Reaper of Despair
03-28-2005, 06:16 PM
Well, here it is by popular demand, Jason vs. Bandit Keith, the rematch. One of my favorite duels to write thus far, I might add.
Episode 44: Rematch! Jason vs. the Brutal Metal Army
The sea remained calm as the day rolled on. Clouds were beginning to form in the noonday sky, and birds sang their songs to add to the tranquility of the scene. But no one noticed the calmness of the water. Instead, they were focused on the raging duel that was about to take place. On one side, there was Bandit Keith, a man who was known for being the Intercontinental Duel Monsters Champion. And on the other side, was Jason Garnet, a duelist who had many other tournament wins, and was the Victory Island champ.
So, the duel began. Jason looked over his options as Keith picked out a few cards to play for his opening turn. “Alright, let’s see you handle this one. I place one monster in defense mode and a card face down. It’s your move, twerp.”
Jason smirked slightly and drew. “Playing defensively, Keith? I didn’t think that was the style of someone who was going to crush me. But in any case, I can play that game, too. I place two cards face down and summon Blood Magician - Wizard of Purgatory (1400/1700) in defense mode!”
Jason’s face down cards appeared, then, a tall wizard in a sleeveless crimson robe with mystic designs etched into it that covered a black skin-tight body suit rose from the ground. His wizard cap curved forward and down, obscuring his pale blue face. Instead of a traditional staff, he wielded a long, double-bladed scythe connected to a thin handle by an ocean blue jewel.
Jason motioned for Keith to begin his turn, and the American duelist drew. “If you think that your magician is going to save your life points, you’re sadly mistaken! I summon Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) in attack mode!” Keith’s round machine monster appeared and began waving its arms, which were each covered in assorted weapons and tools of destruction. “Go, Mechanical Chaser, attack the Blood Magician with Thousand Weapon Assault!”
The machine dashed forward, swinging its blades wildly through the air, intent on cutting Jason’s monster to ribbons. But before it made contact with the Blood Magician, Jason’s mage disappeared into thin air and Mechanicalchaser stopped and used its sensor eye to look around for its target. “Hey, where’d your monster go? It was just there on the field a second ago,” Bandit Keith said, obviously confused and oblivious to Jason’s flipped up trap card.
“Allow me to tell you where he is,” Jason said, drawing Keith’s attention. “My Blood Magician is back in my hand, thanks to my trap card, Magical Rescue Operation. When one of my Spellcasters is about to be attacked, I can return it to my hand and summon a stronger one. So say hello to Moon Mage of the Dusk (1900/1600) in attack mode!”
In the same spot where his Blood Magician once stood, appeared a pale skinned female mage in a dark blue flowing dress that was decorated with stars. Her long raven hair seemed to shimmer in the sunlight as she stood awaiting battle.
Bandit Keith grimaced at Jason’s new monster, and ended his turn. Jason drew for the start of his turn. “Alright, Keith. First, I’ll place Blood Magician back on the field in defense mode.” Jason’s red mage reappeared next to his Moon Mage. “Next, I’ll activate Magic Absorption. This card gives me five hundred life points, whenever a spell card is played.”
Yugi smirked from below the platform. It looked like Jason would get himself a nice early advantage. Niesha, however, interrupted his thoughts by tapping him on the shoulder. “Yugi, I need to have that discussion with you about something important.” The boy looked up at her and nodded, and the two duelists walked back toward the stern of the ship.
Meanwhile, Jason was making his play to take out Keith’s monster. “Now, I’ll activate Pot of Greed, which will allow me to draw two cards, and give me five hundred life points thanks to Magic Absorption.”
Jason drew his two cards and listened to the beeping of his life points readjusting due to his card’s effect.
(Jason: 6500) (Bandit Keith: 6000)
The blonde looked over the three cards in his hand and picked out one. “Now, I’ll place one card face down and I’ll have Moon Mage of the Dusk attack the Mechanicalchaser!” The blue Spellcaster raised her hands and clasped them together in front of her body. She closed her eyes and unleashed a blue beam of light that was laced with small white stars.
“Nice try, twerp, but I activate my face down spell card. Go, Limiter Removal!” Bandit Keith’s face down card flipped up and his Mechanicalchaser began to glow. “I think you remember this card very well, but in case you don’t my Limiter Removal doubles the attack power of all machines on my side of the field, meaning that your mage is history.”
The Spellcaster’s attack slammed into Keith’s monster, but the machine stood strong against the beam. Jason only smirked and pressed one of his activation buttons. “Thank you for the power up, Keith. Activate Theft of Strength! This card takes any power bonuses that your monsters received this turn, and transfers them to one of my monsters, so Moon Mage of the Dusk, feel the power of the Limiter Removal!”
