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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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Ambush!
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The Titan of Light
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Yumi walked into her hotel room. She stopped for a minute to take the chocolate mint that the chambermaid had put on the pillow, and ate it.
Then she picked up her cell phone which was on the bedside table, and turned it on. Sure enough, there was a text message for her. Her parents never used text messages – they called them "unnecessary".
She shrugged and hit the command to read the message.
It read as followed:
Yumi,
Please meet me in the arboretum for a friendly duel. I desire to meet you on a personal level so much, and this will be the perfect opportunity.
- Nicholas
Yumi frowned…
"Well, he's asking for it," she muttered.
"Yumi, wait…" said a voice from the doorway.
Yumi turned towards the door, which she just realized she hadn't closed.
Maria was standing there.
"You…" said Yumi.
"I had to warn you, Yumi…" said Maria. "Nicholas will not be the one waiting for you at the arboretum. A trap has been set, and an assassin awaits…
"An assassin who holds the power of Slifer the Sky Dragon in his deck!"
Yumi drew back in shock…
Then she calmed a little.
"The Egyptian God Cards… are gone…" she muttered. "Some phoenix consumed them nineteen years ago."
"Nonetheless," said Maria, "if Slifer does not exist in this duelist's deck, a close facsimile of it does. Going there is walking into death…"
She took Divine Mallet Mjölnir from within her dress.
"I'd lend you this…" she said, looking at it, "but it only works in the hands of a Warrior, and your deck has only one, I believe. It would be nearly useless.
"My advice to you is simply not to go."
"That's okay…" muttered Yumi. "I'll think of something."
Maria stared at her, and then turned to leave.
"Anastasia?" said Yumi.
"Yes?" asked Anastasia softy, as she appeared next to her.
"The God Cards are gone, aren't they?" asked Yumi, nervously.
"Uhm, well…" muttered Anastasia. "The real ones, yes. But, uhm… I never told anyone this, but when my dad was in charge, Industrial Illusions made copies of them for research purposes, with almost identical powers.
"There was an incident some years ago when one of dad's card designers stole the copy of The Winged Dragon of Ra… Nasty business… If this is the same thing…
"Oh, this never would have happened if I were still running the company… I meant to destroy the duplicates, but I really didn't know how to. They had traces of the spirits of the true God Cards in them… I couldn't simply tear them up…"
She sighed.
"I almost considered… Using the Devil Cards…"
"Devil Cards?" asked Yumi, sitting up straight.
Anastasia nodded.
"Dad was so afraid of the true God Cards, he crafted three incredibly powerful Monsters that he thought could defeat them if they ever raged out of control. They were sort of the anti-God Cards. But these Devil Cards… Fiends of incredible power… They were infused with spirits of pure evil, and they corrupted the souls of whoever tried to use them…
"First there was Wicked God Dreadroot. He was incredibly vicious. Not only did he have 4,000 Attack and Defense Points, but so long as he was on the field, he emitted an aura of terror, and all other Monsters lost half of their Attack and Defense Points.
"Then there was The Devil's Eraser. It had two powerful abilities – its Attack and Defense was 1,000 for every card on its opponent's field. And even if it was destroyed, it would take every card on the field to the grave with it…
"But those two were small potatoes compared to The Devil's Avatar… A creature of pure, shapeless, formless darkness. This thing simply couldn't be defeated in battle, because its Attack Score was always a single point more than the strongest Monster on the field. Add to that the fact that these cards were, like the God Cards, very resistant to Spells and Traps, and you had something that was nearly impossible to destroy."
"What… happened to these cards?" asked Yumi, getting scared.
"Someone actually did try to use them against the God Cards," muttered Anastasia. "And the God Cards won, thank goodness. This was truly a case where they were the lesser of the two evils. I assume the Devil Cards are still locked up in the company vaults…
"But if you have to face Slifer…"
Yumi sat on her bed and thought for a minute…
So many times, her grandpa had told her about the time he had fought Marik's mind-slave Strings, the first time he had encountered an Egyptian God Card… At that point, Marik's evil side had not fully blossomed (it would eventually), and he was little more than a manipulator who would not face his foes directly, always dealing with them from the shadows via minions and decoys. Strings was easy prey to the Millennium Rod. He had once been a mime who had gone insane after murdering his parents, so his almost catatonic mind was easy to manipulate, and Marik controlled him like a puppet.
Her grandfather had told her of the fear that both he and the Pharaoh had felt at the sight of the divine beast during that terrible duel… a Monster that seemed almost unstoppable.
He had won, and Slifer had become his, but it had been one of his closest calls.
The strategy that Marik had used in that duel wouldn't work with modern rules. You needed to pay Life Points to use Revival Jam's effect now, and Card of Safe Return only let you draw one card with its effect rather than three…
…but there were other strategies that someone using Slifer could use… Her grandfather knew that firsthand.
She didn't want to walk right into a trap…
…but she wasn't a coward.
She looked at her suitcase.
She opened it up, and took out a box. It had cards in it.
