fiery aura erupted over her skin.
"Hang in there, Chelsea!" shouted Ren.
"And now," said Enrique, "I summon Volcanic Hammerer!"
A new Monster leapt out of the magma. This one was bizarre – it looked like a fiery, bipedal dinosaur, with golden, metallic skin, and sharp claws. (2,400/1,500)
"Lovely…" said Chelsea, almost laughing (despite the burning feeling). "You attack with that, we'll both have nothing."
"It doesn't have to attack to make you sorry," replied Enrique. "In fact, I can only use its effect if I forfeit its attack. If I do, I can burn off 200 of your Life Points for each Monster in my Graveyard with the word 'Volcanic' in its name."
Chelsea paused.
She started counting on her fingers…
"Five," he said, before she could finish. "If you can't stand the heat…"
Volcanic Hammerer breathed a scorching stream of flames, and Chelsea hollered as it hit her.
"…stay out of the molten lava pit!"
Chelsea almost fell over. Luckily, Dimitri caught her.
Enrique looked at his deck.
I'll be cutting it close, he thought, but if I draw almost any Monster next turn, I can win… Volcanic Slicer, Volcanic Rocket, my other Volcanic Blaster… Anything capable of attacking…
(C: 1,300) -------------------- (E: 1,000)
Chelsea panted for breath…
"So now what?" asked Ren.
"Chelsea has only one chance…" muttered Yumi. "No cards in her hand… If she doesn't draw a Monster on her next turn, her only chance will be to attack that thing with Ryu Kokki, and hope that he doesn't draw something that can attack on his turn…"
Chelsea nervously looked at her deck.
She paused.
The duel isn't over until the last card is played, she thought.
She drew a card.
"Heh…" she said with a smirk. "You know, Enrique… I have to thank you for roasting so many of my Monsters…"
She fit a card into her Disk.
"This might have been a dead draw otherwise."
A Spell Card appeared on the field, showing the strange variation of the more common ankh.
"Symbol of Heritage?" he asked. "What does that do?"
"I can only use it when I have three of the same Monster in my Graveyard," said Chelsea. "When I do, it lets me summon one of them."
In a flash of light, Zombie Werewolf appeared on her side of the field. (1,200/1,200)
"Caramba…" muttered Enrique.
"Ryu Kokki…" ordered Chelsea. "Attack Volcanic Hammerer!"
Ryu Kokki roared. Volcanic Hammerer roared back at it…
The two Monsters raised their fists and rushed towards each other. Both of them punched, and an explosion erupted where the two blows made contact.
When the smoke cleared, both of them had been wiped out.
"Zombie Werewolf…" said Chelsea.
Zombie Werewolf turned to her and nodded.
He leapt up, and delivered a savage slash to Enrique's chest. He fell to his knees, his hat falling off again.
(C: 1,300) -------------------- (E: 0)
Chelsea gasped for breath. The lava-filled cavern vanished, and so did the Werewolf.
At least I got something for my troubles, she thought, looking at her badge with its new Blue sheen.
"Chelsea!" shouted Ren.
He ran up to her.
"That was brutal," he said, holding her by the shoulders. "You okay?"
"I'm a little crispy, but nothing serious," she said.
Enrique was still on his knees. It looked like he was more upset over losing than he should have been.
"You want to tell me what all this was about?" asked Chelsea. "Someone sent you, right? And someone like you wouldn't be caught dead working for Edan. He never could have paid you enough."
Enrique stood up and looked around. He placed his hat back on.
He looked towards a coffee shop behind them.
"I'm going for coffee…" he muttered. "Anyone who wants to join me is free to do so…"
He walked towards the shop.
Chelsea looked at Yumi.
They followed him.
"If you need me," said Dimitri, "I'll be getting another taco."
"I won't need you, Dimitri," said Chelsea with a sigh.
"I'll still be getting another taco," he replied.
He vanished.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Enrique was quiet for a long time. He simply sipped black coffee and bowed his head.
He frowned as he looked at the coffee.
"Processed swill…" he muttered. "Can't begin to compare with the fresh Colombian brew we can get back home…"
"Are you gonna tell us what this is all about, Chico?" asked Sam.
"Sam!" snapped Yumi.
"Don't bother…" replied Enrique, "frankly, I deserve to be called that…"
He sighed.
"This is completely off the record," he said, "and if you tell anyone, especially the Centurions, I'll deny that I ever said it."
He sighed again.
"My padre… My… father… He's a very successful businessman… But up until about a year ago, he wasn't really a very honest one.
