Chapter Text
Yuri - Underground Arena, Aquarius/Standard Dimension
The arena known as Hell's Kitchen was dark and full of people thirsty to see carnage. They banged on the tables, screaming for action as heavy metal music blared over the loudspeakers. Yuri and his friends were treated to front-row seats by Panama Palmer who insisted they get a 'close view of the bloodbath'.
In the center of the chamber was a ring with compartments holding who knew what. Blood stains of the Duels in the earlier match cards marked the floor. The room was dimly lit by neon lights and a few torches placed here and there.
One of the two female MC shouted: "Ladies! Gentlemen! Animals! This next match is a hardcore tag team match with no rules! No surrender! If you pass out in the ring, your partner can choose to forfeit the match. Or fight on! It's a battle royale where anything goes. Are you ready for some bloody carnage!?"
The crowd cheered with excitement.
"Then let's get this match started!"
The screens over the stage flashed with punk skulls as they displayed the names of the teams. The team's heavy metal theme blasted across the arena. The stage was dark and set up with chainlink fencing to give it a cage-match appearance.
"Introducing first! Accompanied to the ring by Panama Palmer! The team of Lindsey Riot and Nyx! The Sirens of Disaster!"
Two girls ran onto the stage. One was a girl with platinum blonde hair who wore a white bikini top and pants covered in spikes. The other was a young woman with long black hair who donned a sleeveless leather jacket and black miniskirt. Panama Palmer walked behind them looking smug, adjusting his tie, and grinning at the roaring crowd.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Yuri said over the loud music.
"No kidding, man," Tyson agreed. "This whole place reeks of violence."
Nick said nothing. Being familiar with underground Dueling, he knew his girlfriends were in for a world of hurt.
"What have they got in store for our friends?" said Natalya. "And what's in those compartments around the ring?"
"We're about to find out," said Randall.
The team's music died down, smoke from their pyro effects cleared, and the crowd settled into a deafening silence. After a minute the song End of Heartache by Killswitch Engage blared from the speakers.
A fog machine blasted a wave of smoke around the ring. Patty and Penelope walked out of the smoke. Patty donned a pink cropped sweater and denim shorts while Penelope wore a white tank top and cargo pants with elbow pads and her baseball cap placed on her head.
"And introducing the opponents!" the other MC announced. "Representing the Knights of the Ruby Dragon: "The Reaper" Patty McKnight and Penelope Rodriguez!"
The two slowly made their way to the top of the ramp and stood there, surveying the chaotic environment. Then they looked at each other, sharing a glance that clearly told their teammates they were uneasy.
Patty nodded at Penelope. She nodded back and they marched towards the ring together.
Panama laughed and rubbed his hands together. He couldn't wait to see Patty and Penelope getting demolished. The girls looked like easy targets to him.
The two stood in the ring and glared at their opponents. The music died down and the crowd's thunderous cheers exploded all around them.
"This is going to be good," Panama smirked. "All right, boys! Lock 'em up!"
Men in tactical vests wearing gas masks came out and pulled on rings attached to the floor. Patty thought they were for display until she saw the long chain attached to them. She discovered they weren't decorative rings but shackles meant to lock people up.
"Hold your wrists together!" commanded one of the men.
Penelope and Patty said nothing and obeyed the command. They both were locked in chains and shackles. Panama laughed.
"Let the fun begin!"
"So this is how it's gonna go down," said Panama. "You'll each have 4000 Life Points. None of that fancy Link, Xyz, Synchro, or Pendulum junk. I'm talking pure, old-fashioned, regular Dueling here, ladies!"
"I guess I'll use my old Fiend deck," Patty said, whipping it out of the deck case attached to her belt.
"Sounds like a plan," said Penelope. "I've got my old machines on me always."
"Good, glad you came prepared," grinned Panama. "Now Lindsey is gonna start first. Then it'll go to you, Patty. And then it will pass to Nyx and then to Penelope. From there, the order of turns will rotate counterclockwise. Now, let's get the real fun started!"
"Ladies and gentlemen!" announced the MC. "It's time to put your bets on our lovely contestants! Which team do you think will win? Lindsey Riot and her partner Nyx? Or Patty McKnight and Penelope Rodriguez!?"
The audience cheered for their favorite. Patty noticed that only about half the crowd was cheering for her and Penelope.
The compartments around the ring unlocked, showing they were ready for use.
