(Welcome back to my Shadowchasers fic. AFTER THE FUN OF WRITING THE LAST CHAPTER AND MULLING OVER A FEW IDEAS, I'VE DECIDED TO WRITE ANOTHER CHAPTER! OH, FRUBJIOUS DAY, CALOO, CALLAY! Seriously, though, there were some cards I wanted to use, and likewise some ideas. Plus, I'M STILL REALLY STRESSED! Anyhow, please enjoy chapter two of this fic. As usual, I've put a lot of work into it for your enjoyment, SO APPRECIATE IT!
Anyway, let's get these annoying disclaimers out of the way: "Shadowchasers" is owned by Cyber Commander, and used with his full permission, and "Yu-Gi-Oh!" is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, but what he doesn't know about this fic won't hurt him.)
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Shadowchasers: Miscellaneous Files
Seasons Beatings
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Easy question: What is almost every child's absolute favorite holiday of the year? The answer: Duh, Christmas!
Christmas is a big deal in all Christian communities, and almost every country has a slightly different way of celebrating. Sadly, in recent decades, all the Christian countries' traditions have mostly blended together. Frankly, I find it appalling seeing proud traditions die, but when the world is slowly coming together, it's a confusing thing indeed. Anyway, I find it bad enough when Christmas is destroyed by the abandonment of old traditions, but when someone outright tries to destroy a person's holiday cheer just to improve their own, it makes me sick to my stomach. People like that are the worst of the worst, and, sad to say, I have to deal with them every year. Well, this time, I'm not pulling any punches, so let the game begin!
Have you ever gone to the mall on Christmas Eve? If you have, you probably belong in the nearest asylum. Christmas Eve is quite possibly the biggest shopping day of the year, when incredibly stupid last-minute shoppers are crammed butt-to-gut in all the local shopping centers, trying to get those last few gifts.
Even worse than the adults are the kids—greedy, whiny little brats who may be perfect angels under normal circumstances, but whose knowledge of upcoming presents turns them into merciless tantrum-throwing monsters.
Sadly, Christmas Eve mall patrol was one of the Shadowchasers' yearly traditions, as crowds are always good for concealing less than acceptable behavior, especially for urban Shadows, which are often masters of stealth.
Working in a team of two on this assignment were Rebecca Schafer, a medium-height blonde girl whose dark pantsuit and triangular glasses gave her the appearance of a schoolteacher, and Bruno von Klein, a short, quirky man with dark brown hair, an upturned nose, a smile that almost never faded. His sense of humor was practically legendary among the Shadowchasers, and it was well-known that he worked as a party clown before he had found his true calling.
"See anything?" Bruno asked his partner, looking around in all directions.
"Not a single Shadow is out shopping," Rebecca shrugged. "Makes sense—almost all of them are of religions older than Christianity."
"Since when is Christmas about religion?" Bruno chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, we aren't here for shoppers—we're looking for criminals!"
"Well, there are none of those, either. Face it, the only Shadows here are shopkeepers."
Just then, though, something caught the girl's eye. Looking down a flight of stairs, she saw a long line of children eager to see Santa Claus and tell him what kinds of gifts they wanted him to deliver. This was, of course, a completely normal Christmas tradition, but something seemed terribly off at the head of the line. Each child came up, sat on the fat man's lap, was asked if they'd been good the previous year, said "yes", and told him what they wanted as a nearby elf (not a Shadow, just a human dressed as a Christmas elf) took a picture and gave it to the child's parent, then sent the child off with a souvenir candy cane—but then things got odd. As the children talked to the man dressed as old Saint Nick, their cheery smiles slowly drooped away, and when they got up to leave, they looked downright depressed, which was quite obviously very odd for a child this time of year.
"Hey, Bruno," she said, pointing to the occurrence. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Joystealer!" they said simultaneously.
"What is a joystealer?" you may ask. Well, the answer to that is in a short history lesson on Shadowkind. You see, five-hundred years ago, two entire fey races made an exodus from their original dimension to earth, known as the Eoshee and the Unseelie. The Eoshee were kindly, joyous creatures, while the Unseelie were bodiless phantoms that fed on negative emotions. The two races were immortal, had been fighting for millennia, and had one day decided to make a wager (without even consulting the Shadowchasers) to determine the futures of their races. The Unseelie won by cheating, and turned the Eoshee into slaves, each one serving a single Unseelie and stealing emotions from helpless victims for them. These Eoshee became known as joystealers.
Shortly after this wager, the Shadowchasers discovered that the Unseelie had cheated and declared them an outlaw race, but they resisted arrest and traveled the world. Each Unseelie had to be hunted down and destroyed. Still, it was pretty easy for an Aware to identify one, because they tended to leave a trail of listlessness and despair. The children, who were mostly Aware, probably saw that it wasn't human, too, but they were so used to seeing Shadows every day and too excited to see Santa to care or even notice.
"Dibs!" Rebecca laughed, pointing a finger at her colleague. "You got the last five!"
"Whatever, let's go get him!" Bruno suggested, about to bolt down the stairs when Rebecca grabbed him by his the collar of his shirt and held him back.
"Hold on there, Bruno!" she exclaimed. "We can't just go down and arrest Kris Kringle in front of a bunch of kids! We could scar them for life!"
Bruno stopped and thought about this for a moment, but then turned to her and nodded. "You're right," he agreed. "But we can't just let him get away with this!"
