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CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

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The Tarterian Depths of Carceri

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Erik versus Rasputin

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Twenty minutes into the intermission, Erik was still going over his cards.

He remembered Yugi's Yami no Oujou with Rasputin… And he remembered the ending…

He remembered quite clearly how Rasputin – the man he'd be dueling in ten minutes – mercilessly attacked Yumi with a fiery blast from a Monster that had 8,000 Attack Points, more than an Egyptian God Card usually had.

…and he remembered how loudly she had screamed…

How she had screamed…

Sweat beaded down his face. The hideous visage of Gren Maju Da Eiza was in the front of his mind…

He had a plan for defeating it… He had a couple, in fact… But they all required perfect timing and a great deal of luck…

He slowly took something out of a duffle bag next to him…

A small cloth bag. The bag of chocolate truffles that Janustein had given him.

He opened it, and counted the small candies. Ten.

He thought for a minute…

"Zey are ze food of knowledge tempered vith wisdom. Eat one before you are challenged by something difficult, und you may vell be victorious."

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt…" he muttered.

He took one from the bag and put it in his mouth, and chewed.

Delicious! Clearly this wasn't run-o-the-mill candy that you could get at the drug store.

It was tempting to eat the whole bag, but he knew better. He put the rest of the bag back in the duffle.

"Erik!" said Sam's voice.

Erik looked at her.

"You don't have to do this…" she said, with a sad look.

"You're right, I don't have to…" he replied. "I'm doing it because I choose to.

"Don't worry, baby… I promise you, I will come back…"

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In the center of the arena, that had been turned into an Umi Field, two Cure Mermaids and two Mermaid Knights were performing a synchronized swimming routine to the tune of Blue Danube.

Eventually, they all bowed, and they dove underwater. The Field vanished, taking them with it.

"Welcome back," said Ben. "It's time, time for the last duel of the day. I don't know if anything can top the last one, but we're sure gonna try."

"That's right," said Natalie. "One of our contestants proves that you can never get too old for the joys of childhood, while the other proves that dueling is a pastime that spans all ages."

That's the truth… thought Yumi. I don't think they'd even have a tournament age group for Rasputin if he ever came clean about how old he was.

"So, without further ado," said Ben, "let's get started. Coming to us from that quaint city in Japan known as Domino, lets all welcome Erik Matell!"

Fireworks burst from one end of the arena, and Erik walked out.

Don't let him intimidate, you, Erik… he thought. Just take it one step at a time…

"And, coming to us from the other side of the world," said Natalie. "Copenhagen, Denmark, to be precise, Rasputin Lamont!"

Sparks flew at the other entrance, and everyone watched as Rasputin walked in. He was clearly not in a good mood when he entered.

He perked up a little as he walked towards Erik. His expression was quite clear: it was like the kind that a hungry wolf would give towards a lamb.

Sheena stood between them, as she had before.

"Okay, people," she said. "Now lets…"

Rasputin took the Rod of the Ancients from his belt and pointed it at Erik.

Oh no… thought Yumi. Has he found out something that thing can do?

Erik glared at Rasputin for a minute.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" he asked.

"It's nice, isn't it, Mr. Matell?" said Rasputin. "One of the most powerful of the Charms… Yumi tried to win this, but she failed miserably…

"Maybe you'd like to try… I'll give you that chance if you like…"

Erik glared at him.

"Go on…" he said.

"Your Talisman of the Mind against my Rod of the Ancients," said Rasputin. "It's that simple…"

"Fine…" replied Erik.

Rasputin grinned.

That small affirmative was all that was needed. He tucked the Rod in the back of his belt.

"People…" muttered Sheena. "If we can get these idiotic wagers out of the way…"

She placed a card into her Disk.

"It's time for another journey, yes? I give you… The Tarterian Depths of Carceri!"

Darkness emitted from her Disk, creeping over the whole field…

When the light came back, the city had been transformed to a bleak, rocky wasteland. Stone spires and monolithic peaks rose in the distance, towards the sky, which was dark and full of floating, broken stones. The place echoed despair.

"Carceri…" said Rasputin with a chuckle. "The Prison Plane. Fitting for what I'm going to do to you, Erik…"

"Hold on there, bub!" said Delmato. "We're gonna play by my rules, here… Now cut and shuffle each other's decks, and I'm gonna be watching closely."

The two duelists handed each other their decks.

"That's it, Erik, shuffle," said Rasputin with a laugh. "And pray that a certain Fire Attribute Monster lands on the bottom."

"He's not even trying to hide his strategy!" shouted Sam. "He's going to use the same monstrosity that almost killed you, Yumi!"

Yumi was biting her nails.

She was just as worried, actually.

"Keep one thing in mind, people," she said. "Gren Maju Da Eiza does have a weakness. Rasputin told him to pray it falls on the bottom of his deck. That was a lie. What Erik should really hope for, is if Rasputin gets it in his opening hand."

Everyone gave Yumi odd looks.

"Wait… I get it…" said Ren. "Gren Maju Da Eiza's power depends on how many of Rasputin's cards have been removed from play. If it's in his opening hand, it'll be worthless, because he won't have any removed."

Meanwhile, Erik was still shuffling.

"Okay, son," snapped Delmato, "that deck isn't going to get any more thoroughly shuffled."

