A short note:
Most of the odd cards you see in this chapter are real cards that will be released in "Gladiator's Assault". A lot of them first appeared in the anime. However, their real effects are in many cases different then their anime effects.
Being somewhat of a purist, I used the real effects for the most part – except for one card. I kept the anime effect for this one, for the sake of plot. (It's rather weak in reality, and much stronger in the anime.)
You'll know which one at the end of the chapter.
Anyway, on with the chapter.
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CHAPTER THIRTY
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Calm Before The Storm;
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Yumi's Quest For Gold
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It was half an hour after Ren's duel with Guinevere. He and his two friends had wandered into the Entertainment District, to a large, circular square, the center of which was taken up by a large fountain.
In the middle of the basin, which was surrounded by a bench, was a large statue of Water Omotics, pouring water from her jar into the basin.
As Chelsea backed up to get a picture, Ren raised an eyebrow.
"I know this statue…" he muttered. "Yeah… My dad dueled Etna Prometheus on this spot, nineteen years ago…"
Yumi gave a sad look, and sat down.
"My mom told me about her…" she said, sadly. "She wanted her whole life to be worshipped… But when everyone laughed at her claims of being a fire goddess, she made the worst choice… She sided with Saurius…
"She forced my mother into a duel with horrid stakes – the loser would be sacrificed to some beast named Malasta the Ravenous. Etna lost, and my folks could only watch as poor Etna's body was devoured by the demon and her soul was sent to damnation in Hell..."
Ren sat down.
"Hey, cheer up…" he said, taking his guitar and adjusting the tuner. "It wasn't your mom's fault. Saving the world isn't always pretty…"
He started to play:
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have…
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have…
Little things I should have said and done,
I just never took the time…
You were always on my mind…
You were always on my mind.
He smirked at Chelsea as he sung the stanza of the song. She blushed a little.
Then, everyone was startled as another guitar started to play, from the other side of the fountain. They stood up, as the song flowed across the yard:
Rows and flows of angel hair,
And ice cream castles in the air,
And feather canyons everywhere...
I looked at clouds that way...
But now, they only block the sun,
They rain and snow on everyone,
So many things I would have done,
But clouds got in my way...
I look at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down, but still somehow,
It's cloud illusions I recall...
I really don't know clouds... at all...
They walked around to the other side, and saw the musician. It was a girl about their age, with long, straight, brown hair, pale blue eyes, and flashing white teeth, dressed in pastel-green trousers and a parka with a peace sign on the front. She had plastic bangles on her wrists and ankles, and wore plain sandals on her feet. She suggested a movement from a decade that was long gone, but she didn't seem to mind.
A Duel Disk was at her feet, and a badge pinned to her parka indicated her status as Silver.
"You're good," said Ren.
"Thanks," said the girl, putting her guitar down. "I always say, when you can't say something with plain words, music does it better."
"Who are you?" asked Yumi.
"Oh, just someone with a Disk, her deck, and her music," said the girl. "But you can call me Aisha."
"You must be a good duelist," said Chelsea. "You're one step away from the finals."
Aisha picked up her Disk and slipped it on her arm. She looked at Yumi.
"Then this duel should be harmony," she said. "Whoever wins will be in the finals, if you're interested."
Yumi looked at her.
"Well…" she said, cautiously.
The Pharaoh appeared next to her.
"Yumi, tread cautiously," he said. "She may look as sweet as saccharine… But I'm getting a seriously bad feeling…
"Something is… Not right… It isn't that there's evil coming from her, specifically… It's more like something evil is… well, in her possession."
Yumi looked at Aisha closely.
"So then…" said Yumi. "We duel, and that's it? No strings attached?"
Aisha shrugged.
"You don't have anything I want…" she said. "I doubt I have anything you could use… Why make any wagers? Needless wagers are symbols of greed and materialism… You shouldn't covet what others have."
Well, she certainly doesn't sound like an Ascender, thought Yumi.
"Okay then…" said Yumi.
The Puzzle flashed, and in a burst of energy, she and the Pharaoh merged.
"I accept your challenge."
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
In his penthouse apartment, Rasputin had logged onto the Duelatopia website. Nicholas and Olga were looking over his shoulder.
He typed in "Yumi Mouto".
Yumi's face appeared on the screen with a flash, and then Aisha's face appeared on the screen besides hers. The words "Duel in Progress" appeared beneath them.
"We're in luck, my protégés…" he said with a grin. "We can see it live!"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Yumi shuffled her deck carefully.
She had switched a few cards in it since last time, and she wasn't sure if she had done the right thing. Well, it was only a few.
She looked at Aisha as the two activated their Disks.
"Game on!" they both said.
(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Aisha: 8,000)
"So…" muttered Ren. "You think Yumi's chances are good?"
"Please…" replied Chelsea. "This girl is a walking toothpaste commercial."
"Give her some credit," said Ren. "She is at Silver."
"All right…" said Yumi, making her first draw. "For my first move, I'll summon Gemini Elf in Attack Mode."
In a flash of light, the two elf twins appeared, with their hands around each other's waists. (1,900/900)
"Cool!" shouted Aisha. "Great Monster!"
"Uh, yeah…" said Yumi. "That's, uhm, it for my turn…"
Aisha made her first draw.
"Okay, here goes…" she said. "I play a Continuous Spell Card, called Summon Cloud."
A Spell Card appeared on her side of the field, and a white, fluffy cloud appeared over Aisha.
"Huh?" asked Yumi. "What does that do?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing much…" said Aisha. "It just lets me Special Summon a Cloudian from my hand, so long as it's Level Four or less."
