In the thumbnail image for this book you will see "Insect Queen" fighting "Blue-Eyes White Dragon". That scene is based on this chapter. Here Jen fights Seto Kaiba, the rival to Yugi in the original series. It plays out the way you might expect, with Jen's and Kaiba's sheer levels of badassery resonating with each other, elevating this duel to epic proportions.
Chapter SixRound One;
Jen vs. Seto Kaiba
John
“That was quite a victory,” I said to Tucker as he sat down beside me, opposite Karen. He was about to say something when clouds began to build overhead, lightning crackling within them. The duel between Exodus and War Ruler, AKA Marcus, was still going on. As I looked on, the duel drawing all of my attention, I made note of the truly astonishing situation unfolding before me. Next to Exodus stood a dark-skinned humanoid creature with huge, thick muscles, wearing a black shoulder dress and head dressings. In the air behind Exodus appeared a giant glowing pentagram, forming a portal. A massive hand emerged, followed by a shoulder, and then a head.
There’s one monster that every Duelist fears no matter how strong they are, and there it was, standing just over a hundred yards away from me across from one of my greatest enemies.
Makes sense, I thought, nervous sweat rolling down the side of my face. I should have known from his name that he uses Exodia.
I was supposed to duel in the next round, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Exodus and his victory over War Ruler. I’d never personally seen War Ruler duel, but from what I’d heard he was very strong, employing powerful monsters in a quick field-swarming strategy and utilizing piercing effects. Almost the perfect deck to combat a deck that uses Exodia. That could only mean that Exodus had either gotten very lucky, or he had found a new way of using the legendary monster.
At least War Ruler is out of the tournament, said Hiro, who was watching the duel as well from his place in the back of my mind.
Yeah, I replied, happy to find a silver lining, I guess you’re right.
I walked out and stepped up to face my opponent, the mysterious Evo.
Time to forget this Exodia thing, I thought, and deal with the duel at hand.
“I hear you’re good,” said Evo, “but you should know, I’m undefeatable.”
I smiled, “We’ll just have to see about that.”
Jen
I was terrified. My first opponent in this tournament was the legendary dragon user and former champion Seto Kaiba! I’m good, but I’m not stupid enough to think that I’ll ever be better than Kaiba.
All I can do, I thought to myself, is do my best and see how things turn out.
“So you’re Jen,” said Kaiba, “the Duel Force’s combo master. I was really hoping to fight your leader in the first round, but I guess you’ll do for now.”
“I wanted to say,” I began, “that it’s an honor to-.”
“Just draw, and get ready to lose,” said Kaiba, cutting me off.
Fine, I thought, frowning at my opponent’s negative attitude. I drew my opening hand and prepared to fight.
“I’ll make the first move,” said Kaiba. “I play ‘White Dragon Ritual’, sacrificing ‘Des Feral Imp’ in my hand to Ritual Summon the ‘Paladin of White Dragon’.”
An evil-looking gargoyle-like monster appeared and was incinerated by a white flame. The flame died down and a lance-wielding knight emerged from it, riding on the back of a miniature ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’.
“But I’m not done,” said Kaiba, a wicked smirk playing across his face. “I trade in my ‘Paladin’ for the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’!” The legendary white dragon appeared, and as much as I felt the pressure of the dragon’s power when Lawrence played it, I felt it with much more intensity here and now. This was the original dragon, in all of its glory.
“I set a card,” said Kaiba, beaming with confidence so intense that it was almost overwhelming. “End Turn.”
“Then it’s my go,” I told him, forcing my hands to stop shaking as I drew. “I summon the ever useful ‘Pinch Hopper’ in attack mode and combo with the Spell card ‘Multiplication of Insects’. I tribute ‘Pinch Hopper’ to summon two ‘Hopper Tokens’ in defense mode.”
A grasshopper the size of a dog appeared, disappearing a moment later, only to be replaced by two duplicates of itself that were nearly as large (DEF: 600 each).
“Also,” I explained, “when ‘Pinch Hopper’ goes to the Graveyard I can summon any Insect monster from my hand. Seto Kaiba, I’ll face your legendary dragon with a legendary insect. Say hello,” I declared as my rarest and in many ways my most powerful monster appeared, her small and vaguely human torso offset by her huge thorax and insect legs, “to my ‘Insect Queen’!
“My ‘Queen’ gains strength for every Insect in play (2200+(200x3)=2800). I activate ‘Rush Recklessly’, raising the Attack of my monster by another seven hundred for the turn. I sacrifice ‘Hopper Token’ to allow my monster to attack (ATK: 3300).”
The token monster disappeared, and ‘Insect Queen’ fired a stream of acid from her mouth, but before the stream hit it was deflected by an invisible force.
“Reveal face-down,” said Kaiba, “the Trap card ‘Negate Attack’, canceling your attack and ending the Battle Phase immediately.”
“Then I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’,” I announced. “We both draw until we hold six cards.”
I drew and checked my hand.
“Three face-downs,” I declared, “and I play the Spell card ‘Monster Reborn’.” ‘Pinch Hopper’ re-appeared in defense mode (DEF: 1200), ready to protect me.
“Then it’s my turn,” said Kaiba, smiling with anticipation. “I summon ‘Kaibaman’ in attack mode.” A warrior in a white coat and a helmet resembling the head of a ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ appeared, holding a Duel Monsters card.