"I'm as game as you are, Rasputin…" growled Erik, as the two of them took their decks back.

Erik looked at his foe as they faced each other. A stale wind blew over the wasteland.

I can do it… he thought, clutching his fist. Sam took the Cat's Cradle Comb away from Olga… Yumi took the Gale Shield away from Nicholas… The Rod of the Ancients is the only Charm that Rasputin has left!

If I win this duel, Rasputin will be finished! Through! Caput! We'll have all the Charms! I'll be the hero…

You're going down, buddy…

The two Disks activated.

"Game on!" they both shouted.

(Erik: 8,000) -------------------- (Rasputin: 8,000)

Spooky mist rose from the pits in the ground, and assumed demonic features. They screamed and flew into the air.

"AND, it begins!" shouted Ben, as Erik drew his first card. "The last match of the quarter finals of Duelatopia XX!"

"Okay, Rasputin…" said Erik. "I'll place three of my cards facedown…"

Three cards appeared in front of him, in flashes of light.

"…and I think I'll end my turn with that."

Rasputin raised an eyebrow.

"Erik has certainly made a strange opening move," said Natalie. "Ending his turn with no Monsters on the field, just three facedown cards. One of them had best be something that can repel an attack, or Rasputin will take an early lead."

"That's the truth," said Rasputin, drawing a card. "I'm assuming one of three things, Mr. Matell… One, your opening hand has no Monsters at all. Two, you only have high-level Monsters. Three, you're simply being foolish.

"Since most of your Monsters are low-level, and you're at least smart enough to have actually gotten to the finals, I'm going with option one.

"But you're still foolish enough to think it would actually work. I play Heavy Storm."

As he played the card, the stale wind turned into a fierce hurricane, and the three facedown cards were swept up and blown to pieces as Erik shielded himself.

"The horror!" screamed Natalie. "A lucky opening hand by Rasputin and a very unlucky one by Erik has left Erik completely defenseless!"

Erik… thought Sam, holding her hands to her mouth.

"Soon to be more so than he could dream…" said Rasputin, playing a Spell Card. "I pay 1,000 Life Points to activate Decision of Discord."

His Life Points went down, and a very fancy Spell Card appeared on the field, showing the image of a man in armor confronting three goddesses, holding a golden apple.

"What does that do?" asked Erik.

"It's similar to Painful Choice," replied Rasputin, taking his deck from its holder. "But, Painful Choice is a very broken card that has been illegal for years. This version is more restrictive.

"As you just saw, it first has a Life Point cost.

"Then, like its more infamous forbearer, I choose five cards from my deck. However, if I choose Monsters, I have to have a great deal of variety. Only two can be the same Type, and only two can be the same Attribute. In addition, they must all be Effect Monsters.

"Anyway, once I show them to you, it's the same as the old card… You choose one, and that one goes to my hand. I throw the rest away.

"So anyway… Take a look…"

He fit five cards into his Disk, and five images appeared in front of him.

The cards were: Rainbow Flower, Ooguchi, Princess of Tsurugi, Blast Juggler, and Deepsea Warrior.

"What the…" said Erik. "You're asking me to choose one of a set of utterly useless Monsters?"

"Useless?" replied Rasputin. "No more useless than your Monsters."

Erik growled…

He paused.

"Why is it taking him so long?" asked Chelsea.

"Because Rasputin isn't fooling anyone, least of all Erik," said Ren. "He doesn't want any of those Monsters in his hand. He played that Spell Card for the same reason people played Painful Choice… He wants them all in his Graveyard.

"Just why, however, I have no idea…"

"Come on, Erik…" said Rasputin with an evil smile. "You might think it makes no difference, but trust me, it does…

"So don't make the same mistake that Paris made!"

"All right!" shouted Erik. "I choose… The one you likely can't summon on your first turn… Deepsea Warrior."

Rainbow Flower, Ooguchi, Princess of Tsurugi, and Blast Juggler shattered into shards. Then Deepsea Warrior vanished as Rasputin added it to his hand.

"Thanks…" he said. "I was rather hoping you'd choose that one…"

"Huh?" said Erik.

"Continuing my turn…" replied Rasputin, "I now play the Spell Card, Soul Absorption."

A Spell Card appeared on his side of the field.

"Oh, no!" shouted Ren.

"Rasputin uses a Chaos Deck…" gasped Yugi. "Now his Life Points will go up each time a card is removed from play!"

"Now let's start the fun!" laughed Rasputin. "I remove Princess of Tsurugi from play, to summon Garuda the Wind Spirit!"

A tornado erupted on his side of the field, and a tall bird-man with large, feathered wings, and a sash around its waist, appeared out of it. (1,600/1,200)

"Next…" he said. "I remove Ooguchi from play to summon The Aqua Spirit!"

A column of water shot up on his side of the field, and a young maiden with blue skin, wearing a fancy dress and velvet gloves stepped out of it. Her ears resembled fins, and she had gills. (1,600/1,200)

"And since I just removed two cards from play, my Life Points get a boost, bringing them right back to where they were before."

The Soul Absorption card glowed.

"Rasputin has changed strategies…" muttered Yumi. "He's not using Fire Monsters and Skull Lair anymore… He's using Elemental Spirits."

