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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
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Ren versus the Cat Goddess
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Divine Bestiary
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It was nine PM.
Rasputin was angrier than he had been in a long time.
The fact that he had lost another Shadow Charm was bad enough. The fact that it had been lost to a duelist using toy Monsters was almost unbearable.
He dialed a number on his cell phone.
"Hello, Mason?" he started. "Good, you haven't been arrested… Listen, your next target in the morning will be…"
He stopped short.
"What do you mean, you quit?"
He paused.
"You're making a mistake, you…"
He paused again. He turned to Nicholas and Olga.
"He hung up on me!" he shouted. "My men are deserting me… Why?"
"Well, let's see…" said Olga. "Two Ascenders are dead, one is in a coma, ten are in jail so far… You aren't exactly eligible for employer of the month any more."
Rasputin brought up an image on the computer. Erik's face was on it.
"That amateur could NOT have beaten Samen!" he shouted. "I won't accept it… That Talisman is rightfully mine…"
"Believe what you will," said Nicholas. "Erik won the Talisman of the Mind, and it belongs to him now."
"I refuse to accept it!" shouted Rasputin.
"Unfortunately," said Nicholas, leaning his head back on the couch, "your refusal to accept does not change the fact."
"I refuse to accept that too!" replied Rasputin.
"Unfortunately," replied Nicholas, "your refusal to accept that your refusal does not change the fact, also does not change the fact that Erik won the Talisman of the Mind."
Rasputin's face fell.
"I'll accept that…" he said with a sigh.
He got up, went to the coffee table, and opened an old tome.
"Yumi and her allies now have five of the Charms…" he growled. "We have only two… But one still remains, and that one may make all the difference…"
He turned the pages.
"The Rod of the Ancients…" he muttered, "the Charm belonging to Unus the Undying. According to legend, Unus did not craft it… He was given it. By whom, exactly, is a closely-guarded secret…
"The full extent of its powers are unknown, but a few things about Unus himself are known. He was apparently so powerful, that the only one of the other Sorcerer Kings who dared to even disagree with him, much less oppose him, was Machius the Wise, the one who created the Crown of Souls. Indeed, Machius and Unus were rivals of a sort…
"Clearly, the two of them each had personal power far beyond the others…
"Yumi has the Crown of Souls… If she claims the Rod of the Ancients too, she'll become far too difficult to defeat…
"I'm not going to take chances… When the Rod of the Ancients awakens…
"I will get it personally…"
He paused.
"In the meantime, Nicholas," he said, "we'll use what we have to attempt to get another one of the Charms…
"I believe you know someone who would like a rematch with Ren…"
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Sleep overcame the participants of Duelatopia.
Ren dreamed he was back in that lovely garden he had envisioned from the Siege Perilous, embracing the same girl. He lost himself in her eyes, and all was well.
Chelsea dreamed a situation that was parallel in many ways. She dreamt that she approached a lover – one that she found familiar – in a dark bedchamber, a spooky place where you'd expect a vampire to sleep. She used entrancing magic until finally, he surrendered.
Yumi had no-one in her dreams to hold. But her dreams were strange. Again and again, she saw the Pharaoh in the days of ancient Egypt, and again and again, she saw the strange girl that looked just like her. Sometimes she was hiding and watching him, sometimes she was following him, other times she was holding his hand as he walked through dark passageways…
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It was early in the morning of Day Five. The looming face of Clock Tower Prison registered eight-thirty.
Felicia grinned as she looked at her opponent, who was cowering behind a Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (800/2,200)
She had three Monsters on the field: Nekogal #2 (1,900/2,000), Catnipped Kitty (0/500), and Super War Lion (2,300/2,100).
She drew a card.
"Now it ends…" she said, holding it up to the light. "With the divine power in my deck, I can show you why cats were once worshiped…"
"Hey, lady…" said her opponent, nervously, "you're really scaring me…"
Felicia laughed evilly. Nekogal and Catnipped Kitty vanished…
In the next moment, a scream came from that part of Duelatopia.
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Felicia sat on a part bench, drinking a mocha latte. She glanced at her badge, which had just become Silver.
She was glad she was winning, but she didn't feel right.
Every night since her duel with Nicholas, she had been plagued by the same strange dream. She found herself bound to a rock by golden shackles, with just enough slack. After a minute or two, Nicholas would come out of the darkness and put his arms around her. She could do nothing but surrender to his charms.
The dream always ended with him leaving her, still chained to the rock, after promising the chains would come off once she repaid him.
It wasn't that she hadn't dreamt of sex before. She had several times in the past. She had even dreamt of bondage before, and she had liked it. But she didn't like this. It was almost as if this wasn't any dream. She felt like she was truly his slave.
Even when she was awake, she often had to check to make sure there were no marks on her wrists from those chains. She didn't know how to repay him…
At that moment, her vision started to blur… She closed her eyes…
To her shock, she found herself in her dream again. Once again, the shackles held her to the rock.
"No…" she whined.
"Felicia…" said Nicholas's voice. "It's time…"
He appeared in front of her.
"Ready to repay me?" he asked.
"Anything!" she pleaded. "Just let me go!"
He slowly embraced her. He gently caressed her buttocks.
