Call me, Serena. My friends get to call me "Satoshi" if they want to (don't you dare ask why).
Today is a grand day: the sun is shining, people are dueling, I've just seen Seto Kaiba and Katsuya Jounochi duel (and kiss!) and I now have a new card to go with my deck. The rest of the day is going to be even MORE amazing!
Well, it'd be better if it wasn't for one certain girl that I'd rather not name at this point…
I'm getting ahead of myself, though. All I can say is that I'm glad that I'm here with my best friends, having pizza for lunch, having plans to attend Domino City's Duel Academy and more.
What could possibly go wrong?
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2nd Draw
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Friend Guard
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"Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness."
-Euripides
"Eureka, come back here!"
Eureka, a young girl with blonde hair currently dressed as Key Mace, runs throughout the amusement park, a big smile on her face as her older brother, dressed as Neo the Magic Swordsman, struggles to catch up with her. Eureka is carrying a Winged Kuriboh plushie in her hands as she heads off to the next carnival booth to see what else she can win.
"Come on, big brother!" Eureka cries out to the older boy. "We're not even halfway there!"
"Just...let me...catch my breath…" The older boy, who is named Citron, wheezes out. He leans against a post...only it isn't a post, but a rather tall person. He pauses as he looks up at the person his hand is pressed against...someone dressed as Ebon Illusion Magician. He doesn't realize this mistake until the "post" clears their throat.
"Um...uh…" Citron stammers out as he steps back. "I'm so sorry, sir! I...I didn't mean…"
"Big bro, what's going on?" asks Eureka, approaching her frightened brother. She then looks at the Ebon Illusion Magician, her eyes wide as she looks him up and down. "Whoa…"
The Ebon Illusion Magician shifts his gaze toward the Key Mace, his grey eyes staring into her innocent blue ones. Citron hastily stands inbetween the two as he points his sword at the taller man.
"S...stay away from her, I'm warning you!" he says. "Whatever you want with me, don't get her involved...okay?"
"We only wanted to ask a question," A voice states from behind. Citron turns around, and someone dressed as Vampire Lord nods his head. Next to them is a little boy dressed like Hero Kid with a big grin on their face, and a figure dressed up like Elemental Hero Sparkman. Eureka's eyes grow big as she inspects the three newcomers.
"We're looking for someone who's dressed like a D. D. Warrior Lady wielding a silver Duel Disk," says the Hero Kid cosplayer. "She should be part of a group that has Ghostrick Witch, Crystal Seer, Warlock of the Ice Barrier and Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss. Have you seen her?"
"I have, I have!" Eureka answers, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I think I saw them going to the food truck run by the Madolche Marmalmaide. They have a Breaker the Magical Warrior on them with some cute little monster on their shoulder called a Pikachu dressed like Peten the Dark Clown!"
"Well...that's new," says the Elemental Hero Sparkman. "And apparently Becca just picked up a new friend."
"She's always in a rush to be with her friends, huh Varon?" says the Hero Kid with a giggle. "If she found a glowing portal to another world, I bet she'd rush into it without hesitation."
"Now, now, Miruko," says the Vampire Lord, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "If it wasn't for her rushing in, she would never have found us all those years ago. Correct?"
Miruko bites his lip, a tiny fang poking out as he nods his head.
"Yeah, I can't forget about that, Amelda," he says. Amelda smiles and pats his little brother's shoulder.
The Ebon Illusion Magician pats Eureka on the head and pulls out something from a satchel he is carrying, a string of seashells.
"So pretty…" Eureka whispers, taking the seashells into her hand. "Thank you so much, Mr. Ebon Illusion Magician sir!"
"Call me Raphael," The magician says with a smile. He then turns to the companions. "Come on, we better get going before Rebecca starts dueling and realizes she's taken the wrong deck. Again."
The others nod their heads as they head off. Eureka waves good-bye to them as Citron lets out a sigh. As he does, he turns to his sister.
"Eureka," he says. "Did you notice something strange about them?"
"No," Eureka shakes her head. "Why do you ask?"
"Because for some odd reason, the Vampire Lord and Hero Kid looked really pale."
"It's probably make-up," Eureka answers with a shrug of her shoulders. "Now come on, let's get back to those carnival games! Race ya there!"
"W-wait! Eureka, come back here!"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The Thousand Pieces Food Truck isn't just known for its delicious pancakes and desserts-they're also known for having some mighty food challenges for occasions such as the Duel Monsters Spirit Festival.
Today's challenge is something known as Devil May Cry: the goal is for the group to finish a sixteen slice pizza topped with chili peppers, pepperoni, spicy sausage and more, alongside a two gallon-tall strawberry sundae for dessert. The time limit is ninety minutes and the winners get a photo on the Thousand Pieces' Hall of Fame and other prizes that varied depending on the contest itself.
This is what Rebecca is waiting for as she and her friends sit at a table in front of the Food Truck. Joining them is a young girl dressed as a maid, who shares a laugh with Serena.
"But seriously, Millefeui," says Serena. "How exactly did you get a copy of that card? I've searched high and low for something like that."
"Someone mailed it to me a couple of days ago," Millefeui answers, taking a sip of her lime juice. "There wasn't a name to it, but the return address was what surprised me."
"How come?" asks Ash. Pikachu is too busy with a ketchup bottle in his paws to pay attention to the conversation. Millefeui pauses as she stirs her drink with the straw in hand.
