Hi everyone!
It's been a hectic week or so - the hardest part about moving to a new home is selling your old one. I've had to vacate the place so the realtor can show the folks considering it, and frankly, there's not much to do around here as it is. Did go see Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire but mostly the past week I've been anxious and bored at the same time.
But, it's worth it. I've gotten about six offers, the best being for $200K (more than double I paid for it five years ago) and once the building inspector gets done here, I can start moving out in earnest.
Well, I know you didn't come here to listen to me complain so… Let the show continue!
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Chapter Twelve
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He Shelved It for Later
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I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world
Life in plastic, it's fantastic
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
Imagination, life is your creation….
Cindy's mini-boombox started playing the odd dance pop song, a tune she had often used as her entrance anthem at large pro dueling competitions. Appropriately, one such event was the time we first met, and the first time we dueled. She won, I lost, not much more to say about it.
I mentioned a few pages back that this part of Hecate's Square had a clothing boutique specializing in Lolita style, which was obviously why Cindy wanted to meet here. Oh, and I should add, this has nothing to do with a certain controversial movie or the act associated with it, get your mind out of the gutter there.
Lolita is a style that started among teenage and young adult girls in Japan, a fashion that took old Victorian-era style and gave it an exaggerated modern look, meant to emphasize aesthetically-pleasing "cuteness" rather than sex appeal. Consisting of a petticoat or crinoline with a bell-shaped or A-line skirt, plus a blouse with long sleeves, a fancy bonnet over ringlets, chunky Mary Jane heels, knee socks and lots of frills, lace, and oversized ribbons, it gave the appearance of a porcelain doll. Colors, materials, and patterns were what defined the specific style, with black ("Goth Lolita") being the most popular. Cindy, on the other hand, was the "Sweet Lolita" preference, which was mostly pink, and included a fancy parasol as the piece de resistance. Cindy even smelled sweet, her odd perfume giving her a scent like gingerbread, and her mini-boombox was an easy addition to the ensemble, also pink and resembling a purse.
Now a big question a lot of folks have is, "Who thought this up? Why would a girl want to dress up like Little Bo Peep?" Well, for one thing, this is the same country that thought up Hello Kitty and Pokémon (and made them popular),so it makes sense. Some critics claim it's a "counterculture" trend, where young people are expressing rejection of old fashioned societal norms and gender roles, although if the old folks in Japan's upper class objected to it, they had a strange way of showing it, as the government has encouraged the style since it started. (Popularity means profit, after all.) Or maybe a lot of girls see it as an "escape", a fantasy that lets them assume an identity of eternal childhood. And as such, Lolitas fit the Dark Academia theme of this part of town like a duck to water.
Of course, I had no right to question Cindy's taste in style, given how I dressed. In fact, that was why I started dating her to begin with, I figured being with her would make me seem less weird by comparison.
Ah, okay, I guess that is a part I haven't mentioned yet.
After a long kiss, I finally said, "Nice to see you too…"
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Some parts of Hecate's Square were nicer and better maintained than much of it. Ten minutes later, the pleasant park we were walking through seemed much safer and warmer than the square with that statue. The weather was the closest to perfect I could remember, the sun was shining from a nearly cloudless sky, and there was just the right breeze to make it a comfortable and pleasant temperature.
"So," I asked, "when did you get back?"
"About a month ago," she said with a short laugh. "I just had to get away from that place, Nana is sweet and all, but I was going stir crazy bored. Once I heard you were in this whole tournament, I had to get in on it."
The confirmation was certainly a load off my chest. Three years previous, little over a year after we had first met, Cindy had gone to some invitational tournament held in a small nation called Arcadia, a place I had to admit I had never heard of; I hadn't seen her since. There was no television or Internet coverage of this strange tournament, and I wondered if Arcadia even had either of them.
The date she was supposed to come back from it, well, she didn't. Her parents told me later that she had gone to Germany to visit her grandmother in Munich, In the whole three years following, I had gotten a grand total of three letters and one email from her, and I wondered at times if her folks had been lying to cover something more serious, maybe that she was in jail or a psychiatric ward.