“‘Kaibaman’ activates,” Kaiba declared, and the warrior jumped back, over Kaiba’s head. He threw his Duel Monsters card at the ground behind Kaiba, and there was a flash. The flash swallowed up ‘Kaibaman’ and then faded away, revealing a second ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ (ATK: 3000).
“‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’,” Kaiba commanded, “attack ‘Insect Queen’ (ATK: 2800), Burst Stream of Destruction!” He laughed softly as the dragon fired its pure white breath attack at my monster. Kaiba was sure of himself. He had a right to be proud, but not to be cocky.
I smiled.
“Reveal ‘DNA Surgery’,” I declared, “changing your 'Dragons'’ D.N.A. so that they are more than fifty percent insect.” The attacking ‘Blue-Eyes’ grew a huge bug eye on the left side of its face and its left arm and wing were replaced by two insect legs and a translucent insect wing. The second ‘Blue-Eyes’’ head became over half insect parts and it traded its tail for a thorax.
“With two more insects on the field,” I said, “my ‘Queen’ gains four hundred additional Attack points (ATK: 3200).” The ‘Insect Queen’ withstood the Burst Stream and returned fire with her acid blast, melting the attacking dragon where is stood (8000+3000-3200=7800). ‘Queen’’s Attack fell again (ATK: 3000).
“Then I’ll weaken your insect,” said Kaiba, gritting his teeth out of frustration, “by destroying your ‘Hopper Token’, Burst Stream!”
“In that case,” I said, “I activate ‘Alert’, letting me activate my face-down ‘Insect Barrier’, preventing your Insects from attacking me at all.” As I spoke a barrier of interlacing yellow threads rose up, dispersing the ‘Blue-Eyes’’ attack.
I can’t believe this, I thought. I might actually beat Seto Kaiba!
“One face-down card,” said Kaiba, fire gleaming in his eyes, “and I end my turn.”
“When your turn ends,” I said, “since my ‘Queen’ destroyed a monster, she lays an egg.” A slime-covered egg fell from the giant insect’s thorax. The head of a small centipede-like creature pushed its way through the top of the egg (ATK: 100).
“Now I draw, and I play ‘Offerings to the Doomed’. I agree to skip my next Draw Phase, and in exchange I get to destroy one monster on the field.”
A hand reached out of the ground, pulling the second and final dragon into an early grave.
“I sacrifice my ‘Pinch Hopper’ to attack with ‘Insect Queen’,” I declared.
The ‘Hopper’ disappeared and my ‘Insect Queen’ blasted Kaiba, taking away a chunk of his Life (7200-3000=4200). He seemed un-fazed.
“I change my ‘Larvae Egg’ to defense mode (DEF: 100)," I concluded, "and end my turn.”
“This duel is coming to an end,” Kaiba declared, his smug confidence returning in force. “I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to call my ‘Kaibaman’ back from the Graveyard. Next I tribute him again to summon a third ‘Blue-Eyes’ from my hand.”
The warrior in white appeared again, disappearing to make way for another of the legendary dragons (ATK: 3000).
“You triggered my Trap,” I countered. “Your new dragon becomes an insect.”
“Chain ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’,” Kaiba declared, “destroying your ‘DNA Surgery’.” My Trap was blown away.
“No way!”
“Now I activate ‘Dragon’s Mirror’, removing one ‘Blue-Eyes’ on the field and the two in my Graveyard from play to fuse them into the ultimate monster,” the three dragons merged into a three-headed version of the same, “The ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’ (ATK: 4500)!
“Now I play two more Spells,” he continued, “‘Megamorph’ to double the size and strength of my dragon, and ‘Stop Defense’ to change your ‘Egg’ to attack mode.”
‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’ grew larger until it had doubled in size and power (ATK: 9000).
“Now ‘Blue-Eyes’, attack, Ultimate Burst!”
I expected his dragon to hit my ‘Egg’ and finish me off, but instead the beams from the mouths of his dragon converged on my ‘Insect Queen’, blowing her away (8000+3000-9000=2000).
“B-but you could have beaten me this turn,” I said.
“And I still will,” said Kaiba, an evil-looking smirk playing across his face. “I pay half of my Life Points (4200/2=2100) to activate ‘Return from the Different Dimension’, summoning the original ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragons’ back to the field.”
A rift opened in the air above our heads and the three ‘Blue-Eyes’ emerged with a collective roar (ATK: 3000 (each)).
“‘Blue-Eyes’, finish it with Burst Stream!”
The lead ‘Blue-Eyes’ fired its attack, decimating the ‘Egg’ and reducing my Life Points to zero.
“But why didn’t you finish me with your first attack?” I asked as Kaiba turned to leave.
Kaiba looked back over his shoulder, his face stern and disrespectful, as if I couldn’t have asked a more stupid question. “A Duelist should always face his foe’s strongest power head on to prove his strength,” he explained. “If you can’t understand that then you don’t deserve to be called a Duelist, and you never will.”
Then he turned back, and he walked away.
Card of the Day:
Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon
Played by: Seto Kaiba
There were some impressive monsters played in this chapter, and Lawrence has played this monster before, true, but Lawrence never managed to get it up to 9000 ATK, and is Lawrence, so clearly Kaiba's summoning of the "Ultimate Dragon" is the more impressive one, and wins the card this place.
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