A/N: Changed the name of the previous chapter since I deemed it unfitting for reasons that will be revealed eventually.
-Mandragora Ein-
Doremi face-palmed. It was the third turn and she was already losing. She was playing a card game and her field had one set spell/trap and a face-up "Number 33: OOPArts Super Weapon – Machu Mach" (2400/1500) with one of its Xyz materials still attached. She had no cards in her hand and she only had 1200 LP left.
Her opponent, Kotake, smirked at his clear victory. His field had an active "Flame Dance – Tensu" and Flam Dance – Tenki and a freshly normal summoned Dark Flame Star – Yushi (1600-1800/1200). He had two set cards and three cards in his hand and 7100 LP left.
"I didn't think you'd actually get some damage on me, Dojimi," Kotake said in mock respect, "But I guess that's what I get for being careless!"
"Just get it over with, Kotake-kun," Doremi replied dryly.
"With pleasure!" Kotake took another card out of his hand. "By using Tensu's effect, I can get an extra normal summon this turn! So say hello to Brave Flame Star – Ensho!" Kotake placed the monster on the field (1600-1800/1000). "And once per turn, Yushi lets me destroy any monster you control so long as I send a 'Flame Dance' to the grave." Kotake put "Tenki" in his graveyard. He targeted Machu Mach, which Doremi quickly put in the grave. Kotake then stacked both Yushi and Ensho on top of each other for a "Leader Flame Star King – Soko" (2200-2300/1800). "I'll attack you directly?"
Doremi sighed before Kotake could do anything. "Good game, Kotake-kun. Good game." She hung her head. "I can't win anything. I really am the unluckiest pretty girl in the whole world!"
"Hey, relax," Kotake comforted. He put his deck back together and pocketed it. "You'll win eventually!"
Doremi sighed in defeat at the remark. She knew it was supposed to encourage her, but with her losing streak lately, it didn't really seem uplifting. So instead, she nodded and got up to wander the room.
It was during lunch break, and just about everyone had finished their meals. Everyone chose this time to sharpen their skill at card games…once they had finished their meals of course. But everyone knew that time was always short and that Seki-sensei would be back, so many duels never get finished.
Eventually, Doremi came over to where Hana and Momoko were sitting. And like everyone else, they were dueling. The girl with the odangos watched. Hana's field had "Sacred Kaust" (1800/700) and "Sacred Pollux"(1700/600) as well as an active "Proclamation of the Royal Palace" and "Star Sign of the Sacred". She had one card in her hand. Momoko had a "Queen Madolche Tiaramisu"(2200/2100) on her field along with an active "Madolche Château", "Madolche Ticket", and a set card. She had four cards in her hand.
"Hana-chan overlays 'Sacred Kaust' with 'Sacred Pollux' to Xyz summon 'Sacred Pleiades'!" Hana said, her voice dripping with enthusiasm. She took the aforementioned monster out of her extra deck and placed it on top of the stack of monsters (2500/1500). "Hana-chan uses Pleiades-san's effect: By detaching an overlay, Pleiades-san can bounce anything!...like 'Queen Madolche Tiaramisu'."
Momoko sighed and placed her monster back in her extra deck while sending it's overlays to the graveyard. "I guess that's game then, huh?"
Hana smiled and then lightly frowned. "Gomennasai, Momo-chan. Hana-chan really wanted you to win."
"You both did great!" Doremi said cheerfully, "From what I caught, at least."
"Eh?!" Momoko and Hana jumped. To Doremi's confusion, neither of them had actually known she had been watching their game.
"Whoa, Doremi-chan! You scared us!" Momoko half-shouted in English.
Doremi stood there dumbfounded. Had they been so involved in their duel that they didn't notice anything around them? It was obvious that this was the case. And given how the red-headed girl wasn't the most noticeable girl around…
"Well, you could've taken the time to look around," Doremi playfully hissed. She puffed up her cheeks. "Fuu, Fuunu, FUU!"
Momoko sighed. "Same old Doremi-chan."
All three laughed. However, it was cut short by Seki-sensei coming in. To their shock, everyone had already put their cards away and returned to their desks, leaving the three Ojamajos as the only exceptions.
"I'm not against you having your cards out," Seki calmly said, "But now isn't the time to be playing games anymore."
"Gomennasai, Seki-sensei!" Doremi, Momoko, and Hana said quickly, sweat-dropping while they put their cards away.
The day went by faster than Doremi thought. Before she knew it, she was walking out on the courtyard with Momoko and Hana. All three were chatting amiably with one another.
"So now that we're out of school for the day, what do you say we practice dueling?" Momoko suggested.
"You could really use the practice, Doremi-mama!" Hana added.
"That's nice of you, but…" Doremi replied, "But I don't think I should continue dueling."
Momoko shot a worried look at Doremi. "Oh, don't be so hard on yourself! You've at least beaten Jou-sama!"
"But Jou-sama has never won once either."
"Hey!" Kotake called. The girls turned to face him as he ran up. "Doremi-chan!"
"Oh, Kotake-kun? What brings you here?" Doremi asked.
"Well, you haven't had much luck with dueling. So-"
"You've come to rub it in, haven't you?"
"Wha-?! No! I've come to help!"
Doremi tilted her head quizzically, but Momoko was the one who replied. "Do you know why Doremi-chan keeps losing?"
"Well, I, uh, not right yet," Kotake stammered, "But if I look at her deck, then maybe I could figure something out?"
Doremi said nothing. She took out her deck and showed it to the blue-haired boy. "Here."
Kotake looked through the deck. And as he did so, his face showed increasing levels of disappointment along with the occasional raised eyebrow. When he was finally finished, he handed the deck back to Doremi.
"It looks situation-less on paper, but it's really situational in practice," Kotake said, stating his opinion, "You've got most of the staples down, but that's about it. It's a mish-mash of random cards otherwise."
Doremi frowned. "I knew you would say that…"
Kotake reached into his pocket and pulled something out. It was wrapped in a pink piece of paper, leaving what it was a mystery. "If it makes you feel any better, here. It's a V-Jump promo I got a while back. It can make the deck better."
Doremi took the wrapped-up card. "Arigatou, I think."
Kotake said nothing more as he waved them goodbye and left. Doremi looked at the wrapped-up card and debated about whether or not he was telling the truth. She then went through her deck again to see what the boy meant. Momoko and Hana helped by pointing out which cards were too situational and which were situation-less. By the time they were done, Doremi's deck had been reduced to 24 cards.
"I need to find some more to get," Doremi said dejectedly.
Momoko pulled some cards out from her pocket. "I think these could work in your deck, Doremi-chan."
"These too!" Hana added. She pulled a few cads from her pocket. The two Ojamajos handed them to Doremi, who quickly added them to her deck, bringing it up to 40 again.
"Arigatou, both of you!" Doremi hugged both of them. "Now I gotta see if this deck is viable! Meet me at the Mahou-Dou! We'll test it there!"
And with that, she ran off.
Momoko sighed. "But we could've tested it right here and now," Momoko said in disbelief.
"Hana-chan will play her some time," Hana said, not at all bothered by Doremi's action, "C'mon! We'll be late!"
Momoko perked up. This was followed by the two making haste toward the Mahou-Dou.
Doremi rushed along the streets. She was already late enough as it was, but that didn't matter. If what Momoko, Hana, and Kotake did to the deck would help it, then she had to get it tested out as soon as possible. To that end, she felt the need for a shortcut.
She found one near a back alley, but she decided against it. Another one presented itself in the form of a path through the trees; she took that one. She continued her run, but as she wasn't the most athletic person around, she found herself tiring out and slowing to a stop in order to catch her breath.
It didn't take long, but-
"Well, well, well," a voice snickered. Doremi's eyes went wide as she spun toward the source. "I see you've been worse. Let me fix that?"
The red-haired girl faced the source of the mischievous voice. She wore a much darker version of her apprentice uniform and looked just her otherwise. She knew exactly who this was: Shadow Doremi.
"What do you want?" Doremi replied.
Shadow Doremi simply chuckled. "So, I heard you've been losing a bunch at children's card games?"
"Urusai yo!"
"Oh, Light Doremi, Light Doremi, Light Doremi, you don't have to hide it from me." Shadow Doremi circled her Light Half, sporting a predatory look as she did so. "I mean, we all know how much of a loser you are!" Shadow Doremi twirled her poron absentmindedly. "You may as well just retire. Seriously, no amount of deck building will help ever you!"
Doremi felt her hand clench up. It was enough for her to be on the receiving end of many losses, but getting it all rubbed in like this by Shadow Doremi was far too much. Yet, somehow, the pink Ojamajo managed to shake it off.
"I don't have time to deal with you, Shadow Doremi," Doremi said defiantly, "I'm headed as far away from you as possible!" Doremi began heading off.
"Oh, going to that dumb little shop with your pathetic little friends, hmm?" Shadow Doremi wandered in front of Doremi, cutting her off. "Going to test that pile of trash you call a deck?"