"Uh, uh, uh," he said. "Find Ren… Defeat him… Then the chains will come off, and he'll be there in your place.
"With what I gave you, he won't stand a chance…"
He gently kissed her on the lips…
Felicia opened her eyes…
She crushed the coffee cup in her hand…
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In the Marris residence in Domino City, Ren's kid sister Connie and her friend Sally were in front of the computer, while Connie was searching the Duelatopia website.
"Anything?" asked Sally.
"Nothing…" moaned Connie. "I can't find his duel where he made Silver…"
She crossed her arms in a sulk.
She hit a key and her brother's face came up.
"How could there be no record of the duel?" she said. "Was it kept secret for some reason?"
"At least he is Silver," said Sally. "If he wins one more, we'll be able to watch him on TV… In the finals!
"Hey, I got a great idea… Let's invite everyone over to watch the finals. It could be like a slumber party!"
"Okay…" said Connie, picking up a notebook. "Who should we invite?"
"Uhm, let's not invite Cho…" she replied.
"Uh huh…" said Connie.
"Let's not invite Kimiko either…" she said.
"Heh, heh…" chuckled Connie. "It's more fun thinking of who NOT to invite than it is thinking of who to invite!"
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At this time, Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea were walking down a strip in Duelatopia, having had a light breakfast.
"So, Ren," said Chelsea, "going to try to find someone who matches your rank? We've gotta all be in the finals… It'll be for the best."
"It's gonna be hard," said Ren. "Most duelists have likely been disqualified by now, and the ones at Silver and Violet are likely few and far between…"
They stopped.
A store was in front of them. It was called Precious Cards From Beyond.
They all looked at it.
"Anyone up for some new cards?" asked Yumi.
They shrugged. They went in.
Inside were racks and displays of cards, grouped by category.
Chelsea found the section for Zombies and looked through it.
Hmm, Fushioh Richie? she thought, looking at one card. No, not my thing… Goblin Zombie? Eh, not my style…
She picked up a card. It was a Fusion Monster.
Hey… she thought. Now this has possibilities…
Yumi was looking through a set of Spell and Trap Cards.
This one's good… she thought. This one too…
She looked at a strange Spell Card.
Share of Spoils? Now this is interesting…
Ren looked at the cards in the glass cases.
So many cards… he thought, so little room in a deck…
He was startled as he saw one Monster Card…
He had never heard of it, and apparently, neither had his father.
He read the description.
"Sir?" he said, motioning for the clerk. "Can you tell me about that card? And why it only costs thirty dollars?"
"Oh, that?" said the old man behind the counter. "Eh, well, I'll admit that card isn't exactly common, but see, no-one wants it. It's useless without another card, and that other card is incredibly rare. Dunno what they were thinking…"
"Yeah?" said Ren, holding up his badge. "I'll take it."
The clerk shrugged.
"Whatever you say, son," he said.
Chelsea and Yumi came up to the counter with a few cards.
"Find something good, Ren?" asked Chelsea.
"We'll soon see…" he replied.
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Ren shuffled his deck as the group left the store.
"There you are," said a stern voice in front of them.
Ren stopped short. Felicia was standing in front of them.
"Hey, Felicia," he said. "How's it going? Made Silver, I see…"
"Yes, and I want Gold," she said. "And I want to get it from beating you."
"Direct and to the point," said Ren with a smirk. "You are tough."
"I have a unique challenge, Ren," said Felicia. "We duel… And the winner gets the loser's soul as a prize."
Ren stepped back.
"Okay…" he said. "Now you've passed the line from tough to really creepy… So if you get my soul, what would you do with it?"
"Scared?" asked Felicia, with a smile. "Why? I'm still the same Felicia I always was."
"Well…" said Ren.
He paused. She was looking at him like a cat that had just cornered its dinner…
"Ren, wait…" said Anastasia's voice.
Ren was surprised.
"Uh, don't go away, Felicia," he said. "Me and the others have to discuss a few things…"
Ren, Chelsea, and Yumi turned to see Anastasia, who was nearly transparent to everyone except Yumi, who could see her clearly. To Ren and Chelsea, it looked like she was struggling to stay in focus.
"What gives?" whispered Ren. "This is the first time we've seen you outside of that other dimension."
"I'm getting stronger," said Anastasia. "The collective powers of the Shadow Charms are helping.
"But Ren… Felicia is not herself. I recognize the poison in her bloodstream."
"Poison?" asked Yumi. "She's been drugged?"
"An alchemic solution called domination pheromone," said Anastasia. "Apparently, she was defeated by a male who had infected himself with the catalyst, and he introduced it to her system. The poison now compels her to obey him."
"Rasputin has sunk to a new low," muttered Yumi. "Can this be cured?"
"Uhm, yes…" said Anastasia, slowly. "Yumi, if you were to put your hand over her heart, I could channel my power through it, and flush the poison out of her system."
Ren looked at Felicia.
"Okay…" he said. "Chelsea, we'll just make a rush for her, then hold her down, and Yumi can…"
"Ren, there is a little catch," interrupted Anastasia. "I can't cure someone of this if she isn't willing to be cured. And I doubt she will be."
Ren looked at Felicia, who seemed to be growing impatient.
"Great…" he said, sarcastically. "That should be really easy… The power of Heaven behind you, and you need her to be willing."
