A small, embarrassing announcement to make.
As my good friend jkBakura pointed out to me yesterday, there was recently an update in the translation for the Spell Card, "Summon Cloud". Unfortunately, my chapter with Aisha used the wrong one.
Here's how the real effect of Summon Cloud works. It lets you Special Summon a Level Four or less Cloudian from your hand OR your Graveyard, so long as you have no Monsters on the field. However, you only have to destroy the Spell Card if you summon one from your Graveyard.
These things happen when you use cards that are new even in Japan. However, "Gladiator's Assault" is well established there now, so I don't think I'll make this sort of mistake again should I use cards from that set.
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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
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Elimination Duel Five
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Path of Destruction
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At around the time Ren's duel with Felicia was starting, another duel was happening at the beach…
…and everyone was flocking to see it.
"Hey!" shouted one girl. "Come quick! That guy with the Toy Deck is dueling some Pro!"
"So is he losing?" asked her boyfriend as they ran up to where the rest of the crowd was.
"No!" she said. "It's crazy! He's beating the stuffing out of him!"
It was only too true. Erik now had three Toy Soldiers (800/300 x3) and Toy Emperor (2,300/800) on his side of the field, and 5,000 Life Points remaining. His opponent, an older man in a grey formal suit, had a clear side, and only 2,000 Life Points left.
The older duelist was clearly upset.
"So you're in the Pro League, huh?" asked Erik. "Maybe I should apply… If the duelists there are this pathetic, I'll bet I could clean up."
"Just keep crackin' jokes, kid," snarled his opponent.
He drew a card.
"I'm gonna wipe that silly grin off your face…"
He played the card, and a defensive Monster appeared.
"There," he said. "Let's see your guys try to waltz past THAT."
"If you say so…" said Erik.
He drew a card.
"Toy Emperor, run down his Monster!"
The Emperor galloped forward…
A ghostly grim reaper appeared on the card, and blocked the attack with its scythe. (300/200)
"Looks like your luck just ran out, kid," said the Pro. "That's my Spirit Reaper. And it's indestructible."
"Or so you'd like to believe," said Erik, taking a card from his hand. "YOU'RE the one whose luck just ran out. I play the Quickplay Spell, Rush Recklessly."
"That makes no sense!" shouted the Pro. "My Reaper can't be destroyed no matter how much you juice up your Soldiers."
"Who said I was using it on my Soldiers?" asked Erik. "I'm using it on your Spirit Reaper!"
Spirit Reaper glowed, and rose to an Attack of 1,000.
"Unfortunately, for you," said Erik, "when Spirit Reaper is targeted by a card effect, even a beneficial one, it goes boom."
Spirit Reaper exploded into pixels.
"And my Battle Phase isn't over. Toy Soldiers, open fire!"
The three Soldiers got down on one knee, and fired their muskets. The Pro duelist screamed in pain and fell over.
As Erik looked at his badge, which was now Silver, the Pro started crawling away, muttering that he was getting too old for this.
"So who's next?" asked Erik. "Who wants to help me get Gold? Anyone here at Violet?"
Everyone looked at everyone else.
"Uh, sorry…" said one girl, nervously. "Only Green…"
"I would, but my Disk is back at the hotel…" said one boy.
Erik started shuffling his deck, as the crowd started to disperse.
Sam rushed up and grabbed him. She planted a big kiss on his lips.
"Sam… Sam…" he gasped.
They kissed deeply for a minute.
"Keep it up, lover…" she said, "and pretty soon we'll both be in the finals!"
"Why depend on an open challenge?" asked Erik. "I want to go for the gusto…"
He looked at the Talisman of the Mind.
"I want to make a statement, Sam…" he said. "Be noticed… I want to duel you in the final round of the finals!"
"Erik, baby, you're getting intense…" said Sam.
"Baby…" said Erik, holding her. "Your aunt is an Eliminator… She must know the others… She must have told you a few things…
"Can't you tell me where to find one?"
Sam gave a look of horror…
She hadn't wanted him to ask her that. She couldn't have lived with herself if she had led him to an Eliminator and he had lost…
But what would she do? Say no? When he was on his best run of his career as a duelist?
She thought for a minute…
She thought of the Eliminators Aunt Diane had mentioned. She had to be careful. Hoshi and the Midnight Caller had both been surprises to her.
One of them was an old friend of hers who played a Human Wave Deck…
She had also mentioned that dueling was just what she did on the off-season. Her "real job" was being a gourmet chef somewhere…
Erik could win against such a strategy… He had done so already in this very tournament, mostly because so many of his Monsters were unaffected by lockdown cards…
"Sure, Erik, sure…" she said. "I'll lead you to an Eliminator… But I warn you… This one is pretty mean…"
She smirked.
She wasn't lying… A Mokey Mokey that had been enhanced by a Smackdown could be rather mean… Just ask anyone who had seen one.
