Boom, suckah! For the first time, we see Karen's conviction manifest in the form of her Soul power. Literally, in moments of great conviction or inspiration, Karen can manifest her will, and even grant wishes. She needs to restore her power? She needs to get home? She just does it. Between this conviction and her new cards, she's gotten a serious power boost, not just for the duration of this book. Karen is, to stretch the Dragonball Z references to the breaking point, the Gohan of the group. In DBZ, Gohan is probably the strongest protagonist, but he doesn't like to fight so he always gets convenient power-ups rather than getting stronger on his own through training or violence. That's Karen in a nutshell, and it allows me to keep her relevant without undermining her ongoing growth as a character.
Chapter FifteenThe New Toon Deck;
Total Control!
Karen
“Your team has been defeated,” I said to Archfiend Ruler. As I spoke Tucker moved to stand over his still unconscious opponent, “Uh, Karen, I think he might be dead.”
“He’s fine,” I snapped. This was no time for goofing off.
“My team may have lost,” said Archfiend Ruler, smiling with a calculating confidence, “but you know firsthand that I am stronger than any of them. Strong enough to beat each of you on my own.”
“I don’t know anything,” I said, “except that it took two of us to beat nearly every single member of your team last time, but this time we’ve been beating you one-on-one. If your power, or lack thereof, follows the same pattern as that of your teammates, then I don’t think you can beat me alone.” I switched on my Duel Disk, “So what do you say, Fiend? You up for a rematch?”
“Definitely,” said Fiend, licking his lips anxiously. We began the duel immediately, forgoing the arena. “I play the Field Spell ‘Pandemonium’!” Fiend began, long, curved spires rising up out of the ground around us as the air was filled with a greenish fog. “Because I have ‘Pandemonium’ in play, in addition to being exempt from the Life Point cost of my Archfiends, I can now summon one of the strongest four star Archfiends, the ‘Archfiend General’.”
A predominantly orange skeletal demon with a sword appeared at Fiend’s side.
“Next I set a card,” Fiend continued, sneering, “and I activate ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards and then discarding two. Then I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards. Now I have everything that I need. I set another card, and I end my turn.”
“My move then,” I said, trying to seem unimpressed. “I place two cards of my own face-down, and I pay one thousand Life Points to activate ‘Toon World’ (8000-1000 =7000)!”
My magic green book appeared, releasing a cloud of pink smoke as it fell open. The pink smoke cleared and two figures became visible: a large round lizard shaped like a balloon that floated in the air, and a caricaturized mermaid lying in a clam shell, carrying a bow.
“With ‘Toon World’ out I can summon ‘Toon Mermaid’ and ‘Toon Balloon Lizard’ (ATK: 1400/ATK: 500). With that I end my turn.”
“At the End Phase of your turn,” Fiend declared, “I reveal the Trap card ‘Archfiend’s Roar’. I pay five hundred Life Points (8000-500=7500) to summon my ‘Terrorking Archfiend’ from the Graveyard until the end of the turn when it’s destroyed again.”
The king of Archfiends, wearing his cape that doubled as wings and carrying his massive sword, appeared out of the ground, dying seconds later. But I’d seen this move before. I knew what was coming.
“Now,” said Fiend, “I discard ‘Desrook Archfiend’ to return ‘Terrorking’ to the field!”
The ‘Terrorking’ rose from the ground again with a mighty roar (ATK: 2000).
“Now for my turn,” said Fiend, “I summon ‘Darkbishop Archfiend’ in attack mode,” the blue staff-wielding demon appeared (ATK: 300), “and attack ‘Toon Balloon Lizard’ with ‘Archfiend General’!”
The much more powerful ‘Archfiend General’ raised his blade and charged, bearing down on the lizard, only to find that all he hit was pink smoke. Both the lizard and the mermaid had suddenly disappeared into ‘Toon World’, which slammed shut tight.
“I reveal,” I declared, “the Trap card ‘Toon Defense’. Now whenever you attack a level four or lower Toon Monster I can make that attack into a direct attack.”
“In that case,” Fiend stated with a smirk on his face, “I attack you directly!” The ‘General’ raised his sword yet again and bore down on me. He swung, but his blade was repelled by an invisible barrier.
I waved my finger tisk-tiskingly at Fiend and said, “Sorry, but I have another card. I reveal ‘Spirit Barrier’.”
Fiend smiled. “I got a pretty good look at your deck last time we dueled,” he said. “You didn’t have that ‘Toon Defense’ card before, did you?”
“Perceptive,” I replied. “I’m impressed that you picked that up. I recently updated my deck using a little gift I received. My teacher, the original Toon Deck Master Maxamillion Pegasus, gave me his deck. I now possess every Toon Monster as well as every support card that goes along with them.”
“It’s not like it matters,” said Fiend. “Even with a powerful deck, a weak Duelist is still a weak Duelist.”
I ignored him. He was wrong. I’d felt for a while that my deck didn’t fit me anymore, but after updating it, I was finally starting to feel that my deck was becoming mine again. With this deck I could do anything. After losing so many times recently I hadn’t been able to predict my opponent’s moves the way I used to, but it was suddenly so clear. I knew that Archfiend Ruler would lose, and I knew how it would happen.
“I place a card face-down,” said Fiend, “and I end my turn.”
“Then here goes,” I began. “I remove ‘Toon Balloon Lizard’ from the book and sacrifice him for the cartoon version of my favorite monster.” The lizard disappeared into the smoke, and from it emerged a cartoon of a young woman in a blue dress with pink trim. She wore a pointed hat and carried a short staff as a wand.