You may call me paranoid, of course. But when I looked into the matter, I found that there had been an uprising in Arcadia, with reports that some foreign guests had been involved. It wasn't exactly the most encouraging news, and I didn't know how to go about finding more information. What was I supposed to do, ask her parents if their daughter had been hurt or arrested during an insurrection? The idea that Cindy may have been languishing in some foreign prison had often kept me up at night.
As you might imagine, this is why I was so anxious and eager to accept her challenge.
"I have so many questions," I started.
"I couldn't stay on sabbatical forever, you know?" Then she held me close again, and added, "I heard you had quite the interesting holiday yourself."
Touche. She was talking about the whole fiasco on Duelist Kingdom, something I would have gladly told her if I had a whole week to spare.
Finally, I simply said, "I missed you so much."
She giggled softly again, skipped ahead of me (that's right, skipped), turned around brandishing her Duel Disk, and then said in a cute, childlike voice, "So Terone, ready to play again? Just like old times?"
I was about to say yes - as I definitely wanted to. Even if it was an official pro league - or in this case, a pro league tournament - Cindy had always been my favorite opponent. However, before I could say so, my stomach growled loudly.
She giggled again, then spoke up in her normal voice. "You know, come to think of it, I'm hungry too. Pandora's Box?"
How could I say no?
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This was not the same Pandora's Box that I had been to back when I met Otto, and I was a little surprised to see it was almost empty, during the rush hour no less. There were two cashiers at the counter, and the one we went to wasn't nearly as energetic as Linda was; the young woman with short black hair seemed rather nervous when she smiled and said, welcome to Pandora's Box, may I take your order?
As I was making my usual order for this place (chicken nuggets, large fries, and a fountain drink), and then Cindy doing the same (grilled chicken with extra lettuce, small fries, yogurt, and a fountain drink) the cashier seemed even more distraught.
"Ah, that'll be… £28.45," she stammered.
I went for my wallet, but Cindy grabbed my arm. "Don't worry I got this."
"Cindy please…" It was a mystery to me how someone who dressed like she did could be so much of a tomboy.
"Terone, come on, I invited you."
"It's not exactly an invitation when you…"
"Ah…You two can talk it over," said the cashier, "I'll, ah, go put the order in, be right back."
She placed the bottled water and a cup for the soda dispenser on the counter along with a tray and rushed into the kitchen area. That was odd, but I figured she was just overworked and nearly at the end of her shift.
"Tell you what, Terone," said Cindy, "what would you feel to a little side wager?"
"I'm listening." So was the other cashier, I noticed, but again, I didn't pay any heed.
"We split the bill now, and after our duel, the winner reimburses the loser."
"Well…"
"And, the loser pays for brunch at Maya's on Friday!"
That was playing dirty. Friday morning at Maya's was their famous couples' special pancake buffet, which included their homemade Belgian waffles. It was far too tempting to refuse.
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"Are you unwell, Samantha?"
As Cindy and I were "negotiating" the "terms" of our "wager", the distraught cashier had placed the order ticket on the carousel over a counter in the back room as she was supposed to, and then had the misfortune of running into the manager. It was a certain tall, intimidating woman I had been introduced to yesterday - while Hephzibah was now wearing a standard-issue Pandora's Box uniform and had gotten rid of her dark glasses, the cashier seemed just as frightened of her as I had been.
"I'm… I'm fine," came the reply.
"If you feel ill, I will prefer you not be around food, the last thing we need is trouble from the Department of Health."
Sandra looked up at her, the expression on her facing changing from nervous to bewildered. "You're kidding, right?" Hephzibah gave no response but a cold look at the employee, so Sandra explained herself as bluntly as she could. "No, I don't feel ill, I feel like a dirty thief!"