"Cloudian?" said Ren. "What in the world is a Cloudian?"
"You got me…" said Chelsea.
"Next…" continued Aisha, "I'll play a second Spell Card, called Lucky Cloud."
She played another card, and sunbeams broke through the cloud over her head, casting a ray of light on her.
"This card's effect doesn't occur until my End Phase," she said. "Until then, I'll use the effect of my Summon Cloud, to Special Summon Cloudian – Sheep Cloud."
She played a card, and in a puff of white mist, a small cloud with a smug, smiling face appeared in front of her, in Defense Mode. (0/0)
"Since I did that, I have to destroy my Summon Cloud," said Aisha, as the Spell Card and the fluffy card above her head faded away. "But I still have a Normal Summon. So I'll summon a second Sheep Cloud."
She placed another card on her Disk, and a second of the small clouds appeared. (0/0)
"You summoned a Monster in Attack Mode that has zero Attack Points?" asked Yumi.
"Yep," said Aisha. "My turn is over, and that means my Lucky Cloud activates. Since I was able to summon two Cloudian Monsters with the same name this turn, I get to draw two cards."
She made two draws. She quickly gave them a looksee.
"Over to you," she said, adding them to her hand.
"Uh, yeah…" said Yumi, drawing a card.
She put that zero-Attack Point Monster in Attack Mode without any protection at all, she thought. What is she up to?
She chose a card from her hand.
"I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer," she said.
In a dark shadow, the scarred monk appeared. (1,800/700)
"Gemini Elf…" she ordered, "attack the Cloudian – Sheep Cloud in Defense Mode!"
The two elves lifted their arms, and lightning crashed towards the small Fairy. It exploded it a fiery burst.
"Kycoo, destroy the other one!"
Kycoo chanted, and lightning flashed again. The other Cloudian exploded. Aisha cringed.
"Now I'll use Kycoo's effect…" said Yumi, "to remove from play the first Cloudian and your Summon Cloud from play."
"Whatever…" said Aisha, taking the two cards from her discard slot.
Then a swirl of mist appeared on her side of the field.
"…but the cycle of life must go on," she said, "and where there's death, there's always rebirth…"
Then, to Yumi's shock, four Sheep Clouds appeared in front of Aisha. (0/0 x4)
"Neat, huh?" said Aisha. "When one Sheep Cloud is destroyed in battle, I get two tokens that are just like it."
Yumi looked at the Sheep Clouds, and then at her hand.
She's likely going to use one or two of those tokens as a sacrifice, she thought. Best be prepared…
"I'll place one card facedown," she said, "and end my turn."
A facedown card appeared.
(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (A: 6,200)
Aisha drew a card.
She sweat a little as she looked at it. Sometimes, she swore that this card had a dark aura of some sort around it…
She looked at it for a few seconds…
"Something wrong?" asked Yumi.
"Uh, no…" said Aisha, adding it to her hand.
She chose another card.
"Hey, I'm gonna play my Pot of Greed," she said.
She played the card, and the wicked jar appeared. She didn't even look at it as she drew two cards.
"Anyway, Yumi, I want to ask you something…"
She pointed up.
"You ever look up in the sky, and see how pretty the clouds can be sometimes?" she asked. "How fluffy and fuzzy they are?"
"Not in so many words…" replied Yumi.
"Well, let me tell you…" said Aisha, "what you see when you look at them… Those are cloud illusions."
"Cloud illusions?" said Ren.
"Yeah…" said Aisha. "Those aren't the true faces of clouds. They look white and fluffy today, but tomorrow they'll be dark and grey, and they'll spoil your day with pouring rain and driving snow. They'll ruin the picnic or golf game you wanted to go on so much…
"That's how it is with most things in life. What you see on the surface hides the ugly truth within. You have to learn not to take things for granted. You have to be able to look through the veil, and decipher the illusions from reality.
"My little Sheep Clouds are illusions. Now I'll start bringing out reality…
"I sacrifice all four of my Sheep Clouds, to summon Cloudian – Nimbusman."
The four tokens vanished.
"Four sacrifices?" shouted Ren.
"There's no Monster that needs that many sacrifices!" yelled Chelsea.
The Monster that appeared looked like a cloud roughly in the shape of a man, almost amorphous in outline. Its face was grim and puffy. (1,000/1,000)
"And even if there was," said Ren, "shouldn't it be a little stronger than that?"
"Technically, I only had to sacrifice one Monster," replied Aisha, "since it's a Level Five Monster. But I can summon it by sacrificing all the Water Monsters I can, and it gains one Fog Counter for each one. And for each Fog Counter it has, it gains 500 Attack Points. That's pretty hip, you know?"
Nimbusman roared, and electricity sparked all over it. It doubled in size, and dark clouds started to cover the arena. (3,000/1,000)
"Well, not so hip for Kycoo…"
Kycoo looked up at the huge cloud-man…
"Nimbusman…" ordered Aisha, "attack Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Gale blast."
Nimbusman took a deep breath, swelling up even bigger. With a blast that sounded like the wind howling, it exhaled a chilling wind mixed with ice at Kycoo. The Ghost Destroyer groaned, and then shattered into pieces.
(Y: 6,800) -------------------- (A: 6,200)
"Uhm, I'll place these two cards facedown, and that all for me."
She fit two cards in her Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.
This is seriously weird… thought Yumi, as she drew a card. I mean… Clouds?
But… How hard could it be to kill a cloud?
She drew a card. She looked at it and added it to her hand.
