Chapter 30
Follow my lead, Yami said to me as we faced off against Gansley in the form of the Deep Sea Warrior, and you'll be fine.
Alright, I said.
"You remember my demonstration of our patented Deck Master System of dueling, don't you?" said Gansley. "It begins with each of us picking a monster to serve as our Deck Master for the duration of the duel. And since I've already taken the form of a monster... lucky me... I will serve as both the duelist and the Deck Master! First, before I forget, Samia will need this."
I nearly jumped out of my skin when a duel disk appeared on ym left arm. I stared at it in wonder. How does it feel? Marik asked.
Nerve wracking.
You'll get used to it.
I hope I won't have to do this again.
"Now, it's time for you to build your virtual deck," said Gansley.
"With what?" said Yami.
"With these." I jumped when cards appeared in front of Yami and me. "Your cards aren't valid in this world, so you'll have to build a new deck from our card database. When you see a card you desire, simply touch it. Choose wisely, for once you make contact with a card image, it's yours for the entire length of the duel." With Marik's advice, I chose my cards, picking some I recognized from my own deck at home. "Careful. Don't let any gems slip by." My palms grew moist, and I had to remind myself that this was going to be fine. I had my friends with me.
Yami looked at me, and I nodded. I was as ready as I would ever be. "All right, let's begin this duel."
"How quickly we forget. You still have to choose your Deck Master. Each monster card has its own special Deck Master ability under our new system. Of course, I won't tell you what those abilities are. You'll have to figure that out for yourself."
"I choose Wingweaver," I said without thinking too hard. The fairy instantly appeared by my side, and I smiled slightly. I looked over at Yami to see he had chosen... Kuriboh? What is he thinking? Marik hissed.
I relayed the question to him, and Yami said, It wasn't my fault. He chose himself.
That's a lame excuse.
"Interesting choice," Gansley said.
"Hold on!" Yami said. "I didn't choose him!" Kuriboh made happy noises in response.
"Sorry, the rules state once a Deck Master is chosen, it cannot be changed."
"Great." I felt both Yami and Marik's frustration.
Now we're in for it, Marik muttered.
Maybe Kuriboh has a useful ability.
It can only be useful if we know what that abilility is.
"Kuriboh is now my Deck Master!" Yami declared.
"Kuri!" Kuriboh said in agreement, putting on a fierce face.
"Suit yourself," said Gansley. "As you know, I've chosen Deepsea Warrior. He's powerful and ruthless, like me. But enough chatting... let's get down to business! Since there are two of you, my monsters will be allowed to attack each of you once per turn."
"Fair enough," said Yami. We all drew our cards. I stared at mine as if they were written in a foreign language.
"I think I'll go first, if you don't mind. I summon a monster facedown in defense mode ! And that's all for now. What fun would it be if I wiped out everything you own so soon?"
"I will go next."
"Fine, but realize it's only a matter of time before I eliminate all of your life points! Poor Yugi. You haven't the business skills necessary to wheel-and-deal with a mogul like me."
"Listen, Gansley... Duel Monsters is about honor, trust and respect. Not about business skills and making deals. So save your corporate speeches for the boardroom and stop wasting my time."
"Why worry about time? Once I defeat you, you'll have nothing but time, as you spend all of eternity trapped right here! Make your move, Yugi, so I can seal this duel and escape from this cyber world!"
"Very well." Yami drew a card.
Tell him not to attack, Marik said. Gansley has to be up to something.
When I relayed the message, Yami said, I have to take that chance. "Now, I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian ! Then I'll place one card facedown. Now my, Guardian... time to slay his facedown beast with Celtic Blade Slash Attack!" Celtic Guardian attacked Ashinigray, destroying it.
"Thank you."
"Why are you thanking me for destroying your monster, Gansley?"
"The card you destroyed was Ashinigray!"
"And?"
"When it's sent to the Graveyard, its attacker must throw out one card."
"Fine. I have plenty of other cards left."
"But that's not my monster's only special ability. It also allows me to summon another Ashinigray to the field. Then I can reshuffle my deck. Such poor business planning on your part, Yugi. Had you done the appropriate research, you could have avoided this embarrassing loss!