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"Okay, baby…" said Sam. "Take a look, and try to figure out what's wrong here…"
They were on the ground floor of the Serpent Complex Pavilion, a large, pricy shopping center, and they were in front of a group of vending machines. One was a juice machine, one was a candy machine, one was a Pepsi machine, and two of them were Coke machines. One of the Coke machines had an "out of order" sign pasted on it.
"It's obvious…" said Eric. "It wouldn't make sense to put two of the same type of machine here and only one of the other types, so the out of order one must serve another purpose…"
Sam grinned as he went up to it.
Erik looked at it, and finally took some coins out of his pocket and threw them into the machine. It lit up and hummed…
He hit a selection button…
Then a trapdoor opened, and he fell through it.
"Erik!" shouted Sam.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
Quickly, she leapt through the opening, preferring to risk what was below than leave Erik alone.
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"Erik? Where are you, baby?" shouted Sam.
"You fell on me!" came the reply.
"Oh… Heh… Sorry…"
The two of them got up, and looked ahead. They were facing a long, dark corridor, with flickering electric lights overhead, leading to a metal door about forty feet ahead. Behind them was the chute they had just fallen down.
"Well…" said Erik, "since going back the way we came definitely isn't an option…"
Sam was nervous as they walked towards the metal door. She had expected a much less intimidating entrance hall.
Erik touched the door, and it slid open…
"That smell…" he said. "Formaldehyde?"
They looked inside, and were greeted by what appeared to be a chemistry lab. The room was cluttered, but still clean, and occupied by tables containing scientific apparatus. One table held beakers and test tubes; another held burners. It was clear that whoever did work here liked the place organized.
What is going on? thought Sam. This doesn't seem like the place any Human Wave duelist would use…
Could I have gotten my Eliminators and locations mixed up?
They heard a voice coming from the back of the room.
"Ninth day of July, year 2053," said the voice, "personal journal of Dr. Heinrich Janustein…"
Dr. Janustein? thought Sam in shock.
She trembled…
Her aunt may not have mentioned Hoshi and the Caller, but she had mentioned that name.
"Erik," whispered Sam. "Come on, this was a bad idea…"
The voice paused.
"Vun minute, children," he said, "I'll be zere in a minute…"
Erik followed the voice with curiosity. He saw a man sitting at a desk speaking into a recorder.
"My analysis of ze sample has proven my suspicions…" he continued. "It is none other zan Baatoran green steel, a metal found only in ze infernal dimensions. According to legends, devils use zis metal to forge swords of unparalleled toughness and sharpness.
"I now understand Fräulein Arachne's concern… After all, it vas a native of zese infernal dimensions zat caused so much trouble nineteen years ago. Further tests vill be required after I report vat I have now. I can only hope zat its discovery does not lead to more diabolic crisis."
He turned off the recorder and stood up.
Erik was more than a little surprised. The man in front of them fit the profile of a typical mad scientist… He had thick, unkempt hair, and thick glasses. He wore a spotless, white lab coat over a white shirt, grey vest, slacks, and tie.
"Who are you?" asked Erik. "And why do you look like Magical Scientist?"
"Vell, I…" he started.
"Look, buddy…" said Sam. "This was all a mistake… Why don't we make a deal… If you want a duel, I'll be your opponent, and you can let Erik go."
"Sam!" snapped Erik. "What are you…"
The scientist chuckled.
"I'm afraid zat is impossible, child," he said. "Don't you know ze rules? You beat Hoshi… Only vun Eliminator duel per guest."
Sam's face fell. She had kind of hoped he hadn't found that out.
"It's okay, Sam," said Erik. "I can take this guy… He looks like he just stepped out of some Grimm Brothers fairy tale.
"I have to admit, fellah, I didn't expect some mad scientist…"
The man shrugged.
"Lots of scientists vere called mad," he replied, "until zey uncovered some groundbreaking theory zat changed ze world. Zen people stopped calling zem mad scientists, und started calling zem visionaries."
Sam looked at Erik with a look of fear. Then she looked at the scientist.
She had never really doubted his abilities before… But in this case, she would have doubted her own.
"So, Erik vas it?" asked the scientist, taking off his lab coat. "You say you can 'take zis guy' so to speak. You should know, Dr. Janustein is no pushover…"
"I know the stakes," said Erik. "So what happens if I lose?"
Janustein chuckled and picked up a Duel Disk.
"Nothing," he replied.
Erik looked at him.
"Nothing?" he asked. "No punishment? No penalty that you Eliminators are legendary for?"
"Trust me, my boy…" he replied, "the defeat you vill be handed vill be punishment enough. Doing anything else to you vould make me some sort of a sadist."
Janustein snapped his fingers, and panels opened in the walls. The tables and desks all retracted into them, leaving them in a bare room.
Sam backed up, and leaned against the wall, her brow furrowing with worry.
Her aunt had cautioned her against looking for any Eliminator…
…but she had also said that if she absolutely HAD to find one, avoid this guy at all costs…
"All right…" said Erik, loading his deck. "It isn't like you're the first creepshow I've dueled since I got here…"
The Disks activated.
