There was a duel in R between the other Yugi and a Card Professor named Maico Kato, who hid her monsters in the forest to give them an advantage. It may be that I took some inspiration from that duel when creating Karen's new signature card. I hope that, despite how quickly this duel goes by in part two, I did a good enough job of showing how Forest Clearing is useful. Not only that, but I hope I did a good enough showing off how seriously Karen has decided to take placement on the field as well. By forcing the opponent to think about where the monster they're attacking is on the field, Karen can actually use some of their moves against them.
I also hope I made clear enough just how big a gap there is between Karen and Richie here. Richie is strong, and he's actually prepared enough that he can bypass the limits placed upon him by Karen's field Spell, but Karen never stood even a chance of losing this duel.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sibling Rivalry;
A Shootout in the Forest
"What is this?" Richie demanded. "What does your card do? I've never heard of it before."
I gestured tisk-tiskingly, "Oh, Richie, you know better. You're the one who taught me that in a real duel, it's up to you to discover what the opponent can do. If you want to know what my card does, you'll have to figure it out. I will tell you this much, though. Warriors and Spellcasters in the clearing here gain four hundred Attack, while Plants, Insects, Beasts and Beast-Warriors in the thick forest all around us gain five hundred Attack. That means that my 'Magician's Valkyrias' increase in power (ATK: 1600 -> 2000)."
"If that's the case," Richie pointed out, "then your field benefits my gunfighter monsters as well, since they're Warrior-type."
His 'Twin Gunfighter' grew stronger as well (ATK: 1600 -> 2000).
I smiled, "You seem to think that it matters how strong your monsters are. I told you, in my forest, I'm invincible. In my forest, knowledge of the terrain is more important than Attack power. I summon a monster in the thick forest edge surrounding us, in attack mode."
I placed my monster hard on my Duel Disk at a vertical orientation, but I placed it face-down so that my opponent couldn't see what it was. On the field, nothing happened. Richie looked around again, confused, and demanded, "I can see your magicians, so why can't I see your new monster? Where is it?"
Then, suddenly, It dawned on him, "Wait, you said that the terrain is more important than attack power. Do you mean that monsters hidden in the thick growth can hide?"
"That's right," I confirmed, "and that means that, while I control monsters in the clearing, you have to attack those monsters first. 'Forest Clearing' allows all of my monsters to benefit from the protection of my 'Magician's Valkyrias', regardless of type.
"But that's not all," I continued. "I change my 'Valkyrias' to defense mode, and I reveal 'Zero Gravity', changing the battle position of every monster on the field. My 'Valkyrias' change back to attack mode, and my hidden monster changes to defense mode."
"What good does that do?" Richie demanded, trying not to sound intimidated, and failing.
I chuckled, "My hidden monster is 'Blade Rabbit'. When it goes to defense mode, it destroys a monster on the field."
"Wha-," Richie began, but before he could even finish his thought a small, furry form launched itself from the brush and cut the 'Gunfighter' down in an instant with its knife-like incisors. I flipped the card over on my Duel Disk, but by the time I did, the monster depicted on it had retreated again into the dense brush, out of sight. Richie began to visibly sweat.
"Now," I declared, "my two 'Magician's Valkyrias' attack directly."
The twin sorceresses launched twin balls of light at Richie. Despite the fact that the attacks posed no real threat to him, Richie almost imperceptibly flinched. The attacks hit, and Richie's Life Points nearly disappeared (4600 -> 600). In just one turn, I had completely reversed the situation, and given myself complete control of the field. Despite that, and how confident I was that my strategy was air tight, I had to remain cautious. I knew how strong Richie was, and that he'd be even more dangerous now that he was backed into a corner, and knew how strong I actually was. I had to stay prepared.
"I set a card," I concluded, "and end my turn."
"I will not let you beat me," Richie said through gritted teeth. "One good move isn't enough to outmaneuver my deck."
He drew, "Do you really think that the thick forest is enough to protect your 'Rabbit', that you can just keep using its effect over and over again? My gunslingers are prepared for anything. I summon 'Tumbleweed Sniper'."
Another gunslinger in garbs similar to the 'Twin Gunfighter', but dusty and ragged, wearing a torn brown cloak, appeared at Richie's side. Slowly, it knelt down and removed an almost comically long rifle from beneath his cloak and took careful aim along it (ATK: 1800 -> 2200).
"'Tumbleweed Sniper'," Richie explained, "has the sharpest eyes of any of my gunslingers. He can lower his attack slightly to attack any monster in play, regardless of any active effects."
The gunslinger carefully combed the brush (ATK: 2200 -> 1800), and finally, after a brief pause, he fired his gun. There was a rustling in the brush as his target tried to avoid the shot, but it was too late. Out of the brush stepped one of my 'Magician's Valkyrias', a bullet hole in her chest. She dropped to her knees, and faded from the field.
