If there is one duel that I go overboard with early on, it's this one. I wanted to do the duel justice, though, as, at the time, this duel was the closest that my protagonist was ever intended to come to fighting the original Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonist, Yugi Muto.
Chapter NineJohn vs. Final Four Deck Four;
Deck of Balance
“Bravo, bravo,” said Pegasus. “The Duel Force is victorious again.” He looked right at Sarah, “This duel showed your natural flexibility. You were comfortable in your place. Invulnerable. But when you had your security taken away, you were fluid and flexible enough to come out on top anyway. You are three for three, Duel Force.”
Pegasus smiled and looked straight at me, “But the fourth duel will be the hardest yet. As always, the hardest test is yet to come. You have fifteen minutes to make changes to your deck.”
I was surprised by this. No one else had been given this chance, but I didn't want to waste it. I took my deck from the deck box on my belt. I knew this deck as well as I knew myself. I thought back to all of the times that I'd changed it, at all of the cards that I'd removed over the years, and I was overcome with nostalgia. Then I remembered my first deck, and I felt compelled to say, “You know, when I started playing Duel Monsters I used an old Dinosaur deck, but it never really felt like me, so I changed to this one about a year later. Funny, I don’t remember where I got that other deck from anymore, but I kept it anyway, even though I never use it. My current deck suites me better. It’s a part of me.”
Holding the deck in my hand I could tell just from the weight of it that I’d allowed it to get above forty cards again. I considered removing some cards, thinking of ‘Great Maju Garzett’ and all of the trouble it had caused me, but I couldn’t bring myself to remove it. Something told me that that card was special.
I looked up at Pegasus, “My deck is ready.”
“Excellent!” Pegasus responded, as if I’d passed a test already. “Then if you’ll step up, we’ll get this duel started!”
“I’ll begin,” I said, locking eyes with our host, “once you answer me this: why has your robot been cheating?”
Tucker and Sarah seemed surprised, but Jen didn’t. She and I had reached the same conclusion. Pegasus’ robotic representative had been programmed to draw just the right cards at just the right moments, and even to get the desired results from coin tosses and dice rolls. Pegasus smiled.
“I was hoping that you would figure it out,” Pegasus replied, smiling not in the playful way that I was used to, but in a prideful way worthy of the gamer he was rumored to be. “After all, if you had not, then you would have surly lost to this next deck, which would have meant that you were not the ones I’m searching for after all.”
He flipped a switch on the arm of his chair, “The Duel Robot will fight fair from now on, you have my word.”
I nodded at Pegasus and stepped up to the arena, inserting my deck into my Duel Disk and plugging my Duel Disk into the holoarena controls. Mine and the robot’s Life Points each rose to eight thousand.
“I’ll concede the first turn,” I said when the robot randomly chose me to go first. My tone was strong and serious. I decided at that moment that I would play this duel as if my life depended on it. I would face my opponent with all of my power, all of my soul.
“Begin turn. Draw. Summon ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’ in attack mode.” On the computer’s field appeared an elf swordsman carrying a long sword (ATK: 1400).
“Set one card face-down,” the robot continued. “End turn.”
“Alright then,” I said. “I draw.” I looked at my hand. An Earth monster huh? Okay, I can deal with that, no problem!
“I summon my ‘Koumori Dragon’,” a blackish dragon appeared with an arrowhead-shaped-head, wings, and razor sharp teeth (ATK: 1500). “Next I activate the Field Spell card ‘Mystic Plasma Zone’. This card charges the field with dark energy and raises the power of all Dark monsters in play (1500+500=2000).”
The area around the Holoarena grew dark and a swirling black cloud appeared overhead. Lightning danced within it.
“Now,” I went on, “I attack with ‘Koumori Dragon’, Dark Dragon Flame!”
Dark flames exploded from the dragon’s mouth and poured over the robot’s elf monster (8000-600=7400). Smoke poured over the robot’s side of the field obscuring my view. When it cleared, ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’ was still there.
“‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’,” the robot explained, “is not destroyed by the attacks of monsters with nineteen hundred or more Attack points.”
“Well that would have been nice to know,” I grumbled.
“Begin turn,” the robot declared. “Activate the Spell card ‘Brain Control’. Pay eight hundred Life Points (7400-800=6600) to gain control of ‘Koumori Dragon’ for one turn. Sacrifice ‘Koumori Dragon’ and ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’.”
Ethereal hands reached from the Spell card and gripped my monster's head. My monster was lifted up and moved to the robot’s field, and both monsters disappeared. “Summon,” the robot continued, “the ‘Dark Magician’.” A man with pale green skin, clad in purple leather, appeared wearing a leather hood and a purple wizard’s hat, and carrying a green staff ending in a gleaming crystal (ATK: 2500+500=3000).