She had secrets of her own. She never told this to anyone, but she had also been afraid of the God Cards ever since she had been told about them, even though she knew they were gone. And since her grandpa had owned them, she knew their weaknesses, and had developed counter strategies against all of them…
…she never dreamed she would ever actually have to use one…
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Nicholas's phone beeped.
He read the text message.
You're on! it said.
"She's coming," he sighed. "But don't you think Icarus plays a little rough?"
"What do you care?" asked Rasputin.
"I… I don't want her to be hurt…" muttered Nicholas.
Rasputin looked at him with a cold glare.
"Nicholas…" he said. "We are on the verge of discovering the secret of true immortality! And we are not going to be sidetracked by some teenage girl in a belly-shirt with bad hair!
"Besides, Icarus's strategy has yet to… kill anybody. And I assure you, once we have the power of all eight Charms, you'll be able to have any girl you want. Could still be Yumi if you're still interested. Could be anyone… You could have a whole harem of supermodels if you wanted.
"Just do as you're told for now."
He speed-dialed his phone.
"Olga," he said into it, "has Yumi left yet?"
"Ten-four," said Olga's voice. "Mother bird has left the nest."
"Pardon?" asked Rasputin.
"She left the apartment…" sighed Olga.
Nicholas crossed his arms.
"Supermodels?" he muttered. "I have no interest in girls who are so thin that you can see though them…"
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Great trees forming an overhanging canopy created a thick forest that made up the huge greenhouse that was Duelatopia's arboretum. This place was good for picnics, walks, and whenever someone wanted to duel in a different type of atmosphere.
Yumi slowly walked down the pathways, just knowing that someone was watching her…
She finally came to a wide clearing. Her Puzzle glowed, and the change overtook her.
She realized something: She was breaking her own rule, in spades. A duelist with one of the most powerful cards in the game might be waiting, and she was alone, without anyone except her spiritual guide to lend support…
She took a deep breath.
"You might as well come out…" she called. "I know you're here…"
With a cry, a dark form leapt from the trees…
Yumi looked, and saw a tall form wearing the cloak of an Ascender. He had the strangest tattoo – that of a sunburst, done around his left eye.
"Hello, Ms. Mouto," he said, lowering his hood and revealing long, full, blonde hair. "Nicholas sends his regrets, but he couldn't make it. I am Icarus…"
"Icarus…" said Yumi, crossing her arms. "Quite a lofty name… He was the son of Daedalus, whom he shared the gift of flight with… Unfortunately, Icarus became drunk with the power, ignored his father's warnings, and flew too high, and the sun burned his wings off, causing him to fall to his doom."
She lifted the Crown of Souls off her head.
"I suppose you want this," she said. "Well, I don't see why I have to wager it… You have nothing to ante against it that's worth as much…"
"Do I?" asked Icarus. "Tell you what… If I lose, I'll turn myself in to the Centurions. Perhaps then, your problems will be over."
Yumi looked at him.
"Fine…" she said, slowly.
She placed it back on her head.
Fool, thought Icarus. Even if I have to, which I won't, I'll never tell them anything.
His Disk activated…
Yumi couldn't have noticed that his Disk had special microchips embedded in the casing…
…signs of special programming.
"Game on!" they both shouted at once.
(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Icarus: 8,000)
"Let's get started!" shouted Icarus. "I draw!"
He dramatically whipped a card off of his Disk.
"And I'll have this defend me for now."
He placed a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"Your move…"
Yumi nervously drew a card.
"Afraid?" asked Icarus. "Think there's a big surprise waiting? Afraid that my deck is full of the lofty powers that my name suggests?"
Yumi glared at him.
She saw the Pharaoh out of the corner of her eye.
"Yumi," he said, gently, "I know you're scared. But take comfort… This may be new to you, but it's hardly new to me. I've beaten God Cards before… I can do it again.
"And with the strategy we have, it will be easier than it was for me the first time…"
Yumi nodded.
She played a card.
"I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer," she said.
Kycoo appeared in a shadowy aura. (1,800/500)
If he does have Slifer, she thought, he needs three sacrifices to summon it. I have to keep him from having that many Monsters on the field…
"Kycoo, attack!" she shouted. "Spell of banishment!"
Kycoo cast his powerful spell, and lightning flashed. Shining Angel appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.
"Thank you…" said Icarus, taking his deck. "Now I can Special Summon any Light Monster from my deck that I want, so long as it has 1,500 Attack Points or less.
"And Level doesn't matter. It can even be a Level Eight Monster if I want…"
"A Level Eight Monster with less than 1,500 Attack Points?" shouted Yumi. "There's no Level Eight Light Monster with an Attack Score that low!"
"I beg to differ…" replied Icarus. "I summon The Agent of Plenty – Gaea."
He placed the card on his Disk, and the figure that appeared was a tall, beautiful, buxom woman in a long, green gown, with long, golden hair, and beautiful, feathered wings. Her wings spread, and a beautiful light fell on her. (0/3,000)
"See?" asked Icarus. "She's Level Eight. And you can't get much lower than that."
