Yu-Gi-Oh! Sorcerer Kings

[Hinoryu]

Pretty good, I enjoyed it. I admit a terrible bias for the monsters that just won't stay dead, and Vampire Lord is top of the list. Great seeing him used.

So a couple villains already made their appearance, and a third who will likely show was mentioned too. I enjoyed the mention of the underground dueling; I hope it shows up at some point.

On a fairly hypocritical note, between Black Magician of Chaos and and Vampire Genesis, I can't help but think you've brought out the characters' trump cards just a bit too early. I know I'm very guilty of it, but it's still a concern.

[Dark Sage]

Vampire Genesis is NOT Chelsea's trump. She has a monster that is even stronger. What is it? Just wait and see...

[starjake]

Hmm...a Zombie that stronger than Vampire Genesis? Must be made-up; no Zombie has a higher ATK, and its Summon and effect are both easier to accomplish than those of the only monster who comes close (Fushioh Richie). Sounds frighteningly like a 'surprise-just-for-the-sake-of-surprise' sort of thing. Must all decks have a trump card?

That aside, this was a fun chapter. Dark Machines vs. Dark Zombies...just be careful (as someone mentioned) that this doesn't turn into a re-hash of Nathan. Your characterization of Chelsea was good also; I could definitely see her exemplifying Strength. The villain was your typical one-off villain (I can't even remember his name), but that's not really an issue this early in the story.

Wizards vs. Dinos...this ought to be fun. I wonder what Dark Magician would like when used with Fossil Fusion...

[Dark Sage]

Spellcasters and Fossil Fusion? I'm pretty sure Jim has at least three (one for each time period) as he likely has a Fossil Fusion Monster for every occasion, and I could likely think up one...

And let me clarify...

Chelsea's trump (which is made up) is much weaker than Genesis as far as base ATK goes. It's power depends a lot on when and how it is used. It also has very strict summoning requirements, which can be hard to do, given its own effect.

Sound strange? Well, it will show up in her next duel.

And don't worry, Chelsea will be nothing like Nathan. To her, deck destruction is only a bonus that she gets from using Vampires. She doesn't desire to win by decking her opponent out.

[Inferno_Dragon]

Zombies vs Machines huh ... quite a interesting duel. It seems like two of the Yu-Gi-Oh Junior Saga descendents are using decks different from their parents.

“All part of my plan…” said Mick, taking another card. “Now I’m gonna teach you how ta say ‘ouch’ in Australian!”

“Oh, please…” replied Chelsea, putting her hand on her hip. “I happen to know that that the Australian word for ‘ouch’ is also ‘ouch’. Furthermore…”

I love this quote, it so reminds me of a scene for KND Operation Z.E.R.O. I can't wait until I see Spellcaster against Dinos. Keep up the good work, Dark Sage.

[Mystic_clown]

Ok, let's see now.

First of all, the VWXYZ deck was pretty interesting, which is more than what I can say for Yumi's, which is pretty much a copy of Stan's deck, with a few tweaks.

I can certainly say Felicia didn't really grow on me. I can't see her paying any important role in the future, though I am a bit curious as to how everyone knows what's going on with the military and stuff, you'd think stuff like that would be TOP SECRET. Quite a broad theme for Ren's deck, dark worriers. Although, Zombire's back story didn't work for me (mainly because I've read the manga).

Now, what to say about Chelsea and Mick. Well, the decks were interesting, I'll give you that (although, we've seen Chelsea's deck before). Mick's was very interesting. Nice use of some neglected machines. Although, apart from that, Mick wasn't anything special.

I'm getting the feeling this Eden will be pretty much your average cookie-cutter villian. and I'm getting a sinking feeling I know what Chelsea's trump card is.

Hmm, let's see how this story unfolds.

[starjake]

I'm getting a sinking feeling I know what Chelsea's trump card is.

We all know Dark Sage wants to say it, so I'll spare him the trouble: Chelsea's trump is made-up. No one knows what it is because it came purely from Dark Sage's imagination. We're going to have to 'keep reading' to find out what it is (I figured I'd spare him the trouble of saying that, too).

[Hinoryu]

We all know Dark Sage wants to say it, so I'll spare him the trouble: Chelsea's trump is made-up. No one knows what it is because it came purely from Dark Sage's imagination. We're going to have to 'keep reading' to find out what it is (I figured I'd spare him the trouble of saying that, too).

However, he does reuse some made-up cards, and so I have a definate hunch on the trump, assuming it's one that's been used before.

[Mystic_clown]

That's what I meant. It's probably a made up card he's used before.

[Master of Paradox]

I won't spoil it outright, but I will say this about Chelsea's trump: you have seen it in Dark Messiah. At the time he used it, he basically telegraphed when it would be seen again.

And Mystic_Clown: Zombyra's backstory as seen in this story was originally made up for "Tilting the Balance". I made up something new because I did not like the manga version (and I hated those chapters).

[Mystic_clown]

hmm, I guess you're right. Zombyre's backstory ws a bit cheesy in the manga wasn't it?

As for Chelsea's trump card...I knew it, I just knew it would be that card.

Anyway, glad to see that maybe you'll review this as well.

[Shuppet Master]

I happen to own the manga of Shonen Jump where the kid tells about Zombyra's backstory and I happened to like it. Guess because I'm a romantic sucker.

[Hinoryu]

Ah, then with Master of Paradox's hints, I'm sure I have it right.

Also, I enjoyed the Zombire chapters. Partially because I'm just a terrible comic book nerd, but mainly because the Dark Yuugi setting people on fire was just awesome.

[Mystic_clown]

Yep, now that was cool. Dark Yuugi can be down right evil sometimes.

[starjake]

Hmm...not for the first time, and definitely not for the last, I sit corrected.

However, for now, I am more interested in seeing what new tricks Yumi has up her magical sleeve. I'm wondering if Dark Magician of Chaos is not her strongest monster...I can think of a Spellcaster that would be most interesting to see used, and one that I could imagine Yumi using, especially given who her parents are...

[Dark Sage]

I'll reply to all these comments.

One, yes, you've seen Chelsea's trump before, but I hope to present it in a different way once it appears.

Two, yes, Yumi has a couple of cards that are more powerful than Dark Magician of Chaos. However, she will not use them for quite a while. One of them she can't use unless she swaps a few cards from her side deck, and the other she simply won't get a chance to use until the time is right.

Three, Ren has a lot of surprises as well. You haven't seen his trump yet, I believe.

Like I said, these kids won't run out of tricks easy. Keep reading, and you'll see them all.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FIVE



Magic Versus Mesozoic;



Miracle Jurassic

As Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea wandered farther into the city, restaurants and shops gave way to larger buildings.

“I think we’re in the Museum District…” said Ren, looking at the map.

They were indeed, due to the structure that was visible from every part of this district. Construction of it was supposedly just completed, but sadly, it would not be open to guests until winter break.

It loomed over the skyline – a life-size and very real replica of Clock Tower Prison, the infamous Field Spell used by the famous pro-duelist Aster Phoenix, who was now long since retired. The clock tower itself currently worked, and supposedly, when it opened, it would hold many new, colorful attractions, including a wax museum and a supernatural lore archive.

Yumi would have loved to go there if it were open. But this was still the Museum District, and she always liked museums. It ran in the family.

“What do they have here?” she asked.

“Well, let’s see…” said Ren. “The technology museum, the art museum, the planetarium, the Egyptian exhibit…”

Yumi paused to see the Pharaoh standing behind her.

“Maybe later, Yumi,” he said. “I’ve seen plenty of those…”

Yumi nodded.

“The Kaiba Memorial Library…” continued Ren.

“That’s where his Dragons are, right?” asked Chelsea.

Yumi nodded.

“Some other time,” she said.

“Oh, look…” said Ren, pointing.

They looked up, and saw a large building with the entrance flanked by statues of velociraptors.

“The Duelatopia Museum of Natural History,” said Ren. “Just opened this year…”

They looked at each other.

“Why not?” said Yumi. “Who doesn’t love looking at dinosaur fossils?”

“You said it,” replied Ren. “For creatures that have been extinct for millions of years, dinosaurs are pretty popular.”

They walked towards the building.

* * * * * * * * * *

The entrance hall of the museum was huge, and dominated by a very large exhibit. It was a nearly complete skeleton of a triceratops, bigger than any that they had seen before.

Chelsea looked at the sign in front: No eating; No drinking; No horseplay; No flash photography.

Typical rules for a museum. She quickly put her ordinary camera in her case, and switched to the one holding high-speed film.

Yumi read the plaque next to the triceratops.

“Ironhorns…” she read. “Discovered in North Dakota in 2030, by Maurice Leason, both the biggest and most complete triceratops fossil known.”

“He looks like a mean one…” muttered Chelsea. “I’ll bet if some T-Rex were causing trouble, he’d charge at the guy like an offensive linebacker, and jam those horns right into the big guy’s gut.”

“Not likely…” said a voice from behind.

They turned. The voice belonged to a man who was about forty, dressed in a grey formal suit. He held a derby hat by his side. He had hair that seemed to be going prematurely grey, and a bushy mustache.

“The triceratops could never have charged at an enemy like a modern rhino could have,” said the man, in an accent that seemed British. “If it did, its horns would break. If, as you say, it were threatened by a T-Rex or other large predator, its strategy would more likely be to stand its ground, like a defensive football player would, to use your analogy, and let the enemy run itself into its horns.”

“How do you know?” asked Chelsea.

“Well, I…” started the man.

“Hey!” shouted Ren. “I know you! You’re Marlon Farnsworth!”

“Ah heh…” chuckled the man. “You saw me in National Geographic, I assume…”

“Who is this guy?” asked Chelsea.

“He’s a big… what are they called?” asked Ren. “Pale… Platea…

“Paleontologist…” said the man.

“Right,” said Ren. “Three months ago, he headed a group that discovered a complete stegosaurus skeleton.”

“Truthfully, it was only just under 98% complete,” said Marlon. “But I do like to be noticed for my work.”

“So why are you in Duelatopia, Mr. Farnsworth?” asked Yumi.

“Call me Marlon,” he replied. “And I was invited…”

He held up a badge, which was already at Green.

“One must have hobbies, don’t you know,” he said. “And since I discovered Duel Monsters, I took to it like I was a natural.”

“So, Green already…” said Yumi with a grin.

She saw the Pharaoh appear beside her. He nodded.

“Care to try for Blue?”

Marlon looked at her.

“You’re Wheeler’s daughter, aren’t you?” he asked.

Yumi nodded.

“Well, jolly good…” he said. “I accept your challenge… But you’ll find me a great deal harder than your grandfather found that upstart Rex Raptor.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way…” said Yumi.

She chuckled.

“Rex Raptor… He was a sad story… Came in second in the Japanese nationals behind Weevil Underwood, but once he got to Duelist Kingdom, he sank like a stone.”

“Well, his style was primitive,” said Chelsea. “It had the subtlety of a wrecking ball. Problem is, he relied too much on powerful Monsters, and had very few Spells or Traps. You can’t expect to win simply by charging at the enemy.”