Anastasia frowned, and put her hand on her hip.
"Ren, normally, I wouldn't be able to help her at all," she said. "Usually, a guardian angel may only use her powers to aid her charge. Fortunately, the circumstances behind Yumi's current situation have given me more leniency than normal.
"Anyway, there is one way to suppress domination pheromone. Since Felicia has been… well, deluded into thinking that the one who did this is superior to her, if someone proves he is superior to him, she might be willing to receive the cure."
"So I have to duel her then…" said Ren. "Well, wish me luck…"
He stepped up to Felicia.
"Okay, Felicia, you're on…" he said. "But I can't be easy on you…"
She grinned evilly.
"Do you accept my wager?" she asked.
"Huh?" said Ren. "Uh… Sure, why not?"
The two Disks activated.
My dad did a lot of crazy things, he thought, why should I be any different?
"Game on!" they both shouted.
(Ren: 8,000) -------------------- (Felicia: 8,000)
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Still in front of the computer, Sally and Connie were startled as a message flashed on the screen.
"DUEL IN PROGRESS," it said.
"Oh!" shouted Connie. "Ren is dueling!"
They got up and looked at the screen.
"Go, Ren, go!" she shouted. "If you win, you'll be in the finals!"
"Who's his opponent?" asked Sally. "She looks even scarier than that guy with the mask."
Connie looked at Felicia.
She was nervous. Felicia was looking at Ren like she wanted to eat him…
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Gotta be careful, thought Ren, looking over his opening hand. She's likely not going to hold back…
He looked at the Horn of Chance strapped around his side.
Let's hope this thing is as reliable as the legends say.
Felicia drew her first card.
"I'll start with my Pot of Greed," she said, playing a card. "So I pick up two…"
The jar appeared with a cackle, and she made two draws.
"Next, a Spell Card," she continued. "It's called Safari Hunter."
A card appeared in front of her, a picture of a man in a pith helmet holding a rifle, hiding in a brush, observing a group of tigers.
"Okay…" said Ren. "That's a new one on me…"
"First, I send one Monster in my hand to the grave…" said Felicia.
She discarded Nekogal #2.
"…and in return, I get to take any Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast I want from my deck."
She looked though her cards, and quickly chose one.
"The catch is, I can't summon it this turn. So… I'll place a Monster in Defense Mode, and toss a card facedown."
A facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared.
"I end my turn," she said with a grin.
Summon whatever you like, she thought. Next round, we'll see how well your flesh stands up to my ultimate Monster's claws!
Ren nervously drew a card.
"I play Bait Doll," he said. "Let's see what you're hiding."
Felicia hissed as her facedown card lifted, and was revealed to be Trap Hole. The card shattered.
"Nice try…" said Ren.
He placed the Bait Doll card back in his deck, and reshuffled.
"Now I'll bring out an old friend of yours… You remember Dark Blade, right?"
In a burst of darkness, the armored Warrior appeared, holding his twin swords. (1,800/1,500)
"Attack!" shouted Ren.
Dark Blade flew towards the facedown card. Lady Panther appeared on the card, and with one swipe of a blade, she was cut in two.
"I'll place one card facedown, and let you go," he said.
"Then I draw…" said Felicia, drawing a card.
She added it to her hand.
"Then I play… Stray Lambs."
She played the Spell Card, and two small Lamb Tokens appeared in puffs of smoke. (0/0 x2)
"Now…" she continued, "I'll sacrifice these Lamb Tokens…"
"Now wait just a minute!" interrupted Ren. "That's illegal. You aren't allowed to summon a Monster on the same round you play Stray Lambs."
Felicia smiled evilly.
"True…" she said. "I can't summon a Monster… But there's no rule that says I can't set one!"
"Uh, is that true?" asked Chelsea.
"I'm afraid… yes…" replied Yumi.
"So, as I was saying," said Felicia, "before I was so rudely interrupted, I sacrifice my two lambs, to set a Monster in Defense Mode."
The Lamb Tokens evaporated, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"Well…" said Chelsea. "At least it's in Defense Mode… It can't hurt Ren this round…"
"That's what you think!" said Felicia, in a playful tone.
She held up another Spell Card.
"My Monster won't be defending for long. I play Book of Taiyou! It flips my Monster into Attack Mode!"
The card turned, and then flipped up.
"So let's all welcome… Bast, the Queen of Cats!"
In a burst of radiant energy, a tall figure appeared in front of Felicia. It was a woman wearing a white, Egyptian-style dress, with a plethora of gold jewelry. She had the head of a cat with black fur and long hair, and her hands had long fingernails that looked uncomfortably like claws. (3,200/2,000)
"Ho boy…" said Ren. "Something tells me this is trouble…"
"Good lord…" said Yumi. "It's like someone took my grandfather's old friend Ishizu and made her… cat-like."
"Here's a quick lesson in case you ever want to duel professionally Ren," said Felicia. "You never actually break the rules… What you do instead is study them, so you find loopholes to make the rules benefit you!
"Anyway, if you think Bast is powerful, she is… But I the only way to bring her out is to sacrifice Beasts or Beast-Warriors. Fortunately, those Tokens qualified.
"Now… Bast… Kill his Dark Blade! Divine claws!"
