A few chapter's back we learned that the protagonist's mother is also a Duelist. Here we actually get to see her duel, but that's not all we learn about her. From her reactions to things like magic and Shadow Games, and from a few things that she notes in the internal dialogue of the chapter, we actually learn a lot. Basically, she has a whole history related to Duel Monsters which has yet to be revealed. Will I reveal it eventually? I dunno, maybe.
Oh, and just to get it out there, remember back at the end of Chapter One, when John was about to fight Max, and Max mentioned that he had only been fighting at half strength? Well, he was pushed beyond that in his duel in this chapter, making John's mom stronger than most, if not all, of the Duel Force right now.
Chapter FourteenInvitation to the Final Battle
My mom woke me up the following Saturday. I was registered in a regional tournament at the Game Center, and even with everything else going on, I didn’t want to miss it. Of course I’d forgotten my alarm, so I was running a little late. Since I’d missed the tournament in the park, I still needed to fight some one-on-one duels with the goal of testing my new deck. I wanted to be ready when Max returned.
I showered, dressed, grabbed my bag containing my deck, and grabbed my Duel Disk, all at super speed. My mom agreed to drive me. That way I would still make it there a bit early and get a chance to scope out the competition.
“I still don’t understand why you have a problem with me entering one of these things,” Mom said, her dark blond hair blowing in the breeze through the car window. “Don’t you think it would be fun to face off in a big duel?”
“Not in public,” I said. “You may be a Duelist, but you still embarrass me as much as any mom can be expected to embarrass her son.”
“You know,” she said, thoughtfully, “I think I kinda resent that.”
We arrived at the mall only a few minutes later. I grabbed my bag and jumped out of the car, running straight through the Game Center’s outer entrance, eager to show off my new strength.
Shannon
I watched John run inside the Game Center. I was proud of him, fighting to save the world and all. I was worried a little, sure, but I knew he was strong enough.
Besides, I thought, he has Kimi and Jenifer and Sarah and his other friends there to help him. They're right, Duel Monsters really is the key to defeating these evil forces, and these kids are the ones to be doing this. They’re the best.
Maybe I'm a little biased, but the point stands.
I was pulling out of the parking lot and back onto the street when I noticed that John had left his Duel Disk on the back seat, next to where he had set his bag on the way over. He had probably meant to put it in his bag, but forgot.
I’d better run it in to him, I decided. He’ll probably need it to duel with.
I turned the car around and pulled into a space relatively close to the door. I grabbed John’s Disk and exited the car, making my way toward the entrance.
I was nearly there when I got the strange sense that I was being followed. I turned around and found myself facing a boy about John’s height wearing faded jeans and a baggy hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, obscuring his eyes.
“You must be Max,” I said calmly, speaking loudly enough to let my voice carry across the several yards of parking lot that separated us.
“Yes,” Max said, almost politely. “and I’m here for you.”
“Why me?” I asked, though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.
“Simple,” Max replied. “Right now I don’t have anything to offer your son in exchange for a duel, a duel that I have no choice but to fight, so I need to take one of his loved ones. And the only one important enough to guarantee his attention, who is incapable of fighting me, is you.”
“Well,” I said, a bit hurt, putting John’s Duel Disk on and inserting my own deck, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not some weak middle-aged lady who can’t defend herself. I’m a Duelist too, and you can’t make me come with you.”
Max looked at me carefully. He seemed intrigued, “Well then, if you really want to fight me, a bit of borrowed magic and a Shadow Game will force you into submission.”
The area around us was filled with a familiar darkness, like the color was being drained away. I shrugged, “Okay young man, but remember, I won’t go easy on you.”
Max looked even more interested now. “This should be…unusual,” he said. “I’ve never dueled an old lady before. Allow me to go first. I draw, and I summon the vampire bat ‘Blood Sucker’, attack mode.” A red-skinned man bat appeared, hissing loudly, its teeth bared (ATK: 1300).
“I’ll also set two cards face-down,” said max, “and end my turn.”
“Well,” I said, “I guess that makes it my turn. I just hope I remember what to do.”
“Nice try,” said Max, “but I see it now. You can’t fool me, your Duelist spirit is very strong.”
I smiled a prideful smile, the mirror of my son's, “You can’t blame me for trying.”
Max smiled back, a wicked sight, “Not at all.”
“I begin,” I said, “with a face-down monster. Your move.”
“Hmm,” said Max, “interesting move. Simple. Nothing to concern myself with. I activate ‘Overpowering Eyes’, allowing my monster to attack directly,” ‘Blood Sucker’’s eyes flashed red and it zipped across the field, biting me on the shoulder, and zipped back. I felt the wound and found that I was bleeding, but that didn’t surprise me any more than the inexplicable strain that was being exerted upon my body (8000-1300=6700).