The Mechanicalchaser stopped glowing, and Jason’s Spellcaster began to glow with the same aura. Her beam of light became twice as intense, engulfing the Mechanicalchaser in its power. “Well, well, Keith. Not only have you lost your monster and almost two thousand life points, but you’ve also given me an extra five hundred thanks to your little spell card,” Jason declared with a deep smirk. Keith grimaced at the turn of events.
(Jason: 7000) (Bandit Keith: 4050)
“I’ve got almost three thousand more life points than you’ve got, so it’s safe to say that you’re done for. So why don’t you just give up and save yourself this embarrassment?” Jason suggested as he crossed his arms and smirked. He was beginning to enjoy knocking Keith off of his high horse.
“I’ll show you embarrassment!” Keith roared as he snapped the top card off of his deck and placed it in his hand. “If you think that my machines are down and out just because you switched up your deck, you’ve got another thing coming. I sacrifice my Ground Attacker Bugroth to summon Blowback Dragon (2300/1200) in attack mode!”
Keith’s face down hologram disappeared and in its place arose a tall mechanical dragon, whose head consisted of a large red gun with a mouth under the barrel. The monster pointed its weapon at Jason, who remained unflinching, despite his last run-in with Keith’s dragon. Even the audience on the sidelines seemed impressed by Keith’s newest monster. “I don’t think I have to remind you of what my dragon can do to you with its special ability, now do I?” Keith asked as a grin laced his features. Jason shook his head, and Keith’s grin widened. “Good. Go, coin flip!”
But before the coins could appear and be flipped, a blast of golden lightning erupted from the sky and shattered Blowback Dragon with a mighty crash. Keith clenched his fists in anger as Jason’s laughter filled his ears. “Your monster met with an unfortunate trap called Divine Wrath. It negates his effect and destroys the Blowback dragon at the cost of a simple discard from my hand.”
Keith clenched his fists even tighter, drawing a little blood from his palms. He couldn’t believe that this lightweight, that he brushed aside less than twenty-four hours ago, was giving him so much trouble. “Fine. You haven’t won this duel yet so don’t get comfortable. I place one card face down and end my turn.”
Jason kept his confident smirk as he drew, giving him two cards in his hand and assuring himself that Keith couldn’t stop him. “Well, with only two cards in my hand, I can’t possibly do much, so let’s fix that. The card I discarded for Divine Wrath is a little spell called Reparations of Mortals and Ghosts, which allows me to draw three cards by removing it from play. So here I go.” The blonde duelist pulled the card out of his graveyard slot and slipped it into his pocket, then, drew three cards, increasing his options. After taking a look at his new cards, Jason only picked out one. “Now, I sacrifice Moon Mage of the Dusk to summon Chaos Magician (2400/1900) in attack mode!”
Jason’s Moon Mage was engulfed by a twister of intense magical energy that blinded Keith for a few seconds, even through his shades. When the twister died down a tall mage in dark green armor appeared and swung his long staff around his head before letting it rest on his shoulder. “Chaos Magician, attack Bandit Keith directly with Chaotic Magic Strike!”
Jason’s Spellcaster lowered his staff and pointed it directly at Keith. The machine duelist braced himself as the wave of power came rushing at him. “Activate Scrap Heap Wall!” Keith yelled out at the last minute. He slipped a card from his hand into the graveyard and the towering wall of scrap metal sprang up, taking the brunt of the attack and sparing Keith from its wrath. “Nice try, kid, but like I said, you haven’t won this duel yet.”
“You’re right, Keith, I haven’t won yet. But I will, mark my words. So I’ll just pass it on to you,” Jason declared. He wasn’t about to give up, especially with Bandit Keith in such a grim situation. Jason knew that he had the duel all wrapped up.
But Keith was just as determined to prove him wrong. The American duelist drew, then, began laughing. “Now, it’s time for me to show you why I’m going to win this duel! I activate Snatch Steal on your Chaos Magician!”
The spell card appeared on the field, and transparent tendrils of energy shot out and grabbed Jason’s Spellcaster, dragging him over to Bandit Keith’s side of the field. “So you’ve got control of my monster. Let me assure you, I’ll get him back on my turn and no later,” Jason threatened.
Keith chuckled and pulled another card out of his hand. “Oh you’ll get him back, but it won’t be on your turn. It’ll be on my turn.” Jason gave Keith a sideways look and the American duelist chuckled again. “Let me help clear up your confusion by activating my spell card Recycled Army!”
With a hiss of steam, a large silver machine rose from the floor next to Keith. At the top of the square machine sat a large chute that seemed to feed into a larger mechanism and in the front of the device, there was a strange doorway. “I know that it gives you another five hundred life points because of your Magic Absorption card, but it’s well worth the effect it gives me!”