"Uhm… That's… Interesting…" muttered Yumi. "I'll, uh… end my turn there…"
She's got to have more to her than the Millennium Shield, thought Yumi. That's only Level Five…
"Then I draw…" said Icarus, drawing. "And then, due to her effect, Gaea lets me draw one card during my Standby Phase, so long as she's in Attack Mode."
The Agent of Plenty glowed and sang an enchanting melody, and Icarus drew again.
"Next…" continued Icarus, "I play Pot of Greed."
He played the card, and the jug appeared. He drew two cards.
"As you know, playing this card decreases my hand size by one, but then increases it by two, for a net gain of one, bringing my hand size up to eight…"
Yumi started to sweat…
He's certainly doing what you should do if you use Slifer, thought Yumi, making his hand bigger. But he needs three Monsters, and he only has one.
"Now…" continued Icarus, "I discard two of my cards to the Graveyard in order to summon Candellado the Beast of Light!"
"HUH?" exclaimed Yumi.
Icarus discarded two cards (they were Divine Wrath and Trojan Blast), and then threw another one on his Disk…
A fiery explosion erupted on his side of the field… A flock of birds flew from the trees in fear…
With a roar, a huge creature arose from out of the explosion. It was a Machine of some sort, resembling a two-headed dragon with bronze armor. Its torso was made up of a glowing energy core. It roared in rage. (0/0)
Yumi just stared for a second.
"It doesn't have a single Attack Point…" she said.
"Not quite…" said Icarus. "Candellado's Attack and Defense is 1,000 for each card in my hand. Since I have five… Well, see for yourself…"
(5,000/5,000)
"Good lord…" said Yumi. "It is like Slifer!"
"Well, not truly…" replied Icarus. "It lacks Slifer's ability to blast off 2,000 Attack or Defense Points from any Monster you summon. But this kind of firepower is more than enough to take just about anything down…"
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On the bridge of Duelatopia, Sheena Arachne watched the screens…
"Uh, Ms. Arachne," said the voice of one of the technicians. "We just got an alert. Seems someone is using an illegal card."
"What?" said Sheena in surprise. "Well, this is the first one this tournament… I guess it was only a matter of time. How's he trying to this time?"
"Same old story…" said the technician, as the duel appeared on the screen. "He's using a specially programmed Disk to try to fool our sensors."
Sheena held her head.
"When will they learn?" she mumbled. "When will they learn that they can't fool us that way?"
She looked at the duel in progress.
"Candellado?" she shouted. "Is he crazy?"
"Apparently," said the technician. "According to this, his deck has three copies, and none of them were crafted via the proper methods."
"The fool…" muttered Sheena.
She considered the situation.
"That guy is wearing the same cloak that the girl in the hospital was wearing when she was brought in…" she muttered. "And Yumi Mouto is dueling him… Hmm…"
She thought for a minute.
"Tell the Centurions to close in and hide, and wait for the duel to conclude. If Yumi loses, tell them to disqualify the guy, and arrest him. If Yumi wins, tell them to arrest him anyway."
"Will do," said the technician.
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"Don't worry, Yumi…" said Icarus, "Kycoo and your Life Points are safe for this turn. Candellado cannot attack on the round he is summoned…"
Candellado growled…
"Good to know…" said Yumi, sweating.
"For now, I will first place a card facedown…" said Icarus.
Candellado shrank to (4,000/4,000) as a facedown card appeared on Icarus's field.
"And then I play the Continuous Spell Card, Vow of Peace."
He played another card, and Candellado shrank to (3,000/3,000)
"Vow of Peace?" asked Yumi, looking at the card. "What does that do?"
She looked at the card. Its image was that of the monk on the Messenger of Peace card, kneeling before an altar.
"It's sort of like Messenger of Peace, Yumi," he replied, "but unlike that card, it costs me 300 Life Points per round. For as long as it's in effect, Monsters with a base Attack of 1,500 or more are forbidden to attack."
"Genius…" muttered Yumi. "That means your Beast can't attack."
"Excuse me, I said base Attack," replied Icarus. "As in, its Attack as written on the card, before any modifications and bonuses. And in case you forgot, its base Attack is zero.
"So it's free to Attack, but my Agent is safe, unless you're willing to put a Monster that weak in Attack Mode.
"I end my turn…"
Yumi frowned. She made a draw.
And then she grinned, slightly…
"We can use this card, Yumi," said the Pharaoh, "It may have one of Slifer's powers, but it certainly is NOT Slifer, and that means that, unlike God Cards, it isn't immune to destruction via Spells, Traps, or Monster effects."
"Then it's time to bring this beastie down," she replied.
"I'll move Kycoo to Defense Mode…" she said out loud.
The Ghost Destroyer knelt in Defense Mode.
"And then set another Monster in Defense Mode."
A facedown Monster appeared.
"It's your move…"
"Very well, Yumi," replied Icarus. "I pay 300 Life Points. And when Candellado is on the field, I also must skip my Draw Phase…"
Gaea glowed and sang her melody.
"…but fortunately, Gaea is here, letting me draw once during my Standby Phase."
He whipped a card off his Disk, and Candellado rose to a score of (4,000/4,000).