“Attack with ‘Dark Magician’, Dark Magic Attack,” A sphere of dark energy formed at the tip of the wizard’s staff, and he flung it straight at me, hitting me square in the chest (8000-3000=5000).
“End turn.”
I drew. I only had a few more options left against such a powerful monster. Crap! I thought, I saw him play an Earth monster and thought it would be safe to play my Field Spell card. Now my opponent has one of the most powerful Dark monsters under his control benefiting from my card!
For a moment I wondered if Pegasus had lied, if the game was still rigged, but I decided that it didn’t matter. It was my Spell that had caused this problem. That made it my problem to solve, and mine alone.
I looked over my hand again, and saw an opening. Of course a problem caused by a Spell can be solved by a Spell.
“I begin my turn,” I declared, “with a Spell card, ‘Dark Core’. I discard one card from my hand to open a spatial rift above your monster. He’ll be drawn into the rift and removed from the game.”
‘Dark Magician’ looked up as lightning from the cloud in the sky above him came together in one point. I discarded my ‘Summoned Skull’ and the lightning energy blossomed into a swirling black sphere that drew the ‘Dark Magician’ toward it.
“Activate Spell card,” the robot countered, “‘Dedication Through Light and Darkness’, sending ‘Dark Magician’ to the Graveyard to Special Summon ‘Dark Magician of Chaos’,” ‘Dark Magician’ gave way for a black-leather-clad sorcerer carrying a black staff (ATK: 2800+500=3300).
“When ‘Dark Magician’ is sent to the Graveyard, effect of Spell card ‘Dark Core’ loses its target and is negated,” the robot explained, as the swirling sphere flickered out of existence. “Also, when ‘Dark Magician of Chaos’ is summoned one Spell card moves from its controller’s Graveyard to its controller’s hand.”
“Alright,” I said, “you asked for it. Two cards face-down, and I summon ‘Cannon Soldier’ in defense mode.” ‘Cannon Soldier’, a ten foot tall boxy robot made of purple metal with long green metal claws and a cannon where his head would normally be appeared just ahead of me. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and crouched down to protect me with his life (DEF: 1300-400=900). He was the perfect lure, assuming that the robot would take the bait.
“That’s all,” I said. “I end my turn.”
“Draw card,” said the robot. “Place three cards face-down. Summon ‘Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight’ without sacrifices by his own effect (ATK: 2300+500=2800). Reveal ‘Card of Sanctity’. Both players draw until they hold six cards.”
I drew my cards, Thanks, my hand was getting a little low. I tried to focus on what my opponent’s next move might be, but my thoughts were interrupted by the neighing of the blue-armor-clad ‘Gaia’’s purple steed. ‘Gaia’ scraped his twin lances on the ground noisily before resting them on his shoulders.
“Activate ‘Spiral Spear Strike’,” the robot continued. “While this card is in play, ‘Gaia’ gains a piercing effect. Attack with ‘Gaia’, Spiral Spear Strike.”
‘Gaia’ leaped at me. I stood firm, and smiled wide, “Looks like you fell for it. See, I’m outnumbered right now, but my deck enjoys being outnumbered. It thrives on it. Activate the Trap card ‘Resistance of the Overwhelmed’!”
My ‘Cannon Soldier’ charged his cannons and fired straight up into the dark cloud. There was a flash as the cannon blast scattered outward and rained down from the cloud, destroying ‘Gaia’ and the ‘Dark Magician of Chaos’ in a brilliant explosion.
“Now you and I each take one thousand damage,” I said, positive that I had managed to turn the tides.
“Chain,” the robot countered, “the Spell card ‘Magical Magnification’, tripling the damage you take (6600-1000=5600/5000-3000=2000).
“End turn.”
At first I didn’t even move. Didn’t even breath. Then I gasped. I couldn’t believe it. Everything I’d done during the entire duel had completely backfired. The robot was just plain smarter with a better deck. I summoned a monster, and my opponent used my monster to summon his monster. I played a Field card, and my opponent reaped the benefits. I activated a Trap card, and my opponent turned it back against me, not to mention it had cards like ‘Magical Magnification’ that I’d never even heard of before. And it still had two face-down cards! All I had in my hand was a bunch of Spell cards. One of them could be used with ‘Cannon Soldier’, but it wouldn't win me the duel, and once it was gone I wouldn’t have anything left.
And of course, if my opponent had a way to counter my combo as it had every combo I had used so far, I needed a backup plan which I absolutely didn’t have. I needed to draw something. At this point anything would help.
I closed my eyes and drew a card. I took a deep breath and looked down at my card, and I grinned, Yeah, that’ll do.