(Jason: 7500) (Bandit Keith: 4050)
“Alright, Keith, let’s see this incredible effect that’s worth you giving me an even further advantage in this duel.” Jason crossed his arms and waited for Keith’s explanation.
“Here it comes. I can remove a Machine type monster from my graveyard to create a Recycled Warrior Token. So I’ll remove three monsters from my graveyard to create three Recycled Warriors!”
The transparent forms of Mechanicalchaser, Ground Attacker Bugroth, and a completely round blue monster with a red sensor eye and three prongs protruding from its back appeared above the machine. Then, they descended into the chute and the device started with a whirring noise. Next, there came a loud noise like the grinding and gnashing of metal, before the door in front of the machine swung open. Out of the open doorway there came three tall androids that appeared to be an amalgam of several different parts of other machines.
Jason looked over the three monsters and rubbed his chin in thought. “Keith, those monsters are too weak to do any real damage to me, so what’s the point? I mean, if you wanted to surrender, you could’ve just said so.”
A gleam of sunlight reflected off of Keith sunglasses as a confident smirk curved his stubbly jaw. “My Recycled Warriors (500/1000) may be weak, but they make a perfect sacrifice! So I’ll tribute your Chaos Magician and one of my warriors to summon my ultimate monster!”
The two named monsters disappeared, and the only thing that could be heard was a loud whirring and turning of gears as Keith’s newest mechanical menace rose from the floor.
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Yugi and Neisha stood at the back of the ship, staring at each other for a few seconds before Yugi spoke up. “So, you wanted to speak to me about something?”
Niesha closed her eyes in thought for a second, trying to think of a way to tell Yugi what she needed to tell him. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and replied. “Not really. It’s not you that I need to speak to. It’s the other you that I want.”
Yugi stepped back for a second and looked around. “Other me? What other ‘me’ could you possibly be talking about? I’m the only Yugi Mutou around here,” the boy said, trying desperately to sound as innocent as he could, despite his confusion.
Niesha shook her head and continued, deciding to just come right out and say what she had to say right then and there. “It’s nice that you’re trying to protect him, but the other ‘you’ that I’m referring to is the pharaoh. Let me speak with Yami.”
Yugi backed up another step and grabbed the chain on his Puzzle. “If it’s the Millennium Puzzle you’re after, then you’ll have to take it from me! I won’t let you get the pharaoh’s power!” He took a defensive stance and glared at Niesha. Yugi couldn’t fight well, and moreover, it was against his moral code to put his hands on a woman. But he’d protect Atem at all costs.
Niesha held up her hands and backed up a step. “Yugi, please calm down. I don’t want to hurt you or the pharaoh. I only want to talk to him for a few seconds. Please, it’s very important, and the fate of the world may depend on what I have to say to him.”
The spiky haired boy released his Puzzle chain and looked deep into Niesha’s green eyes, searching for any hint of a lie. After he didn’t find any, the Puzzle glowed brightly, and Atem appeared in Yugi’s place. He narrowed his eyes at Niesha. “Alright, I’m here, though I don’t know why. But I’m sure you’ve got the answers I’m looking for.”
“Yes, pharaoh. I’ve got all the answers that you’ll need.”
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From the center of the field, a massive white android with red armor plating in some areas of its large frame rose. The monster slammed its fists together with a loud clang, and bolts of electricity sprang up around it. “Now, I’d like you to meet Perfect Machine King (2700/1500), a monster whose power has more potential in one gear then you have in your whole body and soul!” Keith yelled out.
Jason laughed and pointed a finger at Keith’s monster. “The only potential I see is a potential heap of scrap. Your monster is impressive, I’m not denying that. But I’ll take it down easily!”
Keith smirked at Jason’s comment. He made a sweeping gesture with his hand and his monster’s attack power rose from a formidable twenty seven hundred to a crushing thirty seven hundred. Jason’s jaw nearly dropped to the sea floor. “The look on your face is priceless right now. My only regret is that I don’t have a camera to capture this incredible moment, so I can laugh on it later.”
Jason clenched his teeth and decided to ask the question that he knew Keith was waiting for. “Alright, Keith. Humor me. Tell me why your monster is stronger than rich boy’s Dragon?” the blonde asked as he pointed to Kaiba, who chuckled at the comment.
“Gladly. My Perfect Machine King gains five hundred attack points for every machine monster on the field other than itself. Since I have two Recycled Warriors on the field, he gains one thousand points of attack. So go, Perfect Machine King, annihilate his Blood Magician!”
The monster raised one fisted hand and with a blast of fire, launched the appendage at the crimson clad mage, shattering it with a great impact. The fist then made a quick u-turn and reattached itself to Keith’s monster with a hollow clank. Jason gulped, then, glanced down at his hand. ‘Damn, if that thing’s power wasn’t raised, I’d have a little surprise for it. But now I’ve got to deal with this.’