"It's not a pile of trash!" Doremi shouted. "But yes, I do gotta test it out, though."
"Then let me do the deed. I promise I won't tear it apart…much."
Doremi glared daggers at her Shadow. She knew enough about her to know exactly what she planned to do whenever she made such statements. And this had "trap" written all over it.
"The answer is 'no!'" Shadow Doremi!" the red-headed girl replied.
The pink Shadow chuckled. "You act like you've got a choice," she said, her voice dripping with menace.
All of a sudden, Shadow Doremi whipped out a small pink/black bracelet. She out it on in a heartbeat and then placed her poron on a holder attached to the bracelet. The poron and bracelet then seemed to combine with each other and transformed into a duel disk. With a smirk, the pink Shadow launched a pink/black tendril from the device. Doremi tried to make a run for it, but the tendril wrapped around her left arm and held her fast. No sooner than it did, it vanished, though she still felt it on her arm.
"You like?" Shadow Doremi mockingly asked. She pulled her arm inwards; Doremi felt her own arm being pulled toward her Shadow. "This is called a Duel Anchor. It's a nifty invention made by Shadow Toron when she was inventing the Duel Disks. With these, we can make sure none of our opponents escape!"
Doremi grit her teeth. It looks like have no choice! She thought bitterly, "If it's a duel you want, then it's a duel you will get!"
Shadow Doremi snickered. "You have no chance against me, Light Doremi! My deck is optimized to be great against any meta deck you could possibly throw at me!"
Doremi didn't give a reply. Instead, she decided get out her tap and transformed. It was a little difficult with the duel anchor trapping her, but she managed it. "Pretty Witchi Doremi-chi!" She struck her pose.
"Must you always do that stupid pose whenever you get done transforming?!" Shadow Doremi griped.
"You're not the only one who has a bracelet like that!" Doremi muttered. She brought out her own pink bracelet and latched it onto her left wrist. She then put her poron on the holder, which was quickly followed by the two items merging and becoming a Duel Disk. "And it was invented my Majo Toron when these card games got popular!"
"But the ones made by Shadow Toron will always be better," Shadow Doremi confidently replied.
Both girls got out their decks and inserted them into the slots. Both of their meters rose to 8000.
"Duel!" Both called out. They both drew their opening hands.
At the Mahou-Dou, Momoko and Hana had just arrived. They were a little tired form running there, but they were ok nonetheless.
"Sorry we're late!" Momoko called.
Business at Zutto Oshare Mahou-Dou had been slow lately. Right now, the only ones at the shop were Majo Rika, Lala, Onpu, Hazuki, Pop, and Aiko.
"Of course," Majo Rika replied. She looked at the two Ojamajos. "Any of you seen Doremi-chan?"
Hana nodded cheerfully. "Doremi-mama was heading here! She even got a head start!"
"But it seems you two beat her here," Onpu said.
Pop sighed. "Only Onee-chan can be late even with a head start," she deadpanned.
"Maybe she got…lost?" Momoko reluctantly suggested.
"That could be," Lala replied, "But I sincerely doubt it, given how many times Doremi-chan has come down here."
Aiko closed her eyes. "Maybe she accidently took a longer route while mistaking it for-?"
Hazuki walked over to Aiko and shook her head. "I don't think so, Ai-chan."
"Well, whatever the case," Majo Rika interjected, "We need to find her and make sure she's safe!"
"We could use Magical Stage to locate her," Onpu suggested.
All the other Ojamajos nodded their heads in agreement.
A crackling from both Duel Disks erupted and began centering in between the two girls. Doremi gazed in shock and horror while Shadow Doremi simply smirked.
"Wh-what's going on?!" Doremi shouted.
"Isn't it obvious?" Shadow Doremi replied, "When a Duel Disk of Shadow and a Duel Disk of Light are active near each other, we're drawn slightly out of phase with the world and placed at some point between the worlds of Light and Shadow!" The pink Shadow looked around at the warping scenery. "No one will ever know we're dueling here. Tch! And I wanted to show the world that these things were real!"
As the pink Shadow was ranting, the scenery settled down. It now looked as though both were on the edge of Ningen Kai and Kage Kai; they were literally on the precipice of what seemed to be a massive dark abyss. The area around them reflected the what the scenery depicted, appearing fragmented and scattered.
"But no matter. You're testing your deck and you're a loser, so you get to go first!"
Doremi winced at the comment. "Fine. Atashi no turn! Draw!" Doremi drew her card and gave it a look. "First, I will summon Goblindbergh!"
Doremi placed the card on her Duel Disk. No sooner had she done so, a tiny airplane piloted by a goblin flew in (1400/0).
"Ahahahahahaha!" laughed Shadow Doremi, "When you normal summon a monster, I can special summon Naturu Cosmosbeet from my hand!" She placed the card on her Duel Disk; almost instantly, a bud appeared on the ground and popped up (1000/700). "And you can't attack just yet!"
"But I can still use my Goblindbergh's ability! When he's summoned, I can special summon any level 4 or below monster from my hand…so long as I change Goblin to defense mode…" Doremi smiled. "I'll choose Gagaga Magician!"
Goblindbergh signaled for someone to jump out of his plane. The figure leapt out and landed on the ground (1500/1000) just as the plane came in for a landing.
"And with these two level 4 monsters, I build the overlay network!" Both monsters turned into masses of energy and flew into a red vortex. "I Xyz summon…Photon Butterfly Assassin!" And just as Doremi had said, a humanoid butterfly-like being emerged, complete with two points of light orbiting it (2100/1800).
"Oh joy," Shadow Doremi said dryly, "You got a first turn Xyz off. Whoop-de-f**king-doo!"
Doremi shook her head. "Turn end."
Shadow Doremi smirked. "Gee, took you long enough, didn't it?" she mockingly asked, "Watashi no turn! Draw!" She took the card from her deck and chuckled when she got a look at it. "Well then, I'll set one monster." A face-down monster appeared before her. "And then I will activate Instant Fusion!"
Her LP dropped to 7000. "By paying 1000 LP, I can fusion summon any level 5 or below fusion monster! I choose Ojama Knight!"
Shadow Doremi took the monster from her extra deck and placed it on her field. At once, the knight with eyestalks appeared by Shadow Doremi's side (0/2500).
"Next, I will activate Terra Forming! With this, I can add any field spell from my deck to my hand! I choose this!" Shadow Doremi showed her Light Half the card she added. "And now, I will tune Lv5 Ojama Knight with Lv2 Naturu Cosmosbeet!"
Ojama Knight leapt into the air while Cosmosbeet turned into two green rings. Ojama Knight became energy as he passed through them.
"Rise forth, Spirit! Appear from the Ancient Forest and take a new form! Reign over the field with supremacy and without equal!" Shadow Doremi chanted, "Synchro Summon! Fairy Dragon – Ancient!"
In a burst of light, the serene dragon appeared and flew down by Shadow Doremi's side. It glared menacingly at Doremi (2100/3000).
"Ancient Fairy Dragon?" Doremi asked.
"Not quite, Light Doremi," Shadow Doremi smugly replied, "This is a different version of that monster…a darker version!"
Doremi bit her lip. She knew that Ancient Fairy Dragon is powerful when a field spell is used. And since Shadow Doremi had one in her hand, she would have to be even more careful. And finally, this dragon could easily have different effects compared to its Light-attribute counterpart.
"If you're done staring at nothing, I'll have you know we're still in a game here!" Shadow Doremi shouted, snapping Doremi out of her stupor. "I will now activate the field spell Black Garden!"
Shadow Doremi put the card in its respective slot. And then the floating island they were standing on became covered in jet-colored vines. Razor-sharp thorns covered them and black roses appeared here and there. In the middle of it all was a small statue depicting a satyr blowing a horn. It too was covered in thorny vines.
Doremi shuddered. This looks almost like the Cursed Forest, she thought, At least, back when Majo Tourbillon was still trying to kill Hana-chan…
"And now Fairy Dragon's ability activates!" Shadow Doremi said, "Whenever a field spell is activated during my turn, I can draw one card!" She took a card out of her deck. "And while a field spell is active, Fairy Dragon can automatically kill any of your attack position monsters…like your Assassin!"
"Eh?!" Doremi gasped.
"Do it, Fairy Dragon! Pain Crush!"
The powerful creature seemed all too happy to comply. Its eyes glowed red…and Photon Butterfly Assassin began glowing the same hue. She clutched her head in pain before screaming as she was immolated by the intense energies of the dragon.
Doremi looked on in horror where her monster used to be. "Why? Why did you have to do that?!"
Shadow Doremi shot Doremi a dumbfounded look. "It's just a card, Light Doremi. Get over it!" She smirked. "Perhaps this should help! Fairy Dragon! Attack her directly! Eternal Shimmering!"
Fairy Dragon – Ancient drew her head back and then launched her breath weapon: A line of brilliant red light. Doremi had almost no time to brace herself for the searing attack. It hit hard, sending her tumbling to the ground while her LP fell to 5900.