"And we won't!" she told him. "We just need to go about this in a less…traumatizing fashion. Now, I've got a plan…"
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Five minutes later, the plan had gone through perfectly. Bruno had found an opponent and quickly started a duel right next to the joystealer Santa, taking attention away from the holiday icon with his amusing Monsters, while Rebecca quietly snuck up behind the fat old man and grabbed him by the arms, forcing him to his feet.
"What? What is this?" the suspicious Saint Nick demanded, trying to turn and face his attacker.
"Agent Rebecca Schafer of the Munich Shadowchasers," the girl snapped. "I'm here to free you from that Unseelie's control once and for all!"
"Really now?" the joystealer Santa sighed. "Well, you have your work cut out for you, but if you really want to duel me, I could use a nice dinner. Let me go and I'll call my break."
Rebecca blinked in surprise. Usually joystealers weren't this cooperative.
"No funny business," she warned, but slowly she released him.
The joystealer turned to face her and she got her first good look at him. He was a very plump Eoshee, which was just another thing that made him unusual, with curly white hair and a matching fake beard and moustache, and hot pink skin. His eyes were orange, with no pupils or irises to speak of, but they were puffy and stained with tears. It made sense—joystealers were often as depressed as their victims. He was dressed up in the traditional red suit, red hat, and black boots found on so many Santas.
"Thank you," he said with a nod, though he still looked very sad. "You're very kind—you know that'll only hold you back in the world, don't you?"
"Just declare your break," Rebecca sighed. "My colleague will keep the kids busy until we return."
The joystealer Santa sighed and reached into his jacket's front pocket, pulling out a red and green sign decorated with pictures of bells and mistletoe, which said "CHECKING ON ELVES—BACK IN 20 MINUTES".
"Okay," he moaned. "Let's get moving. I know a place we can do this in private."
"We don't have to, you know," Rebecca informed. "I could free you right now if you'd just resist that creature's commands."
The joystealer Santa looked directly at her with his big, sad eyes, but said nothing. Slowly, he turned around and began leading her down the halls.
"The hard way it is," Rebecca muttered, picking up the pace and following him.
The joystealer Santa led her down through a maze of corridors, into a dark, dusty one that she had never seen, which made sense as there were no stores or carts in it, and up to a door that said, in big, bold letters, "EMPLOYEES ONLY". Swiftly, the joystealer Santa pulled out a key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open, leading Rebecca into a room filled with boxes of holiday decorations: big plastic Easter bunnies, Valentine's hearts, and Halloween jack-o'-lanterns, all packed away until it was time to once again parade them out in a sickeningly commercial display.
The joystealer Santa waddled over to the other side of the room and plucked a Duel Disk off of a shelf, then pulled out a deck, shuffled it, and inserted it into the Disk's deck slot.
"Now…'Rebecca', was it?" he moaned, strapping the Disk onto his arm. "Get ready to experience true agony."
"Yeah, yeah," Rebecca groaned, taking out her own Duel Disk and inserting her deck. "You're hardly the first Unseelie I've faced, and you won't be the last, either. Now, can we just get this over with?"
"Very well," the joystealer Santa sighed. "Let's duel."
The two duelists activated their Duel Disks' holo-imagers and the room began to glow with a soft blue light.
(Rebecca: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Joystealer Santa: 8,000)
"If you don't mind, and even if you do, I'll take the first turn," the Kris Kringle impersonator insisted as he drew six cards and Rebecca drew five. He stared at his hand and showed the faintest hint of happiness before setting a facedown card.
The brown, vertical back of a Spell or Trap card appeared in front of him.
"End turn," he sighed.
Rebecca stared at him suspiciously.
"That's it?" she asked. "No Monsters at all?"
"No," the joystealer Santa moaned, looking disappointed.
Weird, the Shadowchaser thought. He looked impressed with his opening hand, but he only played one card, and it wasn't even a Monster! Whatever this card is, it must be good—maybe even the Unseelie's card!
Another lesson on Unseelies: though they are bodiless creatures, they are bound to their slave by an object that the slave was emotionally close to, like a piece of jewelry or a favorite book. However, when Duel Monsters rolled around, the Unseelie saw that they could spread misery by racking up wins, and began inhabiting a key card in the joystealer's deck, usually a Monster that was very hard to kill. Still, sometimes it was a Spell or Trap card, instead.
"Okay…" she said, drawing her sixth card. "Well, don't expect that facedown to protect you! I'm Summoning Glife the Phantom Bird, in Attack Mode!"
She slapped a card onto her Duel Disk, and a giant, red bird sprang up in front of her. (1,500 ATK)
"'Glife the Phantom Bird'?" the joystealer echoed. "I…I don't think I've ever faced that card…"
"Yeah, probably not," Rebecca shrugged. "Anyhow, Glife has a really cool special ability—when he's Summoned, I get to destroy a Spell or Trap card on the field, so say good-bye to that facedown!"
Glife rapidly beat his wings and whipped up a strong wind that blew the facedown card into the air and caused it to shatter into pixels.
The joystealer Santa's face was downright impossible to read.
"…Anyway," Rebecca continued. "Glife, attack directly! Phantom gust!"
Once again, Glife beat his wings and blew a powerful gust that caused the Santa actor to tumble backwards and fall on his rump.
(R: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (JS: 6,500)
"That'll do for now," Rebecca said, giggling slightly as the joystealer clumsily got to his feet.
The Santa impersonator slowly brushed himself off and drew a card from his deck.
"Okay," he said. "I'll play two cards facedown and end my turn."
Two more holographic card backs appeared side by side in front of him.
Rebecca couldn't help but stare.
