Going back to this book again, there are things that I'm really glad that I did with it. In my stories there is a clear tier. Jen, Max, Rocky, Tucker, and Karen are on a tier just below John and just above everyone else (except Amanda, but she doesn't count, since the rule is that she always wins, but isn't always around). While they could each defeat any other member of the team, there are simply some characters who are stronger than others at a base level. In the case of this book, the only one with the full Duel Force (again, except for Amanda) in it where everyone fights the villains, I wanted to give the "weaker" characters something to do, but there had to be a reason for them to have to step up and fight a fight that the stronger characters couldn't win.
So I take Jen out early by giving her opponent cards which counter the Token monsters that she relies on so much. In this next duel I give Rocky a handicap by having him more focused on protecting Kimi than winning, something that Karen didn't see coming, or else she would have likely paired them with other Duelists rather than with each other. Later on I handicap Tucker in an important match, and put Max and Karen up against an opponent who is even more of a chess master than Karen herself is, and handicap her as well, to boot, but you'll have to wait and see how when their duels come up.
Chapter EightThe Next Wave;
Rocky and Kimi vs. Ghost Ruler
Rocky
I watched from the sidelines as another of my companions fell, their spirit stripped away along with the magic of their Duelist's Soul. “No fair,” I said forcefully. “She didn’t have a Duelist’s Soul when we started. She shouldn’t have been bound by the same rules.”
“She made her choice,” said the spiky-haired kid. “By being here at all she made the choice to take part in our game, regardless of the consequences. She surprised me. To defeat Beast Ruler, and then to come so close to defeating Ghost Ruler. She was much stronger than I ever would have expected.”
Someone else might have seen Spiky Hair’s reaction as a sign of respect for Kris, but I knew better. He’d simply finally begun to take interest in us. That made me mad. Even though I didn’t know Kris very well, I knew she was a better person than our opponents. She deserved more than what had happened to her. So did Jen. I turned to Kimi, my partner in the next duel, eager to prove just that to our enemies by defeating as many of them as I could. “You ready?” I asked. She nodded.
“Good,” I said, looking Ghost Ruler in the eyes fiercely, “let’s take out this trash.”
Kimi and I were the next wave. Karen and Jen, two of the greatest strategists I’d ever known or known of, thought that my solid defense and my skill at combining cards would be a good compliment to Kimi’s “Burning Light” Style, and as the duel began, I really hoped that they were right. There was no way to keep Kimi from fighting for her friends, but I didn’t want her to get hurt. I needed to protect her.
“I’ll start us off,” I announced. “I set one monster and place three cards face-down (LP: 8000).”
Darkness swirled all around us as a result of the Shadow Game. Within that darkness the obscured form of my monster appeared.
“That makes it my move,” said Kimi, “and I begin with my ‘Agent of Wisdom – Mercury’ in attack mode. Next I set two cards face-down and activate ‘Pot of Generosity’, letting me shuffle two cards from my hand into my Deck.”
On Kimi’s field appeared a man with dark green skin and green and blue wings, carrying a book under his arm (ATK: 0). She must have something prepared for that monster, I thought. I have to protect it. Good thing I’m prepared too!
“My move,” said Ghost Ruler, sounding quite pleased with himself, “and I begin with my Spell card ‘Fiend Sanctuary’, letting me summon a ‘Metal Fiend Token’ to the field.” A small creature made of stacked reflective metal spheres appeared within a magical ring at Ghost’s feet (ATK: 0).
“Next,” Ghost continued, “I sacrifice my ‘Token’ to summon one of my lost souls, ‘Earl of Demise’,” the ghastly gentleman swordsman appeared, brandishing his rapier (ATK: 2000), “and attack ‘Agent Mercury’!” The ghost swordsman rushed Kimi’s monster, but he was cut off by the statue of a massive face and hands, built from multi-colored bricks.
“I reveal,” I countered, “my Trap cards, ‘Staunch Defender’ and ‘Castle Walls’, increasing the Defense of my ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs’ by five hundred (DEF: 2500) and allowing it to block your attack!”
‘Earl’’s sword hit my ‘Statue’ and bounced off. I chuckled, saying, “Now, my final face-down card. Go ‘Destruction Punch’, destroying your monster with lower Attack than my monster’s Defense.”
The ‘Statue’ charged forward and overran the ‘Earl’, crushing it.
“And as you may or may not know, when you take battle damage from a battle with my ‘Statue’," I explained, "the damage is doubled.” Ghost seemed unconcerned as his Life Points fell (8000-1000=7000).
“One card face-down,” said Ghost, his eyes flashing with sudden interest. “End turn.”
Three guesses what that card is, I thought, trying to come up with a way to get rid of what I knew was ‘Ouija Board’ before it could activate, but it was unnecessary. Kimi was already prepared.
“During the End Phase of your turn,” Kimi declared, “I reveal ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying your face-down card.” The ‘Ouija Board’ appeared, torn in half by a powerful gust of wind. Hundreds of souls burst from within it, screaming in pain before fading away.
Ghost started laughing. “Yep,” I said. “This guy’s definitely crazy.”
“Don’t you get it?” Ghost asked, a maniacal look in his eyes. “I’ll give you props, you two have already done far better against my deck than I expected, but nothing you have done is of any concern to me. My ‘Ouija Board’ card is a handicap put in place to limit my true power, to keep my duels interesting when my opponents are too weak to make things interesting on their own! Now that it’s gone I know that you two are strong enough to keep me entertained, and I can really let loose!”