"Ready for more fun, Mr. Matell?" asked Rasputin. "Aqua Spirit, attack him directly with drowning rush!"

The Spirit grinned evilly, and put its hands together. A blast of water shot at Erik, striking him squarely in the chest, and chilling him to the bone.

"Garuda, attack directly with foul wind."

The Wind Spirit flapped its wings, sending a gust that fit the name of the attack perfectly. Erik staggered as the buffeting wind struck him, seemingly flaying his skin…

(E: 4,800) -------------------- (R: 8,000)

"So," said Rasputin, crossing his arms. "How did you really beat Samen? Did he have a heart attack, or was he struck by lightning?

"Well, that's enough for now. I end my turn…"

"Not yet you won't…" said Erik with a grin.

A cloud of purple, sparkling smoke rose up on his side of the field…

"What the?" said Rasputin. "What's going on?"

As the smoke cleared, Rasputin stepped back in shock, as three Toy Magicians stepped forward. (1,600/1,500 x3)

"WHAT?" he shouted. "Where did THEY come from?"

"They were the three facedown cards you destroyed with Heavy Storm," said Erik.

"You can't put Monsters in your Spell/Trap Zone!" shouted Rasputin. "I want a ruling here…"

"You can do that with Toy Magicians," said Erik. "And you did exactly what I wanted you to do, fool! When Toy Magicians are destroyed when they're in my Spell Zone by my opponent's card effect, they're automatically summoned to the field during the next End Phase."

"He's right," said Delmato, nodding.

The crowd burst into cheers.

"And since that WAS your End Phase," said Erik. "It's my move now…"

He drew a card.

"I activate The Aqua Spirit's effect!" shouted Rasputin.

The Aqua Spirit blasted a stream of water, striking the Toy Magician on the left. He stumbled back, and knelt in Defense Mode.

"Right…" said Erik. "And when I end my turn, Garuda can do that to another one of my Monsters. Sorry, but it's not going to survive that long."

"Oh, sure…" said Rasputin. "Attack my Monsters with yours. They'll all die."

"No they won't…" said Eric with a grin.

He opened his Field Slot and placed a card in it.

The bleak wasteland was enveloped in a flash of light…

Within seconds, the whole landscape had changed. They were standing on the streets of a fairy-tale town, with gingerbread houses, and a castle on a hill in the background. A huge rainbow was in the sky.

"Welcome to Toy Town," said Erik.

"What?" shouted Rasputin. "You expect to win with rainbows and sugar plums?"

"I do," replied Erik. "Let me explain the three benefits that all Monsters with the word 'Toy' in their names receive from this Field Spell.

"One, they all gain 300 Attack Points."

The three Toy Magicians glowed, and rose to Attack Scores of 1,900.

"Two, they become immune to any targeting Trap Cards.

"Three, if one should be destroyed outside of battle, I get to pull another one from my deck that has less base Attack Points.

"But for now…"

He played another Spell Card.

"I'll make one of my Magicians even stronger. I play the Equip Spell, Chthonian Alliance. Now, for each Monster on the field with the same name, he gains 800 more Attack Points. And since I have two other Toy Magicians on the field, his Attack Points go up by… well, a lot."

One of the Toy Magicians in Attack Mode glowed with a dark aura, and his Attack Score shot up to 3,500.

"Toy Magicians… Destroy his two Spirits!"

The two Toy Magicians in Attack Mode cast their sparkle blasts. The Aqua Spirit burst into a splatter of water, and Garuda the Wind Spirit exploded into a flurry of feathers.

"Surprised?" asked Erik.

Rasputin glared at him.

"I think I can read you pretty well…" said Erik. "You have no idea how powerful toys can be. When you were a kid, you likely lived in a pretty disciplined environment… Your parents and whatever servants they had raising you likely made you concentrate on your lessons, and gave you almost no toys to play with. They likely thought them to be frivolous.

"What a shame…

"Anyway, that's my turn. So now what?"

(E: 4,800) -------------------- (R: 5,800)

"It seems Erik has played Rasputin like a toy piano!" exclaimed Ben. "What his opponent thought was an advantage was actually him falling right into Erik's hands."

"And he doesn't look too happy about it…" said Natalie.

Rasputin growled, and drew a card.

"You got lucky, that's all," said Rasputin. "I play Pot of Greed."

He played the card, and drew twice.

He chuckled as he looked at them.

"I remove Blast Juggler from play, to summon Spirit of Flames in Attack Mode!"

In a burst of fire, the flaming, muscular demon with only fire for its lower body appeared. (1,700/1,000)

"Then…" he continued, "I remove Rainbow Flower from play as well, to summon The Rock Spirit!"

The ground rumbled, and a hulking creature burst out of the ground. It looked like a muscular man made completely out of stone, wearing Spartan armor and a helmet, holding a ruby-tipped mace. (1,700/1,000)

"And of course, due to my Soul Absorption…"

He glowed with energy again, as his Life Points went up.

"But before they do anything, I'll disarm you Magician… I play Mystical Space Typhoon."

He played the card, and the cyclone blasted the Equip Spell to pieces. The Toy Magician fell back to an Attack Score of 1,900.

"By the way," continued Rasputin, "the Attack Score of my Spirit of Flames goes up by 300 during my Battle Phase.

"So, Spirit of Flames, attack one of the Toy Magicians in Attack Mode! Flame geyser!"