“Next,” said Max, “because you were damaged by ‘Blood Sucker’, you must discard the top card of your deck.”
I nodded and discarded my card, the pink pterodactyl dragon ‘Seiyaryu’. I had to restrain from smiling at my good fortune.
“My move again,” I almost sang. Despite the stakes I was excited to be dueling like this again. “I Flip-Summon ‘Crystal Seer’,” I began, “letting me check the top two cards of my deck, add one to my hand, and return one to the bottom of my deck. Essentially, I look into my future to gain control of my present.”
A woman appeared, robed in red, wearing a blue cape and a cloth over her face, carrying a crystal ball in her left hand (ATK: 100).
“Next I summon another monster, my ‘Herald of Creation’,” an elegant woman in a golden gown appeared, wearing a silver breast plate, a golden helm, a cloth across her face, and carrying a gleaming golden staff (ATK: 1800).
“‘Herald of Creation’ let’s me discard one card,” I explained, “to return a Level seven or higher monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I toss out one card to return the card added to the Graveyard by your monster effect.” I inserted one card into the Graveyard of the Duel Disk, and a different card emerged. I took it into my hand.
“Now,” I continued, “I activate the ‘Double Summon’ Spell card, allowing me one more Normal Summon this turn. I sacrifice ‘Crystal Seer’ and ‘Herald of Creation’ to summon ‘Seiyaryu’!”
The pink dragon appeared in the air above me in a swirl of wind and flashing light (ATK: 2500). She roared, anxious to attack.
“‘Seiyaryu’,” I commanded, just as anxious, “attack, Breath of Light!” A beam shot from the dragon’s mouth, engulfing the ‘Blood Sucker’, wiping him out (8000+1300-2500=6800).
“Good play,” said Max, excitement in his voice. “This could be more challenging than I thought.”
“I’m not done yet,” I said, confidently. “I place one card face down. Now you can go. And hurry up, I don’t want to take too much longer.”
“I see where your son gets his smug attitude from,” Max said. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick, though I wouldn’t say painless. Begin turn, and activate ‘Different Dimension Capsule’. I place one card from my deck out of play, and in two turns I add that card to my hand. Plus, a second ‘Capsule’, letting me do the same a second time.”
He searched his deck for two cards and placed them in the pocket of his shirt.
“Next I activate the Continuous Spell ‘Call of the Mummy’, place a card face down, and reveal two copies of ‘Pyro Clock of Destiny’, moving time on the field forward two turns, letting me open my ‘Capsules’ now.”
Two Egyptian capsules, each like a slightly too small sarcophagus, rose out of the ground and opened, revealing the holograms of two cards. The ‘Capsules’ and the card holograms faded as Max took the two cards from the pocket of his sweatshirt and placed them in his hand.
“Now I activate ‘Card of Demise’,” Max continued, “letting me draw until I hold five cards, as long as I throw out my entire hand in five turns. And I reveal my face-down card, ‘Soul Release’, removing five cards in my own Graveyard from play.”
Max took five cards from his Graveyard and placed them in his shirt pocket. I wondered what he was planning, hoping that I was wrong.
“Now,” Max declared, “I summon ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’, removing the last two cards in my Graveyard from play to increase his attack points.”
A fiendish warrior appeared, riding a motorcycle, carrying a pike in his left hand (ATK: 1400+(300x2)=2000).
“But that’s not what this has all been about,” Max said. “The entire point of this whole thing was to remove seven of my cards from play while leaving zero cards in my Graveyard. Now I can play the Spell card ‘Chaos End’, destroying every monster on the field!”
There was a blast and a shockwave, the realism of it singeing my skin, and ‘Gustaph’ and ‘Seiyaryu’ were destroyed.
“And now that you’re wide open,” Max declared, “I use the effect of ‘Call of the Mummy’ to Special Summon ‘Despair from the Dark’.”
The shadows all around us expanded and merged, forming a massive torso that rose from the ground, towering over the field (ATK: 2800).
“Now, finally,” Max declared, “I set another card and attack, Shadow of Despair!”
“Reveal,” I countered, “the mighty ‘Spellbinding Circle’, ensnaring your monster and blocking its attack.” A magic circle appeared and flew toward the shadow, but before it could reach its target, a burst of wind shattered it.
“Activate,” said Max, “the Spell card ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying your Trap before it can do any harm.”
As Max spoke, the shadow creature reached forward and slashed me with his claws. It hurt, bad, but I endured (6700-2800=3900).
“My move,” I said, feeling a little feint. “I gain two hundred Life Points from the effect of ‘Marie the Fallen One’ sent to my Graveyard by the effect of ‘Herald of Creation’ (3900+200=4100). Next I activate ‘Summoner’s Art’, adding a high level monster from my deck to my hand.” I revealed the card to Max, the monster card ‘Splendid Venus’.