“Exactly,” said Marlon. “And let me tell you, since his time, Dinosaur cards have improved by leaps and bounds… After all… Paleontology is a science…”

* * * * * * * * * *

As Yumi and company walked outside with Marlon, they didn’t know that Nicholas was watching from a safe distance with a pair of binoculars.

Olga walked up to him with two hot dogs that she had gotten from a nearby vendor.

“I specifically told him to put the sauerkraut on and then the mustard,” she said, handing him one. “I hope you’re bloody happy, Mr. Frankfurter Connoisseur.”

Nicholas took it.

“I might be happier in a minute,” he said. “Looks like the Mouto kid is going to duel again.

“She’s awfully cute… Wonder if she’d be interested in a different type of one-on-one?”

Olga took out a pair of opera glasses and looked.

“Where have I seen that guy before?” she asked.

A shadow fell across them…

“His name is Farnsworth,” said the owner of the shadow. “A paleontologist from Liverpool and a duelist who naturally specializes in Dinosaur Monsters.

“Let’s watch closely. The more we can discover about young Yumi and her two henchmen, the better…”

The two teenagers nodded, and continued to look.

* * * * * * * * * *

“So…” asked Yumi. “What’s it like these days in Great Britain?”

“It rains a lot…” answered Marlon. “And the people I have to associate with there are uppity snobs. Plus, the only thing there that’s worth eating is the fish and chips, which would taste a whole lot better if they didn’t serve it wrapped in newspaper. Some traditions we could do without.

“That’s one of the main reasons I got into paleontology… It gives me plenty of excuses to leave home.

“And how’s your neck of the woods?”

“Well, uh, we can’t complain…” muttered Yumi.

Their Disks activated, and they each drew five cards.

The Puzzle glowed, and in a flash of light, the change overtook Yumi.

Her eyes narrowed.

“Game on!” they both said at once.

“Good show…” said Marlon.

(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Marlon: 8,000)

“All right…” said Yumi, drawing a sixth card. “And opening moves don’t get any better than this… I summon my Skilled Dark Magician.”

In an aura of dark energy, the black cloaked mage appeared, holding his staff. (1,900/1,700)

“That will do for now…” she said.

“I see…” said Marlon, drawing a card.

He looked over the cards in his hand, and then chose one.

“I think I’ll go on the defensive for now…” he said.

He placed a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“That will be all for my move.”

Yumi drew a card.

“Gemini Elf in Attack Mode,” she said.

In a flash of light, two elf twins, one blonde and dressed in blue, and one brunette and dressed in purple, appeared, holding hands. (1,900/900)

“Two Monsters with 1,900 Attack Points?” said Ren. “Marlon better hope his facedown card is a good one…”

Yumi considered.

It’s rather obvious that he’s using Dinosaurs… she thought, and I don’t know of any with Flip-Effects, and not many with strong Defense. Most of them are just heavy on offense. Could it be that he had a bad hand?

Then she paused.

She had once heard of a duelist who had used special Fusion Monsters that were related to Dinosaurs… They were fused with a Spell called Fossil Fusion. Maybe he wasn’t using standard Dinosaurs at all…

She had to be careful…

“Gemini Elf, attack!” she shouted. “Dual magic!”

The two elves raised their free hands and shot twin lightning bolts…

And then they screamed as a backlash knocked them over.

The two elves looked up as Yumi looked where the card had been…

Right now, there was a nest of sorts, and hovering over it was an ovoid sphere, that seemed to be made of crystal or even diamond, only a foot or so across. It glowed with silvery light. (0/2,000)

“What the…” said Ren.

“It’s a Dinosaur, believe it or not,” said Marlon. “It’s called a Miracle Jurassic Egg, and it’s more than just a defensive wall.

“I’d love to tell you what it does, but that’s a secret that I can’t reveal right now… But I will shortly.”

Yumi looked at her hand.

I’d better find a way to scramble that egg before he does… she thought. All it will take is three Spell Cards played between the two of us, and I’ll be able to swap Skilled Dark Magician for the real Dark Magician, and he’ll take it out with no problem…

“I’ll place a card facedown, and end my turn…” she said.

A facedown card appeared.

(Y: 7,900) -------------------- (M: 8,000)

Marlon drew a card.

“I summon one of my favorites,” he said. “Black Stego…”

A new Monster appeared on the field. It was… well, it was a stegosaurus. That was the best way to describe it. (1,200/2,000)

“Why’d he do that?” asked Chelsea. “That guy doesn’t even come close to being able to beat Yumi’s two Spellcasters.”

“Next…” continued Marlon, “I Special Summon Gilasaurus.”

He played the card, and a small Dinosaur the size of a horse with sharp teeth and claws appeared. It glared at Yumi’s forces with reptilian eyes, and grinned a toothy smile. (1,400/400)

“Normally, that would let you Special Summon a Monster from your Graveyard,” he said, “but I don’t believe you have anything there.

“And I’m not done… Next, since that was a Special Summon, I’ll summon two more of them from my deck, by playing Inferno Reckless Summon.”

He played the Spell Card, and two more Gilasaurs appeared, one to each side of the first.

“You’re kidding, right?” asked Yumi. “You do realize, that lets me summon all copies of a Monster I have on my side of the field?”

She placed two cards on her Disk, and two more Skilled Dark Magicians appeared. (1,900/1,700 x2)

“And another thing...” she added. “Since that was a Spell Card, the one that was already on the field gets a counter.”

The first Disk on one of the Magicians’ collar lit up.

“Jolly good…” said Marlon. “I’ll place one card facedown, and that’s enough for my turn…”

He fit a card into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

* * * * * * * * * *

“What in blazes?” asked Nicholas. “Yumi’s Monsters are all stronger than his… You’d think he wants his Monsters to be destroyed.”

“That’s because he does Nicholas,” said the shadowy form behind him and Olga. “Farnsworth’s strategy may look odd on the surface, but there is a definite purpose behind it. Continue watching, and you will see…”

* * * * * * * * * *

Yumi drew one card.

“All right!” she shouted. “Gemini Elf, take out one Gilasaurus!”

The twin elves blasted lightning bolts, and one of the smaller Dinosaurs exploded. Marlon cringed.

“And now let’s pause…” said Yumi, with a grin. “Since I just attacked with a Spellcaster, I can activate this…”

Her facedown card lifted.

“It’s a Trap called Magician’s Circle,” she said. “Now, both duelists are allowed to Special Summon a Spellcaster from their decks that has an Attack Score of 2,000 or less.”

“Well, uhm, er…” said Marlon, looking at his deck. “Afraid I don’t have one…”

“Well I have a good one,” said Yumi, taking a card from her deck. “Come on out, Dark Magician Girl!”

In a display of hearts and stars, Dark Magician Girl flew onto the field. She made a small pirouette and smiled sweetly. (2,000/1,700)

“Now let’s continue…” said Yumi. “You two… Destroy his other two Gilasaurs!”

Two Skilled Dark Magicians fired blasts of dark magic, and the remaining two Gilasaurs exploded.

“Dark Magician Girl, attack his Black Stego!”

Dark Magician Girl laughed, and cast her spell at the larger Dinosaur… There was a burst of flame and smoke…

But when it cleared, Black Stego was still there, and crouching in Defense Mode.

“Forgot to mention…” said Marlon. “When Black Stego is attacked while in Attack Mode, where he’s weak, he can quickly shift to Defense Mode, where he’s strong. So that battle was a draw.”

Yumi paused.

“Guess I’ll place this facedown, and end my turn…” she said, placing a card in her Disk.

“Uh, Ren…” muttered Chelsea. “Is it my imagination, or is that Miracle Jurassic Egg glowing even brighter now?”

“Either you have a good imagination,” he said, “or yes. I noticed it too.”

(Y: 7,900) -------------------- (M: 6,500)

Marlon made a draw.

“I play Mystical Space Typhoon,” he said, “to destroy your facedown card.”

He played the card, and the cyclone tore across the field, shattering Yumi’s Spell Shield Type-8.

The second disk on the first Skilled Dark Magician’s collar glowed, and one on each of the other two did as well.

“Good grief!” groaned Ren. “If this guy trying to get Yumi to summon her Dark Magician?”

“I’m worried…” muttered Chelsea. “Either he’s very stupid, or very clever…”

Marlon placed a card in his Disk.

“I’ll place another card facedown, and turn it over to you…” he said.

Yumi drew a card.

That’s it… she said.

“Okay, Marlon…” she said. “I play my Pot of Greed.”

She played the card, and the sinister jar appeared. She made two draws.

“And now that my first Skilled Dark Magician has absorbed the energy from three Spell Cards, I can sacrifice him, to summon the main man from my deck!”

The Spellcaster vanished, and the Dark Magician appeared. He and Dark Magician Girl grinned at each other. (2,500/2,100)

“Well, Marlon…” said Yumi, “I guess we’re not gonna see what that Miracle Jurassic Egg can do after all. Dark Magician, smash his Miracle Jurassic Egg! Dark magic attack!”

“Hold it right there, old girl!” shouted Marlon.

One of his facedown cards lifted, showing the image of Marauding Captain confronting Despair From The Dark.

“I activate Staunch Defender. Now, all your attacks this round must be directed to the Monster I choose, and I choose my Black Stego.”

Dark Magician paused. He turned his staff away from the Egg, and pointed at Black Stego. He cast his spell, and the Dinosaur was blasted to pieces.

“Nice save…” said Yumi. “But what now?”

“Now…” said Marlon, “I finally reveal the secret of my Miracle Jurassic Egg…”

He drew a card.

“You see, Yumi,” he said, adding it to his hand. “Every time one of my Dinosaurs went to the Graveyard, it gained power, in the form of two counters. And now… I can sacrifice it, to Special Summon from my deck any Dinosaur whose Level is equal to or less than the number of counters it has.”

“Wait a second…” said Ren. “Four Dinosaurs, two counters from each… Great Caesar’s ghost! That means he can summon a Level Eight Monster!”

“Indeed!” said Marlon, taking a card from his deck. “So, I bid farewell to the Miracle Jurassic Egg…”

The Egg glowed with blinding light, and then shattered into shards of light…

“And I summon… Ultimate Tyranno!”

With a roar, a huge, shadowy form rose up in front of Marlon. Standing twenty feet tall, it looked like it was part Dinosaur and part Fiend, with bony spurs covering its armored body, and incredibly sharp claws and teeth.

It bellowed a roar that shook the whole courtyard… (3,000/2,200)

“Three… thousand… Attack Points?” said Yumi, nervously.

“That thing could stand up to Kaiba’s Dragon…” muttered Chelsea.

“Not only that,” replied Marlon, “it also has the ability to attack every Monster on your side of the field at once.”

Yumi gulped.

“Uhm, Yumi…” said Marlon, taking a card from his hand. “I know you think this can’t get any worse, but… see… Summoning this thing with my Egg’s effect was a Special Summon…

“And I still can Normal Summon a Monster. Like my Sabersaurus.”

