This week we, of course, return to DF7. This chapter features the duel between John and the Yu-Gi-Oh! R character Reiko Kitamori, a highly strategic enemy. It mostly serves to introduce us to some of John's new cards, one of which will actually be important in his final duel of the story. It also shows off one of my favorite recent cards: Legendary Maju Garzett. It was a late addition to this book, since it was released very recently, but the fact that a new Maju Garzett monster was added to the game after so many years was just too perfect. I had to include it.
What this chapter also does is add a new character to the DF's ranks in the form of Reiko, who is, predictably, going to be disavowed from the Card Professors. Ever since I first read Yu-Gi-Oh! R I've liked her character, and I've wanted to include her in one of my stories. She won't do a whole lot more in terms of combat in this book, but she does end up assisting the Duel Force and playing an important role. Of course, the mystery man will try to do what he promised and take Reiko's life as soon as next chapter, giving us a better look at his skills and abilities in relation to our heroes, so there's that to look forward to for next week!
Chapter Five
John vs. Reiko Kitamori
John
“Uh hey,” I asked the scared-looking girl who had just appeared before us, “what’s up?”
Max gave me a funny look.
“Well what should I have
said?” I asked him.
Max looked down at the girl, and did something which surprised me.
First of all, he hadn’t put his hood back up when someone he didn’t know had
appeared, and now he offered this strange girl his hand. She took it, shakily
rising to her feet. “Who are you,” he asked in a tone that was actually softer
than an interrogator on a cop show, “and how did you get here?”
“I-I’m Reiko Kitamori,” the girl stammered.
“I’ve heard of you,” said Karen thoughtfully. “You’re a Pro Duelist,
and a rumored member of the Card Professors Guild.”
“The what?” I asked her, completely lost. I could see this girl was a
Duelist. She carried a Duel Disk. But what was a Card Professor? I’d heard the
term before, but I couldn’t place it.
“I’ve mentioned them before,” Karen told me, looking at Reiko
critically. “They’re player eliminators hired to control the outcome of Dueling
events in favor of the arranging party. Essentially, if there is a house prize
for winning your event, and you don’t actually want to pay it out, you hire the
Card Professors to win in your name and pay them less than the total prize.”
“Right,” I said, remembering where I’d heard of this group before, “you
mentioned them once after I expressed an interest in going pro. You wanted to
make sure I watched out for them.”
I looked Reiko over just as critically as my fiancé had, “But really,
you’re a Card Professor? You don’t look the type.”
“I-I don’t particularly enjoy it or anything,” Reiko replied sheepishly,
like she’d wondered before herself why she was a part of this group, “but I’m a
strong Duelist and I make a good living.”
If she’s a Card Professor, I
thought, she must be strong. I’ve never
seen any of the members duel, but I’ve heard stories of strong Duelists losing
utterly to them in almost no time at all. And now it seems like the Card
Professors have the power to appear out of nowhere. That kind of magic could be
dangerous.
“You answered one of our questions,” I reminded the girl, “but not the
other. How did you get here? And while you’re at it, I’d like to know why you’re here. What do you want?”
“I was sent here,” Reiko replied, beginning to calm down ever so
slightly, her expression turning aggressive. “I was sent here to fight you,
John Sieger. I was sent to defeat you!”
I stared at her, puzzled, “What?”
“Y-You are John Sieger, right?” she asked, wondering now if she’d made
a mistake. “I recognize you from your duels!”
“Yeah,” I replied, “that’s me, but-.”
“Then to prove myself to the new number one Card Professor I have to
beat you!” Reiko declared, obviously trying to fire herself up, to hide how
desperate and frightened she still felt. She stepped back until she was
standing in the entrance to the alleyway, facing me, her duel disk coming
online.
“Alright,” I told her, still confused as to her motives, stepping back
as well until my back was practically touching the back wall of the alley, and
I summoned the curved, sword-like Dark Disk through the shadows to its place on
my left arm, and I inserted my deck, “but I’m not going to go easy on you just
because you’re all freaked out.”
Reiko swallowed nervously, “Sorry, but I don’t have time to banter. I
summon ‘Puppet Pawn’.”
A monster like a robotic doll resembling the weakest chess piece
appeared on Reiko’s field, assuming a defensive posture (DEF: 1200).
Interesting, I thought, my
mind racing. If she’s a Puppet Chess
player strong enough to work as a player killer, this duel could be
problematic.
I recalled a recent duel with a friend of mine, Thomas, who countered
my aggressive strategy with a highly defensive one still capable of dealing me
damage, and almost beaten me. I imagined that Reiko was planning something
similar. Turns out I was pretty close to correct, because as it turns out,
Reiko confirmed her strategy in the very first turn.
“I set two cards,” Reiko announced, “and play ‘B-Battlefield Tragedy’.
Now whenever someone attacks, they lose the top five cards of their deck.”
So she uses a Chess Mill deck,
I realized. Very interesting. I have to
end this quickly.