Yami glared at him. "I'm not done!"
Fool, Marik said. That was an obvious trap. I chose not to pass along that comment.
Gansley laughed. "It's your turn, girl."
Stay calm, Yami said. Ask me if you need help.
I took a deep breath and drew a card. Fortunately, I knew what to do without asking for advice. "I place Revival Jam in defense mode and end my turn."
Good. Build your defenses.
"I know better than to attack that," Gansley said. "You are both going down." He drew a card. "You know, Yugi and Samia, I'm a businessman, and in the world of business, there are three secrets to success that are guaranteed to crush the competition, so listen closely. The first is build a powerful workforce. So, come forth, Ipiria! This lets me draw another card to increase my dueling options. Then I'll change Ashinigray to attack mode. Thus building up my workforce." The creature squawked on the field. "The second secret of success is quite a simple one: know your own resources. By changing Ashinigray from defense to attack mode, I triggered its special ability, forcing you both to discard one card from your hand!"
"All right," Yami said.
Choose the one on your right, said Marik. I complied.
"I told you you couldn't keep up with the bigwigs!" said Gansley. "Now for the last and most important secret of success in the business world. Always keep your competition guessing. And I assure you, you have no idea of the horrors I have in store for you!"
"It's not over yet," said Yami.
"We may as well close the book on this duel, Yugi. Thanks to my wise investments, I predict a major growth in power for me while you sink deeper into debt thanks to your pathetic Deck Master, Kuriboh!"
"Kuri! Kuri, Kuri, Kuri!" Kuriboh said excitedly.
"Well, it appears your little fur ball has an idea. Too bad he can't speak!"
"Kuri!" Kuriboh made a fierce face at Gansley.
"Stay calm," said Yami.
"Give up yet?" said Gansley.
"No!" Yami drew a card. "Now... I play Polymerization! Fusing together Berfomet and Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts to form Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast! Then I'll activate my magic card, Quick Attack, allowing my Chimera to attack your Ipiria now!"
"An interesting move, Yugi, but a very poor business decision. And now, it's time for you to pay the price!"
"Explain yourself, Gansley!"
Samia, said a female voice in my head.
I looked around in confusion. What? Then I noticed Wingweaver looking at me. You can speak to me with your mind?
Yes. Now, listen carefully. There is something you should know about my special ability.
"Remember, I've taken the form of Deepsea Warrior. And thanks to my Deck Master ability, I can sacrifice my two monsters to create this! Reflector Hole, bounce his attack right back!"
"What?" Yami growled. "No!"
"Hold on!" I exclaimed. "I activate my Deck Master's special ability!" Just as the black hole reflected the attack back at Yami, Wingweaver created a barrier of light that passed over both of us. "When in a tag team, she allows any damage taken to be split evenly between the two players. So, we both lose 1050 life points." I grit my teeth as the wave of the attack struck me.
"That hardly matters," said Gansley. "This will just allow me take you both out sooner. Before long, you'll be completely drained of everything you have!"
"You haven't put us out of business yet, Gansley!" said Yami. To me, he said, You did not have to do that. You should look after yourself.
I wanted to do it, I said. I want to help you. We're a team, right?
Yami looked at me in surprise. Then he gave me a small smile and nodded. Yes. We are a team.
I hope you have a plan, Marik muttered. Don't let him drag you down.
Don't worry. It will be fine.
"It's only a matter of time, Yugi and Sami! Soon my colleagues and I will destroy you and your friends in the greatest corporate takeover in history! Speaking of your friends, I wonder how they're holding up in their new environment? Think about it. Those fools must be suffering even greater losses than you, and you can't save them!"
He's right! Yugi said. We've got to end this and find them!
We will.
Gansley smiled wickedly. "A couple more attack to your small reserve of life points and both your resources will be completely wiped out, leaving you trapped here forever!"
Not if I have anything to say about, Marik snarled.
"I knew a rookie like you couldn't keep up with our deck master dueling system!"