He played a card, and a new Dinosaur appeared. This one looked similar to a triceratops, but even fiercer, with sword-like blades all over its body, and razor sharp horns. (1,900/500)

“All right!” shouted Marlon. “Ultimate Tyranno, attack! Primal rage!”

The next minute was a massacre. The huge Dinosaur went for Dark Magician first, biting him in half. Then it snapped up both Skilled Dark Magicians and then Gemini Elf.

Finally, Dark Magician Girl was swallowed whole.

Yumi bowed her head.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



She glared at her opponent.

“Yumi…” said Marlon. “Remember when I said that triceratops didn’t charge? Well this isn’t a triceratops. Same family, maybe, but different species entirely.

“Sabersaurus, attack her directly!”

Clearly it wasn’t a triceratops, because it charged at Yumi like a rhino. Yumi hollered as it jammed its horns into her torso and she was thrown back ten feet.

(Y: 1,500) -------------------- (M: 6,500)

“Eh…” muttered Marlon. “I must have counted wrong… I should have left you with only 1,200 left.”

“No, you didn’t count wrong…” muttered Yumi, getting up.

She staggered to her feet.

“The instant it destroyed Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl gained 300 more Attack Points, so I have more to work with…

“So, anything else?”

Marlon looked at the last card in his hand.

“No…” he said.

* * * * * * * * * *

“HA, HA, HA, HA!” laughed the man standing behind Nicholas and Olga. “I have got to look this up on the internet tonight… I have GOT to see that again…”

“What?” asked Nicholas. “Yumi getting clobbered? I didn’t think it was very funny…”

“Not that…” he replied. “I just love seeing that bimbo of hers die…”

There was a pause.

“Dark Magician Girl?” asked Olga.

The man clenched his fist.

“I loathe that harlot…” he muttered. “With her low-cut dress and come-hither smile… I can’t get enough of thinking of ways to kill that Monster in a duel…”

“What did she ever do to you?” asked Nicholas.

“Well, it’s… complicated,” he replied. “But keep this in mind… She’s the key to beating Yumi. She has some sort of connection to that card.”

“Why?” asked Olga. “Is it worth something?”

The man sighed. He took a card out of the folds of his clothing.

“See this?” he asked. “This is a Meteo the Matchless that was given to the semi-finalists in the 2040 Duel Monsters European Invitational. It is ‘worth something’, at least as far as money is concerned.

“But to Yumi, that card is something you cannot put a price on…”

* * * * * * * * * *

Yumi drew a card.

This might help… she thought.

“I play my Graceful Charity!” she exclaimed.

Her deck glowed, and she drew three cards.

All right, she thought, looking at them. Now I might have a chance…

She discarded two cards.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode, and toss three cards facedown,” she said.

A facedown Monster appeared, and three facedown cards followed.

“Your move…” she said.

Marlon drew a card.

Hmm, Black Tyranno… he thought. That would need two sacrifices, and sacrificing Ultimate Tyranno would be folly…

“Ultimate Tyranno, attack!” he ordered.

The huge Dinosaur charged.

“Go!” shouted Yumi, as her Trap Card lifted. “Mirror Force!”

A blast of light covered the arena, and Marlon’s two Monsters were blasted to atoms.

“Heh, heh, heh…” chuckled Marlon. “Jolly good, Yumi… But I also have a Trap Card…”

His facedown card lifted, showing the image of four workers digging up a dinosaur skeleton.

“Fossil Excavation,” he said. “I simply need to discard one card, and one of my Dinosaurs comes back.”

He discarded his Black Tyranno.

The ground burst open, and a swarm of bones burst out. They all pieced together, forming into a T-Rex skeleton…

Then, in a flash of energy, the skeleton transformed into Ultimate Tyranno.

“Of course…” said Marlon, “a Monster revived by this Trap loses its effect, but given that it can be as much a hindrance as a help in this case, that may be a good thing.

“Now, Ultimate Tyranno, continue your attack!”

The Dinosaur charged. Magician of Faith appeared on the card, and was swallowed whole.

“Thanks,” said Yumi. “Now I get to retrieve one Spell Card from my Graveyard…”

A card slipped out of her discard slot. She added it to her hand.

“Now… It’s my move…”

She drew a card.

She grinned.

“Well, Marlon…” she said. “I honestly don’t know if Rex Raptor ever had a problem with this next guy, but he sure did a job on his pal Weevil Underwood.”

Marlon paused.

“Wait…” he said. “I remember hearing something about that… A Spellcaster Monster whose name made Underwood tremble with fear after he had taken a beating from it in a duel with Yugi. What was it again?

“Wait, don’t tell me… Oh, it’s on the tip of my tongue!”

“I’ll show you…” said Yumi. “I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior.”

In a shadow aura, a mysterious figure appeared. It was a man in red and gold armor, with a cape and pointed helmet that covered all of his face except for glowing blue eyes. He held a longsword in his right hand, and a diamond-shaped shield with a blue gem in the center in his left. (1,600/1,000) –> (1,900/1,000)

“Ah, yes,” said Marlon. “That’s the rascal…”

“Yeah, well…” said Yumi, “Breaker is a guy with an identity crisis. He’s a Spellcaster, and that can never change, but people call him a Warrior, and he tries to act like one, wearing armor and carrying a sword and shield. Frankly, there are times when he doesn’t know what he is…

“But he does know what he’s good at doing. See, when he’s summoned, he gets a counter that boosts his Attack Score by 300. And by expending that counter, he can destroy one Spell or Trap Card.

“So, he’s gonna do that to destroy your Fossil Excavation.”

Breaker held up his shield, and the gem glowed. His Attack fell down to 1,600, and the Trap shattered.

Ultimate Tyranno roared, and then turned back into bones. They fell to the ground in a clatter and turned to dust.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” said Yumi. “Breaker, attack directly with breaking blade!”

Breaker the Magical Warrior leapt at Marlon with his sword held high. Marlon cringed as the Spellcaster slashed at him with the weapon.

(Y: 1,500) -------------------- (M: 4,900)

“Ergh…” muttered Marlon. “Jolly good, old girl… This is turning into quite an unusual challenge…”

He drew a card.

“I’ll place this in Defense Mode, and that will be all for my turn…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Your move…”

Is that another Miracle Jurassic Egg? thought Yumi, as she drew a card. I don’t want to go though that whole process again…

She looked at the card she had gotten back with Magician of Faith. It was sure to be a surprise, because she hadn’t used it yet. She had discarded it with Graceful Charity.

She looked at the card she had just drawn.

She opened her Field Slot and placed a card in it.

“I play Mausoleum of the Emperor!” she shouted.

Darkness shrouded the field…

Two ominous temples rose behind each of them, their doors flanked by flaming braziers. The two duelists were on platforms at each end, separated by a bridge over a dark pit that held mysterious shapes.

“What in the name of…” asked Marlon.

“Creepy, isn’t it?” asked Yumi. “And just to make it even scarier, down below us lurks the Terracotta Army, a collection of hundreds of ancient statues. Both duelists can use these artifacts as sacrifices to summon Monsters, if he or she merely pays 1,000 Life Points for each of them.

“So I’ll pay 1,000 Life Points…”

A stone statue of a warrior in shogun armor holding a sword floated up to her side of the field. It vanished into pixels.

“And I’ll summon Chaos Command Magician.”

A new Spellcaster appeared. This one was dressed in a glossy black robe, with a wide-brimmed hat, and carried a fancy staff. (2,400/1,900)

“Attack his facedown Monster!” she shouted. “Chaos Magic!”

Chaos Command Magician shot a blast of multicolored, burning lights. A dinosaur appeared on the facedown card with a flat, rounded snout. It was blasted to pieces.

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Marlon. “Sorry old girl, that was my Hyper Hammerhead. So it looks like that 1,000 Life Points you spent was a big waste…”

“Oh?” asked Yumi. “How so?”

Marlon paused. He looked at the field.

“Wait a bloody minute…” he said. “It was supposed to return your Monster to your hand! Why didn’t it?”

“Because, Chaos Command Magician is immune to Monster effects that target,” interrupted Ren. “Didn’t you know that?”

Marlon paused.

“Oh…” he said. “Yeah, it… kind of slipped my mind…”

“Breaker, attack directly!” shouted Yumi.

“Not again…” muttered Marlon.

He shielded himself as Breaker slashed with his sword.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Eh, lucky…” muttered Nicholas.

“Don’t give me that,” said Olga. “You were pretty lucky in your first duel from what I heard.”

“Well, that jerk needed to be taken down a peg,” said Nicholas. “Idiot was so certain his brilliant Warrior/RFG strategy could never be defeated, thought he was better than everybody… Guys like that drive me barmy.”

“Well make sure you don’t turn into one yourself,” said the man behind them. “And speaking of which, those first duels were sufficient test runs for your actual decks, but until I say otherwise, use your more… believable ones from now on. We don’t want to scare the Dickens out of everyone on this island, nor do we want to attract undue attention.”

They nodded, and turned back to watch.

* * * * * * * * * *

(Y: 500) -------------------- (M: 3,300)

Marlon considered the situation and the one card left in his hand.

I still have a few heavy hitters in my deck, he thought, and summoning them would be all the easier thanks to this Field Spell. And she has only 500 Life Points left…

But two facedown cards…

He drew.

“I play… Pot of Greed…” he said.

He made two draws.

He grinned.

“Okay, Yumi…” he said. “I’ll use the effect of this Field myself, and pay 1,000 Life Points…”

A statue floated up to his side. It disintegrated.

“And I summon… Dark Driceratops!”

A creature that appeared to be part triceratops and part bird appeared, covered with colorful feathers. (2,400/1,500)

“Next I play… Dinostomp! Now I can destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards.”

He played the Spell Card, and Dark Driceratops stomped its foot down, and a shockwave tore forth, heading towards the facedown card on the right…

“Chain!” shouted Yumi, as it lifted up. “Rush Recklessly! Now Breaker’s Attack Score goes up by 700 points!”

The Spell Card shattered, and Breaker rose to an Attack of 2,300.

Marlon frowned…

“Dark Driceratops…” he said, “attack Breaker! Sonic screech!”

Dark Driceratops let out a wave of earsplitting sound from its beak, and Breaker shattered.

“Before you end your turn,” said Yumi, “I’ll activate my other Trap…”

Her other facedown card lifted.

“Life-Absorbing Machine. We’ll get to that in a minute.”

“Jolly good…” said Marlon. “My turn is over now.”

(Y: 400) -------------------- (M: 2,300)

“Then I draw one card,” said Yumi, drawing. “And thanks to Life-Absorbing Machine, I gain back half of what I paid last turn…”

The card glowed, and her Life Points went up slightly.

(Y: 900) -------------------- (M: 2,300)

“And that gives me just enough,” she said, fitting a card into her Disk. “I play Premature Burial.”

She glowed as her Life Points dipped, and Dark Magician crawled out of the ground. (2,500/2,100)

“Attack his Dark Driceratops! Dark magic attack!”

Dark Magician cast his dark spell, and Dark Driceratops exploded into a burst of pixels.