The Queen of Cats purred with a sinister smile. Then she pounced, and made a slash at Dark Blade. He dropped his swords, and then exploded into shards.
"I'll place one card facedown," said Felicia, "and my turn is over…"
A facedown card appeared behind Bast.
(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 8,000)
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"Bast, the Queen of Cats?" said Sally.
"Uhm… I've never heard of it either…" replied Connie. "Thirty-two hundred Attack Points?
"Uh… Ren can take care of it… It isn't that hard…"
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Okay… thought Ren, drawing a card. So she has an uber-powerful Monster, one who has more Attack Points than anything in my whole deck…
He looked at the card.
But I'm not giving up yet…
His own facedown card lifted, and Call of the Haunted appeared on his side of the field. A coffin rose on his side, and Dark Blade crawled out. (1,800/1,500)
"Him again?" asked Felicia.
"I'm just starting," said Ren. "Next, I play Frontline Base."
He played the card, and the Spell Card appeared.
"And now I'll use it to Special Summon Pitch-Dark Dragon."
The small Dragon appeared next to Dark Blade. (900/600)
"Now… I'll combine the two…"
Dark Blade jumped up, and leapt on the Dragon's back. (2,200/1,900)
"And I'm not done," he said, taking another card from his hand. "I'll also summon Double Pinaska."
The rapier-wielding Spaniard appeared next to Dark Blade, brandishing his weapons. (1,500/1,500)
"That will do for now…" he said.
Felicia drew a card. She looked at it, and added it to her hand.
"Now I activate Bast's special ability," she said, "which I'm allowed to do every round that she's on the field. I'm able to take a Beast or Beast-Warrior from my deck that's Level Four or less, and add it to my hand."
She took her deck and looked through the cards.
"I have to spend 500 Life Points whenever I use this ability," she continued, "but requesting divine favors always comes with a price."
She put her deck back.
"Now I'll summon it… My Panther Warrior!"
With a roar, the ferocious panther-man appeared, holding aloft his shield and scimitar. (2,000/1,600)
"Just great…" said Chelsea.
"Don't worry…" said Yumi. "That guy can't attack unless she sacrifices a Monster, and she sure as Hell isn't going to sacrifice Bast."
"Bast, attack his Dark Blade!" ordered Felicia.
Bast leapt at the mounted Warrior…
"Double Pinaska, defend!" shouted Ren.
Double Pinaska leapt in front of Dark Blade, and blocked the goddess's advance with his swords. He strained under the pressure… Finally, he kicked her in the mid-section, and she stumbled backwards.
"Your attack has been called off for this round…" said Ren, nervously.
Felicia growled.
"Your move…" she said.
(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 7,500)
Ren drew a card.
He played it, and the Pot of Greed appeared on his side of the field. He made two draws.
He looked at his three cards.
"All right, Felicia…" he said. "First, I'll move Double Pinaska to Defense Mode."
Pinaska sheathed his swords, and crouched in Defense.
"Next, I'll separate Dark Blade and Pitch-Dark Dragon."
Dark Blade leapt off of the Dragon's back, and stood beside it. (1,800/1,500)
"Then, I'll sacrifice Pitch-Dark Dragon for Kiryu."
The small Dragon vanished, and the larger, red-scaled Dragon appeared. (2,000/1,500)
"Dark Blade… Combine with Kiryu!"
Dark Blade leapt up again, and landed on the larger Dragon's back. He lifted his swords. (2,700/2,400)
"And just what is he gonna do?" asked Felicia.
"I'll show you," said Ren. "While Dark Blade is Equipped with Kiryu, I can sacrifice Kiryu so that he can attack you directly."
Felicia hissed again.
"Dark Blade…" shouted Ren, "FLY!"
Kiryu flapped its wings, and flew with its rider into the sky…
There was a flash of light, and Dark Blade dove from the sky, slashing at Felicia with his swords. She grunted and staggered backwards.
She glared at Ren.
Ren placed one of his remaining cards in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"It's your move…" he said.
(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 5.700)
Okay… he thought. It all depends on who she attacks with first… If she attacks with Bast first, I can take her down. If not…
Felicia drew a card. She added it to her hand.
"I play a second Stray Lambs," she said.
She played the card, and two more Lamb Tokens appeared.
"Now I'll sacrifice one of them, so that Panther Warrior can attack your Dark Blade!"
One of the tokens vanished, and Panther Warrior roared. It charged at Dark Blade.
Crud… thought Ren.
"I activate…" he said, "Rising Energy!"
His Trap Card lifted, and he discarded his last card (Zombyra the Dark).
"Now my Dark Blade gains a boost…"
Dark Blade rose to an Attack of 3,300. He slashed with his blades, and Panther Warrior howled before shattering.
Felicia scowled.
"Bast, attack his Double Pinaska!" she shouted.
Bast pounced again, and with two swipes of her claws, the bandito was eradicated.
(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 4,400)
"Your move now," said Felicia. "And all you've got left is Dark Blade. You're gonna need something pretty good to get out of this one."
She's right, thought Ren. I used every card in my hand, not to mention the only Trap that could likely defeat Bast…
What do I do?
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Connie was almost crying. She saw that Ren clearly was at a disadvantage.
"Maybe we should just log off," muttered Sally.
