I mentioned in an earlier post on an earlier chapter in an earlier book that the rule with the character of Amanda is that Amanda always wins, balanced out by the fact that she isn't always around when the Duel Force need to fight. This is the chapter where that rule is broken. And that's all I'm gonna say on that subject (though I realize that I kinda just gave the ending of the chapter away, oops. I never do that!).
Chapter NineRound Two;
The Forest vs. The Wind
John
I stepped out of the waiting room and onto the stadium floor just in time to see Max turn into smoke and shoot into the air. I was a little shocked by Max’s recklessness. Not everyone in the audience would think that this latest display was yet another special effect. Some of them would know enough about shadow magic to understand at least some of what was going on. I could only hope that none of them would give us any trouble. The rest of them would, of course, have no idea what was happening, but I did. I knew that Max had gone to pursue his chosen future. He had gone to fight the darkness that was still threatening the world, and to ultimately find his lost friend, Randy.
I nodded in the direction of his departure, Good luck.
“Well that was weird,” said Sarah. “Too bad, too. I was hoping for a rematch against him.”
“You’ll get it someday,” I assured her. “He never said it, but Max respected all of us and considered us all to be worthy opponents. I think he even considered us to be his friends.”
“Alright!” said the announcer, excitement in his voice, “after another amazing display of visual effects, no doubt courtesy of our host, Kaiba Corporation, it’s time for our next match, Jen, the Duel Force’s resident strategist vs. the naturally talented Amanda. Both Duelists, please take your positions.”
“Here we go,” said Jen nervously. She walked briskly toward the nearer end of the platform, Amanda close behind.
Jen
I stepped onto the duel platform across from Amanda. To be honest, as a Duelist Amanda scares me. She doesn’t know too much about the cards in the game as a whole, but her deck is expertly designed to neutralize her opponent’s every combo. In other words, she doesn’t have to know much about any other cards than her own. Every Duelist she’d ever faced had been crushed in less than five turns.
I won’t let her be so reckless, I thought. I’ll force her to go slow, and then I’ll attack once she doesn’t have any defenses left.
“I’m getting kinda bored, so I’m gonna start,” said Amanda. “I summon ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’ and place three cards face-down.” A boy in brown rags appeared, riding the wind itself (ATK: 1500).
Interesting. I think I might know what she’s planning.
“I draw,” I said, “and summon ‘Chainsaw Insect’.” A large beetle with massive chainsaw pinchers appeared (ATK: 2400). “I’ll also place one card face-down and I attack ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’.”
‘Chainsaw Insect’ slashed prodigy in half with ease (8000+1500-2400=7100). “Whenever ‘Chainsaw Insect’ battles,” I explained, “my opponent draws one card.” Amanda drew her card. Then she drew a second card, beginning her turn.
“I reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’,” my opponent declared, “reviving the ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’ that you destroyed. And by using ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’’s effect, treating it as two tributes for the summon of a level seven or higher Wind monster, I tribute ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’ for the powerful ‘Simorgh, Bird of Divinity’.”
‘Prodigy’ disappeared in a burst of emerald wind, and was replaced by a huge green bird with gleaming emerald wings, decorated with tassels and jewels (ATK: 2700).
“Also, because the monster that was revived with ‘Call of the Haunted’ was tributed, not destroyed,” Amanda explained, “my ‘Call of the Haunted’ card remains of the field. Now I reveal ‘Double Summon’, letting me summon ‘Sonic Shooter’,” A bird man with purple feathers appeared (ATK: 1300), “and finally I activate ‘Giant Trunade’, returning all Spell and Trap cards on the field to our hands, including my inactive ‘Call of the Haunted’.”
As a mighty wind storm picked up, lifting the holograms of mine and Amanda’s cards into the air, I couldn’t help but marvel at how easily she’d gained the upper hand. I felt lucky that Amanda didn’t have a better understanding of the game than she did.
“Now I attack ‘Chainsaw Insect’ with ‘Simorgh’,” Amanda commanded. ‘Simorgh’ flapped his wings, creating a blade made of wind that curved through the air, cutting my insect in half long ways (8000+2400-2700=7700). Amanda got to draw another card. “Now,” she said, “I attack directly with ‘Sonic Shooter’.” The bird man shot past me at the speed of sound, tearing at me with the slipstream that followed behind him (7700-1300=6400).
“Finally,” said Amanda, “I set two cards, and I end my turn. This allows ‘Simorgh’ to activate his effect. He attacks both players for one thousand damage, but each player is protected from a portion of the damage based on how many spell and trap cards they control.”
‘Simorgh’ flapped his wings, summoning up a whirlwind. The holograms of Amanda’s two face-down cards rose up, completely shielding her from harm. I, however, was hit for the full one thousand damage (6400-1000=5400).
Alright, I can recover from this, I thought. I’m behind on monsters and Life Points, but I have my ultimate weapon sleeping right here in my hand. I still have a chance, and a good one at that.
“I place a card face-down,” I began.
“Reveal,” Amanda declared, “the Spell card ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’.” A high pressure burst of wind tore the hologram of my newest card to shreds.
“I thought so,” I said, filling with pride. “You’re good, Amanda, but your lack of knowledge means that most of what you do is simply a quick, blind reaction. You used up a great Spell because you saw an opportunity, not because it was necessary, and now that you’ve used up that card, I can summon ‘Larva Moth’ and treat ‘Cocoon of Evolution’ in my hand as a Spell card, equipping it to my monster, beginning its evolutionary process, and I can do so without worrying that the ‘Cocoon’ will be destroyed too early.” A green worm-like creature appeared, surrounding himself in webbing (DEF: 2000).
