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CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
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Plain Vanilla
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Yumi versus Sam Again
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As Yumi was striking the final blow against Chelsea, Hector Dupree – Heck to his friends – was running through the streets of the Restaurant District.
A Centurion had told him to return to his hotel, but he wasn't going to do that. He was no coward, and wanted to see the commotion firsthand.
As he passed by the Sizzling Sirloin, he heard a woman's scream coming from an alley.
He knew enough not to ignore such a scream. It might mean that some poor girl was about to become the victim of rape, murder, or both.
He ran into the alley, and saw one of the escaped Ascenders. He had cornered a duelist – it was none other than Mary Jane, the waitress with the Curry Deck whom Ren had dueled. She was cowering on the ground, trying to use her Duel Disk like a shield.
"You have two choices," said the Ascender. "You can surrender peacefully, or attempt to win your way past me in a Shadow Game.
"If I were you, I'd surrender."
Mary Jane sobbed. She slowly got up, and her Disk activated…
"Too easy…" said the Ascender.
"Hey, bub!" shouted Heck.
"Huh?" said the Ascender, looking around.
Heck flinched a little when he saw the red, glowing eyes, but he regained his courage quickly.
"Why don't you step away from that appetizer…" said Heck, "an' come get the main course!"
He swung his own Disk in front of him, and it activated.
"Heh, heh…" chuckled the Ascender. "Why not… A soul so full of spirit and bravery is worth much more than that of a frightened woman…
"Prepare for defeat!"
His own Disk activated, and the Life Point counters set.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea climbed the last set of stairs.
"I don't suppose…" muttered Yumi, as they came to the door, "that any of you know what to expect up there?"
Ren sighed.
"Actually, when we came in," he said nervously, "Sam was ushered through a special door in order to speak to… someone. We don't know what happened to her in there. The next thing we know, Rasputin gave us our new decks, and I was told to wait for you in the courtyard."
Yumi bowed her head.
"Let's pray that it's still possible to save Sam," she said in a small whisper.
She opened the door.
A dark mist hung on the ground of the supernatural history exhibition. The opening hall held a mural depicting the great Harry Houdini in his role as a medium investigator, along with several of the tools he used to root out fraudulent fortunetellers.
They walked to another room, where occult paraphernalia was everywhere. Wax figures, swords, worry men, an iron maiden…
It looked like something out a madman's imagination.
Yumi's eyes turned to a door.
She opened it.
They walked into a large, circular room, with a huge, five-pointed star painted on the floor. At each point of the star was a sarcophagus against the wall.
Just the right size for an arena…
"All right, Sam, where are you?" said Yumi.
The sarcophagus directly in front of her slowly opened. Yumi's eyes opened wide as Sam stepped out of it.
It didn't take a genius to tell that she was clearly not herself. Not only was her skin pale, her eyes were shining, silver orbs. Even worse was her clothing. She was wearing white lingerie – a bra and panties, made more dramatic by a white, fur cape and white boots.
"Sam?" gasped Yumi.
"Yes, Yumi?" asked Sam.
"Your… your clothes…" muttered Yumi.
"I'll be wearing this from now on," said Sam. "The ambassador wants me as an apprentice, and this is the dress code.
"I only have to complete my initiation… And the first part will beating you…"
She lifted her Disk.
Then she lifted her right hand, showing the Ring of Spirits against the Cat's Cradle Comb.
"So here are the stakes, Yumi… These two Charms against the Crown and the Sword."
"Sam, please…" muttered Yumi. "What would your mother say if she saw you like this? A bikini is one thing, but this is…"
"I'm gonna take her out too!" shouted Sam. "I'll bring her in, and then we can control KaibaCorp."
"Ambassador?" said Ren. "Who the heck…"
"I'm not at liberty to discuss," replied Sam. "If your so eager to meet her, let's get this done with."
"Sam…" muttered Yumi.
She put her hand on her forehead.
"I know a duel here is inevitable, but I really don't feel comfortable with you like this… Can you please put some decent clothes on, and…"
"Sorry, Yumi," replied Sam. "I don't have them with me. I couldn't even if I wanted to. And frankly, I really don't want to."
"This is crazy…" muttered Yumi.
"Don't feel bad, Yumi…" said Sam. "Once you lose, there'll be no more pain coming your way. It will be numbed permanently."
"Pardon me if I say, in a pig's eye," muttered Yumi.
She slowly took Sam's deck out of the bandoleer.
"We're in it deep…" she muttered, as the Pharaoh appeared next to her. "Sam's worse than I thought…"
"Mmm," he said. "Rasputin's hold on her is stronger than it was on Ren and Chelsea. Possibly due to the fact that she has two Charms.
"We can only pray that her old deck will be enough…"
As Yumi placed the deck in her Disk, the spirit of Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared behind Yumi. No-one saw him, but he was there. And a look best described as a combination of anger and sadness was on his face.
He held up a Duel Monsters card that was glowing with dark flames. It vanished, and the deck Yumi had placed in her Disk briefly glowed with the same aura.
He nodded, and then vanished.
Yumi activated the Disk.
She glared at her rival.
"Okay Sam," she said, "I don't want to… But if life has taught me anything, repeatedly, it's that you can't always get you want."
They stared at each other.
"Game on!" they shouted.
(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Sam: 8,000)
Yumi drew her first card, and looked at her opening hand.
"To start off," she said, "I'll summon Gil Garth in Attack Mode."
She placed a card on her Disk, and the armored, scimitar-wielding Fiend appeared in front of her. (1,800/1,200)
"That's all I can do for now…"
If it is her Dark World Deck, she thought, I have nothing for her to use Dark World Lightning on, and no Level Four Dark World Monster can trump Gil Garth in Attack Points… I'm reasonably safe…
…reasonably…
Sam drew a card.
"You think I'm scared of that piece of tin?" she asked. "Let me show you a real Monster… I summon… Gene-Warped Warwolf!"