"Now I play… Pot of Charity," he said, playing the card he had just drawn. "I'll remove Shining Angel from play to do so…"
Shining Angel slipped out of his discard slot, and he placed it inside his cloak.
"By doing this, I lose one card from my hand, but I then gain three," he said, drawing three cards, "for a net gain of two, giving my hand a total of six cards."
Candellado rose to (6,000/6,000).
Icarus looked at the three new cards.
He set one card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared. Candellado was reduced to (5,000/5,000).
What is he up to? thought Yumi. Why would he intentionally weaken his Monster?
"Candellado, attack Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer! Prism blast!"
Candellado opened its two jaws, and balls of energy formed in them. They both shot out a stream of pure, burning, multicolored light, and the two streams spiraled together into one large beam.
The beam struck Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer, incinerating him a huge explosion.
"So much for him," said Icarus with a chuckle. "I end my turn."
(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (I: 7,700)
"Indeed," said Yumi, drawing a card, "and it's time for your Beast of Light to go…
"I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode… My Old Vindictive Magician!"
Her facedown card flipped up, and the grizzled old witch doctor in colorful clothes appeared. (450/600)
"Now I can destroy one Monster," she said. "Guess you weren't expecting that…"
"Actually…" said Icarus, "it was exactly what I was expecting…"
One of his two facedown cards lifted, showing a Trap with the image of a luminous being amid the clouds.
"It's called Silver Spirit Redirection," he said. "I can use it whenever one of my Monsters is targeted by a Monster effect. It not only renders the effect invalid, but removes the offending Monster from play.
Old Vindictive Magician faced into a blur, and then vanished into thin air.
Man, this guy is good, thought Yumi.
She took a card from her hand.
"I place a Monster in Defense Mode," she said.
A facedown Monster appeared.
"I end my turn…" growled Yumi.
"What more can you do?" asked Icarus with a laugh. "I pay 300 Life Points for Vow of Peace."
Gaea sang, and he snatched another card. Candellado rose to (6,000/6,000).
He looked at the card he had just drawn.
"And from now on, this Continuous Spell will be in effect."
He played a Spell Card. It bore the image of a demon bound with glowing shackles. Candellado fell to (5,000/5,000)
"It's called Chain Energy."
Chain Energy? thought Yumi. Wait a minute, I've heard of that one… It's a very old card…
"It's a card that's seldom used," explained Icarus, "because it's only useful in certain decks. I'll explain… The effect of this Spell applies to both players. Now, if either of us plays or sets a card, in any way, it will cost us 500 Life Points apiece.
"I don't need to play many more than I already have… You, on the other hand…
"Now, on to business. Candellado, attack!"
An even more intense blast shot forth, and the cloaked mage on the card exploded in a fiery blast. Yumi braced herself from the impact.
"Guess your Skilled Dark Magician couldn't stand the heat!" laughed Icarus.
Yumi growled.
(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (I: 7,400)
She made a draw.
"I play my own Pot of Greed," she said, playing a card.
The evil jar appeared in front of her. She cringed as the Chain Energy card glowed, and a jolt of electricity shocked her.
"Oh no you don't," said Icarus. "I have a Quickplay that's been underrated since it was introduced…"
His last facedown card lifted, revealing Spell Card with the image of the Goblin of Greed stealing a Pot of Greed from a store.
"It's called Jar Robber," he said with a smirk. "First it negates your Pot of Greed…"
The Pot in front of Yumi exploded.
"Then, I get to draw one card…" he continued.
He drew a card, and Candellado rose to (6,000/6,000).
Yumi frowned again. She placed a card on her Disk, and yet another facedown Monster appeared. She cringed as she was shocked again.
(Y: 7,000) -------------------- (I: 7,400)
"Can it be?" asked Icarus. "My turn? I'll pay 300 Life Points again…"
Gaea glowed. He whipped a card off his Disk, and Candellado grew to (7,000/7,000)
"Hold it…" said Yumi. "There's a limit to how many cards a duelist can have in his hand at one time."
"I know the rules," said Icarus. "So why don't we fix that… Your grandfather would remember this card from the time he faced Slifer…"
He placed a card in his Disk, and Candellado fell to (6,000/6,000). He grunted a little as the Chain Energy card glowed.
"It's called Infinite Cards," he said. "Now, both duelists can ignore the six-card limit and hold as many cards as he desires.
"By the way, Yumi… Unlike that fool, Marik, I'm well aware that, despite what the name of this card suggests, the number of cards in my hand could not possibly be limitless, and that Candellado's Attack Score also has a limit. I made certain that my strategy does NOT have the fatal flaw that his did.
"Now, Candellado, attack!"
The Beast of Light fired its blast. Yumi's second Skilled Dark Magician appeared on the card and was atomized.
The huge Machine growled.
"It's frustrating, isn't it, Yumi?" he asked. "Setting your Monsters in Defense Mode is costing you precious Life Points, and I can just blow them to pieces on my turn."
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" asked Yumi with a sneer.
"Naturally," he replied. "So what now, Yumi? You can't defend forever. Even if you don't run out of Monsters, that's quite literally true… My Chain Energy will finish you off before Candellado does."