“Now I equip ‘Heart of Clear Water’.” I declared. A protective bubble appeared around the cocoon. It had the power to protect the cocoon from battle damage, and from Spell card effects, but I didn’t say that, hoping to use Amanda’s lack of knowledge to my advantage.
“Finally I set one card,” I concluded, “and I end my turn.”
‘Simorgh’ attacked again, but this time I was protected, and Amanda, with only one card, took a hit (7100-500=6600).
“I draw,” said Amanda, ignoring the damage that she’d just taken completely, “and I activate ‘Rising Air Current’, increasing the attack of every Wind monster in play by five hundred, and lowering the defense of every Wind monster by four hundred (‘Simorgh’’s ATK: 3200). I change ‘Sonic Shooter’ to defense mode (DEF: 200).
“Then it’s my turn,” I declared. “In my Standby Phase I activate ‘Accelerated Evolution’, speeding up time around my ‘Cocoon’ for the equivalent of one turn.”
“I have no clue what that means,” Amanda replied casually.
“You will,” I replied, looking over my hand. “Next I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards, and I activate one of the cards I just drew, ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting us both draw until we hold six cards.” Even though I’d just drawn two cards, I took a second to draw again.
“Now I set three cards and end my turn.”
“I remove ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’ in my Graveyard from play,” declared Amanda, again not missing a beat, “to Special Summon ‘Silpheed’.” A green-haired man appeared, wearing a silvery white suit and carrying a staff (ATK: 1700). “Next I sacrifice ‘Silpheed’ and ‘Sonic Shooter’ for ‘Storm Shooter’,” a bird man largely identical to ‘Sonic Shooter’, except that it had mostly yellow feathers, replaced the weaker monsters (ATK: 2300+500=2800).
“Once per turn I can either move ‘Storm Shooter’ over one monster zone,” Amanda explained, “or I can return a card directly in front of him to my opponent’s hand. A card like ‘Heart of Clear Water’. I activate my monster’s effect, Air Burst!”
Crap, I thought, she knew the power of ‘Heart of Clear Water’ after all.
“Then I’ll counter with the Trap card ‘Divine Wrath’,” I announced, “discarding ‘Great Moth’ to negate your monster’s effect and then destroy it.” A lightning bolt struck the bird man, vaporizing it.
“Then I set a card,” said Amanda, still absolutely calm.
“In that case it’s time for the final move,” I said. “I draw and activate a second ‘Accelerated Evolution’.”
“I chain,” said Amanda, “my ‘Call of the Haunted’ to revive ‘Storm Shooter’ from the Graveyard.” I smiled as the bird man reappeared. Like I thought, she didn’t realize the power of my ‘Evolution’ card and she underestimated my strategy. That slip-up will mean my victory!
“Since ‘Larva Moth’ was already two turns into its evolution when I equipped it with my ‘Cocoon’, two turns have passed, and I’ve moved the turn count forward another two with my ‘Accelerated Evolutions’,” I explained, “I can tribute ‘Larva Moth’ and ‘Cocoon of Evolution’ to summon my most powerful monster, the ‘Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’!”
The ‘Cocoon’, which had been growing steadily since it had formed, and now towered above the field, split open, revealing a huge moth with brilliant blue and orange wings that unrolled as the moth emerged (ATK: 3500).
“Now,” I said, “I replace ‘Rising Air Current’ with the Field Spell card ‘Gaia Power’.” The wind died down, and a huge tree grew behind me, reaching a height of at least eighty feet, gleaming in the sun (‘Simorgh’: 2700/’Storm Shooter’: 2300/’Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’: 3500+500=4000).
“I equip ‘Great Moth’,” I continued, “with ‘Megamorph’ and ‘Insect Armor with Laser Cannon’, increasing its power further.” A ring of light appeared below my ‘Moth’, and it doubled in size (ATK: 7500), and a cannon appeared on each side of its head (ATK: 7500+700=8200).”
“Finally,” I concluded, “I reveal my Trap card, ‘Shadow Spell’.” The ‘Storm Shooter’’s shadow took form, becoming chains that bound the monster, sapping its strength (2300-700=1600).
“‘Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’,” I commanded, “attack ‘Storm Shooter’, Great Hurricane!”
“‘Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’ flapped its wings, summoning up a tornado that tore the bird man apart. The tornado carried through, hitting Amanda so hard that, hologram or not, the force was enough to knock her off of her feet (6600+1600-8200 =0).
“You did great,” I told Amanda as I helped her to her feet, our monsters fading away, “but because you didn’t know the power of my cards, particularly ‘Accelerated Evolution’, you were caught off guard. You summoned ‘Storm Shooter’ back from the Graveyard during my turn, where if you’d waited to summon him during your turn, you’d have survived my attack, and you would have been able to render my monster powerless by returning it to my hand. You need to learn a little more about the cards in the game, and then you’ll be really great.”
“It’s okay,” said Amanda. “I had fun either way.” She jumped down from the still-lowering stadium and skipped her way back to the waiting room to watch the rest of the tournament.
“And that concludes another spectacular duel!” said the announcer. “Now get ready for the next one, the Duel Force leader John vs. stone cold Duelist Rocky!”
That one’s gonna be good, I thought.
I stepped down from the platform and walked back to the waiting room, passing Hiro on the way. He was leaning against the outside wall, looking out at the stadium floor. I glanced into his eyes, and I knew that I would have to face him today.
Alright then, I thought, when you and I fight, I’ll use all of my power. Be careful Hiro, because I’m coming for you!
Card of the Day:
Storm Shooter
Played by: Amanda
I consider this card to be important because it not only signifies a broadening of Amanda's repertoire beyond the "Harpie" cards, but because it is the mistimed summoning of this monster which finally teaches Amanda that, to grow as a Duelist, she has to start to learn about cards beyond the ones that she herself uses.
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