Doremi stumbled to her feet just as a dark portal opened up before her. Emerging from it was a being of darkness carrying a massive sword (2700/2500). He was followed by a similar being wielding a smaller blade (?/?).
"I should've known," Shadow Doremi muttered.
"Yeah *pant* and now you have *pant* to deal with two powerful monsters!" Doremi replied, "The Token's ATK is equal to the damage I took, so she has 2100 ATK!" This was met with a burst of laughter from the pink Shadow. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing…just the power of my Black Garden is all!"
Just then, Gorz and the Kaien Token fell to their knees (2700-1350/2500) (2100-1050/2100). Both looked as though their strength had been sapped. At the same time, two large black roses bloomed on Shadow Doremi's field (800/800).
"Nani yo?" Doremi burst out.
"That's the power of my Black Garden, Light Doremi," Shadow Doremi snickered, "Whenever a monster is summoned, its ATK is halved and a Black Rose Token appears on the other side of the field!" Shadow Doremi pointed at the two Tokens she now controlled. "Your Gorz summoned itself and then a Token, but not at the same time. Therefore, I get two!"
But that means I will get Tokens whenever you summon anything! thought Doremi, But then…but then…if Shadow Doremi keeps summoning powerful monsters, the I'll-!
"Kisama no turn, Light Doremi no baka!" Shadow Doremi shouted.
The rude comment snapped Doremi out of her new stupor. "You could try to be a little nicer, don't you think?"
"Hmm…nah. Not on your life!"
Doremi said nothing more as she drew her card. She gave it a hard look before glancing back at her Shadow. She replied with a glare of her own.
"Are you gonna stand there and stare at me all day?!"
Doremi grunted in annoyance. "I will switch Gorz to attack position!" Gorz rose off his feet, though he was still relatively shaky. "Next, I will activate Gagagarevenge! With this, I can bring back any 'Gagaga' monster from my graveyard! Guess who's coming back?"
A small wand appeared on the field followed by a massive coffin bursting out of the ground. The wand pulled it open and allowed Gagaga Magician to emerge. He knelt down as the garden drained him (1500-750/1000). Another Black Rose Token bloomed on Shadow Doremi's field.
"Seriously?" Shadow Doremi asked incredulously, "That's your play?"
"No, Shadow Doremi!" Doremi took another card form her hand. "I summon Gagaga Girl!"
At once, a young blonde-haired girl appeared by Gagaga Magician's side. She too knelt down in weakness (1000-500/800). However, no new Black Rose Tokens bloomed on Shadow Doremi's field due to her already having five monsters.
"I will now use Gagaga Magician's ability: I can change his level to 1-8! I choose 5!" Doremi gave the signal, and Gagaga Magician's belt glowed with five lights. "And now I will use Gagaga Girl's ability: She can copy the level of any 'Gagaga' on the field! I choose-!"
"What? The obvious?" Shadow Doremi mocked, "Seriously, Magician's the only other 'Gagaga' you've got!"
"Urusai!" Doremi shouted. Gagaga Girl looked back at Doremi in concern. "Daijoubu, Gagaga Girl! She's just getting on my nerves, is all. Just use Zero Zero Call, ok?" The monster nodded and dialed her cellphone for her ability. Her level instantly rose to 5. "And with these two monsters, I build the overlay network!"
Both Gagaga monsters turned into energy and swirled into another vortex. But this one was in the sky and resembled a galaxy that burst once both monsters were inside. "Awareru! Number 33: OOPArts Super Weapon – Machu Mach!" Doremi called.
And, just like that, something like a floating city emerged with two points of light orbiting it. It did not open up, but parts of it began moving even as the Garden sapped its energy (2400/1800).
"And because I the monster Gagagarevenge revived was used for an Xyz summon, Machu Mach gains 300 ATK!" Residual energy rose up from the now-disintegrating coffin and began swirling into the floating city (2400-2700/1800). "With this, it can take on any monster you play!"
"Aren't you forgetting about my Garden, Light Doremi?" Shadow Doremi replied. The glowing core within Machu Mach seemed to flicker for a bit as its energy was sapped by the thorny vines (2700-1350/1800). "You didn't believe that thing could beat my Fairy Dragon, did you?"
"Gagaga Girl has another ability, Shadow Doremi," Doremi replied, "When she is used for an Xyz summon, one of your special summoned monsters loses all of its ATK!" Gagaga Girl's fleeting image appeared before Machu Mach and cast a curse on Fairy Dragon (2100-0/3000).
Shadow Doremi chuckled. "This is far from over, Light Doremi! I still have the advantage!"
"Are you sure this is the right spot?" Hazuki asked.
The Ojamajos, along with Majo Rika and Lala, had made it to a clearing just a short distance from the Mahou-Dou. They had attempted to use Magical Stage to try and locate Doremi, but Majo Rika detected a surge of energy coming from this site. She lead them there, but the area was empty.
"This is where it's all coming from!" Majo Rika yelled, "No mistaking it!"
Onpu glanced around. "Minna! Look!" Onpu pointed at the ground.
Everyone looked where the purple Ojamajo was pointing and noticed them: Fresh tracks, each set a good distance apart.
"But those tracks could belong to anyone," Aiko warned, "We could be on a wild goose chase, for all we know!"
"I say it's worth a shot," Pop said.
"Count Hana-chan in too!" Hana shouted.
"Yeah, c'mon, Ai-chan! You never know until you do it!" Momoko said with encouragement.
Aiko sighed and then nodded. "Alrighty then. Let's do this!"
Things weren't going as great with Doremi and Shadow Doremi.
The pink Ojamajo was stuck with her monsters being at half strength while Shadow Doremi would get more mooks to fight Doremi with. At the same time, the pink Shadow's most powerful monster had been reduced to being a weak creature that can only defend from attacks…though it can still kill easily.
"I activate Machu Mach's special ability!" Doremi declared, "Once per turn, by detaching one overlay unit, I can target one monster who's ATK is different from its original ATK! If I do, you take damage equal to the difference and Machu Mach gains that many ATK!" Machu Mach absorbed one of the points of light orbiting it into its uppermost pillar, causing it to glow a bright yellow. Cannons emerged from the ring surrounding it. "Go! Infinity Cannon!"
Machu Mach took aim and fired down upon Fairy Dragon – Ancient. The dragon simply glared at the floating city and braced herself against the expected barrage. The blasts landed, and a cloud of dust was kicked up.
Doremi watched in heated anticipation as the cloud dissipated. When it finally cleared, Shadow Doremi was none the worse for wear and her dragon was doing as well as it had when Machu Mach activated its effect. There was no change in either Shadow Doremi's LP or Machu Mach's ATK.
"N-n-nani yo?!" Doremi gasped.
"You're going to make me explain, aren't you?" Shadow Doremi mockingly replied, "Take a look on top of you flying city!"
Doremi did so and saw it. It was a small, angelic monster; it seemed to be suppressing Machu Mach's power (0/0).
"Usou…!"
"That's right! Effect Veiler!" Shadow Doremi burst into a fit of insulting laughter. "Seriously? That play is so overused it's not funny!" She continued laughing. "Oh hohohoho! Seriously, predictable Light Beings are predictable, wouldn't you agree, Light Doremi?"
Doremi grit her teeth. She never knew her Shadow could be so obnoxious, and she wasn't going to take that from her. She took one step forward just as the Effect Veiler vanished and pointed at the pink Shadow.
"Don't forget, Shadow Doremi!" the pink Ojamajo said defiantly, "Your Fairy Dragon is still at 0 ATK!"
"Yes, and…?" Shadow Doremi inquired.
"It's in attack position," Doremi smirked, "Meaning I can do this! Machu Mach! Attack Fairy Dragon – Ancient! Fires of Vril!"
Machu Mach roared to life as a blue light began emanating from its uppermost spire. Moments later, a beam of blue lightning was unleashed upon Fairy Dragon. The once-powerful dragon shot one final seething glare at Doremi before closing its eyes…
Machu Mach's beam struck true and the dragon was vaporized. Shadow Doremi's LP fell to 5650.
"I told you it was going to defeat your dragon, Shadow Doremi," Doremi said. A hint of smugness could be discerned in her voice.
"You're going to pay for that!" Shadow Doremi shouted, her expression changing from false friendship to anger.
"I'm not finished yet!" Doremi looked toward Gorz. "Gorz! Attack Shadow Doremi's Black Rose Token!"
Gorz nodded in obedience and gripped his blade tightly. He then leapt into the air and came down upon the Token. His blade struck true and cleaved it in half. Shadow Doremi glared daggers at the Messenger of Hades as her LP fell to 5100.
"Tch!" Shadow Doremi grunted.
"I will finish things with two set cards," Doremi said. Two reversed cards appeared behind her monsters. "Turn end."