"Well, it's because it came from the old manor…" she answers, causing Serena to raise an eyebrow. "But everyone knows that no one's lived in that manor for years…"
"Maybe the person there is pulling a Marcus on dear Skate?"
The group turns around, seeing a girl dressed up as Eria the Water Charmer approach them, a smirk on her face as she looks at Serena. Serena rolls her eyes.
"Hikari…" The Ghostrick Witch cosplayer says in a strained voice. "Nice to see you around."
Hikari chuckles as she sits herself down in-between Haruka and Rebecca, neither girl liking how the Water Charmer leans close to Serena.
"Who's she?" Ash asks Masato.
"Hikari, a girl who's been rivals with Serena and Millefeui ever since they first met," Masato answers. "They hate each other with a passion. To quote a certain musical…"
"Every little trait however small, makes my very flesh begin to crawl…" Mokuba notes as he sees the lightning shoot between Hikari and Serena's eyes. "Oh, this is gonna be bad."
"I am curious as to why someone would use the old manor would to give you something, Serena," Hikari ponders. "I mean, that is the same place where you got those little nightmares, right?"
"Of course," Serena answers. "And you recorded the duel, posted it on your blog and I was hounded that entire summer from duelists wanting me to use that deck in action."
"You should be more grateful," Hikari exclaims. "I made you famous!"
"You made me feel like I was going to unleash Hell on Earth."
"Look, if you don't have anything you want to order, then beat it," says Millefeui, glancing at her watch. "My break is about to end in five minutes and I think I can kill that time with a duel."
Hikari just laughs. "You try to beat me and the newest additions I added to my deck?" she says. "I'll be trouncing your cookie monsters without breaking a sweat!" She then notices Pikachu licking the top of the ketchup bottle. "And what the heck is that?"
"It's Pikachu," says Ash, liking the girl's attitude less and less. "He's my best friend."
Hikari smirks. "Like Serena's best friends are a bunch of ghosts? Well, at least this 'Pikachu' of yours is visible." Serena snarls as Hikari clasps her hands together. "Oh, I must've struck a nerve. How awful of me."
"Not as awful as the beatdown you're gonna get if you don't leave right now," says Haruka, noticing a shadow looming over the group.
"Is that supposed to be a threat, Miss Tarot?" Hikari asks with a raise of her eyebrow.
"No, it's simply a fact," Haruka answers, not even looking up. "Turn around."
Hikari does so, and flinches when she sees an Ebon Illusion Magician looking down at her, ready to snap her in two if he feels like it.. Rebecca squeals.
"Raphael nii-san!" she exclaims, wrapping her arms around the Illusion Magician's waist. "You made it!"
"Is she bothering you and your friends again?" Raphael asks, turning to a sweating Hikari. Rebecca stands up and shakes her head.
"She was just leaving, weren't ya?" she says with a smirk. Hikari quickly stands up and turns away with a "Hmph."
"I have to go looking for my boyfriend, anyhow," she says. "I don't need to care about what cards Serena got from whoever pulled a Marcus on her, anyway! So there!"
As she walks off, Millefeui finishes her lime juice as Serena curls her hand into a fist. As she does, three more figures emerge.
"What did we miss?" asks Miruko. His eyes latch onto Pikachu as he exclaims, "It's so CUTE! Don't you think so, Amelda nii-san?"
"Hey!" says Ash, noticing Miruko gathering Pikachu into his arms and swinging round and round. "Be careful! Pikachu doesn't like that!"
"You heard him," said a voice, one with a Cockney accent from the looks of it. Miruko turns to see the Elemental Hero Sparkman take Pikachu out of his hands and begins inspecting him from different angles. "Hmm...is it a toy of some sorts?"
"No, it's a Pokémon," Ash answers, noticing how the strange person is tugging on PIkachu's ears and cheek, Pikachu's cheeks starting to spark.
"Varon," says Amelda, also noticing PIkachu's growing annoyance. "I think you might want to listen to the boy and give him that 'Pikachu' back."
"Come on, Amelda," Varon smirks. "What's the worse that can happen?" His eyes widen when he sees Pikachu's tail. "Oh look! Its tail even looks a lightning bolt! I wonder what happens if I pull it like-"
The second his gloved hand tugs Pikachu's tail, Pikachu unleashes a powerful electric attack that shocks everyone in the vicinity. Seconds later, Pikachu wiggles its way out of Varon's grasp and back to the lone ketchup bottle on the table as Varon coughs.
"So that's what happens…" he mutters.
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After everyone is back to normal, and Rebecca requests that Millefeui doubles the amount for the food challenge to accommodate everyone, they all begin to talk about what type of adventures and things they have seen throughout the festival. Serena isn't part of the conversations, though. Instead, she lets out a sigh as she stares at the card Millefeui gave her earlier. Rebecca notices this.
"It's about what she said about Satoshi and the Old Mansion, isn't it?" Serena just nods her head. "You can't let that girl get to you. Satoshi wouldn't want that, now would he?"
"I suppose not," says Serena, slipping the card into her deck. "Yeah, enough moping around. We should do something while we wait for the pizza to bake. How about we pass the time with a duel?"
"Yeah!" Rebecca hops to her feet. "You're going to see the improvements I made to my deck when I-"
"Oh, that reminds me," Raphael interrupts, pulling out something from his satchel. "In your haste to get to Kaiba Land, you accidentally took my deck by mistake."