"Two turns and still not a single Monster to defend you?" She inquired, baffled. "What kind of crazy deck is this?!"
"You'll see soon enough," the joystealer said solemnly. "Now, make your move."
Rebecca said nothing as she drew a card, but the joystealer had something to say.
"Activate Trap card!" he declared. "Go, Macro Cosmos!"
One of the fake Saint Nick's facedown cards lifted up, revealing a Trap card with the image of a scrawny man behind some sort of complex star map.
"For as long as this Continuous Trap is active—."
"All cards that would be sent to the Graveyard are instead removed from play," Rebecca finished. "I know—but why didn't you use its other effect to Special Summon Helios the Primordial Sun?"
"It's not in my deck," the joystealer moped. "But I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. You're about to feel my deck's true power!"
"When?" Rebecca said with a smirk. "You've done practically nothing so far!"
"Right now."
Suddenly, a strong, eerie wind blew across the field. Glife shuddered and held his wings close to his breast before shattering into pixels.
Rebecca also felt whatever it was, and it was cold—not in terms of temperature, but mood. It was as if she was being hit by pure agony and despair. She barely even noticed her Life Points drop.
(R: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (JS: 6,500)
"W-what was th-that?" the Shadowchaser said, shivering furiously.
"Why, that was me, of course," said a new voice, one that was coming from very near the Santa actor.
Rebecca knew instantly who was speaking. It was the joystealer itself, speaking to her for the first time. Once again, there was a chill passing through her.
"What do you mean?" she demanded. "Where are you?"
"Remember that card that you sent to the grave with Glife's effect?" it asked. "Well, that was my vessel—a Spell card called Silent Pain."
The ghostly image of a Spell card appeared in front of the joystealer. It bore the image of an evil-looking doll (the Monster known as Malice Doll of Demise) staring forward with an evil smile.
Rebecca looked doubtful. "But, if I destroyed your vessel, then shouldn't you be—?"
"Dead?" the Unseelie finished. "Normally, yes, but this vessel is a special case. You see, this card only gains life when it is sent to the Graveyard, so, by destroying it, you made me stronger, not weaker. And, so long as my vessel is the only card in the Graveyard, during each of your Standby Phases, all of your Monsters will be destroyed, and you'll take one-thousand points of damage! Oh, the delicious agony!"
"You're awfully brave to tell me exactly which card you inhabit," the Shadowchaser commented. "Now I know exactly which card I need to eliminate."
"But you're no closer to actually doing it," the Unseelie chuckled. "After all, it's rather difficult to kill something that's already dead!"
Rebecca scowled as she looked over her hand. The Unseelie was right—nothing she had right now could possibly destroy something that wasn't on the field, and there might only be one card she had that could! She'd just have to keep fighting until she had what she needed.
"I'm Summoning another Monster!" she announced. "Say hello to Rumpelstiltskin, in Attack Mode!"
She placed the card on her Disk, and a small, ferocious-looking imp leapt out, laughing maniacally. He was dressed in the clothes of a peasant, and his expression suggested insanity. (2,200 ATK)
"'Rumpelstiltskin'?" the joystealer Santa repeated, casting a suspicious glance. "I've never seen that card, either. Was it just released?"
"No," Rebecca said with a grin. "It's older than I am."
"Then why have I never seen it before?" he demanded. "Or heard of it, for that matter?"
Rebecca said nothing in response, aside from "Rumpelstiltskin, attack directly!"
The fiendish imp leapt forward, but when he was just two feet away from the Kris Kringle impersonator, he stopped, and five holographic card backs appeared above him.
"What in the world is this?!" the joystealer exclaimed.
Rebecca sighed and put a hand on her cheek.
"This is Rumpelstiltskin's effect," she replied. "He's far too strong not to have a drawback, so whenever he attacks, you choose a card from my hand at random and guess whether it's a Spell, Trap, or Monster card."
"And if he guesses right?" the joystealer inquired.
"Rumpelstiltskin is destroyed," the Shadowchaser answered. "But I'm not too worried about that. Your chances of guessing right aren't exactly good."
The joystealer Santa paused for a minute, deep in thought.
"Well," Rebecca said, getting antsy after a full minute of this. "Get on with it!"
"Patience, child," the Unseelie laughed. "I'm savoring the moment. You may act confident, but I can sense your insecurity, and it is delicious."
"How can you still be hungry?!" she exclaimed. "You've been feeding on kids all day!"
"No, I haven't," it replied, causing her eyes to go wide in shock. "You know we Unseelie prefer real negative emotions over artificially created ones."
"Then why act as a mall Santa?"
"Silly girl! With my slave instilling depression and despair in every single child and sending them home mopey and listless, I'm preparing myself for a feast! You see, when the kids open their gifts on Christmas morn, there will be no joy to the world in their minds, and when their parents see their children's sad reactions to the gifts that they bought with their hard-earned money in their menial jobs, they won't show it, but they'll be boiling over with frustration and gloom, and I'll have a city-wide banquet!"
"You're insane!" Rebecca spat.
"To quote the great Oscar Wilde, 'In all manners of opinion, our adversaries are insane'," the Unseelie responded. "All that matters is that in the end, I'll have a feast fit for a king!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Rebecca snapped, before turning to face the joystealer. "Now, make your guess!"
"Fine, fine," he replied, shaking his head. "I'll guess that the card on the far left is…a Monster!"
Rebecca scowled as the card turned around to reveal a Monster card.
Rumpelstiltskin vanished in a puff of smoke, but that didn't even catch the joystealer's attention. He was too focused on the Monster card that had been displayed. It featured the image of a feral wolf in an old woman's pink cap and nightgown.
