Howdy folks!

It's September, this year is going by too fast and too slow at the same time. I'm not the only one who seems swamped, a lot of places I had appointments with over the past week alone had to cancel or postpone, what a hassle.

But enough about my boring life. Time for BLOCKBUSTER to continue.

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Chapter Fourteen

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He Brainstormed Again

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I looked over the field to assess the situation.

(Terone: 3.050) - - - - - (Cindy: 5,900)

I still had Link, but because I had taken more than 2,000 points of damage during Cindy's last Battle Phase, the Double-Edged Sword had been junked, and he was down to his base Attack Score of 2,300. He still had Power of the Guardians equipped, but because I had equipped it using Swords at Dawn, it only lasted until the end of Cindy's turn. I still had Mataza the Zapper, a set monster, and of course, Dark Magician Girl. (1,700 DEF) Mataza still had the United We Stand equip, so his Attack Score was a respectable 4,500.

Cindy, on the other hand, had Frostosaurus (2,600 ATK), Spiral Serpent (2,900 ATK), and of course, Duel Monster Stylin' Barbie. (1,800 ATK) Granted, Mataza was more than twice as strong as she was, but she was equipped with Intrigue Shield, a Continuous Trap that would render Barbie - and Cindy, for that matter - able to survive one attack per turn unscathed.

Well, no problem, I just had to attack twice, and then I could…

"Gonna play one more card, Terone!" Cindy played a Continuous Spell Card, and there was a loud thumping noise and the sound of alarms. A concrete roadblock rose up between my monsters and hers, with flares on the top and the words "CAUTION! DO NOT ENTER!" painted on it.

"Attraffic Control. You have more monsters than I do, so they all have to stay on your side! And… it's your move."

Oh, just great, I thought. The three cards I had in my hand now were Radius the Half Moon Dragon, Horntail, and Fusion Recovery. Not exactly the best cards at the moment.

I made a draw… Pot of Extravagance. Well, it couldn't hurt. I used the card, and a strange device emerged from the card, a large jar the size of a barrel with one half shaped like the familiar Pot of Greed and the other the Pot of Riches (a happier, sillier-looking face made of gold), the former face turning towards me.

"To use Pot of Extravagance, I have to get rid of these cards." I took six cards from my Extra Deck - Queen Dragun Djinn, Metal Dragoon, Exploder Dragonwing, Darkfire Dragon, Coral Dragon, and Black Brutdrago - and fed them into the Greed part's mouth. There was an evil laugh, and the whole device spun around twice, eventually turning towards me with the gold face. It's eyes blinked with a loud "ding" and two new cards (from my deck) emerged.

"By banishing them, I get two draws."

The Pot giggled again and exploded into fragments. The new cards were definitely an improvement. I'd have to be careful here, but if this worked, I'd not only win the duel, I'd do it with the "play of the day". So to speak.

Putting the two cards aside, I went for my set monster and flipped the card face-up. Doing so caused what looked like a large rabbit or hare to appear, though it had Dragon-like eyes and small wings on its back. (0 ATK)

"OOH! It's adorable!"

"Cute and useful, Cindy. When Dragonic Coney is flipped, both players can summon a Level 5 or higher Normal Monster from our decks in Defense Mode. Heh, assuming you have any left."

"Well, gee, I don't know…" Cindy took her deck and looked over the cards. "Ooh, I still have this one!"

I was actually surprised to see that it was Gadget Soldier, a bulky, muscular cyborg with large, golden gears on his left shoulder and back, with a smaller one on his forehead. He also had a rocket launcher on his right shoulder. I assumed she would use this card the same way she had Launcher Spider. He knelt and crossed his arms in Defense Mode. (2,000 DEF)

I certainly had one myself. After a quick search, I took Labradorite Dragon and set it sideways on my Disk, causing a slim dragon with a hide of black crystal (labradorite, of course) with patches of shiny, silvery metal. Its wings, claws, and small, very sharp teeth were made of the same metal. (2,600 DEF). This monster was a Tuner, but I had a very different plan for it.