"Hmph! About time you ended!" Shadow Doremi said scathingly, "Watashi no turn! Draw!" Shadow Doremi took the card and gave it a look. "I will set one monster and a card." Shadow Doremi placed the cards on her duel disk, causing a set monster to appear and a reversed card to appear behind it. "I will switch my Tokens to defense position." Both of her Tokens coiled and lowered themselves. "Turn end."
She's on the defensive, Doremi thought, "Atashi no turn! Draw!" The pink Ojamajo gave a careful look at what she had drawn. "Machu Mach! Destroy her Token with Fires of Vril!"
The floating city obeyed Doremi's command. In seconds, another beam of blue lightning was unleashed, vaporizing the Token.
"Gorz! Attack that face-down monster!" Gorz did as commanded. He readied his blade and leapt into the air. When he landed, he sliced the set card in half. It revealed itself to be Naturu Beans (100/1200) and, due to its effect, survived the attack. "Oh come on!"
"And you remember what happens when you attack this thing while face-up, do you?" Shadow Doremi taunted.
Doremi grit her teeth. "I will set one card." A reversed card appeared behind Gorz. "Turn end."
Just then, a flickering to the side of the duel caught both off guard. In moments, it had become a brilliant light before finally gave way to some people. Doremi recognized them instantly as her fellow Ojamajos and glad that Majo Rika and Lala had come along with them.
"Minna-san!" Doremi called happily.
"I told you she was here!" Majo Rika said aloud, "What are you doing here, Doremi-chan!?"
"Eh…I got…forced into a duel?"
It was then that the girls got a good look at what was going on. The two duelists were surrounded on all sides by dark thorny vines and the area around had fleeting images from both Ningen Kai and Kage Kai.
"Majo Rika, Majo Rika, Majo Rika…" Hazuki stuttered.
"What is this place?" Onpu asked.
"The space between Ningen Kai and Kage Kai!" Shadow Doremi said proudly, "Just a side effect of our duel disks, nothing special."
"But Doremi-chan?" Momoko asked, "I thought we were going to test your deck out at the Mahou-Dou?"
"Yeah, we were," Doremi replied, "But Shadow Doremi insisted on being my opponent…"
"Well, at least you're winning, Doremi-chan," Aiko said, "Otherwise, we'd hafta bail you out!"
Shadow Doremi snickered. "Not likely." She yanked her arm back, causing Doremi to lose her balance. At the same time, for a fleeting moment, the tendril blinked into view before vanishing again. "And you'll never succeed in breaking it!"
The Ojamajos looked at one another in concern. Their friend was trapped in a duel with an enemy who is more than willing to kill her and there was almost nothing they could do about it. Aiko walked up to get a closer look and found that the thorny vines were real, effectively making it a cage match.
"Good luck, Doremi-chan!" Aiko said, "We'll be cheering for you!"
"Arigatou, minna-san," Doremi replied. She turned back to the duel at hand. "Do your worst, Shadow Doremi."
"I thought you would never ask!" Shadow Doremi retorted, "Watashi no turn! Draw!" The pink Shadow smirked at her new card. "I believe THIS spells your defeat, Light Doremi! I summon Lonefire Blossom!" She placed the card on her duel disk. No sooner than she did, a small plant with a lone flame atop it appeared (500-250/1400). And just like that, a Black Rose Token bloomed on Doremi's field.
"Lonefire Blossom?" Hazuki asked.
"It's one of the best plant-type monsters in the game," Onpu gravely replied, "I just hope Doremi-chan has a play that can stop it."
"I activate Lonefire Blossom's ability!" Shadow Doremi declared, "By releasing one Plant-type monster, I can special summon any Plant-type monster from my deck!" Lonefire Blossom burst into flame and burned to ashes. And from those ashes rose a new monster: A cute puffball (400-200/800). "And this is where I retake the advantage! First, I will flip summon Naturu Cliff!"
Shadow Doremi's reversed monster turned face-up and turned into a massive slab of stone (1500/1000).
"Anou ne," Hazuki began, "Isn't Black Garden supposed to cut all monster's ATK in half?"
"It only works on summoned monsters," Onpu replied, "And even then, it's only on monsters that were normal summoned or special summoned."
"Then this ain't good for Doremi-chan, is it?" Aiko asked. Onpu shook her head in response.
Shadow Doremi snickered. "Next, I will tune Lv4 Cliff with my Lv1 Spore!" Spore transformed into a single ring followed by Cliff leaping through it. "From the depths of space a horde emerged. And to fight this horde a weapon was designed! Lend me your might and become my ally! Synchro Summon! Awareru, Ally of Justice – Catastor!"
In a flash of light, Ally of Justice – Catastor emerged and landed by Shadow Doremi's side (2200-1100/1200).
"And since your field is full, you get no more Tokens!" Shadow Doremi gloated.
She was right. Doremi had her Kaien Token, Gorz, Machu Mach, and two Black Rose Tokens on her field. But the pink Ojamajo didn't mind in the slightest.
"And now for Cliff's abiity: Since it was sent from the field to the graveyard, I can special summon any level 4 or below 'Naturu' monster! How about another Cliff, hmm?" At once, another Naturu Cliff emerged from the blackened foliage (1500-750/1000). "And that's not all! By banishing a Plant-type monster from my graveyard, I can bring back Spore!" Shadow Doremi took the Lonefire Blossom form her graveyard and pocketed it. Spore, for all intents and purposes, somehow dug itself out of the ground (400-200/800). "When Spore is revived this way, its adds the level of whatever I banished to its own!"
Spore's body had the remains of Lonefire Blossom in it, apparently allowing it to rise to Lv4.
"It cannibalized Lonefire," Momoko said, looking at the newly-revived monster in horror, "Just to bring itself back to life."
"Don't forget, it could also just be the influence of the Shadows," Aiko replied. Her tone was full of comfort. "I'm pretty sure it won't look the same when someone else does it."
Momoko simply held Aiko's hand tightly, smiling at Aiko's words.
"I've seen what Catastor can do," Doremi said, "Reverse card, open!" One of Doremi's set cards flipped over. "Compulsory Evacuation Device, hatsudou!"
Shadow Doremi growled at the trap's activation. "Why you-!" She didn't get a chance to finish her statement; Catastor found itself being catapulted into the sky by a jet of air coming from underneath. "Hmph! Doesn't matter! I can still tune Lv4 Cliff with my Lv4 Spore!" Spore leapt into the air and transformed into four rings. Cliff followed suit and passed through them. "One person's trash is another person's death knell. And when that knell is seen, all shall be turned to scrap! Synchro Summon! Rise from the scrapyard, Scrap Dragon!"
In another burst of light, the massive dragon appeared. Parts of it literally seemed to fall off as the Black Garden drained its power (2800-1400/2000). Regardless, it glared at Doremi with the intent of destruction.
"And you know what happens when Cliff leaves the field," Shadow Doremi continued. Another Naturu Cliff emerged from the foliage. "And now I will use Scrap Dragon's ability: I can target two monsters on the field and kill them instantly…so long as one of them is mine!"
"That's cruel!" Hazuki cried, "How can you destroy one of your own monsters like that?!"
"Urusai yo, Light Hazuki," huffed Shadow Doremi, "They're just cards. All ultimately expendable!"
"You're wrong!" Doremi angrily replied, "These are more than just cards, Shadow Doremi! They're not expendable!"
"You're the worst, Shadow Doremi!" Aiko added.
Shadow Doremi simply chuckled. "Not expendable, huh? Then tell me this: Didn't you treat them as expendable when you used two of your monsters to get something big out earlier, Light Doremi?"
"That's different!" Doremi shouted.
"It's the same thing and you know it." Shadow Doremi smirked. "And this is why I will always be better than you. Weakling!"
Doremi grit her teeth in anger at the statement. "You and the rest of your kind are always putting us down, even when we've beaten you time and again. Your horrible attitudes and just-as-awful black-heartedness just reinforces that!"
"You tell her, Onee-chan!" Pop cheered.
"Yeah, and this coming from the idiot who'll never get feelings from a boy," Shadow Doremi retorted, "Unlike me."
Doremi began fuming even more heavily than earlier. "You and the rest of your kind keep talking about how much better you are than us. But all you've done is bully us, harass us, and make our lives miserable! And you claim you actually got feelings form a boy?! I don't think so! There's no way ANY boy would ever have feelings for something as unforgivable as you!"
Gorz and the Kaien Token pointed their swords at Shadow Doremi. Machu Mach's core pulsed as though it were trying to add its own opinion to the mix.
Shadow Doremi's smirk vanished altogether. She narrowed her eyes into what could easily have been her most threatening glare ever. "I…did score someone…He was the best boy I could've ever asked for! And now-!" Shadow Doremi clenched her fist in anger. "GAAHHH!"
Doremi felt her confidence shake. "N-nani?"
"Urusai!" Shadow Doremi clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug through the fabric of her gloves and pierced the skin. Scrap Dragon roared at Doremi. "I'm activating Scrap Dragon's special ability. And I target my Black Rose Token and your Gorz!" Scrap Dragon narrowed its eyes at Gorz. "This is for disrupting my plays and being a thorn in my side! Go, Scrap Dragon! Scrapyard Driver!"