"That was…that was Forest Wolf!" he exclaimed. "I know that card! It was used by a famous duelist decades ago, and his deck was one of a kind! How can you have it?!"
"Well, I didn't steal or copy it, if that's what you're thinking," the Shadowchaser replied smugly.
"Then that can only mean…"
"That's right!" Rebecca replied. "My mother's maiden name was Rebecca von Schroider, daughter of the famous Leon von Schroider, and this deck was once his!"
The joystealer was shocked into silence by this new information, so the Unseelie took over.
"A descendant of a legendary duelist, eh? Well, if you think that scares me, you're dead wrong! Great duelists have it tough, because their decks are known to all, and people can design decks specifically to defeat them! Besides, just because this deck has been hiding from the world for a while doesn't mean it's all that strong!"
"Whatever," Rebecca shrugged. "It's your move."
The joystealer sneered and drew a card, then inserted it into his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Spell card, Magical Mallet!" he declared, the image of a Spell card with the image of a fancy golden mallet springing up. "I'll use it to shuffle my entire hand into my deck, and draw an equal number of cards."
He removed his deck from his Disk, shuffled in his hand, reinserted it, and drew four cards.
"End turn."
"That's all?" Rebecca said, raising an eyebrow. "You're just leaving yourself vulnerable, you know."
"The beauty of a Silent Pain deck is how little its user must do to win," the Santa impersonator replied grimly. "I have almost all that I need as it is."
Rebecca rolled her eyes and drew her card, then braced herself as Silent Pain once again activated.
"Is that all you've got?" she taunted.
"Why no," the joystealer replied sadly, inserting a card into his Disk. "It isn't. I'm activating Silent Torment."
"What?!" Rebecca objected. "You can't activate a Spell card on your opponent's turn!"
"Incorrect," the Saint Nick impostor corrected. "That's the only time that I can activate this card. You see, by removing it from play after Silent Pain's activation, I can deal you an extra thousand points of damage."
The ghostly image of another Spell card sprang up, this one featuring Malice Doll of Demise looking over the shoulder of a man whose face had a blank, zombie-like expression, and another strong, cold wind blew over Rebecca.
(R: 5,000) - - - - - - - - - - (JS: 6,500)
"Whatever," Rebecca snapped. "Now, I'm bringing out Forest Wolf, and attacking directly!"
She slammed a card onto her Duel Disk, and the disguised wolf (1,800 ATK) leapt up, then pounced forward and sank its teeth into the joystealer's arm, taking a chunk out of his Life Points.
(R: 5,000) - - - - - - - - - - (JS: 4,700)
"Your move, Kringle."
As the joystealer drew his card, the Unseelie began to cackle.
"You think you can win in time?" it laughed. "You're dead wrong! You don't have a chance of destroying my vessel or winning! Give up now!"
"It couldn't matter less to me how this goes," the joystealer sighed. "Everything inevitably leads to despair, anyway."
"'Everything'?" Rebecca repeated. "That's ridiculous! Some things bring nothing but joy!"
"Name one," the fake Santa replied.
Rebecca rolled her eyes. "The holidays, of course! World peace, family togetherness—"
"And hours of hard work as you hemorrhage money on gifts for greedy brats and relatives you hardly see, and worst of all, with your own kids, you don't even get the credit—it's always Santy Claus who gets the thanks! Yes, the holidays are wonderful!"
"Aw, come on! Don't you love all the holiday movies and specials?"
"Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, A Christmas Story, A Charlie Brown Christmas—I've seen them all. They're just terrible clichés. I grew tired of them long ago."
"Wow, you just named ever movie on my annual marathon tonight…well, what about snow?"
"What about frostbite?"
"So, you like the sun, then?"
"Melanoma."
"Sunsets?"
"Light reflecting off of pollution."
"Puppies?"
"Rabies."
"Cookies?"
"Diabetes."
"Duel Monsters?"
"Losing."
"Friendship?"
"Judas."
Rebecca sighed. Clearly, she wasn't about to get through to him.
"Just take your turn." she told him.
"I pass," he replied instantly. "I have nothing to play right now."
Rebecca stared at him, but then shrugged and drew a card. Instantly, Silent Pain activated, destroying Forest Wolf and taking more of her Life Points. Still, when she looked at her card, she couldn't help but smile.
"All right, Unseelie!" she declared. "Prepare for the end! I Summon Rose-Red, in Attack Mode!"
She threw a card down onto her Disk, and a young girl with black hair and a bright red cloak appeared before her. (1,400 ATK)
"And when she's Summoned, I can bring out Snow-White!"
A card shot out of her deck, and she placed it on her Duel Disk. Another girl, completely identical to Rose-Red, but with blond hair and a white cloak, appeared. (800 ATK)
"And now, to take things even further, I'm equipping Rose-Red with Tailor's Belt, which grants her two-hundred Attack Points for every Monster on my field!"
She inserted a card, and a belt appeared on Rose-Red's tiny waist. Its buckle bore the words "SEVEN IN ONE BLOW". (1,400 ATK) -) (1,800 ATK)
The Unseelie just chuckled slightly.
"And I should be worried because…?"
"Because for each Monster I have, it also increases her Level by one, and Snow-White happens to be a Tuner! And now, I'm bringing them together!"
Rose-Red nodded and dissolved into five glowing stars (the belt shattered as she did), and Snow-White smiled and absorbed them into her body. Slowly, she began to change, becoming taller and more masculine.
