You know, I give Nate a lot of crap. And sure, a lot of it is deserved. He's a grade a douchenozzle. But that can't all be real. It's not possible for a person to be that self-centered and still function. In the first chapter told from Nate's point of view, we get some pretty definite cues to suggest that a part of his outward persona is false. Not all of it. He's definitely a narcissist. He's just not as bad as he pretends to be.
It's also implied here that Nate went on some kind of personal journey of self-discovery at some point after he lost to Jen back in DF2. And I bet you're wondering if I'm going to go back and reveal the details of that journey. Well, buckle up, because I'm definitely not. Yeah, a little anti-climatic, but I don't really care. I want this series to have a couple of unexplored major noodle incidents.
In this chapter, Nate fights the number six Card Professor, Willa Mette, who uses dragons who share their abilities with each other, and steal power from their opponents. His strategy is, conceptually speaking, very similar to Nate's. It's actually the entire reason why I paired these two up.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nate vs. Number Six
Nate
To be perfectly honest, as we entered the room where our battles were fated to take place, I was worried about the young girl, Amanda. She was tall, her head reaching my shoulders, but she was clearly still quite young, and these were Card Professors that we would have to fight. After hearing exactly what the stakes of our game would be, I decided to do the incredibly heroic thing, and take on both Card Professors myself. That way, if we lost, Amanda wouldn't blame herself. And if we won, I might prove myself to at least one member of the Duel Force. Then she'd declared her willingness to fight, and I knew she'd be okay. She had the confidence of an expert.
So I turned to the elfish guy, Willa Mette. I knew of him. A Dragon-type Duelist.
"Nate's heard of you," I told him, grinning, "you're a Dragon-type Duelist."
"No," said Willa, "I'm the Dragon-type Duelist."
I chuckled, "Nate knows a thing or two about dragons. And Nate knows for a fact that it's Seto Kaiba who's the Dragon-type Duelist. There's also a former member of Nate's new team, Peter Lawrence, of whom Nate is a big fan. He comes a pretty close second. You don't even make the list."
Willa scowled at the mention of Seto Kaiba, but he'd regained his composure by the end of my monologue. "Alright then," he asked, "you think you're so good? You think you're a match for me? At least I'm known. I've never even heard of you. Let's see what you've got. Take your first turn."
"Don't mind if I do," I responded. "Nate summons 'Reflect Bounder', and sets a card."
I smiled, It's funny. This is almost the exact same move that I used against Jen in that little local tournament, all those years ago. It was that tournament that sent me on the path to becoming the Duelist I am now. Back then, a combo like that really was my best. Now, it's just a play I use to test the waters.
My monster, a robot covered in round mirrors, with a large round mirror on the front of its torso, appeared directly between myself and my opponent (ATK: 1700).
"While Nate's monster stays in attack mode," I explained, "it has the power to reflect one attack made against it back at the attacker's Life Points."
"Interesting move," Willa said, smirking, his fierce eyes flashing with confidence, "but it isn't even enough to make me blink. I play 'Block Attack', changing your monster to defense mode, de-activating its effect (DEF: 1000), and I summon 'Lancer Dragonute', a monster with the piercing ability!"
I bipedal dragon warrior carrying a lance appeared, facing off against my machine (ATK: 1500).
"My monster attacks yours with Dragon Lancer," Willa announced, and the 'Dragonute' lunged forward and shattered my monster like glass (8000 -> 7500).
"You fell for Nate's decoy," I told Willa, still grinning, "but after all, there was never any doubt. You're kind of impulsive."
I drew again, "Nate summons 'Fiend Reflection #1'." The bird-like spirit appearing at my side, his mirror in hand (ATK: 1300).
"That thing can't hope to stand up to my 'Lancer'," Willa insisted.
"Nate doesn't expect it to," I replied, "at least not alone. Reveal 'Next to be Lost', sending a second 'Fiend Reflection #1' from my deck to the Graveyard."
A card ejected from my deck. I discarded it instantly.
"Next Nate plays 'Mirror Movement'."
Mirrors rose up, surrounding my side of the field, reflecting nothing but the room, and a single image of my 'Fiend Reflection', even though Willa and I should both have been reflected in it's surfaces as well, and the 'Fiend Reflection' should have been reflected several more times.
