I'd like to make a statement before I start this chapter.
A lot of people are comparing this story to Xiaolin Showdown. Well, I'd like to tell everyone, I don't watch that show. I watched it once, and I really wasn't impressed. So this fic is not based on it.
Now that that's out of the way…
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CHAPTER NINETEEN
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Chelsea's Challenge
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The Sword of Tsunami
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Cassandra shuffled the Tarot deck again. This was the complete deck. She needed a larger insight again.
She drew a card, and it was revealed to be The Strength.
"Chelsea…" she muttered, placing it on the table. "Something pertaining to her is about to happen…"
She carefully took another card, and flipped it over.
It wasn't the most pleasant-looking card. The scene was dominated by a woman who looked helpless. Not only was she tied up and blindfolded, but a cage of sharp swords surrounded her, threatening to cut her if she tried to free herself.
"The Eight of Swords…" mumbled Cassandra. "Clearly, Chelsea is about to enter a situation where she will experience pain…
"But she must accept it. She must endure it. If she does not, she will not succeed. Just as this woman must endure pain to escape the cage of swords, victory will be won through pain…
"Good luck, Chelsea…"
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The Duelatopia Zoo wasn't very big as far as zoos went. It could best be compared to the Central Park Zoo. It had several monkeys and apes, some great cats, one elephant, and a small collection of other exotic creatures.
Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea rushed through the gates, and looked around. The gorilla pit was to their left, and an enclosure for two llamas was to their right.
"That Charm could be hidden anywhere," said Yumi. "We'll cover more ground if we split up."
"You got it," said Chelsea.
They all ran off in separate directions.
"All right…" muttered Chelsea. "If I were a magical sword, where would I be? Besides lying at the bottom of some lake in Britain…"
"Looking for a magical sword, you say?" asked a voice.
Chelsea turned, and saw another of the ghosts she knew. This one was a woman dressed in an Elizabethan-style dress, albeit one that was ragged and torn.
The Baroness. She had been a sad case who had come to a violent end – murdered by a jealous husband who thought she had been unfaithful, which she hadn't been. By all rights, his soul was the one that should have been cursed and bound to the world of the living, but hers was instead for some reason. Chelsea wished she could help her, but she didn't know how.
"Baroness…" she said, "I don't have time to talk. I'm looking for something important."
"Well, I dare say I saw an odd sword over there," said the Baroness. "In that big pit with the striped cats."
Chelsea stopped short.
"I'd hug you if you had a body!" she exclaimed.
She rushed over to the tiger pit and looked down.
Three large, African tigers prowled below, and lying half-hidden under a bush, was a short sword made of what appeared to be bronze.
"REN! YUMI!" shouted Chelsea.
She didn't know if they had heard her or not, so she started to think of what to do…
The Sword was there in plain sight, but she'd be a fool to jump into that pit with three tigers there. She didn't even know if they had been fed yet. The Charm was important, but she had no desire to become a cat-snack.
As she considered, she noticed a man walk up beside her…
She was shocked to see that he was wearing a black cloak and hood.
He was also carrying a portable cooler which he quickly opened.
"He who hesitates is lost," he said, taking three huge, raw steaks out of the cooler.
He threw them as far away from the Sword as possible, and the tigers rushed for them.
"Now, if you'll excuse me…" he said, dropping the cooler.
He leapt over the railing.
"Oh no you don't!" shouted Chelsea, leaping over the railing herself. "Can't you read? You aren't allowed to feed the animals!"
At that moment, Ren and Yumi rushed up.
"CHELSEA!" shouted Ren. "DON'T! PLEASE!"
Chelsea grabbed the Ascender from behind and tackled him.
"Domino City High lady's track and field captain, past two years," said Chelsea, with a grin. "And damn proud of it!"
Then the Ascender punched her in the face.
"I'm not afraid to hit girls, by the way…" he said.
Then Chelsea punched him back.
"And I just love to hit boys!" she replied, angrily.
Anastasia appeared next to Yumi.
"Anastasia…" said Yumi. "We have to stop her…"
Lightning flashed. The tigers looked up from their meal and cowered in fright.
The Sword of Tsunami floated off the ground, and started to glow.
"It's too late…" said Anastasia. "This is my fault… I couldn't pinpoint its location better…
"Chelsea found it first… And it's her battle now…"
"No…" said Yumi, as the darkness started to overwhelm the area.
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When the gloom cleared, Yumi saw that they were in an even more threatening spot than that beach. They were now in a clearing surrounded by a thick jungle, choked with thorny vines and deadly-looking plants. A large snake slithered from the branches of one of the trees. Once again, the sky was thick and cloudy.
Chelsea was facing her opponent, a serious look on her face.
"No!" cried Yumi. "She can't take a Shadow Game! She has no experience, no Millennium Item… It will be too much!"
"Don't worry…" said Anastasia. "Chelsea does have a little support. You can't see her, but I can…"
Chelsea looked over her shoulder. The Baroness was standing beside her, having followed her somehow.
"So…" she said to the Ascender, "just who are you?"
The Ascender lowered his hood, revealing a surprise. He looked to be in his early twenties, and while he had no beard, his hairstyle and facial expression was very similar to that of Rasputin.
"You may call me Ferdinand," he replied.
"What are you?" asked Chelsea, lifting an eyebrow. "Rasputin's son?"
"No…" replied Ferdinand. "Rasputin doesn't have any children. He is unable to. But thanks for the compliment."