Hephzibah shook her head, crossing her arms. "Not unexpected," she said. "But also, not a concern. While this could be construed as stealing, we are taking the card and then replacing it with one of equal value - it will cost Mr. Brickman nothing. Furthermore, should he take issue, as I assured you before, all responsibility will fall on me alone."
"Yeah, well, I don't like it."
"Not your concern. I am not giving you a choice."
"So, what's the point of -"
"Order up!" A loud chime indicated that the order was ready. Sharon moved to serve it, but Hephzibah held up her hand.
"I will handle it. There is a delivery coming in two minutes that must be signed for, you may tend to that."
She hadn't answered her question, but Samantha was very anxious to be assigned a different task, so she didn't press the matter.
Of course, by now, as Hephzibah brought the tray of food to the counter (where Cindy was waiting to pay) I had taken the cups to the self-service soda fountain. As I would eventually notice, Hephzibah had an uncanny sense of timing.
"Love the hair," said Cindy.
"Thank you. I believe the total came to £28.45."
As Cindy went to pay her, she looked Hephzibah in the eyes briefly, and there was a brief flash of light. For one brief second or so, she froze in place. She would later recall this with an ominous feeling of dread, a "waking nightmare" of sorts like "someone walking over your grave". But it was only a second, and once it had passed, Hephzibah smiled sweetly and said, "Enjoy, come again!" Then she nodded towards me and added, "Good luck!"
"Oh, uh, sure!" said Cindy with another girlish giggle.
I had secured a table by now, and the other cashier was watching us, speaking into a mobile phone. "Uh, hello, do you still pay for info on duels?"
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"HA! You have got to be kidding, this guy actually used Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi?"
"No, no," laughed Cindy. "He was Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi. He used the Brotherhood of the Fire Fist." Then she laughed again, more nervously. "I know it all seems crazy… There was this guy in our group who had to go up against Vennominaga! Heh, heh, yeah…"
Did it sound crazy? Well, yes, but then, someone like me who had been on Duelist Kingdom for something that was just as strange, it seemed believable. I decided to change the subject.
"So, still using the same deck?"
"Yeah, but not now. The card they gave me isn't exactly Madolche-friendly, so I had to put those aside and thought up something… different."
I was a little disappointed. I did kind of like the Madolches, but on the other hand, she had piqued my curiosity.
Switching to her sweet, childish voice, she said, "So, does the big, tough Duelist of Hogwarts wanna tussle with sweet lil' Cindy?"
"Just, uh, let me take a pitstop first, okay?"
By this, of course, I meant the men's room. Cindy started humming to herself and started to gather up the trash… And then, she sat up straight, her eyes wide open, staring blankly ahead.
"Pardon me, Cindy," said Hephzibah. Cindy didn't respond, not even turning her head as the strange woman took my Duel Disk where I had left it, carefully removing the deck from the holder.
Then, she moved quickly, staring with the card at the bottom (which happened to be Tyrant Dragon) taking note of what it was and then placing it on the top, counting as she did so, looking at every card.
When she revealed the 39th card, however, which she assumed was the card that had initially been on the top of the deck, it was, in fact, Tyrant Dragon again.
She briefly checked the next card to make sure the deck didn't have two copies of Tyrant Dragon. It did not.
Not there, she thought. Switch to plan B.
She glanced back at the restrooms for a moment, then shuffled the deck and put it back in the Duel Disk. Then, she turned to Cindy. "Lift your Disk," she said.
Cindy obeyed, her left arm lifting up like a stiff lever would. Hephzibah took a card from her own deck, then placed it in Cindy's.
"That card is yours. Duel Terone and use it when it is appropriate. Understood?"
Cindy nodded; Hephzibah was gone by the time I got back, Cindy as oblivious to what had happened as I was.
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"Not there, huh?" Trask was in his control center, ostentatiously watching another duel finish. "Not a good sign."
"The deck only had 39 cards," said Hephzibah's voice over the speaker. "
"Maybe he keeps it in his extra deck?" The comment came from a technician sitting to his left. "I'm not exactly an expert on this, but if a card were that rare, I wouldn't just leave it on the table in some fast food place."