“Meet my ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’,” I declared (ATK: 2000), “the only Toon that can attack in the turn that it’s summoned!”
I looked Fiend in the eyes and gave my command. “’Toon Dark Magician Girl’, attack directly with Dark Burning Attack!”
My monster giggled and aimed her staff, firing waves of dark energy at Fiend. They were about to hit him when they were deflected by a barrier identical to mine.
“Did you think,” he asked, “that you were the only one with a ‘Spirit Barrier’?”
I scowled. That one had been a bit unexpected. “In that case I pay five hundred Life Points (7000-500=6500) to attack ‘Darkbishop’ with ‘Toon Mermaid’, Animated Archery!”
‘Toon Mermaid’ loaded an arrow into her bow and took aim, letting her arrow fly. Before the arrow could hit its mark, however, it was deflected by the blades of two of the sword-armed demons, ‘Vilepawn Archfiend’.
“Impressive,” I said. “How’d you pull that one off?”
“Simple,” Fiend replied. “I activated ‘Ultimate Offering’ and gave up one thousand of my Life Points to summon two ‘Vilepawn Archfiends’ from my hand (7500-1000=6500). And as you know, when two ‘Vilepawns’ are out at once, my Archfiend Monsters are impervious to attack.”
“Then I summon another Toon,” I said, “my ‘Toon Goblin Attack Force’.”
Eight cartoon goblins appeared, goofing around and swinging the clubs that they carried (ATK: 2300).
“Is that supposed to scare me?” Fiend asked. Without waiting for a reply he declared, “Say goodbye to your favorite monster. ‘Archfiend General’, attack the ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’!”
The demon general raised his sword over his head and swung it downward. My monster raised her staff in an attempt to block, but the blade went straight through, cutting her to ribbons. My Life Points remained the same.
I looked Fiend in the eyes and pulled my next card. I showed it to my opponent and said, “Activate ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting us both draw until we hold six cards.” I played the card and drew my new hand. Without looking I chose one of the cards I’d just drawn and played it, “Next I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying your ‘Spirit Barrier’.” A burst of wind hit the hologram of my opponent’s Trap and tore it to pieces.
“Now I combine the Spell card ‘Monster Reborn’ with the magic of ‘Toon World’ to return my ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’ to the field.”
Smoke poured from the book and there was a flash. From the smoke burst the cartoon sorceress, twirling her staff (ATK: 2000).
“‘Toon Mermaid’, and ‘Toon Goblin Attack Force’, attack directly!”
The mermaid fired an arrow up into the air. The arrow fell down and hit Fiend in his shoulder, the arrow melting away an instant later, just before the goblins stormed Fiend’s field, pushing the Archfiend monsters out of the way and hitting Fiend with their clubs (6500-1400-2300=2800).
“Now,” I said as the goblins ran back to me, “I activate ‘Rush Recklessly’ and attack with my ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’, Dark Burning Attack (ATK: 2000+700=2700)!”
The sorceress flew over Fiend’s monsters’ heads and thrust her staff, catching Fiend in the abdomen. Then she fired her attack at close range, pushing Fiend back. Somehow he managed to remain standing as he was pushed ten feet and his Life Points fell (2800-2700=100).
“Now I end my turn,” I concluded, “with the Spell card ‘Giant Trunade’, returning every Spell and Trap on the field to their owners’ hands.”
Every Spell or Trap hologram, as well as the book, ‘Toon World’, and the very landscape around us disappeared. My turn ended as the forest around us once again came into view, and Fiend’s turn began. Without his Field Spell the ‘Archfiend General’’s effect kicked in, destroying him. He melted into smoke. Then the remaining monsters turned to their master. They expected a Life Point offering to appease them.
Fiend looked into their eyes, frightened for the first time since I'd known his, and said, “I have no Life to give you.”
‘Terrorking’ grabbed him by the neck, picked him up and threw him to the ground. Then the remaining Archfiends died as well, leaving Fiend wide open and defenseless. He was stunned, too much so to do anything except stand. I drew to begin my turn. I looked down at my newest card and I was shocked.
Well, I thought, I really didn’t expect to draw this card. In fact, I almost forgot it was in here. But I really can’t think of a better monster to have by my side when I end this.
I cried a single tear as I looked fiercely into the face of my opponent, “I sacrifice my ‘Toon Mermaid’ to summon my closest friend’s favorite card, the very face of his Duelist’s spirit. I summon the ‘Fiend Megacyber’!”
The ‘Mermaid’ disappeared in a burst of static that blossomed out and revealed the yellow-armored warrior, his fists charged with power (ATK: 2200). The ‘Megacyber’ stood with his arms crossed at my side. I clenched my fists and stared at Archfiend Ruler, pretending that he was Blackheart. “Take this,” I said. “Megacyber Impact!” ‘Megacyber’ punched, catching Fiend in the gut. He coughed blood and collapsed.
My Soul flashed. Even with my Soul cracked and its power depleted I had found my strength. I held out my hand and called the Dark Duel Force's five Shadow Items to me. I drew their power into my Soul and they turned to metal dust as the crack in my Soul disappeared, my full power restored.
I turned to my team and said, “We’re going home.”
My Soul Flashed again, and we disappeared, leaving the Dark Duel Force alone with their failure.
Card of the Day:
Toon Dark Magician Girl
Played by: Karen
Karen did a lot of awesome stuff in this chapter. She played a lot of great cards in this chapter. Hell, she was just badass in this chapter. On top of everything else she did in this chapter, she also summoned her favorite monster, or at least the toonified version of it, so I see no reason not to give that monster this slot in honor of how awesome Karen is in general on a daily basis.
Original Cards in This Chapter:
(With art by me!)
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