When the light faded, where there was once a sweet young girl there was now a strong, noble knight in shining armor with deeply tanned skin, a gleaming sword and shield, and bright blonde, almost gold, locks. He struck a heroic pose. (2,600 ATK)
"Say hello to Jalal the Dragonborn!"
"Hello," the Unseelie said. "And good-bye."
Instantly, the joystealer inserted a card into his Duel Disk and the ghostly image of a Spell card featuring the image of Malice Doll of Demise standing in a vortex appeared. A low moan echoed across the field, and Jalal collapsed to his knees and shattered into pixels.
"What the—what did you just do?!" Rebecca gasped.
"I activated my Silent Space card," the joystealer replied, pocketing the card. "By removing it from play during your turn while Silent Pain is in my Graveyard, I can destroy one of your Monsters."
"Surprised, Rebecca?" the Unseelie sniggered. "I knew all about that accursed card you Shadowchasers use, and how it could've drained me of my life. Lucky for me, I was prepared. Now, what are you going to do?"
Rebecca frowned and looked at the four cards in her hand.
"Nothing," she said. "I end my turn."
(R: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (JS: 4,700)
"I figured as much. Now, my slave, make your move."
The joystealer Santa groaned and drew a card from his deck.
"I activate the Pot of Greed to draw two more cards," he said, unenthusiastically inserting a card into his Disk. The image of a giggling green jar appeared and vanished as the Santa impersonator drew two cards.
"A card based on the concept of greed?" Rebecca commented. "Not the type of thing you'd expect from jolly old Santa Claus, is it?"
"Oh, don't get me started on that," the joystealer shot back. "This holiday once celebrated the birth of a messiah, but now is nothing more than a yearly tribute to greed and commercialism!"
"I know, I know," the Shadowchaser sighed. "Still, I'm a little surprised that you haven't made a 'Silent Night' joke by now…"
"Jokes aren't my style," the joystealer replied. "Anyway, I have a couple more cards to play this turn."
The Field Spell slot in the joystealer's Duel Disk opened up, and he inserted a card. All around the two, the scenery changed, from a cramped storage room to a gigantic canyon with an eerie light around it.
"Welcome to Necrovalley," the joystealer said. "Now, the Graveyard is off-limits to both players, so Silent Pain isn't going anywhere.
"Now, I'll set a card and end my turn."
A holographic card's back appeared in front of him and he waved her off.
Great, Rebecca thought to herself as she drew a card. Now it's going to be even harder to win, and downright impossible to get rid of that Unseelie.
She braced herself for the effect of Silent Pain, but before it came, the joystealer Santa Claus shouted, "Activate Trap! Go, Ojama Trio!"
The facedown card he'd set just seconds ago sprang up, revealing a Trap card with the image of three imps, one yellow with big red lips and eyestalks, one green with one big eye and a lolling tongue, and one black with sharp little teeth and a big nose. All three of them were wearing nothing but bright pink briefs.
Instantly, three Monster Tokens identical to the imps on the card appeared in front of Rebecca, and then were blasted apart when Silent Pain activated.
"Now, not only do you take the damage from Silent Pain, but you also lose three-hundred Life Points for each one destroyed."
Rebecca gritted her teeth as her Life Points were drained.
(R: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (JS: 4,700)
"Nice move," she said, gasping for breath. "But now, brace yourself, because I'm Summoning Iron Hans!"
She slapped a card down, and a knight materialized in front of her. He was a tall, tough-looking guy, dressed in grey chain mail and holding a very large, very sharp axe. His hair was long, brown, and shaggy, and his beard was exactly the same. There was a strong, defiant look in his eye. (1,200 ATK)
"And when he's Summoned, I get to Special Summon an Iron Knight from my deck!"
A card slipped out of her deck and she placed it on the field. Next to Iron Hans appeared a knight in brilliant white armor holding a lance and riding atop a beautiful white horse. (1,700 ATK) -) (700 ATK)
"Now, both of you, attack directly!"
Iron Hans rushed forward and slashed the Saint Nick impostor with his axe, and right afterward, Iron Knight came up and speared him with his lance. The force of the combined attacks sent the joystealer once again falling on his rear, his hat falling off to reveal two gigantic, pointed ears, at least a foot long each. He snatched it up, put it on, and once again climbed clumsily to his feet as his Life Points fell.
(R: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (JS: 2,800)
"End turn." She said.
The joystealer nodded and drew a card, then simply waved his hand.
"You're…just passing?" Rebecca guessed, looking surprised. "I mean, I know you haven't done much, but…"
"I have all that I need for now," he replied. "It is your move."
Rebecca shrugged and drew her card, then cringed as Silent Pain activated, obliterating her Monsters and taking another chunk of her Life Points.
(R: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (JS: 2,800)
Take it easy, girl, take it easy, she thought to herself. One turn at a time. Of course, at this rate, I won't have many turns left! I've got to do something…oh, but there's nothing good in my hand right now! I'm having the worst luck in this duel!
"I Summon Forest Hunter to the field!" she declared, slapping down another card.
A muscular, green-clad archer with an impressive blonde moustache and beard popped up, fingering his bow. (1,200 ATK)
"Forest Hunter, attack directly with forest arrow!"
The archer nodded and notched an arrow, then fired it right at the joystealer's heart. The Santa impersonator grunted as it struck, and narrowly avoided falling backwards again.
(R: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (JS: 1,600)
"You're just one step away from losing!" Rebecca called out.
"As are you," the Unseelie replied. "Just a couple more turns, and you will be my well-deserved supper."