"If it were any other card, that would be the most probable explanation. But with this card, there is another possibility that can't be overlooked. Seeing what happens during this next duel will hopefully confirm it."
"Sir, if I may ask -"
"Don't ask."
The technician knew that when his boss used that tone, he was very serious. He didn't ask.
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It was noon now, even warmer than before - the perfect day and time for dueling. We hadn't even started yet, and there we had already gotten the attention of some picnickers, dating couples, and families, though I figure many of them were more drawn to Cindy than to me. Didn't matter - a pro never shies from a crowd.
This was the reason I had started the job to begin with.
"Disk activate!" I exclaimed. "GAME ON!"
(Terone: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Cindy: 8,000)
"Remember Terone." Cindy made her first draw. "I'm not holding anything - Ooh, OH! Are we on TV? Hey, over here! Over here!"
Of course, we were. It seemed Cindy was just fine with the press - me, as I've already mentioned, not so much.
"Hello duelists! Yolanda Vejas here at Hecate's Square, where our grand multi-crisis-crossover of Duel Monsters is about to get underway!"
"You said it, Yolanda," added Brett. "Our brave combatants today are Duelist of Hogwarts Terone Brickman and Pretty Pink Powerhouse Cindy Lourdes. It's boy versus girl, sour versus sweet, and darkness versus light, three duels in one!"
"Hee-hee," laughed Cindy. "Flattery will get you nowhere." She took one card from her hand and used it. "Lost Sheep, come on out and play!"
A portal of light formed on the ground, out of which an odd female monster emerged, tripping and stumbling a little as she did so. She was wearing a similar-style dress and hat as Cindy, but all white rather than pink. She also wore very large, thick mittens and had no shoes - because her feet were hooves. Her face was that of a sheep, her hair (which was in pigtails) looked like fluffy wool, and she had small horns above each of her temples. (1,800 ATK)
"And the fight is on!" said Brett. "Never seen this card before, but quite the adorable lamb girl, I must say."
"Ahem, excuse me?" I had become used to the Duel Monsters talking by now, but it seemed Brett's comment had made Lost Sheep rather annoyed. "I'm not a lamb, I'm an ewe."
"Huh," said Yolanda. "Gee, Brett, I don't think she looks like you at all."
Lost Sheep rolled her eyes. "Oh, like I've never heard that one before."
"Sorry, everyone, she's a little new at this." Cindy giggled again, then set a reversed card. "That's my turn! Come and get me, Terone!"
I made my first draw, then looked over the cards. I had hoped to make a better opening move, but for now, I'd have to settle for simply setting a monster. "Go on," I said.
"Then I draw…" said Cindy, eagerly, "...and then attack! Lost Sheep, pull the wool over his eyes, attack that monster!"
Making a rush towards my set card, the Lost Sheep wound up for a punch, at which point I realized those large mittens had the same function as boxing gloves! Masked Dragon appeared on the card, just in time to be belted in the snout and blown to pieces.
"Whee!" Cindy leapt while squealing happily. "Lost Sheep clobbered it!"
"Yes, she sure did." I snapped my fingers, and the lingering shards all pulled back together, forming into Divine Dragon Ragnarok. (1,500 ATK) "But that was the idea."
"Hee-hee," giggled Cindy. She set two more cards, then signaled the end of the turn.
Now was the time to make a big move. With the cards I had, I simply needed a Spell Card - any Spell Card - to pull off a great combo. I drew…
…it was indeed a Spell, one which I would have preferred to use later, but eh, these things happen.
"I summon the King of Dragons!"
A loud bass guitar sounded over the field, and the Lord of Dragons - decked out with bronze armor and a helmet over leather clothing and a flowing crimson cape - appeared, the guitar having three necks, with each pegbox shaped like a dragon's head. (1,200 ATK)
Cindy looked a little confused. "Uh, why is the King of Dragons a Spellcaster?" she asked.
The small crowd of spectators around us went silent. "Uh…" I started. Honestly, I had no idea.