Doremi said nothing as Scrap Dragon rose into the air. It then descended and its chest plate opened up, sucking in the Black Rose Token. It then fired a powerful breath weapon made from the Token's remnants at Gorz. The Messenger of Hades parried the attack with his sword, but the blast was too powerful. Gorz let out one final scream as he was incinerated.
"And now to get rid of that Number! Scrap Dragon, attack Machu Mach! Scrap Laser!" Scrap Dragon roared to life once again and took aim. Once it was certain it would hit, Scrap Dragon fired its beams.
"I can't look!" Hazuki said in despair, averting her eyes.
"If this connects, then Doremi-chan will be at a disadvantage!" Majo Rika said grimly.
"Mama!" Hana called.
Doremi snapped out of her stupor. "I don't' think so! Reverse card, open!" One of Doremi's other set cards flipped face-up. "Forbidden Holy Spear, hatsudou!"
Shadow Doremi laughed. "Do you have any idea what that's going to do to my Scrap Dragon?" she taunted.
"I'm not using it on your dragon, Shadow Doremi," the pink Ojamajo replied, "I'm using it on my Machu Mach!"
At once, the forbidden weapon appeared before the floating city. It attached itself at the very top where it fires its lightning (1350-1600/1800).
Momoko, Hana, and Hazuki each gave a look of surprise while Pop smirked.
"Anou ne, why did Machu Mach's ATK go up?" Hazuki asked.
"Yeah, isn't it supposed to drop even further?" Momoko added.
"Normally, yes," Pop replied, "Demo, Machu Mach's ATK was already reduced by a card effect earlier…I think it was Black Garden. Anyway, Forbidden Holy Spear makes its target immune to all spells and traps, even undoing permanent changes!"
"Like the ATK drop from Black Garden?" Hana asked.
"Exactly!"
"And the card was used during the Damage Step too," Onpu added, "So…"
The beams fired by Scrap Dragon hit their mark and exploded violently upon impact, creating a massive dust cloud. When it dissipated, the powerful floating city remained aloft, making Scrap Dragons' eyes open wide with shock. Machu Mach then replied with a beam of blue lightning of its own. It hit the mark, and Scrap Dragon was vaporized by the blast. The shockwaves from the impact caused Shadow Doremi to lose her balance as her LP fell to 4900.
"You're going to regret this," Shadow Doremi shouted angrily, "Kisama no turn!"
Doremi drew her card as the Holy Spear vanished from Machu Mach. However, the powerful monster's core seemed to glow even brighter than ever before (1600-2400/1800). The pink Ojamajo smiled at the turn of events.
"I will set one monster," Doremi said. A reversed monster appeared beside the Kaien Token. "And I will once again use Number 33: OOPArts Super Weapon – Machu Mach's ability! And I target your Naturu Cliff!" Machu Mach absorbed the last light orbiting it, once more allowing the cannons to emerge from its ring. Naturu Cliff looked up in dread. "Go, Infinity Cannon!"
At once, the cannons launched massive blasts of light at Naturu Cliff. They impacted around the stony monster and Shadow Doremi, causing her LP to fall to 4150. Once the dust cleared, Machu Mach's core glowed even brighter than before (2400-3150/1800).
"Kuso-!" Shadow Doremi muttered.
"And now I will switch Kaien to attack position!" The Kaien Token stopped parrying her blade and prepared to fight. "Kaien! Attack Naturu Ciff!"
Kaien obeyed and rushed forth. Cliff braced itself but to no avail, for the Token's blade struck just as hard as her partner's and cleaved the stony resident of the Naturu Forest in half. It's halves crumbled as Shadow Doremi's LP fell to 3850.
"Don't forget about my Cliff's ability, Light Doremi!" the pink Shadow said harshly. A small duo of cherries emerged from the foliage (200-100/200). At the same time, another Black Rose Token bloomed on Doremi's field. "And when Naturu Cherry is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can special summon up to two more from my deck face-down!"
"But she's going to be taking a lot of damage before that happens," Pop said with a little smugness.
"Don't forget about her set card, Pop-chan," Onpu warned.
Doremi gazed at her Shadow and then at the face-down card behind the Naturu Cherry. If I can get rid of it now, I can force Shadow Doremi to use its effect when she doesn't want me to! she thought, "Now then, Machu Mach! Attack that Cherry! Fires of Vril!"
Machu Mach's uppermost point glowed brilliantly and then once again fired its beam of blue lightning. Naturu Cherry braced itself for the upcoming impact.
Shadow Doremi chuckled. "Reverse card, open! Magic Cylinder, hatsudou!" Two cylinders appeared before Naturu Cherry: One was to intercept the blast while the second one beside it was pointed directly at Doremi. "You didn't think I had an out to that did you, Light Doremi no baka?"
Doremi's eyes went wide with shock. The Machu Mach's attack vanished into the first cylinder and then emerged from the second. The pink Ojamajo only had a moment of horror to herself before she was engulfed in her own monster's attack.
"Doremi-chan!" Hazuki, Aiko, Onpu, Momoko, Majo Rika, and Lala all called out.
"Onee-chan!" Pop cried out.
"Mama!" Hana screamed.
The force of the attack sent the pink Ojamajo flying into the thorny vines. Shadow Doremi simply yanked on the duel anchor, causing Doremi to be slammed into the ground instead. She stumbled back to her feet, but her LP fell to 2750. Her arm hung limp.
Jou-sama had just returned from her day with Seki. It had been fun and I was nice to hear about the dueling that her and Nishizawa's students had taken to playing. And it was also amusing to hear about how they fared against one another. Indeed, she would have to talk to the Principal and Vice Principal about letting a regional tournament take place there. But for now, she had other things to do.
Namely, getting to Majo Toron and having her examine bother her deck and the Verz deck she retrieved from Kada. Finding her the Castle would normally have been an exercise in futility, given that she spent the vast majority of her time in the Magic Research Center. But today, she had personally invited her to the Castle for this very purpose. It didn't take long to reach her chamber.
"Ah, Majo Toron-san? Konbanwa!" Jou-sama greeted. Majo Toron, who had been fiddling with another invention of hers, spun around in surprise. "Gomennasai shimasu."
"Oh no, it should be me who's apologizing," Majo Toron stuttered, "I shouldn't have been distracting myself with this thing here just to-!" The inventive Witch shook her head. "Nevermind. Do you have the decks?"
"Hai."
Jou-sama took out both decks and presented them to Majo Toron. She took them and quickly produced another device and began scanning them.
"This may take a while, but I will get it done as soon as possible!"
Suddenly, Jou-sama felt a light shock go through her heart. Immediately, she knew that something was wrong.
"Gomennasai, but I have to go!" Jou-sama used her magic to retrieve one of the decks. "I believe I may need my deck for this issue."
And with that, Jou-sama snapped her fingers and instantly teleported off, leaving a dumbfounded Majo Toron with the other deck.
"I guess that's life," she mused. She decided to look through the deck to pass time. One of the cards she noticed while doing this was "True Six Warmen – Kizan"; this set off an alarm in Majo Toron's head. "Oh. My. GOD! She took the-!"
"Doremi-chan!" Hazuki called, "Daijoubu?! Doremi-chan!"
Doremi was clutching her arm in pain. It had been clearly wrenched out of place. Panting, she managed to glare at her Shadow, though her gaze carried a level of fear in it.
"Turn…end…" she said, "Tch!"
Shadow Doremi smirked. "Oh look, is your arm dislocated? Can't duel anymore?"
"Urusai, Shadow Doremi!" Pop yelled.
"You're even worse than the worst!" Aiko added.
"Why thank you," Shadow Doremi mockingly replied, "Now than, watashi no turn!" The pink Shadow drew her card and gave it an amused look. "Here's your dismay, Light Doremi. First, I'll switch my Cherry to defense mode." The Naturu Cherry standing before Shadow Doremi crouched down. "Next, I will activate Cyclone! And I think I will blow away your last face-down!" At once, a twister came roaring out of the card she played and struck Doremi's set card. It was Starlight Road and would now be unusable for the time being. "Wow. Glad I didn't try any mass clearing. Turn end."
"What happens if Shadow Doremi did try to clear the field?" Hazuki asked.
"Then Starlight Road would've let Doremi-chan stop it and bring a Stardust Dragon to her field," Onpu explained, "It's really powerful, actually."
"But it won't work on cards that aren't guaranteed to destroy two or more cards," Pop added, "Including cards that say 'up to' insert-number-of-cards-here."
Hazuki nodded quietly and turned back to the duel at hand.
Doremi managed to recover some feeling in her arm, but she could still barely move it, making it hard to use her still-uninjured hand to draw cards. The top of her deck began glowing a bright pink.