"I play… Monster Reborn," she said, playing another card.
The glowing, golden ankh appeared on the field. Kycoo appeared in a flash of light, still looking a little soaked and bedraggled, and maybe a little pissed. (1,800/700)
"Next I'll sacrifice him…" she continued, taking a card from her hand, "for Chaos Command Magician."
Kycoo shattered into pixels, and the tall mage in glossy black robes appeared next to Gemini Elf. (2,400/1,900)
"You know, Aisha…" said Yumi. "You're right… Clouds can be ugly and they can make you miserable…
"But do you know what I do when the rain ruins my day? I remember a song that was made famous by a poor little orphan girl, so long ago… Now how did it go?
"The sun will come out… Tomorrow… Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow… There'll be sun…"
Then Ren started to sing:
"Just thinking about… Tomorrow… Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow…Till there's none…"
Chelsea sang the next part:
"When I'm stuck with a day… That's grey… And lonely… I just stick up my chin, and grin, and say…"
Aisha was listening closely. Finally, she sang the last stanza:
"The sun will come out… Tomorrow… So you gotta hang on till tomorrow… Come what may…
"Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow, you're always a day away…"
There was a long pause.
"Aren't memories something?" asked Yumi. "Now where was I? Oh yeah… I activate… Rush Recklessly."
Her facedown card lifted, and Chaos Command Magician rose to an attack of 3,100.
"Attack her Nimbusman!" she shouted. "Chaos Magic!"
Ren and Chelsea cheered as Chaos Command Magician fired his spell directly into the huge cloud-man's stomach. Nimbusman burst and scattered into mist…
But when the smoke cleared, Nimbusman reformed, and slowly pulled itself back together. The Cloudian looked at Yumi with a smug smile. It looked like no trace of the attack had ever occurred.
(Y: 6,800) -------------------- (A: 6,100)
"Yumi…" said Aisha. "Tomorrow isn't here yet. And by the way, has your Chaos Command Magician ever tried to destroy a cloud with his magic? If he did, he'd find that it was impossible. A druid might manage to do it, but a sorcerer like him can't.
"Clouds are made of dust and water vapor… Trying to blast them is the same as trying to blast air. That's exactly what Nimbusman is like."
"So… he can't be destroyed in battle…" said Yumi. "Swell…"
So how DO you kill a cloud? she thought.
She looked at the card she had just drawn.
She placed it in her Disk, and it appeared facedown.
"That's all for my turn…" she said.
Aisha drew a card.
She nervously looked at the field.
"You know, Yumi," she said, "in grade school science classes, students are often taught about scientific facts that people find useless and uninformative, such as the different types of clouds. True, these classes don't have much bearing on a student's future unless he plans to be a meteorologist, and by the time he starts high school and gets into serious studies, he usually forgets the dumb stuff they tried to teach him in grade school.
"But let me refresh your memory for a minute… Cumulonimbus clouds like this one are the types that most often form into rain clouds, which cause heavy storms."
One of her facedown cards lifted. The card bore an image of an icy demon in a blizzard.
"I activate my first facedown card…" she said. "It's called Natural Disaster, and as long as this Continuous Trap remains, you lose 400 Life Points each time one of your cards is destroyed."
"What?" said Yumi, shocked.
She looked at the card… She really didn't like the look of it…
"Now I activate… Rain Storm," said Aisha, as her other Trap lifted.
Thunder clapped, and Nimbusman floated up above the field. It changed shape, becoming less man-like and more cloud-like. Then, rain started to pour over the arena.
"It's a downpour!" shouted Ren.
"Now, I have a choice," said Aisha. "I can either reduce his Attack Score by 1,000 to destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards, or reduce it by 2,000 to destroy any two of your cards."
She paused.
"I think I'll use the second option," she said, "to wipe out your Monsters."
"So, here's the first time…"
Nimbusman fell to an Attack of 1,000. The two Gemini Elves strained against the pouring rain, and then shattered into pixels.
A blast of icy wind and snow shot out of the Natural Disaster card, striking Yumi. She gasped, and then shivered.
"Talk about raining on your parade…" said Chelsea.
"And again…" said Aisha.
Chaos Command Magician strained before he shattered as well.
The arctic wind struck Yumi again, and she shivered under the cold again. Yumi's teeth chattered.
"Boy…" she muttered. "Realistic… I'm… gonna have to get some hot chocolate once this is over…"
Then she sneezed…
"Nimbusman, " said Aisha, "attack Yumi directly."
Nimbusman breathed out its gale blast…
"Activate Mirror Force!" shouted Yumi, sneezing again as her facedown card lifted.
The holy light shone on the storm cloud, and it was blown into vapor.
"Huh…" muttered Aisha. "So much for him…"
She looked at her hand.
"To end my turn…" she said, "I'll summon Cloudian – Turbulence in Attack Mode."
Another facedown card appeared, and then another fierce wind broke out over the field. The wind formed into a tornado with arms and a face, crackling with electricity. (800/0)
"And by the way, he can't be destroyed in battle either. Also, he gets one Fog Counter for each Cloudian on the field. Of course, since he's the only Cloudian on the field, that means he only gets one.
"And now I can remove that Fog Counter to Special Summon a Cloudian – Smoke Ball from my deck. Defense Mode."
In a burst of smoke, an adorable little puffball with a smiley face on it appeared next to the tornado. (200/600)
(Y: 6,000) -------------------- (A: 6,100)
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"I take it Natural Disaster is the cursed card?" asked Olga.