"Game on!" shouted Erik.
(Erik: 8,000) -------------------- (Janustein: 8,000)
"Let's go!" shouted Erik, drawing his first card.
"I throw down a facedown, and summon my trusty Toy Soldier."
A facedown card appeared, and Toy Soldier appeared in a burst of light. (800/300)
"That's enough to start."
"Very vell…" said Janustein. "I draw…"
He drew a card.
"Und now let's pause to contemplate…"
"Huh?" asked Erik.
"A scientific rhyme…" said Janustein. "Taffy vas a chemist; Taffy is no more; Vat Taffy thought vas H2O; Vas H2SO4."
Erik just stared at him.
"Hold on…" he said. "Wait a second… If I remember my third-year chemistry, H2SO4 is… Hydrogen, Sulfur, Oxygen… Sulfuric acid… Yeah, mistaking that for water would be nasty. But what's the point?"
"It's a warning," said Janustein. "Be careful… Dangerous things may lurk vere you thought harmless vuns vere."
He slid a card into his Disk.
"I play Kozaky's Infernal Device."
With a loud rumble, a frightening machine rose behind him. It looked like a furnace with a demonic face, with mechanical arms all over the outside, tipped with saws, drills, screws, and other sharp tools.
"WHAT THE?" shouted Erik. "If you think THAT looks harmless, I'd hate to see what you think dangerous is!"
"Let me explain vat zis Continuous Spell Card does, shall I?" replied Janustein. "I can use its effect vunce per round, if I forfeit my right to Normal Summon or set a Monster. I can choose vun Monster from my deck, so long as neither its Attack nor Defense is greater zan 1,000, und set it in Defense Mode. However, I'm also not allowed to Flip-Summon it on my own."
Flames belched from the Infernal Device's "mouth". He took a card from his deck, and placed it on his Disk. A facedown card appeared.
"Aren't you gonna tell me what it is?" asked Erik.
"Unlike most search cards," replied Janustein, "I don't have to… So nein."
He fit another card into his Disk.
"I place zis facedown, and mein turn is over…"
Be careful Erik… thought Sam. That facedown Monster is bad news… I just know it…
Erik drew a card.
"My Toy Soldier's effect activates," he said, "so I get two more…"
Two more Toy Soldiers appeared next to the first. (800/300 x2)
Less than 1,000 Defense, huh? he thought. This shouldn't be hard…
"Toy Soldier number one… Attack that Monster!"
The first Toy Soldier blasted its gun…
A Monster appeared on the card. It was a large, pink worm with three spines on its head. It shattered into bits.
"A Needle Worm?" shouted Erik in surprise.
"Ja," said Janustein, with an evil grin. "So say auf wiedersehen to the top five cards on your deck."
Erik gasped as five cards flew off of his deck and vanished.
Erik grit his teeth in anger.
"I'm not through with you!" he shouted. "Toy Soldier number two, attack directly!"
The second Toy Soldier blasted its gun, and Janustein grunted.
"I activate a Trap," he said quietly. "Flashbang."
His facedown card lifted.
"Flash-what?" said Erik.
"Flashbang," said Janustein. "Since you attacked me directly, your turn is now over."
"But…" said Erik.
"Next time," said Janustein, drawing a card, "ven you receive a warning, listen closer."
(E: 8,000) -------------------- (J: 7,200)
I wish I could have warned him… thought Sam. But I couldn't…
And Janustein's strategy is hard to beat. He doesn't bother attacking… He doesn't even bother trying to reduce his opponent's Life Points. Most of his cards are aimed at depleting, draining, and otherwise destroying his opponent's cards before he can even use them…
Because he knows… When his opponent runs out of cards, he wins.
He was right… Simply losing your place in the tournament via this method is punishment enough…
"I'll use the effect of my Infernal Device again," said Janustein.
Flames belched from the demonic furnace's mouth, and a new facedown Monster appeared.
"Next, I set zis facedown, und zat vill do it."
A facedown card appeared.
Eric drew again.
Is he pulling the exact same trick he pulled last turn? he thought. Well, his Flashbang may have ended my last turn, but it didn't stop the attack. So this time, I'll just attack him with a much stronger Monster…
"I play… Crowning of the Emperor!" he shouted. "I'll trade in one Toy Soldier…"
One of the Toy Soldiers vanished.
"And bring out Toy Emperor!"
The sound of a horse's whinny came from behind, and Toy Emperor galloped into view. (2,300/800)
"This might sting a little…" said Erik. "Toy Soldier, destroy his facedown Monster!"
Toy Soldier fired his musket…
To Erik's surprise, the Monster that appeared on the card was not another Needle Worm, nor was it any Monster he had ever seen before. It looked like a rock vaguely shaped like a turtle, with eyes peering out of its shell. The blast shattered it to pieces.