“By Jove…” said Marlon.

“Chaos Command Magician…” said Yumi, “attack directly!”

Marlon shielded himself as the chaos mage shot his blast, and he staggered back under it.

Marlon gasped for breath…

(Y: 100) -------------------- (M: 0)

“Wow…” said Ren. “I haven’t seen a duel that close since… I haven’t seen a duel that close!”

As the holograms faded away, the Pharaoh appeared behind Yumi. She looked at her badge, which was now Green.

“Good work,” he said. “The first day, and already you’re two duels ahead.”

“Just promise me you’ll always be there… partner!” she said.

“Well…” said Marlon. “That was invigorating, I must say… I dare say I’d best try harder.”

“You didn’t do too bad,” said Chelsea. “That was closer to beating Yumi than I ever came.

“Say, we didn’t see much of the museum before you showed up. Why don’t you show us around? We’ve got some time to kill…”

“I’d be delighted…” said Marlon with a chuckle.

* * * * * * * * * *

Nicholas and Olga had gone their separate ways, and their strange benefactor was back in the penthouse suite of the hotel, sending text messages on a cell phone.

“There,” he said, as the last one was sent. “Soon they’ll all be out looking.”

He looked at a special projector on the other side of the room and smirked.

“Guess I can kill time for an hour…” he said.

He activated a Duel Disk on his arm, and then hit a remote. The projector activated, and Dark Magician Girl appeared from out of it.

He played a card on his Disk, and Mobius the Frost Monarch appeared.

“Attack!” he shouted.

Mobius shot a blast of ice, and Dark Magician Girl screamed before she was frozen and then shattered into shards.

This was his hobby – having that projector summon Dark Magician Girl, and then using Monsters, Spells, or Traps to kill her.

After all, she had cost him a great treasure.

He fit a card into his Disk and a facedown card appeared.

He hit the remote again, and she appeared again.

He triggered the Trap, and she screamed again as she was bound to a Nightmare Wheel.

He watched as the Wheel turned, and tears appeared in her eyes.

Finally, he placed a card on his Disk, and a Luster Dragon appeared. He gave the command, and she was blown away again.

He never got tired of this.

* * * * * * * * * *

Yumi felt a strange chill… Something unpleasant was happening…

“And this fellah,” said Marlon, “was the herbivore known as the Pachycephalosaurus. Not many fossils exist. You might be interested in knowing that his name means ‘thick-headed lizard’.”

As Chelsea went to take a picture of the large skeleton, they all looked at it, especially the skull, which was abnormally large and rounded.

“Bet folks called him a bonehead a lot,” said Ren.

“An interesting analogy,” said Marlon. “His very thick skull could be used for both defensive and offensive purposes.”

“Uhm, yeah…” muttered Yumi, nervously.

“Say, Marlon, some people say these days that dinosaurs were smarter than we think they were. Do you think there’s any truth to that?”

“Well, from what we know,” said Marlon, “they had very small brains… But even if they were smarter than what we originally assumed, I doubt we could have expected the type of smarts we have seen in popular media…”

* * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, Mick and two others were watching the outside of the museum.

“Aw, are they ever going to come out of there?” whined Mick.

“Why?” asked the older boy, who was rather mad at him. “What do you care?”

“Please?” asked Mick. “Just let me duel her again…”

“No,” said the older boy. “For three reasons. One, you’re an idiot. Two, she has a side deck, and she likely has plenty of ways to counter or destroy your Monsters in it. Think of what would have happened if that Trap Card had been Magic Cylinder instead of Dust Tornado.

“Third, you’re an idiot.”

“Hey, stop calling my brother an idiot!” shouted the third member of the group.

The speaker was a young girl wearing similar punk ensemble.

“Oh?” asked the punk. “I was planning on using that coupon, thank you very much!”

“Deal with it,” said the girl. “When Chelsea comes out, I’m gonna duel her, and this time it will be personal… She messes with my family, she messes with me!”

Winning her second victory, Yumi advances to Green status. But a potential enemy might loom ahead, and it seems he isn’t one to lurk hidden like most of her family’s enemies. Danger may lie ahead… What will happen next?



DINOSTOMP (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A dinosaur’s foot crashing down on the underbrush.

Card Description: You can activate this card when you have at least one Dinosaur Type Monster face-up on your side of the field. Destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field.

Note: “Dinostomp” was first used by Hasselberry in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Camaraderie Contest”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Chelsea: Hey, guys… I hate to bring this up, but there’s a stale smell in the air again…

Ren: Think Mick is back for revenge?

Chelsea: No… It’s a similar smell, but different. And it’s just as nasty…

Yumi: It figures… The three of us formed a team, so Mick likely had the same idea with another group…

Coming next, “Chelsea’s Round Two! Electric Boogaloo!”

Ren: Think we’ll see that “special” card you’ve been hinting at?

Chelsea: You never know…

[ssj4supernerd]

I'm had the feeling I was reading the Mandate when I readed the preview. With the nasty(Kanasta, remember?) I hope we're not gonna see the Mandate, because if we want to read that, it's in the Archives.


The duel was also pretty short, but cool. Dinosaurs are way underused, so it's nice to see someone who can work with 'em.

[Inferno_Dragon]

Interesting duel, Marlon's Dino Deck is different than what Hasselberry or Rex would use but it still fits the bill. So we see more enemies. And what is going to happen in the next chapter? The title is confusing. Well I guess I will have to wait.

Keep up the Good Work, DS.

[Shuppet Master]

Nice to see a dino duelist who isn't some Rex Raptor or Tyranno Hassleberry knock-off. And it makes sense for a palentologist to play dinos.

Anyways, the duel was pretty short, but it was razor-close. I have never seen a duel that close in your stories, Brian. Keep up the good work.

Looks like Mick's sister is gunning for Chelsea this time. Can't wait to see what her deck is. Of course, Chelsea's going to trash it completely.

[jkBAKURA]

Hmm...

This chapter might have been a bit more effective if I hadn't just read several other fic chapters recently involving Rex Raptor. As others have pointed out though, this is a duelist vastly different from he or Kanzan

(why I'm repeating it then, I have no idea)

I will say that there were several combos that would prove vastly effective in the real game. With dinosaur becoming more of a standard theme rather then obscure one with all of the recent support, it was a good decision to leave the duel short, sweet, and to the point.

Still, a series of duels just for the sake of advancing status, with no plot twists or fun character interactions. Truth be told, your trio seems more like a set of roommates. I'm not feeling the connection of being friends for years that I got from the original trilogy.

Or maybe I've just read so many fics recently, I'm numb to a fine addition when I see it.

No dumb set of rhymes this review.

In fact, I don't even have a good closer for this post.

[Hinoryu]

First, one thing. Yugioh fanfiction always, ALWAYS needs more dinosaurs. Unless they're in the hands of Dinosaur Ryuuzaki or Tyranno Kenzan-esque characters. Don't get me wrong, I like both characters, but if I want to watch those two, I'd watch the show. So yes, I enjoyed the duel immensely.

Beyond that, I don't actually have much to say, except for one thing:

Great Caesar’s ghost!

... I'm sorry, but as a hopeless, hopeless comic book nerd, all I could think was Clark Kent's boss at the Daily Planet. "Great Caeser's Ghost, _______!!!" issue after issue... It's almost nostalgic.

[Dark Sage]

If you love comics so much, you should have remembered that his name is Perry White, Hinoryu. And yes, Lois and Clark's boss is my favorite supporting character in the Superman mythos, next to Lois herself.

When I was designing a Dinosaur Duelist, I also wanted someone who was different than Kenzan or Ryuuzaki (or Jim, for that matter), and I thought I might go with a guy who was more educated and formal, a true paleontologist (I know, Jim fits that profession, but he doesn't take it serious enough). I think I got a good character with Marlon.

Rest assured, this is not the last you will see of him.

[Hinoryu]

If you love comics so much, you should have remembered that his name is Perry White, Hinoryu. And yes, Lois and Clark's boss is my favorite supporting character in the Superman mythos, next to Lois herself.

I did, in fact, however I wasn't sure if anyone else would know who I meant if I just gave a name. (However, I still maintain that Spiderman could kick Supes' butt in a fight.)

Anyways, can't wait to see him duel again. I'm more of a fan of Dragons than Dinosaurs (and it really, really shows in my fics sometimes) but they still need more love.

[Shuppet Master]

Man, what a lot of venom! (Brian, maybe you can PM me with the details.)

Mega Horny, I agree with you that Crab Turtle wasn't the best idea for Maria's soul card. However, I think Brian wanted to have that ritual monster show up because nobody uses it. And it's no wonder - it wasn't really popular when it first came out, and it's not popular now due to all the better rituals like Zorc out there. Everyone wants to see Daedulus because BIG FRACKING SEA SERPENT WITH JAWS OF STEEL > CYCLOPS CRAB WITH A TURTLE SHELL.

Anyways, that's all my opinion, okay? Don't kill me.

[starjake]

As usual, I'm the last to hear about these kinds of things (I'm rather used to it by now), but still...my, my, Brian, you certainly seem to have dug yourself a rather deep grave. I have no idea about what exactly you said, but it seems almost like reverse-plagarism. I may not have ever met Blademaster (Dave, is it?) or even talked to him that much, but he is a fellow writer who doesn't seem to have wronged anyone, as well as a fellow human being, and thus I consider him a friend; wronging my friends is a dire mistake, Brian.

You made a comment in one of your replies to VD that I think applies in this context as well.

You do NOT mess with someone's Deck!

Well, you do NOT mess with someone's writing, either! You don't even respond to someone asking you if they can honor your work by creating something based off of it, but when they do go ahead with it, you try to bully them into doing it your way anyway? I know you're ten or more years older than most of this board's members, but you're not a mod, and you're in no position of power over us.

I suppose my sentiments can be expressed best in two simple words: Lay off!

[Hinoryu]

I admit my ignorance on all parts of the side here. As such, I will not take one side or the other. However, I will say: Isn't this the topic for Sorcerer Kings, not bickering over a discontinued fic?

[Dark Sage]

Okay, let me explain why Dave cancelled 3.0. He says it was because of me. I find it hard to believe. I sent him ONE PM stating why I didn't like it. Only one.

Let me explain.

First, he did not ask for permission to use my setting. I should have ended it when it began, but I thought it couldn't hurt. That was my mistake.

I soon saw chapters with tons of ruling mistakes in almost every paragraph. To make it worse, when these mistakes were pointed out, he pleaded "artistic license" so that he wouldn't be held responsible.

One of his characters broke one of the most sacred rules from my fic. At the end of "Mandate", Yugi decreed that no-one was EVER to use the three Blue-Eyes cards again. It was done out of respect for Kaiba and Siegfried, who were martyrs. I saw Tori, and saw him as a blasphemer.

Chapters appeared with the most ridiculous situations. A deck based on food is okay. The one he had was plain dumb.

Finally, my user character appeared, and the chapter had more mistakes than any chapter to date. I doubted that Dave did any research at all.