"Compliment?" asked Chelsea. "There's some benefit to looking like him that we don't know about?"
"There's a reason I look like him," replied Ferdinand, "but it will have to remain a mystery…"
Yumi's eyes narrowed.
A voice came from the clouds. It was definitely a different voice than last time – it was female.
"Chelsea… Ferdinand…" said the voice. "Like before, a rule is being added to this duel, but it's a different one than last time."
"Who the devil are you?" shouted Chelsea.
There was a long pause.
"You are addressing none other than Salla the Warrior Queen," replied the voice.
Yumi opened her eyes wide.
The Sorcerer Kings… They were the ones in charge of this… They were alive, and they weren't in any prison…
Questions started to run through Yumi's mind. If they were still alive, why would they let others take their Charms? Weren't these things the source of their power?
Before she could question this, the voice of the Sorcerer King continued.
"The Sword of Tsunami used to be mine," said Salla's voice, "and I will decide how you will earn it.
"The rule is called the Draw Shield. I will explain. If you would ever take battle damage, you have the option of drawing one card from your deck. If it is a Monster Card, you don't lose any Life Points, and you gain whatever Life Points you would have lost. If it is a Spell Card, there is no effect. You lose Life Points as you normally would.
"But if it is a Trap Card, the battle damage is doubled.
"No matter what card you draw when you use the Draw Shield, that card must then be sent to the Graveyard.
"Understand? Good. Begin. Honor goes to Ferdinand."
"Oh, giving the first turn to the other guy again?" groaned Ren. "These guys hate us…"
"Having the first turn isn't always the best idea," said Anastasia. "going second lets you see what you're up against. Most of the time."
Chelsea and Ferdinand drew five cards off their decks.
"Game on!" they both shouted.
A loud horn echoed from deep within the dark jungle…
"Sounds like the natives are restless…" muttered Yumi. "If you'll pardon the cliché."
(Chelsea: 8,000) -------------------- (Ferdinand: 8,000)
Ferdinand drew his first card and looked over his hand.
"I'll win this duel," he said. "My strategy was designed with utmost precision and care.
"To start off, I'll play the Spell Card, Different Dimension Capsule."
As he played the card, a glowing, blue sarcophagus rose out of the ground.
"Now I can take any card I want from my deck, and seal it in the Capsule, and in just two short turns, I can add it to my hand."
Then images of all the cards in his deck appeared in front of him.
He pointed to one, and it vanished. Then the other cards did as well. Then the Capsule sunk into the ground.
"That card is likely something very important…" said the Baroness.
"Yeah, but using that Spell is always risky," replied Chelsea. "If I can use a card that can destroy that Capsule before the two turns are up, that card is gone for good."
She looked at her hand.
"Only problem is… I don't have one right now…"
Ferdinand placed a card on his Disk, and a defensive Monster appeared.
"That will be all for my turn," he said.
"Then watch out!" shouted Chelsea, drawing a card.
She added it to her hand.
"I play Call of the Mummy," she said, playing a Spell Card. "Now I can Special Summon a Zombie from my hand, so long as I have no Monsters on my side of the field. Like my Zombie Werewolf!"
In a burst of darkness, Zombie Werewolf appeared. (1,200/1,200)
"Next, I'll Normal Summon Vampire Lady!"
She played another card, and in another burst of darkness, Vampire Lady appeared. (1,550/1,550)
"A little early for Halloween, isn't it?" asked Ferdinand.
Chelsea smirked.
Then the two Zombies turned towards her…
"Huh?" she said.
"Don't worry, child," said Vampire Lady's sultry voice. "We'll handle this cretin…"
Zombie Werewolf growled and nodded.
"A game of shadows couldn't have come at a better time…" continued Vampire Lady. "We're all hungry, and your opponent looks delectable!"
"Okay…" muttered Chelsea. "Let's do it…
"Zombie Werewolf, attack his Monster!"
Zombie Werewolf lunged. Sangan appeared on the card, and was torn in half.
"I'm sure you know what Sangan's effect is," said Ferdinand, taking his deck. "I now get to search for any Monster with 1,500 Attack Points or less…"
He took a card and put his deck back.
"My Mystical Elf should do…"
"Mystical Elf?" said Yumi. "Aw, why do the bad guys have to use the cards that my family used to use?"
"I'm not done with you," said Chelsea. "Vampire Lady…"
"With pleasure…" said the vampire.
Vampire Lady hissed and bore her fangs. She leapt at Ferdinand and then vanished…
Ferdinand looked around, not knowing that she was behind him and grinning…
She grabbed hold of him and sank her fangs into his neck. He screamed…
She vanished again, and reappeared on Chelsea's side.
"Your vampire is a real pain in the… well, you know…" he said.
(C: 8,000) -------------------- (F: 6,450)
Vampire Lady gave a look of disgust.
"That tasted terrible…" she muttered.
Chelsea looked at Ferdinand strangely. Apparently he wasn't as delectable as they had thought… But what about his blood could disgust a vampire?
"Don't forget her effect," said Chelsea. "I think I'll have you discard a Spell Card."
Ferdinand grimaced and took a card from his deck. He discarded a copy of Terraforming.
"That's it for my turn, so I'll turn it over to you," she said.
Ferdinand drew a card.
He frowned at Chelsea, and placed a card on his Disk. A new defensive Monster appeared.
He waved his hand.
Chelsea drew a card. It was Vampire Lord.
That facedown Monster is most likely Mystical Elf… she thought.