(Y: 7,000) -------------------- (I: 6,600)
Yumi looked at the field.
He's right… she thought. I've got to think of something…
I'm not about to lose the Crown… Not after what I did to get it…
Oh… Ren, Chelsea, where are you when I need you?
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Meanwhile, the aforementioned Ren and Chelsea were wandering around the Museum District again, under the looming shadow of Clock Tower Prison. Sam and Erik had left, claiming to "have more important things to do than hang around twerps", a comment that had irked them.
"Yumi's been gone a long time," said Chelsea. "What do you think she's doing?"
"Aw, she's probably pounding some duelist's face into the dirt right now!" laughed Ren. "And having a ball doing it…"
Then his own cell phone rang.
"Oh, excuse me…" he said.
Hope it isn't that Phantom jerk again… he thought.
"Hello?" he said, answering it.
He paused.
"KENTA?" he shouted. "What a surprise! Really?"
Another pause.
"Oh really? Yes, of course I meant it…
"You're where? Great… I'll meet you there!"
"Who was that?" asked Chelsea, as he hung up. "Who is Kenta?"
"Someone you just gotta meet," said Ren, "and someone I just gotta duel. Come on… I'll tell you on the way."
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"Why don't you just give up?" said Icarus. "You can't win… It's impossible."
"Really?" replied Yumi, with an angry glare. "Then I'm lucky. When my grandparents and parents were my age, they often defeated three impossible challenges before they had lunch. And that was on a good day!
"By the way, it's not impossible… You may think your strategy is foolproof, but it isn't without weaknesses…"
She smirked.
"See, your deck may not have the flaw that Marik's had, but it does have another major flaw. You've got almost no Monsters. Likely just three copies each of Gaea, Shining Angel, and Candellado. Everything else is geared towards summoning, strengthening, and protecting that four-eyed eyesore. You're a one-trick pony, and as long as I can set a Monster, you probably won't be able to attack me. The only way you have to damage me at this point is that Spell Card, which isn't indestructible, by the way."
Icarus glanced at his hand.
She wasn't far off… He did have three other Monsters in his deck, but Sangan, Mask of Darkness, and Magician of Faith weren't exactly the lords of offensive Monsters.
And they weren't even in his hand right now. As of right now, the only Monster he had was his second copy of Gaea. His five other cards were Fiend's Sanctuary, A Feather of the Phoenix, Monster Reincarnation, My Body As A Shield, and a second Infinite Cards.
"Perhaps…" he finally said. "But your luck won't hold out forever!"
"My move…" said Yumi.
She drew a card.
She quickly placed it on her Disk, and a new facedown Monster appeared.
She groaned again as Chain Energy kicked in.
(Y: 6,500) -------------------- (I: 6,600)
"Your move…" she muttered.
"Man, this is taking too long…" growled Icarus. "I'll pay 300 Life Points again…"
Gaea sang, and he drew a card. Candellado rose to (7,000/7,000)
"It's another card you can't use, I'll bet," said Yumi.
Icarus snarled. It was Premature Burial. The only Monster that had been in his Graveyard was the Shining Angel that he had removed from play.
Where's my Nobleman of Crossout when I need it? he thought.
"It doesn't matter!" he shouted. "Attack!"
The Beast of Light fired its prism blast. Magician of Faith appeared on the card, and was blown to nothing.
"Thank you…" said Yumi. "I'll use her effect to get back my Pot of Greed…"
The card slipped out of her discard slot. Icarus growled again.
"Make… your… move…" he muttered.
(Y: 6,500) -------------------- (I: 6,300)
Yumi drew a card.
"I think I'll save Pot of Greed for later," she said. "Instead, I'll play Graceful Charity…"
She played the card, groaning again as she was shocked by the Spell Card, and in a flash of light, the angel appeared. She drew back in fright at the sight of Candellado.
"Easy…" said Yumi, drawing three cards.
"See?" she said, speaking up. "All my cards are quite useful."
I drew one of my anti-Slifer cards! she thought, looking at them. It will work on this guy too, but… The problem is, I can't use it right now…
She carefully considered the rest of her cards, and then made two discards. Then she placed a Monster in Defense Mode. She cringed again as the card glowed.
(Y: 5,500) -------------------- (I: 6,300)
"I end my turn," she said.
Icarus frowned as his Life Points dipped again.
Gaea sang again, and he drew one card. Candellado grew to (8,000/8,000).
"Attack her Monster!" he shouted.
Candellado blasted its breath weapon. Magician's Valkyria appeared on the card, and was burned to ashes.
"A wise man once said that God doesn't roll dice, Yumi. Pretty soon, your luck will run out. You'll run out of Monsters you can defend yourself with, and then it will be all over!"
(Y: 5,500) -------------------- (I: 6,000)
Yumi drew a card.
"I'll play that Pot of Greed now," she said. "And you don't have any facedown cards this time."
She played the card, cringing again, and drew twice.
She looked them over.
"I throw… four cards facedown," she said.
She fit four cards into her Disk, and in four flashes of light, four facedown cards appeared. She screamed as a massive jolt of electricity struck her.