"DUEL!"
Turn 1: Lindsey Riot
LP 4000
"You ready, Reaper!" Lindsey said. "I'm gonna enjoy tearing your pretty face apart! First, I use the spell Ancient Rules! It allows me to Special Summon a high-level Normal Monster from my hand. Go, Summoned Skull!"
The famous king of the fiends as he was once called arose from the ground, snarling like a vicious cat, summoning lighting to make a grand entrance.
ATK/2500
"Next, I activate Graceful Charity, allowing me to ditch two cards and draw two. Aha. Check it. Monster reborn!" She flicked her high ponytail over her shoulder and showed off the card to her friends before playing it. "Go, Beast of Talwar!"
She conjured another fiend with 2400 ATK, wielding twin crescent-shaped swords.
"And now I'll set a card face-down. That's all for me, baby girl. Your move."
Turn 2: Patty
LP 4000
"I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards. Next, I activate Foolish Burial, sending Djinn, Presider of Rituals from my deck to the Graveyard. Next, I activate the Zera Ritual spell!"
"Haha!" Tyson cheered. "About time, I haven't seen the big man in a long time!"
Patty continued to explain her move. "I sacrifice Warrior of Zera from my hand. Also, if Djinn is my Graveyard when I Ritual Summon a monster, I can banish him from my Graveyard as one of the offerings!"
"Now I Ritual Summon the mighty Zera the Mant!" Patty yelled.
A large muscular fiend wearing a purple cloak and armed with sharp claws stomped out of a fiery vortex.
ATK/2800
"I'll set three cards face-down and end my turn!"
Turn 3: Nyx
LP 4000
Lindsey whispered something to her friend who had her head bent towards her ear. Nyx nodded and drew her card.
"I play Heavy Storm! This destroys all the spells and traps on your field, Patty! Hope you didn't have any plans on stopping this!"
A fierce gale surrounded the ring, and the face-down cards started to shimmy as if trying to stay down.
"I don't think so, bitch! I play Magic Drain! Now if you don't discard a card from your hand, your spell is negated. So...are you gonna risk getting rid of Spell Card?"
Nyx growled.
"Didn't think so. So your Heavy Storm is negated!"
The winds died down
"Fine! I activate Pot of Greed myself so I can get some more firepower for my hand. "Ah, perfect. I activate Polymerization, fusing together Humanoid Slime and Worm Drake to create Humanoid Worm Drake!"
She Fusion Summoned an insectoid creature made entirely of silver slime with 2200 ATK.
"And that ends my turn. Your move, bottom dweller!"
Turn 4: Penelope
LP 4000
She drew a card and then slapped it onto the field. "Call me that again! I dare you, puta! I'm going to activate Graceful Charity so I can draw three cards and ditch two. And guess what? One of the cards I discarded was Card of Compensation. When it's sent from my hand to the Graveyard, I can draw two more cards."
Patty beamed at her with pride. "Wow, look at you go, baby."
"Hey, gotta impress our man," she said winking at Nick in the audience. "All right, looks like I'm lucky tonight, baby! Pot of Greed, more cards for me to kick your asses with! And now I play Monster Reborn to bring back one of the cards I ditched with Graceful Charity. Fiendish Engine Omega!"
A massive mech colored dark red burst through the ground, its engines roaring like a hundred cars revving up at once. Noxious fumes burst out of its exhaust pipes. Its 2800 ATK looked ready to do some serious damage to the enemy team.
"But I'm not done yet! I activate the spell, Old Model to the Front Line! Now this is one badass spell for Machine Duelists like me. It allows me to pick a Machine-Type monster in the Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field. And I will bring back the all-powerful Machine King!"
A robotic monarch rose from a vortex. He had a bulky frame with a large spiked crown on his head. His ATK was 2200.
"Oh, yeah," said Nick. "Look at my girls go!"
"And it gets better," said Penelope. "Because Machine King's power increases by 100 for each Machine on the field. So him and Fiendish Engine's presence boosts his power to 2400. Aight, now for some more cards just for me. I activate the spell, Iron Draw. If I control exactly two Machine-Type monsters, I can draw two cards. Now I set three cards face-down and end my turn. And since it's my End Phase, Fiendish Engine Omega summons an Engine Token. And since it's a Machine monster, Machine King gains 100 more points raising his power to 2500."