Spirit of Flames burned fiercely, and its Attack Score rose to 2,000. It breathed out a tongue of fire at the Magician in the center. He groaned, and shattered into pieces.

"Rock Spirit, attack the one in Defense Mode with Might of the Earth."

The Rock Spirit lifted its mace into the air, and roared in a voice that sounded like an avalanche. Stones ripped out of the ground, and it ordered them forward. They flew at the defending Toy Magician, crushing him.

(E: 4,700) -------------------- (R: 6,800)

"That's enough for my turn," said Rasputin. "By the way, just so you know… The Rock Spirit gains 300 Attack Points during your Battle Phase. So your Toy Magician is too weak to take him out."

"How many cards has he removed from play so far?" asked Sam, nervously.

"Four, I think," replied Yumi. "He's taking his time in this duel…"

Erik drew a card.

"All right…" he said, "I play MY Pot of Greed…"

He played the card, and drew twice.

His eyes opened when he saw one of the two cards.

It's the card that Janustein gave me… he thought.

He looked at the two cards that had already been in his hand.

And I've got just what I need to bring him out!

"Okay, Rasputin," he said, playing a Spell Card. "I play Dark Designator."

"Huh?" said Rasputin. "Dark Designator?"

"In case you're unfamiliar with it," said Erik, "I state the name of any Monster I can think of, and if that Monster exists in your deck, you add it to your hand."

Rasputin started to sweat.

He's going to combo that card with D.D. Designator! he thought. I could lose Gren Maju Da Eiza…

"Now let's see…" thought Erik. "Since you're playing an Elemental Spirit Deck, the Monster I name is… Inferno."

Rasputin looked at him strangely. Then he took his deck.

"I do have an Inferno," he said, taking it out of his deck. "And you're a fool for using that strategy on a Monster so trivial..."

"Not really," said Erik with a grin, as his opponent added the card to his hand. "I don't think you understand what my strategy is. See, since you just added a card to your hand via a means other than drawing, I'm now allowed to Special Summon Puppet King from my hand."

"Puppet King?" said Rasputin in disbelief. "What the sam-hill is… YAAH!"

The Monster that was now in front of Erik was fully eight feet tall. It was indeed a puppet, made of wood, but it radiated an aura of incredible strength. It was colored with a black and white checkerboard design, and wore a royal, red cape and a golden crown on its disproportionately small head. (2,800/2,600)

"Something tells me," said Natalie, "that while this Puppet King is a toy, he isn't interested in playing around."

"With an Attack Score this high," said Erik, "who cares if your Rock Spirit gains 300 more Attack Points?

"Toy Magician… Attack Spirit of Flames with sparkle blast!"

Toy Magician cast his spell, and Spirit of Flames burst in a plume of fire and smoke.

"Puppet King, attack The Rock Spirit with Judy punch!"

With amazing speed for someone so big, Puppet King ran towards The Rock Spirit and clocked it in the chest, blowing it into dust.

(E: 4,700) -------------------- (R: 5,500)

"I'm still winning…" growled Rasputin.

"Not for long," said Erik, taking another card. "Here's a good rule of etiquette: Never play with your food, unless you've already eaten your toys."

"What the Hell is THAT supposed to mean?" shouted Rasputin.

"It means," said Erik, "that since Puppet King was summoned by his own effect, he'd be destroyed when I ended my turn. However, before that happens, I'm going to sacrifice him, by playing Mystik Wok."

He played the card, and Puppet King disintegrated into granules of light. Erik glowed with energy.

"Now I gain Life Points equal to his Attack Score. I'll end my turn on that note…"

(E: 7,500) -------------------- (R: 5,500)

"This is crazy!" shouted Ren. "Could Erik actually win?"

"Let's keep hoping…" said Chelsea.

At her seat, Sheena was watching intently.

An aide came up to her.

"Ms. Arachne," he said, handing her a cell phone. "The home office is on line two, and they wanted to speak to you. They said it's a very urgent matter."

Sheena looked at him.

"Calling in the middle of the finals?" she said, taking it. "It had better be urgent or heads are gonna roll…"

She turned it on.

"What?" she asked.

As she listened, her brow furrowed with anger…

Meanwhile, Rasputin angrily drew a card.

There's no way I'm letting this rank amateur make a fool of me… he thought.

"Since you were so kind as to let me have Inferno," he said, "I'll remove Sprit of Flames from play to summon it. Defense Mode."

The Soul Absorption card glowed again, and then the blazing bonfire with glowing eyes appeared on his side of the field. (1,100/1,900)

"Try getting past that," he said. "I end my turn."

(E: 7,500) -------------------- (R: 6,000)

Erik drew a card.

He placed it on his Disk, and Toy Soldier appeared, pointing his musket forward. (800/300) –) (1,100/300)

He smirked and waved his hand.

Rasputin looked at him and drew a card. He looked at it.

He grunted and simply waved his hand.

"You could at least try to smile," said Erik, drawing a card. "We are on global TV, you know…"

"I use Toy Soldier's effect, so now two more of them come out."

In two flashes of light, two more Toy Soldiers appeared.

"That's all for me…"

"A lull in the action here," said Ben. "We'll just have to see what happens next…"

Rasputin drew a card.

He grinned when he saw what it was.