She played a card, and with a feral roar, a Beast-Warrior appeared in front of her. It was a wolf-like humanoid, with white fur, covered with black designs, with four arms ending in sharp claws. (2,000/100)
"Level Four with two-thousand Attack Points?" said Chelsea. "Okay, what's the catch?"
"Uh, Chelsea?" muttered Ren. "I've seen this guy before… There is no catch… That's a Normal Monster."
"You have got to be kidding!" shouted Chelsea.
"Well, it's not exactly a common card…" said Ren.
"Warwolf…" shouted Sam, "disassemble Gil Garth with four-claw fury swipes!"
The Gene-Warped Warwolf leapt at Gil Garth, and made four savage slashes. The Fiend dropped his blade, and then exploded.
(Y: 7,800) -------------------- (S: 8,000)
"Next…" said Sam, taking two cards from her hand. "I'll play a pair of Continuous Spell Cards… Heart of the Underdog, and Non-Spellcasting Area."
Two Spell Cards appeared in front of her. One bore the image of a young man shielding himself from a blow. The second bore a picture of two Spellcasters in a void, surrounded by a bubble of energy, as a group of goblins floated around them.
"By the way," she continued, "so long as Non-Spellcasting Area is in effect, all Normal Monsters on the field are completely immune to Spell Cards. And by that, I don't mean Spell Cards that target. I mean all Spell Cards.
"I'll end my turn."
Yumi drew a card.
Well, I guess now we can rule out the Dark World Deck, she thought.
"So, you like Level Four beatsticks, huh?" she said.
She played a card.
"I summon… Giant Orc!" she shouted.
With a low rumble, the huge ogre appeared, hefting its club. (2,200/0)
"GO! Clobber her Warwolf! Bone basher!"
Giant Orc roared, and struck Gene-Warped Warwolf with its club, smashing the Beast-Warrior to pieces.
(Y: 7,800) -------------------- (S: 7,800)
Giant Orc dropped its club, and fell on its behind in a daze.
"I hope it was worth it, Yumi," said Sam, with a chuckle. "Now it has to move into defense… Not that it has any…"
Yumi growled.
"I'll set a card facedown, and that will be all," she said.
A facedown card appeared.
"Thanks," said Sam, as her hand reached for her deck.
She paused.
"By the way, thanks to Heart of the Underdog…"
"I know how it works," replied Yumi. "If the Monster you draw is a Normal Monster, you can show it to me, and then draw again. I'm not dumb, Sam."
Sam frowned, and drew a card.
"Heh, heh, I drew Mad Dog of Darkness," she said, showing it to her.
She added it to her hand, and then drew again.
"Sabersaurus," she said, showing her the next card.
She drew a third time.
"Well, this certainly isn't a Normal Monster…" she muttered.
She looked over her hand.
"I summon Vorse Raider," she said, playing a card.
In a burst of dark energy, the vicious Beast-Warrior appeared, brandishing his axe. (1,900/1,200)
"Good grief, are all of Sam's Monsters members of the Nineteen-Hundred Club?" shouted Chelsea.
"Afraid so…" said Ren. "Her deck, it seems, is a Normal Beatdown Deck. I've seen this before. It uses powerful Normal Monsters exclusively to hammer away at the opposition.
"Ren's got the right idea…" said Sam with a chuckle. "My old deck was mint chocolate chip… But my tastes have matured, and I'm content with plain vanilla now.
"Vorse Raider, attack the Giant Orc!"
Vorse Raider made a slash with his axe, and Giant Orc burst into pixels.
"Next, I'll place one card facedown," she continued, "and play a new Spell Card called Two-Man Cell Battle."
A facedown card appeared, and then a third Continuous Spell Card appeared. This one bore the image of Marauding Captain and Gagagigo fending off an attack from a Blazing Inpachi.
"What it does is let each player Special Summon a Level Four Normal Monster at the End Phase of each of their turns. I'm moving to my End Phase now, and using it to summoning Mad Dog of Darkness in Attack Mode."
She played a card, and a vicious, feral hound with brown skin and teeth like daggers appeared. (1,900/1,400)
Yumi glared at her.
"My move…" she said.
She drew a card.
"I play Silent Doom!" she shouted.
She played the card, and Gil Garth appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,800/1,200)
"Now I'll set one Monster in Defense Mode, and set another card facedown…"
A facedown Monster and a second facedown card appeared.
"I'll move to my own End Phase, and use the effect of your Cell Battle to summon Opticlops in Defense Mode."
In a burst of dark energy, Opticlops appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,800/1,700)
I've got to try to stall until I can draw Ha Des… she thought. He's the only one who might be able to pound some sense into her…
I know that Sam is somewhere in there, underneath that trashy outfit…
"Okay…" said Sam. "Draw!"
She drew a card.
She frowned.
"Not a Normal Monster, huh?" asked Yumi.
"I'll set a card facedown," said Sam, fitting the card into the last space in her Spell/Trap Zone.
Another facedown card appeared.
"Now I'll summon… Luster Dragon!"
A huge, blue gemstone appeared on the field. Then it shattered, revealing the beautiful, sapphire Dragon. (1,900/1,600)
"Attack her Opticlops! Sapphire flash!"
Luster Dragon breathed out a blast of blue flames. Opticlops groaned before it was burned to a crisp.
"Vorse Raider, take out her facedown Monster!"
Vorse Raider charged at the facedown card…
Night Assailant appeared on the card before it was cut down.
"Tough break, Sam," said Yumi. "That means your Dog is history, which means no more attacks this round."
Mad Dog of Darkness burst into pixels. Sam snarled.
"I use the effect of Cell Battle again!" she shouted. "Come on out, Sabersaurus!"
With a bellow, the huge, herbivorous Dinosaur appeared in Attack Mode, ready to charge at something. (1,900/500)
Yumi drew a card.
She looked at the two cards in her hand.
"I sacrifice Gil Garth…" she said.
Gil Garth vanished into a burst of shadow.
"…to summon Lesser Fiend!"
With a roar, the four-armed demon appeared on the field. (2,100/1,000)
"Attack her Vorse Raider!" shouted Yumi.