"I'm a fast learner," Yami said. "And you haven't won your freedom from this place yet!"
"Don't threaten me, you little whippersnapper. You're weak! I can see it in your eyes! You'll never make it in the dueling business, kid. So, just give up now and let me take control of your body... Then I can finally escape from this virtual nightmare!"
"Not if you lose. You talk a big game, but you have no monsters on the field to protect you! Leaving you wide open for an attack... A direct attack! Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, attack his life points now!" His monster struck Gansley, lowering his life points.
"Not bad, Yugi..."
"You claim to be a successful man of business, yet you've allowed your competition to get the best of you!"
Gansley chuckled. "Well, not quite. On the contrary, I led you to do exactly what I wanted you to! Now I summon Ruklamba, the Spirit King!" A monster suddenly appeared on the field, and Yami gasped.
"But how can you summon a monster If my turn's not over?"
"Simple - Ruklamba is one of my more profitable investments. With this card in my deck, every time I lose 100 or more life points I gain the ability to summon another one to the field... Strengthening my staff of workers! So, what was that you were saying about my success in business? Looks like I'm still one step ahead of my competition, Yugi, with plenty of monsters left!"
"It's not how many monsters you have... It's how skillfully you use them that counts."
"I've been in business a long time, and I've always had a large labor force. That gave me the freedom to fire whomever I wanted, for there was always another employee who could pick up the slack. And that's how I duel! If one monster has to go, I have another to take its place."
I felt Yami's offense at the idea. "That's just sad."
"It's horrible," I agreed.
"You'll never get away with this, Gansley!"
"Just watch me!" said Gansley, laughing. "It's your turn, girl."
I swallowed hard. It will be alright, Marik said. We'll get through this together.
Right. I drew a card. It was the trap card Jam Defender.
Excellent. Play that and then summon a monster to attack his. He will summon another Ruklamba, but at least you can whittle away at his life points.
Okay. I placed the card face down on my duel disk. "I am playing a card face down. Then I will summon Brave Scizzar in attack mode." This monster had 1300 attack points, which was 300 more than Gansley's Ruklamba's. "Now, Brave Scizzar, attack Ruklamba!" My monster rushed forward and struck the opponent, destroying it.
Gansley laughed. "Is that the best you can do? As I lose life points, another Ruklamba appears to aid me. It's my turn." He drew a card. "Ahh, this will do nicely. I summon Yowie in attack mode!" The monster snarled as it appeared. "Of course, Yowie's arrival forbids both of you from drawing a card next turn - making him a valuable asset. Now I'll play the magic card, Premature Burial! All I have to do is invest a mere 800 of my life points. This allows me to revive one of my former monsters. Ipiria, return! I told you I've employed an unlimited team of monsters!"
He's reckless with his life points, Marik noted. That will come back to bite him.
"With that, I end my turn. My workforce already outnumbers your monsters to two, Yugi, and my staff will continue to grow! So, why don't you go ahead and launch your attack? With my monsters on the front line, you'll never get to me!"
"We'll see about that!" Yami said. He stared at his cards. I could feel his frustration as silence lingered on.
"What's the hold up? Have you finally realized that I'm unbeatable?"
"You should know that a good strategy takes time."
"Nonsense! Stalling for time is a sign of weakness, Yugi!"
"That's pathetic!"
"No. What's pathetic is the monster you've chosen as your deck master. That floating hairball does nothing but spout gibberish!"
He has a point, said Marik.
Not necessarily. I've seen him use Kuriboh to win before. It is possible he can help him now.
I hope you're right.
Kuriboh whimpered. "Don't worry, Kuriboh," Yami said. "I believe in you. You and I can defeat him!" Yet, Kuriboh did not look encouraged.
"Then... Make your move!"
"Now get ready!" Yami reached for his deck but then stopped. He could not draw this turn.
"It's hopeless, Yugi. You're dealing with a born strategist! Do you know how my business career began? With one lemonade stand... That I stole from my neighbor. And I turned that small stand into the largest distributor of frozen lemonade In the entire country! It goes to show that even when you start small... Your investments can transform into an unstoppable force - just like the ferocious team I've assembled here!"
