Before this chapter begins, let me explain the credit for a couple of the new cards.
In March of this year, Shonen Jump announced that a new structure deck would be released soon, staring the B.E.S. Monsters. The new deck would include many of Gin/Lorenzo's cards, like "Assault Core", "Alert", "Shield Recovery", and "Stage Select", and a few never-before-seen cards. They even provided pictures of the new cards, making the set look very authentic.
This excited a lot of people, not only because the set would make the B.E.S. Monsters playable, but because "Stage Select" would be incredibly powerful in the meta, perhaps even tournament-worthy. Most folks took the upcoming set seriously.
On April 1st, however, the truth was revealed. The whole thing was a very elaborate April Fool's joke. These new cards did not exist. A lot of folks were upset at being tricked, and a lot of folks were surprised that they'd go to such lengths to pull such a prank. (Of course, you never know what outlandish things the Japanese will do – they created Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, after all.)
Of course, this is fanfiction, and since someone thought it would be funny to present these cards as a joke, I thought I'd use a few of them. So here's the skinny: Cards that appeared in "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" are the creation of the writers of that show. Who to give credit to for "Second Loop", "B.E.S. Boost Core", and "B.E.S. Shining Core", I don't know. I doubt that anyone who actually works for Shonen Jump will ever read this fanfic, but whoever the prankster is who was ultimately behind this farce, I'm sure he wouldn't mind me using them.
On with the chapter.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
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Sam's Challenge
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The Ring of Spirits
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It was almost six PM. Day Three was coming to a close.
Rasputin brooded in his penthouse suite. Olga and Nicholas had both gone out to dinner.
He didn't like restaurants himself. Whenever he was away from home, he usually ordered room service. Sure, it was expensive, but he could afford it.
Right now, he was thinking of doing just that. He picked up the hotel menu and looked at it for a minute.
He frowned when he saw what the special was. It was always hard for someone like him who was allergic to shellfish.
He had discovered an alchemic formula that had stopped him from aging, but he couldn't find one that could help him with that. It was truly ironic.
He picked up the phone and hit the three digit number.
"Room service?" he said. "Yes… This is the penthouse suite. I'd like to order…"
Then he was startled as his amulet started to throb.
"Uhm," he said, getting up, "on second thought, I'll call back later – I don't know what I want yet."
He hung up, picked up his cell phone, and went to his computer.
He looked at the amulet.
"The Ring of Spirits, huh?" he said. "This time, I'm going to simply go with a good duelist…"
He brought up the file on the screen.
"So, let's see which Ascender is farthest along in the tournament…"
He looked over the list. Two Ascenders were at Violet, and one of those didn't really know she was a Ascender, so asking her to possibly get involved in a Shadow Game would likely get a refusal, as well as a refusal to work for him any more.
He sighed. Times like this he wished he had the mind controlling abilities that some of the folks in the past had… He could control a person at times, given the right tools, but he didn't have Marik's Millennium Rod or Sartorious's use of the Light of Ruin, two powers that made it easy. It was much harder in his case.
He looked at the other one.
"Mordent?" he said, rubbing his chin. "Well, he is… eccentric, but he can get the job done…"
He started dialing a number.
"Wonder where he is? Humph, wasting quarters, most likely…"
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Cassandra shuffled her cards once again.
She picked up the top card.
The Magician. The card that represented Sam.
Her eyes narrowed. She placed it down, and picked up the next card.
The card showed a young man looking up at the night sky as eight wands darted across it.
"Hmm…" said Cassandra.
"The Eight of Wands… A card representing bravery and advancement. Young Samantha is about to meet a crucial situation, and go into it with both barrels loaded, so to speak…
"The question is, is she truly brave, or is she foolhardy?"
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In the Entertainment District of Duelatopia…
A small spaceship flew over a volcanic planet, firing at enemy fighters, blasting them all into pieces.
Then, a giant monster the size of a building made of lava loomed up in front of it. The spaceship fired a barrage of missiles at the lava demon, and then dodged its fiery breath. After a battle that lasted about three minutes, explosions rocked over the lava demon's hide, and it melted into formless lava.
The spaceship flew into the planet's orbit, and a group of messages appeared below it:
Enemy Bonus: 9,500
Stage Bonus: 10,800
Time Bonus: 11,300
"All right!" shouted the youth who was playing the video game (which, naturally, was what it was – a recent title called Gradius 3001). "Let's see anyone try to beat that!"
Then his cell phone rang.
He sighed as he answered it.
"Always when I'm winning…" he muttered, putting it to his ear. "Yeah, boss?"
He listened as he walked out of the arcade (the place was noisy).
"Uh huh… Yeah…
"All right… Gotcha…
"Oh, don't worry… I'm not afraid of any Shadow Games!"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"You know, Chelsea…" said Sam, with a playful smirk, "it was an interesting duel… But I would have loved to see you wear one of those slave girl outfits. I'll bet you would have looked cute."
Chelsea scowled at her.
"Right, Sam…" she said. "Cute… Why don't you find an Eliminator of your own? I'll bet you don't have the guts."
Ren sighed.
"I kinda feel bad for those other four girls, though," he said. "Too bad you couldn't have gotten them out of there…"
"I know, Ren, I know…" said Chelsea. "But I really didn't know what to do. I was already making a heavy wager. I didn't know what else I could have anted that would have been worth their freedom…"
"I'm not sure…" said Yumi, sullenly. "Those four girls… There was something weird about them…"
She paused.
"As soon as I saw them, I was getting a strange feeling… I think they were less slaves and more loyal servants…"
"Yumi…" said Ren, "you can't deny the fact. He turned them into cards."
"That's the whole reason why I think he was deceiving us," replied Yumi. "Those girls… I don't think they were human…"
Everyone stopped. There was silence for a few second.
"Are you suggesting…" whispered Ren, "that those four girls were… Duel Spirits?"
Yumi nodded.
"He probably had a fifth one hiding somewhere who was Dark Elf," she said. "She just kept out of sight to make everyone think his perfect strategy was incomplete."
No-one answered for a long time. Then Sam spoke up, changing the subject.
"Everyone here is at least Violet, right?" she said.
Everyone looked at their badges. They all nodded.
"Let you in on a secret," she said. "There are some secret places in Duelatopia that only let you in if you are of a certain ranking. And I know about a restaurant that serves the best pizza outside of Italy. You have to be at least Violet to get in, so if anyone wants to follow me and Erik to the place…"
She and Erik started walking ahead.
Yumi started to follow, and then she was startled, as Anastasia blocked her path.
"Yumi!" she said, nervously. "Listen closely. There isn't much time. Another Charm… And Rasputin's forces are already heading for it!"
"What? Where?" asked Yumi. "Tell me!"
Everyone turned towards her.
"The Ring of Spirits," said Anastasia. "The Charm belonging to Lunara the Observer... She was an astronomer whose power came from the night itself. The Ring grants the user extra strength and willpower, but only when the sun doesn't shine.
"It's at the armaments museum. Hurry!"
"Everyone!" shouted Yumi. "A new Charm. The armaments museum! We gotta get it before an Ascender does!"
Yumi ran towards the museum, followed by Ren and Chelsea.