"Because this is a Normal Dragon Type monster, I can banish it and Dragonic Coney. Time for the one everyone's been waiting for…"

I deposited the two cards in my shirt pocket as the two monsters dissolved, and Horntail loomed over the field, eyeing Barbie menacingly with steam pouring from his jowls. (3,400 ATK)

"Eww," said Barbie, "That guy really needs a breath mint!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere. Now, because you're an Xyz, I can Special Summon… Radius the Half Moon Dragon."

Playing the card caused a very unusual Dragon to appear this time - in fact, if I weren't the one using it, I'd have assumed it was a Reptile, Fiend, or even Insect. It was tall, very gaunt, stood upright, and was covered with a chitinous exoskeleton. Its arms had mantis-like raptorial claws, though each was half as large as its body, shaped like crescents, and seemed to be made of white stone. It had similar blades on its tail, knees, and on the crown of its head. (1,400 ATK)

"Terone has certainly built an impressive side," said Brett, "but I don't know how he's going to get through Cindy's barrier. For that, you need quality without quantity."

"Oh, I have that covered," I said. "Dark Magician Girl, Radius…" The two monsters turned to each other, nodded, and then both dissolved into pixels. "I sacrifice both…" The sky darkened, and thunder rolled. "...appear, Grandtusk Dragon!"

I had pulled this card from a pack months ago, but never actually used it in a real duel, and was anxious to see how this would work. It had been worth the wait. Lightning flashed, and a new Dragon rose that was just as big as Horntail, but hulking, with electricity coursing over its metallic scales as it roared to the heavens. As its name implied, it had two curved, upward-pointing tusks, along with larger, matching horns pointing upward and backwards. (1,400 ATK)

"That big puppy is all bark and no bite!" laughed Barbie.

But then, she shrieked and dodged aside as two bolts of lightning crashed down, striking the Attraffic Control and Intrigue Shield cards and blowing both to little bits. Grandtusk Dragon growled a little and his Attack Score rose to 2,600.

"True, his Score is rather low for Level 8, but that's the Score he starts at. As you can see, simply summoning him destroys two cards and then increases his Score by 600 points per card." Taking the other card I had drawn from Pot of Extravagance, I added, "Playtime is over, time to be serious. Monster Reborn!"

I had said it as dramatic as I could, and Dark Magician Girl didn't disappoint. The card with its golden ankh appeared on the ground, and she spun out of it, casually leaning her scepter on her shoulder while making a snarky smile towards Cindy. (2,000 ATK)

Mataza seemed both empowered and inspired, glaring intently at Cindy's monsters with flames in his eyes. "Don't forget, with monsters on my side, the United We Stand equip boosts his Attack Score by a full 4,000 points!" (5,300 ATK) "And he's using them now, Attack!"

Mataza made a running start, then leapt, drawing his sword in mid-leap, and then slashing, once, twice, cutting through Gadget Soldier and Spiral Serpent. Both monsters shattered and came next, bringing his sword down on Frostosaurus and smashing it into shards of ice.

"And then there's Horntail!"

Barbie pouted and put her hand on her hip. "Dammit," she said with a sigh. "At least this debut turned out better than that whole fiasco in Mexico…"

She smiled towards Horntail and waved, right as his fiery breath blasted towards her - she had been defeated, but at least she went with pride.

"Dark Magician Girl, finish this! Attack directly! Dark Burning Attack!"

The Spellcaster spun her staff and aimed at Cindy… She closed her eyes as the powerful blasted shot towards her…

(Terone: 3.050) - - - - - (Cindy: 0)

"And, it's over!" exclaimed Yolanda. "With a potent combo, the Duelist of Hogwarts turns it around and delivers a crushing defeat to Sweet Cindy!"

"Uh, Yolanda…"

"Not now, Brett. Ahem, with this victory, Terone gains a second victory under his belt in our Blockbuster bonanza, with the sky as the limit!"

"Uh, Yolanda…"

"Shut up, Brett! Everyone stay tuned for an exclusive interview with our… uh… Where'd they go?

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Cindy and I had managed to retreat to the lot behind the Pandora's Box while those two were pandering to the camera. Maybe I felt a little sorry for Yolanda there, but an interview with those two was the last thing I wanted to do now. Sure, it was good publicity - but right now, Cindy's passionate kisses were a much better reward.