The MC squealed with delight. "What an epic display of power! Both teams brought out monsters with over 2000 ATK in just their first turns!"
Turn 5: Lindsey Riot
LP 4000
"Nice monsters! But it's all for naught, bitches! First and foremost, that Zera of yours is going down."
"How do you figure that?" Patty asked.
"Only this! Tribute to the Doomed! By discarding a card from my hand, your Zera gets and automatic trip to the Graveyard."
Thousands of bandages rose out of the floor and wrapped themselves around Zera the Mant until he was covered all over. A giant fiendish hand reached out from the darkness and grabbed him. It then dragged him into the abyss.
"NO! ZERA!" Patty yelled.
"Well, well, well," Nyx said. "So much for your pretty boy. Now your ass is wide open for some action!"
"Hell yeah!" said Lindsey. "Go, Beast of Talwar! Attack her directly!"
"I don't think so!" said Patty. "I activate Call of the Haunted! Now Zera the Mant returns to intercept your attack!"
"Yeah! Way to play!" Carter cheered. "Now she'll get to fight back!"
A dark portal opened up in the arena, Zera broke free of his bandages and shot out of the portal, growling at the fiend king. The beast lunged at the monster but it parried his blow with his swords, creating sparks of light from the clash.
Patty grinned as she watched Zera and Beast of Talwar exchange blows.
Lindsey laughed. "Nice battle they got, but I'm getting bored. So, I'm going to activate this card! The trap Shadow Spell!"
Chains broke out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Zera, binding him with metal cuffs. He screamed and fell to his knees, looking like he was being electrocuted.
"Zera!" Patty cried.
"Your precious Ace loses 700 ATK points, making him a prime target for Beast of Talwar! Sorry, but it's back to the Graveyard for you!"
Beast of Talwar leapt forward and cut off Zera's head, sending him to the Graveyard a second time.
"Noooo!" Patty groaned. Beast of Talwar then grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up. Patty's legs kicked madly as she was deprived of air. Then Beast of Talwar brought her close to its face and roared so loud that spit splashed all over Patty's face.
"YEAH! GET HER!" Nyx said.
And then Lindsey jumped off the ring, her chains flying behind her. She opened one of the compartments in the ring and pulled out a brown sack. She held it high for all to see and then ran across the stage to meet her opponent. She laughed and undid the cord. She stuck out her tongue as she spilled shards of broken glass all over the floor. Penelope gasped in horror. She knew was Lindsey was about to do. And she was helpless to do anything.
"GIVE HER TO ME!" Lindsey commanded Beast of Talwar.
It obeyed and tossed Patty. Lindsey caught her and held her over her shoulders. She screamed widely, sticking her tongue out before performing a black hole powerbomb onto the pile of broken glass.
"NOOOO!" Penelope screamed.
WHAM! Patty's back smashed into the shards.
"OOOOOH!" the crowd roared.
"OH GOD!" Yuri roared. "PATTY!"
Lindsey let go of Patty and stood back to admire her handiwork. Patty lay on the floor covered in cuts and bits of glass biting through her skin. Her body twitched as she groaned in pain. She rolled over on her side and moaned, feeling blood oozing down her arms.
Panama Palmer rushed to her side of the ring to admire her handy work. "Oh, yeah! I like that! I like that!" he said as Patty slumped off the arena, defeated and in excruciating pain.
The men in the vest rushed over and picked her up. "Get back in the ring!" one of them said. He and his partner tossed her like a ragdoll back to her field. Patty just lay there, whimpering from the pain. Her sweater was torn up and she looked like a complete mess. Her exposed lower back glittered with pieces stuck to her flesh and blood trickled down her fair skin.
"Aww," Lindsey cooed. "Does that hurt? Does that hurt?"
"This is sick!" Nick shouted.
"What kind of twisted Duel is this?" Yuri asked. "They're not fighting to win, they're fighting to see who can inflict the most damage!"
Patty - LP 3700
Panama laughed heartily. "She's done! Ain't gonna do nothing now! And you're next, bitch!" He pointed at Penelope.
"After I'm done with her!" said Lindsey. "I still got my Summoned Skull to attack her directly."
"Oh no!" said Randall. "If she takes this attack, Patty's finished!"
Summoned Skull charged his lightning attack and unleashed it on Patty. Suddenly, the Warrior of Zera she used to Ritual Summon Zera the Mant rose out of the ground.
"What's this?" Patty said.