I drew my opening hand, completely focused on the duel. A ripple of
force spread from me, causing my hair to flutter in my eyes, and causing Reiko
to take an apprehensive half step back.
“If that’s how you want to play,” I said, “that’s fine, but don’t
expect me to hesitate because of your Spell card. I keep my deck at a bit above
forty cards, so I’m not too worried about decking out. I start out by summoning
a monster, my ‘Twin-Sword Marauder’. And because I summoned a Level Four
monster, I can Special Summon ‘Kagetokage’, the Shadow Lizard!”
A warrior in leather armor with three blades bound to each of his hands
appeared (ATK: 1600). His shadow stretched out from his body, and from it
emerged a flat, pitch black lizard which almost seemed like a part of the floor
(ATK: 1100).
“I set a card, and attack your ‘Puppet Pawn’ with my ‘Twin-Sword
Marauder’,” I explained to Reiko, sending the top five cards of my deck, my ‘D.D.
Warrior Lady’, ‘Monster Reborn’, ‘Mirror Force’, ‘Karma Cut’ and ‘Level Eater’,
to the Graveyard as my monster surged forward and brought his blade down,
splitting the puppet monster in half head to toe, “and thanks to my monster’s
ability, he deals Piercing damage to you, and he can attack again.”
Reiko lost Life Points, but as my monster raised his second blade to
strike her again, I noticed that she’d lost more than the six hundred Life that
she should have lost (8000 -> 6400).
“Sorry,” she said, sounding genuinely apologetic, “but when my monster
dies, I reveal ‘Soul Rope’ to summon a four star monster from my deck. A
monster like ‘Puppet Knight’.”
There was a flash of light, and a second simplistic, puppet-style
monster emerged from the light in the path of my warrior. He looked like a
torso emerging from the back of a puppet horse, and he carried a sword in his
hand, using it to parry my warrior’s strike (ATK: 1800). ‘Twin-Sword Marauder’
stepped back to stand at my side.
“Then I don’t really have a choice but to end my Battle Phase,” I told
Reiko thoughtfully, but again my thought was interrupted.
“I-I’m sorry, again, but you only have one choice, and that’s not it,”
Reiko announced, surprising me with her resourcefulness. “I reveal my second
Trap, ‘Rear-Guard Action’. Your weakest monster is forced to attack my monster
of its own accord, forcing you to discard again for the cost of ‘Battlefield
Tragedy’.”
“Whoa,” I said, genuinely impressed. My lizard slunk forward, only for
the ‘Knight’’s longsword to find him and split him in half from head to tail. I
lost Life points this time (8000 -> 7300), along with another five cards,
including my ‘Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning’, the most
versatile card in my deck.
“N-Now it’s my turn,” Reiko stammered, drawing a card and reading over
its effect, making me wonder if it was a new card or something.
“I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” she finally announced, placing the card on
her Duel Disk. In a flash of red light her ‘Puppet Pawn’ reappeared.
“Now I tribute my ‘Puppet Pawn’ and ‘Puppet Knight’,” she declared, “to
summon ‘Puppet King’!” As she spoke, her two monsters faded from the field and
were replaced by a much taller puppet monster adorned with a cloak and crown,
carrying a scepter (ATK: 2800).
“My monster attacks,” Reiko declared, “with Majestic Checker!” As she
milled her top five cards, her monster aimed his scepter at my swordsman and
blew him away in a bright flash of light. I took another hit (7300 -> 6300).
This girl is an amazing
strategist, I thought, but I get the
feeling that her head just isn’t in the game. Something’s going on, and as soon
as this duel is over, I intend to find out what it is. But first, I need to
finish this. I have other problems to deal with today, too.
“I end my turn,” Reiko finished, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow
with her sleeve.
“Well, then,” I said, “I think it’s time we wrapped this up.”
Reiko looked at me, confused, “W-What?”
I didn’t answer her, because I didn’t need to. If I managed to get what
I needed this turn, my turn would be the answer. I drew, and, looking at my
hand, I said, “Let’s get some new cards up in my hand. I discard my ‘D.D. Crow’
to banish your ‘Puppet Knight’ from your Graveyard, and to allow me to discard ‘Card
Gifter’ as well, drawing two cards.”
A strange human-like creature in a colorful jumpsuit appeared and
handed me the top two cards of my deck. I looked at them, and I nodded, “Next I
set a card, and I play ‘Card of Sanctity’ to draw three more cards.”
I looked them over and fought back a smile, saying, “You get to refill
your hand, too, but it won’t matter today. You sent a lot of my cards to the
Graveyard, not realizing that my deck thrives on just that. I start us off by
banishing ‘D.D. Crow’ and ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ in my Graveyard from play to
Special Summon ‘Lightpulsar Dragon’!”
“Wow,” said Karen, watching from the sidelines, “that’s new.”
From a flash of light emerged a blue-white dragon with two wings and a
glowing blue orb in its chest, orbited by tiny, twinkling lights. It issued a
high-pitched roar and stared down my opponent’s more powerful monster (ATK: 2500).