"Not vat you expected, eh?" laughed Janustein. "Zat vas a Level Pod, my boy. Vun of my best strategies. Now I'll explain… All Monsters on the field go back to zeir owner's decks, and zen we reshuffle…"
Erik snarled as his three Monsters vanished. He reshuffled his deck.
"Of course, zat doesn't affect me, because my only Monster vas just destroyed," continued Janustein. "Now, you add up ze total Levels of zose Monsters you just sent back to your deck, und draw ze same number of cards."
"Wait just a minute…" said Erik. "That means I have to draw… Twelve cards??"
"Exactly…" said Janustein. "Now start drawing."
Erik reluctantly did. He liked cards that let him make extra draws, but this was ridiculous!
"Now…" said Janustein, "look at zem closely… If you don't have at least one of ze Monsters that you sent back to your deck, you must discard all twelve."
Erik looked at them, trying hard not to drop any.
"Joke's on you, pal…" he said. "My Toy Emperor is right here."
"Ack, vell…" said Janustein with a smirk. "I never said zat ze strategy vas perfect. In fact, ven one strategy fails, a smart duelist thinks up a good new vun."
His facedown card lifted.
"I activate Heavy Slump."
"Huh?" asked Erik.
"Heavy Slump," replied Janustein. "I can only activate zis when you have eight or more cards in your hand. Now, you shuffle your whole hand back into your deck, and zen draw two cards."
Sam watched as Erik reshuffled.
I guess Janustein had a choice, she thought. Erik would have had to discard a lot of those cards when his turn ended, but using that Trap made it less dangerous…
Erik made two draws and looked at them.
"I place this facedown, and activate Call of the Haunted," he said.
A facedown card appeared. Then his first facedown card flipped up. A coffin appeared on his side of the field, and opened. Toy Soldier climbed out of it. (800/300)
"Him again…" muttered Janustein. "Typical…"
"That will do…" said Erik.
Janustein drew a card.
"Don't think I'll use my Infernal Device zis turn…" he said. "Instead, I'll summon Necro Jar in Attack Mode."
He played the card, and an ugly thing appeared on his side of the field. It looked like a thick worm growing out of a jar, with a toothy mouth, and a glaring eyeball inside the mouth. (1,100/300)
"Ugly little thing, isn't it?" asked Erik.
"Some things aren't always pretty," said Janustein, "but zey can hide useful things under zere ugly appearance. Take caviar for example.
"Anyway, I end mein turn."
Sam made a face. She had once tried caviar when her mother had taken her to an upscale party. She had figured it must be some sort of acquired taste, because she thought it had tasted just plain awful.
Erik was more than a little surprised. He drew a card.
His Necro Jar is clearly stronger than my Toy Soldier, but it's just standing there, he thought. Something tells me he WANTS me to destroy it…
But I really don't have many other options…
"Once again, Toy Soldier's effect activates…" said Erik.
In two flashes of light, two more Toy Soldiers appeared again. (800/300 x2)
"Next, I'll summon my Toy Wind-Up."
He played the card, and the bigger, mechanical Toy Soldier appeared. (1,000/700)
"And now…" he said, taking the last card in his hand, "I'll play my second Crowning of the Emperor."
He played the card, and one Toy Soldier vanished. Toy Emperor appeared again.
"Go!" shouted Erik. "Destroy his Necro Jar!"
Toy Emperor galloped forward, and with one slash of his blade, the foul thing burst into an explosion of filth.
"Bet you weren't expecting that," said Erik.
"Actually," said Janustein, "it vas exactly vat I was expecting. When Necro Jar is defeated in battle, my opponent loses vun card for every 300 Life Points I lost in ze battle. So if my math is right, und trust me, it is, zat's four cards."
Erik growled, as four cards flew off of his Disk and vanished.
"Well, I'm not done!" shouted Erik. "Toy Emperor has a nifty effect too… Now I get to take a Trap Card from my deck…"
He took his deck and looked through it. He was glad that the Trap he wanted was still there.
Zero Gravity will help in case he tries THAT again, he thought.
"And you're in trouble now… Because your side is clear! Toy Soldiers, attack!"
The two Toy Soldiers aimed their weapons and fired. Janustein cringed.
"Toy Wind-Up, you too… Blunderbuss blast!"
"Mein Gott…" muttered Janustein.
Toy Wind-Up fired, and Janustein cried out in pain.
"I'm still not done!" said Erik with a grin. "Now I get to summon another Toy Wind-Up!"
A second Wind-Up appeared next to the first. (1,000/700)
Erik pointed, and it fired its blunderbuss. Janustein doubled over in pain.
"Ergh! Mein stomach!" gasped the scientist.
"I'll place this facedown, and my turn is over…" said Erik, setting Zero Gravity. "You sure you're okay?"
The facedown card appeared next to the other one.
(E: 8,000) -------------------- (J: 2,400)
The scientist paused to catch his breath…
"Never better…" he replied. "Some people think I'm getting too old for zis… I tell zose people, zese days, I need all ze exercise I can get."