"Yeah, right," says Rebecca, drawing five cards from her deck. "There's no way that I'd…" She stops as she looks at the cards she drew before Raphael draws five cards from the deck in his hands and shows them to her. She gasps. "Sweet Lancea, you're right! How did I not see that sooner?"
"Maybe because all you wanted to see were those two kissing?" Varon mutters. Miruko giggles.
Hastily exchanging decks with her older brother, Rebecca mutters an apology as Ash turns to Amelda.
"So," he says. "You're one of Rebecca's older brothers, huh? How did that happen?"
"Miruko, Varon and I traveled together after we lost our families," Amelda answers, not even bothered that he should be sweating underneath his attire. Miruko removes his bubble-like helm and looks at the sun with a bright smile on his face. "Rebecca and Raphael invited us to their house and...we've been with them ever since."
"Yeah," Varon reaches out and wraps his arm around Amelda and smiles. "It was pretty funny how quick they were to accept us." He places a kiss on Amelda's cheek to prove the point. Ash nearly chokes on his drink when he sees Varon rest his head against Amelda's shoulder, Amelda relaxing slightly. Haruka, Masato and Mokuba smile though. Varon raises an eyebrow at Ash's expression. "Does the me back in your world like girls or something?"
"I wouldn't know that for sure…" Ash trails off as he sees Serena and Rebecca prepare for their duel. "Say, what type of deck does Rebecca use?"
"You'll see," Raphael says with a smile. "But let's just say that it involves weapons. Lots and lots of weapons."
"And what about Serena?"
"You're looking at one of the monsters she uses," says Mokuba, pointing to Serena's witch costume. "You'll see soon enough."
"Let's hit the climax, Serena!" Rebecca shouts, drawing five cards. She then spins around with a dramatic flair, blonde hair flying behind her as she adds, "You ready?"
"I am," Serena chuckles, fanning her cards out. "Duelist beware...you're in for a scare!"
"Let's duel!" The two girls shout.
(Serena: 8000) - - - - - - - (Rebecca: 8000)
"What's with those catch phrases?" asks Ash.
"It's tradition for duelists to come up with their own battle cry," Miruko answers. "It's sort of like a dueling fingerprint."
"You heard my brother's battlecry, remember?" says Mokuba. "'Let's make this showy'."
"I swear, I think Jounochi's getting him into too much Super Sentai," Masato teases. "It's a good thing he wasn't going something like, 'It's about to get wild! Try and stop us!' because that would've sounded different if placed out of context."
This causes Rebecca and Serena to double over laughing while Haruka does her best to stifle a laugh of her own. The boys shake their heads with a sigh as Serena draws a card.
"I'll go first," she says. "And I'll start by placing one monster face-down and end my turn."
A face-down monster materializes in front of Serena while Rebecca draws a card.
"Decisions, decisions," she mutters, looking at her cards. "Oh, I know! I'll set one monster face-down, and two more cards face-down. Back to you."
"That seems...anti-climatic," Ash notes. "I thought it'd be more exciting like what Seto and Jounochi did."
"You'll see sparks flying soon enough," says Masato. "It's Serena's turn."
"I'm up," says Serena, drawing her card. "And now, I'm gonna flip-summon Ghostrick Mummy in Attack Mode!"
Serena's set card lifts, revealing a mummy that lets out a huge yawn and stretches their linen covered arms. (1500 ATK)
"Is it time to fight, Satoshi?" Ghostrick Mummy groans. "I was having a nice dream about mud, too…"
"You'll be back in your sarcophagus in no time," says Serena. "And to continue...
"I'll set one monster face-down and that way my mummy won't be crying out for 'Mommy'." She chuckles a bit. "Get it? Get it?" She is faced with awkward silence as she lets out a sigh. "Forget I said that, then."
Ghostrick Mummy laughs at the joke as a face-down monster appears to his right.
"And that's not all," Serena continues, placing a monster card face-down. "With Ghostrick Mummy on the field, once per turn I can make an additional Normal Summon as long as it's for a 'Ghostrick' monster. So, I'll summon his best friend, Ghostrick Stein in Attack Mode!"
A Frankenstein's Monster dressed in maroon appears to Ghostrick Mummy's left. (1600 ATK). The two monsters look at one another then give each other a fist-bump.
"Wow! Three monsters at once!" Ash exclaims. "But wait...is it just me, or did her monster just speak?"
"They're special," Millefeui explains, quickly poking her head out of the food truck with a smile. "They're spirits of Duel Monsters that befriended her when she was little. In fact, it's because of them that Serena and I became good friends in the first place."
"Ghostrick Mummy, attack her face-down monster!" says Serena, pointing at Rebecca's face-down card.
Ghostrick Mummy charges toward the face-down card, an angel wearing a toga and bright yellow wings. (800 DEF) It shatters with just one punch as Serena looks worried.
"You just destroyed my Shining Angel," says Rebecca, as a card pops out of her deck. "And when it's destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon a Light-type Monster from my deck that has less than 1500 Attack Points. And I think the best card for that will be my Artifact Beagalltach in Attack Mode!"
A large sword with glowing red lines emerges onto the field, wielded by a strange warrior composed of red light. (1400 ATK)
"A sword?" asks Ash.
"An Artifact," corrects Rebecca. "Beagalltach is one half of two famous swords used in Irish Mythology; you'll see its twin later.
"And now, since Beagalltach was Special Summoned on Serena's turn, I can use its special ability to destroy up to two set cards I control. Since I can play my Artifact cards like they were Spell or Trap Cards, I can Special Summon them should they be destroyed during my opponent's turn!"