"Yeah, that's it all right," said Rasputin. "Yumi is already feeling its adverse affects…
"When this duel is over, she'll be beset with head congestion, chills, fever, sneezing, loss of appetite… She'll be easy to defeat.
"A pity really… But her own fault… She should have never agreed to a duel against Aisha without packing an umbrella."
He chuckled.
"For now, let's watch…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Yumi shivered as she drew a card.
"I play… Graceful Charity…" she muttered.
The card appeared, and the angel appeared, her hair and gown quickly becoming a mess in the worsening weather. Yumi looked at her and shrugged.
She drew three cards, and looked at them. She nodded, and made two discards.
"I play Premature Burial," she said, fitting tha card into his Disk. "And I'll summon the guy I just discarded…"
In a burst of energy, Dark Magician of Chaos appeared on the field. (2,800/2,600)
"Now I can get back my Monster Reborn," she said, taking a card from her discard slot, "and I think I'll use it again!"
The ankh appeared again, and Chaos Command Magician rose back next to the stronger sorcerer. (2,400/1,900)
To Yumi's surprise, Aisha clapped in joy.
"COOL!" she laughed. "Way to combo!"
"What are you so happy about?" asked Yumi. "Your Turbulence has only 800 Attack Points, and I noticed that even though my first attack didn't destroy your Nimbusman, you still took damage from the attack.
"Chaos Command Magician… Let's try this again! Attack the Cloudian – Smoke Ball with Chaos Magic!"
Chaos Command Magician aimed his staff, and fired, blowing the Smoke Ball to vapor.
"Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Cloudian – Turbulence with scepter strike!"
"Uh oh…" said Aisha.
She hollered as a violent blast of dark magic plowed into the Cloudian. She fell down on her seat.
(Y: 5,200) -------------------- (A: 4,100)
"Heh, heh…" laughed Aisha, getting up. "That was good… Really ironed out the kinks…"
"Man, I think her head is in the clouds!" exclaimed Ren.
Aisha drew a card.
"Okay… I play… my own Graceful Charity," she said.
As she played the card, the clouds parted, and the angel flew out of them. She looked at Aisha sadly as she drew three cards.
She quickly chose two, and discarded them as the angel vanished.
"Now I summon… Cloudian – Ghost Fog," she said.
A mist started to form on the ground, and then rise all over the arena. It soon became a thick, pea soup fog, obscuring everything but the duelists and the Monsters. Vaguely, Yumi could see a wispy, phantom-like shape in front of Aisha. (0/0)
"What the…?" said Yumi.
"Attack her Dark Magician of Chaos," ordered Aisha.
The Ghost Fog drifted towards the mage…
"Are you nuts?" shouted Yumi. "It has zero Attack Points!"
Dark Magician of Chaos fired a blast, and the phantom was burned into misty particles.
"True…" said Aisha. "But when it's destroyed in battle, my Life Points are safe. Your Monster, on the other hand, gets one Fog Counter for each Level he has. Since he's a Level Eight Monster, he gets eight of them."
Dark Magician of Chaos looked dizzy. Mist hung around him like some sort of aura… Then, eight small, grey clouds appeared around him.
"What will they do to him?" asked Yumi.
"By themselves, nothing," replied Aisha. "At least not when they're on a Monster that isn't a Cloudian. But I also have a Spell Card."
She played the card.
"Diamond Dust Cyclone. Now I can destroy one Monster that has Fog Counters on it."
A silvery, sparkling tornado blew through the fog. Dark Magician of Chaos covered his eyes, and was blown to pieces.
"And since he was Equipped with Premature Burial," said Aisha, "my Natural Disaster activates twice."
Once again, the chilling wind shot out of the card. Yumi shivered as it hit her again.
However, it did NOT activate a second time.
"Huh?" said Aisha. "But I destroyed two of your cards…"
"But only one of them went to my Graveyard…" grumbled Yumi. "Dark Magician of Chaos is always removed from play when he's destroyed."
(Y: 4,800) -------------------- (A: 4,100)
"Uh, yeah," said Aisha, playing a card. "Well, Diamond Dust Cyclone has another effect. Now I get to draw one card for every four Fog Counters your Monster had. And according to my math, four goes into eight two times."
She made two draws. She looked them over.
"Just so I don't take any more damage, I'll move Cloudian – Turbulence to Defense Mode," she said. "Unfortunately, that will destroy it."
Turbulence moved into a defensive position, and then broke up and scattered into globs of moisture.
"You see, when clouds start to lose their aggressive energy, they tucker out, until all their wind is spent, and they disappear. A cloud is good at dishing out damage but who ever heard of a cloud defending? Bottom line is, they can't do it."
She looked at her cards.
"Well, most of them can't…
"Case in point, I'm gonna play Monster Reborn. I'll summon Cloudian – Poison Cloud in Defense Mode."
She played the card, and the ankh appeared on her side of the field. The Cloudian that appeared this time was much more sinister-looking, was covered with throbbing veins, and was the color of a bruise. It crouched in Defense Mode. (0/1,000)
"In case you're wondering," she continued, "I discarded this with Graceful Charity.
"Now, most Cloudians are Fairies. Benign creatures. But when nature is corrupted by pollution, a few Cloudian Fiends are created too.
"Fog is a natural part of nature, but when pollution is at its worst, clouds shed the illusion entirely, creating smog and acid rain…
"This Fiend is one of those polluted clouds. It may have zero Attack Points and a weak Defense, but should it be attacked while it's in Defense Mode, the poison inside it will destroy the Monster who attacked it, causing you to lose 800 Life Points. Uhm, that translates to 1,200 with my Trap Card, by the way."