Erik's not doing too bad… thought Sam. But he'd better win this duel quickly…
According to my count, he's already down to half a deck…
Janustein drew a card.
He looked at it closely.
"I'll set two cards facedown…" he said.
Two facedown cards appeared.
"And say goodbye to that one!" shouted Erik. "Go, Dust Tornado!"
One of his two facedown cards lifted, and the tornado tore across the field, blowing one of the two Trap Cards to pieces.
Dr. Janustein gave him a dirty look.
"Boy…" said Erik, nervously. "I didn't recognize that Trap Card, but I can tell just from the look of it that I didn't like it…"
"You vouldn't have…" growled Janustein. "Zat was Monster Register, and it vas my rarest und deadliest Trap Card."
"Uh… What does it do?" asked Erik.
Janustein glared at him.
"You destroyed it, und I'm not nearly rich enough to have a second copy," he scowled. "Does it really matter?"
"Hey, don't get your lederhosen in an uproar, pal…" said Erik.
"I use ze effect of my Infernal Device again," said Janustein.
The furnace belched flames, and a facedown Monster appeared.
"Turn end."
Janustein looked at Erik closely.
Zis boy is interesting… he thought. He's a good duelist, but else something about him stands out… Not just any duelist would have been lucky enough to have activated Dust Tornado on a whim and destroyed such a dangerous Trap…
Many believe zat ze renowned Dr. Heinrich Janustein is merely a chemist who also happens to be a duelist… Vun who graduated at ze top of his class at ze University of Cologne, ja, but not an unremarkable vun…
Few folks know zat I am also an expert in demonology… Vun who studies ze cultures and societies of extraplanar beings of pure Evil.
The Demons, who represent Evil in its raw, chaotic state…
And Devils, who represent it in its organized, structured state, taken to the extreme.
And I can recognize both ze influence of infernal creatures, and zose with the potential to oppose zem…
Zis Erik… Is he one who has ze power to oppose such creatures?
He may vell be… But I can't say for certain…
His Monsters are toys… Child's playthings… Perhaps zat represents purity and innocence… Zose are indeed traits zat one who battles fiends must possess…
I must know more…
Erik drew a card.
"All right, doc," he said, "I play… Pot of Avarice."
He played the card, and the goofy jar appeared in front of him. Five cards slipped out of his discard slot.
Janustein frowned. He hated that card (except when he was using it). And his strategy as a duelist gave his opponents plenty of opportunities to use it.
Erik shuffled his deck, and then drew twice.
All right… he thought, adding them to his hand. If I took a chance, I could end this right now…
"Toy Wind-Up… Attack!"
Toy Wind-Up aimed its gun…
A ceramic vase colored red, white, and blue appeared on the card. A dark shadow with one eye and a toothy mouth snaked out of the jar, and cackled. The Wind-Up fired its gun, and it blew into shards.
"A Morphing Jar?" asked Erik.
"Not quite…" said Janustein. "It vas a Morphing Jar #2. Now, you return all your Monsters to your deck and reshuffle…"
Erik's five Monsters vanished. He growled, and shuffled his deck.
"Now…" said Janustein, "you draw until you get five Monsters. Zen you set any of zem that are Level Four or less in Defense Mode, and discard everything else."
Erik growled again. He started to draw.
He growled a third time when he saw that the second card he drew was Toy Emperor. After drawing a total of eight cards, he set four of them on his Disk, and four facedown Monsters appeared. He discarded the other four.
"Activate Trap Card," said Janustein.
"What?" said Erik, as the facedown card lifted.
"There are two perfect companions to Morphing Jar #2," said Janustein. "Vun of zem is Ceasefire. Zis vun, however, is called Ze Spell Absorbing Life. Now, all your Monsters turn face-up…"
Two Toy Magicians (1,600/1,500x2) and two Toy Wind-Ups appeared (1,000/700 x2), kneeling in defense.
"Und now…" he continued, "I gain 400 Life Points for each Effect Monster on ze field. Pretty clever Trap Card, ja?"
He glowed with energy.
(E: 8,000) -------------------- (J: 4,000)
Erik glared at him.
"It's your move…" he said.
Janustein drew a card.
"Vell, we're coming to a close…" he said. "I'll use ze effect of my Device vunce more…"
The Infernal Device belched flames, and a new facedown Monster appeared on his side of the field.
"Next, I play ze Dark Door," he said, playing a Spell Card, "and for as long as zis door is open, both of us are only allowed to attack vith one Monster per round.
"So I end mein turn, my boy… It's almost over…"
Erik drew a card.
"You bet it is!" he shouted. "Feel the wrath of… Heavy Storm!"
He played the card, and Janustein cursed in German. The fierce wind tore through the room, and the Dark Door card blew to bits, and then the Infernal Machine exploded into a fiery blast of flaming metal.
Janustein frowned. Erik's four Monsters stood up in Attack Mode.
"Now…" said Erik. "I sacrifice one Toy Wind-Up, for my Toy Dragon!"