"I sacrifice Zombie Werewolf, to summon Vampire Lord!" she shouted.
Zombie Werewolf vanished in a burst of darkness, and the imposing vampire appeared. He turned to Vampire Lady, and they nodded to each other. (2,000/1,500)
Now what to do… she thought.
Then a voice came from the stronger Monster.
"Let me attack, child," he said. "If it is Mystical Elf, it will be no harm, no foul."
I'm getting coached by my own Monsters… thought Chelsea. This is too weird…
"Okay, attack!" she ordered. "Children of the night!"
Vampire Lord's eyes glowed red. He lifted his cloak, and a swarm of bats flew at the facedown card…
Mystical Elf appeared, kneeling on the card. (800/2,000) A dome of energy surrounded her, and the bats turned to dust upon hitting it.
"So now what?" asked Ferdinand.
Chelsea fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"That's all for now…" she said.
Vampire Lord nodded to her.
"All right," said Ferdinand, drawing a card. "Now the real fun starts! First, I'll recover the card I put in that Capsule."
The Different Dimension Capsule rose out of the ground, and opened. A card appeared in his hand.
"Great…" said Ren. "That card can literally be anything…"
"Next…" said Ferdinand, opening his Field Slot, "I play Luminous Spark."
He played the Field Spell, and a wash of light covered the whole field. The two vampires covered their eyes, as if the light was hurting them.
"You two okay?" asked Chelsea.
"Ugh… It hurts…" said Vampire Lady. "But we'll be fine for now…"
"Now, all Light Monsters gain 500 Attack Points," said Ferdinand, as Mystical Elf grew to 1,300 Attack.
"Yeah, but she loses 400 Defense Points!" replied Chelsea. "She dies next turn!"
"Trust me…" said Ferdinand. "You won't be putting Monsters in Attack Mode after this turn. I switch her to Attack Mode…"
Mystical Elf stood up, and opened her eyes. Chelsea didn't like the look in her eyes…
"Continuing…" he said, "I play a Spell Card called Advanced Ritual Art.
"It works like this… I get to substitute this card for any Ritual Spell Card, and instead of sacrificing Monsters from the field or my hand, I sacrifice them from my deck. However, they have to be Normal Monsters.
He took his deck, and picked out two more Mystical Elves. He quickly discarded them.
"Four plus four equals eight…" he said. "Just the number I need…"
Lightning flashed, and dark, ominous shapes appeared in the sky. Glowing eyes flashed from within the jungle…
"By the way…" he said, "the Ritual Spell that I'd normally use in this case is called End of the World…"
"End of the World?" asked Ren. "I don't like the sound of that… What does that summon?"
"Someone bad…" said Anastasia. "That card can summon one of two Monsters, and given his Field Spell…"
"Descend, harbinger of doom…" said Ferdinand, ominously.
The clouds churned and undulated. Slowly, a tall form floated down from above…
It was a tall woman of sinister beauty, with white hair down to her waist, dressed in a maroon, black, and white dress, a fancy tiara, and holding a metal staff that was pointed on the end with two blades.
"I give you… Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!"
The creature smiled an evil smile, looking at Chelsea as if she wanted to eat her… And perhaps she did.
(2,300/2,000) – (2,800/1,600)
"Now to work…" said Ferdinand. "Ruin, smite her Vampire Lord! Rod of Ragnarok!"
Ruin laughed, and thrust her staff forward, as the tip glowed with energy. She shot a blast of fiery, burning light that lit up the whole clearing. Vampire Lord screamed before being reduced to dust.
"And by the way…" continued Ferdinand. "When Ruin kills one Monster, she gets to attack a second time. Ruin, kill the Vampire Lady!"
Ruin cast her fiery spell again, and Vampire Lady was incinerated.
"Mystical Elf… Direct attack!"
Mystical Elf smirked as she looked at Chelsea. She threw her hands forward, throwing a blast of sparkling energy. Chelsea shrieked as it hit her.
Yumi's eyes narrowed. This certainly was NOT the Mystical Elf that she knew… It was as if this Queen of Oblivion had corrupted her with her very presence.
"Make your move, Chelsea," said Ferdinand. "Next round, my Queen is coming after you."
(C: 4,650) -------------------- (F: 6,450)
Chelsea paused. After her Monsters had spoken to her, seeing them die hurt more than a little. She nervously looked at her deck.
"Don't worry, Chelsea," said the Baroness. "I'm still here… I'll give you support until I can give no more…"
She touched her right hand. Chelsea smiled.
Maybe having these ghosts follow her around wasn't so bad…
She drew a card.
…unfortunately, she didn't have anything that could defeat his Queen of Oblivion. She remembered the house rule… She might have to depend on a little luck.
She placed a card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"That'll do it…" she said.
"Then I draw…" said Ferdinand.
He looked at the powerful Monster.
Can't use this guy just yet, he thought.
"Ruin, destroy her facedown Monster!"
Ruin shot her evil blast of light. Blood Sucker appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.
"Now, attack directly!" he shouted.
Ruin grinned at Chelsea again. She aimed her weapon at her…
"Not so fast!" shouted Chelsea. "I'm using the Draw Shield!"
As Ruin fired her blast, Chelsea whipped a card off of her deck…
She was relieved to glance at it and see that it was another Vampire Lady.
In a flash of light, Vampire Lady appeared in front of Chelsea. She looked over her shoulder at Chelsea, grinned, and gave a thumb's up…
Then she caught the blast, and it was deflected. Chelsea felt energy start to flow into her.