Lesser Fiend lunged at Vorse Raider…
"Always look before you leap, Yumi," said Sam, as one of her facedown cards activated. "I activate a Trap… Justi-Break!
"Since you attacked, all Monsters on the field except Normal Monsters are destroyed!"
A blast of electricity flashed all over the arena, and Lesser Fiend hollered as it was electrocuted. It burst into an explosion of shards.
"HA, HA, HA!" laughed Sam. "You're defenseless! Next round, it's all over! I've got you right…"
She stopped short as one of Yumi's facedown cards lifted.
"…where I… yeah…"
The Call of the Haunted card glowed, and Lesser Fiend burst out of the floor. (2,100/1,000)
"Let's try this again, shall we?" said Yumi.
Lesser Fiend leapt at Vorse Raider, and with four slashes of claws, the Beast-Warrior was torn to shreds.
(Y: 7,800) -------------------- (S: 7,600)
"I end my turn, Sam," she said. "It's gonna take more than one Trap Card to do me in…"
Sam drew a card. She looked at it.
"Not a Normal Monster," she said.
"I move Sabersaurus and Luster Dragon to Defense Mode, and end my turn," she said.
The two Monsters sat in a defensive position.
"Yumi might have gained the advantage," said Ren.
"Yeah, but how long can she keep it?" asked Chelsea.
Yumi drew a card.
It's a risk, but I need it, she thought.
"I set a Monster in Defense Mode," she said.
A facedown Monster appeared.
"Lesser Fiend, attack her Sabersaurus!"
Lesser Fiend leapt at the Dinosaur, and with one swipe, tore it in half.
"That's all I can do…" she said.
"My draw…" said Sam.
She drew a card.
"And since I just drew Frostosaurus, my Heart lets me draw again."
She drew again.
"Another Frostosaurus… Lucky me…"
She drew a third time.
She added the card to her hand, and then took another one.
"I play the Spell Card, Ancient Rules," she said. "Now I can Special Summon a Normal Monster from my hand, no matter how powerful it is…
"And I think I'll summon my Frostosaurus!"
The whole room seemed to be struck by an Arctic wind, and a coating of ice covered the floor, as an immense form resembling an Apatosaurus made of ice and snow appeared in front of Sam, taking up nearly her entire side of the field. (2,600/1,700)
"I'll move Luster Dragon to Attack Mode…" she continued.
Luster Dragon stood up.
"Then I'll activate my facedown card… Birthright."
Her Trap Card lifted up.
"Now I can raise one Normal Monster from my Graveyard, and I choose my Gene-Warped Warwolf. Remember him?"
In a burst of energy, the four-armed lycanthrope appeared again. (2,000/100)
"Time to clean up…" said Sam. "Frostosaurus, attack Lesser Fiend with glacial rampage!"
The huge Dinosaur roared in a voice that sounded like the North Wind, and breathed a blast of sheer cold at the Fiend…
"Go, Trap Card!" shouted Yumi. "Bark of Dark Ruler!"
Her facedown card lifted up, and Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared in a fiery burst of smoke.
"I'll pay 2,600 Life Points, and your Frostosaurus is about to experience a serious meltdown!"
"2,600 Life Points?" shouted Ren. "That will reduce Frostosaurus's Attack Score to…"
"Zero," said Chelsea. "Zip. Zilch. A big goose egg."
Frostosaurus glowed with shadowy energy, and fell to an Attack Score of zero. Lesser Fiend swatted the blast aside, and Frostosaurus exploded into shards of ice.
Sam frowned.
"Not exactly thrifty about spending your Life Points, huh Yumi?" she asked.
"Luster Dragon, attack the facedown Monster!"
Luster Dragon breathed its sapphire flame. The Morphing Jar appeared before it was blown to pieces.
"You know what that means, Sam," said Yumi.
"Oh, fine," said Sam.
She discarded two cards – the second Frostosaurus and a Dust Barrier – to her Graveyard.
It'll just be food for my true star, she thought. He's gonna be pretty hungry when he wakes up.
They both drew five cards.
Sam looked them over. She chuckled.
Then again… she thought.
"Guess what, Yumi!" she laughed. "With these five cards, I can summon Frostosaurus again...
"I play Symbols of Duty. First, I have to send one Normal Monster to the Graveyard. So I'll get rid of Gene-Warped Warwolf."
The Beast-Warrior vanished.
"Why'd she choose him?" asked Chelsea.
"To get rid of Birthright too," said Ren. "Now she has a free space on her Spell Zone."
"Now I can Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard," said Sam, "so long as I Equip it with Symbols of Duty."
She played the card, and in another blast of Arctic wind, the second Frostosaurus loomed over the field. Oddly, a set of battered military dog tags appeared around its long neck. (2,600/1,700)
"So you see, that Trap Card was a big waste.
"I'll move to my End Phase, and use the effect of my Cell Battle to summon my Twilight Bloom."
A weird Monster appeared on Sam's side of the field. It was a tall thick, plant, with thorny vines for limbs, and a head that was a large, purple, bell-shaped flower with eyes on stalks and a large jaw full of teeth. (1,900/1,400)
"Who says Plant-Type Monsters get no respect?" asked Sam. "Well… Everyone… And this guy isn't too happy about it!
"It's your move."
(Y: 5,200) -------------------- (S: 5,400)
Yumi drew a card.
I'm falling behind… she thought. And I can't hold out against these beatstick bullies forever…
"I set a Monster in Defense Mode…"
A facedown Monster appeared.
"Then I move Lesser Fiend into Defense Mode as well."
Lesser Fiend knelt, and crossed its four arms.
"I'll move to my own End Phase, and use the effect of Cell Battle to summon Archfiend Soldier."
In a puff of black smoke, the infernal infantryman appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,900/1,500)
"It's a good thing Sam's real deck used so many Normal Monsters," said Ren.
"Yeah…" said Chelsea. "But Yumi is quickly running out of them…"
Sam snapped, and then drew a card.
"You know, Yumi…" she said, looking at it. "This reminds me of a joke I heard the other day…"
She played a card, and the golden ankh of Monster Reborn appeared.