Connie paused. Her hand reached for the mouse.
"No!" she shouted. "He can still turn it around! I know he can!"
She stared at the screen.
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Ren drew a card.
His eyebrow lifted.
Seems like the Horn's powers aren't just a myth, he thought. This might be the luckiest topdeck I ever got…
"I move Dark Blade to Defense Mode…" he said.
Dark Blade knelt, and shielded himself.
"Then I summon Dark Squire."
He placed the card on his Disk, and the young girl in nobility clothing appeared. She quickly moved into Defense Mode. (300/300)
"I guess that's all you can do," chuckled Felicia.
She drew a card.
"Nekogal #1, come on out," she said.
She played a card, and the younger cat fairy in the green bikini appeared, crouching and ready to pounce. (1,100/900)
"Attack his Dark Squire!" she ordered. "Cat scratch!"
Nekogal made a swipe with her claws, and Dark Squire tumbled backwards before shattering.
"Thank you," said Ren, drawing two cards. "Now we each get to make two draws."
"Fine by me," said Felicia, drawing two.
She looked at them and added them to her hand.
"Bast, kill his Dark Blade!"
Bast made another swipe, and Dark Blade groaned before he shattered.
"I end my turn," said Felicia with a grin.
Ren looked at the two cards in his hand. It was an improvement, for sure.
He drew a third card.
"All right," he said, "I place a Monster in Defense Mode…"
He placed a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"Next…" he said, "I play The Warrior Returning Alive. Now, a Warrior comes back to my hand."
Zombyra slipped out of his discard slot, and he took it.
"I end my turn."
"Defend as much as you want," said Felicia, drawing a card. "It won't make any difference…
"I summon Tiger Axe!"
In a burst of energy, a ferocious tiger-man wearing a blue breastplate holding a battle-axe appeared. (1,300/1,100)
"Attack his Monster!" she shouted.
Tiger Axe lifted his weapon and swung it towards the facedown card…
Familiar Knight appeared on the card, and blocked the blow with his shield. Tiger Axe stumbled backwards. (1,200/1,400)
"Nice try, Felicia," said Ren, "but according to my math, 1,400 is greater than 1,300.
"Your deck has a definite weakness. You may have a lot of powerhouses, but the other Monsters are only mediocre."
(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 4,300)
"I'll show you a powerhouse," said Felicia. "Bast, destroy his Knight!"
Bast leapt forward, and slashed with her claws, tearing Familiar Knight apart.
"I activate Familiar Knight's ability!" shouted Ren. "Now we can both summon a Level Four Monster from our hands. So I'll summon Zombyra the Dark!"
In a burst of darkness, the masked superhero appeared, and struck a pose. (2,100/500)
"I can use that effect as well…" said Felicia, taking a card from her hand. "I'll summon a second Panther Warrior."
In a flash of light, another of the Beast-Warriors appeared on her side of the field. (2,000/1,600)
"Good lord…" said Chelsea. "She has him outnumbered…"
"I'll move Nekogal to Defense Mode, and end my turn," said Felicia.
Nekogal knelt and covered herself with her arms.
Felicia looked at her facedown card, which Ren had forgotten about.
Go on, she thought. Bring out someone else to defend yourself… You'll help me a great deal…
Ren drew a card.
"I first Special Summon The Fiend Megacyber…" he said.
In a burst of energy, the powerful cybernetic Warrior appeared. (2,200/1,200)
"Then…" he said, taking his last card, "I'll set this in Defense Mode…"
A facedown Monster appeared.
"I activate my Trap Card!" shouted Felicia.
Her facedown card lifted.
"Gift of the Mystical Elf," she said, as the card glowed.
Bast, Nekogal, Panther Warrior, Tiger Axe, and the Lamb Token all flashed with light, and then Zombyra, The Fiend Megacyber, and the facedown Monster all did the same.
"Now, for each Monster on the field, my Life Points go up by 300, and I count eight total."
She glowed with energy, and her Life Points went up.
(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 6,700)
Ren growled a little.
"Zombyra, attack the Tiger Axe!" he ordered. "Super powered punch attack!"
Zombyra flew forward and clocked the Beast-Warrior, and it howled before shattering into shards.
Zombyra held his chest as his Attack Score fell to 1,900.
"Fiend Megacyber, attack the Panther Warrior! Mega slash!"
The Megacyber slashed with its blades, and Panther Warrior was torn in half.
(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 5,700)
"That's all I can do…" he muttered.
Felicia chuckled as she drew a card.
"I play Monster Reborn!" she said. "Return!"
The glowing ankh appeared on her side of the field, and Panther Warrior appeared again with a roar. (2,000/1,600)
"Now, I'll sacrifice my other Lamb Token so that he can attack your masked man," she said.
The lamb vanished. Panther Warrior lunged, and slashed at Zombyra with his scimitar, and he shattered.
"Bast, destroy his Megacyber!" she shouted.
The Queen of Cats pounced, and swiped at the armored Warrior. He fell over with sparks flying from his chest, and then exploded.
Ren shielded himself from the blast.
(R: 5,500) -------------------- (F: 5,700)
Ren glared at her.
"Judging by the look on your face," she said, "I'd say this is the point where you realize you're in over your head."
"I'm not through yet!" said Ren, drawing a card.