"This is Nate's key card," I explained. "It reflects an image of each of Nate's monsters on the field once for each copy of that monster in Nate's Graveyard. When one of Nate's monsters battles, it's reflections assist, giving it eight hundred extra Attack (ATK: 1300 -> 2100).
Willa looked concerned as my monster, and his reflection, summoned a flock of spirits from their mirrors. Those spirits overran the 'Lancer' in an instant (8000 -> 7400).
"Nate sets a card," I concluded.
"You got lucky this once," Willa insisted, "but that won't happen again. I play 'Pot of Greed' to draw two cards."
Willa drew, and a smile spread across his elfish face. "Next, I play 'Monster Reborn' to revive my 'Lancer Dragonute'. And I summon 'Lancer Lindwurm', a stronger monster with the same ability."
A second lance-wielding dragon man appeared alongside the first, this one slightly larger, carrying a more dangerous-looking weapon, and wearing more durable-looking armor (ATK: 1800).
"I equip 'Lancer Dragonute' with 'Mist Body'," Willa continued, "making him immune to battle damage, and I equip him with 'Synchronic Ability' as well. Now every dragon that I control shares all of his printed abilities, including the abilities bestowed on him by equip Spell cards. That means that, as long as I control 'Lancer Dragonute', all of my Dragon-types having piercing, and can't be destroyed in battle."
As he spoke, both of Willa's monsters changed. Their bodies seemed to break apart into clouds of vapor that still held the form of the two dragons. Trails of mist rose from their limbs and tails.
"Finally," Willa declared, "I play 'Stamping Destruction' to destroy your 'Mirror Movement' card, and shift the advantage back to me!"
'Lancer Lindwurm' rose into the air, swooped down, and kicked the mirrors, shattering them. Shards of glass rained down around me, and my Life Points fell (7500 -> 7000).
"And now that the Attack of your monster has returned to normal," Willa announced, really on a roll now, "I can destroy him, and attack you directly!"
'Lancer Dragonute' speared my 'Fiend Reflection' through his mirror, and his body behind it, and the 'Lindwurm' glided right up to me and speared me in the chest (7000 -> 5000). Willa laughed smugly. I smiled back at him, causing him to falter.
"You're pretty good, Willa," I told him, "but the fact is, Nate's just plain better."
I drew, "Nate plays his own 'Pot of Greed', drawin' two more cards of his own. And then Nate'll play 'Advanced Ritual Art'!"
"What," Willa wondered, "what do you plan to summon with that?"
"Watch and see," I said, as a magic circle appeared at my feet. "Nate sends 'Fairy Dragon' and 'Archfiend Mirror' from the deck to the Graveyard to summon a Level six Ritual monster. A monster like 'Fiend's Mirror'."
A possessed, floating hand mirror with wings and spikes, and a demonic face at the base of its handle, appeared floating above the circle. The circle faded, and the mirror floated over to hang in the air at my side (ATK: 2100).
"'Fiend's Mirror' attacks 'Lancer Dragonute'," I announced, "with Dark Reflection."
Light flashed across the surface of the mirror, and suddenly Willa and I were inside a dark void, with a mirror floor. From the mirror floor rose a dark reflection of the 'Lancer Dragonute' that attacked him with the Attack points of my monster. As soon as the reflection's weapon pieced its target, the mirror dimension shattered, and the dark reflection disappeared. Willa's monster was scattered in the form of vapor across Willa's side of the field, and Willa lost life (7400 -> 6800). The 'Dragonute' reformed from the cloud of scattered vapor, but even as he did, Willa looked annoyed that I'd so easily been able to summon another monster that was stronger than his.
"Turn end," I declared, and Willa drew his next card anxiously. Suddenly his look of frustration transformed into borderline anger when he saw it.
Grumbling, Willa announced, "I change both of my monsters to defense mode, set a card, and pass."
My grin returned, I've got him on the ropes!
I drew, and I was excited to see that I'd pulled exactly the card that I's hoped to draw.
"Alright," I exclaimed, "Nate plays 'Mystical Space Typhoon', destroying 'Mist Body', turning both of your monsters solid again."
I watched as the 'Dragonute' and the 'Lindwurm' turned from their misty state into their original forms.
"And now that your monsters can be harmed again," I announced, "Nate attacks 'Lancer Lindwurm' with Dark Reflection!"
'Fiend's Mirror' flashed once again with dark light, but in that same moment, something happened. I saw Willa's frustration melt away, replaced by smug confidence. He'd been playing me, drawing me into a false sense of security. And I'd fallen for it. He flipped his recently-set card, and his two dragons were surrounded by a swirl of light.