"See, there were these two guys in an insane asylum named Tom and Ed. One day they decide that they don't like living in the place, and they decide to escape."
Gene-Warped Warwolf appeared again with a roar. (2,000/100)
"So anyway, they escape to the roof of the asylum, and they only have to jump across a ten-foot gap between the buildings to complete their escape."
Gene-Warped Warwolf slashed at Archfiend Soldier, and the demon was blasted into shards.
"Tom makes the jump easily, but Ed is afraid to jump. See, he's afraid of falling."
Twilight Bloom blew a blast of toxic pollen at the facedown Monster. Malice Doll of Demise appeared on the card and warped and rotted before shattering.
"Then Tom says, 'Hey, I got an idea! I have my flashlight with me. I'll shine it between the buildings, and you just have to walk along the beam and join me!"
Luster Dragon blasted its breath weapon, striking Lesser Fiend. The demon was blown out of existence.
"And then Ed says, 'Huh? What do you think I am, crazy?'"
Sam chuckled.
"'You'd turn it off when I was halfway across!'"
There was dead silence in the room.
Sam put her hand on her hip.
"What?" she asked. "You heard that one before? Frostosaurus, see if you can make her laugh! Attack her directly!"
The huge Dinosaur blasted its glacial rampage, striking Yumi dead center…
Strangely, Yumi didn't scream this time…
At least, not right away…
(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (S: 5,400)
As the misty haze cleared, everyone looked at Yumi, who was taking some deep breaths, with her head bowed…
And then she screamed… She screamed a cry of pure anger… It shook the whole Clock Tower and carried over the whole island. Everyone in the room was startled. Ren and Chelsea held each other, and Sam stepped back in fear…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
At the height of Clock Tower Prison, Rasputin shivered with fright…
No… he thought. We've truly pushed Yumi to her breaking point… There's no telling what will happen now…
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Yumi took some deep breaths…
Deep, low gasps of rage…
"That's it!" she shouted. "Rasputin, I hope you're listening, because here's a message… You and this ambassador, whoever she is, won't be getting any more mercy… I'm gonna send your sorry ass straight to Hell!
"And as for you Sam, since I lost Life Points when I had no cards on my side of the field, I can summon Messenger of Ha Des – Gors!"
She threw a card on her Disk, and a bonfire appeared on her side of the field. The Messenger of Ha Des appeared, holding his huge sword. He gave a grim look towards Sam and her Monsters. (2,700/2,500)
"His powers allow him to call forth Messenger of Ha Des – Kaien…"
In another bonfire, the fallen angel in black armor, holding her two swords appeared, stepping into a fighting stance next to Gors. (2,600/2,600)
"And by the way… That joke was really, really bad…"
Sam trembled as she looked at the rest of her cards.
"I… I have to end my turn…" she said.
Yumi took some deep breaths again. She quickly drew a card.
She was surprised when she saw what the card was.
What the Hell is this? she thought. I never saw Sam use this before…
She read the description.
Man, talk about a gamble card… This is even riskier than Hand of Ha Des… I'll bet not even grandpa Joey would use this…
I'd have to be crazy to play it…
She looked at it hard.
Then again, I'm in a pretty sanity-be-damned mood right now... And with all that's been happening, it's no crazier than even getting out of bed in the morning…
"Yumi!" said the Pharaoh's voice. "Maybe you should think this over…"
For the first time since they had met, she ignored him. She placed the card in her Disk.
"Okay, Sam…" he said. "I play… Nightmare Shuffle."
An evil, cackling laughter echoed through the room, as a very sinister-looking Continuous Spell Card appeared on Yumi's side of the field. It bore the picture of two withered, skeletal hands shuffling a deck of cards.
"Nightmare Shuffle?" asked Sam. "What the heck does that do?"
"You mean it isn't your card?" asked Yumi.
Sam looked at her. Yumi looked at the card.
Too late now… she thought, sweating.
"Okay Sam, I'll explain it, because it's very complicated. So long as this card is on the field, neither of us are allowed to check the contents of my Graveyard.
"Now, a card is selected from my Graveyard, completely at random. Thing is, I'm not allowed to see what it is."
A card slipped out of Yumi's discard slot, and she closed her eyes as she took it.
"Now, I set it facedown on the field in my Spell Zone, right next to Nightmare Shuffle."
A facedown card appeared next to the Spell Card.
"If I don't activate this by my next Standby Phase, it goes to the Graveyard, and is replaced by a new one from my Graveyard, again chosen completely at random. This happens again at each of my Standby Phases.
"Now, when I finally decide to activate it, Nightmare Shuffle is destroyed. And if the timing for the activation of the card is wrong, depending on the situation, it doesn't work, and every card on my side of the field and in my hand goes to the Graveyard.
"Okay?"
Sam laughed out loud.
"Yumi," she laughed. "That has to be the stupidest move you have ever made! Come to think of it, that has to be the stupidest move that ANY duelist I have faced has ever made! You're risking this entire duel on the off chance that a random card from your Graveyard will help you?"
"I gotta agree with Sam, here," said Ren. "Yumi's gotta be outta her gourd to make a gamble that risky."
"We'll soon see," said Yumi. "For now…
"Time to break the ice! Gors, attack Frostosaurus with Demonblade!"
Gors twirled his huge sword, and leapt at the giant Monster. With a mighty slash, Frostosaurus shattered into shards of ice.
"Kaien, destroy that blasted Warwolf!"
Kaien lunged at Gene-Warped Warwolf, and made two slashes with her blades. The Beast-Warrior groaned, and shattered into shards.
Yumi held her chest and took some deep breaths.
"I end my turn…" she muttered.
(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (S: 4,700)
Sam slowly drew a card.
She looked at it.
She chose another card from her hand.
"I play… Emergency Provisions…" she said.
She played the card, and a large mouth appeared behind her Spell Cards. Her Heart of the Underdog, Non-Spellcasting Area, and Two-Man Cell Battle were sucked in, and she glowed with energy.