"I call upon every one of you. Lend me your strength and we can win!" Doremi chanted. She had performed a DESTINY DRAW, which allows her and anyone who uses it to draw any card they want that is still in their deck; it was usable only once per duel and only then when the user has less than half of their LP. Doremi looked at her newly drawn card but decided against it. "I will attack your Cherry with one of my Black Rose Tokens!"
The Token obeyed and fired a small gale of petals at Naturu Cherry. The petals cut like steel and quickly shredded the unfortunate monster.
Shadow Doremi only smirked. "Naturu Cherry has an ability: When destroyed by battle and sent to the grave, I can special summon as many as possible from my deck in face-down position!" Two set monsters appeared on her field.
"Doesn't matter. I will use the other Black Rose Token and my Kaien Token to destroy them! Go!" Doremi thrust her hand forward as the Black Rose and Kaien Tokens went to work. The Black Rose Token shredded another of the Cherries while the Kaien Token sliced the last one in half. "Turn end."
"You don't give up, do you?" Shadow Doremi mocked, "Maybe it's time you started?" She gave her most vicious smirk yet. "All of my hatred! Gather before me and grant me power! Use it to crush my enemies!" she chanted. At once, the top of her deck began glowing; this glow seemed to suck in all the light and only had a faint pink outline. It was Shadow Doremi's DESTINY DRAW, and she chuckled at the card she chose. "I activate Pot of Avarice! With this, I can return five monsters in my graveyard to my deck and draw two new cards!"
Shadow Doremi took her targets out of her deck: all of her Naturu Cherry's and two Naturia Cliffs. She shuffled them into her deck and drew her cards. She grinned sadistically at them.
"Next, I will activate the spell Black Hole!"
"N-nani yo?!" Doremi gasped.
Immediately, a massive vortex appeared. Every single monster on the field was dragged in, never to be seen again.
"And now, I will activate Resurrection of the Dead! I trust you know what this does, huh?" Shadow Doremi took one of the monsters that was still in her graveyard and placed it on the field. "Say hello again to Fairy Dragon – Ancient!"
The ankh appeared before Shadow Doremi and a portal opened up from it. The malevolent dragon appeared from it and screeched angrily from having to see Doremi again (2100-1050/3000). She narrowed her eyes at the pink Ojamajo.
"Don't forget, your Garden gives me a Token every time you summon," Doremi reminded. Another Black Rose Token bloomed on her field.
"Do you think I care about that? I don't care!" Shadow Doremi's eye twitched. "I now summon Soul-Erasing Spirit!" And just like that, a small skeletal monster wearing a cloak and wielding a scythe appeared (300-150/200). And with that summon, another Token bloomed on Doremi's field. "And I hope you haven't forgotten about Fairy Dragon's ability."
Fairy Dragon – Ancient's eyes glowed red again. This time, the Black Rose Token began to writhe violently before it was immolated by the dragon's power.
"And now you're vulnerable! Fairy Dragon! Destroy that Black Rose Token with Eternal Shimmering!" Fairy Dragon – Ancient seemed all too happy to oblige. She let loose her breath weapon, vaporizing the Token and dropping Doremi's LP to 2500. "Next up: Spirit! Go get her! Attack her directly!" Soul-Erasing Spirit rushed Doremi with its scythe. It slashed at Doremi, dropping her to 2350 LP. "And the thing about Spirit's direct attacks, well, see for yourself!"
Doremi had barely recovered from the strike when a ghostly hand sprung out of Doremi's graveyard slot. It grabbed the only card left in her hand: Black Hole.
"Usou…!" Doremi half-gasped.
"So that's the card you DESTINY DREW into!" Shadow Doremi said scathingly, "Well that's just too bad, now is it?!"
"This is getting out of hand," Momoko said desperately, "Doremi-chan's at Shadow Doremi's mercy and there's nothing we can do about it!"
"Calm down, Momo-chan," Aiko comforted, "I'm sure Doremi-chan will pull through! Trust me on this!"
"Just like how everyone trusted she would win only for her get OTK'd?" Pop deadpanned, "Gomen ne, but as much as I want Onee-chan to win, I'm starting to think she doesn't have a chance at this point."
"Have faith, Pop-chan," Hana replied, "You never know if Mama will win!"
"You're right, Hana-chan!" Pop smiled.
Shadow Doremi gave an annoyed frown. "Hmph! You won't survive as easily next time," Shadow Doremi huffed, "Turn end. Kisama no turn!"
Doremi said nothing as she tried to draw. But sudden weakness came to her legs and she found herself collapsing to her knees. She tried getting up, and managed to muster up enough strength to pull it off. She drew her card, gave it a hard look, and then finally set it. A reversed monster appeared before her.
"That's all?" Shadow Doremi mockingly asked, "Fine then. Watashi no turn! Draw!" Shadow Doremi took a look at her card and smirked. "I summon Naturu Cosmosbeet!" The small bud sprouted from the ground (1000-500/700); the Garden sapped its strength and produced another Black Rose Token. "Now, I tune my Lv3 Spirit with my LV2 Cosmosbeet! Say hello to a familiar face!"
Both monsters leapt into the air. And once the resultant light faded, Ally of Justice – Catastor landed (2200-1100/1200). Another Black Rose Token bloomed on Doremi's field.
"I now activate Fairy Dragons' ability!" Fairy Dragon – Ancient's eyes glowed again…and a Black Rose Token was immolated. "Sayonara, Black Rose Token!" Shadow Doremi then turned her attention to the other one. "Catastor! Attack that Token! Ally Neutral Cannon!" Catastor did as commanded and fired its laser at the last remaining Token. It didn't stand a chance and was disintegrated. "And guess what attribute that Token was!"
Doremi didn't answer. The remnants of the beam continued and struck her in the chest, causing her to fall down as her LP fell to 2050. She managed to get back up, but it she was already very shaky.
"And now for you other card! Fairy Dragon! Get rid of it with Eternal Shimmering!" The dragon rushed forward and loosed her breath weapon on the reversed monster. It flipped over, revealing itself to be a purple penguin wielding a sword. It was immolated by the blast, but Shadow Doremi's expression changed from a smug grin to a look of absolute frustration. "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"
Doremi began snickering. "Penguin Soldier's ability activates: I can return up to two monsters to the hand!" Immediately, two jets of water erupted from underneath Catastor and Fairy Dragon. The latter only had a moment of surprise and bewilderment before being plunged back into Shadow Doremi's extra deck. "At least I got rid of them."
Shadow Doremi began fuming relentlessly. "You. Are. Going. TO PAY!"
"Yatta!" Aiko cheered, "With those two gone, Doremi-chan's got a chance!"
"I take back my earlier cynicism," Pop said, "Onee-chan! Fight!"
"Doremi-chan, fight!" Momoko, Hazuki, Onpu, and Hana said in unison.
Doremi looked over at her friends. They're all cheering for me, she thought, I can't let them down now! Doremi gathered up as much strength as possible. "Atashi no turn! Draw!" She gave her new card a look of hope. "I will set one monster. Turn end."
The reversed monster appeared before the pink Ojamajo.
Shadow Doremi gave it a look of worry. She drew her card without a word and frowned at her card. "I will set one card. Turn end." The reversed card appeared before her. "Make your move, Light Doremi!"
Doremi frowned and drew her card. "I will flip summon Gagaga Magician!" The reversed monster revealed himself. He cracked his knuckles as he faced Shadow Doremi (1500/1000). "Gagaga Magician! Attack her directly! Gagaga Magic!"
Gaga magician leapt into the air and prepared to use the magic that was his fists.
Shadow Doremi snickered. "Reverse card, open! Magic Cylinder, hatsudou!"
"FUTABI?!" Doremi shouted, "Gagaga Magician!"
"Too late!"
Gagaga Magician tried to stop himself, but the trap was already working. He vanished into the first cylinder and emerged from the second on a collision course with Doremi. He was able to steer his fists away from Doremi, but the still grazed her. She turned her head and gave him a forgiving look even as her LP fell to 550.
"Way to fall for the same trap TWICE, Light Doremi no baka!" Shadow Doremi laughed, "Maybe you should-!"
"Turn end," Doremi said, interrupting Shadow Doremi's attempts at gloating.
"Hmph! Primadona." Shadow Doremi gave an annoyed sigh. "Watashi no Turn! Draw!" She gave her card a frustrated glare. "I will set one monster. Turn end." A new reversed monster appeared before the pink Shadow. "I get sick and tired of my duels getting monotonous!"
Majo Rika shook her head. "What a complainer," she deadpanned. This earned her a few knowing looks from the Ojamajos and Lala. "Of course…"
"Yosh! Atashi no turn! Draw!" Doremi said, finally beginning to cheer up. One look at her new card and her face lit up. "YES! I activate my own Pot of Avarice! With this, I will return Gagaga Magician, Machu Mach, Gorz, Penguin Soldier, and Marshmallon to my deck and draw two cards!" Doremi took the aforementioned cards and shuffled them into her deck. The cards she drew only made her beam even more. "Now, I activate Gagagarevenge! And with it, I will bring back Gagaga Girl!"