"He had a problem with taxes. He just didn't like to pay them. So he cheated on them whenever he could. He falsified documents, and made false statements that were pretty much perjury, so that he'd rarely owe the Mexican government a thing.
"He knew he'd never get in trouble. In Mexico, when you're as rich as he is, the government looks the other way. No one would have ever accused him… If they became suspicious, they wouldn't care…"
He sipped the coffee.
"But then, my padre got too greedy… He started to cheat on the importing tariffs he had to pay the United States government to sell his products there…"
"Ho boy…" said Ren.
"I don't want to call your dad stupid," said Erik, "but that was pretty stupid!"
"I agree," said Enrique. "It was the height of stupidity. He soon found out that all his money and status in Mexico meant nada when dealing with the U.S. Commerce Department… They noticed, they investigated… And he was caught.
"All of a sudden, he turned from respectable businessman to corrupt, white-collar criminal. The Mexican government couldn't help him; in fact, they decided to help the Commerce Department that he had cheated. If there's one thing Mexico does NOT do, it's defy the country that they get their most imports and health aid from! Mexico would be nothing without America. Most of the folks I know back home would hate me for saying that, but they all know that it's true.
"My dad is facing incredible fines and jail time right now… All he has worked for could be lost…"
He paused to sip the coffee again.
"But we have a way out, one that involves a deal with the devil… Just a month ago, the devil showed up on our door. He came in the shape of a man named Rasputin… A businessman so corrupt, he makes my padre look like the Virgin of Guadalupe."
Everyone stared at him.
"Rasputin told my father that it will be an easy task to get a judge assigned to his case that was in his pocket, so to speak. The charges will be dismissed in a heartbeat, and the record will be wiped clean.
"But he had a condition…"
He paused again.
"It involved me.
"He knew I had been invited to this tournament. And he wanted me here on his behalf. I'd have to follow a lot of guidelines. I'd duel whoever Rasputin requested, throw a duel if he told me to…
"And worst of all, if I happened to win, my request… the big prize… would be dictated by him…"
"And your dad agreed to this?" asked Yumi.
"NO!" shouted Enrique, angrily. "He would not think of it! He got right in that bastard's face, and told him he would sooner rot in jail than let his son become some puppet!"
Enrique's face fell.
"I'm the one who agreed to it," he said sadly. "My dad made mistakes, he may have committed tax fraud, but… He was my father… I didn't want him to be ruined…
"I mean… what if it were your father?"
They all paused. He had a point.
"Rasputin said he'd make it easier for me…" he continued. "He could tell me in advance what I'd be facing. That's why I was prepared for Vampire Genesis. I was ready for Penelope too… I don't usually use Wild Fire…
"He called me an hour ago… He told me he was changing the deal in my favor. I just had to frighten all of you, and he wouldn't ask for anything else…"
"Hey, I was… pretty scared…" said Chelsea.
"Right…" muttered Enrique. "All I did was make you angry. My strategy either scares an opponent, or makes him angry. Unfortunately, you were one of the second group."
Yumi put a hand on his shoulder.
"Enrique…" she said. "See this?"
She pointed at the Crown of Souls.
"It could have been worse… One of his henchmen dueled me for this in a Shadow Game, and she's in a coma. She may never wake up. More Shadow Games might happen, and he might tell you to take part in one if you keep this up. Think of how your father would feel if you lost one…
"I assure you, Rasputin will get what's coming to him.
"As for your father, you'd best tell him that the best thing to do would be to tell Rasputin that the deal's off, and then plead guilty. Believe me, he's far from the only CEO who's committed tax evasion. He might even escape jail time, if he just doesn't make it worse…"
Enrique looked at her.
"I'll… think about it…" he muttered.
Yumi nodded.
"Let's go…" she said to everyone.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"You still think it's wise to let him alone?" asked Sam.
"What are we gonna do?" asked Yumi. "Turn him in? It's our word against his, and we don't have any proof."
"Mmm," muttered Sam. "Maybe we should start wearing wires… I find it hard to feel sorry for rich folks who think they're above the law and they can cheat on their taxes… History is full of jerks like that… Leona Helmsley, Willie Nelson…"
"Enrique didn't cheat on them," said Ren. "His dad did. Enrique is in this mess because his dad screwed up."
"Do you know that the commissioner of the IRS was once cited for tax evasion?" asked Erik. "It's true, I heard about this. It happened in 1945. Apparently, this guy won $18,000 in a wager, where he bet that Harry S. Truman would win the Presidential election. In 1945, that was a lot of money… But ironically, he failed to report those winnings when he filed his own taxes."