"What?" muttered Yumi. "But… Why would you get rid of them…"
"They were outliving their usefulness," she replied. "Besides, I had to get rid of Non-Spellcasting Area anyway. See, now that my Monsters can be affected by Spell Cards, I can play Rush Recklessly."
She played the card, and Luster Dragon's Attack Score rose to 2,600.
"Luster Dragon, attack Kaien!" she shouted.
Luster Dragon breathed its flame at Kaien. The Messenger tried to shield herself with her blades… Both she and the Dragon strained…
Finally, both of them were thrown backwards, and both shattered into shards.
"I move Twilight Bloom to Defense Mode, and end my turn…"
Twilight Bloom knelt, and shielded itself with its tendrils.
(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (S: 7,700)
Yumi drew a card.
"You know what comes next," she said.
The Nightmare Shuffle card glowed, and the two skeletal hands on it started shuffling the deck.
"The card next to Nightmare Shuffle goes to the Graveyard…"
The facedown card vanished.
"…and a new one takes its place."
She set a new card in her Disk, and it appeared facedown.
"Okay…" she said. "I play… Pot of Avarice…"
She played the card. Giant Orc, Opticlops, Malice Doll of Demise, Archfiend Soldier, and Lesser Fiend slipped out of her discard slot. She shuffled them back into her deck, and then drew two cards.
She looked at them.
"I summon The Bistro Butcher," she said, playing one of them.
She played the card, and the fiendish gourmet appeared on the field. (1,800/1,000)
"Next, up, Premature Burial," she said, playing the other.
She played the card, and Gil Garth, the last Monster in her Graveyard, appeared next to her two other Fiends. (1,800/1,200)
"Go!" she ordered. "Chop Twilight Bloom into salad!"
The Butcher lunged at the Plant, and with a swipe of his cleaver, it was cut in two. The pieces burst into shards.
"Gil Garth, you're up," said Yumi.
Gil Garth flew at Sam, and slashed at her with his katana. Sam gasped and staggered backwards.
"Gors, your turn. Attack directly with Demonblade."
Gors looked at Sam with a look of incredible anger. He rushed at her, and slammed his sword into her torso. Sam screamed and fell backwards.
(Y: 1,800) -------------------- (S: 3,200)
"YUMI!" screamed the voice of the Pharaoh.
"Huh?" said Yumi.
She felt a swift slap across her face.
"Ow!" she shouted.
She held her face.
"Was that really necessary?" she asked.
"Yumi, I know you're angry," he said. "But what you are doing could spell Sam's doom!
"We haven't drawn Ha Des yet… Sam's false soul has yet to appear. If you make another round of attacks like that, Sam might be lost to us forever…
"Don't forget, Yumi… Giving in to anger was how I almost lost your grandfather… I swore I wasn't going to let that happen again…"
Yumi paused. She started to take some deep breaths again.
"That's it…" said the Pharaoh. "Deep breaths… Deep, cleansing breaths… Just calm down, and we can do this…"
"All right…" she said.
"I end my turn, Sam…" she said. "So move…"
Sam picked herself up. She angrily drew a card.
She played the card, and Pot of Greed appeared in front of her. She drew two cards.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" she chuckled.
"Oh no…" muttered Ren. "Psychotic chuckling is always a bad sign…"
"Bad for you three," said Sam, "because now I'm going to summon my ultimate Warrior…
"But first, I need a sacrifice."
She played a card, and Silent Doom appeared on the field.
"Now, Gene-Warped Warwolf appears once again. You just can't keep a good Monster down."
The four-armed Beast-Warrior appeared once again, kneeling and shielding itself. (2,000/100)
"Next, I play this…" said Sam.
"A Ritual Card?" asked Yumi, somewhat shocked.
"A powerful Ritual," said Sam. "Powerful if you use it right. It's called Emblem of the Awakening… And all I need to offer as a sacrifice for this ceremony is a Level Four Monster."
She played the card, and Gene-Warped Warwolf vanished. A marble slab with an odd symbol on the front appeared in front of Sam… Most remarkably, someone was asleep atop the slab.
"So… awaken from your long sleep to do battle again… Come forth, Cú Chulainn the Awakened!"
The sleeping figure's eyes opened, and he slowly stepped off the slab. He was a handsome young man, dressed in exotic, fancy, ceremonial armor and a cape. He gestured, and a large, glowing halberd appeared in his hand. (500/1,000)
"Big deal," said Chelsea. "He has 500 lousy Attack Points."
"Heh, heh," chuckled Sam. "Don't judge a Monster by his cover! Cú Chulainn has a very powerful ability that I can use once per round. I simply have to make a small sacrifice, in the form of one Normal Monster in my Graveyard…"
A card slipped out of her Graveyard. She held it up, revealing Frostosaurus.
"…and then, its Attack Points are added to his."
The card vanished in a burst of golden flames, and Cú Chulainn glowed with the same energy. (3,100/1,000)
"Attack her Messenger! Strike of the dreamer!"
Cú Chulainn lunged with his weapon, stabbing into Gors's torso. The Fiend dropped his sword, and exploded into pixels.
"And by the way, Yumi," said Sam, "that 2,600-Attack Point increase won't wear off until my next Standby Phase. So just try to take him down."
(Y: 1,400) -------------------- (S: 3,200)
Yumi sighed as she looked at the deck.
She drew a card.
The skeletal hands on Nightmare Shuffle started shuffling the deck again.
"Once again, Nightmare Shuffle replaces the card next to it," she said.
The facedown card vanished, and a new one took its place.
"Now I play… Graceful Charity."
As she played the card, the angel appeared, hovering over the field. She looked sadly at Sam as Yumi drew three cards.
Yumi's eyes lit up as she saw what they were. She slowly discarded two cards.
"I sacrifice The Bistro Butcher…"
The Butcher vanished in a dark aura…
"Come on out… Dark Ruler Ha Des!"
In an aura of dark flames, the ruler of the Underworld appeared. He looked somewhat angry, as he crossed his arms and glared at Sam. (2,450/1,600)
Sam chuckled.