"Another Ascender?" said Sam. "Well, I'm not gonna be left out of this one… Come on, Erik!"
They rushed after them.
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There weren't many museums dedicated completely to weapons, and the ones that you could find were small. Duelatopia had the biggest.
Inside this museum, you could find exhibits that were dated from the Bronze Age to the Modern Age, and all of them had a thing in common…
…they were devices that men used to kill other men.
Why did Duelatopia devote one of its biggest museums to weapons? It seemed strange, especially since Seto Kaiba had worked hard to transform KaibaCorp from a military firm that made tools of war into a company that had almost the opposite goal.
Well, since the invention of the Duel Disk, many ideas had been brought up about using Duel Monsters as alternatives to violence. It was a non-lethal form of combat, which could serve to release a person's aggression against another person. Sure, it was still fighting, it was still painful at times, but it was nearly impossible for there to be a loss of life. Some people thought that Duel Monsters could make the need for other forms of violence obsolete.
So the purpose of this museum was to represent the dark side of mankind, the tools used in combat by the only animal who warred against its own species. It served to show mankind's folly.
The five teenagers rushed into the large lobby, which was taken up by a large Vietnam-era tank. Archways opened in all three other walls, leading to exhibits of different eras.
"Okay!" said Yumi. "We have to split up. Look for a fancy ring… But if you see it, don't try to take it! Scream for the rest of us, and keep an eye out for those Ascenders! Duel them if you have to, but please try to do so before you get into a Yami no Oujou!"
They all ran in separate directions.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sam wandered through the medieval exhibit. Suits of armor holding pole weapons stood along the walls.
"Whoever put Yumi in charge, anyway?" she growled. "She just wants this ring for herself, I'll bet…"
She turned her head.
In the middle of the room was a huge display, surrounded by felt cords. A suit of armor was seated on a plaster horse dressed in barding, holding a long lance…
She noticed that a shiny, golden ring was balanced at the tip of the lance.
Sam grinned.
"Sorry, Yumi…" she said. "This one… Is mine…"
She reached into the pouch where she kept her side deck, and found a card that was a holofoil. Holofoils weighed more than more common cards, and the more a card weighed, the easier it was to do the trick she was about to do.
She lifted the card in front of her face until it was eye-level…
Then, she threw it. It flew at the ring, and it was knocked off the lance, falling to the ground with a clatter.
"Bull's eye!" she laughed.
The next instant, he had her.
She hadn't heard him sneak up behind her. She hadn't known he was there until he had grabbed her and tripped up her legs, forcing her to the ground.
"Thanks for finding it," he said. "Now just sit still…"
Sam struggled as he tried to push her arms together. Then she heard a clicking noise that she recognized…
Handcuffs…
"OH, NO, YOU DON'T!" she shouted.
No way was he going to tie her up.
She wrenched her left arm free, and then swung with her Duel Disk. She heard a groan… Clearly she had hit him.
"ERIK! YUMI!" she shouted.
Darn, cursed the Ascender. Why didn't I put the gag on her first?
Yumi and the others rushed in to see the two of them wrestling.
"Sam! Don't!" shouted Yumi.
The Ring of Spirits started to glow with a blinding light…
Then the light enveloped the whole room, seemingly consuming everyone inside it.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The next thing everyone heard was thunder crashing.
They looked around, and they saw that a storm was indeed brewing. And the museum was gone. Yumi and her friends were on a mountain plateau. They looked down behind them, and couldn't see any valley floor – only cloudy mist.
Sam was standing in the center, and the Ascender – who had eschewed the obvious cloak and hood in favor of a silver, gaudy overcoat and a reflective pair of sunglasses – was twenty feet in front of her.
Anastasia appeared again. She sadly shook her head.
"So it begins again…" she said sadly.
"I warned her…" said Yumi. "But she was so tight-cheeked…"
The Ascender grinned at Sam.
"You have a lot of nerve, princess," he said. "I'm not about to lose to some milksop of a rich kid. Why are you even here? Don't rich brats like you spend vacations sunbathing European-style?"
"WHAT?" shouted Sam. "I have never… Oh, you are gonna get such a pounding…"
"As if," he replied. "I eat pieces of trash like you for breakfast!"
"You eat pieces of trash for breakfast?" asked Sam. "How do they taste?"
"Whatever…" said the Ascender. "Take a look!"
He showed her his badge, which was Violet.
"Oh, is that a fact?" asked Sam. "Does this impress you?"
She showed him hers.
"Silver?" he said, stunned. "Uh… You probably got that high by dueling third-rate wimps…"
"Maybe I did," replied Sam. "That's probably exactly why I'm dueling you!"
"Right…" he said. "I'm gonna beat you in five rounds!"
"Too bad you can't count that high!" replied Sam.
"SILENCE!" boomed a voice from the storm clouds.
And then, to the surprise of both of them, they were struck on the buttocks, as if from a sharp blow with a paddle.
"Ow!" shouted Sam. "What gives?"
"If you two will squabble and fight like children," said the voice, which was strict and clearly female, "then if you don't please me during this duel, I will punish you like children.
"Mordent… Samantha… Here is the rule, which I call Corporal Punishment. During your Battle Phases, you must either destroy at least one opposing Monster, or inflict battle damage to your opponent. If you fail to do so, you will be spanked."
"You can't do that!" shouted Sam.
Then she felt the blow across her behind again.
"Ow…" she muttered, rubbing it.
"Do not contradict me, Samantha," said the voice. "That is how it will be. The Ring of Spirits used to be mine, and I will set whatever rules I desire when two warriors vie for it.
"The first time my rule is enforced, you lose 200 Life Points. The second time, it will be 400, the third, 800, and so forth. And skipping your Battle Phase gets you the same punishment.
"And if your strategy is a type that does not win by attacking, too bad.
"Now begin. Honor goes to Samantha."
"Wow…" said Ren. "She's giving honor to Sam even though she objected to the rules? She's lucky."
"Indeed," said Anastasia. "She should have known better."
"I may have to put up with some insane house rule," said Sam, snatching six cards off her deck, "but I'm still gonna mop the floor with you!"
Lightning flashed…
"Game on!" they both shouted.
(Sam: 8,000) -------------------- (Mordent: 8,000)
Sam looked over her hand.
"I summon Malice Doll of Demise to the field…" she said.
With a cackling laugh, the evil puppet appeared in front of her. (1,600/1,700)
"Next, I play… Ectoplasmer."
She played the Spell Card, and it appeared behind the Doll.
"Now I end my turn, and sacrifice my Doll to blast away 800 of your Life Points.
"Extract ectoplasm!"
The Doll slumped over, and the ghostly form shot towards Mordent, striking him in the chest. He grunted.
(S: 8,000) -------------------- (M: 7,200)
"Since I can't attack on the first round of the duel anyway," she said, "I don't think I'll be getting a spanking."
She stared at Mordent. He paused.
"Well?" shouted Sam.
He shrugged. He was likely hoping that she would get spanked anyway.
He drew a card.
"I have a question for you, Samantha," he said. "Have you ever dreamed of visiting outer space?"
"Who hasn't?" replied Sam.