"And then…" she said, panting for breath, "since I'm sick of defending, I summon Gemini Elf in Attack Mode."
She played the card, and the two elf twins appeared. They held each other in fright at the sight of the two-headed Machine. (1,900/900)
Yumi grit her teeth as the Spell Card shocked her again.
"End… turn," said Yumi.
(Y: 3,000) -------------------- (I: 6,000)
"HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!" laughed Icarus. "Yumi, that may well be the most obvious trap I have ever seen! Did you actually think I would fall for it? I wasn't chosen to join the Ascenders by being stupid, you know.
"I'll pay 300 Life Points…"
Gaea sang, and he drew another card, bringing Candellado up to (9,000/9,000)
Ironically, the card was Nobleman of Crossout. He couldn't use it this turn.
"No attack this turn… I'll merely set one card facedown, and that will be all. If you want to shift Gemini Elf to Defense Mode, I'll give you that chance."
A facedown card appeared, and Candellado fell to (8,000/8,000). He grunted a little as Chain Energy glowed again.
My facedown card is My Body As A Shield, he thought. One of her facedown cards is obviously her Mirror Force, so it will be no problem to negate it. Sure, it will cost 1,500 Life Points, but one attack, and she'll be wiped out.
(Y: 3,000) -------------------- (I: 5,200)
"I draw…" said Yumi.
She drew a card.
She looked at the powerful Monster…
"Pass…" she said, adding it to her hand.
Icarus looked at her strangely.
His Life Points fell slightly again. Gaea chanted, and he drew another card. Candellado again rose to (9,000/9,000).
"Well, if that's how it's gonna be…" he said. "Candellado, destroy Gemini Elf, and win me this duel!"
Candellado roared…
"I activate… A Hero Emerges!" shouted Yumi, as a Trap lifted.
"Say what?" asked Icarus.
Yumi held up her hand of three cards.
"Now you've gotta choose a card in my hand," she said. "If it's a Monster, I get to Special Summon it."
"Humph, as if it will matter!" said Icarus with a scowl.
"You have to," said Yumi. "That's the rule. So choose."
"Oh, all right…" muttered Icarus. "For the Crown of Souls, I might as well humor you. The middle card…"
"Ooh…" said Yumi. "You picked a good one…"
She threw the card on her Disk.
"I summon Buster Blader in Attack Mode!"
In a flash of energy, the hulking Warrior in violet armor holding a huge sword appeared with a roar. (2,600/2,300)
Yumi grunted a little as Chain Energy shocked her again.
"Oh, ho!" laughed Icarus. "One of your family's signature cards, huh? Well, since that triggered a replay, I think I'll kill him instead!
"Candellado, annihilate the Buster Blader!"
Candellado roared again.
"Time to end this!" shouted Yumi. "I activate… Heavy Slump!"
Another facedown card lifted, showing the Goblin of Greed panicking amid falling stock prices.
"Heavy Slump?" shouted Icarus. "What the heck does that do?"
Yumi made a sinister grin.
"It's your deck's worst nightmare," she said. "I can only activate it when you have eight or more cards in your hand. It sends all of those cards back to your deck, and then makes you draw a new hand… of two cards."
Icarus gasped as all the cards in his hand vanished, and then two cards flew off his Disk. Candellado fell to only (2,000/2,000).
"And by the way…" said Yumi, "this does not trigger a replay, and it's too late for you to call off your attack. And since you declared the attack, your Vow of Peace can't do squat. So double-ugly just got a one-way trip to the scrap heap."
Candellado the Beast of Light shot its prism blast at the Buster Blader, but he leapt over it, and slashed his sword into the thing's core with a shower of sparks. It roared, and then an explosion of fiery pyrotechnics lit up the whole arboretum.
(Y: 2,500) -------------------- (I: 4,300)
Icarus shielded himself as flaming debris and slag showered around him…
"You… you destroyed it!" he shouted.
"Yep…" said Yumi. "So what are you gonna do now?"
Icarus shivered and looked at the two cards he had just drawn…
They were, ironically, a second Candellado, and a second Gaea. He couldn't even use them as bluffs.
"I'm not done yet!" he shouted, shaking his fist.
He turned a card on his Disk.
"I move Gaea to Defense Mode."
The Agent of Plenty knelt in Defense and covered herself with her wings.
"I may not be able to use her effect now," he continued, "but my Vow of Peace is still in effect, and she has 3,000 Defense Points. You'll never get to me!"
If I can stall until I draw my Card of Sanctity, I still might have a chance, he thought.
"We will see…" said Yumi. "We will see…"
She drew a card.
"First," she said, "I summon Blast Magician."
She played the card, and in a burst of flames, the mage in the red robe and hat with the scythe-like staff appeared. (1,400/1,700) She grunted again as Chain Energy glowed.
"Now…" she continued, "let's take care of that annoying card. I play Heavy Storm!"
She held up the card, and a fierce wind blew about the arboretum. She didn't even flinch as the Spell shocked her again, because she knew it would be the last time. The My Body as a Shield card, Chain Energy, Vow of Peace, Infinite Cards, and Yumi's own Rush Recklessly and Seven Tools of the Bandit all shattered.