"I play… Graceful Charity!" he shouted.

He played the card, and his deck glowed. He quickly drew three cards.

And I know just what to discard… he thought, looking at the cards that were now in his hand.

He discarded Deepsea Warrior and an odd-looking Spell Card.

"Time to take control of this duel, Mr. Matell," he said. "I remove The Rock Spirit from play, to summon Gigantes."

In a burst of dust and dirt, the armored, horned ogre holding a tree trunk as a weapon rose out of the ground. (1,900/1,300)

The Soul Absorption card glowed again.

"And finally…" he said, "I remove The Aqua Spirit AND Deepsea Warrior from play, in order to summon Fenrir!"

A howl echoed over the field, and a mist formed on the arena. A spooky-looking wolf, seemingly made out of the mist itself, stepped out of the fog. (1,400/1,200)

The Spell Card burned with blue fire.

"Oh, no!" gasped Sam. "Not that one…"

"What's wrong?" asked Ren. "It only has 1,400 Attack Points."

"It has a deadly effect…" replied Sam. "If it destroys one of Erik's Monsters, he has to skip his next Draw Phase…"

"And he only has two cards in his hand right now…" gasped Chelsea.

"Fenrir, attack one of his Soldiers with vile fog!"

Fenrir breathed a blast of chilling mist from its jaws. The Toy Soldier was covered with frost, and then shattered into shards of ice.

"Gigantes, attack his second Toy Soldier. Tree trunk bash!"

Gigantes roared, and lunged at another Toy Soldier, clobbering it with its club and blowing it to bits.

"Now I play… Soul Release. I'll remove five of the cards in my own Graveyard from play."

He played the card, and five cards appeared above his head. Pot of Greed, Heavy Storm, Decision of Discord, Graceful Charity, and the odd Spell Card. They all faded into nothing.

"I end my turn," laughed Rasputin. "Those two cards in your hand better be good ones."

(E: 6,400) -------------------- (R: 10,000)

Erik glared at him.

"Oh, but they are," he said, playing one of them.

"I play… Toy Memorial. Now for the cost of skipping my Battle Phase, I get to draw one card for each card in my Graveyard with the word 'Toy' in it. I have two Toy Magicians and two Toy Soldiers."

Rasputin gasped as he drew four cards.

"I move Toy Soldier and Toy Magician to Defense Mode…"

Toy Soldier and Toy Magician knelt, and held their weapons in their laps.

"Next, this card may be familiar to you… I play Heavy Storm."

He played the card, and the fierce wind erupted again. Toy Town vanished, returning them to the bleak wasteland, but Soul Absorption also blew to pieces.

"So much for your ability to increase your Life Points…

"I place a card facedown, and end my turn.

A facedown card appeared in front of him.

"I draw one card…" replied Rasputin, drawing a card.

Then a card appeared in his hand in a flash of light.

"And you'd be interesting in knowing that one of the cards I removed from play with Soul Release last turn was this one…

"Card From A Different Dimension. Now, it goes to my hand, and we both draw twice."

"You don't hear me complaining…" said Erik.

They both drew two cards.

Rasputin looked at the two cards and frowned.

"Disappointed?" asked Erik.

"I move Inferno to Attack Mode…" said Rasputin.

Inferno blazed fiercely.

"Fenrir, attack his Toy Soldier!" he shouted.

Fenrir breathed the vile mist again. Toy Soldier iced over, and shattered.

"Gigantes, destroy the last Magician."

Gigantes roared again, and slammed its weapon onto the Magician, crushing him

"Inferno… Attack him directly. Pyre flame."

Inferno shot a blast of fire at Erik, and he hollered as it roasted him.

He gasped for breath.

(E: 5,300) -------------------- (R: 10,000)

"Rasputin may have turned around this turnaround," said Ben. "There doesn't seem like much more that Erik can do at this point…"

"Just watch me," said Erik. "Is that your move?"

"Yes," replied Rasputin. "Remember, you can't draw on this turn."

"I don't care," said Erik. "I have all I need right now…"

His facedown card lifted.

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" he shouted.

A coffin appeared on his side of the field, and it opened. A Toy Soldier walked out. (800/300)

"Now, I sacrifice him… To summon Toy Dragon!"

In a burst of light, the Toy Soldier vanished, and Toy Dragon appeared, looming over the field. (2,300/2,000)

"And now… Monster Reborn!"

He played the card, and in an explosion of energy, Puppet King reappeared on the field. (2,800/2,600)

A look appeared in Rasputin's eyes that neither Erik or his allies had seen in him before…

It was fear…

"Puppet King… Smash his Gigantes!" shouted Erik.

Puppet King lunged, and brought his fist down on the rocky ogre, blowing it into pebbles.

"Toy Dragon, attack Fenrir! Shooting star shower!"

Toy Dragon shot its blast of glowing motes from its jaws, and Fenrir exploded into globules of liquid.

(E: 5,300) -------------------- (R: 8,800)

Erik placed two cards in his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared on his side of the field.

"Your move, Rasputin," said Erik. "And by the way, since I didn't summon Puppet King using his own effect, he gets to stick around this time."

Rasputin grit his teeth.

If I don't do something fast… he thought. This fool will beat me…

If I lose, it will be all over…

He drew a card.

Damn! he thought.