"It's been a constant dream for me," said Mordent. "We're so advanced in technology, but space travel hasn't progressed much… Still no manned flights to Mars, no real breakthroughs in sending probes further…
"NASA is concerned about so many details… Like what might happen if an astronaut got sick when on a trip to Mars, when simply getting a message to Earth would take a half-hour…"
He chuckled.
"…or how astronauts would satisfy sexual desire on such a long trip, especially when a crew is composed of both genders.
"I'm serious, you know. NASA is very concerned about that…"
"Sounds like a valid concern," replied Sam, tapping her foot.
"Perhaps…" said Mordent. "But I dream of a day, someday in the future, where man will break the bounds of Earth completely, and wander the cosmos in all its glory, where only the gods now dare to thread…"
"And what does this have to do with our duel?" asked Sam, annoyed.
Mordent grinned, and placed a card on his Disk.
"I summon Gradius in Attack Mode," he said.
With a blast that sounded like the sound barrier breaking, a shining, futuristic jet fighter soared out of the clouds, and hovered over his side of the field. (1,200/800)
Smarter than I thought, thought Sam. He obviously played a weak Monster so he wouldn't waste a better one when he had to use Ectoplasmer. But why even put that third-rate Machine in his deck?
"Next…" said Mordent. "I play a Spell Card… the powerful Gradius Missile. This allows Gradius to destroy any one card on the field. And since I don't feel like falling into your combo, I'm going to wipe out your Ectoplasmer."
"Hey…" said Sam.
A missile launched from the jet, and Ectoplasmer was blown to bits in a fiery blast.
"So much for that edge," said Mordent. "You're defenseless! Gradius, attack her directly! Rapid-fire shot!"
Two machine guns unfolded on Gradius's wings…
Sam tried to brace herself as they opened fire, but it was hard to do so as the burning shells stabbed into her torso. She fell over.
"I place this facedown, and end my turn," said Mordent.
A facedown card appeared beneath Gradius.
(S: 6,800) -------------------- (M: 7,200)
Sam snarled, and drew a card.
"Due to his effect, my Doll comes back…" she said.
Malice Doll of Demise appeared, in an aura of black flames. (1,600/1,700)
"Next…" she said, "I summon Gil Garth."
In another aura of dark energy, the armored Fiend appeared. (1,800/1,200)
Gil Garth turned to her.
"I stand ready to serve, Dark Mistress," it said, in a tinny, metallic voice.
Sam took a step back.
"You talk?" she said, meekly. "But…"
"In a game of Shadows, our full potential is reached," said the Fiend. "I and the rest of your servants await your command."
The Doll nodded to her.
"Well… Okay…" she said. "I'll try anything once…"
"Malice Doll of Demise, ground his Gradius! Cleaver heaver!"
The Doll threw his axe, and it struck the center of the jet plane. Gradius sparked, and then exploded into flaming debris.
"I activate a Trap!" shouted Mordent, as his facedown card lifted. "Soul Resurrection. "Now I can bring Gradius back, and place it in Defense Mode."
Gradius appeared again in a flash of light, and landed on the ground. (1,200/800)
Sam frowned.
"Gil Garth, destroy it again!" she shouted.
Gil Garth flew at the Machine with his sword held high. With one slash, it was blown apart a second time.
"I place a card of my own facedown," she said, "and that will be all. Seems we're even."
(S: 6,800) -------------------- (M: 6,800)
"Soon to change…" said Mordent, drawing a card.
"I play Silent Doom," he said. "Guess who's back…"
Gradius reappeared again, in Defense Mode. (1,200/800)
"Then I set another Monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn."
A facedown Monster appeared.
"Forget the house rule already?" asked Sam, with a grin.
Mordent shrieked as the unseen paddle hit him across the buttocks.
(S: 6,800) -------------------- (M: 6,600)
"I don't like this…" said Yumi. "I can't shake the feeling that he's stalling for some reason…"
"I know…" replied Anastasia. "And since he has Gradius in his deck, his true strategy may be one that's difficult to pull off… But deadly if you can actually do it."
"My draw…" said Sam, drawing a card.
"I summon Opticlops."
In another burst of dark energy, the muscular, cyclopsed, horned ogre appeared. (1,800/1,700)
"Malice Doll of Demise, attack Gradius again!"
"My pleasure," cackled the Doll.
He hurled his axe, and the jet exploded for the third time.
"Gil Garth, take out his facedown Monster."
Gil Garth flew towards the facedown card. A man wearing high-tech armor and a visored helmet holding a laser rifle appeared crouching on the card. Gil Garth swung his sword, and he was cut down.
"A Science Soldier?" asked Sam. "Why the heck would you have such a weakling in your deck?"
"I have my reasons," said Mordent.
"Well try to avoid this," said Sam. "Opticlops, attack him directly!"
Opticlops roared, and charged Mordent, ramming his horn into the Ascender's chest. Mordent tumbled over.
(S: 6,800) -------------------- (M: 4,800)
"Not bad…" chuckled Mordent, getting up. "But this duel is hardly over…"
He drew a card.
"I play… Pot of Greed…"
The evil jar appeared, and he drew two cards.
"Heh, heh, heh…" he chuckled. "Now my true strategy begins!
"I raise my Science Soldier from the grave with Premature Burial."
He played the card, and Science Soldier appeared, toting his rifle. (800/800)
"But…" he continued, "he's going right back to the Graveyard… Because now I'm going to sacrifice him…"
Science Soldier vanished…
"I summon the mighty B.E.S. Tetran!"
At first, it didn't seem like anything had happened…
Then, with a low, rumbling sound, a huge, hulking shape moved from over the mountain behind Mordent. It was an enormous spaceship, that was both long and wide, but not very thick, with a glowing energy core in its center. Four long tentacles extended from its corners. (1,800/2,300)
"Mighty?" said Sam. "It may be big, but it has exactly the same Attack Score as two of my Monsters."
"Actually, B.E.S. Monsters have a special power," said Mordent, "which gives them an advantage over your penne ante Fiends. They can't be destroyed in battle. Of course, should they ever battle a Monster while their cores are exposed, they'd be destroyed…
"However, right now, my Tetran has three shields protecting its core, each of which can withstand one battle with a Monster.
"And Tetran has another cool ability. I can give up one of its shields in order to wipe out your facedown card."
One of the three shields in front of the core shattered, and a blast of energy fired from one of the tentacles, blowing Sam's Seven Tools of the Bandit to pieces.
"Ah, well," said Mordent. "B.E.S. Tetran… Attack her Gil Garth! Cosmic crusher!"
A tentacle swung towards the Fiend…
"Sorry, Dark Mistress…" it said.
The tentacle slammed into it, and it shattered to bits.
The second shield shattered.
"To finish my turn…" said Mordent, taking the last two cards in his hand, "I'll play a pair of Spell Cards…
"First, Boss Rush…"
He placed a card in his Disk, and a Continual Spell Card appeared.
Then, his Field Slot opened, and he slipped a card inside it. The sky started to darken.
"What's happening?" gasped Ren.
All of a sudden, the clouds cleared, revealing a night sky… Not a normal night sky, however. A huge, gaseous planet was now on the horizon, and planets, moons, stars, and comets all floated through the ether.