He looked at it.
"I play Premature Burial!" he shouted.
He played the card, and The Fiend Megacyber appeared in a flash of light. (2,200/1,200)
"You don't know when to quit, do you?" said Felicia. "You know what you are? You're stubborn."
"I'm not stubborn…" said Ren. "I'm tenacious. And that's a good thing. Megacyber, attack Panther Warrior!"
Megacyber slashed with his blades again, and Panther Warrior shattered once more.
(R: 4,700) -------------------- (F: 5,500)
"Tenacious?" said Felicia, drawing a card. "I say, you're so stubborn you won't even admit that you're stubborn!
"By the way, I'm using Bast's ability again. You remember that, right? I pay 500 Life Points, and this time, I think I'll bring The All-Seeing White Tiger to my hand."
She spread out her deck and took a card.
"Now, I'll summon it…"
In a flash of energy, the white Bengal tiger appeared, ready to pounce. (1,300/500)
"Next, I'll move Nekogal into Attack Mode…"
Nekogal stood up, and assumed a crouching position.
"Now, Bast attacks your Megacyber again!"
Bast slashed with her claws, and The Fiend Megacyber exploded again.
"Tiger, take out his last defense!" she ordered.
The White Tiger leapt at the facedown card…
Another Dark Blade appeared on the card. (1,800/1,500) He swatted the Tiger away with a backhand, and it fell backwards.
(R: 3,700) -------------------- (F: 4,800)
Felicia chuckled. Ren looked at her nervously.
"Fine," she said. "I end my turn. But I suggest you give up…"
"I'm not beaten yet," said Ren.
"I'm going to win next turn," said Felicia. "Take a look…"
She showed Ren a card in her hand. Catnipped Kitty.
"All I have to do is summon her, and her effect can reduce your Dark Blade's Defense Points to zero. Then you'll get a direct attack courtesy of Bast.
"You have no cards in your hand, so the chances of any miracles are unlikely.
"So what's it gonna be, Ren? A peaceful surrender, or a painful end at the hands of my cat goddess?"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"I dunno, Connie," said Sally. "If he keeps up, I'd say he really is stubborn. The only thing left to do at this point is run and hide."
"He isn't stubborn," sighed Sally. "He always told me that the key to winning is to never give up. You don't give up until you don't have any Life Points left…
"And I just know he has something that he can use…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ren slowly drew a card.
His eyes opened wide…
This… he thought. This is the card Guinevere gave me…
Maybe… Just maybe I can turn this duel around… It's my only chance…
"Dark Blade, move to Attack Mode," he said.
Dark Blade stood up, and raised his swords.
"Huh?" said Felicia. "What are you up to?"
"Now…" said Ren. "I'm gonna summon someone new… But in order to do so, I have to remove one Dark Warrior in my grave from play…"
Familiar Knight slipped out of his discard slot, and he pocketed the card.
"Now… Let's all have a warm Duelatopia welcome… For La Sombra!"
There was a burst of shadowy energy, and a figure leapt out. It was a tall woman, wearing a low-cut, skimpy leotard made of red leather, along with leather boots and gloves. Her long, raven-black hair was worn lose, and she wore a domino mask over her eyes. She carried a nasty-looking bullwhip in her hands. (1,800/1,000)
"What the…" said Chelsea. "Who's that? Double Pinaska's girlfriend?"
"La Sombra…" muttered Yumi. "Spanish for 'The Shadow'…"
"Doesn't matter…" said Felicia, with a chuckle. "She can't come close to beating Bast, and you have no cards you could use to make her stronger."
La Sombra grinned wickedly at Felicia.
"Depends," said Ren. "It all depends on whose luck is better. La Sombra has a powerful ability.
"When she's summoned, you have to draw one card. Then, what happens next depends on what type of card it is. If it's a Monster… Well, then she's destroyed, and I lose. If it's a Spell Card, however, she can destroy one Monster. If it's a Trap Card, she gets to attack you directly.
"So the question is… Feeling lucky?"
Felicia glared at him.
"Listen to me, Ren!" she sneered. "I never say no to a challenge…"
She quickly drew a card.
She looked at it and scowled.
She showed it to him. It was War Lion Ritual.
"That's the one!" shouted Ren. "La Sombra, destroy the Queen of Cats!"
La Sombra cracked her whip, and then lashed it forward, entangling it around Bast's neck. Bast gripped her neck and closed her eyes as she started to choke…
La Sombra gave a savage yank, and Bast the Queen of Cats shattered into particles.
"I still have her normal attack!" said Ren. "Attack Nekogal #1! Shadow lash!"
La Sombra leapt up and lashed her whip downwards. Nekogal shrieked and shattered into bits.
"Dark Blade, attack her Tiger!"
Dark Blade charged, and with one swipe of his sword, cleaved The All-Seeing White Tiger in half.
"Heh, heh…" said Ren. "Your move…"
(R: 3,700) -------------------- (F: 3,600)
Felicia bowed her head for a minute…
"People…" said Anastasia's voice. "I think it's starting to work. I think Bast may have been a symbol of the control Felicia's attacker had. She's dead, so if Ren can simply not allow himself to be defeated, Felicia might reject the one who did this to her."
"Uh, Ren…" said Yumi. "You hearing this?"