"I move Inferno to Defense Mode…" he said.

A facedown card appeared, and Inferno's fires died down.

"…and that will be all."

He sweat as Erik drew a card.

"Well, what do you know?" he said. "I activate… Pot of Avarice."

He played the card, and all three Toy Magicians and two Toy Soldiers fell out of his discard slot. He shuffled them into his deck, and drew two cards.

He looked at them for a second.

"Toy Dragon…" he said, "destroy Inferno!"

Toy Dragon breathed its shooting star shower, and Inferno was blown into fiery embers.

"Puppet King… Give Rasputin a king-sized crowning! Attack him directly!"

Puppet King charged at Rasputin, and clobbered him in the stomach. Rasputin gasped and fell backwards, as the crowd stood up and applauded.

(E: 5,300) -------------------- (R: 6,000)

"Another impressive turnaround!" shouted Natalie. "The crowd is going nuts!"

Rasputin gasped for breath…

"How dare you…" he snarled.

"Blah, blah, blah…" said Erik. "Your move, Rasputin… And this duel is almost over…"

Rasputin drew a card.

"I play… Card Destruction!" he shouted. "Now, we must both fold our hands and draw an equal number…"

They both looked each other in the face. Both of them discarded their hands. Erik drew three cards, while Rasputin drew six.

Then Rasputin laughed. He laughed out loud.

"Time to finish you off, Mr. Matell," he said. "Finish you off but good…"

He played a Spell Card.

"I play Spell Reproduction. Now, for the cost of two other Spell Cards…"

He discarded a second copy of Decision of Discord and Nobleman of Crossout.

"I get a Spell Card back… Like my Soul Release.

"Now I'll play it again…"

He played the card, and five cards appeared above his head: Card Destruction, Inferno, Gigantes, Fenrir, and Nobleman of Crossout. They vanished into grains of light.

"Next, something more insidious…"

He revealed a Spell Card.

"I play the powerful Chaos End. Since at least seven of my cards have been removed from play, this powerful Spell destroys all Monsters on the field."

A dark aura surrounded Toy Dragon and Puppet King, and cracks started to form over them. Then they were both blasted to dust.

"Ho boy…" muttered Erik.

"And now…" said Rasputin, throwing a card on his Disk. "Gaze upon the face of death…"

A roaring fire appeared on his side of the field…

"No…" gasped Yumi.

"Erik…" cried Sam.

"Arise…" said Rasputin.

With a bestial roar, Gren Maju Da Eiza walked out of the flames…

"In case you haven't been keeping track…" said Rasputin, "seventeen of my cards have been removed from play so far, and my Chaos Fiend receives 400 Attack and Defense Points for each one. How good are you at multiplication?"

(6,800/6,800)

"I'm very good at it," replied Erik. "How good are you at subtraction?"

"Huh?" asked Rasputin.

One of Erik's two facedown cards lifted.

"Go!" he shouted. "Toy Cannon!"

The cannon appeared in front of him, manned by two Toy Soldiers. One of them loaded a cannonball into it, and then the other rammed it down with a pole…

"What's going on?" shouted Rasputin.

"FIRE!" shouted Erik.

The two Soldiers covered their ears, and the Toy Cannon fired, knocking over both Gren Maju Da Eiza and Rasputin. The Fiend crouched in Defense Mode.

"Now I activate my other Trap!" shouted Erik. "Gulliver Chain!"

His other Trap Card lifted. Gren Maju Da Eiza roared in rage as a mass of chains burst out of the ground, tying it up.

"Your Chaos Fiend is a sorry substitute for Gulliver," said Erik, "but this should hold him just as well."

"What have you done?" screamed Rasputin.

"Rendered your best Monster powerless," replied Erik. "If you switch it to Attack Mode now, it will be ripped to shreds, no matter how powerful it is."

The crowd cheered again.

"You will die slowly…" cursed Rasputin, "cut into a hundred pieces…"

"Sticks and stones…" said Erik. "Is that your turn?"

Rasputin growled. He placed the last card in his hand into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

"That's all…" he muttered.

(E: 5,300) -------------------- (R: 5,600)

"Then I draw!" said Erik.

He drew a card, and looked at his hand.

"I place two cards facedown, and that will be my turn," he said.

Two facedown cards appeared in front of him.

Rasputin tensed…

He drew a card…

He grinned an evil grin…

I just drew Giant Trunade! he thought. Once I play this, his Gulliver Chain and his other two facedown cards will be blown off the field, and…

"Trap activate…" said Erik.

Rasputin looked up, as one of Erik's facedown cards lifted.

"Ring of Destruction," said Erik.

The crowd gasped, as the ring of grenades materialized around the abomination's neck.

"You fool!" screamed Rasputin. "We'll both wind up with zero Life Points!"

"I won't!" laughed Erik. "Let me show you a little trick that my girlfriend taught me…"

His other facedown card lifted.

"I activate Ring of Defense!"

Everyone in the V.I.P. seats got up.

"Erik is gonna win!" screamed Sam.

Rasputin's eyes narrowed.

"I made the mistake of underestimating you, Mr. Matell…" he snarled. "That's a mistake I won't repeat…

"I activate my own Trap."

His own facedown card lifted.

"Spell Shield Type-8."