"It's called Second Loop," said Mordent. "I'm sure our host will find it fascinating…
"When I play this card, I have to make a choice… option one, or option two…
"And I think I'll choose option two…"
(S: 6,800) -------------------- (M: 4,000)
"What does option two do?" asked Ren. "I have a feeling we're not going to like it…"
"It's a powerful combination with Boss Rush," said Anastasia. "One that is nearly unstoppable… Sam is in big trouble…"
"So what does B.E.S. stand for?" asked Chelsea.
"Bacterion Elimination Squadron," answered Anastasia. "My dad was a big fan of an old video game called Gradius, and he made a bunch of Monsters based on the spaceships and creatures in the game. Not all of them truly caught on, but they can be powerful if used right."
Sam drew a card.
She smirked.
"I sacrifice my Doll…" she said.
Malice Doll of Demise vanished in a burst of energy.
Lightning flashed…
"…to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des!"
A dark bonfire appeared next to Opticlops. The smaller Fiend got down on one knee, as Ha Des appeared out of the bonfire. (2,450/1,600)
"All right!" shouted Erik.
"Her best Monster!" shouted Ren.
Ha Des turned, and took Sam's hand.
"Consort," he said, in a deep, commanding voice. "Fear not… I will help you to victory through this game of Shadows. This cretin with his dreams of space travel is no match for the powers we possess."
"Good!" said Sam. "Opticlops… Attack the B.E.S. Tetran and take out the last shield!"
"You heard her!" commanded Ha Des.
Opticlops growled, and leapt at the huge spacecraft. He struck the final shield with his fist, and it shattered, but he was thrown back by the backlash and was blown to pieces.
"Ha Des, attack!" shouted Sam. "Aim for the core!"
Ha Des blasted a bolt of black fire, piercing the Tetran's center. An explosion erupted in the glowing core, and then explosions started to burst all over the craft. Finally, the whole spaceship went down in flames, falling into the ravine behind Mordent. After a few seconds, it must have crashed, because an explosion blasted up from below.
(S: 6,800) -------------------- (M: 3,350)
"She did it!" shouted Erik.
"She did it!" repeated Chelsea.
"Congratulations…" said Mordent. "You did it… But it was pointless.
"Weren't you wondering at all what this Spell Card here does?"
He pointed to the Boss Rush card.
"What it does is let me bring out a new Bacterion spaceship anytime one on the field is destroyed. So now, let's bring out… B.E.S. Crystal Core!"
With another rumbling noise, a new craft appeared over the mountain. True to its name, this one appeared to be made completely out of crystal, with only two tentacles, and again had a glowing core in the center. (2,100/1,000)
Sam frowned.
"Of course…" said Mordent, "when a Bacterion Monster is Special Summoned, it comes without any shields.
"But that isn't a problem thanks to my Second Loop. Since I chose option two, any Bacterion Monster that is Special Summoned is considered Normal Summoned as soon as it reaches the field. So…"
Crystal Core glowed, and three shields formed in front of its core.
"What if you had chosen option one?" asked Sam.
"Then I would have been able to add one shield to a Bacterion Monster during each of my Standby Phases. Each option has its advantages depending on the situation. But don't worry, the only way I can change to option one at this point is for the card to leave the field and for me to play is again."
Sam fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"Your move…" she snarled. "But your new spaceship is too weak to take out Ha Des either."
She carefully read the text on the Boss Rush card.
It's a powerful card, all right… she thought. But it does have a weakness, if I can just find a way to exploit it…
Mordent drew a card.
"We'll see about that," he said. "First, I set one card facedown."
He placed the card in his Disk, and it appeared in front of him.
"Now then," he said, "true, your Dark Ruler's Attack Score is pretty high, but his Defense Score isn't nearly as good. And my Crystal Core has the ability to switch a Monster to Defense Mode."
B.E.S. Crystal Core emitted a wave of blue energy, and Dark Ruler Ha Des strained under it. He was forced to his knees, and knelt in Defense.
"Now, attack!" shouted Mordent. "Plasma blaster!"
The Crystal Core fired a laser beam from its tentacle, and Ha Des exploded.
The first shield shattered.
"You may have defeated Ha Des…" snarled Sam. "But he leaves behind a little gift…"
Her facedown card lifted, showing the image of a crab-like, alien creature flying amid the clouds.
"It's a Trap called Option Hunter," she said. "Now I gain Life Points equal to the Attack Score of my Monster that was just destroyed."
Sam glowed with a golden aura.
(S: 9,250) -------------------- (M: 3,350)
Mordent frowned.
"It's your move…" he said.
Sam drew a card.
She glared at him, and then set a card on her Disk. A facedown Monster appeared.
"I end my turn," she said.
"Seems you forgot the rules this time!" laughed Mordent.
Sam shrieked as the paddle slammed across her behind.
She closed her eyes tightly.
(S: 9,050) -------------------- (M: 3,350)
Mordent drew a card.
"Crystal Core…" he said, "attack her Monster."
Crystal Core fired its laser. Skull Knight #2 appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.
"Fortunately," said Anastasia, "Crystal Core can't switch a Monster to Attack Mode."
"Next…" said Mordent, "I activate my Trap Card… Compulsory Evacuation Device."
His facedown card lifted.
"Nice move…" said Erik. "That's a powerful Trap that can send one of Sam's Monsters back to her hand… But you made a mistake… You just destroyed the only Monster she had on the field, dummy!"
"I'm well aware of that," said Mordent. "But my Trap Card can also return one of my Monsters to my hand. And that's exactly what I'm gonna do… To my Crystal Core."
Crystal Core vanished, and the card appeared in Mordent's hand.
"Of all the stupid…" said Sam. "You can't Normal Summon any Monsters when Boss Rush is on the field! When it's my turn, you'll be defenseless!"
"No I won't…" said Mordent, taking the card he had just drawn. "I have a rare Monster called B.E.S. Boost Core. When Boss Rush is on the field, and I have no other Monsters out, I can Special Summon it from my hand. So I'll summon it in Defense Mode for now."
He placed a card on his Disk, and another huge spaceship landed on the plateau. It looked like Tetran, only smaller and without the tentacles. (1,500/500)
"It's your move…"
Sam drew a card.
That's it… she thought.
"I summon Archfiend Soldier!" she shouted.
She played the card, and the diabolic shock troop appeared in front of her. (1,900/1,500)
"I stand ready to serve, mistress," he said in a deep voice.
"All right…" she said. "Destroy his Boost Core! Sword of Perdition!"
Archfiend Soldier leapt at the craft, and brought his blade down on it, cleaving it in half. The two pieces shattered into triangles.
"Thank you…" said Mordent. "Boost Core has another effect. When it's destroyed, I get to draw one card."
He made a draw.
"And now… Since Boss Rush works on it too… I'll use my Spell Card's effect to summon… Big Core!"
With another rumbling, the largest spaceship yet appeared over the mountainside. Again, it had a glowing core, but it also had guns, cannons, and armor all over its immense hull. (2,300/1,100)
"This is going from bad to worse…" said Sam.
"And of course…" said Mordent, "my Loop gives it three shields…"
Boss Rush glowed, and three shields appeared in front of the craft's core.