"Indeed?" said Yumi, drawing a card.
She looked at it.
"Anyone ever tell you that Chaos Command Magician is immune to effects like that?"
Aisha just looked at her.
"Uh heh…" she said. "Uhm, no, no-one really did. How silly of me…"
Yumi placed a card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"Chaos Command Magician…" she shouted, "attack the Cloudian – Poison Cloud!"
Chaos Command Magician blasted his chaos magic, and the Poison Cloud burst in a fiery explosion.
"Your move…" said Yumi.
Aisha drew a card. She looked at it closely.
She took it and another card from her hand.
"I summon Cloudian – Altos," she said.
Thunder rumbled, and a new Cloudian appeared. This one was a very fat Cloudian with small limbs, beige "skin", and a wrinkled face. (1,300/0)
"Just like Turbulence," explained Aisha, "by summoning it, it gets one Fog Counter for each Cloudian on the field. Again, since it's the only Cloudian on the field, it only gets one.
"And just like the others, he can't be destroyed in battle either," continued Aisha. "But like the others, if you manage to switch him to Defense Mode, he'd be destroyed.
"That'll be all for now…"
She nodded.
Yumi drew.
Why didn't I put Enemy Controller in this deck? she thought.
"First, I place this facedown…" she said.
She placed a card in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"Then, I Flip-Summon my Morphing Jar," she said.
Her facedown Monster flipped up, and the cackling, one-eyed creature loomed out of the jar. (700/600)
"Now we have to fold our hands and draw five cards," she said.
Aisha shrugged. They discarded their hands, and made five draws.
Yumi paused. Morphing Jar was hard to come by, even for a family that owned a card store. But when her dad was invited to Anastasia's tournament, one of the gimmicks of the place was that cards were hidden on the island, like buried treasure. He had found the Morphing Jar in one of the caches.
So, Yumi had Anastasia to thank for this rare card…
Yumi grinned as she looked at the five cards.
"Time to get rid of one annoyance," she said. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon!"
She played the card, and the cyclone tore across the field, heading towards the Natural Disaster card.
It didn't shatter right away. It seemed to be trying to resist the cyclone. Eventually, however, it tore in half, and the pieces shattered.
Aisha watched as the Natural Disaster card fell into the Graveyard…
She groaned, and held her head.
"Aisha?" said Yumi. "Are… are you alright?"
Aisha paused.
"Yeah…" she said. "Yes I am… In fact, I feel kind of good… You ever have a feeling like a big weight was lifted off your shoulders?"
"She lost one of the keys to her strategy, and she feels good?" asked Ren.
Aisha held her head again. No one had ever managed to destroy her Natural Disaster before. Now that it had happened, a small light seemed to go on in her head…
I may not be able to destroy her Altos, thought Yumi, but if I attack, I can inflict some major damage.
"Chaos Command Magician, attack her Cloudian – Altos!" she shouted.
Chaos Command Magician fired a blast from his scepter, and Altos groaned as a hole was blown through it… Aisha screamed…
(Y: 4,800) -------------------- (A: 3,000)
Cloudian – Altos slowly reformed.
Yumi smirked, and placed a card in her Disk. A second facedown card appeared.
Aisha drew a card.
"I summon Cloudian – Cirrostratus in Attack Mode," she said.
She played the card, and the sun broke through for a minute. A pink, fluffy, puffball of a cloud appeared, with angel wings and a kitten-like head on top. (900/0)
"This guy shares some effects with Altos," continued Aisha. "He can't be destroyed in battle, in case you haven't gotten that part yet. And by summoning him, he gains a Fog Counter for every Cloudian on the field. And I have two.
"Now let's have some fun…
"Altos, attack her Morphing Jar! Thunder clap!"
Thunder rolled, and lighting flashed from the heavens, blowing the Morphing Jar to dust.
(Y: 4,200) -------------------- (A: 3,000)
Hmm… she thought. If Poison Cloud's effect didn't work on Chaos Command Magician, I guess Cirrostratus's effect won't work on him either…
Well, I guess I'll save it…
"I'll set this facedown, and let you go," she said.
A facedown card appeared in a flash of light.
Yumi drew a card.
She smirked.
One of her facedown cards lifted.
"I activate Call of the Haunted!" she shouted.
A coffin appeared on her side of the field. It opened, and Kycoo stepped out. (1,800/700)
"Both of you…" ordered Yumi, "attack her Cloudian – Cirrostratus!"
Kycoo chanted and fired his lightning bolts. Chaos Command Magician cast his chaos magic. Both of them struck the fluffy creature, and it scattered into particles...
(Y: 4,200) -------------------- (A: 3,000)
The Cloudian quickly reformed into its regular state. And Aisha was still smiling.
"Huh?" said Yumi.
Then she noticed that Aisha had activated her Trap Card.
"Spirit Barrier?" gasped Yumi.
"Uh huh," replied Aisha. "That means I can't lose Life Points as long as I have at least one Monster on the field. In case you haven't figured it out yet, it's the perfect combo to use with Cloudians.
"I don't like to brag, but… I'm untouchable now."
"Well, I'm not done…" shouted Yumi. "Now, I sacrifice both my Monsters…"
Chaos Command Magician and Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer shattered into shards of light...
"…to summon Dark Magician!"
In a flash of light, the powerful Spellcaster appeared, holding aloft his scepter. (2,500/2,100)
"All right!" shouted Ren.
"Go, Dark Magician!" shouted Chelsea.
Yumi fit a card into her Disk, and a new facedown card appeared.