Keith laughed out again and casually glanced down at the one card left in his hand, before he ended his turn. And before Jason could even reach for his card, a blue aura appeared on Keith’s side of the field. Out of this aura emerged the strange round machine monster that Jason saw before it was turned into a Recycled Warrior Token.
“Whoops, I forgot to mention that one of the monsters I removed from play was a Machine known as D.D. Scout Plane (800/1200), whose special ability summons it to the field automatically when it’s removed from play. Of course, since the D.D. Scout Plane is a machine, my Perfect Machine King gains even more attack points (4200/1500)!”
‘This is getting ridiculous. His Perfect Machine King will soon be stronger than anything I can pull out.’ Jason thought. He took a look at Keith’s side of the field and at the weaker monsters. The only real offense Keith had was his Perfect Machine King, and that thing’s power was too great for Jason to combat. ‘Wait, that’s it! I don’t have to worry about that Perfect Machine King at all.’
Jason let a smirk cross his features and drew his next card. “Keith, I’m not concerned about your monster’s power for one simple reason.” The American duelist chuckled and asked why, though he wasn’t really interested in knowing the answer. “It’s because your Perfect Machine King has limits to its strength. Since a player can only have up to five monsters on the field at a time, and your monster doesn’t gain from itself, his peak is forty seven hundred, and I’ve got a card in my deck that can help my Spellcasters easily surpass that.”
Bandit Keith didn’t even flinch at Jason’s bold statement. In fact, he laughed out, causing confusion among the other duelists, since they knew that Jason was right. Keith stopped laughing, but kept a smirk on his face as he explained. “You’re right about the five monsters only thing. It is, after all, one of the basic rules of Duel Monsters. But you should know that every rule is made to be broken.”
“The only thing around here that’s about to be broken is you!” Jason declared as he picked out a card from his hand. “I play Swords of Revealing Light, which will lock your monsters down and keep them from attacking for three turns!” The glowing white swords slammed down around Keith’s machines. Keith only shrugged as Spell Absorption did its work.
(Jason: 8000) (Keith: 4050)
Jason played his next card. “Next, I’ll summon Magician’s Valkyrie (1600/1800) to the field in defense mode!” The next monster to grace Jason’s field with its presence was an exact twin of the Dark Magician Girl, except she wore blue armor with a gold trim that flared out in the shoulders, her steepled hat was decorated with white wings, and her staff was larger and covered with green jewels that shined in the sunlight. Jason hoped that Keith wouldn’t be able to get rid of Swords for a while. Otherwise, he’d be done for.
Keith scoffed and drew for the start of his turn. “Like I said before, all rules are made to be broken. And this is no exception. I activate Territorial Expansion!” His card appeared on the field next to the Recycled Warrior producing machine, and boosted Jason’s life points by another five hundred. But if it’s effect did what Jason thought it did, the life point gain might not matter.
(Jason: 8500) (Bandit Keith: 4050)
“As long as this card is active, I can summon monsters in my Spell/Trap card zones as well as my normal monster card zone!” Keith declared with a triumphant laugh. With this card, his master strategy would come into play.
Jason stepped back in shock. He was afraid that Keith would pull out something like this against him. “So you mean to tell me that you can now have up to ten monsters on the field at the same time?”
“That’s right, punk. And trust me, I’ve got more machines all revved up and ready to take you down! Speaking of which, I summon Cannon Soldier (1400/1300) in attack mode!” On the far right end of Keith’s field, a short, purple, box shaped android rose from the floor in a flash of sparks, filling up the American duelist’s field completely. Its face was made up of three sensor eyes behind a glass shield, and on its head a long cannon gleamed in the sun. “Obviously, my Perfect Machine King gains another boost (4700/1500), but it is my Cannon Soldier that will devastate you! His effect allows me to sacrifice a monster on my side of the field to deal five hundred points of damage to you. So I tribute D.D. Scout Plane to activate my monster’s effect!”
The smaller round machine disappeared, and the long cannon on Cannon Soldier’s head fired. The blast struck Jason head on, and dealt him the first life point damage he’d taken during the entire duel.
(Jason: 8000) (Bandit Keith 4050)
“And now, I remove my Scout Plane from play to summon yet another Recycled Warrior!” The named monster appeared above the chute once again, and dropped down into it, allowing another Token android to walk through the door. Keith ended his turn, then, slid a card into one of his spell/trap card zones, and, sure enough, D.D. Scout Plane returned to the field. “Do you see now? There’s no way for you to win. My Perfect Machine King (5200/1500) will only grow stronger, and my Cannon Soldier will continue to damage you every turn. Face it, twerp, it’s over for you!”