"I end my turn…" muttered Sam.
Mordent drew a card.
"I place a card facedown," he said, fitting a card into his Disk.
"And then I attack with Big Core! Attack her Archfiend Soldier with photon torpedoes!"
A volley of missiles fired, honing in on Archfiend Soldier. The Fiend was consumed in a massive explosion.
The first shield shattered.
"Heh, heh…" chuckled Mordent. "That's enough for my move…"
(S: 8,650) -------------------- (M: 3,350)
Sam angrily drew a card.
Ooh… she thought. This will help him as much as it will me… But it's either this, or take a direct attack from that thing…
She set a Monster on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"That's my turn," she muttered.
"And you couldn't follow the rules," said Mordent. "So… Bottom's up!"
Sam screamed as the paddle lashed across her buttocks, this time two times.
"Sam!" shouted Erik.
Sam didn't answer. Tears welled in her eyes…
Her mother had never once spanked her. No matter how naughty a girl she had been at times, her mother had never laid a hand on her. She never realized until now how grateful she was for that fact.
(S: 8,250) -------------------- (M: 3,350)
"Just move, okay?" she said.
"I will…" said Mordent, drawing a card.
He looked at it and added it to his hand.
"Big Core, attack!"
Big Core fired its missiles. A Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and was blown to dust.
The second shield shattered.
"Heh…" said Sam. "Now we have to discard all the cards in our hands, and draw five more."
"Figures," said Mordent, tossing his three cards. "How long did it take you to get mommy to buy you that?"
Sam gave him a dirty look as they both made five draws.
"For your information…" she said, though her teeth, "I traded a Card Trooper for it, and I got the Card Trooper from a lucky pull."
Mordent shrugged.
"Whatever…" he said. "And thank you so much for sending my Crystal Core to the Graveyard," he said. "Now I can do this…"
His facedown card activated.
"Call of the Haunted!"
In a burst of energy, B.E.S. Crystal Core reappeared next to Big Core. (2,100/1,000)
It glowed, and three shields appeared on it.
"And my Battle Phase isn't over yet…" said Mordent.
"Good lord…" said Erik.
"Crystal Core…" ordered Mordent, "attack her directly!"
B.E.S. Crystal Core fired its twin lasers, and an explosion centered on Sam. When the smoke cleared, she was on her knees.
(S: 6,150) -------------------- (M: 3,350)
The pain… she thought. So real… So this is a Shadow Game…
"Heh, heh…" chuckled Mordent. "And get this… When one of my spaceships attacks directly, it doesn't lose one of its shields!
"It's your move…"
Sam slowly got up. She took some deep breaths. She drew a card.
"Say goodbye to your Crystal Core…" she growled. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon! Now I can destroy your Call of the Haunted, and your Monster will go with it!"
The cyclone tore across the field, and the Trap Card shattered. Then the Crystal Core shattered as well.
"Not bad…" said Mordent, with a smile. "Unfortunately, when that happens, it still counts as destroyed, fool. And Boss Rush activates when one of my spaceships is destroyed by anything. So now, I can simply summon another Crystal Core from my deck."
A new Crystal Core appeared, flying from over the mountain.
"And thanks to my Loop, it's as good as new."
"Oh, Sam made a big mistake…" muttered Ren. "What she should have done was destroy that annoying Boss Rush card. She might have stopped him from summoning these things."
"Yeah, well…" said Chelsea. "I wouldn't be surprised if his deck had three copies of Boss Rush. What she should have done was destroy the Field Spell. It would have made him run out of Monsters quicker."
"Can we stop with the should haves?" shouted Erik. "Sam is in trouble!"
Sam stared at her opponent.
"I'm hardly done," she said, taking another card. "I play Premature Burial. Return, my Skull Knight!"
The ground cracked, and the armored, skeletal warrior appeared, holding his scimitar. (1,000/1,200)
"Now I sacrifice him," she continued. "It's time for Dark Ruler Ha Des to return!"
Skull Knight vanished in a bonfire of black flame, and the Dark Ruler stepped out, glowing with a dark aura.
"Good to be back…" he muttered.
"Good to have you," replied Sam. "Next, I activate Skull Knight's special ability, allowing me to Special Summon another one. Defense Mode!"
A second Skull Knight appeared, kneeling in defense. (1,000/1,200)
"Now, Ha Des, attack his Crystal Core!"
Ha Des gestured, and his Stygian blast struck the craft's first shield, shattering it and causing the ship to tremble.
(S: 5,350) -------------------- (M: 3,000)
Sam fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"End… turn," she said.
"Pathetic…" said Mordent, drawing a card.
He looked at it, and added it to his hand.
"Obviously, you forgot about my Crystal Core's special ability. It can move your Monster into Defense Mode."
Crystal Core emitted a wave of energy at Ha Des.
"Not again…" he muttered.
He crouched in Defense Mode.
"I'll get to him in a second," said Mordent. "First… Big Core, obliterate her Skull Knight!"
Big Core launched its volley of missiles again, and Sam shielded herself as Skull Knight was blown to particles. The final shield on Big Core shattered into pieces.
"Crystal Core… Attack her Dark Ruler!"
Crystal Core aimed its tentacle…
"Not this time!" shouted Sam. "I didn't forget about its ability! And you made a big mistake attacking my Skull Knight first!"
Her facedown Trap Card lifted.
"I activate Bark of Dark Ruler! Now, I pay 500 Life Points, and for this battle, your Crystal Core becomes too weak to beat his Defense."
An aura of dark energy surrounded Crystal Core, and it fell to an Attack of 1,600. It fired its plasma blaster, but Ha Des swatted it aside, and the second shield shattered.
(S: 4,850) -------------------- (M: 3,000)
"Crap!" shouted Mordent. "Ooh… I end my turn…"
"All right!" shouted Erik. "Go baby, go!"
Sam drew a card.
"I play… Pot of Avarice!" she exclaimed.
The goofy pink jar appeared, and five cards slipped out of her discard slot: Her first Dark Ruler Ha Des, Archfiend Soldier, Opticlops, and both Skull Knights. She combined them with her deck, and reshuffled. Then she drew two cards.
She smiled.
"I move Ha Des back to Attack Mode…" she said.
Ha Des stood up.
"Next I summon… Giant Orc!"
In another burst of dark energy, a hulking, bald, muscular ogre with pale skin, holding a huge, bone club appeared next to Ha Des. (2,200/0)
"Ironic, isn't it," asked Ren. "That's about the most primitive Monster you can get, and yet, it's strong enough to help take down that high-tech spaceship."
"Mmm…" said Chelsea. "Ironic."
"Giant Orc…" ordered Sam, "attack the Crystal Core and destroy the last shield! Bone basher!"
Giant Orc roared, and leapt at the huge Machine, its club held high. It clobbered the central part with its club, and the final shield shattered.
"Ha Des, finish the job," said Sam.
Ha Des fired his Stygian blast into the craft's core, and explosions started to erupt from it just like before. The B.E.S. Crystal Core crashed into the crevice behind Mordent and exploded once again.
(S: 4,850) -------------------- (M: 2,550)
"Who cares?" asked Mordent. "I can just activate the effect of Boss Rush again. I may be out of Crystal Cores… So I'll summon another Big Core!"