Artifact Beagalltach slices Rebecca's cards in half. Then, two monster zones begin to glow.
"So Artifact Beagalltach is now accompanied by both my Artifact Caduceus and Artifact Scythe in Attack Mode!"
The first monster represents a Caduceus-a winged staff with orange lines and two metal snakes intertwined at the bottom-wielded by an orange figure. (1600 ATK) The second one is a large purple metallic scythe wielded by a similarly purple colored warrior. (2200 ATK)
"And Caduceus can activate its special ability now," Rebecca continues. "Whenever an Artifact monster is Special Summoned during my opponent's turn, I get to draw one card."
She draws, expanding her hand to four.
"I still have another attack though," says Serena. "Ghostrick Stein, attack Beagalltach with Stein Stunner!"
Ghostrick Stein rushes toward the sword, grabbing it into his mighty fists and slams it onto the ground, shattering it into pixels.
(Serena: 8000) - - - - - - - (Rebecca: 7800)
"And when Ghostrick Stein inflicts battle damage, I can take a 'Ghostrick' Spell or Trap Card from my Deck into my hand," says Serena, pulling her deck out. After ten or so cards, she finds the one she's looking for, and places her deck back into her Duel Disk. "And I think I'll play it right now. I set one card and end my turn."
"Finally," says Rebecca, drawing her card. "First, I'll set two more cards face-down."
Two cards appear behind her three Artifact monsters.
"And then I attack! Artifact Caduceus, attack Serena's Ghostrick Mummy!"
The wielder of the Caduceus raises their weapon into the air as Ghostrick Mummy gulps.
"I activate my Trap Card!" Serena exclaims. "Go Ghostrick-Go-Round!"
Serena's Trap Card lifts, revealing Ghostrick Skeleton being spun round and round a spinning wall, its body parts spread out as Ghostrick Jackfrost, Ghostrick Nekomusume and Ghostrick Specter look on.
"I didn't see that last time!" Rebecca gasps. "What does that do?"
"It does one of two effects that I can activate during the Battle Phase," Serena explains. "And the effect I choose is the one where I flip my face-down monster up and place your Artifact Scythe face-down. I'll flip-summon Ghostrick Yeti to activate its effect right now!"
Serena's lone face-down monster flips over, revealing a Yeti with blue and white fur cuddling an adorable white bunny in its massive hands. (300 ATK)
"Bea!" Ghostrick Yeti shouts, seeing Rebecca. "It good to see you again!"
"It looks kinda cute," Ash notes. Seeing Ghostrick Yeti waving at the Artifact duelist. Rebecca can't help but wave back, even when Ghostrick Yeti winds up a punch and slams its fist at Ghostrick Scythe and turning it into a face-down card..
"Whenever Ghostrick Yeti is flip-summoned, I can choose one Ghostrick on the field and it can't be destroyed in battle or card effects on the turn I use its effect," Serena explains. "And I choose Ghostrick Mummy to be protected from Caduceus."
Ghostrick Yeti fires a blast of icy magic at Ghostrick Mummy, the mummy hastily grabbing Cadueceus in his mummified hands. Serena slightly flinches as Artifact Caduceus steps back.
(Serena: 7800) - - - - - - - (Rebecca: 7800)
"I'm not done," she continues, slipping a card into her graveyard. "When I take Battle Damage, no matter how small, I can discard my Ghostrick Mary to set another Ghostrick monster face-down."
A Ghostrick Monster, a vanity mirror that depicts a girl in a black dress with white hair (100 ATK), waves at Rebecca before being replaced with Serena's new face-down monster.
"I'll have to end my turn then," sighs Rebecca.
"And I'll gladly start mine," says Serena, drawing her card.
"So this is what Rebecca meant when she asked if her counterpary liked weapons…" says Ash, turning to Raphael. Raphael nods his head.
"Her grandfather is a famous archaeologist," he explains. "And it's through him that she learned about the types of weapons used in all sorts of myths. She's also proficient in fencing when she's not busy dueling…" He takes a glance at Amelda and Varon with the two gently holding hands as they watch the duel. "...or fantasizing on romance between boys."
"I heard that!" says Rebecca. She momentarily notices her other older brothers and blushes before looking at her cards.
"See what I mean?" says Raphael. Ash slowly nods his head.
"And hear this," says Serena. "I'm going to Flip-Summon the monster I set with Ghostrick Mary-Ghostrick Jiangshi, come out!"
A jiangshi, a Chinese vampire dressed in purple and black robes, a necklace of orange beads, and a paper talisman covering his face, appears on the field. (400 ATK) He and the other Ghostrick Monsters share a laugh.
"We're gonna have lots of fun, aren't we?" The jiangshi cackles, waving his arms and letting out a spooky moan at the stoic Artifact monsters.
"And when Ghostrick Jiangshi is Flip-Summoned, I can take a Ghostrick Monster whose level is less than or equal to the number of Ghostrick monsters I currently have on the field from my deck and into my hand," says Serena. "You don't have to worry since the highest level a Ghostrick monster can be is 3…"
After she takes a card into her hand, she sets another monster face-down.
"But you will have to worry when I bring about the Overlay Network and summon Ghostrick Alucard onto the field!"
"'Overlay what?!'" Ash repeats.
"Overlay Network, aka Xyz Summon," Mokuba explains. "That's when you can Special Summon a variety of monsters that have 'Ranks' instead of levels. Most of the time, whenever you Xyz Summon, you need at least two monsters of the same level for this to work."