One of the Wind-Ups vanished, and the huge, colorful Dragon appeared, and let out a roar. (2,300/2,000) –) (3,500/2,000)
"Second Wind-Up…" said Erik, "destroy his last defense!"
The toy fired its blunderbuss, and this time, the regular Morphing Jar appeared on the card. It laughed before it shattered.
"Now…" muttered Janustein, "we both discard all our cards, und draw five times…"
Erik drew five cards.
"As if it will matter," he said. "Toy Dragon… Attack him directly!"
Toy Dragon roared, and blasted a beam of colored motes…
"Not so fast, my boy…" said Janustein, discarding one of the cards he had drawn. "My Kuriboh vill defend me…"
A wall of the tiny, furry Fiends sprang up, and the blast plowed into them, causing them to explode, but protecting Janustein.
"Well I'm not done…" said Erik. "Toy Magicians… You attack!"
The Magician's aimed their wands, and fired two blasts of colored light. Janustein shielded himself as the energy hit him.
He groaned.
(E: 8,000) -------------------- (J: 800)
"That's all for my turn…" said Erik.
Janustein panted for breath, and drew a card.
"I play ze Spell Card, Soul Reversal," he said, playing a card. "Mit this, I can take vun Flip-Effect Monster in mein Graveyard, and place it on ze top of mein deck."
A card slipped out of his discard slot, and he placed it on the top of his deck.
"Yeah?" said Erik. "Well, by the time you draw it, it will be too late…"
"Au contraire, my boy," he replied, as he played another card. "I can get it right now… I play… Card Destruction."
"OH!" shouted Erik, angrily, as he discarded his hand. "You're digging your own grave, Janustein!"
He drew five cards, and Janustein drew three.
"Digging mein own grave?" asked Janustein, looking at them. "Not a bad idea… I play Ze Shallow Grave…"
He played the card, and a facedown Monster appeared on his side of the field. Erik considered, and then a facedown Monster appeared on his side.
Erik! thought Sam. Be careful… Another Flip-Effect could wipe you out…
"I'll place vun other Monster facedown, und another card facedown, und end mein turn…" said Janustein, setting the last two cards in his hand.
A facedown Monster appeared next to the second, and a facedown card appeared.
Erik just stared at his opponent for a minute.
Mein setup is foolproof… thought Janustein. According to mein calculations, once he draws, his deck will have only seven cards left in it…
He thinks both of mein facedown Monsters are ones he has seen before, but both of zem are actually Level Pods. I just discarded vun when I played Card Destruction.
If he attacks either one, his deck will gain four cards, but he'll have to draw sixteen, plus the Level of his facedown Monster, and I win, because he'll have to draw more cards zen he has.
Und my facedown card is Solemn Judgment, zat vill negate any trick he could use to get around zem…
Of course, he may decide to simply pass… But since both zese Monsters vere not set vith my Infernal Device, I'm free to Flip-Summon zem myself on mein turn…
Erik drew a card.
"So, Janustein…" he said. "I'll admit it has been a challenge…
"But I'm afraid it's ending now…"
He played the card he had just drawn…
Mystical Space Typhoon.
Janustein gasped, as the cyclone tore across the field, and Solemn Judgment was blown to pieces.
"How could anyone have been so lucky?" he shouted.
Erik shrugged.
"That's the way it is sometimes," he said. "Now, I'll Flip-Summon my Magician of Faith…"
His facedown Monster flipped, and Magician of Faith appeared on the card. (300/400)
"Now I get to take back one Spell Card from my Graveyard," said Erik, "and thanks to your own strategy, I have nearly every Spell Card I possess to choose from."
A card slipped out of his discard slot.
"I choose this one… Forced March!"
He played the card.
"Now, I simply have to cut the Attack Scores of my Monsters in half, and they can bypass whatever Flip-Effect Monsters those are, and attack you directly."
The Toy Magicians fell to 800 Attack Points apiece, Magician of Faith fell to 150, and Toy Dragon fell to 1,750.
"Gott im Himmel!" shouted Janustein.
"Toy Dragon…" ordered Erik, "attack directly with shooting star shower!"
Toy Dragon roared, and breathed out its glowing motes, and the scientist screamed…
(E: 8,000) -------------------- (J: 0)
Dr. Janustein fell to his knees, as Sam ran up to Erik.
"Baby, you did it!" she shouted. "You actually did it…"
"Ja, he most certainly did…" muttered Janustein. "Never before have I seen such spirit… Maybe I am getting too old for zis…"
He waved his hand, and Erik's badge changed color, changing to Gold.
"We're both going to the finals, baby!" shouted Erik, lifting Sam off her feet. "And I hope I get a crack at Yumi myself!"
"Vell, Erik," said Janustein, "maybe I can help…"
He waved his hand, and a hatch on the door opened. A large filing cabinet came out.
The scientist opened the top drawer, and looked through some files.