"That's all," she said. "I end my turn."
"Then I draw…" said Aisha.
Thunder started to rumble as she drew the card. The sky grew dark.
"I forgot to mention," said Aisha. "Cirrostratus has a powerful ability. I can remove his two Fog Counters to destroy one Monster."
Cirrostratus blew a blast of chilling wind. Dark Magician cringed before he shattered into pixels.
Ren and Chelsea stared in disbelief…
"She…" muttered Chelsea. "Dark Magician… Beaten?"
"No…" gasped Ren. "If Aisha summons another Monster…"
"Yeah, I might be able to win the duel…" said Aisha. "But, unfortunately, I don't have another low-level Monster…"
Ren breathed a sigh of relief.
"I only have my strongest Monster," she continued.
"So I sacrifice both my Cloudians…"
Cloudian – Altos and Cloudian – Cirrostratus vanished into mist…
"…to bring out the real storm. I summon Cloudian – The Eye of the Typhoon."
Lightning flashed, and an enormous creature came into shape behind and above Aisha. It looked like a giant storm cloud, with one glaring eye, and disproportionately small arms. It bellowed a roar that sounded like the howl of a tornado. (3,000/1,000)
"Well, that's certainly… big…" said Ren, looking at the huge Cloudian.
"Eye of the Typhoon…" said Aisha, "attack Yumi directly. Hurricane rage."
The wind blew fiercely, and the giant cloud collapsed into a whirlwind with a glowing eye in the center. It blew a ferocious gust at Yumi…
"I trigger my Trap!" shouted Yumi. "A Hero Emerges!"
Her facedown card lifted, and The Eye of the Typhoon paused.
"So pick a card, any card," said Yumi, holding up her hand of three cards.
She was nervous. Only one of them was a Monster, and the other two were Spells. It was a one-in-three chance…
Aisha paused for a minute.
"The middle card," she said.
"Ooh, not bad…" said Yumi.
She placed the card on her Disk, and Blast Magician leapt up onto the field, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,400/1,700)
Aisha shrugged.
"Okay…" she said. "But my Monster has an impressive ability. When it attacks, the battle positions of all Monsters on the field except Cloudians switch.
"Eye of the Typhoon, continue your attack."
The huge creature blasted its hurricane rage again. Blast Magician stood up in Attack Mode. The Spellcaster tried to shield himself, but he shattered against the fierce gale.
(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (A: 3,000)
"Aisha just took the lead…" said Ren.
"And she's clearly ahead as far as Monsters are concerned…" replied Chelsea.
"By the way, Yumi," continued Aisha, "this big guy has another ability, and it's just like the other Cloudians. It can't be destroyed in battle. Attacking it would be like attacking air.
"Of course, like those others, if it ever moved to Defense Mode, it would be destroyed… But I don't intend to do that.
"Anyway… I'll end my turn. Let's see what you've got."
The rain started to let up, but the sky was still dark, and the wind from the huge Cloudian still blew through the damp arena.
"Invincible in battle with 3,000 Attack Points?" said Ren. "Who thought up these cards?"
Aisha looked over her hand.
Looks like I win, she thought. She'll likely summon a Monster in Attack Mode, thinking that my Monster's effect will switch it to Defense Mode when it attacks.
What she doesn't know is, I have my Destruction Cloud Spell Card, which can destroy a Monster in Attack Mode if I'm willing to take some damage, so unless she manages to summon something with 3,000 Attack Points or more, I'll be able to attack her directly…
And if she sets a Monster in Defense Mode next round, my Nobleman of Crossout is right here too.
Yumi drew a card.
She's up to something… she thought.
"I play Pot of Greed," she said, playing the card.
She quickly drew two cards.
She gave the four cards in her hand a long look.
"Question…" she asked.
"Huh?" asked Aisha.
"Do those two guys gain Fog Counters if they're Special Summoned, or do they have to be Normal Summoned?" she asked.
"Uh, they have to be Normal Summoned," replied Aisha. "Why?"
Yumi didn't answer. She looked at her hand again.
So much for that plan… she thought. But there must be something I could…
Wait… I've got it!
"I play… Double Spell," she said. "I'll discard this…"
She played the card, and discarded her Magical Dimension.
"…and I can use a Spell Card in your Graveyard. I choose Monster Reborn.
"And I'll raise a Monster from your Graveyard!"
Aisha looked surprised as her discard slot glowed.
In a flash of light, Cloudian – Poison Cloud appeared on Yumi's side of the field, crouching in Defense Mode. (0/1,000)
"Huh?" asked Aisha. "Why that Monster?"
"I have my reasons," said Yumi. "It's your move."
"Ren…" said Chelsea. "Do you know what Yumi is up to?"
"Not a clue," said Ren. "But… I think her first plan might have been to raise Cirrostratus… If it gained Fog Counters when it was Special Summoned, it would have gotten two, and she could have used its effect… But like you heard, that wasn't the case."
Aisha drew a card.
It was Wonder Cloud.
Aisha frowned. She kept meaning to take this out of her deck. It was likely the most risky gamble that Industrial Illusions had ever conceived. Not even Joey Wheeler would likely have taken a risk like the one this card entailed… Using this card was betting it all. If you used it and didn't win on the same turn… Well, basically, you wouldn't have a next turn.