"I got you, girl!" Penelope declared. "I activated the trap, Pinpoint Guard! When an opponent's monster attacks, I can target a Level 4 or lower monster in the Grave and Special Summon it in DEF Mode. And it can't be destroyed in battle or by card effects this turn!"
"Aww, man, that was close!" Natalya squealed, her face bearing the holes from her nails when she dug them into her cheeks.
Patty watched as Zera knelt in front of her to take the attack for her. Lightning struck him dead center in his chest, but he stayed standing even after the blast was over.
"Heh," Patty grinned. But the lighting still zapped through and struck Patty, filling her with more pain. "Grrrrr!"
"Well, looks like that still hurt," said Panama.
"I had a trap for my partner, too!" said Nyx. "It's called Strike Slash! When a monster on our team declares an attack, that monster gains 700 ATK points and it can deal piercing damage, explaining the shock your pal is getting."
Summoned Skull ATK/3200
Patty continued to scream until the attack died down. She collapsed on her knees, breathing heavily. Lindsey came sprinting across the field through the smoke and picked Patty up. She looked at the crowd and shouted: "WANNA SEE ME DO IT AGAIN!"
"ONE MORE TIME! ONE MORE TIME! ONE MORE TIME!"
Lindsey's tongue slithered around as she used her boot to spread the glass shards around. She tossed Patty over her shoulders in a fireman's carry again and made her way back to the middle of the ring. She then powerbombed her a second time onto the pile of broken glass.
"AAAAH!" the crowd roared with delight.
Patty's body hit the floor and bounced off it. She yelled, feeling the glass piercing her back, legs, and arms again.
Patty - LP 2100
"Ohhhh, yeah!" said Panama. "This is what I like! This is what I like! Look at that!" He signaled the cameraman to get a close-up of her bloodied back.
Lindsey grabbed Patty's hair and lifted her head up to show the audience the results of her powerbomb. They cheered wildly. The referee, trying to keep some form of decency, ordered her to let go of Patty's hair. She let her go, leaving Patty on the ground. Her eyes were starting to roll into the back of her head.
Penelope rushed to her side of the ring, but the chains locked, preventing her from going any further. "Patty! Patty! Patty, are you okay?"
Patty didn't say anything. She could only moan in pain.
"Come on, baby!" Penelope pleaded. "You gotta move!"
"COME ON!" shouted Nyx. "Get up! Get up! Get up!"
Panama cackled with glee. "She's done!"
Patty finally managed to pick herself up. "I'm not done," she panted. "Not yet."
"YAAAAAY!" the crowd cheered.
But Yuri and his friends would have preferred she'd stay down. This match was barbaric and clearly part of Panama's plan to keep Patty and Penelope from going to the tournament at 100%.
Lindsey still had her Beast of Talwar, but with Warrior of Zera not able to be destroyed by battle this turn, and Penelope's machines far stronger than it, she concluded her Battle Phase and ended her turn.
Turn 6: Patty
LP 2100
"Ugh...I...I draw!" Patty winced with each movement. The shards stuck to her skin stung and hurt every time she moved. "Ugh..." she froze for a second. She was in excruciating pain and moving just made it worse.
"Hurry up!" said Lindsey. "It's getting boring standing here."
"Patty, please surrender now!" Nick said.
"No way!" She drew her card. It wasn't going to help her now. It was Allure of Darkness. Not that it could help her now. She had no cards in her hands to use it.
"I...I end my turn."
Everyone gasped.
Turn 7: Nyx
LP 4000
"You two should give up already. We're just getting started. Now, I'm going to use Ancient Rules and summon a high-level Normal Monster. Go, Cyber-Tech Alligator!"
She summoned a cyborg reptilian monster armored in red with huge wings.
Cyber-Tech Alligator ATK/2500
"Hahaha! Patty's Life Points are going down! Humanoid Worm Drake, attack!"
The slimy creature shot its long tongue at Patty but she was protected by a barrier of Duel Monsters cards.
"I activated Card Defense," she said. "When you attack me, I can send a card from my hand to the Graveyard and negate its attack. And then, I get to draw a card."
"Not that it matters," said Nyx. "You don't have enough Life Points to withstand an attack from Cyber-Tech Alligator! Attack!"
"Hold it right there!" said Penelope. "I activate Zero Gazer! When an opponent's monster attacks, I can reduce its ATK to 0 and Patty gets to draw one card."