It soon became clear to me that this fic was making mine look bad. So when he asked for advice, I replied with ONE, only one PM stating my views, and the complaints I had.

That's all.

I didn't force him to do anything.

Furthermore, if I hear any more about how Maria should have used Daedalus, I'll throw a tantrum! Everyone expected it, so I went for the unexpected!

Second, Breaker is a Spellcaster, and Yumi plays a Spellcaster Deck. And it's a very cheap card too, with the structure deck coming out.

There, I've said my peace. Now let's get on with our lives.

[The_Missing_Link]

I admit my ignorance on all parts of the side here. As such, I will not take one side or the other. However, I will say: Isn't this the topic for Sorcerer Kings, not bickering over a discontinued fic?

Believe me, his last fic hosted a worse argument so this is nothing

It soon became clear to me that this fic was making mine look bad.

You thought his fic was making yours look bad? If that's the case, then it sort of depends on whether people are reading both fics. Yu-Gi-Oh wise, I only read stuff by you and Paradox so I can't think badly of your fic if I don't read Dave's


Anyway, back on topic. Dinosaurs are cool. That's all

[mr_pikachu]

...A few words.

First of all, Mega Horny, if you have a problem with a post, please tell one of the mods rather than incite a flame war. This would've been much easier to handle had the situation not escalated from Dark Sage's original post in this thread. Yes, you posted to "stick up for your buddy," but all it did was fan the flames. If you think that someone launched an attack that requires some manner of defense, then that's called flaming. In that instance, please let one of us handle it. Dealing with such things is our job.

Blademaster, I'm going to assume you'll see this post one way or another, whether you still read this fic or someone tells you about it. Asking for permission to use someone else's work in your fic has its risks. You obviously want to keep the original writer happy so that you can borrow again in the future if you have a good idea for doing so. At the same time, you certainly want to maintain some manner of originality with your fic. It's a shame that the project came to this, but maybe it'll serve as a lesson for the future.

Dark Sage, frankly, your post here was wholly unnecessary. For one thing, yes, it was harsher than it needed to be. (I've read it, so I can say that for myself.) Since none of us know exactly what happened in the PMs, maybe your story was more accurate than Blademaster's. I really don't know, but given the aggresive tone of the message, I honestly don't care. If you had something to say to Blademaster, it probably could've been done over PM. Either way, if you let people make spin-off fics, they're really not yours any more, so how they use your material is up to them. Furthermore, even if a response to Blademaster's post was warranted, it should've been done in that thread. Taking it to this thread is sort of like talking behind his back. And nobody likes that.

Everyone else, don't join in the fight whenever a flame war rears its ugly head. It does nothing more than irritate everyone, including the people who have to figure out what to do after the fact. Either don't get involved or inform a moderator of the situation.

Moving on...

For the time being, I'm going to delete Mega Horny's post. I'm doing that because Dark Sage deleted his own, so the response now has no visible basis. Next, for the time being, I don't want to see another word about this. If you have something to say to us or to the people involved, do it by PM. Don't start a flame war.

To be frank, I just woke up, so I'm rather upset that this is my "wake-up call." As such, I'm tempted to just start tossing infactions left and right. But since I know I'm angry right now, I'm not going to do a thing in that regard. That doesn't mean that this is just going to pass, however; any penalties for posts already made will be decided from a thorough discussion with the other mods. Of course, if someone does bring the issue back, don't expect me to hesitate. Just leave it alone. Feel free to post about the fic, but not about this.

That's all for now.

[Dark Sage]

Moving right along...

It's time for a new chapter.

CHAPTER SIX



Chelsea’s Round Two!



Electric Boogaloo!

It was four-fifteen in the afternoon – as clearly shown by the hands on Clock Tower Prison – when the group left the museum.

“Hey, Marlon,” said Yumi, “we’re going to head for the Restaurant District. Chelsea won us a free meal at some steakhouse. Care to join us?”

“Well, that does sound delightful,” said Marlon, “but sadly, I must decline… I already made dinner plans that I really can’t cancel. But the tournament is young… perhaps…”

“HEY! BITCH!” shouted a voice.

There was dead silence as everyone turned to where the shout had come from…

It came from a girl whose attire either suggested “punk” or “Goth”; it was hard to tell which. Her hair was short and raven-black, with a magenta streak. Her clothing was mostly leather, and included wristbands, a belt, and a collar studded with metal studs. Bandanas were wrapped around her wrists and thighs.

Her jacket held a badge that was at Green, and she wore a Duel Disk.

“And to think I had to convince my mom for two weeks that wearing a midriff wouldn’t attract undue attention…” said Yumi. “Did you call me a bitch?”

“No,” said the girl, “even though you likely are one. I called her a bitch.”

She pointed to Chelsea.

Chelsea stared at her.

“I never start a fight without due cause…” she said through her teeth. “What did I ever do to you?”

“You humiliated my brother!” shouted the girl. “No one has the right to do what you did to his best Monster. Whenever he summons Emes, people cower before it!”

Chelsea grinned.

“So, the guy had a sister…” she chuckled. “And it seems like I really was the first one ever to beat that ugly four-armed abomination…”

“You had no right!” shouted the girl.

“I did, and I enjoyed doing it,” said Chelsea. “And if you’re thinking of doing anything about it, look over there…”

She pointed, and the girl looked.

A Centurion had been watching the whole time, and he clearly didn’t like what he was seeing. He crossed his arms and glared at the girl.

The girl calmed down a little…

“All right then…” she said. “I’ll defend him and his best card the proper way…”

She raised her Disk.

“Chelsea, old girl…” muttered Marlon. “The local constabulary is right there. If you simply said no, she couldn’t do anything about it. Trust me, anyone who has defied the Centurions has regretted doing so.”

“Don’t worry yourself Marlon…” said Chelsea with a slight smile. “This is another member of Edan’s group, and so far, the only thing I’ve ever gotten out of them is a big laugh.”

She turned to the girl.

“So, you are?” she asked.

“Michelle,” was the reply.

“So, let me guess… Amazons?”

“No…” answered Michelle, bluntly.

Chelsea frowned.

“Uhm… Fiends?”

“Let’s just say my theme is something that takes a lot of folks by surprise,” said Michelle.

They stood apart and shuffled.

* * * * * * * * * *

In the penthouse apartment, the strange man had long since grown bored of killing the same Duel Monster over and over and again (maybe he did get tired of it on occasion). Right now he was going over a set of decks.

He had only had one official duel today, using his most powerful deck. But as he had warned Nicholas and Olga, using it again wouldn’t be wise until things really started to heat up. No need in attracting undue attention.

And he had more than one deck. In fact, he had several. Which one he used depended on what mood he was in.

He was making a few changes right now. Some of these decks had a few cards in common (none of them actually used that Meteo the Matchless card – that one he just kept as a souvenir) and they had a few similarities between them…

Finally, he placed all of them in a special belt with leather pouches and strapped it on.

He picked up his Duel Disk and got up. He needed some action while he was waiting for his employees to find out anything interesting…

* * * * * * * * * *

Chelsea and Michelle looked each other in the face as the two Disks activated.

The Centurion still watched from a distance, clearly ready to intervene in case a real fight started.

They quickly drew five cards apiece.

“Game on!” they shouted.

(Chelsea: 8,000) -------------------- (Michelle: 8,000)

“By the way, Chelsea…” said Michelle, “in case you’re wondering, Mick was exaggerating when he said that Emes had never been defeated. I defeated it several times when I dueled him. He may have had a better Monster… But I’m by far the better duelist!”

“I’m so scared…” said Chelsea, sarcastically, drawing a sixth card. “Bring it!”

All right! she thought, looking at her cards. I couldn’t have asked for a better first hand.

“Enjoying yourself?” asked a familiar voice next to her.

Chelsea turned and frowned. It was Figlio.

“Figlio, please…” muttered Chelsea. “I’m in the middle of something here, and I’m not in the mood for the same old bad jokes.”

“You wound me,” said Figlio. “I wouldn’t hassle you with them…”

“Good…” said Chelsea.

“I have all new bad jokes,” he said.

She closed her eyes in anger.

“If I lose because of you…” she snarled, “I putting your name in The Urn…”

Figlio bowed his head.

“I’ll be good…” he whined.

“The Urn” was something Chelsea had gotten from an occult store after she had been bothered one time too many by spirits who were just too nasty. She supposedly had to write their names on slips of paper and place them in the clay pottery, and they’d be forbidden from ever coming near her. She was surprised when it actually worked. Usually, the threat of losing a human they could confide in was enough to stop a ghost from being obnoxious, although she had to make good on the threat several times when scolding didn’t work.

“Now where was I?” she asked, looking at the cards. “Oh yes… I place two cards facedown, and summon Zombie Werewolf in Attack Mode.”

Two facedown cards appeared, and the vicious werewolf materialized in front of her. He howled, as if at the moon. (1,200/1,200)

“That’s all for now…”

“Not a bad start…” muttered Marlon. “Although her choice of Monsters is rather… odd…”

“Her dad used Archfiends…” said Ren. “She’s just keeping with the sinister tradition of her family.”

“Although…” said Yumi, “she did say that she had a Monster in her deck who’s sort of a vampire slayer.”

Marlon looked at her.

“A vampire slayer?” he asked. “Like Van Helsing? Never heard of anything like that…”

“She’s never given its name…” answered Ren. “We think it’s an incredibly rare card. Maybe even one that has yet to be distributed… Her dad is a card designer for Industrial Illusions.”

Meanwhile, Michelle was choosing a card.

“I place one card facedown and a Monster in Defense Mode…” she said.

A facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared.

“Attack me,” she said with a grin. “I dare you…”

“Oh, I dare all right…” said Chelsea, drawing a card.

“I summon Vampire Lady!”

She played the card, and the sultry female vampire appeared. (1,550/1,550)

Vampire Lady and Zombie Werewolf turned to each other and nodded.

“Vampire Lady, attack her facedown Monster!” shouted Chelsea.

Vampire Lady’s eyes glowed. She flew forward. An odd creature appeared kneeling on the card. It looked like a tall, thin man colored orange whose body was… a battery?

Vampire Lady slashed with her claw, and it shattered.

“What was that?” asked Ren.

“Uhm, I believe it was one of those Batteryman chaps,” said Marlon. “First time I’ve seen one, though…”

“A Batteryman AA, to be specific!” said Michelle with a grin.

“What are you smiling about?” asked Chelsea. “You just lost your Monster, and I have another one. Zombie Werewolf, attack Michelle directly! Terror claw!”

Zombie Werewolf sprang up and slashed at Michelle’s chest with his claw. She grunted and staggered backwards.

(C: 8,000) -------------------- (M: 6,800)

“Guess she’s more of a cat person,” chuckled Figlio.

“Not bad…” said Michelle. “But now I’m going to show you just how much of a bitch I’m capable of being!”

She drew a card.

“First I play Graceful Charity…” she said, holding up the card. “You know how it works, I’m sure…”

She drew three cards.

And I know just who to toss… she thought, discarding two cards.