"Nice try, Yumi," she said. "But his Attack Score is way too low. Seems it was a wasted effort."
Yumi bowed her head. Ha Des's appearance didn't seem to have fazed her in the slightest.
Even if she won this duel, and she didn't know if she could… Whether Sam would come back to them… It was looking more and more unlikely.
"I move Gil Garth to Defense Mode, and end my turn," said Yumi, sadly.
Gil Garth knelt, and held his sword in his lap.
Sam drew a card.
She looked at it strangely.
What the heck? she thought. What sort of a card is this?
She read the description.
Talk about a weird card… It doesn't fit this deck at all… Why would Rasputin want me to have it?
Then suddenly, she stopped.
As Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea watched, Sam simply stared into space.
"Sam?" asked Yumi. "Hello?"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sam was in darkness…
Incredible darkness…
"Where… where am I?" she said.
"So…" said a voice that was full of contempt and bile. "It seems that once again, I am the victim of an act of outright betrayal… By someone whom I accepted as my consort… Usually, humans are nothing but slaves to me… I made an exception… And got this in return."
Sam looked up, and saw Ha Des looming over her with a look of incredible anger on his face.
"Ha Des?" she said, meekly.
"I would have ordered most of my servants tortured for even being friendly with one of those Dark World beasts," growled the Dark Ruler. "They're wicked, wicked creatures of pure Chaos who would see ever member of every race besides them, other Fiends included, dead in an instant.
"They've had a bounty on my head for centuries, Samantha! The only reason they haven't succeeded is the fact that few competent assassins in the world of Fiends are crazy enough to believe they wouldn't double-cross them."
Sam cowered in fright.
"I was willing to let you off easy, though…" he muttered. "I thought that losing the tournament to Yumi and the humiliation that losing your wager with her would bring you was sufficient punishment for your first betrayal, Samantha… But it seems you were too weak-willed to learn…
"This time it isn't even by a Fiend. You've cast me aside for some Celtic warlord… Unbelievable…"
Sam looked at him. Tears started to form in her eyes.
"No, no, it wasn't like that!" she said, almost begging. "I had no choice… The ambassador told me to…"
She swallowed hard.
"She told me to… throw you away…"
Ha Des glared at her.
"And I'm to believe you truly had no choice…" he said. "Maybe a small part of you wanted revenge on Yumi, and wanted more power once again. And it was enough of a desire to cast the cards that Yumi is using now, mine included, into the trash can."
Sam fell to her knees.
"Forgive…" she said, with tears falling down her cheeks.
Ha Des looked at her.
"Hmm…" he said, pondering.
He rubbed his chin, clearly thinking it over.
She looked up at him.
"Samantha…" he said.
"Yes?" she said eagerly.
"It is still your move," he said. "Attack me with Cú Chulainn."
"What?" said Sam, in shock. "But…"
"Do not argue," he said. "Do not ask why. If you ever want any hope of my forgiveness, use Cú Chulainn's effect to his fullest, and attack me.
"Then and only then, will I possibly consider forgiveness…"
He vanished.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sam opened her eyes. The silver glow was gone from them now, and tears were flowing from them.
"Sam?" asked Yumi.
"Still my move, Yumi!" she shouted, as Cú Chulainn dropped to an Attack of 500. "And this time, I'm removing Gene-Warped Warwolf from play."
The card fell out of her discard slot, and Cú Chulainn rose to an Attack of 2,500.
"Go!" she shouted. "Attack the Dark Ruler Ha Des!"
Cú Chulainn charged at the Dark Ruler…
"Not so fast!" shouted Yumi. "I have the card that Nightmare Shuffle gave me, and now it's time to see what it is!"
The Nightmare Shuffle card exploded into shards. Everyone tensed as the card started to lift…
The card appeared…
It was Bark of Dark Ruler.
"Yes!" shouted Yumi. "And grandpa Joey's legendary luck comes through! I'll give up all my Life Points except 100 of them, and reduce your Warrior's Attack Score to 1,200!"
Ha Des roared, and Cú Chulainn glowed with a shadowy aura. Ha Des blasted a bolt of dark flame, and Cú Chulainn the Awakened was no more.
(Y: 100) -------------------- (S: 1,950)
Sam bowed her head.
"There's nothing more I can do…" she muttered.
Yumi drew a card.
"Ha Des…" she ordered, "attack her directly! Stygian blast!"
Sam screamed as she was roasted by the Dark Ruler's black flames…
(Y: 100) -------------------- (S: 0)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sam was back in the darkness, on her knees again. The Dark Ruler was standing over her.
"So…" she said, meekly. "Am I forgiven?"
"I don't know," said Ha Des, still with a hint of anger. "I haven't decided yet…"
"Please…" begged Sam.
"Here's the deal, Samantha," said the Dark Ruler. "I won't consider you my consort right now. Not until I make my decision.
"Once you come to, Yumi will give you your deck back, the one that holds my power.
"I foresee that you will duel again before this night is over. If I decide to grant you victory, it will mean that I've decided to grant forgiveness for what you've done.
"If I don't and you lose… Then you might as well give up dueling forever. The same curse that caused you to lose the final round of the tournament will never leave you. It will remain as a punishment for two betrayals.
"Farwell… I will only speak to you again as my consort, if you ever gain the title back."
He vanished into mist.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Yumi looked at the Nightmare Shuffle card. Then she was shocked as it caught fire, and vanished in a burst of smoke and ash.
Someone helped me, she thought. But who?
"Sam?" she said, bending over her rival.
Sam slowly got up. She started sobbing uncontrollably.
"There, there," said Yumi, putting her arm around her. "You had us worried for a minute but…"
Then Sam noticed how she was dressed. She screamed, and grief turned to anger.
"OOH!" she shouted. "Wait until I find that ambassador… She can control my mind, but make me dress like a slut and you've crossed the line…"
"Easy, Sam, easy!" said Yumi. "I'm… I'm sorry to tell you this, but we really have no way of getting you a change of clothes unless we can find what she did with yours."