"And that's what I'm doing with my Level 3 Ghostrick Jiangshi and Ghostrick Stein," says Serena, watching the two Ghostrick monsters transform into orbs of light. Then, they merge into a coffin marked with a cross. "And you'll be seeing the 'baby-sitter' of these playful monsters."
The coffin opens, unleashing a swarm of bats before they all disappear to reveal a vampire in black, with white skin and yellow eyes. (1800 ATK)
"What did you drag me into this time, Satoshi?" Ghostrick Alucard groans as he sees the field. "I can't get sleep if I keep getting summoned like this."
"Lighten up, Alucard," says Serena. She then leans close and whispers, "And don't call me 'Satoshi' right now."
"Fine, fine…" Ghostrick Alucard grumbles.
"Talking to yourself again?" asks Rebecca, noticing Serena sighing.
"You know these Ghostrick monsters...they love to talk," says Serena with a shrug. "And anyway…
"I'll use Ghostrick Mummy's special ability to Normal Summon another Ghostrick Monster. So, let's have fun, Ghostrick Ghoul!"
A zombie with blue skin emerges on the field with a groan, bones sticking out of its body as it looks around in confusion. (1100 ATK)
"Ghostrick Ghoul may not look much, but he can power up Ghostrick Alucard's attack equal to the original attack strength of all of my face-up Ghostrick monsters on the field!" Serena smirks. "Since you're the genius among us, can you figure out Alucard's new attack score?"
"1800 plus 300 plus 1100 plus 1500…" Rebecca quickly mutters to herself. "Oh no! Alucard ends up with 4700 Attack Points!"
"More than enough to turn your swords into scrap metal," Serena chuckles. "Ghostrick Ghoul, get ready!"
Ghostrick Ghoul, Mummy and Yeti hold hands and dance around Ghostrick Alucard, the vampire laughing as his attack score rises. (1800 -) 4700 ATK)
"The downside to my Ghoul's trick is that Alucard is the only monster that can attack. But, unfortunately for your Artifacts, Alucard's Attack stays that way until the end of your turn. Oh, and you can't target my other Ghostrick and Set monsters as long as Alucard stands.
"I won't attack just yet, though. I'll use Ghostrick Yeti's effect and make him a face-down card."
That's bad. Rebecca thinks to herself as she watches Ghostrick Yeti flip into a set card. She'll just use Ghostrick-Go-Round to flip him again and prevent Ghostrick Mummy from being destroyed so she can Summon more monsters on her next turn, and flip another Artifact face-down in the process! I have to stop this before Alucard bombards my lifepoints!
"Ghostrick Alucard," says Serena. "Attack her Caudceus now!"
Ghostrick Alucard spread his arms out, unleashing a swarm of bats that fly toward Artifact Caudceus. Rebecca snarls.
"I activate my face-down card, Artifact Ignition!" she exclaims.
A Quickplay Spell Card flips over, revealing machinery parts surrounded by steam. Then, Rebecca's other face-down card is destroyed.
"What did you just do?" asks Serena.
"Artifact Ignition lets me destroy a Spell or Trap card on the field, and then lets me set an Artifact monster face-down," Rebecca explains. "And yes, I could've gone for your Ghostrick-Go-Round, but that'll be for later.
"You see, the card I just destroyed is another one of my Artifact monsters...Artifact Failnaught!"
A large bow and arrow lined with green light materializes, wielded by a light green warrior. (2000 ATK)
"So you have a large bow-and-arrow, what else is new?" asks Serena, raising an eyebrow.
"Remember that when an Artifact monster is Special Summoned, Artifact Caduceus lets me draw one card," Rebecca explains, drawing a card from her deck. "Aside from that, when it's summoned on your turn, Artifact Failnaught lets me set an Artifact monster from my graveyard for protection.
"Oh and I also have my other face-down card, Malevolent Catastrophe!"
Rebecca's face-down card lifts to reveal various monsters caught in a storm. Then, both her face-down cards, and Serena's Ghostrick-Go-Round, are destroyed by a powerful gust of wind.
"And with that," Rebecca continues. "I can summon my two Artifact monsters that I set last turn. Come forth again, Artifact Beagalltach and welcome, Artifact Lancea!"
The sword with the red avatar (1400 ATK) and a spear wielded by a figure in cyan (1700 ATK) emerges. Meanwhile, Artifact Caduceus shatters as Ghostrick Alucard lets out a sigh.
(Serena: 7800) - - - - - - - (Rebecca: 4800)
"Wow!" says Ash. "That was amazing! But it looks like Rebecca's monsters work best whenever they're destroyed on Serena's turn, huh?"
"That's the idea," Serena answers to Ash as she plays a card face-down. "I'll end my turn there."
"And I start mine," says Rebecca, drawing a card. "First off, I'll Flip-Summon Artifact Scythe…"
The card flips over, revealing the violet warrior and his scythe. (2200 ATK)
"Then, I play Hammer Shot to destroy a face-up monster with the highest Attack. And since Alucard's attack stays at 4700 until the end of my turn…"
Ghostrick Alucard gulps as a large hammer appears above his head. He has no time to scream before...
SPLAT!
The hammer falls down on him and he becomes nothing more than black pixels.
"I at least will get some sleep in the graveyard though…" Ghostrick Alucard notes. Serena sighs as she looks at her graveyard.
"Alucard is gone, but I can take a Ghostrick card from my graveyard into my hand," she says, placing a card in her hand. "You still have four more Ghostrick monsters to go through, though."
