TRAPPED IN THE CAVE

"Egypt isn't the only place where Duel Monsters-type creatures have been discovered, at least in carvings and stories," Ellis said as they walked down the cavern path. "Just six months ago, I found evidence of creatures like Duel Monsters in the ruins of ancient Babylon."

"What's that?" Yuka asked.

"It was one of the first bastions of human civilization," Ellis answered. They stopped walking, and he opened his bag to pull out more photographs. "I took these pictures in what used to be King Nebuchadnezzer's palace."

The pictures he showed them were of stone walls. Carved into the walls were images depicting familiar-looking creatures. They saw creatures that resembled Kuriboh, Dark Magician, Exodia the Forbidden One; too many Duel Monsters to count and name.

"Maybe they got the stories from Egypt?" Shelly guessed.

"That's entirely possible," Ellis replied.

"Hey, check out this one," Hugo said. He pointed out a picture depicting a painting of a young woman standing in front of three Blue-Eyes White Dragons; behind them, standing tall with its wings flared and all three heads roaring, was a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. "Is it just me, or does the woman in this picture kind of look like Yuka?"

Yuka and Shelly joined him and looked at the photograph. There was some resemblance, they noted. The hair looked to be the same, the face was similar, and the woman in the picture seemed to share the same slender body build as Yuka.

Yuka shrugged her shoulders. "Coincidence."

"History is full of coincidences," Ellis said as he took the pictures back. "And it sometimes has a tendency to repeat itself. Tell me, have you kids ever heard of reincarnation?"

"Heard of it," Hugo said. "But I don't know if I believe it."

"Isn't that where someone who died a long time ago is reborn as someone else?" Shelly asked.

"That's the basics of it, yes," Ellis said. He put the pictures back into his bag.

"What, are you trying to imply that I'm related to some girl who lived four thousand years ago?" Yuka asked.

"The woman in that photo, her name was Princess Carnozja," Ellis explained. "We only learned about her in the last couple of years. According to some of the texts, she had the ability to see and speak with spirit monsters. Since she was the daughter of the king, the people saw her as an oracle of sorts. So if anyone needed to speak with the gods, they went to Carnozja. The creature she was most associated with speaking to was what we now call the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"The same monster you use, Yuka," Hugo pointed out.

"That doesn't mean anything," Yuka dismissed.

"Weirder things have happened," Ellis said. "Of course, who am I to say that you and the princess are related? I study history, not genaeology."

They kept walking. The exit was just up ahead, maybe another quarter mile or so. Soon, they'd be out of the cave and only have a little bit longer to go before getting to Avis City.

They rounded the corner. Someone else was in the cave, just ahead of them - someone with a feminine build, mid-thirties, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"There you are," they said. They climbed to their feet. "I was just about to fall asleep."

"Who are you?" Yuka asked.

"I think you've met some of my compatriats," the other person answered. "As for who I am, well...I'd say you could ask your little friend Shelly over there, but I don't think she's talking to anyone right now."

Yuka and Hugo turned to Shelly. Shelly was just staring straight ahead, her eyes wide with terror, and her breathing had gone ragged and shaky.

"Shelly?" Hugo asked. "You okay?"

"That's...That's them," Shelly gasped. "Haschel Besso. They killed my parents."

"Oh, come on," Haschel said. "You say it like I'm the one who cut their throats. All I did was give them a little encouragement."

"Encouragement?' Hugo repeated. "What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with any of us?" Haschel asked. "I'll tell you what's wrong. What's wrong is that we live. And because we live, this world remains tainted. Humanity is a poison. You know it, I know it. I know that reducing a species of billions down by only a scant few isn't much, but it's a start."

Yuka glared at Haschel. "You're sick!"

Haschel shrugged. "I'm human. It's to be expected. And speaking of, I'm sure you're expecting to get to Avis City soon, aren't you? Well, you're going to have to get past me." They activated their pink duel pad. "So come one, then. One of you come forward and duel me."

Yuka stepped forward and activated her duel pad. "Fine. I will. Hugo, you keep an eye on Shelly."

"Will do," Hugo said. He put an arm around Shelly's shoulders. "Come on, Shelly. Stay with us."

"Your friend seems to be suffering some trauma," Ellis pointed out.

"Didn't you hear her?" Hugo asked him. "Haschel tricked Shelly's parents to kill themselves. You'd have a few things to process, too."

Yuka and Haschel set their life points to 8000, drew their first five cards, and said "Let's duel!"

"I'll start us off," Haschel said. "I set five cards face down and end my turn."

Yuka drew her sixth card. Her hand had five spell cards - Melody of Awakening Dragon, Reload, The Claw of Hermos, Monster Reborn, and The Fang of Critias - and a trap card, Solemn Warning.