Then the vampire faded away. Chelsea sighed in relief, and discarded the card.
Ferdinand frowned.
"Mystical Elf, attack her again!" he ordered.
Chelsea hollered as the Elf cast her spell, hitting her a second time.
"You lucked out that time," said Ferdinand. "But next time will be different."
(C: 6,150) -------------------- (F: 6,450)
"My move…" muttered Chelsea.
She drew a card.
She smirked. She took another card from her hand.
"I summon Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower," she said, playing a card.
With a rumble, the enormous tower of skulls and bones sprouted out of the ground. (400/1,500)
"Now I activate my facedown card," she continued. "Call of the Haunted."
The card lifted, and a fancy coffin appeared on her side of the field. It creaked open, and Vampire Lord crawled out of it. (2,000/1,500)
"And since I just Special Summoned a Zombie, my Tower's effect activates, and you lose the top two cards from your deck."
Ferdinand frowned. He took the two cards from the top of his deck, and tossed them.
"Good going, Chelsea," said Vampire Lord. "Now, let's take this to the next level!"
"You got it!" continued Chelsea. "Now, I remove my Vampire Lord from play, to summon Vampire Genesis!"
Vampire Lord vanished, and the hulking vampire deity appeared in a burst of shadow.
"Ah…" he said, looking at his hands. "Now we're talkin'…" (3,000/2,100)
"And that counts as another Special Summon…" said Chelsea, as the Bone Tower glowed.
Ferdinand snarled, and discarded his next two cards.
"Now, Vampire Genesis…" ordered Chelsea, "destroy Ruin! Crimson shroud!"
Ren and Yumi cheered as Vampire Genesis burst into his destructive red mist, and plowed into the Queen of Oblivion, throwing her backwards and then blowing her to pieces.
(C: 6,150) -------------------- (F: 6,250)
"This might actually work…" said Yumi. "She's not doing half-bad…"
Ren looked at Chelsea.
Oh, Chelsea, please don't lose… he thought. I'd never be able to live with myself…
"My draw…" said Ferdinand, drawing a card.
He growled a little.
I'll move Mystical Elf into Defense Mode, and place one card facedown."
Mystical Elf knelt and shielded herself. Then a facedown card appeared behind her.
He waved his hand.
Chelsea drew a card. She looked at it and her other card.
"I'll move Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower to Defense Mode, just in case…" she said, turning the card on her Disk.
"Then I'll attack with Vampire Genesis!"
Vampire Genesis charged again. Mystical Elf screamed before she exploded into shards.
"So much for her," said Chelsea. "That's all I can do…"
"Take heart, Chelsea," said the Baroness. "The score is close. You can defeat this cur."
"My move again…" said Ferdinand, drawing a card.
He grinned when he saw what he had drawn.
"I play a second Advanced Ritual Art," he said, playing the card. "And I'm gonna summon someone new…
"You thought Ruin was a nasty Monster… She was just a preview to a much nastier beast waiting in my deck… One that proves that Light isn't always the benign, nourishing force it usually is…"
He took his deck, and chose two Neo the Magic Swordsman cards. He discarded both of them.
"Once again…" he said, "four plus four equals eight…"
"I know how to add, pal!" shouted Chelsea.
"There's a legend behind this next Monster," said Ferdinand, ignoring her. "They say it was summoned by an ancient race, and it repaid them by enslaving them and then consuming them, leading to that race's extinction…
"The normal Ritual that summons this creature has a fitting name… Final Ritual of the Ancients!"
"Oh… no…" muttered Anastasia.
An ominous stone altar with a strange, glowing symbol on it appeared behind him.
"Come forth, Lord of Evil…" shouted Ferdinand. "Come to flood the world in your relentless, burning light! I summon you… Reshef the Dark Being!"
The altar shattered, and a huge, hulking form materialized, looming over Ferdinand. It looked like a huge, crouching statue with a horned head, huge forelegs, and five stone spires on its back. Orbs of light orbited it like moons. It radiated a golden aura, but an air of pure malice hung about it.
"And naturally, my Field Spell gives it a boost," continued Ferdinand.
(2,500/1,500) – (3,000/1,100)
"That… thing is a Light Monster?" asked Ren, shivering. "I thought he said it was a… Dark Being…"
Anastasia shook her head.
"This is Light…" she said, "but it is evil Light…
"This is the Light of Ruin…"
"Chelsea!" shouted Ren. "Don't give up! That thing's Attack Score is exactly the same as Genesis's! It can't beat him without dying itself!"
"Your friend is right," said Ferdinand. "But whoever said I wanted to destroy your vampire? Reshef has a very powerful effect, that I can use every round by discarding a Spell Card, like this second Luminous Spark…"
He discarded the card.
Reshef's eyes glowed, with fiery light.
"NO!" growled the vampire. "Stay away!
"My apologies… in advance… Chelsea…"
He vanished, and reappeared next to Reshef.
"Hey!" shouted Chelsea.
"As you can see…" said Ferdinand, "your Monster becomes mine for the rest of this turn. It's like a Monster version of Change of Heart that I can use every round, so long as I have a Spell Card to discard."
"No fair!" shouted Chelsea.
"Blame whoever designed the card," said Ferdinand with a laugh. "It certainly wasn't me. Now, let's see… I could attack your Bone Tower with this vampire, and then attack you with Reshef…
"Or vice-versa. The effect would be the same, so it doesn't matter…
"Eh… Just so you don't think of me as some sort of barbarian… I won't attack you with your own Monster."