It had helped her win the first time she had actually dared to use it…
The second time…
She shivered… Contrary to what Rasputin thought, she hadn't been clueless. She knew it had been a Shadow Game. She had been scared, she was facing overwhelming odds, and didn't have much of a choice… So she took a chance with this card, and had lost. She still didn't know why the demon had chosen to spare her, although she felt funny every time she dueled and it was important…
Unbeknownst to her, the reason she just couldn't put two and two together and figure out that it was the Natural Disaster card was because the curse specifically prevented it.
She quickly added it to her hand and considered.
Darn… she thought. My Destruction Cloud only works on Monsters in Attack Mode, and Typhoon's effect doesn't work on Cloudians! I have no other Monsters in my hand, and if I attacked that thing, my Monster would be destroyed![/I
"I pass…" she said. "I can't do anything…"
"Then I draw…" said Yumi.
She drew a card and looked at it.
"I summon Magician's Valkyria in Attack Mode," she said, "and place one card facedown."
Valkyria appeared in a flash of light (1,600/1,800), and a facedown card appeared.
Aisha got nervous. She drew a card.
Still no Monsters… she thought. I could kill Valkyria with Destruction Cloud, but it would cost me 1,600 Life Points, and would only cost Yumi her Monster…
She looked hard at the field.
I might as well kill her via the safer method…
"All right!" she shouted. "Eye of the Typhoon… Attack Magician's Valkyria!"
The huge cloud blasted its fierce wind again. Magician's Valkyria shielded herself against the wind, and then crouched in Defense Mode…
"I activate my newest Trap Card!" shouted Yumi, as her facedown card lifted. "Staunch Defender!"
"Huh?" said Ren. "When did she add that?"
"Yumi is full of surprises…" said Chelsea, with a chuckle.
"Now…" said Yumi, "all attacks this round must be directed towards the Monster I choose, and I choose Cloudian – Poison Cloud."
The gust of wind blew into the smaller Cloudian, and it exploded in a fiery blast.
"Since it was in Defense Mode, I lose no Life Points from the battle," said Yumi. "However, due to Poison Cloud's effect, your Cloudian's storm is quelled, and it takes 800 of your Life Points with it."
Cloudian – The Eye of the Typhoon groaned, and then dissipated into formless mist, scattering to the winds.
(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (A: 2,200)
Aisha paused.
She looked at the Destruction Cloud card… She couldn't play it now… Her Monster's attack had moved Valkyria to Defense Mode.
"I… I end my turn…" she muttered.
Yumi drew a card.
"Well, it's been fun," she said, "but it's over now.
"I sacrifice Magician's Valkyria, to summon Dark Magician Girl."
In a burst of light, Valkyria vanished, and the gorgeous, female mage appeared, holding aloft her scepter. (2,000/1,700)
Aisha gulped.
Then she paused…
Then she laughed.
"Wait… Wait!" she laughed. "It's not over yet! I'll still have Life Points left!"
"I'm afraid not, Aisha," said Yumi. "Remember my Dark Magician? Since he's in my Graveyard, she gets a little boost…"
Dark Magician Girl closed her eyes and glowed… (2,300/1,700)
Aisha let out a sigh. She closed her eyes.
"All right," said Yumi. "Dark Magician Girl, show her the true storm! Attack directly!"
The Spellcaster raised her staff, and fired a mighty blast at Aisha. An explosion enveloped her, and she fell backwards, with the cards in her deck flying haphazardly.
(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (A: 0)
"Oops…" said Yumi, as Dark Magician Girl slowly vanished. "Sorry. Didn't mean to hit that hard…"
Aisha got up and held her head.
Then she picked up a card – the Natural Disaster card.
She saw the black aura around it clearly now…
…and she saw it slowly fade, and then die, returning it to a normal card.
"No Yumi…" she said. "Thank you… Thank you so much… You did what had to be done… The curse is lifted…"
"Curse?" asked Ren. "What curse?"
"I didn't realize it until now…" said Aisha, "but this card…"
She sighed.
"Help me put together my deck, and I'll tell you the story… It's kinda long…"
Yumi looked at her badge, which was now at Gold.
"Sure," she said. "I have time now…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fifteen minutes later, Rasputin was on the phone, speaking to someone long distance.
"It's frustrating, Franz, it really is," he muttered. "Not only is Yumi resisting my every effort, but now an unwitting employee has become completely useless to me. You'd think a rakshasa's curse would do the job, but no…
"I swear, I'd do anything to rid myself of those brats…"
He paused to listen. His eyes narrowed.
"Well, except for THAT," he growled. "I can't believe you suggested that, you sicko…"
Then his talisman started to glow.
"Uh, Franz…" he said, "I'll call you back… Yeah, yeah, I'll still be able to make it to your daughter's wedding."
He hung up.
"Even though she could do better…" he muttered.
"What is it?" asked Nicholas, as he and Olga sat up.
"Two Charms remain," said Rasputin, going to his computer, "and the Talisman of the Mind has just revealed itself…"
He considered.
"Risking one of you two to get it would be folly…" he said. "And there's only one Ascender good enough and loyal enough – well, more or less – to get it who hasn't been arrested…
"At least, I hope he hasn't been arrested…"
He dialed his cell phone.
"Samen," he said into it, "are you there?"
Nicholas and Olga shuddered…
Samen gave them the creeps…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Meanwhile, Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea were gathered around Aisha as she played her guitar:
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you can call him a man?
Yes, how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
They had no idea that another Shadow Charm was waking up…
…or that Sam and Erik were walking towards them.
Yumi joins Chelsea at Gold status! The finals await two members of our group, and Sam as well, but new trouble looms, as another Charm makes itself known. Who will claim the Talisman of the Mind?