"Fat chance!" Rebecca snapped. "Now, I end my turn! Go ahead, give me all you've got!"
"I intend to," The joystealer replied, drawing a card. "Soon enough. For now, though, I pass my turn."
"You're kidding!" Rebecca exclaimed. "How can you possibly expect to win without at least erecting some defenses!"
"I guarantee you, he does quite well," the Unseelie assured. "Monsters usually just weigh this deck down, anyway."
Once again, Rebecca just shrugged and drew her card, then shielded herself as Silent Pain destroyed her Forest Hunter and dealt her more damage.
(R: 100) - - - - - - - - - - (JS: 1,600)
"You are on your last legs, my dear," the Unseelie cackled. At the beginning of your next turn, my card will drain what little life you have left. Now, make your last pathetic move!"
"By all means," the Shadowchaser sneered. "I'm Summoning Singing Bone!"
She set a card on her Duel Disk, and once again a new Monster appeared, this one a decomposing old bone, dulled and cracked with age. It was as long as Rebecca's arm, but otherwise it was in no way threatening. On top of that, it was emitting a pleasant humming sound. (200 ATK)
"And so it ends," the Unseelie cackled. "Not with a bang, but with a whimper. You really are a pitiful example of your organization, aren't you?"
"I'm not pitiful, and I'm not going out!" the girl insisted. "My grandpa and grandma never gave up, and neither will I! Singing Bone, attack the old elf directly!"
Like magic, the bone flew into the air, spiraling like a boomerang as it flew at the fake Saint Nick. It slashed him across the arm, but he barely reacted, likewise his Life Points.
(R: 100) - - - - - - - - - - (JS: 1,400)
"Is that all?" the joystealer asked, looking forlorn.
Rebecca nodded.
"Too bad," he said. "I was expecting more of a challenge. I'm always disappointed…"
"Oh, you won't be," Rebecca assured with a smile.
At least I hope not!, she trembled inside.
The joystealer just sighed and drew a card, then waved its hand, passing its turn for the third time in a row.
"There's nothing more I can or need to do," he moaned. "Let's just finish this."
"Yes," the Unseelie agreed. "The sooner the better!"
Rebecca scowled and snatched a card off of her deck, and the accursed Spell card once again activated, tearing across the field and shattering the bone.
Rebecca's Life Points, however, stayed exactly the same.
"What?!" the Unseelie exclaimed. "How are you still standing! That last blow should have finished you!"
"On the turn that my Singing Bone is destroyed, all effect damage I take is reduced to zero," Rebecca smirked. "Guess the card wasn't so pathetic after all, was it?"
The joystealer frowned even more, which Rebecca wouldn't have thought possible.
"So now you're barely hanging in there," it moped. "And on your next turn, before anything can be done, you'll lose the last of your Life Points. You must be as miserable as me right now."
To his surprise, Rebecca smiled wide.
"Are you kidding?" she replied. "All this pressure really gets me amped up! I love a duel with lots of twists and turns, especially one that pushes me up against a wall!"
I just hope it doesn't crush me, she thought, looking over her hand. The cards were the Monsters Hexe Trude, Globerman, and Seven Kids, and the Spell cards Spinning Wheel Spindle and 100 Year Awakening—all of them useless in this situation. The only card that might help was the one she'd just drawn. She'd have to place all her hopes on that.
"I activate the Spell card, Gold Moon Coin!" she declared.
She slipped a card into her Disk, and the image of the card materialized in front of her. It showed a landscape with a colossal gold doubloon where the moon should be.
"And…what, exactly, does it do?" the joystealer asked, looking confused.
He only got more so when Rebecca walked up to him and handed him her cards.
"In exchange for giving you my entire hand, I get to draw an equal number of cards from my deck," the Shadowchaser explained, walking back to her previous spot and drawing five. "Now I have a whole new hand, and one last chance to win this!"
Sweet!, she cheered inside as she examined her hand. Just what I needed!
"I activate Giant Trunade!" she yelled, playing a Spell card. "Returning all Spell and Trap cards to our hands!"
A strong wind blew across the field, and all the cards currently on it vanished, and they returned to the cramped storage room.
"And now, I Summon Water Nixie in Attack Position!" she declared, slamming another card down onto her Disk.
A new Monster sprang from the ground, this one a wild-looking woman with clawed, webbed hands and feet, long, green hair filled with seaweed, blue, scaly skin, and a skimpy dress made out of kelp. She bared her sharp, shark-like teeth at the joystealer. (1,800 ATK)
"What?!" the joystealer exclaimed. "Nixies are much more attractive than that!"
"Yeah," Rebecca agreed. "This deck isn't all that reliable in the depictions of Shadowkind, but I'm not complaining about this girl, since she's about to win this for me!"
"Wrong!" the Santa impostor insisted. "I'm activating another Silent Space card to destroy it!"
He played the card, and the Nixie let out a loud shriek before shattering into pixels.
"There goes your last hope of victory," the Unseelie cackled.
"I don't think so," Rebecca countered. "I'm playing two cards facedown!"
Two holographic card backs appeared in front of her.
"And that's all!" she announced.
"Ha!" the Unseelie laughed. "Good luck winning before the beginning of your own turn! Now, my slave, finish her!"
The joystealer nodded and drew a card, adding to his already enormous hand.
"You may have gotten rid of my cards on the field, but not for good," he said. "I can easily play them again, and reset my perfect strategy."
"Then go ahead," the Shadowchaser grinned. "Play some cards. I dare you."