The crowd gasped again. Rasputin discarded the Giant Trunade card, and the Ring of Defense shattered.

"I may not win this duel, Mr. Matell, but sure as Hell, I'm not going to let you beat me either…"

He said something else, but no-one heard it. It was drowned out as Gren Maju Da Eiza exploded in a blast of fire that covered the whole arena and seemingly consumed both duelists…

(E: 0) -------------------- (R: 0)

When the smoke cleared, Rasputin was down on his knees, and Erik was lying on his back, staring up at the sky and holding his head.

Delmato was very confused.

"Uh, folks…" he said. "Uhm… uh… It's a draw…"

Erik slowly got up, rubbing his joints.

Sheena walked onto the field.

"Ladies and gentlemen…" she muttered, "I can honestly say this has never happened before in the Duelatopia finals. We'll have to check the official rulebook to see who will progress to the next round.

"Anyway, I hope you all can come to the semi finals, starting tomorrow at noon! We'll have this straightened out by then.

"I… uhm, I hope…

"See you tomorrow!"

White Rain appeared on a stage behind her, and started to play again. It was a more familiar melody, but more than a few spectators weren't interested in the music. They were somewhat confused.

Yumi looked at Erik and Rasputin.

Neither of their Charms had changed hands, so apparently whoever was in charge of that didn't rule that the duel had a winner… And truthfully, it hadn't.

So whoever she'd duel in the semi finals was up to Sheena's ruling…

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It was eight PM, in the V.I.P. lounge inside the Colosseum. All eight of the finalists were there, along with Louis next to his boss, and two Centurions next to Yumi's group. Rasputin had protested their presence, and they had at first told him to be quiet, and then had told him to shut up. Rasputin was now more than a little nervous.

Sheena walked in.

"People…" she said, "I reviewed the official rules set forth by Siegfried Kaiba, twenty years ago, and I know what the ruling is now in case of a draw…"

She sighed.

"Since Rasputin had more Life Points than Erik at the time the Ring of Destruction went off… He will proceed to the semi finals."

Sam sadly bowed her head.

Rasputin grinned, and stood up.

"Thank you, Ms. Arachne," he said. "Now, Mr. Matell, if you will kindly hand over that…"

The two Centurions got up and blocked his path.

"Step away from Mr. Matell," they ordered.

"YOU step away from him!" shouted Rasputin. "She just declared me the winner, so I demand the prize he wagered!"

"Sit down, Rasputin!" shouted Sheena. "I did NOT declare you the winner!

"I said you will progress to the semi finals. The result of the duel will be recorded as a draw, which was what it was. Thus, your wager is null and void."

"This is an outrage!" shouted Rasputin. "I demand…"

"I don't recall giving you any right to make demands," interrupted Sheena.

Rasputin tried to force himself past the Centurions, only to be shoved back to his seat.

Louis rolled up his sleeve and walked towards the armored men.

Then he cowered, as one of them pointed a weapon in his face.

"Back off, Frankenstein," ordered the Centurion, "you aren't bulletproof…"

"All guests except Rasputin, leave this room immediately," ordered Sheena.

Yumi, Ren, Chelsea, Sam, and Erik quickly got up and left. Louis, Nicholas, and Olga hesitated.

"Some people apparently didn't hear me," growled Sheena. "Anyone who isn't gone in ten seconds will be arrested. I won't warn you again."

"Sorry boss," said Louis, "you're on your own…"

The three of them left, leaving only Sheena, Rasputin, and the Centurions.

Rasputin glared at her.

"When my lawyers are done with you…" he said, "you're going to regret the day you were born…"

"Actually, Rasputin," said Sheena, "when MY lawyers are done with YOUR lawyers, their law firm is likely going to be history."

"What?" said Rasputin.

"I got an interesting phone call in the middle of the duel," she said. "Someone in KaibaCorp's main headquarters in Domino bribed my head of security in order to get into my private files.

"What he didn't know is, no-one who works at KaibaCorp can truly be bribed. The rewards we offer to employees who help catch spies and saboteurs is too good to pass up. My employee let him into a room that was actually a trap. And while he was looking at dummy files, his fingerprints were being scanned and analyzed, and the call he made on his cell phone was being recorded. Once we had all the proof we needed to press charges against him for corporate espionage, we caught him.

"And someone really should have told him that it's an incredibly serious crime in Japan for anyone except a police officer to even own a handgun.

"His name is Julius Bjorn, and he's a lawyer for the Jarvis and Micawber Law Firm… Conveniently located in Copenhagen. By the way, that phone call we recorded? He was calling the president of the firm to say he was in. We checked around, and you're on their clientele, Rasputin."

"And that proves I was behind it?" said Rasputin, with a smirk. "I've been working out of Copenhagen for years, and it's a good firm."

"Oh?" said Sheena. "So far, the Centurions have arrested twenty members of the League of Ascension. When we gave them permission to call a lawyer, each one called a lawyer from that firm."

Rasputin turned pale…

This was his fault. He had told them to call Jarvis and Micawber if they were ever arrested; he guaranteed them that they'd find a technicality that would get them off. He never dreamed that twenty Ascenders would all be arrested in the same city…

"This Bjorn character won't talk yet, and neither will his firm," said Sheena, "but my law firm has defeated every one who has opposed them. Especially firms like yours full of sleazy lawyers like this one who just last year requested a dismissal in a case in London against a child rapist by citing an law that had been valid for two months in 1956 before it was declared both illegal and immoral under the British Constitution."