"You know…" said King of D. "I've often wondered that myself!"
That got a few laughs from the crowd, and I replied, "Don't worry about it too much - at least I can discard this to get your favorite Spell Card." Of course, by "this" I meant the Spell Card I had drawn, and it was quickly replaced by the Flute of Summoning Dragon.
Then I played that card, and King of D started to strum the guitar, a rousing, six-note tune. Then he waved his hand in a flourishing display of magic, conjuring up two Dragons - Alexandrite Dragon (2,000 ATK) and raccoon the size of a panther with a dragon-like face and wings (1,600 ATK)
"Next I'll Overlay Alexandrite Dragon and Bandit Dragon." The two monsters turned to white and brown columns of energy as they spiraled upwards, the Overlay Network opening. "I'll Xyz Summon Kachi Kochi Dragon!"
The ground rumbled, and a Dragon made of shimmering, gleaming, sharp crystals burrowed out from the ground below. (2,100 ATK)
"YAY! Yippie-skippie!" laughed Cindy, who seemed fully in character now.
"Uh, yeah," I started. "If you liked that, there's more to come. Polymerization! King of Dragons, fuse with Divine Dragon Ragnarok!"
Again, he needed no prompting, turning to darkness as Ragnarok turned to light, the two combining into a swirling portal of black flames which then burst, and King Dragun stepped onto the field. (2,400 ATK)
Then, he raised his scepter, channeling powerful magic. I used another card, and Tyrant Dragon towered over both of the others. (2,900 ATK)
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"Uh… Why can't the King of Dragons be a Spellcaster?"
Trask rolled his eyes at the technician's dumb question, but fortunately for him, the other technician answered.
"Because, he isn't a Dragon, get it? Most would assume the King of Dragons would be a Dragon. Seriously, Lenny, you want me to draw you a diagram?"
"Will you two shut up?" shouted Trask. "I'm giving you a paycheck to watch television here, how hard can that be?"
Honestly, he thought, like watching a movie with a couple of five-year-olds.
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"Ooh, looks like Cindy's in big trouble! We all know what dragons like to do to pretty damsels!"
"More than you know, Yolanda," replied Brett. "This setup is more lethal than it seems.
"First of all, Kachi Kochi Dragon and Tyrant Dragon can attack twice per turn, assuming they manage to defeat a monster the first time, and while Tyrant Dragon can only attack other monsters with its second strike, Kachi Kochi Dragon is under no such condition. Plus, with King Dragun on the field, all three of them are impervious to any targeting effect. This is going to be a hard situation to recover from."
I used the last card in my hand, setting it in my Spell Zone, and then moved to start the assault.
"Kachi Kochi Dragon, attack! Crushing Pressure Surge!"
As Kachi Kochi Dragon inhaled deeply, fixing its eyes on Lost Sheep, Cindy giggled again, then lifted her hand. "Lost Sheep's effect activates! Because you targeted her for an attack, I can send her back to my hand, and then summon a Normal Monster from my deck! So long as it isn't a higher Level than the monster you have with the highest Level."
That had been a clever move. Tyrant Dragon was Level 9, and I doubted there even was a Normal Monster in the entire game that was higher. I started to go over in my head all the high-level Normal Monsters that she might want to use…
…but the one that appeared was not one I expected. At first, the monster looked like a… big ball of cotton. Then arms and legs thrust out of it, with red gloves and boots. The head emerged next, which seemed more human-like than that of Lost Sheep, but still with sheep ears and hazel eyes, plus long ringlets down to her waist that had the color and texture of sheep wool. She grabbed hold of the "cotton" covering her and threw it aside, her clothing underneath being a red and pink petticoat, much like Cindy's, with a large ribbon on a cravat. She twisted her wrist and produced a weapon that looked like a large, golden dining fork.
"So, whatcha think of Magical Sheep Girl Meeeg-Chan?" (1,600 DEF)
"Come on Terone!" laughed Meeeg-Chan, "nya-nya-nya! Take your best shot! Nya-nya-nya"
Then she turned around and actually shook her behind at me. This was certainly getting a rise out of the crowd, and Yolanda saw what was happening quickly.