Yami glared at him. "All right! Enough stories." Gansley chuckled in repsonse. "Now! Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, attack his Yowie!"
"Looks like you're more foolish than I first thought. For now I'll sacrifice Ipiria and Yowie in order to activate this! Reflector hole, counter attack!"
"Wingweaver, intervene!" I shouted. This time, the direct attack felt even stronger. It was all I could do to keep strnaing as the wave of pain washed over me, made worse because I felt the effects on Yami as well.
Stop doing that, Yami said. You'll lose!
He can't attack me with my defenses, and if you go down, I'm going down too.
Samia...
"Your life points are falling faster than the stock market!" Gansley cackled. "That makes two direct hits. Soon you'll be out! Then you can take a nap. Surprised by how real this duel feels? It may be virtual, but it takes more of a toll on you than the duels you're used to, doesn't it?"
Yami gasped in pain. "At least you're down to one monster."
"I think you'd better count again, Yugi!" Sure enough, he had two monsters on the field.
"Oh, no! You have two monsters left! How? Explain yourself!"
"While you were recovering from the direct attack to your life points, I seized the opportunity to strengthen my team! I feel it's best to get ahead When your rival is down. So, I sacrificed my Ruklamba, allowing me to summon Wall of Illusion plus another Ruklamba!"
Yami glowered at him. "You had that move planned all along, didn't you?"
"Of course I did. Now, allow me to introduce you to my newest employee. Meet Wall of Illusion! 'What are it's strengths,' you ask? Well, any monster foolish enough to attack it is removed from the field immediately and sent back to my opponent's hand. So, you may want to resign now!"
"Never!" Yami then chose to attack Ruklamba with his Chimera. I activated Wingweaver's special ability once more, and we both endured another attack from Reflector Hole. However, now he had no monsters on the field.
"It's my turn," I said. I could not draw, leaving me with only two cards in my hand to work with.
Summon a monster and attack with it first, Marik advised. Then you can use Brave Scizzar to deal with his new Ruklamba.
"I play Genin in attack mode. Genin, attack Gansley's life points directly!" Fenin only had 600 attack points, but it still had a good bite. Sure enough, Gansley summoned another Ruklamba. "Brave Scizzar, attack Ruklamba!" My monster did destroy Gansley's, but another Ruklamba appeared. And then he used that one to summon another Wall of Illusion... and Ruklamba!
"Well, you gave it your best shot, my young friends," said Gansley, "but in the end, big business always wins. Besides, I've roamed this virtual void for too long now, And you're my ticket out!"
"It's not over, Gansley," said Yami. "So, don't make your travel plans yet."
Gansley chuckled. "Keep your false hope... You'll be that much more disappointed when you plunge into defeat." He laughed. "You and you're pitiful deck master! That pathetic pompom is useless. I'm afraid you were doomed from the start!"
"You can taunt me all you want, Gansley. I'll never give up hope! I trust my deck. And I trust my partner and my skills!"
"I was insightful enough to assemble an unstoppable arsenal of monsters - not that it really matters at this point anyway. I've rendered you so weak you'll be out of life points before my next turn, allowing me to finally return to civilization... While your minds are virtually scattered throughout cyber space!" Gansley laughed again.
He really needs to shut it, Marik said.
"Let me guess. You've had enough suffering, and you want to give up."
"Guess again, Gansley," Yami said, eyes narrowed.
"I'm not giving up either," I said.
"Fine," said Gansley. "You're only life points away from annihilation anyway."
"I've been in tougher spots before. Now make your move."
"Very well." Gansley drew a card. "I summon Melchid the Four-Face Beast in attack mode! My first order of business Is to take down your Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. My Four-Face Beast should have enough power to crush it and take a bite out of your life points in the process." He chuckled. "Now! Melchid the Four-Face Beast, eliminate his Obnoxious Celtic Guardian with Quadruple Smash Attack!"
"Wingweaver, shield us!" I said. The fairy created the barrier, distrubing the life points taken evenly.