Rasputin was now very nervous. That incident was not exactly the firm's best moment… The law that had been cited really should never have been on the books in the first place. It had been passed when someone had bribed an official, saying that the Bible approved of child slavery. When the bribe and the very questionable law had been discovered, the official's superiors were not amused…

Nor was the judge when a member of the modern law firm had tried to use it as a defense. Jarvis and Micawber couldn't find anything else that might get the client off, but they soon regretted not entering a guilty plea. The judge had personally said that calling the defense attorney a snake would have been an insult to snakes everywhere…

He had to face facts… His law firm didn't really care about a client's guilt or innocence… It cared about making money. So it would use any trick it had to in order to get a case dismissed or have the judge presiding over a lawsuit rule in their favor. He didn't even like using the firm himself, but in his line of work, he needed people who didn't care about morals when dealing with the law. That was the reason why he had never been arrested…

"You still have no proof…" he said, pointing a finger.

"Not yet…" said Sheena. "Not until your law firm realizes it will lose its license to practice as a firm if it doesn't reveal who hired them to break into my files. Heck, their top members will likely face criminal charges now. We have solid proof that one of its members committed a very serious crime, and that they condoned the action. Perhaps even funded it.

"But if Mr. Matell is threatened, or approached by anyone who even might be an Ascender, I will consider that all the proof I need.

"You mess with KaibaCorp, Mr. Lamont, you're playing with fire. The Big Five, Dartz, and Ziegfried von Schroder all found that out the hard way. Only one person has ever truly defeated my company… And that man was Seto Kaiba himself, when he overthrew his stepfather.

"Get out of my sight."

Rasputin got and left the room, trembling in fear.

He had done it now… He had hoped to find a scandal in order to manipulate Sheena Arachne… But his attempt to do so had horribly backfired. His most potent weapon in that regard had been caught in the act. Now they would either turn him in and plea bargain, or they would go to jail. Either way, that potent weapon was now gone.

"What do I do…" he muttered.

"What can you do, Rasputin?" said a voice.

"Go away…" he scowled.

"You can't fight anyone in a legal system anymore, Rasputin," said the voice. "You only have one Charm left, and you don't even know how to use it yet…

"But you can get the other Charms… You're still dueling Yumi next, and you beat her once…

"You must make it so her punishment for losing will be far more dire…"

"No…" muttered Rasputin, with tears in his eyes. "She doesn't deserve it… She's just a child…

"I've got to stop… These poor children… What did they ever do to me? They never wronged me… This isn't right…"

He clutched his throat. Something was clutching him. It wasn't choking him, but it was grasping firmly.

He took some deep breaths… The grip relaxed.

He grit his teeth.

"I will… prepare the formula…" he said.

He walked to his suite.

Erik's duel with Rasputin may have ended in a draw, but Rasputin still came out ahead. Still, he retains only one Shadow Charm, and now must revert to other methods. What sinister plot is next on his list of schemes? It doesn't look good for Yumi…

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PUPPET KING (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 2,600

Card Description: If your opponent adds a card to his hand by an effect other than drawing, you may Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Special Summoned via its own effect, it is destroyed at the End Phase of the turn in which it is Special Summoned.

Note: "Puppet King" is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.

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TOY TOWN (Spell Card)

Field Spell

Image: A colorful toy village with a toy castle on a hill overlooking it, with a rainbow in the sky.

Card Description: Monsters with the word "Toy" in their names gain 300 Attack Points. Negate the effect of any Trap Card that specifically targets a Monster with the word "Toy" in its name and destroy it. If a Monster with the word "Toy" in its name is destroyed outside of battle, the owner may select one Monster from his deck with the word "Toy" in its name that has a lower base ATK than the destroyed card and add it to his hand.

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DECISION OF DISCORD (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A young man wearing armor, holding a golden apple, confronting three goddesses.

Card Description: Pay 1,000 Life Points. Choose five cards from your deck. The chosen cards cannot be Normal Monsters, cannot consist of two or more copies of the same card, and cannot include more than two Monsters of the same Type, and more than two Monsters of the same Attribute. Show the five cards to your opponent. Your opponent selects one card among them. Add that card to your hand and discard the remaining cards to the Graveyard.

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CARD FROM A DIFFERENT DIMENSION (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A mysterious machine crackling with electricity, with a Duel Monsters card being created inside it.

Card Description: When this card is removed from play, return it to your hand during your next Standby Phase. Then, each player draws two cards from their respective decks.

Note: "Card From A Different Dimension" was first used by Zane in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "The Graduation Match". All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

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Yumi: The finals have progressed to the next level. Chelsea is dueling Sam.

Chelsea: I can't wait! There's no need for you to get involved, Yumi… I'm taking her down myself.

Ren: Be cautious, Chelsea. Sam's Monsters are never the handsomest fellows around, but these ones are even uglier than usual.

Yumi: Sam… Are these cards what I think they are? You may have these cards, but can you control them?

I hope so…

Coming up next, "Ever-Shifting Chaos of Limbo; Sam versus Chelsea".

Chelsea: It may be a Dark World, or whatever, but I can still take it on!