“I begin my turn,” I declared, “by summoning a second monster, my ‘Jinzo #7’!”
My newest monster, a man-sized robot with a glass dome making up the top of his head, and a white “07” painted on his chest appeared next to the ‘Cannon Soldier’ (ATK: 500+500=1000).
“Next I play the Spell card ‘Sword of Dark Destruction’, equipping it to my ‘Jinzo’ and raising his attack by another four hundred,” A black sword appeared in ‘Jinzo’’s hand (1000+400=1400).
“And because both of my monsters are Machine-type,” I explained, “I’ll also play the Spell card ‘Limiter Removal’. This card doubles the power of my Machines, but destroys them at the end of the turn (ATK: 1900x2=3800/1400x2=2800).
“And last but not least, just to be prepared,” I said, “I activate ‘Spell Reproduction’, discarding ‘Dimensionhole’ and ‘Darkness Approaches’ to return a Spell card to my hand from the Graveyard.”
Pegasus leaned forward, placing his hand on his chin thoughtfully. Figured my move out did ya? I wondered. Well then Mr. Pegasus, sit back and enjoy the show!
“‘Cannon Soldier’, attack!”
A rising pitch rang in my ears as the ‘Cannon Soldier’ charged up its attack.
“Reveal,” the robot declared, “‘Call of the Haunted’, reviving the ‘Dark Magician’ from the Graveyard (ATK: 2500+500=3000).”
“Then ‘Cannon Soldier’, attack ‘Dark Magician’,” I commanded.
‘Cannon Soldier’ fired, and the robot made its move, playing another card that I’d never seen, “Reveal the Trap card ‘Spell of Darkness’, raising the Attack points of the ‘Dark Magician’ by one thousand (3000+1000=4000).”
The blast from my monster’s cannon hit ‘Dark Magician’, who was glowing with a dark light. The attack didn’t affect him at all. He raised his staff, and ‘Cannon Soldier’ was wreathed in the same light, crushed, and exploded (2000+3800-4000=1800).
I smiled a triumphant smile. “You’ve used up all of your Traps,” I announced, “which means that this duel ends right now!
“I attack with ‘Jinzo #7’.” rockets opened in my robot’s back and he shot forward, straight at ‘Dark Magician’. “Activate, from my hand the Spell card ‘Limiter Removal’.” ‘Jinzo’’s power doubled again (2800x2=5600).
“Awesome John!” Tucker said. “Now it's stronger than the robot’s monster!”
“That’s true,” I said, as the ‘Dark Magician’ moved to meet my attack, “but I’m not aiming for its monster.”
Tucker gasped, but Sarah, Jen, and Pegasus had already figured out my move. “Activate,” I commanded, “‘Jinzo’’s special ability, Teleport!”
Just as the 'Dark Magician' raised its staff again, ‘Jingo #7’ disappeared. Air filled the space where he had just been, making a loud pop. I made a fist, and said, “Finish it, Cyber Energy Fist!” It was at that moment that ‘Jinzo’ reappeared behind the ‘Magician’, his fist raised. He punched, hitting the robot with an energized strike (5600-5600=0).
“I believe,” I said, “that that’s the duel!”
My friends cheered, and on the balcony, Pegasus stood and gave me a round of applause, one which I could tell was genuine. “Amazing,” he said. “A finish that would have been fitting for the King of Games.”
“Wow,” Tucker whispered in my ear, “I think Pegasus just compared you to Yugi Muto!”
"No," Jen said, "he's just referencing the fact that these decks were all based on ones used by the four finalists of the old Duelist Kingdom tournament. The deck John fought was based on Yugi's."
"Very clever again, young lady," Pegasus replied, "but that isn't the only reason."
I looked right at Pegasus, and he smiled in the curious way that he does.
“Now my young friends, if you would please follow me, we have much to discuss,” Pegasus said as he stood and moved toward the exit of the balcony. “Please, meet me in the room at the end of the hall. What I have to tell you will change your worlds forever, you just have to decide how.”
He walked out, and the robot and the holoarena rose up to the ceiling. The walkway extended out, connecting to the walkway at the opposite side of the cavernous room. The door ahead of us opened, and we stepped forward, moving closer and closer to our unavoidable destiny.
Card of the Day:
Jinzo #7
Played by: John
To be fair, the machine aspect of John's deck goes away pretty fast, and this monster is one of the first to go, but at the time, going with just the monsters he had at the time, John executes a pretty great combo with this monster, making it deserving of this spot. At least it's a better choice than some of the one-off original cards that I put in this chapter just to make it seem more exciting. Speaking of those...
Original Cards in This Chapter:
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