0
0
0
CLOUDIAN – SHEEP CLOUD (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 1
ATK: 0
DEF: 0
Card Description: When this card is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon two "Cloudian Tokens" (Fairy/Water/Level 1/0 ATK/0 DEF) in Defense Position. "Cloudian Tokens" cannot be used as a Tribute for a Tribute Summon, except to summon "Cloudian" Monsters.
0
0
0
CLOUDIAN – ALTOS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 4
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 0
Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation still applies.) If this card is on the field in face-up Defense Position, it is destroyed. When this card is Normal Summoned, place one "Fog Counter" on this card for every "Cloudian" Monster face-up on the field. You may remove three "Fog Counters" from this card to discard one card at random from your opponent's hand.
0
0
0
CLOUDIAN – CIRROSTRATUS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 4
ATK: 900
DEF: 0
Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation still applies.) If this card is on the field in face-up Defense Position, it is destroyed. When this card is Normal Summoned, place one "Fog Counter" on this card for every "Cloudian" Monster face-up on the field. You may remove two "Fog Counters" from this card to destroy one Monster on the field.
0
0
0
CLOUDIAN – TURBULENCE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 4
ATK: 800
DEF: 0
Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation still applies.) If this card is on the field in face-up Defense Position, it is destroyed. When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, place one "Fog Counter" on this card for each "Cloudian" Monster face-up on the field. You may remove one "Fog Counter" from this card to Special Summon one "Cloudian – Smoke Ball" from your deck or Graveyard.
0
0
0
CLOUDIAN – NIMBUSMAN (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 5
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation still applies.) If this card is on the field in face-up Defense Position, it is destroyed. This card may be Tribute Summoned by offering any number of WATER Monsters on your side of the field as Tributes. For each WATER Monster offered as a Tribute to summon this card, place one "Fog Counter" on this card. Increase the ATK of this card by 500 for each "Fog Counter" it has.
0
0
0
CLOUDIAN – POISON CLOUD (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 3
ATK: 0
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: When this card is destroyed as a result of battle while in face-up Defense Position, destroy the Monster that destroyed this card, and inflict 800 points of damage to the Life Points of the owner of the Monster who destroyed this card.
0
0
0
CLOUDIAN – GHOST FOG (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 1
ATK: 0
DEF: 0
Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. Battle damage each player receives from a battle involving this Monster is reduced to zero. If this card is destroyed as a result of battle, distribute a number of "Fog Counters" on a number of face-up opposing Monsters equal total to the Level of the Monster that destroyed this card.
0
0
0
CLOUDIAN – THE EYE OF THE TYPHOON (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Aqua/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 8
ATK: 3,000
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation still applies). If this card is on the field in face-up Defense Position, it is destroyed. When this card attacks, switch the battle position of all face-up Monsters on the field except "Cloudian" Monsters.
0
0
0
LUCKY CLOUD (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A group of fluffy clouds with sunbeams breaking through.
Card Description: If you Normal Summon, Flip-Summon, and/or Special Summon two "Cloudian" Monsters with the same name during the round you activate this card, draw two cards from your deck during the End Phase.
0
0
0
SUMMON CLOUD (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: A dark cloud with sunbeams breaking through.
Card Description: Once per turn, if you have no Monsters on your side of the field, you may Special Summon one Level Four or less "Cloudian" Monster from your hand or your Graveyard. If you use this effect, destroy this card.
0
0
0
DIAMOND-DUST CYCLONE (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A tornado of silvery wind.
Card Description: Select one Monster on the field with at least four "Fog Counters" on it. Destroy the selected Monster. For every four "Fog Counters" on the Monster destroyed by this effect, draw one card from your deck.
0
0
0
RAIN STORM (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A driving rain over the ocean.
Card Description: Select one face-up "Cloudian" Monster on your side of the field. Reduce the selected Monster's ATK, and apply the appropriate effect depending on how much you reduced its ATK:
- by 1,000 points: Destroy one Spell or Trap Card on your opponent's side of the field.
- by 2,000 points: Destroy two cards on your opponent's side of the field.
0
0
0
NATURAL DISASTER (Trap Card)
Continuous Trap
Image: A demon made of ice in a blizzard.
Card Description: Each time a card on your opponent's side of the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points.
Note: These proceeding cards are real cards that will be released in "Gladiator's Assault". The real game effects of some of them (which I used in this chapter, except for Natural Disaster, which uses the anime effect) are different than their anime effects. ("Cloudian – Smoke Ball" is also a real card, but it is a Normal Monster, and its flavor text is not yet revealed.)
0
0
0
WONDER CLOUD (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A dark storm cloud with orange streaks.
Card Description: Remove from play all cards on your side of the field and in your hand. Then, draw one card from your deck for each card on your opponent's side of the field. Then, remove all remaining cards in your deck from play. During this turn, the effects of any cards your opponent activates are negated.
0
0
0
DESTRUCTION CLOUD (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A dark cloud with lightning flashing from it.
Card Description: Destroy one Monster on the field that is in Attack Position. Inflict damage to your Life Points equal to that Monster's ATK.
Note: "Wonder Cloud" and "Destruction Cloud" were used by Adrian at various times in the third season of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX". Creative credit goes to the writers.
0
0
0
Yumi: Another Charm has appeared, and we have to get to it before Rasputin does!
Erik: I've watched from the sidelines for long enough. Leave this one to me.
Sam: No, baby, don't do it!
Anastasia: I wish Erik had a choice, but sadly, he may not…
Coming up next, "Erik's Challenge; The Talisman of the Mind".
Erik: My toy army won't lose no Shadow Game!