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Original cards:
Jason: Magical Rescue Operation, Moon Mage of the Dusk, Theft of Strength, Reparations of Mortals and Ghosts,
Bandit Keith: Scrap Heap Wall, Recycled Army, Territorial Expansion
Episode 44: Rematch! Jason vs. the Brutal Metal Army
The sea remained calm as the day rolled on. Clouds were beginning to form in the noonday sky, and birds sang their songs to add to the tranquility of the scene. But no one noticed the calmness of the water. Instead, they were focused on the raging duel that was about to take place. On one side, there was Bandit Keith, a man who was known for being the Intercontinental Duel Monsters Champion. And on the other side, was Jason Garnet, a duelist who had many other tournament wins, and was the Victory Island champ.
So, the duel began. Jason looked over his options as Keith picked out a few cards to play for his opening turn. “Alright, let’s see you handle this one. I place one monster in defense mode and a card face down. It’s your move, twerp.”
Jason smirked slightly and drew. “Playing defensively, Keith? I didn’t think that was the style of someone who was going to crush me. But in any case, I can play that game, too. I place two cards face down and summon Blood Magician - Wizard of Purgatory (1400/1700) in defense mode!”
Jason’s face down cards appeared, then, a tall wizard in a sleeveless crimson robe with mystic designs etched into it that covered a black skin-tight body suit rose from the ground. His wizard cap curved forward and down, obscuring his pale blue face. Instead of a traditional staff, he wielded a long, double-bladed scythe connected to a thin handle by an ocean blue jewel.
Jason motioned for Keith to begin his turn, and the American duelist drew. “If you think that your magician is going to save your life points, you’re sadly mistaken! I summon Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) in attack mode!” Keith’s round machine monster appeared and began waving its arms, which were each covered in assorted weapons and tools of destruction. “Go, Mechanical Chaser, attack the Blood Magician with Thousand Weapon Assault!”
The machine dashed forward, swinging its blades wildly through the air, intent on cutting Jason’s monster to ribbons. But before it made contact with the Blood Magician, Jason’s mage disappeared into thin air and Mechanicalchaser stopped and used its sensor eye to look around for its target. “Hey, where’d your monster go? It was just there on the field a second ago,” Bandit Keith said, obviously confused and oblivious to Jason’s flipped up trap card.
“Allow me to tell you where he is,” Jason said, drawing Keith’s attention. “My Blood Magician is back in my hand, thanks to my trap card, Magical Rescue Operation. When one of my Spellcasters is about to be attacked, I can return it to my hand and summon a stronger one. So say hello to Moon Mage of the Dusk (1900/1600) in attack mode!”
In the same spot where his Blood Magician once stood, appeared a pale skinned female mage in a dark blue flowing dress that was decorated with stars. Her long raven hair seemed to shimmer in the sunlight as she stood awaiting battle.
Bandit Keith grimaced at Jason’s new monster, and ended his turn. Jason drew for the start of his turn. “Alright, Keith. First, I’ll place Blood Magician back on the field in defense mode.” Jason’s red mage reappeared next to his Moon Mage. “Next, I’ll activate Magic Absorption. This card gives me five hundred life points, whenever a spell card is played.”
Yugi smirked from below the platform. It looked like Jason would get himself a nice early advantage. Niesha, however, interrupted his thoughts by tapping him on the shoulder. “Yugi, I need to have that discussion with you about something important.” The boy looked up at her and nodded, and the two duelists walked back toward the stern of the ship.
Meanwhile, Jason was making his play to take out Keith’s monster. “Now, I’ll activate Pot of Greed, which will allow me to draw two cards, and give me five hundred life points thanks to Magic Absorption.”
Jason drew his two cards and listened to the beeping of his life points readjusting due to his card’s effect.
(Jason: 6500) (Bandit Keith: 6000)
The blonde looked over the three cards in his hand and picked out one. “Now, I’ll place one card face down and I’ll have Moon Mage of the Dusk attack the Mechanicalchaser!” The blue Spellcaster raised her hands and clasped them together in front of her body. She closed her eyes and unleashed a blue beam of light that was laced with small white stars.
“Nice try, twerp, but I activate my face down spell card. Go, Limiter Removal!” Bandit Keith’s face down card flipped up and his Mechanicalchaser began to glow. “I think you remember this card very well, but in case you don’t my Limiter Removal doubles the attack power of all machines on my side of the field, meaning that your mage is history.”
The Spellcaster’s attack slammed into Keith’s monster, but the machine stood strong against the beam. Jason only smirked and pressed one of his activation buttons. “Thank you for the power up, Keith. Activate Theft of Strength! This card takes any power bonuses that your monsters received this turn, and transfers them to one of my monsters, so Moon Mage of the Dusk, feel the power of the Limiter Removal!”