The joystealer stopped, then cast a long, careful glance at his opponent. She looked completely confident, not at all doubtful.
"I-I don't know what to do…" he confessed.
"Play your cards again, you imbecile!" the Unseelie snapped. "I can't have you discarding anything to keep the hand size limit!"
"That's right," Rebecca confirmed. "Even a single card could kill him. Wouldn't you like that?"
A confused look crossed the Santa actor's face, but quickly vanished.
"No!" he insisted. "I can't afford that! I activate Necrovalley, and set three cards facedown!"
The room returned to the dimly-lit canyon, and three cards appeared in front of the joystealer.
Rebecca's smile grew into a tremendous grin.
"Gotcha!" she shouted triumphantly. "I activate my Trap card, Dust Tornado, to destroy that Necrovalley!"
Her facedown card lifted up, revealing a Trap with the image of a tornado filled with captured debris. A powerful cyclone blew out of the card and surrounded the players. After a few seconds, the canyon scene shattered and they were once again in the storage room.
"What?!" the joystealer panicked. "No!"
"You little brat!" the Unseelie shrieked, along with some other words that can't be printed. "How could you do this to—?!"
And then there was silence. The Unseelie had been killed.
"If Silent Pain isn't the only card in the Graveyard, it does nothing but take up space," Rebecca said, more to herself than the joystealer, who was now just an Eoshee in stunned silence. "Guess I was able to kill what was already dead."
The Eoshee looked at her and smiled wide.
"Yes, and I can't thank you enough!" he laughed. "I'm finally freed from that awful beast's bondage! How can I ever repay you?"
Rebecca smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry about it," she told him. "Now, uh, since the Unseelie's dead, do you want to forfeit the duel, or what?"
The Eoshee Santa frowned and thought about it.
"Do you want me to surrender?" he asked.
"Not if you don't want to," the Shadowchaser replied. "You've still got five minutes left on your break, and I hate to see a good duel go unfinished. Go ahead and make your move. No matter how it goes, this duel is almost over."
"As you wish," the Eoshee said with a nod. "I'm Summoning a Monster you gave me last turn—Seven Kids, in Attack Mode!"
He played the card, and seven young goats jumped onto the field, bleating loudly. (700 ATK)
"They may not be the strongest Monsters around, but they're good enough. Sorry, but I'm attacking directly!"
The goats bleated and ran forward, charging fast.
"Don't be sorry," Rebecca giggled. "Especially since I'm not letting this attack go through. I activate Poison Apple!"
Her facedown card lifted up to reveal a Trap card with the image of a decrepit old hag handing a bright red apple to a fair-skinned maiden. The apple glowed with a toxic green light.
Instantly, a real apple flew out of the card, right into the lead goat's mouth. The goat choked it down and dropped to the ground, comatose. Following its example, the other kids dropped down and curled up for a nap.
"This card selects one of my opponent's Monsters, and leaves it unable to attack or change its battle position for as long as it remains on the field. I won't be finished so easily!"
"Well, that's all I've got," the Eoshee shrugged. "It's your turn, and give me your best shot!"
Rebecca grinned wide and drew a card.
Not much, she thought. But good enough.
"I activate the Spell card, Cold Wave!" she declared, inserting a card into her Disk. "This'll freeze our Spell and Trap cards in place!"
A sudden burst of cold passed over the field, and all of the players' Spell and Trap cards were encased in blocks of ice.
"And finally, I'll Summon Tom Thumb to the field, in Attack Mode!"
Rebecca played the card and a new Monster sprang up. It was a young, innocent-looking, incredibly tiny boy with green peasant's attire and a green wool hat. He had a sheath on his left hip. (1,300 ATK)
"Tom Thumb, attack! Piercing strike!"
Tom Thumb leapt forward and pulled the weapon out of his sheath, revealing it to be a simple sewing needle. Nonetheless, he swiped through the goats with numerous, rapid strikes, and caused them to shatter into pixels.
(Rebecca: 100) - - - - - - - - - - (Eoshee Santa: 800)
"Very nice," the Eoshee Santa congratulated. "But I still have a few Life Points left. I can turn this around."
"No, you can't," the Shadowchaser informed. "When the Monster targeted by Poison Apple is destroyed in battle, you lose eight-hundred Life Points."
The Poison Apple card glowed and shattered, unleashing a blast of energy at the Eoshee.
(R: 100) - - - - - - - - - - (ES: 0)
With that, the holograms shut off.
"Excellent game!" the Eoshee Santa chortled. "It was quite exhilarating! I haven't had so much fun in centuries, thanks to that beastly abomination enslaving me! And you really are quite a duelist, worthy of your grandfather's deck!"
"Thanks," Rebecca said. "So, you're sure you're okay now?"
"Yes," the Eoshee Santa nodded. "I think I can handle things until now. I have a job to do, after all. I really need to make up for what I've done and spread some Christmas cheer. Although…if you could contact the other local freed Eoshee, I could use some help cheering up the children who have already gone home miserable."
"You've got it," Rebecca assured. "We'll have them dispatched and restoring cheer in no time."
"Oh, bless you, child," he chortled, walking over and opening the door for her.
"Oh, God bless us, every one," she replied with a giggle.
Oh, wow. I can't believe I actually made that joke! That was so lame!
Still, at least I freed that poor Eoshee. Now there's one less Grinch in the world, and the holidays are once again a time of peace and joy. I'd say that this was a pretty good day, and I finished just in time for my yearly movie marathon, too. Not bad. Not bad at all.
0
SILENT PAIN (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Malice Doll of Demise looking forward with a menacing grin.