"Grrr! Her stupid traps are pissing me off!"
"Don't worry!" Panama said. "She's got no more to use, and Patty is a broken mess! One more attack will put her out of commission."
"Right. I set a card face-down and then I'm going to use the spell Meteor of Destruction! When your Life Points are higher than 3000, I can inflict 1000 points of damage to your Life Points! And I choose you, Penelope!"
A meteor fell from the sky and crashed into the ground near Penelope's feet. The resulting impact created a gust of wind that made her flail around like a ragdoll. The impact dazed her. She got on her hands and knees, trying to shake off the fog. Nyx then walked out of the fog and grabbed her by the neck. She lifted her and put her over her shoulders in a fireman's carry. Panama Palmer rushed to a nearby compartment. He opened it and pulled out a black velvet bag. He held it high for the audience to see before tossing it to Nyx. She caught it and ripped open the cord with her mouth. She spilled its contents all over the ground.
Shiny, glimmering thumbtacks!
Yuri couldn't believe what he was seeing! This wasn't a Duel. It was torture.
Nyx grinned madly as she brought Penelope to the pile. The crowd roared in anticipation.
"NO!" Randall shouted. "Oh, God, no!"
"PENELOPE!" Nick screamed. "NOOOO!"
Patty tried to crawl toward the ring. "No," she moaned weakly. "Please...don't."
Nyx flipped Penelope head over heels and slammed her on the pile of thumbtacks. She rolled and squirmed on them. Her screams echoed through the stadium.
Penelope writhed in pain, feeling the tacks stuck to her skin.
"Come here! Come here!" Panama Palmer motioned the cameraman to rush over to Penelope. He zoomed in and focused on her back. "Look at that!" he exclaimed. "Look at that!"
Penelope's arms and back glimmered with small pieces of shiny metal stuck to her skin. Nyx stood back and laughed heartily.
"Ooooh, yeah! That's what I like to see!" Panama shouted. "That's what I like to see!"
"I can't watch this anymore!" Natalya buried her face in Randall's shoulder.
"You two are just so disappointing," said Nyx. "Now, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
Patty huffed and shouted: "Penelope. Please. Stop using your traps to protect me. Think about yourself, babe."
Penelope got up; the thumbtacks glimmered on her arms, shoulder, and hip. "Nuh-huh. I love you, Patty. I'm not going to let those bitches hurt you anymore. Besides, I'm tough. This isn't my first rodeo. I know what I'm doing. And I still got Fiendish Engine Omega and Machine King on the field."
Turn 8: Penelope
LP 3000
"Draw!" she declared, starting her turn. "Patty, let me help you out, baby girl. I activate the spell, Exchange! It lets us swap a card in my hand with any player on the field. And I choose you."
"But I got nothing that can..."
"Just shut up and give me a card so we can exchange, okay?"
Their chains loosened to allow them to approach each other.
"Take this," Penelope said. She handed her a spell called Roll of Fate in exchange for Patty's Offensive Guard trap card.
"There's no guarantee this will help."
"Ugh, bitch, I'd take my chances with something than draw another lame-ass card next turn. I can't keep saving your ass all night." She slapped her on the buttocks and kissed her on the lips before running back to her side of the ring.
"Aww, how sweet," said Nyx. "Too bad the love ain't gonna last."
Patty and Penelope returned to their corners. Patty stared at the card she had, hoping she could last long enough to get to use it.
"Now," continued Penelope, "I'm going to rid the field of your monsters, Lindsey Riot! First, I'm going to have Fiendish Engine Omega attack your Summoned Skull!"
The giant red robot made its engines roar, and the exhaust ports blew out purplish-colored toxic smoke.
"Hehehe," said Nyx. "My life points are safe, thanks to our trap."
"Huh?"
"I reveal this!" Lindsey shouted. Punch-In-The-Box! Now here's how it works. When you declare an attack, and you control two or more monsters, I can target the attacking monster and negate its attack. But that's not all it can do. It destroys one of your monsters, and then the attacking monster loses ATK points equal to the original ATK of the monster I destroyed."
"Aww no!" Tyson yelled.
"sh*t! Fiendish Engine Omega was their best card!" Nick hollered.
Machine King exploded, blasting Penelope in a cloud of black smoke.