The Mechanicalchaser stopped glowing, and Jason’s Spellcaster began to glow with the same aura. Her beam of light became twice as intense, engulfing the Mechanicalchaser in its power. “Well, well, Keith. Not only have you lost your monster and almost two thousand life points, but you’ve also given me an extra five hundred thanks to your little spell card,” Jason declared with a deep smirk. Keith grimaced at the turn of events.
(Jason: 7000) (Bandit Keith: 4050)
“I’ve got almost three thousand more life points than you’ve got, so it’s safe to say that you’re done for. So why don’t you just give up and save yourself this embarrassment?” Jason suggested as he crossed his arms and smirked. He was beginning to enjoy knocking Keith off of his high horse.
“I’ll show you embarrassment!” Keith roared as he snapped the top card off of his deck and placed it in his hand. “If you think that my machines are down and out just because you switched up your deck, you’ve got another thing coming. I sacrifice my Ground Attacker Bugroth to summon Blowback Dragon (2300/1200) in attack mode!”
Keith’s face down hologram disappeared and in its place arose a tall mechanical dragon, whose head consisted of a large red gun with a mouth under the barrel. The monster pointed its weapon at Jason, who remained unflinching, despite his last run-in with Keith’s dragon. Even the audience on the sidelines seemed impressed by Keith’s newest monster. “I don’t think I have to remind you of what my dragon can do to you with its special ability, now do I?” Keith asked as a grin laced his features. Jason shook his head, and Keith’s grin widened. “Good. Go, coin flip!”
But before the coins could appear and be flipped, a blast of golden lightning erupted from the sky and shattered Blowback Dragon with a mighty crash. Keith clenched his fists in anger as Jason’s laughter filled his ears. “Your monster met with an unfortunate trap called Divine Wrath. It negates his effect and destroys the Blowback dragon at the cost of a simple discard from my hand.”
Keith clenched his fists even tighter, drawing a little blood from his palms. He couldn’t believe that this lightweight, that he brushed aside less than twenty-four hours ago, was giving him so much trouble. “Fine. You haven’t won this duel yet so don’t get comfortable. I place one card face down and end my turn.”
Jason kept his confident smirk as he drew, giving him two cards in his hand and assuring himself that Keith couldn’t stop him. “Well, with only two cards in my hand, I can’t possibly do much, so let’s fix that. The card I discarded for Divine Wrath is a little spell called Reparations of Mortals and Ghosts, which allows me to draw three cards by removing it from play. So here I go.” The blonde duelist pulled the card out of his graveyard slot and slipped it into his pocket, then, drew three cards, increasing his options. After taking a look at his new cards, Jason only picked out one. “Now, I sacrifice Moon Mage of the Dusk to summon Chaos Magician (2400/1900) in attack mode!”
Jason’s Moon Mage was engulfed by a twister of intense magical energy that blinded Keith for a few seconds, even through his shades. When the twister died down a tall mage in dark green armor appeared and swung his long staff around his head before letting it rest on his shoulder. “Chaos Magician, attack Bandit Keith directly with Chaotic Magic Strike!”
Jason’s Spellcaster lowered his staff and pointed it directly at Keith. The machine duelist braced himself as the wave of power came rushing at him. “Activate Scrap Heap Wall!” Keith yelled out at the last minute. He slipped a card from his hand into the graveyard and the towering wall of scrap metal sprang up, taking the brunt of the attack and sparing Keith from its wrath. “Nice try, kid, but like I said, you haven’t won this duel yet.”
“You’re right, Keith, I haven’t won yet. But I will, mark my words. So I’ll just pass it on to you,” Jason declared. He wasn’t about to give up, especially with Bandit Keith in such a grim situation. Jason knew that he had the duel all wrapped up.
But Keith was just as determined to prove him wrong. The American duelist drew, then, began laughing. “Now, it’s time for me to show you why I’m going to win this duel! I activate Snatch Steal on your Chaos Magician!”
The spell card appeared on the field, and transparent tendrils of energy shot out and grabbed Jason’s Spellcaster, dragging him over to Bandit Keith’s side of the field. “So you’ve got control of my monster. Let me assure you, I’ll get him back on my turn and no later,” Jason threatened.
Keith chuckled and pulled another card out of his hand. “Oh you’ll get him back, but it won’t be on your turn. It’ll be on my turn.” Jason gave Keith a sideways look and the American duelist chuckled again. “Let me help clear up your confusion by activating my spell card Recycled Army!”
With a hiss of steam, a large silver machine rose from the floor next to Keith. At the top of the square machine sat a large chute that seemed to feed into a larger mechanism and in the front of the device, there was a strange doorway. “I know that it gives you another five hundred life points because of your Magic Absorption card, but it’s well worth the effect it gives me!”
(Jason: 7500) (Bandit Keith: 4050)
“Alright, Keith, let’s see this incredible effect that’s worth you giving me an even further advantage in this duel.” Jason crossed his arms and waited for Keith’s explanation.