"They'll be gone soon enough," says Rebecca. "Go, my monsters!"
Rebecca's Artifact monsters fly at Serena's Ghostrick monsters-Artifact Beagalltach slices Ghostrick Ghoul in half, Artifact Lancea pierces through Ghostrick Mummy, Artifact Failnaught fires an arrow at the face-down Ghostrick Yeti and Artifact Scythe heads straight toward Serena's face-down monster, a little girl with white hair in a cyan kimono with a purple obi holding a bunny. (800 DEF)
"Oh no, not Ghostrick Yuki-onna!" Rebecca exclaims. "Now Artifact Scythe is stuck in face-down Defense mode!"
Ghostrick Yuki-onna giggles as she unleashes a gentle icy wind towards Artifact Scythe, flipping it face-down before she is sent to the graveyard.
"I'll end my turn by sacrificing my face-down Artifact Scythe for Tethys, Goddess of Light," says Rebecca.
The face-down monster vanishes and in its place is a white angelic being with equally white hair. (2400 ATK)
"Then, I'm placing three cards face-down," Rebecca slips a card into her Duel Disk, reducing her hand to zero. "And that's it."
(Serena: 7300) - - - - - - - (Rebecca: 4800)
"My turn," says Serena, drawing a card. She narrows her eyes-there is something wrong if Rebecca has to play every card face-down "And, since I'm so generous, I'll play Card of Sanctity so that we both draw cards until we have six."
"Thanks," says Rebecca, drawing more cards until she has six more. As she does, she looks at them and smiles before revealing Nova Summoner in her hand. "Oh and whenever I draw a Fairy-type monster, Tethys lets me gain an additional card if I decide to reveal it."
Tethys smiles as a card emerges in her hand. The card then floats to Rebecca's, giving her a total of seven. Meanwhile, Serena has just played Pot of Greed, drawing two more cards to also give her a total of seven.
"I think I'll play Premature Burial next," says Serena. "And by paying 800 lifepoints, I'll use it to Special Summon Ghostrick Mummy from my graveyard."
(Serena: 6500) - - - - - - - (Rebecca: 4800)
"Huh," says Rebecca, watching as Ghostrick Mummy emerges onto the field with another yawn. "I thought you brought it back with Ghostrick Alucard."
"For another time," says Serena. "And now, with my mummy back on the field, I'll be able to summon two more Ghostrick monsters from my hand. So for this turn, I summon Ghostrick Nekomusume and Ghostrick Witch onto the field in Attack Mode!"
Two female Ghostrick monsters appear. The first one is an adorable black cat girl wearing a peach and black kimono/dress combo. (400 ATK) The second one is a spitting image of Serena: a girl with blond hair in a witch's outfit decorated with magenta ribbons (1200 ATK)
"Time for some fun, nya~" Ghostrick Nekomusume giggles, beckoning toward Rebecca's Artifact monsters.
"Indeed it is, Nekomusume," says Serena. "With Ghostrick Witch on the field, she can turn one face-up monster into face-down position. Ghostrick Witch, go after Tethys!"
"You got it, Satoshi!" says Ghostrick Witch (all while Serena groans). "I'll put a spell on you~"
The witch flies toward Tethys on her broom and trips Tethys over, transforming her into a face-down card.
"And I can't let you have a 2400 Beatstick that lets you draw extra cards," says Serena, wagging a finger. "So I'll play Nobleman of Crossout to banish her from the duel!"
A Spell Card, depicting a blond knight in armor, appears. Then, the Nobleman emerges and throws his sword at Rebecca's face-down monster, destroying it.
"I'll be getting the last laugh soon enough," says Rebecca. "I activate Ceasefire!"
"NO!" Serena screams, seeing Rebecca's Trap Card flip up. "I'm gonna lose 500 lifepoints for every effect monster on the field...and ALL of our monsters have effects!"
"That's the idea!" Rebecca laughs while watching Ghostrick Yeti reveal itself, scratching its head in confusion. "So do the math: 500 lifepoints and six monsters equals…"
The Trap Card transforms into a ball of light that charges past Serena's Ghostrick Monsters and strikes her Duel Disk.
(Serena: 3500) - - - - - - - (Rebecca: 4800)
"And I'm not done," Rebecca giggles. "I'll activate my Double Cyclone Spell Card so that I can destroy one Spell Card from both of our fields."
A red cyclone destroys Serena's face-down card (Call of the Haunted) while a yellow cyclone destroys Rebecca's facedown card, before revealing a sword similar to Artifact Beagalltach in the hands of a blue warrior. (2100 ATK)
"Meet Beagalltach's brother, Artifact Moralltach!" says Rebecca. "And with Moralltach on the field, I can destroy one face-up card you have. This means that with Premature Burial gone, Ghostrick Mummy will be crying out for his mommy now!"
"I'll Chain my Ghostrick Nekomusume's effect to your Moralltach before that happens!" says Serena. "When a Level 4 or higher monster gets summoned, Nekomusume can place it facedown as long as I have at least one other Ghostrick monster on the field!"
Nekomusume meows and sneaks behind Artifact Moralltach before flipping its card over, but not before Moralltach destroys Premature Burial with a single slash, causing Ghostrick Mummy to scream before he is destroyed.
"I'll end it with two cards facedown," says Serena. She smells the air and sighs. "And we better end this soon-that pizza's almost done!"