Fiendish Engine Omega fell on one knee as its power weakened. ATK/600
Panama Palmer jumped up and down and pointed at the giant machine. "Look at it! Look at it! It's kneeling! It's bowing down to me! Bow, baby, bow! Bow!"
"No...no...NO!" Penelope shrieked. "How the f*ck are you doing this!?"
"You're on our turf, sister!" Lindsey retorted. "That's right. This is our playground, and we make the rules!"
"Augh...I set three cards face-down and end my turn!" Penelope said.
Turn 9: Lindsey Riot
LP 4000
"Check this out! Card of Demise! It lets me draw five cards, but I lose them in five turns. Not that it matters because you two are going down before then. Now I'm going to activate Unexpected Dai! It allows me to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster to my field. And I choose X-Head Cannon!"
A legless robot colored blue and yellow with two ion cannons on its shoulders appeared on the field.
X-Head Cannon ATK/1800
"And now I'm going to activate Double Summon! With it, I can conduct two Normal Summons this turn! So here comes Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank."
"X, Y, and Z?" said Natalya. "Oh no...I've heard of this monster before."
"ASSEMBLE!" Lindsey shouted. "And become XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"
Lindsey held out her hand, and her three machines assembled themselves to form the monster to deal the final blow to Patty and Penelope.
XYZ-Dragon Cannon ATK/2800
The crowd roared, and Panama Palmer went ballistic. He rushed to the camera and shouted: "Did you see that!? Did you see that!?" He clapped his hands. "That's it! That's it! We got 'em! We got 'em!"
"Now I'm going to have my Dragon Cannon take care of your girlfriend's only defense!" she said, pointing to Patty. "Xyz-Dragon Cannon, destroy her face-down card!"
The cannons thumped as they lowered. A green plasma ball formed at the end of each barrel. They fired simultaneously, creating a blinding light as the blasts converged into one. The blast struck Patty's face-down card. When the light died down, everyone could see it was her Stall Turn card.
"Now, it's time to wipe out that Fiendish Engine Omega! Aim!"
The cannons of the machine glowed with orange energy.
The Dragon Cannon fired. The bolt of energy pierced through Fiendish Engine Omega's chest. Its engines went dead as it fell to its knees and exploded.
Penelope screamed as if the attack struck her as well, sending her tumbling across the ring. Her Life Points fell to 400.
Lindsey snickered. "Haha. She's all yours, Nyx."
"It would be an honor." She cracked her knuckles and marched toward the fallen girl. Panama rushed to the other side of the ring with a table. He quickly set it up and yelled for Nyx to smash Penelope on it.
Panama danced around. "Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! This is going to be fun!"
Patty crawled forward. She moaned in pain as she tried to reach out for her friend. The blast from the Dragon Cannon left Penelope weak. Her arms dangled from her shoulders, and her legs were shaking. "PENELOPE!" she screamed.
Nyx picked up Penelope by the neck and tossed her on top of the table.
"OOOOH!" the crowd roared when their bodies ripped right through the wood. Penelope's legs hooked over Nyx's shoulders as she pinned her against the ground.
Panama haunched down pointed at Penelope, and laughed like a maniac. Nyx and Penelope lay motionless amongst the splinters of the shattered table.
Penelope - LP 400
"Oh, man!" said Randall. "Did you see the way Penelope's head bounced off the floor?
"Is she okay?" Tyson asked.
"She's not moving, man!" Carter said, gripping the arms of his seat tightly.
As Patty lay on the edge of the ring, Lindsey snuck up from around the ring and flipped her over. Panama gave her a chain from his blazer. Lindsey looked like a woman possessed. She approached Patty, wrapped the chain right over her jaw, and pulled it tight. Patty's teeth gnashed over the chain.
"Now that's what I call a smile!" Panama Palmer exclaimed. He stood right next to her head as Lindsey tugged the chain right across her jaw.
"QUIT! QUIT!"
Lindsey continued to pull and finally let go before slapping her hard. "I thought you wanted to play with us?" she said, yanking on the chain again.
"Ugh!" Patty grunted.
Lindsey and Nyx walked back to their sides of the ring. Patty was left hanging over the edge, and Penelope was in a heap surrounded by broken pieces of wood.
Lindsey then commanded her Summoned Skull to attack, but Penelope, again, came to Patty's defense with a Waboku Trap, preventing her Warrior of Zera from getting destroyed and from taking any damage this turn.