Card Description: When only this card is in your Graveyard, during each of your opponent's Standby Phases, destroy all Monsters on your opponent's field and inflict 1,000 points of damage to the opponent's Life Points.
0
SILENT TORMENT (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Malice Doll of Demise looking over the shoulder of a man who is clearly in a trance.
Card Description: By removing this card from play when a "Silent Pain" is activated, inflict 1,000 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points.
0
SILENT SPACE (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Malice Doll of Demise standing in a void, holding a large axe.
Card Description: By removing this card from play while "Silent Pain" is in your Graveyard, destroy one of your opponent's Monsters. You can only activate this effect during your opponent's turn.
Note: The preceding three cards were first used by the Masked Knight of Impassivity in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX episode "Triple Play—Part 2". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0
GLIFE THE PHANTOM BIRD (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Winged Beast/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: When this card is successfully Normal, Flip, or Special Summoned, destroy one Spell or Trap card on the opponent's field.
0
FOREST WOLF (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Beast/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 300
Card Description: This card can only attack one Monster during your Battle Phase. When this card is destroyed, all Monsters destroyed in battle by this Monster are Special Summoned to their owners' fields.
0
IRON HANS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 800
Card Description: When this card is successfully Normal, Flip, or Special Summoned, Special Summon one "Iron Knight" from your deck.
0
IRON KNIGHT (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,700
DEF: 700
Card Description: When "Iron Hans" is face-up on your field, this card loses 1,000 ATK.
0
HEXE TRUDE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 1,800
Card Description: When this card destroys a Monster and sends it to the Graveyard as a result of battle, increase the ATK of this card by 400.
0
FOREST HUNTER (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 800
Card Description: When this card is successfully Normal or Special Summoned, remove from play one Beast or Beast-Warrior-Type Monster on your opponent's field.
0
SEVEN KIDS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Beast/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 700
DEF: 700
Card Description: When this card is successfully Normal or Special Summoned, destroy one Beast-Type Monster on your opponent's field, then inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the ATK of the destroyed Monster.
0
TOM THUMB (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior
Attribute: Earth
Level: 1
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 1,500
Card Description: A tiny Warrior with a big heart. Despite his size, he has slain giants.
0
GLOBERMAN (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 7
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 2,000
Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by the effect of "Giant's Training".
0
100 YEAR AWAKENING (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A beautiful woman with flowing blonde hair, asleep in a bed of thorns.
Card Description: Send one face-up "Curse of Thorns" on your field to your Graveyard. Special Summon one "Thorn Princess" from your hand or deck to your field.
0
SPINNING WHEEL SPINDLE (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A spinning wheel with a large, sharp spindle.
Card Description: Destroy one Monster on the field. Three turns after this card is activated, the destroyed Monster is Special Summoned to its owner's side of the field.
0
GOLD MOON COIN (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A landscape with a gold doubloon where the moon should be.
Card Description: Give all cards in your hand to your opponent. Draw the same number of cards that you gave your opponent from your deck.
Note: The preceding twelve cards were first used by Leon Wilson (AKA Leon von Schroider) throughout the fifth season of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series. Creative credit goes to the writers of those episodes.
0
ROSE-RED (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 1,400
DEF: 800
Card Description: When this card is successfully Normal, Flip, or Special Summoned, Special Summon one "Snow-White" from your deck in Attack position.
0
SNOW-WHITE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Tuner
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 800
DEF: 1,400
Card Description: The twin sister of Rose-Red. She is far more studious and withdrawn than her sister.
0
TAILOR'S BELT (Spell Card)
Equip Spell
Image: A leather belt with a buckle that reads "SEVEN IN ONE BLOW".
Card Description: A Monster equipped with this card gains 1 Level and 200 ATK for every face-up Monster on your field.
Note: Though Leon did grease some palms to have these cards made, and Rebecca was the reason he did, they are not unique. These cards, along with a Synchro that didn't make it in, were mass-produced and released in booster packs. Rebecca doesn't even own the original copies.
0
SINGING BONE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Zombie/Tuner
Attribute: Earth
Level: 2
ATK: 200
DEF: 400
Card Description: On the turn that this card is destroyed, all effect damage dealt to its controller is reduced to 0.
0
WATER NIXIE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fish/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 4
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,000
Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed by the effects of Trap cards that designate a target.
0
RUMPELSTILTSKIN (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 2,200
DEF: 1,500
Card Description: If you have no cards in your hand, this card cannot attack. When this card attacks, your opponent selects one card in your hand at random and guesses whether it is a Monster, Spell, or Trap card. If they guess correctly, this card is destroyed.
0
POISON APPLE (Trap Card)
Continuous Trap
Image: A decrepit old hag handing a ripe, red apple to a fair-skinned maiden. The apple is glowing with a toxic green light.
Card Description: Select one Monster your opponent controls. It cannot attack or change its battle position as long as this card remains active. When the selected Monster is destroyed, destroy this card. If the selected Monster is destroyed as a result of battle, deal 800 points of direct damage to your opponent.
Note: This card was created by MichaelDJ54. Creative credit goes to him.
0
(WHEW! SO MANY ORIGINAL CARDS! AND THAT'S WHY I LOVE LEON'S DECK—IT'S FULL OF SURPRISES! Anyhoo, like the last chapter, this one was very exciting to write, AND HOPEFULLY TO READ AS WELL. At this rate, I may just get into this. WELL, YOU KNOW THE DRILL: Leave long reviews, and no flames, please! 'TIL NEXT TIME!)