"That was amazing, Terone!" she finally said, though I assumed she was talking about the duel. "Can't believe you brought the Talisman of Reversal!"

"You gave it to me, Cindy! I wasn't about to throw it away!"

"I missed you so much!" she exclaimed. I was about to respond in kind, but then she kissed me again. After about a minute, she stopped and handed me the Barbie card. "Guess I owe you this, huh?"

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"It's 'not mine', remember? Besides, like I told you, it's no good with my Madolches." She kissed me again. "I promise to bring them next time." She turned to leave, but then stopped and added, "Don't forget, brunch at Maya's on Friday!"

'Oh right, right." I dug my mobile out of my pocket. "Meet you there at…" As I went to open my planner, I noticed it was already 2:30.

Shit, I thought. "Uhm, uh, nine! See you at nine!"

I hoped Cindy didn't think I was just blowing her off, but I suddenly remembered why I came here to this part of town. That message had told me to go to a place called Vendreti's Antiquities - and to bring a hamburger.

It was fortunate Cindy had wanted to stop at Pandora's Box, I'll say that much.

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Trask hadn't been completely honest - he had indeed intended to watch the rest of the duel, in the privacy of his own office. Almost privately, that is, Hepzibah was standing silently near the desk, motionless, in a way that would almost make it hard to tell she was there.

"So, the card 'wasn't there', huh?" he asked her. Not in a way that sounded annoyed or sarcastic, but worried. The card being 'not there' had been an expected - but not preferred - outcome.

"We certainly know now who Mr. Brickman obtained the card from," said Hepzibah."

"Which puts us in a bad position."

"Indeed." There was indeed some sarcasm in her voice as she spoke. "While disposing of him and taking the card by force would be a simple matter, doing so would ruin your tournament, costing you a seven-figure profit."

"Heh-heh," said Trask. "Funny. Hephzibah, let me explain something here." He opened his desk drawer, taking a pack of cigarettes from it. He stood up as he continued. "Losing the seven-figure profit would be an expensive but not unrecoverable loss. The thing is, it would be very hard to keep it a secret, and the eight figures we'd lose in lawsuits is a far more pressing concern. This is a joint effort by twelve franchises who sponsor folks like Mr. Brickman, and you can bet everyone involved is drooling over the bonuses they'll get once their stock has a bull market surge. They're not looking forward to an unexpected crisis to ruin it all."

He started to look through his pockets, grumbling about something under his breath. Hephzibah stepped forward and produced a lighter, flicking it on. "Ugh, thank you."

"What makes you so sure you'd be blamed for it?"

"Because Terone is our employee! They'd blame me for it even if it wasn't my fault. Half of those companies have CEOs who hate me and would use any excuse to sue us for aborting such a large-scale project. Josephine hates me too. It's gotten to the point where she doesn't even bother to hide it. She would have my ass on a platter if I scuttled it. Until I manage to own this company, I can't afford to take such a risk."

"Need I remind you, Mr. Trask," she said coldly, "that is not the only contract you have agreed to."

Trask shivered a little as he looked at her, but only for a moment. "If you object to it so much, why do you seem so eager to help?"

"Our directive states that we are to follow all instructions related to the endeavor as a whole given by the beneficiary until such time as the directive is changed or overruled by a -"

"Fine! You don't have to explain it again!" He crushed out the cigarette and sat down again. "What about Cindy?"

"She remembers nothing of our encounter. Should I need her services again, the rootkit I implanted will make them easy to obtain."

"Wait, what do you - a rootkit?"

"A rootkit is a device introduced to a system that allows covert access to -"

"I know what it is!" exclaimed Trask. "A rootkit is something you put in a computer, not a person!"

"The human brain is, in effect, very similar to such manmade devices, as one can use -"

"Spare me the details!" he shouted. "You people are… creepy."

"I get the job done," said Hephzibah. "For now, my advice would be to wait. Mr. Brickman is certain to attempt to find his benefactor sooner or later, so Burt can - wait."

She touched her ear and stood silently for a moment, Trask nervously watching.

After about a minute, he asked, "I assume that was Burt?" Hephzibah nodded. "Well," said Trask, "that certainly didn't take long…"

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"Jenni, are you sure this is the right place?"