With another rumbling, a second Big Core appeared over the mountain. (2,300/1,100)
Giant Orc dropped its club, and fell on its behind, its eyes in a daze.
"My Dark Ruler still has more points than either of them," said Sam. "Soon, you're gonna run out…
"I end my turn…"
Mordent angrily drew a card.
He smiled an evil smile.
"I don't think so, bitch," he said.
"What did you call her?" shouted Erik.
"I called her a bitch," said Mordent, "and now she's gonna get it good. I just drew a powerful Monster called B.E.S. Shining Core."
"It's in your hand," said Sam. "So long as Boss Rush is on the field, you can only summon those things from your deck."
"Only if I Normal Summon them," replied Mordent. "And this one can't be Normal Summoned at all, and it can't be Special Summoned with Boss Rush's effect either. But I can Special Summon it from my hand, so long as I meet some specific requirements.
"Case in point, I have to sacrifice one Monster, and also my Boss Rush card. So I'll sacrifice the Big Core that's out of shields."
The first Big Core and the Boss Rush card vanished into glowing globules of energy.
"So… Now, as promised, I get to summon B.E.S. Shining Core."
From behind the mountain, another huge spaceship, with a brilliant silver hull, again with a glowing energy core in the center, flew into view. (2,200/2,000)
"What?" said Sam. "That isn't even as strong as your Big Core."
"I was getting to that," said Mordent. "As always, it comes with three shields. But now, I can expend all three of them to destroy all cards on your side of the field, except those that are right in front of it. And since I was careful to put it in a space in my Monster Zone where nothing is in front of it…"
The three shields shattered, and a storm of missiles shot from the craft. Sam covered her head, as a violent series of explosions erupted on her side of the field, and Dark Ruler Ha Des and Giant Orc were blown to pieces.
"You crummy…" she said.
"Now I've got something special for you," said Mordent. "Two direct attacks! Big Core… You first!"
Big Core shot its own volley of missiles…
"My wall of Kuribohs will protect me!" shouted Sam, discarding one of her cards.
A swarm of Kuribohs sprang up in front of her, and the missiles exploded as they hit them. None of them reached Sam.
"Clever…" said Mordent. "But do you have another one? Shining Core… Attack with master blaster!"
Shining Core launched an assault of its own, and this time Sam had nothing to defend herself with. She screamed as the missiles hit home and she was thrown backwards.
(S: 2,650) -------------------- (M: 2,550)
"So…" laughed Mordent. "You like that?"
Sam was on her knees, panting for breath.
"Oh yeah…" she muttered. "I haven't had this much fun since I had my wisdom teeth taken out…"
"Of course…" he said, "even if it makes a direct attack without a shield, it doesn't last…"
B.E.S. Shining Core exploded, and debris rained down on the field.
"Okay, let's see if I understand this…" said Ren. "If one of them makes a direct attack, it doesn't lose a shield… But if one of them makes a direct attack without any shields, it's still destroyed?"
"Will you shut up?" growled Erik. "Good grief, Sam just got nailed, and all you can do is try to figure out the technical matters?"
"And since Boss Rush is gone," continued Mordent, "I can set and Normal Summon Monsters again. So I'll set this in Defense Mode…"
A facedown Monster appeared.
"And I'll end my turn there…" he said with a chuckle.
Sam looked at him. She struggled to get up…
…only to fall down again.
"Get up, baby!" shouted Erik.
Sam grit her teeth, and pulled herself up.
"My… move…" she growled.
She drew a card.
"I play… Pot of Greed…" she muttered.
She played the card, and drew twice.
"You're going down…" she said.
She played a card.
"I play Silent Doom."
Gil Garth appeared on the field, and crouched in Defense Mode. (1,800/1,200)
"Are you kidding?" asked Mordent. "Defending with that guy is asking to lose."
"Who's defending?" asked Sam.
She showed him the card she had just drawn.
"It can't be…" he gasped.
"Oh, but it is…" she replied. "I returned this card to my deck when I played Pot of Avarice."
Gil Garth vanished…
For the third time, Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared in a bonfire of black flames. He glared at Mordent with a look of fury. (2,450/1,600)
"Now I play… Monster Reborn…"
She played the card, and Giant Orc appeared in front of her again. (2,200/0)
"Giant Orc, attack his Big Core!"
Giant Orc roared, and leapt at the spaceship, clobbering the core with its club. In a burst of energy, Giant Orc was incinerated, but the first shield shattered.
"Ha Des, attack that blasted Big Core again!" shouted Sam.
Ha Des scowled angrily. He shot black fire at the Big Core, and it quivered as the second shield shattered.
(S: 2,550) -------------------- (M: 2,400)
"Bet you're starting to regret sacrificing your Boss Rush now, huh?" asked Sam. "Make your move…"
This will not do… thought Mordent, as he drew a card. My Boss Rush is gone, I had to discard another one when she used that Morphing Jar, and my third is nowhere in sight! If the Big Core is destroyed, there'll be no replacement…
"I shift Big Core into Defense Mode…" he said.
Big Core slowly landed on the surface of the plateau.
"Then I set another Monster in Defense Mode…"
A facedown Monster appeared next to the other one.
"That's all I can do…"
"Then let's see how you like it," said Sam.
Mordent yelped as the blow slammed across his behind, twice.
(S: 2,550) -------------------- (M: 2,000)
Sam drew a card. She quickly took the other one in her hand.
"I summon… The Bistro Butcher!" she exclaimed.
In a dark shadow, the diabolic chef appeared, holding aloft his cleaver. (1,800/1,000)
He chuckled.
"Today's special is… destruction a la carte!" he laughed.
"Well said," said Sam. "Now take out the last of those shields."
The Butcher looked at the huge craft, and then hurled his cleaver directly at the center. It stabbed into one of the shields, smashing it to pieces. The craft shuddered again.
"Ha Des… destroy it…"
Ha Des fired his blast, and the Big Core erupted into flames again. It burst into scrap metal.
"Humph," said Ha Des, dusting off his robes. "Hunk of junk…"
"You said it," muttered Sam. "I end my turn."
"So much for that," said Yumi.
"And without Boss Rush, he can't summon any more," said Erik. "I think he was getting low on them anyway."
Mordent nervously drew a card.
"I play my Pot of Avarice," he said.
He played the card, and combined his two Big Cores, his two Crystal Cores, and Tetran with his deck. He reshuffled, and drew twice.
Hey… he thought, looking at the cards in his hand. A strategy is forming…
He played a Spell Card.
"Okay, you bimbo," he said. "I play… Stage Select."
"Stage Select?" asked Sam. "What on Earth does that do?"
"I does two things," said Mordent, walking forward. "First, I get to shuffle your deck. So get over here!"
Sam growled. She walked to the center of the arena.
"If even a common card is damaged," she said, as she handed him her deck, "you are one dead duelist."
Mordent started to shuffle.
"Have you forgotten the stakes of this duel already?" he asked.
He gave it one last cut, and handed it back.
"Then we get to the second effect," he said, as he walked back to his position. "I get to take any card I want from my deck, and put it on top. Next round, it will be mine…"
He leafed through his deck, and found what he wanted. He placed it on top of his deck.