"How thoughtful…" growled Chelsea.
"Vampire Genesis," ordered Ferdinand, "attack the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower! Crimson shroud!"
Genesis burst into the red cloud. He slammed into the Bone Tower, and it exploded into shards of bone.
"Reshef, attack Chelsea directly!" he ordered. "Scorching blast!"
Reshef the Dark Being glowed with an aura of bright flames that turned the dim jungle brighter than daylight. It opened its mouth, and bright, blue flames appeared in its jowls…
"I'll use the Draw Shield again!" shouted Chelsea.
She yanked a card off her Disk.
"No…" she gasped, looking at it.
The sinister image of Red Ghost Moon appeared behind Chelsea, burning with black fire.
Chelsea heard Yumi and Ren screaming her name as Reshef breathed a blast of scorching blue fire, striking Chelsea dead-center. Chelsea screamed as what seemed to be the heat of the sun itself burned at her skin…
(C: 150) -------------------- (F: 6,250)
"No…" moaned Ren. "She took a gamble, and she lost…"
"Even worse…" said Yumi, "that was her Red Ghost Moon. She wasted a very powerful Trap Card…"
Chelsea lay on the ground, stunned, her eyes wide open. Smoke rose from her prone form…
"I end my turn," said Ferdinand, "which means Vampire Genesis returns to your control."
Vampire Genesis reappeared on Chelsea's side. He snarled, and shook his clawed fist at Reshef the Dark Being…
"Bastard!" he ranted. "I'll drain the marrow from your smallest bones…"
Chelsea didn't respond for a minute.
Then Salla's voice came out of the clouds again.
"Chelsea…" said Salla. "It is your move. If you do not make it in one minute, you will be disqualified."
"Hey, cut her some slack!" shouted Ren.
There was no answer.
The Baroness knelt over Chelsea and pulled a small fan from her dress. She started to fan her face.
Chelsea's eyes slowly closed, and then opened again. She groaned and sat up.
"Ouch…" she muttered. "Somehow, I think being attacked by Genesis would have hurt less…"
She looked at Genesis.
"No offense…"
"None taken," replied the Monster.
She discarded the Red Ghost Moon card, and then picked up her other cards. She stood up.
"Anastasia…" muttered Ren. "Did your dad actually approve of these Monsters?"
Anastasia gave a sad look.
"Actually…" she said, "those two Ritual Monsters… he designed them himself…"
"WHAT?" shouted Ren.
"Let me explain…" replied Anastasia. "My dad made a lot of mistakes during the time he was producing the cards for the game, but maybe the biggest mistake of all was designing the game in the first place. You see, by immortalizing the ancient Shadow Beasts in card form, he was unleashing powers that he couldn't begin to comprehend.
"Throughout his career, he had… visions… Visions of powerful creatures. These beings wouldn't leave him alone. They pestered him until he designed and printed them on cards.
"It seemed these powerful shadow creatures wanted their influence in the mortal world badly, and they saw Duel Monsters as their ticket to fame, so to speak.
"Not all of these creatures were evil… Shinato and Zerato were designed this way. In fact, Archlord Zerato is the image of a real archangel that used to exist, as your father found out, Yumi.
"But others… Like Ruin and Reshef… There were sinister things…
"But dad had no choice. He was afraid of what they might do if he simply refused…"
"Lovely…" muttered Ren.
Meanwhile, Chelsea was taking some deep breaths. She looked at her deck.
"All right…" she said. "Here goes…"
Come on, give me something… she thought, as she drew.
"All right, Ferd," he said, "time to send your Dark Being back to where it's dark. I play Rush Recklessly!"
"I activate my facedown card," replied Ferdinand, as his Trap Card lifted. "Magic Drain. Unless you can discard another Spell Card, there'll be no rushing, reckless or otherwise."
Chelsea grit her teeth.
"I can't…" she muttered.
Her Spell Card shattered.
"I'll place this facedown, and end my turn…"
She fit one of her two remaining cards into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"Heh, heh, heh…" chuckled Ferdinand. "Seems all I have to do is draw a Spell Card, and I'll finish you.
"I draw!"
He drew a card.
He gave it a strange look.
"Disappointed?" asked Chelsea, with a grin. "No Spell Cards to discard, huh?"
"I place one card facedown…" muttered Ferdinand, "and end my turn."
A facedown card appeared in front of him.
"This is dangerous…" said Anastasia. "Both of them have very powerful Monsters with equal Attack Points. Ferdinand knows that if he sets another Monster, Chelsea will just destroy it…
"On the other hand, Chelsea has to get another Monster in this situation, because it might provide a shield if Ferdinand uses that effect.
"And Chelsea can't simply kamikaze Genesis against Reshef! It's too risky… Genesis is a NOMI, and Reshef isn't… And Chelsea only has 150 Life Points left!"
She's right… thought Chelsea. There has to be some other way…
She drew a card.
"I play Pot of Greed…" she said.
She played the card, and drew two cards.
"Time to take that thing down," she said. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon. And the target will be…
"My own facedown card!"
"Huh?" said Ferdinand.
She played the card, and her facedown card was swept up and shattered.
A stone coffin appeared on the field. It opened, and Vampire Lady crawled out. She grinned wickedly. (1,550/1,550)
"What on earth…" muttered Ferdinand.
"It was a special Trap called Zombie Bed," said Chelsea. "It can only be activated when it's destroyed. When it is, I get to summon a Zombie from my Graveyard."