The massive coffin burst forth from the ground. A wand outside it forced it open, allowing Gagaga Girl to emerge (1000-500/800).
"Don't forget about my Garden, Light Doremi no baka!" Shadow Doremi mocked. Another Black Rose Token bloomed on the pink Shadow's field. "And let me guess: You're just going to summon something lame, right?"
Doremi shook her head. "Your token will help me win this."
"Nani?!"
"I activate my own Cyclone! And I will use it to destroy this Black Garden!"
Shadow Doremi's eyes went wide with shock and horror. Right before her eyes, Doremi's spell ripped apart her Garden until there was nothing left. She clenched her fist in anger.
"And now I will activate Gagaga Magician's ability and set him to level 5!" Gagaga Magician cracked his knuckles again as his level rose. "Next, I will activate Gagaga Girl's ability! Go, Zero Zero Call!" Gagaga Girl whipped out her cellphone and dialed it, copying Gagaga Magician's level. "And with these two monsters, I build the overlay network!"
Both Gagaga monsters once again turned into energy and spiraled into a galaxy-like vortex that opened in the sky. And from the vortex descended Number 33: OOPArts Super Weapon – Machu Mach (2400/1800).
"And thanks to Gagagarevenge, Machi Mach will gain more power!" Doremi exclaimed. Residual energy seeped out of the coffin's remnants and spiraled into Machu Mach (2400-2700/1800). "And thanks to Gagaga Girl, I can make the ATK of your Token 0!" Gagaga Girl's image appeared over Machu Mach and cast her curse on the Black Rose Token (800-0/800). "And now for Machu Mach's ability! Infinity Cannon!"
Macho Mach absorbed one of the lights orbiting it, causing it to glow with power. Cannons emerged from its ring and fired a massive barrage at Shadow Doremi and her Token. She fell on her bottom as her LP fell to 3050. Macho Mach's core glowed ever brighter as it absorbed the energy from the blasts (2700-3500/1800).
"This can't be happening! You can't beat me!" Shadow Doremi shouted. "You can't!"
"Wrong, Shadow Doremi. I win," Doremi replied, "Today, Lady Luck has finally smiled down on me! I really am the luckiest-!" A sound like grinding stone emanated from Machu Mach, disrupting the pink Ojamajo's train of thought. "Oh! Gomennasai, Machu Mach-kun!"
"I didn't think floating cities were snarkers," Pop deadpanned.
"First time for everything," Onpu replied.
"Okay! OOPArts Super Weapon – Machu Mach, attack that Token! Fires of Vril!" Doremi commanded.
Number 33: OOPArts Super Weapon – Machu Mach gathered energy at its uppermost point and then, for the last time, fired its beam of blue lightning. It struck true, vaporizing the Black rose Token and sending Shadow Doremi to the ground. She hit it just as her LP fell to 0.
Doremi is the winner!
"I…I did it!" Doremi began, "I…I really did it! I finally won!" She jumped into the air. "I WON!" But the moment she landed, she found herself collapsing to the ground. And try as she might, she couldn't muster the strength to get back up. At the same time, the pain from her dislocated arm returned. "Usou…why…?"
Shadow Doremi got back to her feet, brushing off the attack as though it were nothing. "Oh, all tuckered out, huh? Perhaps I should put you-"
"Don't even try!" Aiko half-yelled. She and the other Ojamajos, along with Lala and Majo Rika, flew to Doremi's side. "We're never gonna let ya harm Doremi-chan just because she beat you fair and square!"
"It's just you against all of us," Onpu pointed out, "I suggest you give up and let Doremi-chan go!"
Shadow Doremi grit her teeth. She knew they were right, but she wasn't about to let her Light Half's victory besmirch her name…especially since she was certain her fellow Shadow Ojamajos were watching from someplace else. She continued glaring at the group while she let out a telepathic call. She didn't wait long for a reply.
"Oh, I believe your numbers mean nothing," said a voice. The source appeared quickly and revealed itself to be Evil Rin herself. "Shame on you, ganging up on one of us like this."
The Ojamajos dared not say a word. They knew good and well how powerful and well-armed Evil Rin was and weren't going to chance fighting her. But Doremi was still attached to her Shadow's duel disk, leaving their hands metaphorically tied.
"You girls try to free Doremi-chan," Majo Rika instructed, "I'll try to buy some time."
"EH?!" the Ojamajos and Lala gasped.
Evil Rin's lips curled into her unique smirk. "A lesser Witch against a Shadow of my caliber?" She drew her diamond-infused dagger. "Gladly!" She then turned to Shadow Doremi. "And don't think you'll be off the hook for this failure!"
Shadow Doremi frowned at the statement.
"So how would you like to be killed?" Evil Rin asked faux politely, "Should I slice you to pieces or slit your throat?"
Majo Rika glared at Evil Rin as the Light Witch gathered magic into her hands.
"Suit yourself." Evil Rin channeled her Shadow magic into her dagger, causing a dark blade to extend from the hilt and cover the actual sharp end. "This will be your-!"
"You will do no such thing, Evil Rin!" another voice shouted. A brilliant flash later and its source, Jou-sama herself, arrived. She wasted no time in summoning her Royale Keyblade. "I will stop you here and now!"
Jou-sama quickly rushed forth and aimed for the Duel Anchor tethering Doremi to her Shadow's Duel Disk. Evil Rin intercepted and managed to block and deflect the swing. The Queen tried again, but evil Shadow continued intercepting her attacks and preventing any ground from being made. It was a stalemate and nothing more.
Evil Rin simply chuckled. "We both know the outcome of this, so I suggest a contest where the both of us have a good chance at winning: A children's card game!" Evil Rin gave her signature smirk once again. "Unless you want Black Queen-sama here, of course. But I'm certain you don't want her here, my precious snowflake?"
Jou-sama grit her teeth. She knew her luck at these games was far below lackluster. She also didn't know what was in Evil Rin's deck, for that matter. And after factoring in the threat of Black Queen and the lack of the Seven Seals, the Queen of the Witch World knew her hands were tied. But perhaps, since it is ultimately a luck-based game, she would have a shot of winning after all. She would just have to pull a miracle just like Doremi just did.
Jou-sama placed her Royale Keyblade by her left arm and snapped her fingers. The weapon glowed with a silvery light and began changing its shape. Once it was finished, it had transformed into a Duel Disk.
Evil Rin gave a light chuckle as she did the same with her dagger. It became immersed in darkness and split into several more before connecting at the hilts. Shadow Magic formed a web in between each blade while a larger hilt attached to her left arm. It was now her personal Duel Disk.
"I'm glad you accepted my challenge, my precious snowflake," Evil Rin said in false happiness.
"You do not have the right to address me a as friend, Evil Rin!" Jou-sama bitterly replied, "And when I win this, Doremi-chan will be set free!"
"And if I win, you will be mine," Evil Rin replied, "For the rest of my existence!"
Both inserted their decks into the deck slots of their duel disks and shuffled. They then drew their opening hands and their LP meters raced to 8000.
"Duel!" both shouted.
Featured Duel: Doremi vs. Shadow Doremi
Doremi LP (8000) – Shadow Doremi LP (8000)
Doremi's Turn:
Doremi has Gagaga Magician, Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, Starlight Road, Forbidden Lance, and Goblindbergh as her opening hand. She draws Gagaga Girl.
Doremi summons Goblindbergh. Shadow Doremi activates Naturia Cosmobeet's effect; since Doremi normal summoned a monster, she can special summon it from her hand. Doremi uses Goblindbergh's effect and special summons Gagaga Magician from her hand. She then overlays both of her Lv4 monsters to Xyz summon Photon Papilloperative. She ends.
Shadow Doremi's Turn:
Shadow Doremi has Terraforming, Naturia Beans, Instant Fusion, and monster Reborn as her opening hand. She draws Naturia Cliff.
Shadow Doremi sets Naturia Beans and activates Instant Fusion, paying 1000 LP and summoning Ojama Knight. She then tunes Lv5 Ojama Knight with Lv2 Cosmobeet to synchro summon Ancient Faerie Dragon. She then activates Terraforming, adding Black Garden to her hand. She then activates it, and since a field spell was activated during her turn, Ancient Faerie Dragon allows her to draw one card; she draws Effect Veiler. Shadow Doremi activates Ancient Faerie Dragon's second effect; since she controls a field spell, she can destroy any face-up Attack Position monster her opponent controls; she destroys Photon Papilloperative.
Shadow Doremi attacks directly with Faerie Dragon. Her attack goes through and deals damage. Since she has no cards on her field, Doremi activates Gorz's effect, special summoning it; since it was battle damage, she gets an Emissary of Darkness Token. Their ATKs are halved by Black Garden and Shadow Doremi gains two Black Rose Tokens. She ends.
Doremi LP (5900) – Shadow Doremi LP (7000)
Doremi's turn:
Doremi draws Gagagarevenge.