"What do you think that card is?" asked Yumi.
"Not sure…" said Anastasia. "I don't know what else in Gradius he could possibly throw at her at this point…"
"Anyway…" said Mordent. "It's still my turn, and I'm far from done. I'll flip my two facedown Monsters into Attack Mode. First, my Assault Core."
His first card flipped, and a new spaceship rose up behind him. This one was smaller than the other Cores, but still somewhat big; possibly, it was a fighter ship. (1,300/1,700)
"Next… my Moai Interceptor Cannons."
The card flipped, and three stone Easter Island statues with cannons in their mouths appeared where the card had been. (1,100/2,000)
"Moving on…" he continued. "I play Junk Dealer…"
Junk Dealer? thought Sam. That… Sounds familiar…
"This card lets me summon up to two Warriors or Machines from my Graveyard, so long as their combined Levels don't exceed seven, and I cut their Attack Scores in half. So I'll bring back Gradius and Science Soldier."
Gradius appeared on the field, appearing dented and broken. (1,200/800) –) (600/800) Then Science Soldier appeared, his armor worn and decrepit. (800/800) –) (400/800)
"Now…" said Mordent, "I play Warp Beam!"
A new Spell Card appeared on his side of the field.
"Warp Beam?" said everyone watching.
"This gets complicated, so try to follow," started Mordent. "I choose any number of Monsters on my side of the field. I think I'll choose my Assault Core, and my Moai Interceptor Cannons. Then, for each Monster I chose, I send another Monster on my side of the field to the Graveyard. So I use my Gradius and my Science Soldier for that."
Gradius and Science Soldier disintegrated into grains of light.
"Now, for this round, the Attack Scores of the Monsters I chose become 600 apiece, but they're both able to attack directly.
"So attack!"
Assault Core and Moai Interceptor Cannons fell to 600 Attack. Assault Core blasted laser beams, and the Cannons blasted flames from their barrels. Sam cringed under the two blasts.
She panted for breath…
(S: 1,350) -------------------- (M: 2,000)
"Now…" said Mordent, "due to the effect of Moai Interceptor Cannons, I can flip them back into facedown Defense Mode…"
The Cannons vanished, and were replaced by a facedown Monster.
"I'll set a card facedown, and take a break…" he said.
A facedown card appeared.
Sam drew a card.
Her eyebrow lifted when she saw what it was. She looked at the other card in her hand.
"Ha Des…" she ordered. "Attack his facedown Monster!"
Ha Des fired his black flame.
"Go! Negate Attack!" shouted Mordent.
His facedown card lifted, and a vortex shot from it, swallowing Ha Des's blast.
"Sorry, Sam," said Mordent, "but your attacks have just been called off."
Sam frowned. She threw both of her remaining cards into her Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.
"That's all…" she said.
She screamed as the paddle hit her across the buttocks three times. She fell to her knees.
She sobbed quietly for a few seconds.
(S: 550) -------------------- (M: 2,000)
"No…" moaned Erik. "If that happens again, she'll lose 1,600 Life Points, and that's more than she has…"
"Oh, don't worry," said Mordent, "she's gonna die this round…"
He drew a card and looked at.
Sure enough, it was the card he had put there – the most powerful Monster in his deck, which could win this duel in a single shot.
"I sacrifice my Moai Interceptor Cannons and my Assault Core…" he shouted.
The two Monsters vanished into grains of light…
"To summon the mothership of the Bacterion fleet… The B.E.S. Covered Core!"
The sky darkened, and the biggest ship of all loomed over the mountain. It was thick, and disk-shaped, and covered with laser turrets and other powerful weaponry. Lights flickered and flashed all over its armored hull. Unlike the others, its core was not visible. Everyone assumed that, like the name of the craft suggested, its power source was covered by the thick hull. (2,500/800)
"NO!" screamed Erik. "If he attacks The Bistro Butcher with that thing…"
"…this duel is over," finished Mordent. "So what do you say now, you slut?"
"I say…" said Sam, through tears.
One of her facedown cards lifted.
"…go to Hell."
It was Ring of Destruction.
"WHAT?" shouted Mordent.
"That's right," said Sam. "And I'm using it on your Covered Core!"
"Are you mad?" he shouted. "The blast will kill both of us!"
"Mad?" she asked. "Buddy, I am steamed! And by the way, I'll survive, thanks to my other card."
Her other facedown card lifted.
"My Mystik Wok Spell Card. By sacrificing Ha Des, I gain 2,450 Life Points to buffer the blast."
Ha Des turned to Sam and nodded, and then vanished into grains of light.
"By the way, continued Sam, as she glowed with energy, "thank you so much for shuffling my deck. I probably never would have drawn Mystik Wok otherwise."
The B.E.S. Covered Core started to glow with fiery energy.
"If this were a video game, Mordent," said Sam, "now would be the part where you'd be seeing a certain phrase on the screen…
"Game… Over…"
Mordent screamed, as the B.E.S. Covered Core's core apparently ruptured, and the huge spaceship was blown apart in a huge explosion. Both he and Sam were thrown off their feet from the shockwave, as was everyone watching…
(S: 500) -------------------- (M: 0)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A dark fog lifted, and the group was back in the museum.
Sam noticed that the Ring of Spirits was now on her left ring finger. She had worked harder for this piece of jewelry than any of the other expensive – and oftentimes needless – toys her mother had given her… It was a gold band with a large diamond, with the Eye of Wdjat carved on the face of the stone.
She rubbed her behind.
"You okay Sam?" asked Yumi. "You took quite a beating…"
"I will be…" she muttered. "I just hope I don't have to… sit down for a few hours…"
They looked over at Erik, who had just taken the Ascender's pulse. He looked up.
"Well?" asked Sam. "Make with the CPR."
"Wouldn't do any good, Sam," said Erik, slowly.
They all stared for a second.
Everyone bowed their heads. Chelsea made the sign of the cross over her chest.
Ren started dialing his cell phone.
Yumi went up to Sam and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Sam…" she said.
"Oh, who cares?" muttered Sam. "It was him or me, remember? And he was a bastard who kept making fun of me… Watch me cry…"
She sighed, and looked at the Ring of Spirits.
"Still, when I find Rasputin, I'm gonna hand him his head…"
"Sam…" said Yumi, looking at the Ring. "Maybe this is for the best for now… Like I told Ren and Chelsea, the more of us who have them, the stronger we'll be as a whole."
"Maybe…" replied Sam. "But don't think this means I'm not going to royally humiliate you when we finally do duel…"
Yumi nodded.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," she said.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
After an explanation to the Centurions and a dinner of pizza that was eaten mostly in somber silence, the two groups went their separate ways.
It was now eight PM. Chelsea sat at the computer that was provided in her hotel room, and smiled, having found the website she wanted.
"Oh, Chihiro…" she said in a gentle voice.
The sound of soft sobbing filled the room, and the ghost girl appeared next to her.
"You… you want to see me?" she asked. "What is it Chelsea?"
"I found something you might be interested in," said Chelsea. "Read the text that's on the screen… right here…"
Chihiro looked up curiously.
"Stomach cancer?" she said.
