RANMA, MASTER OF THE CARDS

Disclaimer: ranma 1/2, Slayers and Yugi-Oh blong to their own respective creators, so that covers my butt.

< >: Thoughts

Ranma-Yami: Ranma merged with Yami.

AP/DP: Attack/Defense Points

Chapter 4

Part 2

The Scarlet Sage

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Current score

Luna: 600 LP

Bannick: 1500 LP

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Luna was in trouble, and she knew it, as she gazed up at behemoth known as Master Blaster. Behind the machine monster, Bannick wore a smug expression. He knew that he had his opponent right where he wanted her and the next turn would be her last.

<What do I do now?> Luna thought as she reached for the next card in her deck. <That Master Blaster is powerful enough to destroy any Monster Card in my deck. Even the fighter-types that Ranma gave to me, wouldn't be enough to withstand that kind of firepower. I can't put any of my monsters in Defense Mode because of that monstrosity's hypnotic gaze and magical attacks won’t work! It looks like I may lose my first Duel!>

<Don't give up!>

Luna became a bit startled when she head Ranma-Yami's voice in her head. Looking to where he lay on the ground, outside of the Dueling Field, she noted that his Millennium Puzzle was glowing slightly. She correctly assumed that he was using it to communicate with her telepathically.

<Ranma?>

<Yes. I'm... very weak right now, because of the virus... but I'm telling you now that you can beat this jerk! Believe in the HEART of the cards!>

<But...>

Ranma-Yami's voice faded away, leaving Luna with a decision. Taking a deep breath, she knew that this was her moment of truth and drew a card.

There was a long silence between the two Duelists as Lina and the others watched in anticipation.

"Well?" Bannick demanded. "What's it going to be? Are you going to play your last pathetic cards, or are you going to surrender?"

When Luna saw what card she had drawn, she smiled and replied, "This Duel is FAR from over Bannick! First, I shall lay this Monster Card in Attack Mode! SCARLET SAGE! (2200/2000)

The card from her hand flipped over and formed a slender red-haired woman. She was garbed in long, flowing robes of crimson with flaring sleeves. She wore a necklace of gold and a tiara with wings framing her face. He eyes were a brilliant shade of red, like rubies. And to Lina's displeasure, she too also sported a pair of breasts that were larger than hers.

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<Geez! Does every card in this game have bigger breasts than me?!> Lina groaned.

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"Hmpf! Another magic user?" Bannick snorted. "Have you forgotten that magical attacks won't work on my Machine Monsters?"

Luna's smile became more prominent. "There are other uses for magic besides attacking your opponent. Now I'll show you with this Magic Card I just drew! ACTIVATE MIRROR MIRAGE!"

Instantly, the Scarlet Sage suddenly split into two identical images of herself, then became four.

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<That looks like the old ghoul's Splitting Cat Hairs technique. > Ranma-Yami thought.

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"What is this?" The Machine Duelist demanded.

"This is the effect of the Mirror Mirage." Luna replied with a smile. "It has just made three special illusions of my Scarlet Sage. Now then, you'll have to choose which image to attack. If you strike my magician, then you will win the game. However, if you strike one of the mirror images, then you WILL regret it. You can do the math. You have one in four chances of hitting the Scarlet Sage. However, you have three in four chances of guessing wrong."

"You think your parlor tricks will stop my Master Blaster!?" Bannick snarled, then commanded his Monster to attack. "MASTER BLASTER! DESTROY THE ONE ON THE FAR LEFT!"

The mechanical monstrosity aimed its Devastator Cannon at its target and fired. However, image suddenly became a flat plane of glass, which absorbed the attack.

"WHAT?!"

"I told you that you would regret it, if you chose wrong." Luna reminded. "The spell is called Mirror Mirage for a reason. You were fooled by the illusion, and now the mirror that the illusion has become will deflect most of your attack away. However, twenty-five percent of your Master Blaster's attack will be sent directly back to YOU!"