“Here it comes. I can remove a Machine type monster from my graveyard to create a Recycled Warrior Token. So I’ll remove three monsters from my graveyard to create three Recycled Warriors!”
The transparent forms of Mechanicalchaser, Ground Attacker Bugroth, and a completely round blue monster with a red sensor eye and three prongs protruding from its back appeared above the machine. Then, they descended into the chute and the device started with a whirring noise. Next, there came a loud noise like the grinding and gnashing of metal, before the door in front of the machine swung open. Out of the open doorway there came three tall androids that appeared to be an amalgam of several different parts of other machines.
Jason looked over the three monsters and rubbed his chin in thought. “Keith, those monsters are too weak to do any real damage to me, so what’s the point? I mean, if you wanted to surrender, you could’ve just said so.”
A gleam of sunlight reflected off of Keith sunglasses as a confident smirk curved his stubbly jaw. “My Recycled Warriors (500/1000) may be weak, but they make a perfect sacrifice! So I’ll tribute your Chaos Magician and one of my warriors to summon my ultimate monster!”
The two named monsters disappeared, and the only thing that could be heard was a loud whirring and turning of gears as Keith’s newest mechanical menace rose from the floor.
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Yugi and Neisha stood at the back of the ship, staring at each other for a few seconds before Yugi spoke up. “So, you wanted to speak to me about something?”
Niesha closed her eyes in thought for a second, trying to think of a way to tell Yugi what she needed to tell him. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and replied. “Not really. It’s not you that I need to speak to. It’s the other you that I want.”
Yugi stepped back for a second and looked around. “Other me? What other ‘me’ could you possibly be talking about? I’m the only Yugi Mutou around here,” the boy said, trying desperately to sound as innocent as he could, despite his confusion.
Niesha shook her head and continued, deciding to just come right out and say what she had to say right then and there. “It’s nice that you’re trying to protect him, but the other ‘you’ that I’m referring to is the pharaoh. Let me speak with Yami.”
Yugi backed up another step and grabbed the chain on his Puzzle. “If it’s the Millennium Puzzle you’re after, then you’ll have to take it from me! I won’t let you get the pharaoh’s power!” He took a defensive stance and glared at Niesha. Yugi couldn’t fight well, and moreover, it was against his moral code to put his hands on a woman. But he’d protect Atem at all costs.
Niesha held up her hands and backed up a step. “Yugi, please calm down. I don’t want to hurt you or the pharaoh. I only want to talk to him for a few seconds. Please, it’s very important, and the fate of the world may depend on what I have to say to him.”
The spiky haired boy released his Puzzle chain and looked deep into Niesha’s green eyes, searching for any hint of a lie. After he didn’t find any, the Puzzle glowed brightly, and Atem appeared in Yugi’s place. He narrowed his eyes at Niesha. “Alright, I’m here, though I don’t know why. But I’m sure you’ve got the answers I’m looking for.”
“Yes, pharaoh. I’ve got all the answers that you’ll need.”
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From the center of the field, a massive white android with red armor plating in some areas of its large frame rose. The monster slammed its fists together with a loud clang, and bolts of electricity sprang up around it. “Now, I’d like you to meet Perfect Machine King (2700/1500), a monster whose power has more potential in one gear then you have in your whole body and soul!” Keith yelled out.
Jason laughed and pointed a finger at Keith’s monster. “The only potential I see is a potential heap of scrap. Your monster is impressive, I’m not denying that. But I’ll take it down easily!”
Keith smirked at Jason’s comment. He made a sweeping gesture with his hand and his monster’s attack power rose from a formidable twenty seven hundred to a crushing thirty seven hundred. Jason’s jaw nearly dropped to the sea floor. “The look on your face is priceless right now. My only regret is that I don’t have a camera to capture this incredible moment, so I can laugh on it later.”
Jason clenched his teeth and decided to ask the question that he knew Keith was waiting for. “Alright, Keith. Humor me. Tell me why your monster is stronger than rich boy’s Dragon?” the blonde asked as he pointed to Kaiba, who chuckled at the comment.
“Gladly. My Perfect Machine King gains five hundred attack points for every machine monster on the field other than itself. Since I have two Recycled Warriors on the field, he gains one thousand points of attack. So go, Perfect Machine King, annihilate his Blood Magician!”
The monster raised one fisted hand and with a blast of fire, launched the appendage at the crimson clad mage, shattering it with a great impact. The fist then made a quick u-turn and reattached itself to Keith’s monster with a hollow clank. Jason gulped, then, glanced down at his hand. ‘Damn, if that thing’s power wasn’t raised, I’d have a little surprise for it. But now I’ve got to deal with this.’