"Yeah?" asked Ferdinand. "I still say it was a dumb move. If you had any sense, you would have destroyed my Field Spell. Then Reshef would have been weaker than your Genesis.
"I don't even have to use Reshef's effect now… I simply have to attack Vampire Lady, and…"
"Sorry, but it isn't going to get a chance," said Chelsea, playing another card. "I summon Vampire Bat!"
A swarm of bats flew out of the dense jungle, and grouped together on Chelsea's side of the field, turning into one giant bat. (800/800)
Vampire Genesis rose to an Attack of 3,200, Vampire Lady rose to 1,750, and Vampire Bat itself rose to 1,000.
"Uh oh…" said Ferdinand.
"Vampire Genesis…" shouted Chelsea, "attack Reshef the Dark Being!"
"My pleasure…" growled Genesis.
Genesis burst into his crimson shroud. He plowed into Reshef, and the Lord of Evil Light exploded in a burst of fiery pyrotechnics.
"Now, a direct attack!" continued Chelsea. "Vampire Bat, nightmare scourge!"
The Bat burst into a swarm again, and flew at Ferdinand. He shielded himself as he was assaulted by a multitude of tiny bites.
"Vampire Lady, you too!" ordered Chelsea.
Vampire Lady gave a look of disgust. She lunged at Ferdinand.
"Not so fast, Chelsea!" shouted Ferdinand. "I too can use the Draw Shield, and I think I will!"
He snatched a card from the top of his deck.
A glowing light appeared in front of him, and Ruin appeared in the light (clearly a second copy), blocking Vampire Lady's advance. Vampire Lady scowled at the evil Fairy, only to be shoved back. Ferdinand glowed with energy.
(C: 150) -------------------- (F: 6,800)
"This could take all night…" muttered Ren.
"Look on the bright side," said Yumi. "Chelsea has three Monsters now, and Ferdinand has none."
"Unless you can do something with that last card in your hand," said Ferdinand, discarding Ruin, "I'll move."
Chelsea looked at the card, which was Mirage of Nightmare.
"Go ahead…" she said.
Ferdinand drew a card.
"I play… Pot of Avarice," he said, holding up the card.
The goofy, pink jar appeared on his side of the field. He took one Ruin, all three Mystical Elves, and one Neo from his Graveyard, reshuffled, and drew twice.
"Heh, heh…" he said. "Now to finish you off!
"I play Fulfillment of the Contract. Now, for the mere price of 800 Life Points, I can bring Reshef back from the Graveyard, so long as I Equip it with this card."
He fit the card into his Disk, and Reshef rose out of the ground with a grating rumble. (2,500/1,500) – (3,000/1,100)
"It's back, and it's angry," continued Ferdinand. "Next, I'll activate my Trap Card…"
His facedown card lifted.
"Curse of the Ancient One," he said. "Since Reshef is on the field, I get to take the top two cards from my Graveyard and add them to my hand, so long as I don't play them…"
Two cards slipped out of his discard slot.
"And by the way," he said, showing her Magic Drain and Pot of Avarice, "one of them is a Spell Card.
"So, now I'll discard my Pot of Avarice, to activate Reshef's effect again."
"Not again…" moaned Genesis.
He discarded the card, and Vampire Genesis vanished, reappearing on Chelsea's side again.
"No…" muttered Chelsea.
"Don't give up hope, Chelsea…" said the Baroness.
"Well, let's consider…" said Ferdinand. "I could win this duel by attacking either of your Monsters with either of these.
"But I have another way that's more fun…"
He played another card in his hand.
"I play Gift of the Martyr," he said. "Now I can sacrifice your vampire, and his Attack Score is added to Reshef's for one turn."
Vampire Genesis glared at Reshef with a look of pure hate. He vanished, and Reshef grew to an Attack Score of 6,000.
"No…" gasped Ren.
Chelsea looked at her deck.
The Draw Shield is my only chance… she thought. If this doesn't work, I'm dead meat…
"Reshef…" ordered Ferdinand, "attack her Vampire Lady! Scorching blast!"
Reshef glowed with blue fire again. It blasted its energy…
"I use the Draw Shield!" shouted Chelsea.
She closed her eyes and drew a card.
She kept them closed. She didn't feel any pain when the blast would have hit…
She opened her eyes. Vampire Lady was gone, obviously having been eradicated by the attack, and Penelope was in front of her, glowing with energy.
Chelsea looked at the card, which was indeed Penelope.
"Thank you…" she said to the Monster.
"You're welcome…" said a wispy female voice.
Penelope smiled, and then vanished into mist. Chelsea slowly discarded the card.
(C: 4,600) -------------------- (F: 6,000)
"I'm getting tired of this…" muttered Ferdinand. "This jungle is making my allergies act up, and I never wanted to duel tonight anyway. You just lost Genesis, and it was the only Monster that could stand up to Reshef, and I already have a Spell Card that I can use next turn. So why don't you just surrender?"
"Not on your life," said Chelsea, drawing a card.
"I play Graceful Charity…"
The card glowed, and she drew three cards.
She smirked, and discarded two of the cards she had just drawn, Ryu Kokki and a second Zombie Werewolf.
"I play… Book of Life," she said. "Also known as the Book of Forbidden Magic. It's a two-step process. First, I remove one of your Monsters in your Graveyard from play. So just in case this doesn't work, I'll remove your first Queen of Oblivion in case you have plans to use her again."