She had it planned out perfectly… thought Icarus, in panic. If I had chosen to attack Gemini Elf anyway, she would have used Rush Recklessly… If my facedown card had been Seven Tools, she would have countered it with her own…
"And now," said Yumi, "since I just played one Spell Card, Blast Magician gains a counter, and he is now able to destroy one Monster that has 700 Attack Points or fewer.
"And your Agent has zero.
"Blast Magician, blast Gaea!"
Blast Magician twirled his staff, and shot a stream of fire. The Agent of Plenty – Gaea screamed as she was roasted alive. In a few seconds, all that was left was ashes.
"Time to finish this…" said Yumi. "Buster Blader, you first. Direct attack! Buster sword!"
Icarus gulped as Buster Blader leapt towards him. Then he screamed as the sword slashed into him.
"Gemini Elf, finish him off! Dual magic!"
The two elves raised their hands, and shot twin bolts of lightning. Icarus screamed again.
(Y: 1,500) -------------------- (I: 0)
The holograms vanished, and Yumi walked up to Icarus.
"Well, Icarus…" she said, "consider yourself crashed. I'll be calling the Centurions now."
Icarus coughed and held his chest.
"You wish…" he said, getting to his feet. "I lied… I'll be long gone before they get here, and if you think you can stop me…"
He pulled a switchblade out of his robe, and the blade flicked open…
"Oh no you don't," shouted a voice. "Ms. Mouto, get away from him!"
Yumi backed up, as three Centurions sprang out of nowhere and tackled the Ascender to the ground. The knife flew from his hand quickly. He tried to struggle, but they were far too strong for him, and quickly cuffed his hands.
A fourth Centurion – obviously the one in authority – walked up.
"All right, Icarus was it?" he said. "If that's your real name, which I doubt… You're under arrest for use of illegal cards, not to mention assault with a deadly weapon due to that last stunt."
"What?" asked Yumi. "Candellado is illegal?"
The Centurion turned to her.
"Yeah, it's a custom card," he said. "The original Candellado was a card made by…"
He paused.
"Well, let's just say it was made by an evil force that you'd never want to mess with. Making copies of this entity's handiwork without the proper safety measures is not only illegal in tournaments, but a very serious crime otherwise.
"And once we check out his tournament status, we think we can add a few more charges to what we already have.
"Anyway Ms. Mouto, we're sorry if he caused you any pain. But you won the duel, and due to orders from Ms. Arachne, this will count as an official duel, and your upgrade will stand."
Yumi smiled and looked at her badge, which was now at Violet.
"I gotta find Ren and Chelsea," she said, taking out her cell phone. "Wonder where they are?"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Meanwhile, Rasputin was sitting in an armchair, sulking. Olga and Nicholas were sitting nearby, while Louis stood next to him.
"Heavy Slump…" he muttered, brooding. "She actually had Heavy Slump in her deck?"
His fist hit the armrest.
"No member of her family, not her parents, nor any of her grandparents, Rebecca Hawkins included, ever had a use for that card. It doesn't fit a Spellcaster Beatdown strategy at all. There was no way it would ever have benefited her…
"Unless…
"…unless she knew beforehand what she was about to face…"
He paused.
"Icarus's strategy was sound… He would have won… But no strategy is foolproof, especially if your opponent knows what you're using…
"There's only one plausible explanation…
"One member of my organization… Is a traitor…"
There was dead silence in the room.
"It ain't me, boss," said Louis.
"I know it ain't you, Louis!" shouted Rasputin. "You're too dumb to be a traitor!"
"Uh, thanks…" he replied. "I think…"
"But when I find out who it is…" growled Rasputin, clenching his fist, "he or she will suffer the pain of a thousand deaths…"
There was a long silence again…
"Is this the point where you need a martini?" asked Olga.
"Yes, please," he replied with a sigh. "Extra dry…"
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A short time later.
Icarus sat at a table, his hands cuffed, and a Centurion at either side. Sheena stood in front of him.
"Looks like you've been thrown in the discard pile, Icarus," she said. "Your boss did nothing to help you once you lost."
"Lady…" he replied, "if you're asking me to fold, you're going to be waiting a long time."
"No mourning for Holly?" asked Sheena. "She's in a coma… She may never wake up."
"I'm wearing black, aren't I?" asked Icarus.
Sheena put her hand on her hip.
"Listen, 'Icarus'," she said, "or should I said, Michael James Dogson…"
Icarus glared at her at the mention of his real name…
"Seto Kaiba eventually became a great man. The key word there is eventually. At first, he was a man blinded by greed.
"He started Battle City because he wanted all three of the Egyptian God Cards. If he had them, he'd have been the world's greatest duelist. Since the Rare Hunters had Slifer and Ra, he welcomed them.
"They caused a great deal of trouble. If Kaiba had done what he should have done and had them locked up, so many people wouldn't have been hurt…
"If you ask me, the reason he lost his duel to Yugi in the finals, ruining his plans entirely, was due in part to divine justice. It was a punishment for his greed and his utter disregard for the safety of others, for practically inviting those criminals.