“Next,” I continued, “I play ‘Monster Reincarnation’, discarding ‘Venus’ to return a monster in my Graveyard to my hand.”
A light flashed, and I added a monster from my Graveyard to my hand yet again.
“Next I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to Special Summon the monster that I just sent to the Graveyard.”
There was a flash of red light in the shape of an Egyptian ankh. The flash of light faded, and a glorious angel emerged. She was tall with four white wings, wearing a pale yellow gown, over which she wore golden armor. Over her face she wore a golden mask, and over her head she wore a golden crown. In her left hand she carried a gleaming golden staff (ATK: 2800).
“The ‘Splendid Venus’,” I explained, “is one of the most powerful monsters in the game. The light that reflects from her golden armor is strong enough to cut the Attack of all non-Fairy monsters by five hundred.”
The Attack power of Max’s ‘Despair from the Dark’ fell rapidly, the monster itself cringing as if afraid of the light (2800-500=2300).
“‘Venus’,” I commanded, “attack, Eternal Radiance!”
Light poured from ‘Venus’, overpowering ‘Despair’ and washing it away (6700+2300-2800=6200).
“You triggered my Spell,” said Max, “the ‘Deal with Dark Ruler’. When a level eight monster that I control bites the dust, this Spell card kicks in, calling my most terrifying monster to the field. Cower in fear before my ‘Berserk Dragon’!”
There was a swirl of dark energy that pushed back ‘Venus’’ light. From the center of the swirl appeared a horrifying, evil-looking skeletal dragon with red eyes and tufts of brown hair coming off of the back of its head (3500-500=3000).
Oh no, I thought, what now?
“I also summon ‘Reborn Zombie’,” Max declared, and a ghostly skeleton appeared dressed in tattered rags which billowed even without wind.
At Max's command, ‘Berserk Dragon’ breathed fire over my monster, incinerating her, and the zombie charged in and struck me with his bony fist (4200+2800-3000-1000=3000).
“I also place one card face-down,” Max concluded, “and end my turn. My ‘Berserk Dragon’ loses Attack based on its own effect (3500-500=3000).”
And I saw it, the opening that would win me the duel. I smiled, “Max, do you know what I am? I’m a Master Summoner. I can summon any monster, at any time.”
I drew, and placed a card in the Spell slot in the back of the Duel Disk, “I activate ‘Swing of Memories’ to revive a normal monster, like ‘Seiyaryu’!”
The pink dragon descended to my side.
“Next I play ‘Symbol of Duty’,” I declared, “sending the dragon back to the Graveyard to summon an effect monster in her place, like ‘Venus’.”
The bright golden light returned, and the radiant angel took the place of my dragon. The ‘Berserk Dragon’ roared as its Attack fell further (3000-500=2500).
“‘Venus’,” I commanded, “Eternal Radiance.”
Max laughed his wicked laugh. “You fought well, Master Summoner,” he said, “but not well enough. Reveal ‘Reverse Trap’, changing all increases to Attack and Defense into decreases, and all decreases into increases.”
Max’s dragon roared again, and its power rose, (2500+1000+1000=4500). Darkness flared around the dragon, pushing back my angel’s light. ‘Berserk Dragon’ spit fire, incinerating my angel yet again (3000+2800-4500=1300).
“Now I draw,” said Max, “and I finish you, Berserk Flame.”
‘Berserk Dragon’ fired its attack (1300-2500=0).
I fell to my knees, my strength drained. As I faded out of consciousness I was well aware that, in my failure, I had given Max everything he needed to carry out his plan.
John
I was in the Game Center for almost twenty minutes before I realized that I’d forgotten to put my Duel Disk in my bag. The tournament would start in less than five minutes, but my first match wasn’t for fifteen. I had just enough time. I ran back outside and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. If I could get a hold of my mom, she would likely be able to get my Duel Disk back to me before I was disqualified. I dialed, and as I waited, I heard something. I pulled the cell phone away from my ear. My mom’s phone was ringing somewhere nearby. I followed the sound and found my mom’s phone, my Duel Disk, and my mom’s cards sitting on a bench. Beside it all was a note. It read:
John-
I have your mom. Meet me at the construction site across the street from the mall tonight, or she’ll die.
-Max
I looked across the street at the old, run-down construction site. It had been shut down months ago due to some kind of scheduling conflict. It was big, and it was secluded. It was the perfect place for a final battle.
Card of the Day:
The Splendid Venus
Played by: Shannon
Well, Shannon is definitely a Duelist, and a good one at that. Her deck clearly has some weaknesses that she could do well to hammer out, but she almost defeats Max, showing herself to be at or very close to the level of my most powerful main characters at this point in the story. Out of all of the cards that she plays this chapter, this is easily one of the most powerful, and the one which had the most impact on the game.
Next Chapter >>
No comments:
Post a Comment