Sam bowed her head, and tried to cover herself with the cape.
"Sam, look…" asked Ren. "Who is this… ambassador anyway?"
Sam sighed.
"She didn't tell me her name yet," she muttered. "She was blonde, with… curves… Dressed like this, except all in black… And she covered her face with an iron mask.
"And her voice… Deep and husky… Very intimidating…"
"Bet she stands out in a crowd…" said Ren.
"This is getting weirder and weirder," muttered Chelsea. "Rasputin must have some sort of partner now. An ambassador is usually working for some other interest."
Sam sighed, and looked at her clothing, which still showed too much.
"Erik will probably be thrilled…" she muttered.
She stopped short.
"ERIK!" she shouted.
"Where is he, Sam?" asked Chelsea.
Sam pointed up.
"The Clock Tower's gear housing," she muttered. "We have to save him!"
"Lovely, more stairs…" sighed Ren.
"Yumi, gimme my deck," said Sam.
"Huh?" said Yumi.
"I said gimme!" shouted Sam.
Yumi handed over the deck, and Sam snatched it.
"My destiny is in this deck now…" she muttered.
"Come on… We have to save Erik…"
As she head for the stairs, she took the Normal Deck and threw it behind her, no longer caring for those cards in the least.
Yumi started to follow.
Then she fell on one knee, and panted for breath.
"Yumi?" asked Ren.
Yumi felt her hair. The Cat's Cradle Comb was there.
She looked and saw the Ring of Spirits on her finger.
"I'm okay, Ren…" she said, slowly. "I'm more than ready to take on Erik…"
Who am I kidding? she thought. I'm exhausted! Winning this duel is going to take a miracle…
But for Erik's sake… I have to make that miracle happen…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
As Mary Jane cowered in fright, Heck surveyed the field. It wasn't looking good for him…
He had X-Head Cannon on his side of the field (1,800/1,500) and one facedown card. The only card in his hand was something he couldn't really use at this point…
His opponent, on the other hand, had Gravity Bind active, a facedown card, and a very strange-looking Machine. It looked like an android made for construction work, with no legs, a claw for one hand, and a grappling hook for the other. (1,000/1,000)
Heck had 3,500 Life Points remaining, while his opponent was way ahead at 5,000.
"My move," said the Ascender, drawing a card.
His facedown card lifted.
"And now my Trap Card activates… Fatal Abacus. In case you don't know what it does, it deals 500 points of damage to a player whenever a Monster goes to his Graveyard.
"Next, I play the Spell Card, Illegal Summon."
He played a card, and a Continuous Spell Card bearing a humorous image of a young man riding a giant frog appeared on his side of the field.
"Now, I get to summon a Monster to your side of the field," he continued. "And I think I'll do that with my Sacrifice Lotus."
He played a card, and a large thing that looked like a giant, pink lotus flower with humanoid features appeared on Heck's side of the field, shielding itself in Defense Mode. (0/0)
"Thanks…" muttered Heck, sarcastically. "It's just what ah always wanted…"
"Anyway…" said the Ascender. "Now you get to summon a Monster to my side of the field."
"All right, fine," scowled Heck. "Take this one…"
Y-Dragon Head appeared on the Ascender's side of the field. (1,500/1,600)
"Splendid," said the Ascender. "Now I can activate my Monster's effect. By sacrificing your Y-Dragon Head, it can attack you directly."
The Union Monster vanished in a sparkle of light, and Fatal Abacus glowed. Heck cringed.
"Transistor the Warrior, attack him directly!" shouted the Ascender.
The android flew at Heck, and fired its grappling hook. Heck grunted in pain as his Life Points fell to 2,000.
"I end my turn…" said the Ascender.
"Then ah draw…" said Heck.
He drew a card.
Then he felt like he was on fire. A burning feeling covered his whole body as his Life Points fell to 1,000.
"What happened?" he gasped.
"That would be the Sacrifice Lotus," said the Ascender. "It has a little drawback… During your Standby Phase, you lose 1,000 Life Points."
"Does it have any benefit?" asked Heck.
The Ascender chuckled.
"If it's in your Graveyard," he replied, "you can Special Summon it during your End Phase. See the genius of putting it on your side of the field? If you get rid of it, it goes to my Graveyard. So you only get its drawback.
"And this is your last move."
Heck looked at the card he had drawn.
Oh, he couldn't have been more right… he thought.
"Ah play Mystical Space Typhoon!" he shouted. "Say goodbye to that Gravity Bind!"
He played the card, and the cyclone blew the Trap Card to pieces.
"Now, ah activate a Trap," he said, as his facedown card lifted. "Roll Out! This lets me Special Summon a Union Monster from my Graveyard, an' Equip it to a Monster on my field.
"So ah'll Equip Y-Dragon Head to X-Head Cannon."
Y-Dragon Head appeared on the field. The Two Machines changed shape, and bonded together in a burst of light and steam. (2,200/1,900)
"All right… Destroy Transistor the Warrior! Pulverizing plasma blast!"
The bonded Machine fired its lasers, blowing the smaller Machine into burning scrap. The Ascender groaned as his Life Points fell to 3,800.
"An' thanks to your own Fatal Abacus," said Heck, "you lose an additional 500 Life Points."
The Ascender cringed as his Life Points went down to 3,300.
"Fool!" he shouted. "You've still lost. All I have to do on my turn is end my turn without doing anything, and that Lotus will finish you off!"
Heck smiled, and held up the last card in his hand.
"Ah play the Quickplay Spell Card, Combination Attack!" he shouted, throwing it into his Disk. "This Spell separates my two Monsters, and then lets them both attack again!"
In another burst of steam, X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head flew apart from each other, transforming back to their original shapes. (1,800/1,500), (1,500/1,600)
"Attack him directly!" shouted Heck. "Double de-fission lasers!"
The two Machines blasted their weapons, and the Ascender screamed as his Life Points fell to nothing.
He collapsed.
Heck ran over to Mary Jane.
"You okay, miss?" he asked.