“Now I play the Spell Card, Battery Charger…” she said.

As she played the card, a bulky machine resembling an electric generator crackling with energy rose up behind her.

“Now, by paying only 500 Life Points, I can Special Summon a Batteryman from my Graveyard, and unlike Premature Burial, this card isn’t an Equip, so there’s no lifeline for you to destroy.”

Batteryman AA appeared, now in full light. It was a cute-looking robot with oversized hands and legs, and the battery that made up its torso had the number 3 on it. Its eyes flashed, and electricity sparked from its hands. (0/0)

“Big deal…” said Chelsea. “It has zero Attack Points.”

“Not quite…” replied Michelle. “For each Batteryman AA I have in the same Mode, they each gain 1,000 points for the corresponding score, so long as all of them stay in the same Mode.”

(1,000/0)

“Still not…” started Chelsea.

“Enough?” asked Michelle. “How about this? I play Inferno Reckless Summon!”

She played the card, and two more Batterymen AA appeared on her side of the field. They all crackled with electricity…

(3,000/0 x3)

“She summoned three Monsters with 3,000 Attack Points each in one turn?” gasped Ren in disbelief.

“Don’t forget…” said Chelsea, taking her deck. “Inferno Reckless Summon works for me too…”

She placed two cards on her Disk, and two more Vampire Ladies appeared. (1,550/1,550 x2)

“Good!” laughed Michelle. “I’ll have all the more fun killing them! But I’ll get to them in a second. First, I’ll reveal my facedown card…”

Her facedown card flipped up.

“It’s a Trap called Solar Ray, and it zaps you for 600 points of damage for every Light Monster I’ve got.”

A beam of light shot out of the card and struck Chelsea. She screamed in pain.

“Now I’ll make one of my Batterymen even stronger,” continued Michelle, by Equipping him with this… Chthonian Alliance.”

She played the card, and the Batteryman in the center glowed with dark energy.

“It gives him 800 more Attack Points for every Monster on the field who has the same name as he does. Do the math.”

(4,600/0)

“Now go! Attack her vamps!”

Electricity sparked from the three Batterymen…

“I activate Widespread Ruin!” shouted Chelsea, as her own Trap Card lifted. “Now your strongest Monster, meaning your Equipped Batteryman, is about to short-circuit!”

The Equipped Batteryman exploded in a blast of light.

Chelsea paused to catch her breath.

“And without him, the other two lose 1,000 Attack Points…”

Michelle sneered.

“I can still fricassee two of your Zombies!” she shouted. “You… kill her Vampire Lady!”

One of two remaining Batterymen shot bolts of lightning, and the Vampire Lady on the right screamed as she was electrocuted and then reduced to dust.

“Better than a wooden stake,” chuckled Michelle. “You… Attack her Werewolf!”

The last Batteryman shot his bolts of lightning, and Zombie Werewolf howled before he exploded.

“Bad idea…” said Chelsea. “When Zombie Werewolf is destroyed in battle, I get to summon a new one, with 500 more Attack Points.”

A new Zombie Werewolf appeared, and howled angrily. (1,700/1,200)

Michelle looked nervously…

“I haven’t Normal Summoned yet,” she said, “so I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode, and take a break.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

(C: 4,950) -------------------- (M: 6,300)

“Uh, I’m not very familiar with this game…” muttered Figlio, “but it seems to me that you’re losing…”

“Brilliant deduction, Holmes,” muttered Chelsea.

“Holmes?” asked Figlio. “Who’s that?”

Chelsea sighed.

“Look,” she said, “when we get back to Domino, talk to Lady Akemi. You need to read more…”

She drew a card.

She played it, and the Pot of Greed appeared in front of her with a chuckle.

“I’ll take two, for starters…” she said, drawing two cards.

She gave them a look.

“Then I’ll sacrifice one Vampire Lady for Vampire Lord.”

One of the female vampires vanished in an aura of shadow, and the stronger, male one appeared. (2,000/1,500)

“A fat lot of good he’ll do you,” said Michelle. “He and my Batterymen are equally matched.”

“Not for long…” said Chelsea. “Zombie Werewolf, attack the Batteryman on the left!”

Zombie Werewolf howled…

“What in blazes?” asked Marlon. “That’s suicide!”

“Watch…” said Yumi.

Zombie Werewolf charged the Batteryman, and it threw a punch, shocking the Werewolf and blowing him to bits.

“It cost me 300 Life Points,” said Chelsea, “but I have three Werewolves in my deck, and now I can summon the third one, and he’ll be even stronger.”

A third Zombie Werewolf appeared, and howled. (2,200/1,200)

“And my Battle Phase continues…” said Chelsea. “Zombie Werewolf, take out that Batteryman!”

The Werewolf lunged at the Batteryman, and this time the Zombie was too strong for it. With a slash of a claw, the Thunder Monster shattered.

The last Batteryman fell to an Attack of 1,000.

“Vampire Lord, take out the last one! Children of the night!”

Vampire Lord grinned evilly, and a swarm of bats flew at the Batteryman. It exploded into pieces.

“Now I activate his effect,” said Chelsea. “I’ll declare Spell Card.”

Michelle smirked and looked through her deck, as if she had been expecting that.

She took a certain Spell Card and discarded it.

“One Monster left…” said Chelsea. “Vampire Lady, attack!”

Vampire Lady flew towards the facedown Monster…

Magician of Faith appeared on the card, and shattered under a swipe of her claw.

“Uh… oh…” muttered Ren.

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Chelsea. “Now I can reclaim one Spell Card from my Graveyard, and I believe I’ll choose the incredibly powerful one that I discarded due to your Lord’s effect.”

She took a card from her discard slot.

“Thanks for your help…” she said, adding it to her hand. “This was buried so deep in my deck, I don’t know if I ever would have gotten to it otherwise.”

She showed her the card. It was a frightening-looking card that showed the picture of a fat devil sitting at a table laden with foodstuffs. The card’s name was Hunger For Power.

“I’d love to explain how it works, but hopefully, we’ll get to it later…” said Michelle with a wicked grin.

Chelsea looked at her hand.

She fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared next to the other one.

“Your move…” she muttered.

(C: 4,650) -------------------- (M: 5,100)

“Looks like Michelle played the old girl like a grand piano,” said Marlon.

“Yes,” said Yumi. “Vampire Lord seems like a great Monster on the surface, but he does have a weakness. You can tell your opponent to discard a Spell, Trap, or Monster, but he gets to choose which one.

“And cards are much easier to recover from the Graveyard than from your deck. That makes it a problem.

“Only an idiot uses his ability to make his opponent discard a Monster. An opponent would discard a strong one, and any number of cards could Special Summon it to the field.

“Trap Cards are difficult to recover from the grave, but declaring Traps might only help an opponent thin his deck by getting rid of cards that would be worthless against Vampire Lord. What does Chelsea care if Michelle uses Mirror Force or Torrential Tribute? Vampire Lord will just come back on her next turn.

“Spells are the safest option, but as you saw, even that has perils.”

Michelle drew a card.

“I play the Spell Card, Rechargeable Battery,” she said, playing a card. “Now, I get to draw once for each Batteryman in my Graveyard, at the cost of skipping my Battle Phase for this turn. But, I can’t draw more than the hand size limit would allow. So, since I have two other cards in my hand, now I get to draw four cards…”

“Whaddaya mean four cards?” shouted Chelsea. “You only have three Batterymen in there!”

“Wrong,” said Michelle. “I played Graceful Charity. The cards I discarded were a Batteryman C and a Batteryman D. Three types of Batterymen, each one with a cool effect.”

She made four draws, and looked at her hand.

“I’ll place this facedown, and end my turn,” she said.

A facedown card appeared.

“No Monsters at all?” asked Chelsea. “You’re up to something…”

She drew a card.

“I activate… Thunder of Ruler!” shouted Michelle.

Her facedown card flipped up, and an imposing man in gold armor appeared. He shot a volley of lightning bolts from his fingertips, and Chelsea grit her teeth in shock and her hair almost stood on end.

“Afraid that this turn, your Battle Phase is skipped…” said Michelle with a grin.

“No kidding…” said Chelsea, with a frown, as she tucked the card she had drawn into her hand. “In that case, I’ll pass for this turn. I do hope you aren’t a one-shot wonder.”

“Oh, I’m not…” said Michelle, drawing a sixth card.

She looked at it.

“Once again…” she said, “I play Battery Charger.”

She played the card, and the strange machine rose up behind her again.

“But this time, I think I’ll leave my Batterymen AA where they are, and summon my Batteryman C in Attack Mode.”

A new cute robot appeared on the field. It was shorter and stouter than the Batterymen AA, colored blue, with a big D on its torso. Electricity danced around it. (0/0)

“Next…” continued Michelle, “I’ll play a second Inferno Reckless Summon.”

She played the Spell Card, and two more Batterymen C appeared on her side of the field. (0/0 x2)

“Now you’re being foolish…” said Chelsea, taking her deck. “I’ll use that effect to summon my other Vampire Lord.”

She placed a card on her deck, and a second Vampire Lord appeared next to the first. (2,000/1,500)

“I’m hardly done…” said Michelle. “Next I’ll summon this lady in Attack Mode… Meet Nanobreaker.”

She played a card, and a tall figure appeared in a beam of light. It was a coldly beautiful female android, with long, dark hair, dressed in silvery armor, holding a broad, wavy sword that glowed with colored lights. (1,600/1,800)

Michelle grinned.

“Now, I doubt Machines like Nanobreaker run on batteries,” she said, “at least ones you buy at the drug store. But Machine Monsters just love Batterymen C, because for each one on the field, they get 500 points added to the Score of whatever Mode the Batterymen are in.”

The Batterymen sparked with electricity, and Nanobreaker grinned with glee as it flowed into her. She rose to an Attack of 3,100.

“And if you think my Batterymen will be easy pickings because they have zero Attack Points, think again…”

She fit a card into her Disk.

“I’m Equipping one of them with United We Stand.”

“That card…” muttered Ren. “It…”

“It raises the Equipped Monster’s Attack Score by 800 for every Monster she has on the field,” said Yumi. “And she has four. Not a good situation for Chelsea…”

The central Batteryman sparked with energy, and rose to (3,200/0).

“All right!” shouted Michelle. “Nanobreaker, attack her Vampire Lord on the left! Nano-blade!”

Nanobreaker lifted her sword and leapt towards the vampire.

“Sorry, Michelle, I had a Trap ready!” shouted Chelsea. “I activate Red Ghost Moon!”

One of her two Traps lifted, and a sinister, red harvest moon appeared behind her, to the sound of haunting laughter. Nanobreaker’s eyes appeared glazed over, and she stumbled back in confusion.

“Now, I simply need to discard one Zombie from my hand,” said Chelsea, “like my Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower…”

She discarded the card.

“And not only is your attack negated, but this Battle Phase ends now, and Nanobreaker’s Attack Score gets added to my Life Points.”

Red dust fell from the Red Ghost Moon onto Chelsea, and she glowed with eerie light. Figlio shuddered in fear.