The mirror dispersed most of the blast as well as shattering to pieces. However, a beam of power was reflected back, which slammed into Bannick, doing Direct Damage. *

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

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Luna: 600 LP

Bannick: 775 LP

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Luna smiled as she still had her Scarlet Sage on the field, plus two more duplicates. "Now we are almost even."

On the sidelines, Lina and the others cheered as Luna began her comeback.

Bannick was not amused. "You will pay for that!"

Luna shook her head. "I don't think so. You still have three more chances to hit my Scarlet Sage, but if you guess wrong again, then you won't have many Life Points left. Furthermore, I shall lay this card down as well." Another card appeared face down on the field. "Care to try your luck again?"

Bannick growled as he decided that it was worth the risk. "MASTER BLASTER, ATTACK THE MIDDLE ONE!"

Luna frowned as the blast hit the real Scarlet Sage, causing the remaining illusions to disappear.

"HAH! I'VE WON!" Bannick sneered.

However, Lina's sister shook her head as her smile returned. "I'm impressed. You actually guessed right, but that doesn't mean that you've won."

"What do you mean!?" Her opponent demanded, then gasped as Luna's hidden card flipped itself up.

"I mean that you attacked without considering the Trap Card that I had placed."

"A Trap Card?!"

"That's right. It's a card known as the Time Crystal."

"Time Crystal?!"

In an instant, the card became a multi-pointed white crystal in front of the Scarlet Sage. The energy from Master Blaster's attack was absorbed into it, leaving the magic user unharmed.

"The power of the Time Crystal is activated when an enemy attacks." Luna explained. "It absorbs the attack, which saves my Sage from destruction, and activates its special ability. Now behold... THE TIME VORTEX!"

The crystal put forth a beam of light, causing a rift in the space-time continuum. A circular portal appeared and increased in size. When it was larger than Master Blaster, it began exerting a powerful suction force. Bannick's machines tried to resist, but were pulled through the dimensional gateway, which immediately closed itself, leaving his side of the field empty.

"WHAT HAPPENED!? WHERE ARE MY MONSTERS?!"

The violet-haired magic user gave her opponent a smirk. "They were pulled through the Time Vortex and flung into the future."

"The future?"

"That's right. Three turns into the future, to be precise. That means that Master Blaster and Battery Booster will reappear three turns later. Until then, you will be WITHOUT your strongest Monster."

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"Outstanding!" Zelgadis remarked.

"Without that Master Blaster, Sis has got this Duel in the bag!" Lina declared.

Ranma-Yami coughed a bit as the virus continued to eat away at his body. "Don't... celebrate too soon. The Duel is not over yet."

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"Unfortunately, I cannot attack, when using the Time Crystal Trap. However, I can still switch my Scarlet Sage to Defense Mode now that Master Blaster is gone. I shall also lay this card facedown as well!" Lina's sister gestured to her monster while throwing out a new card.

The red-haired magician knelt down in a defensive posture. Another card appeared behind it.

Bannick growled after temporarily losing his best monster, then chuckled. "I had thought that you'd be easy pickings, but I can see now that I'm going to enjoy destroying you. Master Blaster was my strongest monster, but he wasn't the only one in my Deck!"

Luna said nothing for a moment as she considered her situation. <I've bought some time with that Time Vortex, but not much. These next three turns will be critical and after that, the Master Blaster will return. If I can't figure out a plan by then, I'm finished!>

"Make your move!" Luna called out.

Bannick nodded as he selected two cards from his hand. "All right. I may not have Master Blaster right now, but I shall win! First, I shall use this card!"

Luna gasped as she saw it. "A Stop Defense Card?"

"That's right. This puts your Scarlet Sage back into Attack Mode!"

Sure enough, Luna's Monster went back into Attack Position.

"And now, I'll add this! GO BLAST SPHERE!"

Luna frowned again as she saw the same device that had injured Ranma-Yami. As of now, his body was now fifty-percent machine and Amelia couldn't hold out much longer in delaying the Mech-Virus. Now the Blast Sphere sped over to her side and attached itself to her Scarlet Sage.