"Will do!" says Rebecca, drawing her card. Staring at her eight-card hand, she adds. "I'll start by playing my powerful Lightning Vortex Spell Card!"
"Oooh, smart move!" Haruka notes. "With Ceasefire placing all of Serena's monsters face-up, Lightning Vortex will incinerate them all!"
"That's the plan!" Rebecca giggles, discarding a card to the graveyard. "Say bye-bye, everyone!"
The Ghostrick Monsters scream in fear as three lightning bolts strike them down. Serena grunts as she sees her field empty of monsters.
"Next, I'll bring back Artifact Scythe with Monster Reborn…"
The scythe appears once more, the warrior glaring at Serena. (2200 ATK)
"Then, I'll just flip-up Artifact Moralltach face-up once more," Rebecca continues, seeing Artifact Beagalltach's twin appear. "And everyone attacks!"
Serena gulps as two swords, a bow and arrow, a scythe and a lance charge toward her. She quickly looks at her hand and notices one of the cards winking at her, then smiles.
"Not so fast." she says. "Since you just declared a direct attack, I can place Ghostrick Jackfrost face-down and set your Artifact Beagalltach face-down, too."
Rebecca snarls as the Ghostrick monster, an adorable snowman dressed up in cyan snow clothes and a rainbow scarf, waves before being placed facedown. Artifact Beagalltach becomes a facedown monster while Artifact Lancea destroys the monster.
"And because you just destroyed my only Ghostrick monster," says Serena. "I can activate the properties of my face-down card, Ghostrick Break!"
Serena's lone Trap Card flips over, revealing an oblivious Ghostrick Stein being fawned over by Ghostrick Yuki-onna while Ghostrick Yeti is absolutely heartbroken.
"This lets me Special Summon two Ghostrick monsters from my graveyard onto the field face-down as long as they don't have the same name as the Ghostrick monster that got destroyed."
Two face-down cards appear before Serena. Rebecca frowns.
"Artifact Moralltach and Artifact Failnaught," she commands. "Get them!"
The sword slices through Ghostrick Witch while the bow-and-arrow pierces Ghostrick Yuki-onna and subsequently becomes flipped face-down when Yuki-onna hurls a snowball at it. That leaves Artifact Scythe, the wielder smiling in delight as he rushes toward Serena and strikes down, causing the girl to gasp at the attack through her torso.
"Well," says Serena. "I'm not gonna be going down that easily. Since I just took damage, I'll discard Ghostrick Mary to Special Summon another Ghostrick monster from my deck."
"And, let me guess, that's the Ghostrick monster you got back from Ghostrick Alucard's effect?" asks Rebecca. Serena nods her head. "Just checking."
She plays a card facedown as Serena looks at her hand (or lack of it, as Ghostrick Mary was her last card).
(Serena: 1300) - - - - - - - (Rebecca: 4800)
"This is it," says Masato. "Just one draw can change the entire duel."
Come on, deck...thinks Serena, drawing a card. Don't fail me now…
She turns to the card and looks at it with surprise.
No way! She thinks to herself. This is Millefeui's card! Okay...let's see how this works.
"I'm playing a new Spell Card that's called Ghostrick and Treat!" Serena announces.
A Spell Card appears, depicting Ghostrick Stein and Ghostrick Mummy handing out candy to a few trick-or-treaters.
"What?!" Rebecca exclaims. "I've never seen that card before."
"With this card, I can either have a 'trick' or 'treat'," Serena explains. "I'm gonna go with 'Treat' and banish five 'Ghostrick' cards from my graveyard to give me a new hand."
Five cards are ejected from her graveyard as Serena draws five new cards. She looks at them for a moment before laughing.
"You are going down, Rebecca!" she exclaims as she plays Monster Reborn. "But first, I'll Flip-Summon Ghostrick Warwolf so he can have fun!"
Serena's lone card flips over, revealing a werewolf wearing maroon shorts that lets out a loud howl. (1400 ATK)
"And for every face-down card on the field, you lose 100 lifepoints. It's small, but it's better than nothing."
Ghostrick Warwolf sniffs the air before rushing towards Rebecca's duel disk, slicing it with his claws.
(Serena: 1300) - - - - - - - (Rebecca: 4500)
"Then I'll play Monster Reborn," Serena continues. "And it looks like we're making this a trilogy!"
Rebecca groans as Ghostrick Mummy materializes once more, this time with a hearty laugh. (1500 ATK)
"And to keep this party going, I'm bringing in my second Ghostrick Ghoul and Ghostrick Stein in Attack Mode!"
Appearing next to Ghostrick Mummy is the blue-green ghoul (1100 ATK) and the Frankenstein's monster dressed in maroon (1600 ATK) who all laugh and cheer at being together.
"And here comes an Overlay Summon with Ghostrick Mummy and Ghostrick Warwolf as fuel…"
Both mummy and werewolf leap into the air before another casket materializes and Ghostrick Alucard appears with a frown. (1800 ATK)
"Again you summon me…" he grumbles.
"The duel's ending soon," says Serena. "And now, Ghostrick Ghoul, do your thing!"
Ghostrick Ghoul snickers before he and Ghostrick Stein encircle Ghostrick Alucard, raising his attack score to 4500.
"Alucard has enough attack points to drop Rebecca's down to zero!" Ash exclaims.
"But that's only if Serena can go through Rebecca's monsters and face-down card," Raphael notes. His eyes widen as he sees Serena chuckle. "Unless…"
"I'm bringing us home, everyone!" says Serena. "I play my Field Spell Card, Ghostrick Manor!"