Doremi switches Gorz to Attack Position. She then activates Gagagarevenge and uses it to revive Gagaga Magician. Its ATK is halved by Black Garden while Shadow Doremi gains another Black Rose Token. Doremi then summons Gagaga Girl. Black Garden halves her ATK, but Shadow Doremi has no more Monster Card Zones available. Doremi uses Gagaga Magician's effect and makes him Lv5. She then uses Gagaga Girl's effect, copying Gagaga Magician's level. She then overlays both Gagaga monsters and Xyz summons Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech. Gagagarevenge gives an extra 300 to its ATK but is then halved by Black Garden. Since Doremi used Gagaga Girl to Xyz summon Machu Mech, Doremi can reduce the ATK of one special summoned monster to 0; she chooses Ancient Faerie Dragon. Doremi then activates Machu Mech's effect, detaching Gagaga Magician and targeting Ancient Faerie Dragon. Shadow Doremi chains with Effect Veiler and negates Machu Mech's effect.
Doremi attacks Ancient Faerie Dragon with Machu Mech, destroying it. She then attacks a Black Rose Token with Gorz, destroying it too. She sets Starlight Road and Forbidden Lance and ends.
Shadow Doremi's Turn:
Shadow Doremi draws Magic Cylinder. She switches the Tokens to Defense Position. She then sets Magic Cylinder and Naturia Cliff and ends.
Doremi LP (5900) – Shadow Doremi LP (5100)
Doremi's Turn:
Doremi draws Compulsory Evacuation Device. She attacks a Token with Machu Mech, destroying it. Gorz attacks one of the set monsters, revealing Naturia Beans; Beans isn't destroyed due to its effect. She then sets Compulsory Evacuation Device and ends.
Shadow Doremi's Turn:
Shadow Doremi draws Lonefire Blossom. She summons it. Its ATK is halved and Doremi gains a Black Rose Token. Shadow Doremi activates Lonefire Blossom's effect, tributing it and summoning Spore to her field. Doremi gains another Token from Black Garden while Spore's ATK is halved. Shadow Doremi flip summons Naturia Cliff and tunes Lv4 Cliff with Lv1 Spore to synchro summon Ally of Justice Catastor. Doremi has no more slots, so she doesn't get any more Tokens, though Catastor's ATK is still halved. Since Naturia Cliff was sent to the graveyard, Shadow Doremi can special summon another Lv4 or below "Naturia" monster from her deck in Attack position; she chooses another Naturia Cliff.
Shadow Doremi banishes Lonefire Blossom to revive Spore; Spore's level increases by the level of the banished monster. Doremi activates Compulsory Evacuation Device and returns Catastor to the extra deck. Shadow Doremi then tunes Lv4 Cliff with Lv4 Spore to synchro summon Scrap Dragon. Since Cliff was sent to the graveyard, she can special summon another Lv4 or below "Naturia" monster; she chooses yet another Cliff. She then activates Scrap Dragon's effect, destroying her last Token and Gorz.
Shadow Doremi attacks Machu Mech with Scrap Dragon, but Doremi activates Forbidden Lance, targeting Machu Mech. Since Machu Mech is now immune to spells and traps, its ATK goes to 1600 instead of being lowered by another 800, though it loses the bonus it gained from Gagagarevenge. Scrap Dragon is destroyed. Shadow Doremi ends. Machu Mech's ATK goes back to 2400.
Doremi LP (5900) – Shadow Doremi LP (4900)
Doremi's Turn:
Doremi draws Marshmallon. She sets it and activates Machu Mach's effect; she detaches Gagaga Girl and targets Naturia Cliff. Machu Mech's ATK goes to 3150 and Shadow Doremi takes 750 damage. She switches the Emissary of Darkness Token to attack position.
Doremi attacks Naturia Cliff with the Emissary of Darkness Token, destroying it. Shadow Doremi activates Cliff's effect and special summons a Naturia Cherries. Doremi then attacks the Naturia Cherries with Machu Mech. Shadow Doremi activates Magic Cylinder, negating the attack and inflicting 3150 damage to Doremi. Doremi ends.
Shadow Doremi's Turn:
Shadow Doremi draws Mystical Space Typhoon. She switches Naturia Cherries to defense position. She then activates Mystical Space Typhoon, targeting Doremi's set Starlight Road and destroying it. Shadow Doremi ends.
Doremi LP (2750) – Shadow Doremi LP (3850)
Doremi's Turn:
Doremi uses DESTINY DRAW and gets Dark Hole. She attacks Naturia Cherries with a Black Rose Token, destroying it. Naturia Cherries activates, special summoning two more from Shadow Doremi's deck in face-down position. Doremi uses another Black Rose Token and the Emissary of Darkness Token to destroy both set Cherries. She ends.
Shadow Doremi's Turn:
Shadow Doremi uses DESTINY DRAW and gets Pot of Avarice. She activates it, returning all three Cherries and two Naturia Cliffs to her deck and drawing Dark Hole and Spirit Reaper. She activates Dark Hole, destroying all monsters on the field. She then activates Monster Reborn, bringing back Ancient Faerie Dragon. Its ATK is halved and Doremi gets another Black Rose Token. She then summons Spirit Reaper; Doremi gets another Token. Shadow Doremi activates Fairy Dragon – Ancient's effect, destroying one of Doremi's Tokens.
Shadow Doremi attacks the last Token with Faerie Dragon, destroying it. She then attacks directly with Spirit Reaper. Since it inflicted damage via direct attack, Doremi has to discard a card; the only one in her hand is Dark Hole. Shadow Doremi ends.
Doremi LP (2350) – Shadow Doremi LP (3850)
Doremi's Turn:
Doremi draws Penguin Soldier. She sets it and ends.
Shadow Doremi's Turn:
Shadow Doremi draws Naturia Cosmobeet. She summons it, allowing Doremi to have another Token. She then tunes Lv3 Spirit Reaper with Lv2 Cosmobeet to Synchro Summon Ally of Justice Catastor, allowing Doremi another Token. Shadow Doremi then activates Ancient Faerie Dragon's effect to destroy a Token.
Shadow Doremi attacks the other Token with Catastor, destroying it; since it was a DARK monster, Catastor's effect doesn't activate and damage is inflicted. She then attacks the set monster with Ancient Faerie Dragon. Penguin Soldier is destroyed, but its flip effect activates; both Catastor and Faerie Dragon are returned to the extra deck. Shadow Doremi ends.
Doremi LP (2050) – Shadow Doremi LP (3850)
Doremi's Turn:
Doremi draws Gagaga Magician. She sets it and ends.
Shadow Doremi's Turn:
Shadow Doremi draws Magic Cylinder. She sets it and ends.
Doremi LP (2050) – Shadow Doremi LP (3850)
Doremi's Turn:
Doremi draws Pot of Avarice. She flips summons Gagaga Magician and attacks directly. Shadow Doremi activates Magic Cylinder, negating the attack and inflicting damage to Doremi. She ends.
Shadow Doremi's Turn:
Shadow Doremi draws Naturu Cliff. She sets it and ends.
Doremi LP (550) – Shadow Doremi LP (3850)
Doremi's Turn:
Doremi draws Gagagarevenge. She activates Pot of Avarice, returning Gagaga Magician, Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech, Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, Penguin Soldier, and Marshmallon to her deck and drawing Mystical Space Typhoon and Tour Guide from the Underworld. She activates Gagagarevenge, reviving Gagaga Girl. Shadow Doremi gains a Black Rose Token while Gagaga Girl's ATK is halved. Doremi then activates Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying Black Garden. She sets Gagaga Magician's level to 5 and then has Gagaga Girl copy his level. She then overlays both Gagaga monsters to Xyz summon Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech. Since she used Gagaga Girl to summon it, Doremi can reduce to ATK of a special summoned monster to 0; she targets Shadow Doremi's Black Rose Token. And since Gagagarevenge went to the graveyard because of an Xyz summon, Machu Mech gains 300 Atk. Doremi then activates Machu Mech's effect, detaching Gagaga Magician and targeting the Black Rose Token; Shadow Doremi takes 800 damage while Machu Mach gains 800 ATK.
Doremi attacks the Token with Machu Mech, destroying it.
Doremi LP (550) – Shadow Doremi LP (0)
Doremi is the winner!
I didn't think this would happen. The day when something that was simultaneously outside and within my control would end up surprising me. This deck wasn't mine, but it feels like it has been. I do not like it. But it may be the key to defeating this psychopath.
I do believe that this Queen doesn't know what she's getting into. I've seen her duel. She cannot use her deck whatsoever! Seriously, she never gets the cards she needs to win things with! So I may as well- hmm? Interesting…I didn't think my precious snowflake would use such a deck. Maybe one of my earlier statements is taking hold after all…
Nightmare Ein has begun its approach.
A/N: This chapter took a lot longer to write than it should. But I had to make sure each and every play was legal in real life just to be safe. If there are any illegal moves present, then I would appreciate it if they were pointed out.