"I do believe you remember my Blast Sphere, Miss Inverse. It's a self-destruct monster. And once my turn is over, it will explode, giving off 2900 points of damage. That's more than enough to destroy your Scarlet Sage."

Luna starting hearing some ominous ticking sounds and knew that she had to think fast. Just then, Bannick raised an arm with fist clenched and pointed with his thumb toward the ground.

"My turn is over!"

KABOOOOM!

Bannick snickered as a huge explosion caused a cloud of dust to appear. However, his laughter was short-lived as when the smoke cleared and he saw the Scarlet Sage was unharmed. Except that her pendant had been replaced, with a large medallion around her neck."

"What the?! How can the Sage still be standing?!"

"Simple." Luna said with a shrug, as her hidden card was now visible to all. "I had added the Mystic Medallion of Virtue, which added 800 Attack Points to my Scarlet Sage." (3000/2000)

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"What does that do?" Amelia asked.

Ranma-Yami smiled a bit. "It made her Sage stronger so the blast was deflected. That means Bannick's Life Points goes down."

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Luna: 600 LP

Bannick: 665 LP

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"You'll pay for that!"

"I doubt it." Luna said.

"I don't." Bannick said with a sneer. "You may have avoided being destroyed by my Blast Sphere, but that didn't mean that I wasn't prepared for something like that."

"What are you talking about?" Luna demanded.

"This!" A card suddenly appeared in front of Bannick. "I had added a little surprise to my Blast Sphere before I set it off. Recognize it?"

Luna's grimaced as she saw it. "The Mech-Virus?"

"That's right! And it will affect all the monsters on my opponent's side, including the ones in your deck! In two turns, all the monsters that have over 2000 Attack Points will become Machine Monsters, under my control!"

In an instant, the Scarlet Sage began writhing in agony as circuits and robotic parts began to appear all over her body. Luna's deck also began glowing with an eerie light as the cards were being infected.

<I have to think fast, if I want to save my Sage and the rest of my cards!> Luna quickly began scanning her hand. <There's nothing in my hand that can help me! If I had Bannick's Anti-Mech-Virus, I could reverse the effects and... wait a minute! I do have the means to get beat that Mech-Virus! But... I have to draw for it! However... if I don't draw the right card, then I'm finished!> Taking a deep breath while closing her eyes, Luna reached for her deck... and drew the top card. When she looked at it, she smiled while chuckling.

"What are you so happy about?" Bannick asked as he thought he had already won the game.

"Bannick... I just drew the card which will save my Sage."

"Impossible! You need to have the Anti-Mech Virus!"

"And so I shall!" Luna declared as she revealed her card. "BEHOLD THE SPEAR OF LIGHT!"

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"What does that do?" Lina asked.

Ranma-Yami was almost completely taken over by the Mech-Virus as he explained. "The Spear of Light allows Luna to seek out one card in her opponent's hand, graveyard pile or deck. We know that it's not in his Graveyard. It's got to be either in his hand or deck. However, she only has one shot. If she guesses wrong, then Luna may waste her only chance."

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The card morphed into an ornamental spear, waiting for Luna's next command.

Pausing a moment to consider her target, she then shouted out. "Spear! Pierce Bannick's Deck and bring me the Anti-Mech-Virus!"

The Spear of Light shot forward and hit Bannick's Dueling Deck. A bright flash of light suddenly appeared, which instantly reshaped into the spear. Now pinned on its tip was the Anti-Mech-Virus card, as it returned to its owner. Luna smiled as the spear went through her Scarlet Sage and then her deck, purging her cards of the cybernetic disease. Her Scarlet Sage went back to her normal state.

"NO! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Bannick screamed as his Mech-Virus was eliminated.

Luna smirked as she laid down another card, ending her turn. "I've thwarted your virus, and now I shall win this Duel!"