"Anyway…
"I'm not like Seto Kaiba. I don't welcome crooks who come to my tournament without being invited. I didn't start this tournament to get any God Cards or some other greedy purpose like he did at Battle City… I started it so honest duelists could have fun. So you Ascenders will NOT be tolerated as he did with the Rare Hunters. I intend to root you out like the weeds you are.
"First of all, you are not here on the true guest list, meaning that the trust fund we were supplying you with was illegally obtained, making you and your Ascender allies thieves. How much you are costing me I don't know – it's exactly four hundred dollars for each one of you that's out there, and I don't like it when my money is stolen. If your boss does not pay it, I'll make sure his individual henchmen will.
"Second, I looked up your name, and it turns out that you are wanted by both Interpol and Scotland Yard for international smuggling and fencing, most likely dealing with Duel Monsters cards. Industrial Illusions is also after you for forging counterfeit cards…
"Speaking of which, we checked the cards in your deck carefully. Many of the apparent rarer ones are counterfeits, not worth the cardboard they're printed on. Yet, my computers were fooled by them…
"That means that whoever made them knew how KaibaCorp's holographic technology worked, making that person or someone who worked for him guilty of the very serious crime known as corporate espionage.
"Speaking of which…"
She slammed her hand down on the table.
"Dear God, man, what the Hell were you thinking using Candellado? In case you didn't know, it is forbidden to duplicate cards made by the Light of Ruin unless you use the proper purification process, and clearly the one who made your slop-job copies didn't even follow step one of that process.
"The Light of Ruin may have been banished, but it might not be dead… If duelists like you do things like this, using unsafe copies of its cards, it might eventually gather enough strength to return…
"You are in a load of trouble, mister…"
She bent down until her face was next to his. He flinched a little.
"Trust me…" she said, softly, "your life is gonna be a whole lot more pleasant from this point on, if you tell us who hired you…"
Icarus looked down for a minute.
"Lady…" he said, "as miserable as my current situation looks, I'd rather live it out. If I were to rat on my boss, I wouldn't.
"All I'll say is, he's a very powerful individual with connections everywhere, and he does not like employees who snitch. I should know – I saw what happened to the last one who tried to.
"So excuse me if I focus on self-preservation and keep my mouth shut.
"Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to be shown to my cell. It's been a long day, after all…"
"All right…" said Sheena, "get him out of here..."
As Icarus was led away, she motioned to a Centurion, an important-looking one wearing a purple sash over his armor.
"Someone is out there," she said. "Most likely it's a legitimate tournament guest directing these rogues.
"Give an order to all Centurions on patrol. Anyone wearing a black cloak is to be stopped, and his badge is to be scanned and compared to a list I will compose myself. If he isn't on it, that person is to be arrested without question, regardless of whatever excuse he gives.
"That one may have been too afraid to snitch, but someone else might. We are going to stop this problem at the source…"
"Yes ma'am," he replied. "By the way, did you, uh, mean what you said, in that Kaiba losing the finals of Battle City was divine justice?"
Sheena paused before she answered.
"There was a little divine intervention involved…" she replied, "but it wasn't truly a punishment…
"It was an attempt to cleanse him of both greed and pride… And it wouldn't be the first time…
"And eventually… It worked…"
Having beaten an Ascender with a dangerous weapon, Yumi has defended her Shadow Charm and advanced to Violet. Now she must rush to lend support to her friend, as he anxiously rushes to a duel he has apparently wanted for a long time. What is the origin behind this long-awaited meeting?
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CANDELLADO THE BEAST OF LIGHT (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 12
ATK: 0
DEF: 0
Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned by discarding two cards from your hand to the Graveyard. This card cannot attack on the round it is summoned. When this card is face-up on your side of the field, skip your Draw Phase. This card gains 1,000 points to its ATK and DEF for every card in your hand.
Note: "Candellado the Beast of Light" was first used by the android in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "A Greater Porpoise". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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THE AGENT OF PLENTY – GAEA (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 8
ATK: 0
DEF: 3,000
Card Description: During each of your Standby Phases that this card is in Attack Position, draw one card from your deck.
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SILVER SPIRIT REDIRECTION (Trap Card)
Counter Trap
Image: A giant, luminous being amid the clouds.
Card Description: You may activate this card when one of your Monsters is targeted by the effect of an opposing Monster. Negate the effect and remove the opposing Monster from play.
Note: "Silver Spirit Redirection" was first used by Sarina in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Mirror, Mirror (Part One)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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VOW OF PEACE (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: The holy man from the "Messenger of Peace" card kneeling before an altar.
Card Description: Neither player can declare attacks with face-up Monsters with base ATKs of 1500 or more. Pay 300 Life Points during each of your Standby Phases. If you do not, destroy this card.
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Chelsea: So, Ren, you gonna tell me who we're running to see?
Ren: Someone I've never met in person… But I promised to duel him if I ever did… I knew he'd be here…
Chelsea: You want to run that by me again?
Yumi: Wait up for me guys! I've got to see this!
Coming up next, "Invincible Duelist! Ren versus the Dark One".
It's gonna be a smash…