"I can't believe you fell for that!" Willa exclaimed, "I reveal 'Delayed Summon', tributing one more monster than usual to summon a level five or higher monster from my hand or deck, and make it the new target of your attack."
The light fell away from Willa's side of the field, revealing a new monster behind it. It was a fierce-looking red and black dragon with a gleaming white horn.
"This is my 'White-Horned Dragon'," Willa explained, "a monster with the power to draw magical sources into his horn to increase his own power."
Four little balls of light emerged from my Graveyard, one for each Spell there, floated over and were absorbed into the dragon's horn. It's power shot up (ATK: 2100 -> 3400).
"'White-Horned Dragon'," Willa commanded, "counter attack!"
Light poured from his dragon's mouth, engulfing the 'Fiend's Mirror' and reducing it to ashes (5000 -> 3700).
"Now it's my turn again," Willa declared, "and my 'White-Horned Dragon' attacks you directly!"
The dragon fired off its beam again, this time hitting me instead of one of my monsters. In an instant, I found myself only a stone's throw away from defeat (3700 -> 300).
Willa smiled wide, "There's nothing you can do at this point. With only three hundred Life, you can't hope to overcome my ultimate monster."
I smiled, showing off my fantastic teeth, "We'll just have to see about that, won't we?"
I drew, "Activate 'Graceful Charity', drawing three cards, and then discarding two, Nate's 'Fiend Reflection #2' and 'Beastly Mirror Ritual'. Next, Nate play's 'Dragon's Mirror', fusing 'Fairy Dragon', 'Fiend Reflection#1' and Fiend Reflection #2' in Nate's graveyard into my ultimate monster, 'Illusionist Mirror Dragon'!"
"What!?" Willa exclaimed as the delicate, serpentine dragon emerged from the 'Dragon's Mirror', and then took it in hand, spreading her wings, and raising its head so high that it towered over the field, and my opponent's monster.
"Nate's dragon reflects the image of the 'White-Horned Dragon'," I explained, "bringing that image to life under Nate's control."
Beams of light branched from my dragon's mirror, etching into existence a mirror image of the mighty 'White-Horned Dragon', in all of its glory (ATK: 3400).
"But Nate ain't done," I continued. "Reveal 'Magical Trick Mirror', reflecting the powers of your 'Synchronic Ability' in the Graveyard onto Nate's 'Illusionist Mirror Dragon', lettin' her share her ability with every other Dragon-type that Nate controls."
A mirror identical to the one carried by 'Illusionist Mirror Dragon' appeared in my 'White-Horned Dragon''s claws. He raised it, reflecting the image of his doppelganger, and another 'White-Horned Dragon' appeared.
"But that's not all," I told him, "because 'Illusionist Mirror Dragon' shares her ability with Nate's newest monster too."
The newest 'White-Horned Dragon' took a mirror in hand, and a fourth identical monster appeared. I saw all hope drain from my opponent's eyes.
"Nate could summon one more 'White-Horned Dragon'," I told Willa, "but there's no need. Nate's monsters attack, and finish this duel."
The first reflected 'White-Horned Dragon' fired his beam at the original, and the two were vaporized in a blinding flash. With the path clear, the other two fired their beams directly at Willa, draining the rest of his Life away. I'd never seen anyone so beaten.
Then, to my surprise, Willa's expression changed to a kind of half smile. He explained that, despite the fact that he'd lost, Amanda and I had still been defeated, and he went on to explain what was really going on.
"That's right," Willa taunted, as his image flickered out of existence, "Nate's trapped, and there's nothing he can do about it.
Card of the Day:
Magical Trick Mirror
Played by: Nate
Okay, so I fudge the effect of this card a little bit. Essentially, I remove the stipulation that it can only be activated when the opponent attacks. And there is a reason for this, that being that the original concept for the card didn't have that stipulation. It only exists on the anime version of this card because, in the manga version of the Duel Monsters card game, Traps could only be activated when the opponent attacks. Effectively, the stipulation was added in the anime to put the card in line with how it was used in the original version.
As for why this is the card of the day when it's technically the reflected "Synchronic Ability" that should have this spot, well, it's basically the same reason as last time: there's no good art of that card. It's like that for most of the Card Professors' cards, actually.
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