"Your deck is quite powerful, my boy…" he said, "but it does have vun flaw… Most of ze Monsters are physically weak…"
He took a card out of a file and looked at it.
He handed it to Erik.
He sighed.
"Mein wife – God rest her soul – vas a duelist herself…" he said. "But she also loved chess… Her deck reflected zis, although she thought Archfiends, ze most popular group mit a chess theme, vere too horrid to use…
"Zis vas a card zat vas vun of her most powerful Monsters… Zis fits your theme nicely, does it not?"
Erik looked at it, and read the description.
"Yeah…" he said, "kinda… But the effect is kinda… strange."
"Nonsense, my boy," said Janustein. "Simply do vat I do… Do research, und you vill find several clever ways to use it."
"Yeah, yeah…" said Erik. "Aren't I supposed to get something else?"
Janustein smiled. He took a small cloth bag out of the cabinet and handed it to Erik.
Erik untied the bag and looked inside.
"These are chocolate truffles," he said, suspiciously.
"Very special truffles," said Janustein. "Do not eat zem just yet. Zey are ze food of knowledge tempered vith wisdom. Eat vun before you are challenged by something difficult, und you may vell be victorious.
"Now, good luck. Go now… Ze way you came vill now have a staircase going up."
"Uhm…" said Erik. "Say… what happened to your wife, anyway?"
Janustein gave a sad look…
"Uhm… cancer," he said. "Zese things happen…
"But I don't vant to sadden you mit my depressing stories. Off you go now, you two."
As the two left, Janustein rubbed his chin.
He took a wallet out of his pocket. He looked sadly at a picture inside it… A picture of himself when he was much younger, next to a young woman with gorgeous blonde hair and sky-blue eyes.
I hated to tell ze boy a fib about zose truffles, he thought, but I couldn't come out and say zat he is one of few who has ze gift… His ability to draw zat Mystical Space Typhoon at just ze right moment confirmed it.
It is a sad fact, zat for every hero who vanquishes some infernal threat, zere are a dozen would-be heroes who have perished while trying. And not all of zem were lost to death… Some suffered far worse fates…
Some… some like poor Ludmilla… She had ze gift too, but ze dark forces eventually proved too much for her…
The only consolation I have is zat ze ones who took her can't make her immortal, and she vould never submit to zem… Not with all the tortures they could think up. Eventually she will die, either from old age or when her jailers get bored with her, und she'll be free to go to her just reward…
I could tell zat Erik had ze gift… Ze ability to face ze infernal forces… But I could not tell his chances of success. If it ever comes to a battle between him und some paragon of wickedness, vat I've given him vill hopefully give him a small advantage…
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It was now noon.
Ren, Chelsea, and Yumi were sitting on a park bench, and Ren was playing his guitar again.
Hey girls, gather round…
Listen to what I'm putting down.
Hey baby, I'm your handyman…
I'm not the kind to use a pencil or rule...
I'm handy with love, and I'm no fool.
I fix broken hearts, I know that I truly can.
If your broken heart should need repair,
Then I am the man to see.
I whisper sweet things, you tell all your friends...
They'll come runnin' to me...
Here is the main thing that I want to say...
I'm busy twenty-four hours a day,
I fix broken hearts, I know that I truly can...
"I love that song," said Sam's voice.
The three of them looked up, and saw Sam and Erik.
"Looks like all five of us made the finals," said Sam. "We're going to settle things there."
"I can hardly wait," muttered Chelsea.
She grinned.
"Maybe I'll get to handle you myself, Sam!"
"It's your funeral, vampire-girl," grinned Sam.
"People, people," said Yumi. "We all made it… Let's put aside the name calling, okay? We should all celebrate… The finals aren't until the day after tomorrow… Why don't we make reservations at the biggest restaurant in Duelatopia for tomorrow night? The Temple of Osiris."
Sam paused. She took out her cell phone.
As she started to speak into it, Yumi saw Anastasia start to materialize. The other four mortals saw her too, although not as clearly as Yumi did. Sam paused for a minute, and started speaking to the maitre-de quicker.
"Yumi," said Anastasia. "Listen closely…
"The final Shadow Charm has revealed itself."
Yumi got up.
"Where?" she asked.
"The arboretum," said Anastasia. "But be careful. This is the Rod of the Ancients, the Charm belonging to Unus the Undying. Unus was Machius's biggest rival, and was said to be his equal."
Sam hung up the phone.
"So what are we waiting for?" she asked. "Reservations are at seven tomorrow, by the way."
"Good," said Ren. "Let's get us a Rod of the Ancients!"
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The five teenagers ran through the small forest that made up the arboretum. Yumi was a little nervous. Memories of the frightening duel with Icarus and his Beast of Light came back.
Anastasia materialized again, and started leading the way.
"There!" she said, pointing to a clearing.
Yumi looked, and they slowly walked up to the center of the clearing…
In the middle, on the ground, was what looked like a stone plug of some sort. On it was carved odd runes.
She bent over it.
"Someone give me a hand here…" she said.