"No need to do that. Now my Four-Face Beast will attack your Brave Scizzar!"
"Not quite." I flipped over my face down card. "I activate Jam Defender. This forces all your attacks to be directed at my Revival Jam, which revives after every time it is destroyed."
"Nice," said Yami.
"No matter," said Gansley. "If you insist on linking your life points together, all I have to do to defeat you both is beat Yugi! Your life point account will be empty soon enough. Then I'll escape to the real world at last once I take over your scrawny body, Yugi. And it all happens when I launch my next attack." I sensed Yami's frustration, but I did not know what to do about it. "All right, boy, the time has now come for you to make your final move of our virtual game. Then I'll seal this deal once and for all, leaving your inferior mind trapped here in my place forever. You'll have all the time in the world to contemplate the grim horror of your future. Sounds like fun, right?" He laughed.
"All right. Here goes." Yami drew a card and stared at it.
"Well? Stalling won't help you. Success comes to men of action. No one ever got ahead in the corporate world by just waiting. That only leads to defeat, which is where you're headed. And to think people call you the King of Games. If only those folks in the real world could see you right now." He laughed again.
"Stop it!" I shouted, glaring at him. "You know nothing!"
"You're the one who knows nothing, little girl. You might have some potential if you were not foused on bailing out your friend."
"I will never abandon my friends."
"Then you will never get ahead."
Yami seemed to be conversing with Yugi. Finally, they came to a decision. "Now I place one card facedown." Kuriboh squeaked, looking at Gansley fiercly. "It's your move, Samia. Let's get this duel on."
If I attack, he'll send it back at me. I risk any more life points without some sort of plan. But I have to do something. I drew a card.
That's one of yours, isn't it? said Marik. You might as well summon it. Maybe it will work with whatever Yugi has in mind.
It won't hurt. "I sacrifice Genin and Brave Scizzar to summon Splendid Venus. With her on the field, all non-fairy-type monsters lose 500 attack and defense points. Plus, the effects of my magic and trap cards can't be negated."
"It won't do you any good," Gansley said dimissively. "It's my turn now." He drew a card. "The end is near. Now... I activate my magic card Offerings to the Doomed! Its effect allows me to destroy any monster on your side of the playing field. Say goodbye to Chimera, your last line of defense, Yugi." The monster growled as Chimera was destroyed. "All your monsters are gone."
"Wrong!" said Yami. "You forgot about the special ability of my Mythical Beast. Now! I can bring back one of the monsters I used to form my beast. Berfomet!"
"It makes no difference to me. The end result will be the same once I play this card."
"What?!"
"I sacrifice Wall of Illusion and Melchid the Four-Face Beast to summon Rainbow Snake Eingana." The giant snake squeaked. "Now, mighty serpent, put the bite on Berfomet and the squeeze on Yugi!" The creature easily destroyed Berfomet. "So much for your defensive monster, Yugi. Your life points are wide open. I know it's a bit too late, but here's some advice. The next time you decide to swim with the big fish, pack a life jacket because you're sinking fast..." He chuckled. "Not that there's going to be a next time. Soon, you'll be trapped here."
"No!" I cried.
"Time for my finishing move, Yugi. Farewell. Your life points have finally expired." Gansley laughed. "And who better to deliver the final blow than my favorite reptilian beast? Lucrumba, the Spirit King, free me from this prison by striking Yugi down now!"
Don't intercede the attack, Marik warned. He will go down anyway, and you can do nothing to help him if you lose.
I hesitated, unsure of how to act. It turned out I did not have to do anything. Kuriboh leapt to the field and multiplied, absorbing the attack. Awesome!
"This can't be!" Gansley exclaimed. "He's through. Huh?" Kuriboh squeaked. "What's going on? What's going on? Ugh! I've had enough! I command you to destroy his life points!"
"Nice job, Kuriboh," Yugi said, having taken over for Yami. Kuriboh squeaked in repsonse.
"How is it that you're still standing? Your life points should be gone."
"My deck master saved me. Thanks to his special ability, Kuriboh formed a protective wall. Gansley, this duel's not done." I suddenly felt exhaustion from Yugi, and Yami took over again.