"Penelope..." Patty said weakly. She could have used that card to defend herself, but she used it on Patty instead. "I'll pay you back for this. I promise."
Turn 10: Patty
LP 2100
The audience clapped two minutes later when both girls recuperated
"You're still here?" said Nyx.
Patty slowly got to her feet. Her head was throbbing, and her face and hands stung from the glass that dug into them.
"Awww. She's getting up. Maybe she should take another break," said Panama. "Huh..."
Patty looked different. She glared at her opponents, her eyes turning that familiar shade of shadowy purple.
"I'm tired of both your sh*t!" she snarled. "I activate the spell, Roll of Fate! Now, a die will roll and I get to draw cards equal to the number it shows!"
The six-sided die materialized on the field and rolled across the ground until it stopped. It showed a six!
"Well, now," said Mai. "Even Joey Wheeler himself would be proud of that luck."
The air echoed with cheers as Yuri and the other companions exulted, knowing that Patty was on the brink of receiving a fresh hand.
Patty drew her six cards. Her lips curled into a smile as she observed them.
"You got a game plan?" Penelope asked, rubbing the back of her head.
"I think I do, babe. And you're gonna love it!"
"You should just quit now, baby girl!" Panama jeered.
Patty's intense gaze, emanating from her striking purple eyes, bore into him, conveying volumes without a single word. Overwhelmed with dread, he instinctively retreated.
"First," Patty said. "I'm going to activate Graceful Charity. I draw three and discard two. Next, I'm going to send Archfiend General to the Graveyard so he can fetch me a field spell. And I'm going to use it now. Behold the field, Pandemonium!"
The arena became overgrown in an amber structure with large stalactites hanging overhead. The stage they stood on was no longer a ring but a round platform with a red arcane circle drawn on it.
"Next, I'm going to Tribute Warrior of Zera! When he steps into the field of Pandemonium, it unlocks one of his darkest forms! Behold, Mazera De Ville!"
Warrior of Zera shattered, and from the fragments rose a towering, hideous monster with long arms, scythe-like fingers, and green wings.
Mazera De Ville ATK/2800
The field was shrouded in darkness as the arena lights flickered on and off, casting eerie shadows across the ground. The deafening screams of the crowd filled the air as the terrifying roars of the monsters echoed through the arena, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
Panama Palmer felt the arena getting cold.
"And because a Dark monster was Tributed, the effect of this handsome fellow activates in the Graveyard. Arise, Darkest Diabolos, Lord of the Lair!"
Dark shadows formed a tornado. Inside it was the evolved form of Patty's old Ace, Diabolos, King of the Abyss. After so many eons mastering the darkness, the dragon emerged more powerful than ever. His body was covered in spiky black armor with red orbs all over. His wings were like a stealth fighter jet and colored black and red.
Darkest Diabolos ATK/3000
Nyx and Lindsey couldn't believe the power of the girl's ace.
"Oh, I'm not finished just yet. I activate Change of Heart. And with it, I take control of your Summoned Skull!"
Patty's control over Summoned Skull caused its eyes to glow a menacing red as it ominously glided across the field towards her side.
"Good boy," she said. "But he's not going to stay with me for long. Because Penelope and I share Graveyards, I now have four DARK monsters. And when I do, I can sacrifice your Summoned Skull to make way for Darklord Zerato!"
Darklord Zerato loomed menacingly above Mazera De Ville, his bat-like wings flapping powerfully. The blood-red armor adorning his formidable figure gleamed, reflecting the bright arena lights, casting an ominous glow around him.
Darklord Zerato ATK/2800
Panama Palmer's jaw dropped.
Patty was about to activate another card. "I now use Fulfillment of the Contract! By paying 800 of my Life Points, I'm able to bring a Ritual Monster back from the Graveyard. Rise again, Zera the Mant!"
Zera the Mant was summoned once more. He flew up next to the other Darklords, awaiting Patty's next move.
"Man, they should have known better than to piss Patty off," Nick said.
"What a comeback!" Natalya said.
"Now, I'm going to equip your XYZ-Dragon Cannon with the spell, Darkworld Shackles!" Patty shouted.
XYZ-Dragon Cannon moaned as demonic shackles locked onto its wrists and neck. The cannons powered down. Its eyes lost their light, and it fell forward. The Dragon Cannon was rendered useless.
"NO!"
"This spell will reduce your tank's ATK to a mere 100.