“Who’d have thought a ghost could get frightened?” asked Chelsea.

“I may be a ghost…” said Figlio, “but I don’t associate with more horrific ones.”

“Not bad,” said Marlon. “Not bad at all. That was quite a turnaround.”

“It sure surprised me,” said Ren. “She’s clearly been working on her deck.”

Michelle looked at the rest of her hand.

“I’ll place a card facedown, and end my turn…” she said.

She slipped it into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

(C: 7,750) -------------------- (M: 4,600)

Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



Chelsea drew a card.

Ryu Kokki… she thought.

She looked over the field.

I got an idea… she thought. First, I’ll sacrifice Vampire Lady to summon this guy. Then, I’ll attack one of her unequipped Batterymen with one of my Vampire Lords, which will bring the Equipped one down to 2,600 Attack Points. Then I’ll attack that other unequipped one with another Vampire Lord, leaving her with 600 Life Points. Then I’ll attack the Equipped one with Ryu Kokki, and this duel will be over…

She paused.

All unless that facedown card is a Trap that would wipe out my side. But if it is, I still have my last facedown card to buffer some of the damage.

She played a card.

“I sacrifice Vampire Lady for Ryu Kokki!” she shouted.

Vampire Lady vanished in a cloud of shadows, and a huge form rose out of the ground with a great rumbling. It was a hulking behemoth, as broad as it was tall, made entirely of bones and skulls, with an evil face. It let out a sinister chuckle. (2,400/2,000)

“Vampire Lord, attack the unequipped Batteryman!” she shouted.

Vampire Lord raised his cape, and the swarm of bats shot forward…

“I activate… Negate Attack!” shouted Michelle.

Her Trap Card flipped up, and the bats were absorbed into a vortex of energy.

“Your attack has been stopped before it could begin,” laughed Michelle. “And now you can’t attack again this round.”

Chelsea grimaced.

“Okay…” she muttered. “I’ll move my Zombie Werewolf and my other Vampire Lord to Defense Mode, and end my turn.”

The second Vampire Lord knelt and covered himself with his cape, and the Werewolf knelt down and shielded himself.

Michelle drew a card.

Hmm, my third Battery Charger… she thought. Think I’ll save it…

“Nanobreaker, attack the Vampire Lord in Attack Mode!” she shouted.

Nanobreaker leapt, and with one swipe of her blade, cut the vampire down. He shattered into triangles.

“Batteryman, attack Ryu Kokki!” she shouted. “Battery blast!”

The Equipped Batteryman fired lightning bolts, and the Bone Dragon Ogre shattered into bone fragments.

(C: 5,750) -------------------- (M: 4,600)

“I’m still winning…” muttered Chelsea.

“Not for long…” laughed Michelle. “Your move…”

Chelsea drew.

“Ergh, I have to pass!” she shouted.

Michelle drew a card.

She smirked and added it to her hand.

“Go! Destroy her Zombies!”

Nanobreaker slashed with her sword, and cleaved Zombie Werewolf in two. Batteryman C shot bolts of lightning and incinerated the other Vampire Lord.

“Chelsea’s really getting schooled…” muttered Ren.

“Let’s just hope her next draw is something good,” said Yumi. “She has nothing left except that facedown card, and if it were something that could have protected her, she’d have used it already.”

Chelsea slowly drew a card.

She smirked.

“I activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted!” she shouted.

The facedown card flipped up, and an elaborate, mahogany coffin rose onto the field. It opened with a creak, and Vampire Lord stepped out, his eyes glowing red.

“Now I remove him from play…” continued Chelsea, “to Special Summon Vampire Genesis!”

The vampire vanished, and the hulking, terrible vampire deity appeared with a great roar. (3,000/2,100)

“Three grand?” shouted Michelle.

“Soon to be more,” said Chelsea, playing a card. “Next I play Rush Recklessly, upping his Attack to 3,700 for one round.

“Now… Attack the Equipped Batteryman C! Crimson shroud!”

Vampire Genesis burst into a cloud of red mist, and shot forward. The Batteryman exploded into a burst of light.

(C: 5,750) -------------------- (M: 4,100)

“Huh?” asked Ren. “Why didn’t she attack one of the ones with zero Attack Points? Michelle would have lost 3,700 Life Points.”

“Mmm, yes…” said Marlon, “but she still would have had 900 Life Points left. And if Michelle had summoned even one more Monster, the Equipped Batteryman would have grown back to 3,200 Attack Points. Chelsea would have lost Vampire Genesis, and would have taken a direct attack by Nanobreaker. So she made a smarter move.”

Michelle just looked at Chelsea.

She drew a card.

“I’ll move all three of my Monsters to Defense Mode…” she said.

The two Batterymen C and Nanobreaker knelt in Defense.

“And since my two Batterymen are now in Defense Mode, Nanobreaker gains 1,000 Defense Points.

(1,600/2,800)

“So I see…” said Chelsea, drawing a card.

“I summon Vampire Bat in Attack Mode,” she exclaimed.

She played the card, and a swarm of bats flew overhead. They flew together, forming into one giant bat. (800/800)

“When Vampire Bat is on the field,” said Chelsea, “all Zombies gain 200 Attack Points.”

Vampire Genesis rose to 3,200 Attack, and Vampire Bat itself rose to 1,000.

“Vampire Bat, attack another Batteryman! Nightmare scourge!”

The bat split into a swarm of bats again, and flew at the Batteryman. It exploded like the first one did.

“Vampire Genesis, attack Nanobreaker!”

Vampire Genesis’s crimson shroud flew forward. Nanobreaker tried to shield herself, but she fell over and exploded into bits.

“Your move, Michelle,” said Chelsea. “Only one Batteryman left…”

Michelle grit her teeth and drew a card…

And then she smiled.

“This doesn’t look good…” muttered Figlio.

“No…” said Chelsea. “You think?”

Michelle took two cards from her hand.

“I play my final Battery Charger,” she said, “and bring back one Batteryman AA.”

The strange machine rose again, and the orange Batteryman appeared once again. (0/0)

(C: 5,750) -------------------- (M: 3,600)

“Now then…” she continued, “it’s time to show you what my Hunger For Power card can do. Listen up, because this gets kind of complicated…

“It’s sort of like the opposite of Cost Down. I choose one Monster in my hand. The Level of that Monster is increased by two for one round. In exchange for that, if I summon it in the same round, it gains 500 Attack Points.”

She played the card.

“Thus, the Level Five Monster I’m holding now becomes a Level Seven Monster.”

“Why the heck would she…” started Yumi.

She paused.

“Oh… no…” she said.

“What…” asked Ren. “It seems like an uneven tradeoff to me…”

“No…” said Yumi. “Given the nature of Michelle’s deck, that card is a tremendous benefit…”

“So now…” said Michelle. “I sacrifice Batteryman AA and Batteryman C…”

The two Batterymen vanished into orbs of light…

“To summon my Super Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon!”

A huge creature appeared over the field. It resembled a dragon or a dinosaur in outline, but it was made of sparkplugs, switches, circuits, and other electric paraphernalia. Its eyes were two glowing red blinking lights, and its claws were metal and razor sharp.

It roared a bellow that sounded metallic and feral at the same time. (2,400/1,000)

“Let me explain how this big guy works,” said Michelle. “If you summon him by sacrificing a Batteryman, he gains one of three effects, based on which type of Batteryman you sacrifice.

“And since I increased his Level to Seven, I was able to sacrifice two different Batterymen, and get two effects!

“First, Batteryman C gives him a trampling effect.

“Second, Batteryman AA gives him 1,000 extra Attack Points.

“And due to the effect of Hunger For Power, he gains 500 additional Attack Points!”

(3,900/1,000)

“It’s been swell…” said Michelle. “Super Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon, destroy Vampire Genesis with electric blast!”

The Dragon shot a blast of pure electricity from its jaws, and Vampire Genesis was blown to bits.

“NO!” screamed Ren. “That was her best Monster!”

(C: 4,850) -------------------- (M: 3,600)

“Make your move,” ordered Michelle.

Chelsea drew.

There it is… she thought, looking at the card. MY card. The card dad made for me…

She looked at her hand, then she looked at Vampire Bat.

Oh, but I can’t use it now…

“I pass for this turn…” she muttered.

Michelle drew a card.

“I play Pot of Greed…” she said.

The jar appeared, and she drew twice.

“Next, I’ll play Monster Reborn, to bring back Nanobreaker…” she said.

She played the card, and the golden ankh appeared in the air. Nanobreaker stepped out, and her eyes glowed. (1,600/1,800)

Then she opened her Field Slot.

“Next, I’ll play the Field Spell, Luminous Spark, to make my Dragon even stronger.”

She fit the card in the slot, and a bright light fell over the field. The Dragon grew to (4,400/600)

“You’re through!” shouted Michelle. “Nanobreaker, destroy her Bat!”

Nanobreaker swung with her sword, and Vampire Bat scattered into its component bats…

But then they flew back together and reformed.

“Huh?” asked Michelle.

“Vampire Bat has another ability,” said Chelsea, slipping a card into her discard slot. “At any time it would be destroyed, I can discard another one from my hand or deck to negate the destruction. And I have two in my deck.”

Michelle frowned.

“So you survive one more round,” she said. “Super Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon, attack!”

The Dragon breathed it electric blast, and the Bat was vaporized.

(C: 850) -------------------- (M: 3,600)

“No Monsters left, Chelsea,” she said, “so make your last move.”

This will be the last move all right, said Chelsea, drawing a card, and it will end in her defeat…

She played a Spell Card.

“I play Call of the Mummy,” she said. “Now, so long as I have no Monsters on my side of the field, I can Special Summon a Zombie to my side of the field, no matter how powerful it is.”

The sky began to darken…

“And I choose to summon my most powerful card… A woman who’s both a vampire and a vampire slayer… My father’s latest creation… Come forward, Penelope, Lady of the Night!”

In an aura of mist, a beautiful woman stepped onto the field. She was clothed in a white gown, with a golden cross around her neck. Her skin was milky white, her eyes were sky blue, and her long hair was raven-black and billowy. She held a staff in her hand that was topped with a golden crescent moon with a red orb inside.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Michelle. (1,000/200)

“What the…” muttered Michelle, in shock. “She… she kinda looks like you! Only older… and scarier…”

Chelsea nodded.

“There’s a legend behind her, which I’ll only share with friends. But before you underestimate her for being weak, listen closely. She can’t be Normal Summoned – I have to find a way to Special Summon her somehow. But when she is summoned, she has two potent abilities. First, when she’s summoned, all Spells and Traps on the field are destroyed.

The Luminous Spark and Call of the Mummy cards shattered.

“Second, as a vampire slayer, she gains power from undead who have perished. So for every Zombie-Type Monster in my Graveyard, she gains 400 Attack Points.”

“Each one?” gasped Yumi.

“I kinda lost count…” muttered Ren. “HOW many Zombies are in her Graveyard right now?”