Of course, the building I had come to obviously was the right place, as a sun faded sign that read "Vendreti's Antiquities" hung above the door.

"As I tried to tell you twice, Terone, this place has been abandoned for at least thirty years. No information on why it was closed down or who the owner is. The most detail I could find on it was a story five years ago when a bunch of high schoolers were arrested for trespassing when they decided to throw a Halloween party there."

It looked more like an old house than a store or business, but it obviously hadn't been used in years. Located in the south edge of Hecate Square far away from any other building, a rusty fence surrounded a yard overgrown with weeds, the house stood in a deteriorated state, both from natural decay and vandalism.

"What, you aren't scared of ghosts, are you?"

"I'm more scared of my roommate being arrested for trespassing, Terone. You realize I'm not going to bail you out of jail again?"

"How about this, Jenni. I'm going to have a quick look, and I'll call you in ten minutes if I can - if I'm not, call 999. It's all on me, I promise."

"Okay, that I can do. Good luck."

I admit though, I was nervous as I walked up to the creepy old house. Okay, I thought, in and out in ten minutes, shouldn't be difficult.

I went to open the door but was startled as it opened on its own. "Going to take more than that to scare me away," I said out loud. I went in, and as I did, the lights came on. "Uh… okay, better," I said, nervously.

The front door entered into a foyer hallway. There was a stairs leading up, and a hallway forward, ending at a door. Two other doors were to the left and right. Everything seemed typical, despite peeling wallpaper, a lot of dust, and a musty smell.

I wasn't going to go up those stairs - I wasn't completely sure whoever wrote that note had good intentions, and I'd read somewhere that if someone was trying to do you in, going upstairs would leave you trapped. I decided to go into the door on the right.

The first thing I took notice of when I entered what might have once been a den was the fireplace - where a fire appeared as I walked in. No wonder some kids wanted to come here on Halloween. I also noticed that there was a bellows hanging on a hook by the fireplace, plus a holder with a poker, tongs, shovel, and brush. There were a few things on the mantle as well, a clock, statuette (of a woman), and a ceramic cat.

In fact, there were quite a few antiquities here that whoever owned the place never saw fit to remove. There was a grandfather clock, a couch, an armchair, a mirror - cracked, sadly - and a mandolin leaning against the wall in the corner.

Then, I noticed an odd display in the other corner. A table made of wood was situated in front of a painting. Neatly arranged on the table was a lantern (again, it was lit), an old parchment scroll, a dagger with a hilt shaped like a dragon's head (placed on top of the scroll), a glass half-full of red liquid, a quill pen in an inkwell, and book with blue binding; placed on top of the book was a spindle-shaped crystal and an hourglass.

There was a shield leaning against one of the table's legs, a round-shaped shield made of blue metal with a floral pattern design.

The painting depicted a foggy coast with an old, ruined building and a lighthouse. It seemed well-made, though I didn't see any signature.

I shrugged, it didn't seem like anyone was here. I turned around to leave…

"Terone?"

I turned fast. I didn't see the source of the soft, female voice that had said my name, but when I turned back towards the display it had… changed. Now, the table was made of marble and the shield was now red with a crescent moon design. The objects on the table were a vial of black liquid, a book with a green cover, a vase with a bouquet of roses, a crown, and several apples. The painting was different too, it now depicted an old hovel with a light in the window, in front of a rocky wasteland with a volcano in the background.

It wasn't quite ten minutes yet, but I had seen enough. I turned to go back the way I came…

"Please, don't leave!" said the voice. "I've been trapped here in the dark so long… So long… Please free me!"

…and then someone slugged me in the face…

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"Ouch…"

I sat up and rubbed my head. At least now I knew this place wasn't haunted, at least not by ghosts. I never heard of any ghosts coming up behind someone and coldcocking them with a sucker punch.

I looked around. This room didn't seem to fit into any "haunted house" theme either. The large, circular room was lit by torches, of all things, the floor and walls made of stone, and the only apparent exit. A very large door in front of me. It seems like the type of door that was lifted like a gate, made of hardwood, and with a big skull above it.

No welcome mat in front of that door, I thought.