Keith laughed out again and casually glanced down at the one card left in his hand, before he ended his turn. And before Jason could even reach for his card, a blue aura appeared on Keith’s side of the field. Out of this aura emerged the strange round machine monster that Jason saw before it was turned into a Recycled Warrior Token.
“Whoops, I forgot to mention that one of the monsters I removed from play was a Machine known as D.D. Scout Plane (800/1200), whose special ability summons it to the field automatically when it’s removed from play. Of course, since the D.D. Scout Plane is a machine, my Perfect Machine King gains even more attack points (4200/1500)!”
‘This is getting ridiculous. His Perfect Machine King will soon be stronger than anything I can pull out.’ Jason thought. He took a look at Keith’s side of the field and at the weaker monsters. The only real offense Keith had was his Perfect Machine King, and that thing’s power was too great for Jason to combat. ‘Wait, that’s it! I don’t have to worry about that Perfect Machine King at all.’
Jason let a smirk cross his features and drew his next card. “Keith, I’m not concerned about your monster’s power for one simple reason.” The American duelist chuckled and asked why, though he wasn’t really interested in knowing the answer. “It’s because your Perfect Machine King has limits to its strength. Since a player can only have up to five monsters on the field at a time, and your monster doesn’t gain from itself, his peak is forty seven hundred, and I’ve got a card in my deck that can help my Spellcasters easily surpass that.”
Bandit Keith didn’t even flinch at Jason’s bold statement. In fact, he laughed out, causing confusion among the other duelists, since they knew that Jason was right. Keith stopped laughing, but kept a smirk on his face as he explained. “You’re right about the five monsters only thing. It is, after all, one of the basic rules of Duel Monsters. But you should know that every rule is made to be broken.”
“The only thing around here that’s about to be broken is you!” Jason declared as he picked out a card from his hand. “I play Swords of Revealing Light, which will lock your monsters down and keep them from attacking for three turns!” The glowing white swords slammed down around Keith’s machines. Keith only shrugged as Spell Absorption did its work.
(Jason: 8000) (Keith: 4050)
Jason played his next card. “Next, I’ll summon Magician’s Valkyrie (1600/1800) to the field in defense mode!” The next monster to grace Jason’s field with its presence was an exact twin of the Dark Magician Girl, except she wore blue armor with a gold trim that flared out in the shoulders, her steepled hat was decorated with white wings, and her staff was larger and covered with green jewels that shined in the sunlight. Jason hoped that Keith wouldn’t be able to get rid of Swords for a while. Otherwise, he’d be done for.
Keith scoffed and drew for the start of his turn. “Like I said before, all rules are made to be broken. And this is no exception. I activate Territorial Expansion!” His card appeared on the field next to the Recycled Warrior producing machine, and boosted Jason’s life points by another five hundred. But if it’s effect did what Jason thought it did, the life point gain might not matter.
(Jason: 8500) (Bandit Keith: 4050)
“As long as this card is active, I can summon monsters in my Spell/Trap card zones as well as my normal monster card zone!” Keith declared with a triumphant laugh. With this card, his master strategy would come into play.
Jason stepped back in shock. He was afraid that Keith would pull out something like this against him. “So you mean to tell me that you can now have up to ten monsters on the field at the same time?”
“That’s right, punk. And trust me, I’ve got more machines all revved up and ready to take you down! Speaking of which, I summon Cannon Soldier (1400/1300) in attack mode!” On the far right end of Keith’s field, a short, purple, box shaped android rose from the floor in a flash of sparks, filling up the American duelist’s field completely. Its face was made up of three sensor eyes behind a glass shield, and on its head a long cannon gleamed in the sun. “Obviously, my Perfect Machine King gains another boost (4700/1500), but it is my Cannon Soldier that will devastate you! His effect allows me to sacrifice a monster on my side of the field to deal five hundred points of damage to you. So I tribute D.D. Scout Plane to activate my monster’s effect!”
The smaller round machine disappeared, and the long cannon on Cannon Soldier’s head fired. The blast struck Jason head on, and dealt him the first life point damage he’d taken during the entire duel.
(Jason: 8000) (Bandit Keith 4050)
“And now, I remove my Scout Plane from play to summon yet another Recycled Warrior!” The named monster appeared above the chute once again, and dropped down into it, allowing another Token android to walk through the door. Keith ended his turn, then, slid a card into one of his spell/trap card zones, and, sure enough, D.D. Scout Plane returned to the field. “Do you see now? There’s no way for you to win. My Perfect Machine King (5200/1500) will only grow stronger, and my Cannon Soldier will continue to damage you every turn. Face it, twerp, it’s over for you!”
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Original cards:
Jason: Magical Rescue Operation, Moon Mage of the Dusk, Theft of Strength, Reparations of Mortals and Ghosts,
Bandit Keith: Scrap Heap Wall, Recycled Army, Territorial Expansion