“Let’s see…” muttered Marlon. “Three Vampire Ladies, three Zombie Werewolves, two Vampire Lords… Oh wait, she removed one of those from play…”

“I’ll make it easy for you,” said Chelsea. “There are twelve Zombies in my Graveyard right now, making Penelope’s Attack Score… Well, you said you were good at math…”

(5,800/200)

“No… way…” muttered Michelle.

“Hey, it was your own fault…” said Chelsea. “Your own strategy did you in. Need I remind you, you played Inferno Reckless Summon twice?”

Michelle growled.

“Fine!” she shouted. “Attack my Dragon. I’ll still have Life Points left, and I can still turn it around!”

Chelsea shook her head.

“Your Dragon isn’t my target,” she said. “There’s another Monster on your side of the field that I can attack…”

Michelle looked…

“ARGH!” she shouted. “Nanobreaker is in Attack Mode!”

“With far fewer Attack Points, I might add…” said Chelsea. “Penelope, attack Nanobreaker! Light of vengeance!”

What could best be described as a personal lightning storm erupted around Penelope, and a blast of pure light shot at the android. Nanobreaker exploded, and Michelle was propelled backwards.

(C: 850) -------------------- (M: 0)

“Is it over?” asked Figlio, who was cowering.

Penelope and the Dragon vanished.

“Yeah…” said Chelsea, “why don’t you watch Ren duel next time? His Monsters aren’t as scary.”

She looked at her badge, which was now at Green.

She walked up to Michelle.

“Go tell Edan that if you and your brother are the best he can throw at me, he’s in big trouble. Until he decides to face me in person, I’m through dealing with his goons.”

Michelle scrambled to her feet and ran away in fear.

The Centurion who had been watching nodded to Chelsea, and then he turned and walked off.

Ren and Yumi ran up to her with Marlon in tow.

“So, Chelsea…” said Ren. “You said there was a legend behind her that you would share with friends…”

Chelsea looked at the card.

“Yeah…” she said. “A very strange one…”

* * * * * * * * * *

The minute hand on Clock Tower Prison reached the top, and five loud chimes rang out.

The duelists were sitting on a park bench as Chelsea looked at the card.

“About three years after my folks got married,” she said, “when I was only two, they went on vacation in France, my mom’s home country, and she was browsing in the Library of the Port-Royal Society in Paris, a place where they keep a lot of old books. She was drawn to one old tome, which was written in Frankish, one of the old languages of the country. Mom had taken an elective in old languages, and she was able to read it with little difficulty.

“She found that it was a collection of tales of the supernatural, or so it seemed. Strangely, however, she couldn’t tell whether this book was fiction… or history.

“In it, she found the story of Penelope. Now, according to this source, this young maiden who lived in the sixteenth century was connected to the church somehow… Perhaps she was an initiate at a convent, or maybe she was a priestess from some splinter group who allowed such things.

“Anyway, the story told of a terrible night when a savage vampire ambushed her, and fed on her blood, draining her dry. She didn’t survive, sadly, and woke the next night, cursed with vampirism herself. And before long, she heard the monster calling to her, telling her to join him.

“Usually, that’s how it goes… A vampire’s victim becomes his slave. But Penelope was able to resist the callings. She covered her ears with her hands and ran to the nearest place of worship. Only there were the monster’s calls deafened by the hallowed ground.

“How she resisted, no one is sure. Some say that her faith was so great, her soul was able to fight off the darkness that tried to infect it, unlike most vampires. But she didn’t know what to do.

“She did the only thing she could do… She prayed…

“And eventually, someone answered. A beautiful form came out of the darkness and touched her. The form had bad news… It could not restore her to what she once was. The dead could not be restored to life. But it told her that the seed of evil that was planted inside her could be purged if she was willing to fight the unholy spawn with all her strength. Penelope said yes, and she had a very good reason for doing so... She had nothing left to lose.

“The being told her how to do it, and she left the church, and was immediately beset by the calling again. She fashioned a makeshift wooden stake and found a mallet, and followed its voice. She took the monster by surprise… and silenced the voice.

“It was only the beginning. By night, she hunted for vampires and similar creatures. At every dawn, she dug herself a makeshift grave in the earth and slept, safe from the sun which was now a danger. The common folk saw her now and again. Sometimes her quarry had valuables that had been stolen from victims. She had no use for them, so she gave them to the impoverished. The common folk regarded her as a savior, and called her by many names, among them, The Lady of the Night, seeing as that was the only time they saw her.

“It’s unclear how long this went on… It might have been ten years, it might have been a century. But eventually, she fell asleep, and some say a hand from Heaven took her out of her grave and lifted her into the afterlife.

“Anyway, this story seemed captivating. Mom photocopied it, and she tried to find information on the author with research, but without success. Internet search engines came up with nothing. She started to believe that the book was written by some lower-class author who had actually spoken to Penelope. Sort of like a forerunner to Interview With the Vampire, to make a comparison.

“When she told my dad, he got the idea to immortalize Penelope in card form… Slowly at first, but it eventually took shape. This version I have was approved after about thirty versions were turned down.

“And since that book had no illustrations and no physical description of Penelope… Well, it was my dad’s gift to me…”

“Heh, heh, heh,” said Marlon. “A smashing good story indeed. Although I dare say the book your mum found may well have been a book of children’s bedtime stories…”

“You never know…” said Chelsea, as she shuffled the card back into her deck.

“Ah, well,” said Marlon. “It’s been swell hanging out with you three, but I must be going… Perhaps we’ll meet again.”

“Bye!” they all said, as he got up and left.

“So…” said Yumi, looking at her watch. “It’s five-fifteen… Should we find the Sizzling Sirloin?”

With two victories under her belt, Chelsea moves up to Green, and the group may have worked up an appetite. But Day One is far from over – in fact, it may be just starting!



VAMPIRE BAT (Monster Card)

Card Specs
Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK: 800
DEF: 800

Card Description: When this card is face-up on your side of the field, increase the ATK of all Zombie-Type Monsters on the field by 200. If this card would be destroyed, you may discard one “Vampire Bat” from your hand or deck to negate the destruction. (Damage calculation still applies, if applicable.)



RED GHOST MOON (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A stone bridge leading up to an ominous red harvest moon.

Card Description: You can activate this card when your opponent declares an attack. Discard one Zombie-Type Monster from your hand. Negate the attack and end the current Battle Phase. The Attack Points of the attacking Monster are then added to your Life Points.

Note: “Vampire Bat” and “Red Ghost Moon” were first used by Camula in the multi-part “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Field of Screams”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



PENELOPE, THE LADY OF THE NIGHT (Monster Card)

Card Specs
Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 200

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. When this card is Special Summoned successfully, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field. Increase the ATK of this card by 400 for every Zombie-Type Monster in your Graveyard.

Note: “Penelope, the Lady of the Night” first appeared in “Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Messiah”.



RECHARGEABLE BATTERY (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A Batteryman AA hooking itself up to a generator with cables.

Card Description: Draw one card for every “Batteryman” Monster in your Graveyard. You must stop drawing cards when your hand size reaches the current hand size limit. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase on the turn you use this card.



HUNGER FOR POWER (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A fat devil sitting at a table laden with foodstuffs.

Card Description: Choose one Monster Card in your hand. The Level of the chosen card is increased by two for the remainder of the turn. If you summon the chosen card during this turn, increase its ATK by 500.

Note: “Hunger For Power” was created by fanfiction.net author Angel of Blades. Used with permission.



Ren: You know, Hunger For Power was an interesting card, but now I’m just plain hungry.

Chelsea: Don’t worry, we’ll be at the restaurant before you know it.

Yumi: But I doubt the food will truly be free. Mick had an evil look in his eye…

Coming up next, “Steakhouse Scuffle! Royal Shadow Warrior”.

Chelsea: And maybe we’ll get to see your trump card Ren.

Yumi: And Sam and Erik might show up too.

Ren: Think we’ll get to see them duel?

Yumi: You never know…

[Hinoryu]

Penelope. Once I found out Genesis wasn't the trump, it was pretty obvious. But still, a nice triumphant return, despite the incredible fanfare it got.

Though Batterymen... While I do enjoy the batterymen, I'm just gonna say it's bad timing for me. I'm sure most can guess why.

[jkBAKURA]

Congratulations on the best chapter of the story so far. Not only was the duel excelently crafted, but the diolouge and situations felt a whole lot more natural this time around.

I think the story has finally hit its stride.

Shame we didn't see Batteryman D, but then again there was really no place it would have been very useful.

As for Penelope, a fine addition, but I can't think pf many more ways that Chelsea would have to actually summon it.

As for next chapter, the description left me with a bit to be curious about, but I suppose wondering excessively isn't going to do any good.

Great job again.

[Mega Horny]

I'm gonna have to post one more time here. For the record, Brian, Breaker was originally a promotional Secret Rare, and even now still costs a fair amount. Chaos Sorcerer is a common.

And Kudos Brian, the last chapter was very good.


mr_pika EDIT: The reasons for this edit have been disclosed via PM. Do not edit this post again.

[Mystic_clown]

I knew it. I knew hte instant I heard that Chelsea's trump card would be made up, I knew it was Penelope. I am a bit curious what you're going to do with her deck now that you've revealed her trump card (and it's only her second duel in the fic).

First of all, let me just say, it's good to see the Batterymen again. Those guys don't get enough love in fanfiction.

Hmm, although, I'm getting a bad feeling about Eden and his crew. Mick seemed a bit flat, Eden sounds the same and even though Michelle's motive for duelling Chelsea makes her a bit more sympathetic, she still seems to be a bitch for really no reason.

This tends to be a weakpoint in your fics, a number of your villians come out a bit flat (there are a few exceptions of course). let's hope you improve on that as the fic progresses.

[Dark Sage]

MC, Michelle has a good reason for being a bitch - as an underground duelist, she benefits from having such a reputation.

Also, Edan and his group are small fries compared to the real villains, who will appear in full light around Chapter 11. These guys are little more than thugs - the true bad guys have more behind them.

Eric, yes, Penelope is hard to summon. Her own effect would do her in if you summoned her with Premature Burial or Call of the Haunted. However, aside from Call of the Mummy, Chelsea has two other ways to do it. You'll see what I mean in future chapters. And MC, Chelsea has a few more surprises in her deck as well.

Keep reading.

[Shuppet Master]

I was hoping for one of the Belmonts. (Laughs) But anyways, it's impressive you transferred one of your Cards of Virtue to this fic and made it a normal card. Is that story a real legend, because I'm intrigued by it if you used it twice.

Great chapter. So Edan's group is using technology decks, huh? First machines, then Batterymen. (The character of my story uses Batterymen C himself, but to power up some of his machines. That's all I am saying.)

And now Mick is attacking one of Chelsea's friends? That's low. Keep up the good work, Brian.

[Inferno_Dragon]

Interesting chapter with the Batteryman and Super Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon. But what surprises me in that you used Penelope in this fanfic. I would have never thought that would be used outside of Dark Messiah. But it is nice to see an old face although I don't know why Penelope would be consider a vampire slayer.

Keep up the good work, DS!