"Yeah, I heard," replied Ren. "Any other advice, Anne?"
"Well…" said Anastasia. "Maybe the symbol of your own strength as a duelist would be the clincher."
Ren paused.
That would mean my Queen, he thought. She needs a double sacrifice, and I have two Monsters on the field… So, if I can somehow protect both of them until I draw her, this might just have a happy ending…
Both my Monsters have 1,800 Attack Points… Felicia likely has a third Panther Warrior… I just gotta hope she doesn't draw it before I draw my Queen.
Felicia drew a card.
She quickly placed a card on her Disk, and a defensive Monster appeared.
She stared at Ren.
"I take it you want me to move," he said. "Well, stand back!"
He drew a card.
Oh, Bait Doll again? he thought. Well, better now than when a bad draw would have killed me…
"Dark Blade, attack!"
The Warrior made a slash with his sword. Catnipped Kitty appeared on the card, and shattered.
"Now, La Sombra attacks you directly!"
La Sombra lashed with her whip, striking Felicia. She screamed in pain.
She gasped for breath and looked at Ren.
(R: 3,700) -------------------- (F: 1,800)
"End…" said Ren.
Felicia drew a card.
"I play Silent Doom," she said. "Now I can bring back Nekogal #2 in Defense Mode."
The older Nekogal appeared on the field. She knelt and crossed her arms. (1,900/2,000)
"Wait a minute…" said Ren. "She was never in your Graveyard…"
"Was she?" asked Felicia. "Think back…"
Ren thought for a minute…
Then he remembered the first card Felicia had played…
"It's called Safari Hunter. Now, I send one Monster in my hand to the grave, and in return, I get to take any Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast I want from my deck."
"Oh yeah…" said Ren.
"I'll end my turn by placing this facedown," she said.
She fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
Ren drew a card.
Huh… he thought, looking at it. It's the card I just got at that store…
But she's not nearly strong enough to beat Nekogal's Defense, and putting her on the field would be too risky. Maybe I'll get a chance later.
"I pass…" he said.
Felicia drew a card.
"Perfect…" she said. "Now you're gonna get it!"
Her facedown card lifted, showing the image of an aged gypsy at a table looking at a set of Duel Monsters cards.
"I activate The Transmigration Prophecy. This Trap Card lets me take two cards from either or both Graveyards, and send them back to the owners' decks."
The All-Seeing White Tiger and Nekogal #1 slipped out of her discard slot. She added them to her deck, and reshuffled.
She put her deck back, and then played a card.
"Next, I play Monster Reincarnation. So I toss one card…"
She discarded her copy of Miracle Moment.
"…and I get to take a Monster back from my Graveyard. And I think I'm gonna take back Bast."
The card slipped out of her discard slot.
"But don't worry… I'm not gonna summon her again. Instead, I'm gonna summon Rescue Cat."
She played the card, and the sweet-looking kitten wearing a hardhat appeared on the field. (300/100)
Rescue Cat bore her claws and burrowed into the ground.
"You remember her effect, right? By sending her to the Graveyard, I get to Special Summon two Beasts that are Level Three or less, and I think I'll summon those two I just sent back to my deck."
Nekogal #1 and The All-Seeing White Tiger appeared on the field, in Attack Mode. (1,100/900), (1,300/500)
"Next…" she said, "I'll play my War Lion Ritual, sacrificing Nekogals #1 and #2 to summon Super War Lion!"
Ren stepped back, as both Nekogals erupted in flames. The flames took shape, and the huge lion leapt out of the fire. (2,300/2,200)
Crap… thought Ren.
"Now I play this…" she said, holding up another Spell Card. "It's a powerful Spell called Double Attack. Now, I just have to toss a Monster that's a higher Level than my War Lion, and it can attack twice. It's Level Seven, and Bast is Level Nine. That means it can shred both of your Warriors!"
She discarded Bast, the last card in her hand, and Super War Lion glowed.
"Attack!" shouted Felicia.
Super War Lion pounced on La Sombra, and she was crushed flat. Then it turned to Dark Blade, and with one swipe of a mighty claw, he shattered into pixels.
"And I'm not done with you…" said Felicia. "Tiger, attack him directly!"
All-Seeing White Tiger pounced on Ren, and he screamed as it raked him across the face.
(R: 1,400) -------------------- (F: 1,800)
"I end my turn…" muttered Felicia. "So, due to Rescue Cat's effect, The All-Seeing White Tiger is destroyed."
The Tiger burst into pixels.
"So what now, Ren?" she asked.
Ren looked at his deck.
It's now or never… he thought.
He drew a card.
It shone in the morning light…
He took one of the other cards in his hand.
"I summon… New Moon Princess!" he shouted.
"HUH?" said Yumi and Chelsea.
In an aura of shadow, a small figure appeared on the field. It was a young girl who looked like she might have been Crescent Moon Queen's kid sister. She had the same ebony skin and silvery hair, but was dressed in a leather squire's outfit, and held a wooden practice sword. (1,300/1,200)
"Heh, heh…" chuckled Felicia. "Looks like you've literally hit the bottom of your barrel. She doesn't even come close to being able to beat my Lion."
"No, she can't…" said Ren. "But she has a powerful ability. When she's on the field, I can instantly sacrifice her, to summon her big sister from my hand.