Just a little longer, I told both of them.
"Your furry little powder puff blocks one attack, and you think you've won?" Gansley sneered. "I'm afraid nothing could be further from the truth rhanks to the deck master rules. Now that you've activated Kuriboh to defend yourself, you've introduced him to the playing field. That means I'm now allowed to attack your little fur-ball. And according to the deck master rulebook, If your deck master is destroyed, you lose the duel. And your Kuriboh is no match for my serpent, so this duel is over."
Yami glared at him. "Last I checked, it was still on."
"And I'm still here too," I said.
Gansley laughed. "You're no threat. Neither of you can do anything."
"We'll see, Gansley," said Yami.
"Make your final pathetic move, Yugi - not that you have any options. All you've got left is your puny Kuriboh, and what can he do?"
"Wait and see." Yami drew a card and smirked. "You like to do a lot of talking, Gansley. Now it's my turn to give the advice. Misjudging the power of the small can be a big mistake in business and in Duel Monsters. I guess they never taught you that on your way up the corporate ladder, so Kuriboh and I will just have to teach you this lesson the hard way by eliminating you from this duel. And then, based on your own twisted rules, you'll be trapped in this world for eternity."
"You're just bluffing. It doesn't matter what card you just drew."
"Really?" Yami flipped the card over to show him.
"Is that Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight?" Gansley laughed. "That's useless. Remember my special ability? Attack me with whatever monster you like, and it still won't affect me. I'll just reflect the attack back to you. With only life points to spare, you'll wipe yourself out."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Yami smirked again, and Kuriboh squeaked.
"Huh?"
"Activate facedown card. Behold, the magic card - Rainbow Blessing. When this card is combined with Kuriboh, a great power is released." Kuriboh suddenly appeared multi-colored. Then he multipled.
"What? You expect to win with rainbows and fuzz balls? What kind of stunt is this?"
"All right, Kuriboh, form the rainbow arch!" The Kuriboh stuck to each other and formed an arch all the way to Gansley.
"What is he doing?"
"Maybe you should check your deck master rulebook. But first I shall summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight in attack mode! And now, to put you out of business, Gansley." The horse neighed. "I'm afraid your monsters are not my targets. I'm aiming directly for your life points."
"But how? I analyzed every aspect of this duel."
"Well, you seem to have missed this one. Now, my Fierce Knight, attack! Follow the path of the rainbow arch and attack his life points directly!"
"No! This can't be! My deck master ability doesn't work on direct attacks!"
"Yes, I know. Thanks to Kuriboh, I was able to figure out your weakness. Prepare to be crushed by the competition." I grinned as Gaia moved across the arch of Kuriboh and attack Gansley.
"Aah! You little brat, I was so close to winning your body and leaving this virtual nightmare behind for good." Gansley's life points were reduced to zero, and he disappeared.
"Way to go!" I cheered.
Not bad at all, said Marik.
Yami sunk to one knee and let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that's over with, at least for now. It's time to find our friends. There's no telling what kind of danger Noah may have put them in." Kuriboh squeaked happily, and Yami smiled at him. "Thank you, Kuriboh." He sqeuaked one more time before disappearing.
"You were pretty great too, Samia," Yugi said, taking over for Yami while Yami appeared transparent beside him.
He's right, said Yami. Your defense was excellent. A little more practice and you could go somewhere."
"I - I didn't do much," I said. "It was mostly Marik."
"Then let's thank Marik too," said Yugi.
Hmpf, said Marik. I didn't do it for them.
Well, thank you from me, I said.
You're welcome.
Huh? said Yami as an open door appeared before us out of nowhere. Looks like a passageway.
"Yes," said Yugi. "Let's check it out. We might find the gang."
You're right. Hopefully, that's where it leads. Our friends could be in grave danger. Let's just hope we're not too late.
This doesn't seem too smart to me, said Marik.
Do you have a better idea? I asked.
No.
Then onward we go.
A/N: I did not know how well I could add Samia into the duel, but I think it turned out fine. I hope you liked it.