"What?" Richie asked, his eyes snapping to the center of the field, where only one 'Valkyria' stood, with the tiny rabbit at her side.
"Reveal," I explained, "the Trap card 'Shift', causing my 'Blade Rabbit' to swap places at the last second with one of my magicians for the duration of your attack. She takes the hit for the 'Blade Rabbit', and I lose some life (2600 -> 2400), but I retain access to my monster's destructive effect."
The rabbit hopped back into the brush, and hid again.
"Then I activate 'Mirage'," Richie grumbled. His body shimmered and rippled, like an illusion. "While I control 'Mirage'," he explained, "I don't take any damage to my Life Points, but my spell is destroyed on it's own in three turns."
His monster's attack returned to normal (ATK: 1800 -> 2200).
His monster's attack returned to normal (ATK: 1800 -> 2200).
I drew my next card, and I looked over my side of the field. I still had my 'Rabbit', but I had no way to change its battle position twice this turn. And now that I knew that Richie has the means to find and attack my monsters, even while they were hidden, I couldn't risk changing the 'Rabbit' to attack mode and leaving it that way. My best option was to defend for as long as possible.
"Activate 'Monster Reborn'," I began, "to summon 'Magician's Valkyria' back from the Graveyard in defense mode, and I change her twin to defense mode as well."
There was a flash of red light, and the second sorceress reappeared, and she and her sister assumed defensive stances (DEF: 1800 (each).
"Now," I explained, "even though your 'Tumbleweed Sniper' can attack any one of my monsters, the only one he can destroy is my 'Rabbit', and any other monster you summon won't even be able to do that much."
"Do you think you're safe?" Richie asked, his confidence returning. "I was starting to expect more from you."
He drew, "I begin my turn with 'Pot of Greed' to draw two cards."
He looked over his hand, and I saw a hint of possibility flash in his eyes.
"I activate," Richie announced, "the Spell card 'Blaster Cartridge', sending the top four cards of my deck to the Graveyard in order to draw one card. Then I place 'Blaster Cartridge' on top of my deck."
I watched him discard 'Grenadier', 'Buster Rancher', 'Barrel Behind the Door', and the Spell card 'Big Buck Shot', and I suddenly realized what he was trying to do. If he managed to pull it off, my entire defense would crumble in just one turn. I was nervous, but I didn't let Richie see.
"Because 'Big Buck Shot' was sent to the Graveyard from my deck," Richie explained, "I can add it to my hand."
The discarded Spell ejected itself from his Richie's Graveyard.
"Next I play another 'Blaster Cartridge'," Richie continued. He discarded four more cards, his first 'Blaster Cartridge', a second copy of 'Big Buck Shot', 'Cannon Soldier', and a second copy of 'Twin Gunfighter', and he drew another card. A second later, his second 'Big Buck Shot emerged from his Graveyard as well, and he took it in hand.
"I tribute my 'Tumbleweed Sniper'," Richie declared, his monster disappearing, replaced a moment later by a man in a long, dark coat, a wide-brimmed hat with a feather stuck into it, and an eyepiece over his left eye, an ammo belt stretching across his chest, beneath his coat, a sawed-off hunting rifle with an overly thick barrel holstered in his belt, "to summon 'Big-Gun Fighter' in its place."
The monster drew his weapon from his belt, and rested it on his shoulder (ATK: 2500 -> 2900).
"Next," Richie explained, placing a Spell that depicted the tributed 'Tumbleweed Sniper' onto his Duel Disk, "I play 'Careful Shot'. I can halve the Attack of one gunslinger to give it 'Tumbleweed Sniper''s effect until the end of the turn (ATK: 2900 -> 1450)."
I frowned, He must have gotten lucky and managed to put together the hand he wanted. He's gearing up for a big play.
"Finally, I play 'Blazing Shot'," Richie continued, "increasing the Attack of a gunslinger by seven hundred for the turn."
'Big-Gun Fighter' pulled a cigar from his coat and gripped it in his teeth. Then he took a lighter from his pocket, lit the cigar, and then held the lighter up to the barrel of his rifle, lighting its end aflame as well (ATK: 1450 -> 2150).
Richie chose three cards from his hand and separated them from the others, "'Big-Gun Fighter' can't attack on his own. I have to discard a copy of 'Big Buck Shot' from my hand in order for him to attack, but he can attack once per turn for each copy of 'Big Buck Shot' that I discard. And I just happen to have three."
He discarded his cards, and the 'Big-Gun Fighter' took three shells from his gun belt. He flipped open his rifle, and loaded all three shells into it at once, snapped it shut, and took aim. He fired off one flaming shot after another, filling all three of my monsters with smoking holes. I didn't take any damage, but in just one turn, my entire defensive line was gone.