"Read where it says symptoms," said Chelsea.
Chihiro slowly read. She became spellbound by the text as she read further.
"This…" she said softly. "This is what my mother had! This is exactly the same thing!"
"Uh huh…" said Chelsea. "Stomach cancer. One of the rarest and deadliest forms of cancer. It's what killed your mother."
Chihiro started to sob again.
"Why do you show me now?" she said.
"Because I needed to show you it wasn't your fault, Chihiro," said Chelsea. "Look at the rest of the description. Even in modern times, this disease is incurable, and it's fatal nearly a hundred percent of the time. Surviving it would take more than a miracle."
Suddenly, Chihiro's crying stopped.
"Then, you mean…" she said.
Chelsea held her arms.
"I mean…" she replied, "that no matter how fast you ran, no matter how early you went, no matter what medicine you brought back, it would have made no difference. She'd have died anyway. All this time, you've been blaming yourself for nothing."
Chihiro was silent for a minute…
Then, for the first time since Chelsea had known her, she smiled…
"Now please go…" said Chelsea. "Go to your mother… She misses you so much, I just know it…"
Chelsea hugged her, and the ghost girl nodded.
Then she glowed with a soft light, and slowly vanished, fading away.
Chelsea made a mental scan.
Chihiro was gone. Her curse had been lifted, now that she had realized the truth.
Chelsea sighed, and went back to her computer.
One ghost taken care of, a gaggle to go…
And now that the Midnight Caller had opened her eyes more, she could help all of them.
She heard thunder rumble outside.
It looked like a storm was brewing, not from any Shadow Game, but from Mother Nature.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
At around midnight, thunder still rumbled. A few folks were still out – Duelatopia never truly closed. And a few duels were still going on between night owls who couldn't sleep.
At the docks, one duel was happening…
On one side, was the duelist whom Nicholas had beaten in his first duel, the one with the Warrior/RFG strategy. He had been having good luck since his defeat at Nicholas's hands, winning back Orange and then climbing all the way to Violet.
Right now, his side of the field was once again stacked. He had two Marauding Captains, two Command Knights, and Freed the Matchless General. He also had The A. Forces, one facedown card, and Dimensional Fissure was still present, despite the fact that he had no more use for it. The only thing keeping him from winning this duel right now was the Swords of Revealing Light that his opponent had played last turn. Other than that, all his opponent had was a facedown card.
His opponent was very calm, despite the overwhelming opposition. He was a youth clothed in a dark trenchcoat, with long, black hair worn loose. His badge was also at Violet.
He drew a card.
"Your strategy is clever…" he said. "Little do you know, the more Monsters you summoned, the deeper you were falling into my Trap…"
His facedown card lifted, and a Dust Tornado blasted apart the Dimensional Fissure.
"Big deal…" said the Warrior duelist. "I didn't exactly need that any more…"
A Spell Card appeared on his opponent's side of the field.
"Huh?" he said. "What the heck is that?"
The duelist went for his deck…
The Warrior duelist didn't know if his eyes were deceiving him or not… A sword appeared on his opponent's hip… He reached for it and grabbed the hilt…
Then, a blast of energy shot forward. His five Warriors screamed in agony. The duelist screamed too, and fell to his knees, as an explosion erupted around him…
His opponent smiled. He slowly sheathed the sword, and it vanished.
He looked at his badge, which was now Silver.
"You may be a king, or a lowly street sweeper," he said, "but the Angel of Death gives quarter to no one…"
He shuffled his deck, and then turned and walked away…
Yumi's group increases their grip on their power, as the Ring of Spirits is claimed by Sam. The heroes become more powerful as they gain experience, and there may yet be more power to gain. The battle is well-waged…
0
0
0
B.E.S. BOOST CORE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 500
Card Description: When there is a "Boss Rush" on your side of the field and you have no Monsters on your side of the field, you may Special Summon this card from your hand. If this face-up card is destroyed, draw one card.
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B.E.S. SHINING CORE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 2,200
DEF: 2,000
Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending one face-up "Boss Rush" and one Monster from your side of the field to the Graveyard. When this card is Special Summoned in this way, place three counters on it. This card is not destroyed as a result of battle. If this card battles a Monster, remove one counter from this card. If this card battles without a counter, destroy this card at the end of the damage step. Once per turn you can move this card to an adjacent unused space in your Monster Card Zone. Remove three counters from this card to destroy all cards on your opponent's side of the field, except those in the same column as this card.
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SECOND LOOP (Spell Card)
Field Spell
Image: Big Core flying through deep space.
Card Description: When this card is activated, chose one of the following effects. The chosen effect becomes the effect of this card for as long this card remains on the field.
- Once per turn, during each players' Standby Phase, he/she may put one counter on a "B.E.S." Monster or a Monster that is named "Big Core" that he/she controls.
- When a "B.E.S." Monster or a Monster that is named "Big Core" is Special Summoned, it is considered to be Normal Summoned. Such a summon does not count as the player's Normal Summon for the turn.
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GRADIUS MISSILE (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Gradius firing a missile.
Card Description: You may only activate this card if you control a face-up "Gradius" on the field. Destroy one card on your opponent's side of the field. If you control a face-up "Gradius Option", you may pay 500 Life Points for each one you control. If you do so, you may destroy one additional card on your opponent's field for each "Gradius Option" you control.
Note: "Gradius Missile" was created by Man Called True for use in his fic "Tilting the Balance". Creative credit goes to him.
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JUNK DEALER (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A ragged and muscular junk man.
Card Description: Special Summon up to two Warrior- and/or Machine-Type Monsters from your Graveyard whose combined Levels do not exceed seven in Attack Position. The ATK of these Monsters is reduced by half. These Monsters cannot attack during the round you use this card. You cannot offer these Monsters as a Tribute for a Tribute Summon.
Note: "Junk Dealer" was first used by Alister in the original anime episode "Flight of Fear (Part Two)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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WARP BEAM (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A generator emitting a beam of pure light.
Card Description: Select any number of Monsters on your side of the field. Send Monsters from your side of the field to the Graveyard equal to the number of selected Monsters, other than the selected Monsters themselves. This round, the ATK of the selected Monsters becomes 600, and they may attack your opponent directly.
Note: "Warp Beam" was first used by Zane in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Tough Love". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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ASSAULT CORE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 3
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 1,700
Card Description: When this card is face-up on the field, it is treated as if its name included the word "B.E.S."
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STAGE SELECT (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A very old-fashioned video game screen, featuring a measuring tool on a grid.
Card Description: Shuffle your opponent's deck. Then, select any card from your deck, and place it on the top of your deck.
Note: "Assault Core" and "Stage Select" were first used by Lorenzo in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Duelfellahs". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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Chelsea: Yumi, we're getting into serious territory! Both of us are at Silver! One more victory, and we'll be in the finals!
Ren: Sam too, I might add…
Chelsea: Maybe I should duel that guy over there… He's at Silver…
Ren: Him? Oh no… Isn't he the guy who can finish an opponent in one turn?
Yumi: This could be a very short duel…
Coming up next, "Ichigeki Hissatsu; Chelsea's Bid For Gold".
Be on your toes, Chelsea… They say you never hear the one that gets you…