"Well, Enrique was pretty much blackmailed anyway," answered Yumi. "Maybe once we get the big fish, he can…"
Yumi was startled as she saw Anastasia appear in front of her.
"Bad news, Yumi," she said. "We have been set back. Another Shadow Charm has been claimed… By Nicholas."
"Nicholas?" replied Yumi. "Rasputin's henchman? Oh, that guy seems to have some sort of crush on me… This might be bad."
"Worse than you think," said Anastasia. "As I said, the only fast way to get a Shadow Charm that belongs to another is to win it. They cannot be stolen or given as gifts, unless the one who wants to give it away goes through the proper ritual.
"And the best way to win one, is to get one yourself, and challenge the owner of another, wagering yours against hers."
Yumi thought for a minute.
"Maybe…" she said. "Maybe Nicholas wants to duel me right now… Maybe he wants to make such a wager…
"Maybe I can win his Charm… And get an upgrade on my badge to boot!"
"Yumi…" warned Anastasia. "Tread with caution…"
Yumi looked for her cell phone, and then realized she had left it in her hotel room.
"Hey, guys…" said Yumi.
They all looked at her.
"I gotta go back to my hotel. I promised dad I'd call him in fifteen minutes local time. I'll be back soon."
"Okay," said Ren. "See you around."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Nicholas and Olga were in the penthouse suite watching Rasputin go over his private files on his flash drive. Nicholas had gone to Yumi's hotel room earlier, only to find, to his disappointment, that she wasn't there. Ah, well. He was sure their paths would cross soon…
"Two attempts to frighten Yumi didn't work…" he muttered. "So it's time to face her directly…"
He considered the names on the list.
"No, she'd beat him," he muttered. "No, too clichéd… Too risky… Too situational… Too 'Odion'…"
He looked at one file.
"Ah… The perfect assassin…"
He picked up his phone.
"Icarus?" he said as it was answered. "Listen… I'm going to send Yumi Mouto to meet with you in the arboretum. Duel her, and once you win, take the Crown of Souls.
"Sound simple enough?
"Good… Do it right, and you're getting a raise. I may even let you keep the Crown until we need it."
He hung up.
"Nicholas," he said, turning to the teens, "I need you to send Yumi a message. Olga, go and trail her to make sure she gets there."
"Oui, mon Capitan," said Olga, as the two saluted.
Olga left, and Nicholas took out his cell phone.
Chelsea has achieved Blue status, but not without a grueling trial by fire. And trouble looms on the horizon as Rasputin begins another attempt, this time not an attempt to frighten, but to take Yumi's Charm. What is the nature of this plot?
0
0
0
BLASTING VEIN (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A Duel Monsters card in the middle of a fire.
Card Description: Destroy one Spell or Trap Card on your side of the field. Draw two cards from your deck.
Note: "Blasting Vein" was first used by Axel in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Hanging With Axel (Part Two)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
GALEB DUHR (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Rock/Effect
Attribute:
Earth
Level:
1
ATK:
0
DEF:
0
Card Description: Flip: Take one Field Spell from your deck and activate it. Your opponent draws one card.
0
0
0
VOLCANIC CAVERN (Spell Card)
Field Spell
Image: A cavern with boiling lava pits.
Card Description: During each player's Standby Phase, he/she may search his/her deck for a FIRE Monster that is Level Three or less and add it to his/her hand.
0
0
0
FORGE OF HEPHAESTUS (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A bearded deity pounding a sword into shape on an anvil.
Card Description: Both players select the Monster that has the highest base ATK from their respective decks or Graveyards and add them to their hands.
Note: "Forge of Hephaestus" first appeared in "Thousand Year Door".
0
0
0
APOLLO'S BLESSING (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Apollo flying through the sky on his solar chariot.
Card Description: Select one FIRE Monster in your deck and remove it from play. Then, reshuffle your deck, and draw three cards.
0
0
0
PYRE GHOST (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Pyro/Effect
Attribute:
Fire
Level:
3
ATK:
1,200
DEF:
200
Card Description: When this card is face-up on the field, you can offer one Zombie-Type Monster on your side of the field as a Tribute. Increase the ATK of this card by that of the Tributed Monster. At the End Phase of the turn you use this effect, destroy this card.
0
0
0
Ren: Chelsea, you know, it was kind of strange how Yumi up and left like that…
Chelsea: Maybe she has a hot date with someone!
Sam: I don't think so. I think she wants to duel someone.
Maria: She will duel, but she must be warned. She faces a trap, and an ambush set by someone possessing a Monster whose power may well be limitless…
Coming up next: "Ambush! The Titan of Light".
Yumi has the Crown… Now she must work on keeping it…