“Kim,” I said, feeling sick, “I think things may have just gotten a lot worse.”
Then to Ghost I said, “I draw, and I play the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards from my deck. Next, I summon my ‘Destroyer Golem’ in attack mode.” A huge stone man with an oversized right arm, standing fifteen feet tall, appeared behind me (ATK: 1500).
“Go, ‘Destroyer Golem’, attack, Giant Fist Hammer!” The ‘Golem’ punched Ghost Ruler, throwing him onto his back (7000-1500=5500). He got back up. He had blood in the corner of his mouth. He stuck out his tongue, licking the blood away.
“Awe man,” I said, “you’re sick.”
“Don’t worry, Robby,” Kimi said, collected and calm. “We won’t have to worry about him for too much longer. My turn, and because I had no card in my hand at the end of my opponent’s last turn I can draw a second card with ‘Mercury’’s effect. But first, I reveal ‘Solemn Wishes’. Each time I draw, I gain five hundred Life Points!” She drew once to start her turn, and then again for her monster’s effect, and gained Life Points accordingly (8000+500 +500=9000). She was already establishing a rather impressive lead.
“Next I activate the effect of my ‘Card of Sanctity’,” she declared, “letting all players draw until they hold six cards.” All three of us drew, and Kimi’s Life Points rose even further (9000+500=9500).
“Finally, I change my ‘Mercury’ to defense mode (DEF: 1700), and summon ‘Agent of creation – Venus’!” A beautiful angel with long flowing hair descended to Kimi’s side in a pillar of light (ATK: 1600). ‘Mercury’ stepped back to stand at Kimi’s other side and raised his free hand, striking up a defensive pose.
“By paying fifteen hundred Life Points,” Kimi explained, “I can use my ‘Venus’’ light to call three ‘Mystic Shine Balls’ to the field (9500-1500=8000).” Three colorful glass orbs appeared, flying in a circle around ‘Venus’’ head (ATK: 500 (each)).
“Now,” Kimi commanded, “my monsters strike as one, Mystic Shine!” The four monsters released a wave of light (5500-3100=2400). “Would you look at that. Another turn and you’ll be dead.”
Ghost smiled his wicked smile and drew a card,. “It’s my turn, and I start it off with a bang! Activate, ‘Dark Hole’!”
High above us, the sky grew even darker, energy crackling across a vast black vortex that appeared directly above battlefield. The pull of the vortex drew all seven of mine and Kimi’s monsters inside, closing behind them.
“Next,” said Ghost, “I play ‘Cheerful Coffin’, discarding ‘Headless Knight’ and ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’, and I Special Summon ‘Dark Necrofear’ by her own effect, removing the three monsters in my Graveyard from play to do so (ATK: 2200).” The grotesque female ghost with the mutilated doll on hand appeared. I think Ghost expected us to be afraid, because when we didn’t flinch, he scowled.
“I guess seeing my deck once before has prepared you for the appearance of my monsters. It doesn’t matter though. My deck is still just as strong without all the terror factor. And there’s more than one way to scare a Duelist. Another of my favorite ways to scare someone is to out play them.
“I play ‘Spell Economics’,” Ghost declared menacingly, “so that I don’t have to pay Life Points to activate the Spell card ‘Dimension Fusion’!”
A ripple appeared in the sky above Ghost, and three monsters emerged; the green-skinned baron, ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’ (ATK: 2450), the ghastly swordsman, ‘Earl of Demise’ (ATK: 2000), and the decapitated warrior ‘Headless Knight’ (ATK: 1450).
“Now,” said Ghost, “finally, I summon the ‘Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams’, the Siren of Nightmares!”
Alongside the other four monsters, a spirit of a grotesque woman appeared (ATK: 1300), and Ghost continued, “Now I attack with all five of my monsters, dealing massive damage to you both.” I’m not sure which monsters hit who in the onslaught, but when it was over, Kimi had been thrown onto her back, and I had fallen to my knees, quivering with pain. Our Life Points had fallen to two thousand fifty and thirty-five hundred fifty respectively.
That’s just great, I thought as Kimi and I struggled to rise. This guy’s got complete field advantage. When Kimi draws she’ll gain back some of the Life Points she lost, but other than that, we have nothing left. If I don’t draw a good card now, we’ll both lose! “I draw,” I declared, barely taking any time to note the newest addition to my hand, “and I summon the card I just drew, my favorite card, ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’!”
Ahead of me a fifteen foot tall stone warrior appeared, a stone sword in each hand, crouched down into a defensive position (DEF: 2000).
My monster's strong, but it’s not strong enough, “Activate, the Field Spell ‘Chorus of Sanctuary’, bathing all defending monsters in a holy light and raising their defense by five hundred (2000+500=2500). Now none of your monsters can get through him!”
And if I have to, I’ll use that move to defend Kimi. If it comes down to it, I’ll give my life to save her.
Kimi closed her eyes. Then she looked up at Ghost and said, “This is it. The defining moment in this entire duel. If I draw the right card, you lose right now. I draw!”
Card of the Day:
Giant Soldier of Stone
Played by: Rocky
Another major duel, and another character declaring their favorite card. This time the character is Rocky, and the card of this, one of the first Rares ever in the entire game. Rocky likes this card because it is a wall that protects its allies, but has the potential to fight back when the need arises, just like him.
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