Bannick growled, then remembered that all was not lost. There was just one more turn to go before his Master Blaster and Battery Booster returned from the Time Vortex. Seeing that he no other cards strong enough to take down Luna's Scarlet Sage, he decided to bide his time until the next turn.

"STEEL STRIKER IN DEFENSE!" (1250/2000)

The card he threw out became a hulking robot with a metal mace.

Luna's eyes narrowed. She knew what he was planning. <He's just biding his time until his Master Blaster and that Battery Booster return from the Time Vortex. Right now, my Scarlet Sage is stronger than his Master Blaster was before it was sent into the future, but he can use Battery Booster to power it up when it comes back. Magic attacks can't get through those Machine Monsters' armor, and I don't know what other surprises he's got for me. I have to win this Duel on the next turn!> Luna noted that one particular card was in her hand and then drew a new one. She suddenly got an inspiration when she saw the new card and addressed her opponent.

"I shall lay these cards facedown."

"Hmpf! It doesn't matter what those cards are, because your time is up!" Bannick sneered. "Three turns have passed and now my greatest monster is back!"

With these words, the Time Vortex opened up again, releasing both Master Blaster and Battery Booster from their journey through the space-time continuum. Once they exited, the portal sealed itself up. Master Blaster was still in attack mode, while Battery Booster was in Defense.

"Welcome back." Bannick said to his monsters before turning his attention to Luna. "And now, since more than three turns have passed, I can charge up my Master Blaster! BATTERY BOOSTER! GIVE MASTER BLASTER A POWER UP!"

The smaller machine hooked itself up with Master Blaster and began feeding it power.

"Heh. You see that? My Master Blaster now has an attack strength higher than your Scarlet Sage!" (3500/2300) "You're finished! DEVASTATOR CANNON!"

Master Blaster aimed its weapon at the Scarlet Sage and fired.

"I don't think so." Luna smiled. "This Duel ends with these cards!" One of her hidden cards flipped itself, revealing its face to him. "First I shall defend with Negate Attack!"

The blast that was intended for her Scarlet Sage disappeared as Luna's defensive magic activated itself.

"Hmpf! You're just delaying the inevitable!" Bannick scoffed. "Negate Attack remains on the field for one turn only! My Master Blaster will finish you off the next time!"

"Have you forgotten my other hidden card, Bannick?" Luna teased with a smile as her second card flipped up. "BEHOLD THE ORB OF THE ANCIENTS!"

"What is that card?"

"The Orb of the Ancients is a very powerful, very rare card." Luna replied, as a glowing crystal sphere appeared. "Its mystical energies can double the attack power of any magician or dragon card for one full turn!"

Bannick snorted. "Hah! So what? You intend to power up your Scarlet Sage with that card? That's useless since my Machine Monsters are protected by their magic-resistant armor!"

"From the outside, yes. However, who ever said I was going to use it on my Scarlet Sage? I intend to use it... on YOUR Master Blaster!"

"WHAT?!"

"Which brings us to this, the Catapult Turtle! (1000/2000)" A huge armored beast with a launcher mounted on its back appeared from one of the cards in Luna's hand. "I shall now load the Orb of the Ancients onto its catapult and fire it at Master Blaster! Since it's is made of indestructible crystal, the Orb can used like a projectile!"

Outside the Dueling Field, Ranma-Yami nodded at Luna's ingenuity and the use of another one of the cards he had given to her.

At Luna's command, the Orb floated over to the Catapult Turtle and placed itself onto the launcher. The reptilian weapon let off a grunt and fired it off. The orb shot like a cannonball and slammed into the chest of Master Blaster. The projectile struck hard, plowing deep into in the machine's torso and imbedding itself. The monster began stuttering and trembling as mystic energy was being fed into its insides.

"Since your Master Blaster is a Machine-Type Monster, it cannot accept the mystic energies of the Orb of the Ancients. Instead of doubling its attack power, the Orb CUTS your monster's attack strength in HALF!" (1750/2300)

"THIS CAN'T BE!"