"My monster's Attack returns to normal," Richie concluded (ATK: 2150 -> 2900), "and each turn, I can use his effect to return a copy of 'Big Buck Shot' in my Graveyard to my hand instead of drawing. Next turn, my monster will have every resource it needs to finish you off."
But even as he said it, I could tell that Richie didn't believe his own words. He had managed to take back the field, but he was still surrounded by my forest. His reversal of the situation just didn't have the same momentum that mine had. Combined with the gap in our Life, it was pretty clear that Richie knew what was coming as much as I did.
"Go ahead," Richie goaded, with a halfhearted sneer, "if you can manage to beat my monster, bypass my 'Mirage', and finish me off in one turn, maybe you deserve to win."
I shook my head, He can feel that I still have the advantage, but he doesn't understand why. The gap between us must be even wider than I realized.
I drew my next card, "It's about time that I ended this. I refresh my hand with the Spell card 'Card of Sanctity'. We each draw until we hold six cards."
I drew again, and I smiled. I'd draw just what I needed. "Next," I declared, "I activate 'Graceful Charity'. I draw three more cards, and then discard 'Toon Dark Magician Girl' and 'Allure Queen LV7'. And I summon 'Chiron the Mage' in the forest's edge, activating his ability, discarding 'Card of Safe Return' to destroy 'Mirage'."
A centaur with brown fur, wearing silver armor, appeared, just visible in the thick brush, carrying a staff with a round red crystal affixed to the top. He raised his staff, and a bolt of red light lanced from it, shattering the hologram of Richie's Spell. Suddenly he turned substantial again.
"Your monster still can't get by my 'Big-Gun Fighter'," Richie insisted. I shook my head again.
"I told you, Richie," I explained, "my monsters don't care how strong your are. I can destroy monsters regardless of how powerful they are, and occasionally I can ignore your monsters altogether. I play 'Double Summon', and I tribute 'Chiron the Mage'."
The centaur disappeared, and there was a swirl of pink light at my side.
"I tribute summon," I announced, a sorceress in a blue dress and pointy hat with a pink skirt and cape appearing at my side, tipping her hat to my opponent, and laughing melodically, "my favorite monster, 'Dark Magician Girl' (ATK: 2000 -> 2400). And I finish it with 'Ability Transfer', allowing my monster to absorb the effect of any monster of the same type in my Graveyard. I choose my 'Toon Dark Magician Girl', giving my monster the power to attack you directly."
"You can't," Richie insisted, angrily.
"Clearly," I replied, "I can. 'Dark Magician Girl', attack directly with Dark Burning Attack!"
My 'Magician Girl' summoned an orb of light to the end of her wand, and tossed it passed Richie's monster, hitting Richie square in the chest. His Life Points were reduced to zero in the blink of an eye. Our monsters, and the forest surrounding us, faded away. Richie looked beaten, physically and emotionally.
"You know, Richie," I said, with an exasperated sigh, "I'm tired. I'm tired of trying to talk to you, to reconcile with you. I have just as much reason to be upset with you as you do with me. Teacher might have kept me close, but it wasn't on virtue of my own talents. It was only because I reminded him of someone important to him. He taught me his own style, but he discouraged me from discovering a style of my own. And he flat out lied to me about who he really was, and what he planned to do. I know he didn't actually tell you about his plans, that you had to find out for yourself, but at least he was okay with you knowing the truth. At least he trusted you.
"But I've forgiven Teacher for what he did, and I forgive you and Depre, too, for everything that you did to me, because you're family, and that's what family does. If you don't see that, if you insist on remaining bitter about the idiotic way we all acted when we were children, that's your choice, but if that's the case, then we have nothing left to talk about. Just get out of my way, and let me go."
"I can't," Richie replied, and he almost sounded remorseful as he explained the trap that I'd walked right into. "Our new number one," he concluded, "doesn't really care about proving himself against your boyfriend's legacy. This was all just to get your boyfriend alone, and make sure that he would have absolutely no choice but to fight."
I scowled. I'd become a hostage. And the most frustrating thing was that it was all so obvious that I should have seen the truth from the beginning.
Richie's image flickered, and he faded from the room, but just before he disappeared completely, I saw his expression soften, and I even thought I heard him apologize. Despite everything, I smiled.
Card of the Day:
Dark Magician Girl
Played by: Karen
I don't remember if this card has been card of the day yet or not, and I don't care. Karen has won her first duel with her new deck, and she did it with her favorite monster. This specific version of the card, with this specific art, is the one that Karen uses in her deck. And since it seems like it might be a cornerstone of the offensive side of Karen's new strategy, it definitely deserves to be here.
There are a lot of original cards in this chapter. Unfortunately, I created them all so recently that I haven't been able to find art for them and work out the exact wording of their effects. If I ever do, I will update this chapter with images of them.
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