"So, New Moon Princess, be gone…"
The young Warrior vanished, and darkness covered the field.
In an aura of shadow, the powerful form of Crescent Moon Queen stepped out. (2,600/1,700)
"That's… Not possible…" muttered Felicia.
"Oh, but it is!" replied Ren. "Crescent Moon Queen, attack her Lion!"
The Queen charged, and made one mighty swipe with her blade. Super War Lion roared, before shattering into bits.
"I'm not done…" said Ren, "she has one more attack, and it's heading straight for you!"
Felicia shrieked as the Queen's second sword slammed into her. She fell to her knees.
(R: 1,400) -------------------- (F: 0)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Connie and Sally cheered and hugged each other.
"Well…" said Sally, "let's get working on that list again… It's gonna be a real party…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Felicia slowly looked up. She was surprised to see that the Warrior who had just attacked her was now looking at her with a look of concern.
Felicia lifted her hand, but the hand she tried to take was a hologram, and passed right through. Crescent Moon Queen started to fade away…
"No!" shouted Felicia. "Come back! Please!"
She held herself. She started shivering.
Yumi ran up.
"Felicia?" she said.
"Yumi… Ren…" said Felicia. "Help me… Please…"
"Just hold still…" said Yumi.
She turned and saw Anastasia's face. She nodded.
Yumi placed her hand over the left side of Felicia's chest, and both of them glowed. Felicia suddenly stopped shivering.
Felicia closed her eyes.
"Felicia…" said Yumi. "You have to tell us… Who did this to you?"
"Uhm…" said Felicia.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A lengthy explanation later…
"Felicia…" said Ren, "you should have known that when a deal seems too good to be true, it usually is."
"This is serious, people…" said Chelsea. "If Nicholas could do this, Rasputin and Olga and maybe all the other Ascenders could too. Any legit duelist in Duelatopia could be working for Rasputin now without even being aware of it."
"At least the three of us don't have to accept any ordinary challenges," said Ren.
He held up his badge, which was now at Gold.
"And don't worry, Felicia," he said, "despite the rather heavy wager we made, I'll choose to forfeit the prize. You don't owe me anything."
"Really?" said Felicia with a smirk. "Heh… You have a lot of self-control… I mean, who wouldn't have wanted a piece of this?"
She motioned seductively at Ren, and he grinned nervously. Chelsea growled.
Yumi scratched her chin.
An Ojama Deck? she thought. Nicholas certainly gets points for originality, but…
I can't shake the feeling that he's hiding something. After all, only one duelist in history has ever based his whole dueling career on those three guys…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rasputin shut off his computer, and crossed his arms, not at all pleased.
"Next time," he said, "I will duel…"
Felicia has been defeated, the poison in her system is flushed clean, and best of all, Ren is heading for the finals. Seems that now all of our group has made it… Or have they?
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LA SOMBRA (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 5
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned by removing one DARK Warrior-Type Monster in your Graveyard from play. On the round this card is Special Summoned, your opponent draws one card. Enact the one of the following effects depending on the type of card drawn:
Monster: This card is destroyed.
Spell: You may destroy one opposing Monster.
Trap: This card may attack your opponent directly this round.
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0
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NEW MOON PRINCESS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: By offering this card as a Tribute, Special Summon one "Crescent Moon Queen" from your hand.
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0
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BAST, THE QUEEN OF CATS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 9
ATK: 3,200
DEF: 2,000
Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. This card can only be Normal Summoned or set by Tributing Beast- or Beast-Warrior-Type Monsters. Once per your turn that this card is face-up on your side of the field, you may pay 500 Life Points to search your deck for one Beast or Beast-Warrior-Type Monster that is Level Four or less and add it to your hand.
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0
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SAFARI HUNTER (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A man in a pith helmet holding a rifle, hiding in a brush, observing a group of tigers.
Card Description: Discard one Monster Card from your hand to activate this card. Search your deck for one Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast, and add it to your hand. You cannot summon or set this Monster on the same round you use this card.
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Ren: We did it, everyone! We're going to the finals! All three of us!
Chelsea: Sam too… It's gonna be great… Gee, it would be great if Erik could be in them too…
Erik: Think I can't? I won that Shadow Game, I can certainly get to the finals, and I'm gonna prove myself the way everyone else did!
Yumi: The Eliminators play dirty, Erik. Be warned, because they play not to win, but to make sure you lose…
Coming up next, "Elimination Duel Five; Path of Destruction."
It won't be easy…
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Attention everyone:
Ren is now in the finals, and Chelsea is as well, so it's time for a little audience participation.
You may have guessed it already: It's a poll. That's right… Ren and Chelsea may quickly be falling for each other, but they're going to have to duel each other eventually. Who will win? I'm letting you decide. Let your opinions show, and vote.
Send me the your vote via PM. We'll do it by secret ballot.
To make this better, I'm also holding this poll on another website. I'll combine the results when the poll closes. No one will know the winner until the end of the actual duel.
Of course, you'll need to keep one thing in mind… I'm not saying at this point who the winner of this duel is going to have to duel afterwards as a result of the victory. That will remain a mystery.
This poll closes at midnight, September 15th. Don't be left out. Speak your mind… Vote!