"Cindy's monster isn't all too strong, but she sure is asking for it, taunting Terone and trying to, ahem, get his goat. Question is, will he take the bait?"
I wasn't exactly oblivious here. This monster had 2,500 Attack Points, so it made little sense to summon it in Defense Mode - unless Cindy was using it as a sacrificial lamb (so to speak). On the other hand, being mocked by some furry cosplay creature - in public - didn't sit well either.
Ah, what the hell, I have King Dragun, how bad could it be?
I quickly renewed the attack. Kachi Kochi Dragon cast forth a brutal wave of concussive force from its jaws. Meeeg-Chan quipped "Not baaaaaad!" right before she shattered. My eyes quickly went to the three set cards that I expected Cindy to use.
Nothing… Was she bluffing?
"I activate Kochi Kochi Dragon's effect! Because he attacked a monster and won, I can use one Overlay Unit to attack again, and this one is coming for you Cindy!"
Discarding Bandit Dragon's card, I pointed to her, and Kachi Kochi Dragon breathed again. The whole park went dark for a brief second, Cindy shielding herself with her wrist as the powerful blow struck her….
(T: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (C: 5,900)
When the light came back, she had barely moved, and was smiling.
Everyone cheered, though I had no idea whether it was due to me taking an early lead or Cindy so easily enduring it.
"That Cindy is one tough cream puff!" laughed Brett.
"And gonna give you such a tummy ache!" she laughed. Then one of her Trap Cards opened. "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing! Due to that direct attack, I can summon two, count 'em, two Level 1 monsters! One from my hand, one from my deck, so long as it's two of the same monster. So, here's my two Boxes of Friends!"
Playing two cards caused bursts of sparkles and rainbows to pour from the ground, and two colorful gift boxes - green with pink and purple polka dots and red ribbons - appeared in front of Cindy. One of them opened slightly, a doll inside shyly peeking out. (0 ATK)
"Next, I can discard Lost Sheep from my hand to use her other effect, meaning all monsters I have with zero Attack Points gain points equal to the amount of damage I just took."
She did so, and the doll's eyes turned glowy and sinister, with a teddy bear looking out from the other one. (2,100 ATK)
"No problem," I said. "Tyrant Dragon, you're up! Imperial Inferno!"
Again, Cindy made no effort to prevent or halt the attack, the huge Dragon's fiery breath hitting one of the toy boxes and reducing it to a scorched mark on the ground.
"Aw, no fair!" cried Cindy. "You busted my toy box!" Then she smirked and added, "Good thing the toys survived!"
She snapped her fingers, and a new monster appeared - the teddy bear that had been hiding in the box, but much larger now. It seemed like a typical stuffed toy, a bear wearing overalls with a heart surrounding its right eye.
"I'm Doll-Monster Bear-Bear!" it said with a goofy voice, "the Duel Monster who loves to love!" (0 DEF)
But Cindy wasn't done. Laughing happily, she snapped again, and the doll appeared; again, nothing special here, a doll with a blue dress, blonde hair with a blue bow, big, blue eyes, and a sweet smile.
"I'm Doll-Monster Miss Mädchen!" she said with her sweet, cutesy voice. "I love you all very much!" (0 DEF)
That was not very reassuring, but at very least, these new monsters didn't seem dangerous.
"Tyrant Dragon! Use your second attack! Attack the second Box of Friends!"
This time, however, Cindy was not going to make it easy for me. "I activate… The League of Redundant Nomenclature!" Her set Quickplay Spell lifted. "Because you destroyed one Box of Friends, the other gains 1,500 Attack Points!"
"What… you…"
The Box opened with a loud "SPRONG!" and out popped a hideous jack-in-the-box, with a long, hooked nose, a strong chin, a purple foolscap, and a red cape. (3,600 ATK) "MUH-HUH-HUH-HUH-HA!" cackled the Bickuribox. It dodged Tyrant Dragon's assault, then produced a scythe, and with one slash, cleaved the Dragon in twain.