Ruin fell out of Ferdinand's discard slot.
"Then I get to Special Summon a Zombie from my Graveyard," she continued, "and I know just who I want… Come on out, Penelope, Lady of the Night!"
In a burst of light, Penelope appeared, thrusting her scepter forward. (1,000/200)
"She's worthless!" laughed Ferdinand.
Penelope gave him a dirty look.
"Oh, really?" asked Chelsea. "Well just by summoning her, all Spell and Trap Cards on the field are destroyed."
"Oh, I'm so scared…" said Ferdinand, sarcastically.
Then his eyes opened as he realized something…
"Wait…" he said. "That means…"
"That's right…" said Chelsea. "That includes Fulfillment of the Contract, and when that goes, the contract is null and void, and Reshef is removed from play."
The Equip Spell shattered, and Reshef the Dark Being rippled before fading into nothing. Then Luminous Spark and Chelsea's Call of the Mummy, which had been forgotten about, shattered into pieces.
"And next…" continued Chelsea, "for every Zombie that's rotting in my Graveyard right now, Penelope gains 400 points added to her Attack Score. And there are seven right now. Plus there's the bonus she gets from Vampire Bat."
Penelope grew to an Attack of 4,000.
"Four grand?" gasped Ferdinand.
"That's right," said Chelsea. "Vampire Bat, you attack first..."
Vampire Bat swarmed at Ferdinand, and he tried to shield himself again, as they bit and clawed at him.
(C: 4,600) -------------------- (F: 5,000)
"Penelope…" ordered Chelsea, "direct attack! Light of Vengeance!"
Penelope powered up her mighty spell…
"Take this, villain!" she shouted, aiming her scepter.
"I can still use the Draw Shield!" shouted Ferdinand.
He snatched a card off his Disk.
"Oh no…" he gasped, looking at it.
Penelope's blast shot forward, and Ferdinand let out a bloodcurdling scream as it hit him.
He fell to the ground, and the card he had drawn, Mirror Force, fell out of his hand.
Chelsea's two friends cheered… The Baroness sighed with relief.
(C: 4,600) -------------------- (F: 0)
The air started to blur, and the scenery started to shift…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chelsea, Ren, and Yumi were back in the Duelatopia Zoo, and the prone body of Chelsea's opponent was in front of her.
Chelsea sighed and bowed her head. There was no way he could have survived this time… Not after taking an 8,000-point hit. Besides, Erik wasn't here, and none of them knew CPR.
"To think…" said Ren, "if he hadn't used that Draw Shield, he'd have still had Life Points left, and the card he'd have drawn on his next turn would have been Mirror Force… He might have won…"
"Ren…" said Yumi, "I try hard not to think of such things…"
Chelsea paused.
Then she noticed something. A sheath was now strapped around her waist, and the Sword of Tsunami was inside it.
She pulled it halfway out of the sheath and looked at it.
"Well, Yumi…" she said. "It's mine, I guess… But…"
Then laughter started coming from Ferdinand's body. They all looked in fear as he sat up.
"Impossible!" shouted Ren. "He can't be alive."
"No, Ren, he's quite dead," said Ferdinand, in a voice that wasn't his. "But then, was his life ever anything but artificial in the first place? I'm afraid not…"
"That's Rasputin's voice!" exclaimed Yumi.
Ferdinand's eyes glowed.
"Indeed, Yumi, it is I," said the voice coming from him. "How perceptive of you. I'll explain. Ferdinand wasn't human. He was something that we alchemists like to call a homunculus. A form of artificial life created through alchemy. That's why he looked like a younger version of myself. I used my own blood as the base for his creation.
"I was watching through his eyes the whole time. I couldn't actually control him until now, but I could give him advice when he needed it."
"Cheater…" muttered Yumi.
"Homunculi are the best servants," continued Rasputin, ignoring the remark. "They don't eat, they don't sleep, they don't mind working overtime, they obey without question, and best of all, they work for free. And as you can see, I can take complete control of them under certain conditions.
"But the reason I created Ferdinand was simple. He reminded me of the time I was a young and handsome man, and he encouraged me to find the secret that would restore me to that state.
"But don't think you'll gain anything from this… Once the last ounce of life slips from his corpse, it will disintegrate, leaving nothing for Duelatopia's morgue to study.
"Do you begin to see one of the reasons why I stumbled onto the fact that the so-called higher powers were frauds, Yumi? The so-called gods can do things you can't… I can do things you can't, like create artificial life… Does that make me a god? Does it make me better than you? I think not…"
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard…" answered Yumi.
"So you say…" he replied. "You know, if I could, I would sue you for this, Chelsea. Creating a homunculus costs a great deal of money, time, and resources. But seeing as creating clones of humans, which this would fall under, is very much illegal, I'll let it go for now."
"Oh, I'm so sorry…" said Chelsea, sarcastically.
"You all will be sorrier," said Rasputin. "You may have won the Sword of Tsunami, it may be yours for now, but the Ascenders are still many in number. Not all of them can be identified by those dark cloaks… Some are undercover."
"Why do they always make speeches?" asked Ren.
"You won't get away with this Rasputin," said Yumi. "Sheena will…"
"What? Arrest me?" he asked. "Other people in power have tried to do so, and have always regretted it. No one has ever proven a thing, and my lawyers just love filing false arrest suits. I'm pleased to say Yumi, that I have no criminal record anywhere.