I'd seen enough fantasy movies to know what such a door usually had behind it. My first impulse was to use my mobile, realizing I'd have to spend a long time apologizing to Jenni, but before I could do so, the door slowly started to rumble open.

Emerging from the room was a man who was… Huge. He was fully six feet tall, and wearing, of all things, a black business suit, and… a mask. A metal mask with rows of small holes in it, that didn't conceal his shaggy brown hair. He also had a Duel Disk, a larger-than average model made of gray metal.

"It's you," he said, his voice gruff and not the least bit friendly.

"Yeah, it's me! Uh, who am I?"

"You are the one with the card."

"Card? What card, I have -"

"The Dark Magician Girl card, duelist. Relinquish it, and you may leave."

Okay, this certainly did not make me want to comply. "What are you, some sort of Eliminator?"

No answer.

"How do you know I have this card?"

"You must have it, else you would not have come. That card does not belong to you."

"Uh, says who? Who are you?"

"Terone!"

It was the voice again.

"Please free me! I can help you!"

This voice did not match the lug in front of me, and he seemed to hear it too. He looked over his shoulder briefly, seeming to indicate that it was coming from whatever that door was concealing.

"I will make this simple, duelist. This door behind me is the only way for you to leave this room. If you relinquish the card, you may leave unharmed. Otherwise -" He lifted his Duel Disk, and it activated. "-you can accept my challenge and meet your fate."

'Oh, I get it," I said. "This is one of those bonus levels, right?" He didn't answer, but I was happy to comply. I'd heard of this sort of thing, where LARP elements were put into the pro tournaments and the Blockbuster tournament seemed just the right place for it.

I put the hood of my cloak over my head and shouted, "If that is your challenge, the duelist of Hogwarts accepts! Prepare for defeat!"

(Terone: 8,000) - - - - - - (? ? ?: 8,000)

"Then so be it. The first move is yours."

"So, do you have a name?" I asked.

No answer.

"Okay, guess you're the strong, silent type here…"

Whoever this duelist was (I didn't get his name until later), I was a little jealous. One of the hardest things for a pro to do is keep a poker face, and that mask made it rather easy for him. Especially now. Not only was my opening hand very good, I managed to pull Sangan with my first draw. That was certainly useful, so I set it on my disk, and then placed another set card in my Spell/Trap Zone. "Your move, chuckles."

"Hmph," he said. "I draw, and then I summon Eda the Sun Magician."

He played the card, and an odd sigil shaped like a son with odd runes appeared from it, burning with solar actually looked familiar, as if I had seen it on some other card, but before I could ponder it further, the monster leapt from it. Eda the Sun Magician was a tall woman dressed in silver spandex, covered with a trenchcoat of similar material. She had a long ponytail, and a tiara (sort of) shaped like a tiara and made of metal that was the same color. As she landed, she struck a pose and conjured up a magical staff, again made of metal, with a white feather and blue orb on the tip. (1,500 ATK)

"Simply by summoning this Spellcaster, I may take another with 1,500 Defense Points and set it on my field."

That was certainly an… odd effect. I couldn't think right now of any well-known Spellcasters with exactly 1,500 Defense, and I had a feeling this was an incredibly specialized card…

"Attack his monster! Solar Ray."

Eda lifted her staff, and the tip shone with blinding light. She twirled it, then thrust it forward, and a ray a fiery energy burned Sangan to ashes.

Of course, that was what I wanted. Sangan - a cute, chittering fiend shaped like a furry sphere with three eyes and four small arms - appeared in front of me, grinning widely. Several of the cards in my deck - monsters with 1,500 Attack Points or less appeared around him. I pointed to one, and it appeared with my other cards as the rest - and Sangan - faded.

"I will set two cards," he continued, "and thus, my turn concludes."

Sure is formal, I thought. I made my next draw, and now I had an even harder time keeping the game face on. I almost wished Brett and Yolanda were here to broadcast this next move, because it was going to be epic!

"I discard one card from my hand," I started, and did so with Chaos Witch, the card I had gained with Sangan, "and Special Summon… This!"

As I played the card, the Spellbinding Circle appeared on the floor, and loony-sounding carnival music started to play, and colored lights flashed.