Sam looked at her. She put her hands together and started clapping.
"That joke is older than my Mesozoic fossil collection, Sam," said Chelsea, rolling her eyes.
Yumi looked at the runes.
The alphabet was very strange. The letters seemed to be made up entirely of slashes and lines, crossing and intersecting each other.
"What on earth?" said Yumi. "It must be the instructions to open this… But I can't read it… What language is this?"
"It is Abyssal," said a familiar voice.
Yumi and her companions spun around, and saw Rasputin, who had apparently stepped out from behind a large tree. Olga and Nicholas were lurking behind him.
"Abyssal is the language of demons and other supernatural creatures of Chaos and Evil," said Rasputin. "I truly doubt that Domino High offers an elective on it, but for a man like me who studies alchemy, it is almost a second language.
"As you said, reading the runes opens that stone plug, and reveals the Rod of the Ancients."
Yumi looked at him.
"How long have you been here?" she asked.
Rasputin looked at his watch.
"About fifteen minutes or so…" he replied.
"What?" said Ren. "And you can read this? You could have taken the Rod and made off with it before we got here!"
"That's what I told him to do," grumbled Nicholas. "But would he listen? No… He never listens…"
"Silence," said Rasputin, walking up to Yumi. "True, I could have taken the Rod of the Ancients without a fight…"
He sighed.
"But, you see Yumi… I know that I'm going to have to get rid of you eventually… You're a thorn in my side that I simply can't have. But if there's one thing I'm not… It's a murderer. As hard as you may find that to believe.
"True, I've committed many unscrupulous and perhaps a few immoral acts in my quest to obtain true immortality, but even I must draw the line somewhere. I like to think I'm still an honorable man at heart.
"So I've decided to deal with you in the proper way… Like a gentleman."
"So, you want to start a Yami no Oujou on purpose?" asked Yumi. "Settle this in the style of an old-fashioned aristocrat's challenge… Except we use Duel Disks instead of dueling pistols…"
Her eyes closed tightly, and her fists clenched.
"When I dueled Holly, I promised her you'd get what was coming to you," she said. "So I accept. And I promise you, you will get what is coming to you!"
Rasputin nodded.
He turned to the stone plug.
"Marcanthex, noscanex, harnanex, paranex…" he said. "Codomos, nomonos, farsamos, klitimos… Uballatama!"
With a rumbling, the stone plug opened, and slowly, a stone pedestal lifted out of the ground. Hovering over it was a gold scepter, with a flared knob at one end, and a sapphire, crystal orb on the other.
Yumi and Rasputin stared at each other…
All five of our young friends have earned Gold status, but what might be the greatest test yet is about to start, as Rasputin decides to face Yumi personally for the final Shadow Charm! Is Yumi up to the challenge? And what is the secret behind Rasputin's mysterious past?
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NECRO JAR (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK: 1,100
DEF: 300
Card Description: When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, your opponent discards one card from the top of his deck for every 300 Life Points you took from the battle involving this card.
Note: "Necro Jar" was first used by Bakura in the multi-part original anime episode "The Dark One Cometh". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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LEVEL POD (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Rock/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 500
DEF: 500
Card Description: Flip: Both players return all Monsters on the field to their decks and reshuffle. Then, both players add up the Levels of the Monsters returned to their decks, and draw that many cards. If at least one of the drawn cards is not a Monster that they had on the field when this card was flipped, the player then discards all the drawn cards to the Graveyard. Otherwise, the cards are added to the players' hands.
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MONSTER REGISTER (Trap Card)
Continuous Trap
Image: A cartoonish cash register with a monstrous face on the front.
Card Description: Pay 1,000 Life Points to activate this card. Whenever either player Normal Summons, Flip-Summons, or Special Summons a Monster, he discards cards from the top of his deck equal to the Level of the summoned Monster.
Note: "Level Pod" and "Monster Register" were first used by X in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Not Playing With A Full Deck". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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KOZAKY'S INFERNAL DEVICE (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: A dangerous-looking machine, with a furnace behind a demonic face, and mechanical arms with saws and screws.
Card Description: You may use the effect of this card once per turn, during your Main Phase One. If you choose to use the effect of this card, you may not Normal Summon or set a Monster during the same turn. Select one Monster from your deck whose base ATK and DEF are both 1,000 or less, and Special Summon it in facedown Defense Position (your opponent does not see the selected card). You may not Flip-Summon a Monster that is Special Summoned with this effect.
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Chelsea: I knew it would come to this eventually… Yumi is finally dueling Rasputin!
Ren: Abaki… Stray Asmodian… Even Infernal Flame Emperor! Is it getting hotter, or is it just me?
Yumi: You didn't have to do this for me, Rasputin… I'm always all fired up! You'll wish you never messed with me…
Anastasia: Rasputin is strong, Yumi… Beware…
Coming up next, "Yumi versus Rasputin! Battle For the Final Shadow Charm!"
Featuring the hidden origin of Rasputin!