"And that's not the only risk involved if you challenge me on that front. I keep informed, Yumi, and I know how to twist the truth. If a politician even smiles at a woman who isn't his wife, I can make everyone in his government think he's an adulterer.
"I'll have you know that one of the best lawyers in the business is currently on the outside, searching dear Sheena's history. Eventually, he'll find all of her dirty little secrets. One simply can't run a business as big as KaibaCorp without doing something illegal or immoral. This lawyer is an expert at making small things look bigger than they actually are, by the way. And if Sheena tries to arrest me, I'll force her to think otherwise, unless she wants scandals about her spread worldwide."
"You son of a bitch…" muttered Yumi.
"You can insult me all you like," said Rasputin. "Better people than you have done so, and it falls off me like water off a duck's back. I look forward to our eventual confrontation, Yumi… If you want to be Queen of Games, you're going to have to earn that title like never before…"
And then Ferdinand's body simply crumbled into dust.
Yumi went over and looked through the pile of clothes.
Nothing. Just the Disk, the cards, and clothes. She tossed them aside.
The three of them stared at the pile of clothes for a while.
"We should report this to Sheena anyway…" muttered Ren.
"Oh, right…" replied Yumi. "Sure, we tell Sheena that Rasputin is the head of the Ascenders AND he's a mad alchemist who's trying to uncover the secret of immortality. That's a real good excuse to search his hotel room…"
She sighed.
"Besides… I believe him when he said that others have tried to arrest him and regretted it. He's likely covered his tracks… If Sheena arrests him, and finds no proof that he's connected to the Ascenders, Sheena is not only looking at scandals, KaibaCorp is looking at a very big lawsuit… Rasputin is just the kind of guy who would do it…
"It's ironic, but maybe fighting demons and evil sorcerers is easier than fighting corrupt businessmen.
"Do you know how they eventually caught Al Capone? Tax fraud. That's the only crime anybody was ever able to pin on him…"
"It isn't fair…" muttered Ren.
"True, it isn't…" replied Yumi. "In a fair world, there wouldn't be any crime."
She sighed.
Chelsea took off the sheath holding the Sword of Tsunami.
"Here, Yumi…" she said. "If what you said is true about these things, you're gonna need this more than I ever will…"
She tried to hand it to Yumi…
But she was surprised when her arms didn't obey her.
"Yumi…" she said, nervously. "I… I can't give it to you! My arms aren't letting me!"
Yumi thought back. She remembered what Anastasia had said.
"I'm not sure if you can," she replied. "I think Anastasia told me that the Charms can't be given as gifts, Chelsea. It rightfully belongs to you, and the only fast way for someone else to get it is for it to be won."
Chelsea looked at the sword.
"Okay then…" she said, putting it back on. "Turn off your badge and we'll duel right now. I've never been able to beat you anyway. Then you can…"
"Chelsea, no…" said Yumi. "I think you'd better hold onto it for a while…"
"Pardon?" asked Chelsea.
"Chelsea, look…" said Yumi. "Those Ascender creeps are all over the place. And Rasputin won't be taken down so easily. A challenge might come from these goons at any time. Just like that jerk Icarus.
"If I were to lose while holding two Charms, I might lose two Charms. Then Rasputin would get much stronger, and we'd get much weaker.
"With the two of us holding on to one apiece, the risk is lessened, and Rasputin's job is harder. We'll find a way to transfer ownership once we've truly won.
"And in the meantime, please, try not to rush into a Yami no Oujou until you know what you're up against. That was a close call."
The three extended their hands, and clasped them together.
"The Three Musketeers?" asked Ren.
"All for one, and one for all," said Yumi with a smile.
Yumi looked at her watch.
"Five-thirty…" she said. "Anybody hungry?"
"I saw an Italian place on the way here that I feel like trying…" replied Chelsea.
"Why not?" said Ren. "I could go for pasta."
"And tomorrow…" continued Yumi, as she took the parchment out of her satchel, "I'm gonna find this Eliminator…"
Her two friends looked at her in fright.
"Yumi, you've got to be kidding…" said Chelsea.
"Hey…" said Yumi. "I'm no coward. My parents both stood up to these guys. Your fathers too.
"And I'm gonna see just how tough they really are."
Chelsea has survived the dreaded Yami no Oujou, and the powerful Sword of Tsunami is now hers. Two Charms are now in the hands of the heroes, making their collection one more than that of their foes. Yumi starts to make new plans, but Rasputin is undoubtedly making his own. What will his next move be?
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CURSE OF THE ANCIENT ONE (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: The shadowy form of Reshef the Dark Being looming over a cultist casting a spell.
Card Description: You may only activate this card when you have a "Reshef the Dark Being" face-up on your side of the field. Add the top two cards on your Graveyard pile to your hand. Cards added to your hand by this card's effect cannot be summoned, set, or activated.
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ZOMBIE BED (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A sinister-looking coffin made of green stone.
Card Description: This card can only be activated when it is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard while facedown on your side of the field. Special Summon one Zombie-Type Monster from your Graveyard.
Note: "Zombie Bed" was first used by Camula in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Field of Screams (Part One)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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Yumi: I'm worried. I think Nicholas might be the biggest threat at this point. After all, he has a Charm of his own.
Chelsea: I'm wondering more about Olga. I wonder what her stake in this is?
Ren: She is kind of cute. Those braids and those dimples…
Yumi: Be careful Ren. I have a feeling that if you bite this girl, she'll bite back.
Coming up next, "Olga's Power; Lucky Goddesses".
As Rasputin's plans continue to take hold.