“I lower the level of my monster by one,” I declared, “to Special
Summon ‘Level Eater’ from my Graveyard,” a Level Star emerged from my dragon’s
chest and took on the form of a ladybug the size of a small dog with a Level
Star on its shell, which rose into the air a few feet on fluttering wings,
before it disappeared suddenly.
“I tribute ‘Level Eater’,” I declared, “to summon ‘Darkflare Dragon!”
A pillar of dark fire rose up, and from it emerged a fierce-looking
black and red dragon with four wings and a glowing yellow orb in its chest,
orbited by a ring of fire. It stood against the puppet king alongside its
counterpart (ATK: 2400).
“Neither of your monsters is strong enough to beat mine, though,” Reiko
argued, visibly shaken.
“You’re right,” I agreed, “I don’t control a monster stronger than the ‘Puppet
King’. Yet. I reveal a Trap card, my ‘Call of the Haunted’, to revive another
monster that you sent to the Graveyard, my ‘Twin-Sword Marauder’,” the
swordsman returned to my side, “and I revive my ‘Level Eater’ one more time, by
lowering the Level of the ‘Lightpulsar Dragon’ by one as well.”
Again, a Level Star emerged from one of my dragons, becoming the
oversized insect, which hovered at my side (ATK: 500).
“Reveal,” I continued, “the Spell card ‘Double Summon’, tributing my ‘Level
Eater’ a second time to summon my favorite monster, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!”
The ladybug disappeared, replaced by a warrior in black and yellow
plate armor and a battle skirt, wearing a horned armor hood, spikes protruding
from his broad pauldrons. He appeared crouched down, standing up dramatically,
throwing off black and yellow sparks (ATK: 2200).
“You still can’t get past my monster,” Reiko said, puzzled now as much
as she was still afraid.
“Not yet, but that'll change soon,” I told her, “because I have one more card in my
hand, and it’s, by far, the most powerful card in my deck.”
I brandished the card in a grand fashion, as all of the monsters on my
field dissolved into wisps of thick black smoke, swirling together in a massive
cloud which towered above the buildings which made up the sight of our battle.
“I tribute,” I announced, “every monster on my side of the field,
combining their power.”
The pillar of smoke dispersed, and from it emerged a massive skeletal
demon with exposed purplish muscles, three backswept horns, each with a yellow
crystal embedded in its base, large armored shoulders, with crystals embedded
in them as well, four arms, broad feathered wings, and tufts of dry brown hair growing
from his wings, wrists and head. The demon looked down at the ‘Puppet King’
with his arms crossed and roared so loud that the sound shook the ground.
“That’s new, too,” Karen said, beaming with pride.
“This,” I explained to Reiko, “is my ultimate monster, ‘Legendary Maju
Garzett’, a monster which can only be Special Summoned by tributing ever
monster I control, who is summoned with the combined original Attack of all of
those monsters (ATK: 8700). And one more time, I promise, I re-summon 'Level Eater', this time in Attack mode (ATK: 600). I attack with Vile Darkness Supernova!”
‘Maju’ raised one of his four hands above his head. He summoned
darkness to him, forming a massive sphere which hung above him, in the air, al
la Dragonball Z. He gestured toward
the ‘Puppet King’, and its terrified master, and the orb fell, filling the
alleyway with a flash of dark light. When it faded, the small Level Star ladybug burst forward and struck Reiko with a swift, full-bodied tackle. Every hologram cleared from the Duel field as my opponent's Life points dropped away to zero. Reiko Kitamori
fell to her knees, shaking.
I stepped forward, “Alright, we dueled, now answer my questions, if you
don’t mind.”
I was trying to be tough, but then I met Reiko’s eyes and I saw how
real, how raw, the fear there was. She wasn’t just afraid of disappointing this
person.
Well, I thought, I made a mistake.
“I-I-I can’t lose,” Reiko stammered. “H-He’s going to k-kill me!”
“Who is?” I asked her, looking around, reaching out with the power of
the Soul, searching for any hidden assailants. Before she could even answer, I
felt it. Something was moving towards us, through the darkness. I could feel
the Shadows compressing, like a ripple ahead of the bow of a ship. There was a
shimmer, and suddenly a young man lunged from the place where the light and the
shadows met, as if he were moving into view from behind a curtain. He was tall
and lanky, with longish hair, so dark brown that it was almost black, casting
shadows over his eyes, which were just as dark. He wore a long brown coat over
a black shirt, and in his hand he carried a medium length single-edged blade,
which he held outstretched, aimed right at the girl’s heart.
Card of the Day
Legendary Maju Garzett
Played by: John
One of John's signature cards is the deadly "Great Maju Garzett", and he has been shown to use "Maju Garzett" and "Gren Maju Da Eiza". This is reflective of myself, as I personally love these cards. My casual deck, the one that I use to play against my friends when we actually play Yu-Gi-Oh!, contains "Great Maju Garzett" and, recently, this card as well. So, of course, John would come to include this incredibly powerful monster in his deck as well. I'm just so psyched that a new form of this really sweet monster was made which is actually relevant in the game today.
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