"I… I will be…" she muttered, wiping away tears. "Thank you… I… I thought he was going to rape me…"
"There, there…" said Heck. "Yeah, that thought crossed my mind once or twice…"
"Look!" she shouted, pointing to the Ascender.
They looked, as the demonic cloud floated out of his body. It glared at the two of them angrily, and then dissipated.
"Uhm… miss…" muttered Heck. "Something tells me that his intentions went a great deal further than rape…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Unbeknownst to Yumi and her allies, another duel was going on, below them in the wax museum.
Enrique had come in to find the stairway up blocked by another Ascender who had no intention of letting him past.
But it seemed like he was going to get past whether the guy liked it or not. He was winning the duel, with 4,000 Life Points, and Volcanic Doomfire on his side of the field. His opponent had a clear side, and only 1,000 Life Points.
"Listen you wetback," shouted the Ascender, "you're dreaming if you think I'm going to let you win…"
"LET me win?" asked Enrique, almost laughing. "Heh… fine, just move…"
The Ascender angrily drew a card.
"Heh, heh…" he chuckled. "I play Monster Reborn!"
He played the card, and Jinzo appeared on the field in a flash of light. (2,400/1,500)
"Perhaps you're forgetting," said Enrique, "my Doomfire already toasted that psycho two turns ago."
"Not this time…" said the Ascender. "Because I Equip it with the Spell Card, Megamorph."
He played a card.
"Since I'm losing, this doubles its Attack Points."
Jinzo shot up to an Attack of 4,800.
"Destroy his Doomfire!" he shouted. "Cyber energy shock!"
Jinzo shot a blast of energy, and Enrique cringed as Volcanic Doomfire exploded and his Life Points fell to 2,200.
"Heh, heh…" chuckled the Ascender.
Then flames erupted around him, and he fell to his knees. His Life Points fell to zero.
"What… what happened?" he shouted.
"I simply removed a Monster from my Graveyard called a Volcanic Counter," replied Enrique, holding up a card. "Since I did that, you took the same amount of damage as I did. Which means you lose."
The Ascender's eyes glazed over, and he fell on his face.
Enrique didn't wait to see if there were any more guards. He stepped over the fallen Ascender and rushed up the stairs, two at a time.
No thugs can get in the way of a Lobo, he thought. Rasputin is going to see what happens when Latino blood boils…
I'm coming, Yumi…
Sam has recovered, even though her future is uncertain, and clues are being revealed in bits and pieces. But Yumi may have tired herself out too much to put up a fight against Erik, who waits for her in the Clock Tower's belfry. And even if by some miracle Yumi can defeat him, what chance would the weary duelist stand against Rasputin? Perhaps in this next duel, Yumi simply needs help…
0
0
0
TWILIGHT BLOOM (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Plant
Attribute:
Dark
Level:
4
ATK:
1,900
DEF:
1,400
Flavor Text: A wise forest explorer knows well to avoid a large flower if bones and skulls litter the ground around it. It is a sure sign of the Twilight Bloom, one of the most poisonous plants in existence.
0
0
0
VOLCANIC COUNTER (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Pyro/Effect
Attribute:
Fire
Level:
4
ATK:
300
DEF:
1,300
Card Description: When you take battle damage, if there is a FIRE Monster in your Graveyard other than "Volcanic Counter", you may remove this card in your Graveyard from play to inflict direct damage to your opponent equal to the amount of battle damage you took.
0
0
0
SACRIFICE LOTUS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Plant/Effect
Attribute:
Dark
Level:
1
ATK:
0
DEF:
0
Card Description: If this card is in your Graveyard during your End Phase, and you do not have any Spell or Trap Cards on the field, you can Special Summon this card in Attack Position to your side of the field. When this card is face-up on the field, he controller of this card receives 1,000 points of damage to his/her Life Points during each of his/her Standby Phases.
Note: "Volcanic Counter" and "Sacrifice Lotus" are real cards that will be released in "Phantom Darkness".
0
0
0
TRANSISOR THE WARRIOR (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Machine/Effect
Attribute:
Earth
Level:
3
ATK:
1,000
DEF:
1,000
Card Description: If you Tribute one Monster on your side of the field (other than this one) this card may attack your opponent directly during your turn's Battle Phase.
0
0
0
ILLEGAL SUMMON (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: A youth in colorful clothes riding a giant frog. (Unmistakably, this depicts Jiraiya from Naruto.)
Card Description: Once per round, during your Main Phase, select one Level Four or lower Monster from your deck and Special Summon it to your opponent's side of the field. Your opponent selects the battle position. Then, your opponent selects one Level Four or lower Monster from his/her deck and Special Summons it to your side of the field.
Note: "Transistor the Warrior" and "Illegal Summon" were first used by Mathematica in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Pro Dueling". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
NIGHTMARE SHUFFLE (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: Two skeletal hands shuffling a deck of cards.
Card Description: When this card is in play, neither player may check the contents of your Graveyard except via the means of a card effect you control. Select one card from your Graveyard at random and set it facedown in your Spell/Trap Zone next to this card. During each of your Standby Phases, send the set card to the Graveyard; then, select one card from your Graveyard at random and set it facedown in the same space in your Spell/Trap Zone. If the set card is activated, send "Nightmare Shuffle" to the Graveyard, and if the timing for the activation of the card is incorrect, send all cards in your hand and on your side of the field to the Graveyard.
Note: "Nightmare Shuffle" was first used by Jesse (while possessed by Yubel) in a third-season episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
0
0
Ren: Yumi, look at yourself! You can barely stand up! How can you beat Erik in this state?
Yumi: I don't know… But I have to find a way… If I can't beat him, we're all doomed…
Chelsea: This is not fair… She can barely see straight… She can't do this alone…
Voice: Enough… Yumi may be in sorry condition, but no-one ever said she would have to go it alone… When we get to the gear housing, I'm taking over.
Ever since you met me Yumi, you've never faced a challenge alone…
Coming up next, "David Deck versus Goliath Deck; Battle of Polar Opposites".
Three down, and one to go… Let's get Erik out of there…