"I'm going to help out, too!" said Penelope. "In case you two pendejas plan on trying anything, I'm going to flip up my Anti-Magic Arrows!"
Penelope's spell activated and thousands of arrows rained down on their backboards. The crowd cheered wildly as the arrows struck Nyx and Lindsey, preventing them from using spell or trap cards for the rest of the turn.
"Remind me to give you a massage tonight," said Patty. She then gazed at her deck and smiled. "The darkness always comes to my aid when I'm in trouble. And this time is no exception. I'm going to wipe out Lindsey Riot with Darklord Zerato and Darkest Diabolos!"
"Oh, sh*t!" Lindsey shrieked.
The ferocious Beast of Talwar found itself in a harrowing confrontation as it faced the malevolent Darklord Zerato. The clash between the two was a spectacle of epic proportions, as Zerato's blade sliced through the beast's stomach with a single, decisive strike. The blade emitted an ominous red glow, unleashing a burst of energy that erupted within the Beast of Talwar, consuming it in a blazing inferno.
The Darkest Diabolos reaped Patty's vengeance on the weakened XYZ-Dragon Cannon and blasted it with acid-green fire from its jaws. The machine cried in pain before exploding into thousands of fragments of scrap metal, burning down Lindsey's Life Points to 700.
"Now, Zera the Mant! Get your revenge for the humiliation this bitch put you through!"
Zera the Mant rushed toward Lindsey to strike down her last remaining Life Points. He used his claws to slice her across the chest. She screamed as she got knocked across the ring and lay still. Her Life Point meter beeped and lowered to 0. Penelope dashed to the other side of the arena and pulled out a table. She set it up and told Patty to make Mazera De Ville smash her over it.
Patty grinned and nodded. "With pleasure."
"Aaaaah!" Lindsey yelped when the monster lifted her up over its head and slammed her down on the table.
CRACK!
It shattered under her body. The crowd cheered as Lindsey lay motionless among the splinters.Patty's laughter echoed in the room, filling the air with its buoyant melody. Nyx, on the other hand, could feel her heart pounding with fear, causing her to fumble through her turn, her mind racing in confusion. In a split-second decision, she hastily ended her turn, desperately hoping that the mystery of her face-down cards would come to her rescue.
But there was no such luck from Penelope. She activated Double Hooking, which brought Fiendish Engine Omega and Machine King back from the Graveyard. She used Harpie's Feather Duster to clear her backboard, leaving her two monsters defenseless. Penelope activated her spell, Limter Removal, which doubled her monster's ATK.
Both monsters attacked, wiping her out in a cloud of smoke. From the cloud, Penelope dashed across the arena. The shackles undid themselves, freeing her from their bondage. She picked up speed and speared Nyx into the announce table. The MC and the commentators ran for cover, and the two girls' bodies smashed through the table.
Penelope sat on top of Nyx and raised her fist high in the air. The crowd chanted her name like a mantra as she basked in her victory.
End of Heartache blasted through the arena, and the crowd jumped out of their seats.
Panama Palmer could only shake his head in disapproval at seeing his clients lose in such a humiliating fashion.
The girls lay scattered all over the arena, exhausted and in agony from their hardcore battle. Patty lay on the ground, panting heavily as sweat trickled down her cheeks and nose.
Penelope lay on the ground next to Nyx and the mangled remains of the table they crashed through. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to catch her breath.
Yuri and the others dashed out of their seats and stormed the arena to check on their friends. Nick and Yuri rushed up the arena to tend to Patty while Carter and Tyson sprinted to Penelope.
Nick held Patty in his arms, cradling her head in his hands. Despite their worry, the bloodthirsty crowd continued to cheer and the team's theme song still blasted through the arena.
EMTs rushed in with stretchers and medical equipment to examine the girls. A woman started snipping Patty's sweater off with a pair of scissors to get to the wounds on her back.
A doctor was holding a flashlight over Penelope's eyes, for they were worried about the bump to her head when Lindsey smashed her into the tables. The thumbtacks glistened on her arms as the EMTs checked her pulse.
Nyx and Lindsey were also tended to, but their wounds looked less serious. They stood up and walked out of the arena with their heads low.
Gurneys wheeled the girls away to the infirmary, where they could rest and recover. Patty held onto Nick's hand tightly until she was taken away.
"We'll be right behind you," he said. He and the others watched them get wheeled away through the curtains.