A Field Spell Card, depicting various Ghostrick monsters in an old, dusty manor, appears. Soon, the scenery changes to a similar looking manor, where Ghostrick Ghoul and Stein relax on some of the furniture as Ghostrick Alucard pinches the bridge of his nose.
"It's nice," Rebecca notes. "But you know the rules: you can't attack my face-down monsters…"
"But I can attack you directly if all of your monsters are face-down," Serena finishes. "And this is where my Swords of Concealing Light come into play!"
A Continuous Spell Card depicting three swords made of black light with a skull flashing above them, appears. Soon, similar black swords materialize and strike the ground near Rebecca's feet, turning her Artifact monsters into face-down cards and causing her to tremble in fear.
"And one more thing…" says Serena, taking Ghostrick Mummy into her hand. "By removing an Xyz Material from Ghostrick Alucard, he gets to destroy one set card you control. So that facedown card behind your monsters? Say goodbye to it."
Ghostrick Alucard laughs as he summons a swarm of bats that destroy Rebecca's Mirror Force Trap Card. The vampire then adds another cackle before he rises into the air.
"This was fun," says Serena, waving a good-bye. "But, it's time to end this and feast on delicious pizza! Ghostrick Alucard...attack directly!"
Ghostrick Alucard flies toward Rebecca, past her face-down cards, and fires a blast of dark energy from his cape, causing Rebecca to fly back with a scream and land on her back with a groan.
(Serena: 1300) - - - - - - - (Rebecca: 0)
"And that should give you goosebumps!" Serena laughs. She then approaches a fallen Rebecca and extends a hand out. "Are you okay?"
Rebecca looks up and smiles as she takes Serena's hand. She stands up and dusts herself. "I was more worried about you due to what Hikari said about...you know…"
"Hey," says Serena. "Who does she have in her life aside from her boyfriend? I have you, your brothers, our friends, my mom, the spirits…" she turns and sees various Ghostrick monsters materializing, all of them tossing Ghostrick Alucard into the air and cheering with glee. "Satoshi…" she whispers the name as she looks at her Duel Disk. "And plenty of pizza!"
Rebecca laughs as the two girls hug, causing someone to clap their hands.
"Make up already, you two!" Varon exclaims with a laugh. Raphael lightly hits him in the back of the head and lets out a sigh.
"We are!" Rebecca replies as everyone else laughs. At the same time, Millefeui and another woman (dressed up as Madolche Queen Tiramisu), arrive with two large pizzas.
"Hanako-san!" says Miruko, seeing the Queen. "Is it time already?"
"Yep!" Hanako says with a warm smile, setting a pizza down. "Is everyone ready?"
"We're just about to!" says Serena, pulling out her cellphone. She turns to the Ghostrick monsters and waves at them. "Time for a victory photo!"
The Ghostrick monsters quickly drop Ghostrick Alucard (who grumbles about how rough his fellow monsters are) before crowding around Rebecca and Serena. Serena makes a few motions on her phone before raising it into the air.
"Everyone say…Ghostrick!" says Serena.
"GHOSTRICK!"
With a 'click', a photo is taken as everyone begins to settle down to eat.
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"Anything wrong, love?"
Seto Kaiba turns to see Jounochi approaching him in his office, the CEO staring at a large computer screen depicting camera footage of various duelists, costumed or not, spending time at the amusement park. The one that he is interested in is the one that depicts Ash Ketchum and his friends eating pizza, some of them quickly going for a glass of water to cool their mouths. Seto lets out a sigh.
"That boy…" he mutters. "What he said about that scepter's been bothering me. The worst part is that I can't find any information about him. It's like he just...appeared out of nowhere."
"That's because he did."
Seto and Jounochi turn to see Yugi approaching them, alongside Atem. The older version of Yugi nods his head as Yugi continues.
"He says he comes from another world, but something about him seems off," Yugi lets out a sigh. "It's not just that creature that's with him, but he's hiding something powerful."
"Powerful, but is it benevolent or malevolent?" asks Seto.
"That, we don't know for sure," says Atem, folding his arms across his chest. "For now, we'll have to keep a closer eye on him, see how he reacts when he duels. But what he said about you and Katsuya dueling disturbs me."
"How so?" asks Jounochi, setting his weapon off to the side.
"Because how does someone from another world know about your ancestors' struggles?" asks Atem. He then turns to an image of the statue with the Bound Scepter of Divinity still held in its grasp. One person tries to pull it out, but it does not budge at all. "Clearly, we'll have to keep a closer look on this one for a while…"
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Ghostrick and Treat (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Ghostrick Stein and Ghostrick Mummy handing out candy to trick-or-treaters
Card Description: During your Main Phase, activate one of these effects
Inflict 100 lifepoints of damage for every 'Ghostrick' card in your graveyard
Banish 'Ghostrick' cards from your graveyard to draw cards equal to the cards banished (max. 6)
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Serena: Well, we're celebrating the good life now. Pizza, ice cream, good friends and so much more!
Masato: You know what this calls for? A fight! Who's ready to duel me?
Mokuba: I'm willing to take you on! My monsters will melt all of yours in an instant.
Ash: These two are going to go all out, huh?
Haruka: They're always like that, don't worry about it.
Rebecca: This will be exciting! Next time, "Ab Initio Chapter 3: Snow Cloak"
Masato: Let the storm rage on!
Mokuba: Let's rock!