"I wouldn't try using him." Cindy said, pointing to King Dragun. "That Spell Card also prevents you from attacking any of my monsters except Box of Friends."
"Seems Cindy's toys are the type that aren't recommended for children under the age of twelve!" exclaimed Yolanda.
"And what an upset!" added Brett. "She played Terone like a toy piano and practically turned the whole thing around in one turn."
"I'm ending my turn." Bickuribox laughed again, and then retreated back into the Box of Friends, though frankly, I'd have had a hard time believing that guy was anybody's friend.
"However, because I used Bandit Dragon to summon that monster and I now have no hand, I get to draw twice."
I made the two draws, then nodded to Cindy.
"My turn, MY turn!" she laughed. She drew, then pointed to the Box of Friends. "First thing's first, when I start this turn, Box of Friends is destroyed. That's the cost for The League of Redundant Nomenclature." The toy box shattered into colorful motes of light. "But again, that means the toys inside come out and play!"
At least these monsters I recognized. One of them was Jerry Beans Man, a large, living piece of candy with a cape and a toy sword. (0 DEF) The other was Soul Tiger, a big cat made of blue magical… smoke or something. (2,100 DEF)
"Now to bring out the real star of my deck! Time to Xyz summon!"
Was she bringing out her Blockbuster card? I watched closely, the Box of Friends appeared again, opening its lid. Doll Monster Bear-Bear and Doll Monster Miss Mädchen smiled at me and waved, then hopped inside. The lid shut, the Box started to shake… and then it burst into hearts, stars, moons, and rainbow colors.
It wasn't her Blockbuster - it was another doll.
She looked similar to Miss Mädchen, but slightly older (more a "tween" than a child), with ringlets that were longer and more emphasized. The dress was the same style, but black whereas Miss Mädchen's was white. While she was smiling, the smile looked snarky and
"So, Terone, what do you think of Princess Cologne?"
"I'm non-flammable, non-toxic, made of 100% recycled material, with five points of articulation!" laughed the doll. "I'm lovable, huggable, and fun for the whole family! Fun accessories sold separately, batteries not included!" (2,200 DEF)
I just knew this was the type of toy that had a switch on her back with "Good" and "Evil" settings, and hoped Cindy could keep her set to the former…
To be continued….
Phew, I gotta tell you, if you think this chapter ran long, you should see how much I wrote before I decided to make the chapter cutoff here. This one has been a lot of fun to write - I love Cindy.
Next chapter, Cindy will indeed use her Blockbuster card. Anyone want to take any guesses? And we'll find out just what Hephzibah is up to - for now, at least. Stay tuned.
And of course, the fanmade cards:
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Lost Sheep (Effect Monster)
Beast/Earth/Lvl4/1,800ATK/0DEF
Effect: If this card is attacked and the only monster you control is 1 "Lost Sheep", you may return this card to your hand. (Quick effect) Also, you may discard this card, all monsters you control with zero ATK gain 1,500 ATK until the end phase of the current turn. (Quick effect) This card is considered a Normal Monster while in your GY or hand.
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The League of Redundant Nomenclature (Quickplay Spell Card)
Image: Throwstone Unit about to launch three Ojama Greens at an approaching Giant Orc.
Effect: Activate this card when a Level 2 or lower monster you control is destroyed by battle. Select 1 monster you control with the same name as the destroyed monster. That monster gains 1,500 ATK and your opponent can only attack the selected monster this turn. During your next Standby Phase, destroy the selected monster.
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Bandit Dragon (Effect Monster)
Dragon/Earth/1,600ATK/1,000DEF
Effect: Activate the effect of this card during an End Phase of a turn where it was used as Xyz Material for an Xyz Summon; draw 1 card. If you do and you have no cards in your hand, draw 2 cards instead. The effect of "Bandit Dragon" can only be used once per turn.