"My Scarlet Sage may not be able to penetrate your machine's armor, but with the Orb now a part of it and the hole it made, I have a direct line to its insides! You lose!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

"SCARLET SAGE! CRIMSON FIREWAVE ATTACK!"

The red-robed mage let loose with a huge blast of energy from her hands, which entered Master Blaster through the hole, in which the Orb of the Ancients had made. The behemoth began trembling and let off sparks as the immense power within fought to escape its confines. Finally, the outer shell could not contain it and...

KRA-KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Bannick screamed as he was engulfed in the resulting explosion. The entire playing field trembled, as a small earthquake hit it. Pieces of Master Blaster went flying and showered the surrounding area before disintegrating. Finally, the carnage ended as the barrier that separated the Duelists from the outside world faded away.

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Final score

Luna: 600 LP

Bannick: 0 LP

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"YOU DID IT SIS!" Lina cheered as she, Zelgadis and Gourry ran over to congratulate her. Luna recalled all of her cards and walked over to her fallen adversary. Quickly snatching up his deck, she flipped through it and retrieved the original Anti-Mech-Virus Card. She turned and ran past her friends and sister to where Ranma-Yami lay.

Kneeling down, she held out the card and activated its properties. In a flash, the Game King's body was cleared of the robotic affliction. He nodded to his savior as he and Amelia stood up.

"Thank you, Luna. You saved my life."

"You would have done the same for me, Ranma." Luna said as she put her new card into her deck. "And I believe that as the winner of the Duel, I get to decide HIS fate." She gestured with a thumb at Bannick, who was still lying in pain on the ground and nodded to Ranma's Millennium Puzzle.

Ranma-Yami nodded back and walked over to Bannick. Glaring down at him, he addressed the defeated Duelist. "Bannick, Luna Inverse is the victor and she has decided for you to be condemned to..."
"W-W-Wait..." Bannick pleaded.

"OBLIVION!" Thrusting one hand out, Ranma-Yami sent him back to the Shadow Realm. His Millennium Puzzle glowed as a strange eye-shaped symbol briefly appeared on his forehead. The Machine User let off one final wail as he was sent away, leaving nothing of his passing.

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Later on...

"You did well for your first Duel, Luna."

"Yes, and I have you to thank for my win. If it weren't for those cards you gave to me, I would have lost."

"You trusted in the HEART of the cards, Luna. That's all that matters." Ranma said as he was once again his normal self.

"So where are we heading now?" Gourry asked.

"Vendera." Luna replied. "I've heard that there's an old mage who lives in the city and that he's a collector of ancient magical artifacts."

"It sounds like he might have one of the Millennium Items."

"It's worth a try."

Luna nodded as she and the others continued on their way.

To be continued...

Authors Notes.

Well, that takes care of chapter four and Luna's first victory. I'm still open for suggestions on new cards, real or imaginary. As for chapter five, our group will be encountering the Millennium Eye and soon Ranma will have to return to his home dimension with his new friends to take part in one of the biggest events of his new Dueling career. See you then!

(*) Master Blaster was at 2900 Attack Points, and 25% equals 725 Points of Direct Damage.

NEW CARDS

MIRROR MIRAGE: Trap Card which works like Yugi's Magical Hats, but choosing the wrong image, entitles in some serious feedback damage.

TIME CRYSTAL: Stops an attack, and removes all of the opponent's monsters from the field for three turns by sucking them through the Time Vortex.

SPEAR OF LIGHT: Able to take a card from an opponent's graveyard, deck or dueling hand.

STEEL STRIKER: (1250/2000) A weaker, Machine version of the Barbarian Destroyer.

MEDALLION OF VIRTUE: Adds 800 Attack Points to any Magician or Magic-based Monster.

ORB OF THE ANCIENTS: Powerful magic item. Can double any Magician or Dragon's attack power for one turn. However, it has a detrimental effect on Non-Magic Monsters, especially machines. Can cut their Attack Power in half. The crystal can also be used as a projectile.

SCARLET SAGE: Psychic Dragon-Mage.