"Since I don't like my hand as much as I'd like," she said, "I activate Reload to shuffle the other five cards in my hand back to the deck and draw five new cards." Her new hand consisted of Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, Nibiru the Primal Being, Polymerization, True Light, and Trade-In. "Now I activate Trade-In. I send Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon to the Graveyard and draw two new cards." The two cards she drew were Return of the Dragon Lords and Blue-Eyes Abyss Dragon. "Now I set one card face down and end my turn," she finished, as she set True Light face down.

Haschel drew a new card. "I end my turn."

Finising their turn without playing a card? Yuka thought. They must be up to something. Oh well. I got this.

She drew a new card, The King of Dragons. "I summon The King of Dragons, and activate his effect to -"

"To do nothing," Haschel countered. "I activate my face down card, Skill Drain!"

Yuka's eyes went wide with shock and she let out a gasp, as behind her, Hugo cried "Oh man, that ain't good!"

"No, it ain't," Haschel agreed. "Well, not for you, anyway. For me, it's perfect. I have to pay 1000 life points -" Their life points dropped to 7000. "But as long as this card's on the field, any monster effects are negated."

Yuka growled. "I end my turn."

Haschel drew a new card. "My turn is done."

Yuka drew a card, Sage With Eyes of Blue. "Your Skill Drain might work on monsters on the field, but not in the hand. I activate the effect of Sage With Eyes of Blue from my hand, sending it to the Graveyard to target my King of Dragons to -"

"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong, my beautiful friend," Haschel said. "Don't forget that I have four more face down cards on my field."

"What's your point?" Yuka asked.

"My point is, I activate Mind Drain," Haschel answered. "I pay another 1000 life points, but this keeps you from activating monster effects in your hand. Though your Sage is still sent to the Graveyard because of the cost."

Yuka clenched a fist in anger. Haschel was really starting to get under her skin with these floodgate cards. Yuka didn't doubt that Haschel's other face down cards were similar to the ones they'd played. It was almost as though...

"You planned for this," Yuka said.

"Pardon?" Haschel asked.

"You knew you were going to duel one of us, so you prepped your deck to keep us from doing anything," Yuka accused. "Am I right?"

"That's what they've always played," Shelly spoke up. Her voice was still shaking with terror. "They keep their opponents from being able to play, hoping their opponent will either surrender or deck out."

"Spoiler warning," Haschel said with a fake gasp. "But yeah, she's right. And it's my turn. And I think you already know how this turn is going to go. I draw and end my turn."

Yuka drew a card to start her turn, Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "I activate my face down card, True Light, and use its effect to special summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand." The dragon roared as it appeared on the field. "Blue-Eyes, White Lightning Attack!"

"I don't think so," Haschel said. "I activate Wall of Revealing Light. By paying 3000 life points, I can make sure that any monsters you have with that same amount of attack points can't attack. And I choose your Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"But True Light doesn't let you target my Blue-Eyes," Yuka said.

"Good thing that Wall of Revealing Light doesn't target," Haschel countered.

"Oh shoot, I forgot about that," Yuka grumbled. She watched as her Blue-Eyes White Dragon was enveloped in a cylindrical wall of light, even as Haschel's life points dropped to 3000. "I can still attack with Lord of Dragons."

"Not if I special summon Battle Fader," Haschel said. A small, clockwork creature appeared on the field. "When he's special summoned, I immediately end the Battle Phase."

Yuka gritted her teeth in anger and frustration. She could feel her face turning red with fury. "I end my turn."

Haschel drew a card, and their life points dropped to 2300. "Well, this was fun, but I think it's time this duel ended."

"How?" Yuka asked. "The only monster you've played is Battle Fader. It's too weak for either of my monsters."

"True," Haschel agreed. They scooped up their cards and shut off their duel pad. "But I don't think that's going to matter for any of you." They unclipped a walkie-talkie off their belt and spoke into it. "Arkhan, blow it."

"Did they just say 'Arkhan'?" Shelly gasped.

Haschel started walking down the path. "See you all on the other side."

Seconds later, the sound of explosives going off reached their ears. Rocks and stalactites started to fall from the roof; a few at first, but in the next several seconds, more started to fall, larger and faster.

"They're dropping the cave!" Hugo realized.

"We need to get out of here!" Yuka shouted. She shook Shelly by the shoulders. "Snap out of your stupor, Shelly, we gotta go!"

"Uh...Right."

They ran down the path. The dirt and dust being kicked up by the falling ceiling obscured their vision. They dodged the falling rocks dropping down from above. More explosions went off, shaking the cave.

Yuka looked up to the cavern roof, just in time to see a large chunk break off and fall towards them.

Everything went dark.