"It's showtime!" The announcement came from the creature that pulled himself up out of the floor, a jester in a yellow and black outfit with a blue cape. He had a big red question mark on his chest and another on his face. (2,000 ATK)

"Whoa, Terone?" he exclaimed. To my utter shock, he hugged me! "It's been a while, huh? Love the new haircut!"

"Uh, yeah…" I said, "nice to see you too."

As unnerving as this was to me, this monster's appearance oddly seemed to unnerve my opponent just as much. "The Tricky? Surely you jest."

"Nope, in the flesh, big guy," replied the Tricky, "and don't call me Shirley!"

"BUM-BUM-Badda-BUM!"

I could have done without the offstage timpani, but I was starting to like this new system. I cleared my throat and straightened the hood of my cloak and continued. "I'm banishing a Dark monster from my Graveyard in order to Special Summon White Dragon Wyverburster!"

I took Chaos Witch's card and pocketed it, causing the small, armless wyvern with the glowing blue orb in its chest to appear with a pleasant, playful cooing. (1,700 ATK)

"And, because I just banished Chaos Witch, her effect creates two Light Beast Tokens."

Two floating skulls, each with a horned helmet surrounded by brilliant, white flames, appeared in front of me. (500 ATK)

"So now I'll sacrifice these two Tokens…" Both disappeared in short bursts of fire. "...to summon my Tri-Horned Dragon!"

As I had before, the huge dark Dragon appeared in front of me, roaring dramatically. (2,850 ATK) It turned to me, making a low growl that seemed affectionate. Oh yeah, I can really get used to this.

"Impressive," said my opponent. "Three potent monsters in one turn." Then one of his set cards lifted. "I activate the Trap Card, Unpossessed!"

I stopped - I had never heard of this odd Continuous Trap. But it didn't seem to do anything, at least not right away.

"Tri-Horned Dragon, attack! Punch that Sun Magician's lights out!"

Tri-Horned Dragon shrugged, and then lumbered towards Eda and clocking her in the face, causing her to fall backwards into a spin before shattering.

(T: 8,000) - - - - - - (? ? ?: 6,650)

"The effect of Unpossessed activates. Every time a monster is destroyed, I can set a monster from my deck with 1,500 Defense Points, that is of a different Attribute."

What's this whole deal with 1,500 Defense Points? I thought. Seemed I was about to find out. Another set monster appeared in front of him, giving him two. I glanced over at White Wyverburster - whatever that monster was, his 1,700 Attack Points could beat it. "Wyverburster, attack -"

"I activate the Quickplay Spell, Sol and Luna! This card flips one of your monsters into set Defense Mode, and one of mine face-up!"

Now I realized where that odd solar rune that Eda the Sun Magician came from, it was the symbol on the Book of Taiyou. It was making sense now, along the fixation on a specific Defense Score.

A card appeared in front of Wyverburster, slamming down on him and turning sideways, shifting him to set position. At the same time, one of his two set cards flipped up, revealing a grim-looking teenage boy with unkempt, short, black hair, wearing cargo shorts, a polo shirt, a cloak, and a belt with pouches all of them old, gray, and tattered. He had a wooden staff adorned with feathers and topped with a skull that looked like that of a ram - with a beak. As he stood up, an odd creature - like an eyeball with wings, horns and a tail - hovered over his shoulder.

"Behold Dharc the Dark Charmer!" (1500 DEF)

I started to search my memory for what exactly Charmers did - they were a well-known archetype of Spellcasters, but rarely used nowadays - but it seemed Dharc was about to show me, as he pointed with his free, outstretched hand and chanted as his eyes glowed with eldritch power. Tri-Horned Dragon looked confused, dizzy, with its eyes glazed over… Then, it disappeared, and quickly reappeared - next to Dharc, on my opponent's side of the field.

"Uhm, Terone…" said the Tricky. "I hope you have a plan-B here…"

TO BE CONTINUED…

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Gotta tell you, I'm SO glad to be back at this.

I intend to spend the next few days working on the Shattered City Synopsis, and I hope I can stick to a schedule from now on.

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Dragonic Coney (Effect Monster Card)

Dragon/Earth/Lvl2/500ATK/1,600DEF

Effect: FLIP: Both players may Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Normal Monster from their respective decks in face-up Defense Mode.