Finally, after, like, five and 3/4ths books, John duels Tucker. Just like the John v. Christopher duel in Book Five, I tried to give this one a lot of weight. People on yugiohcardmaker.net actually asked for this match-up. I tell the story from Tucker's POV because, in this part of the story, it is John who is the obstacle to be overcome, and Tucker who is doing the overcoming.
Chapter ThirteenRound Three;
Rival Match! John vs. Tucker
Tucker
It was finally here, me against John, the duel that I’d been working toward for a few months now. Even though John was my best friend, he was also my strongest rival. I’d already beaten Lawrence and Max today, two Duelists that I’d never expected to beat, at least alone, so what was one more?
“You ready bro?” John asked me, looking as excited by the prospect of our match as I was.
“Oh yeah,” I said, “I’m definitely ready. I’ve been looking forward to this.”
While the announcer was still talking about Jen’s match, John and I walked out of the waiting room and over to the Duel Disk arena.
“Ah, and here they are now,” said the announcer upon seeing us, “our next two competitors, John the Dark Duelist, and Tucker the Fire Duelist!”
“You know, I don’t think we’ve ever dueled like this,” said John thoughtfully, looking around at the high tech arena.
“We haven’t,” I replied. “We’ve only ever dueled the normal, tabletop way. You’re a good Duelist, but your real power only comes through in a real duel, and I want to face you at your best.”
John smiled in the half arrogant, half confident way that he does and said, “Then let’s give these people a show.”
I drew a hand of six cards and announced, “Me first! I summon ‘UFO Turtle’, and set one card.”
A green tortoise with a flying saucer for a shell appeared (ATK: 1400).
“Really?” John asked. “Tuck, you know I won’t let you pull off ‘UFO Turtle’’s effect unless I absolutely have to. I activate ‘Dark Core’, discarding ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ to remove your ‘UFO Turtle’ from play.”
A small black hole appeared above my turtle, and several black bolts of lightning lanced from it, snagging my monster and lifting it from the ground. But before my monster could be absorbed into the black hole, a glowing spell ring appeared between my monster and the black hole, acting as a barrier.
“I discard the Spell card ‘Tribute Doll’,” I declared, “to activate ‘Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell’, negating your Spell card and saving my monster.” I smiled, “Guess you absolutely have to, huh?”
“I guess so,” John replied with a smile of his own. I’d impressed him. “I summon ‘Diskblade Rider’,” he said, and a green-skinned fiend appeared, wearing blue armor and riding on the back of a powerful-looking motorcycle. He carried a disk with a sharpened edge in his left hand (ATK: 1700).
“‘Diskblade Rider’, attack ‘UFO Turtle’,” John commanded, “with Disk Toss!”
“‘Diskblade Rider’ threw his disk, and then sped after it. The disk split my monster in half and bounced off of the ground at my feet (8000+1400-1700=7700). ‘Diskblade Rider’ caught the disk, swerved around me, and rode back to John’s side of the field where it settled at his side.
“As I’m sure you know,” I explained, “when ‘UFO Turtle’ is destroyed in battle, I can summon a Fire monster from my deck to replace him.”
I fanned out my deck and selected a card.
“I summon,” I declared, “the powerful ‘Solar Flare Dragon’.” A serpentine dragon with a body made of fire appeared, its tail wrapped around my feet (ATK: 1500).
“I end my turn,” John announced, “by placing two cards face-down.”
How will he play this? I wondered. He knows all of ‘Solar Flare Dragon’’s effects, but that’s not what matters here. The question is, did he have anything in his hand that he could use against it, or are his face-downs only a bluff? Or something for later?
I have to keep going with my strategy and hope for the best.
“Alright,” I said, “I draw, and play the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards.”
I drew, Not bad! I don’t even have to rely on ‘Solar Flare’’s effect now. I can move right to phase two.
“I remove ‘UFO Turtle’ from play,” I began, “to summon ‘Spirit of the Flame’.” A red-skinned demon with curved horns appeared at my side (ATK: 1700).
“Now,” I continued, “I tribute both of my monsters to summon the ‘Infernal Flame Emperor’!”
My monsters were engulfed by flames. The flames merged, becoming a lion-bodied creature with the torso of a man and broad wings, all made of fire (ATK: 2700). “I remove ‘Spirit of the Flames’ and ‘Solar Flare Dragon’ in my Graveyard from the game,” I declared, “to destroy both of your face down cards.”
‘Infernal Flame Emperor’ raised his palms, and the two cards burst into flames. Before they were reduced to ash, one of them flipped up, and a giant game controller emerged.
“You destroyed my cards,” said John, “but I was still able to chain my ‘Enemy Controller’.” He pressed five buttons on the controller, and a cord reached from it, connecting to my monster. My monster crouched down and crossed his arms, changing to defense mode (DEF: 1600).
“Since I can’t attack,” I said, not letting myself sound as frustrated as I felt, “I’ll just end my turn.”
“Good,” John replied, smirking. He drew, and he selected a card already in his hand, “I tribute ‘Diskblade Rider’ to summon the sinister ‘Summoned Skull’!”
The motorcyclist disappeared in a burst of electricity that swirled violently and then exploded outward, revealing the form of the skeletal fiend within it (ATK: 2500). ‘Summoned Skull’ raised his claws, aiming them at my monster. Clouds built overhead, and a bolt of lightning burst from them, hitting the fiend’s claws and jumping to my monster. He was vaporized in an instant.
“I set a card,” said John, “and end my turn.”
I looked up at my opponent’s monster. I can’t beat it yet, I thought, so I’ll have to stall until I can figure something out.
“I activate ‘Graceful Charity’,” I began, “drawing three cards, and discarding ‘Darkfire Soldier #2’ and the egg-dragon ‘Ryu-Ran’. And I’ll follow up with ‘Monster Reborn’ to summon my ‘Ryu-Ran’ in defense mode!”
A glowing red ankh appeared in the sky, blossoming out and becoming a red-spotted egg with red dragon’s feet and a red tail protruding from it. There was a gap in the shell through which you could see the dragon’s eyes, but otherwise, he was completely enclosed, and protected.
“My monster may not be able to beat summoned skull head on,” I explained, “but his shell is protected by a powerful magical coating, allowing him to reflect almost any attack away (DEF: 2600). And that ends my turn for now.”
“Good move,” John replied approvingly (did I spell that right?), “but in that case I’ll go ahead and reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’, summoning my ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ from the Graveyard in attack position.”
The legendary black dragon with the piercing red eyes appeared with a roar (ATK: 2400).
“He can’t get through your dragon’s defense either,” John admitted, “so I’ll pass.”
I drew a card, swearing to myself, wishing silently for this stalemate to end. All I could do was set a card and pass. John did the same. I drew, “I set a monster this time,” I declared, “and I end my turn again.”
John drew his next card and smiled, “Finally, no more waiting. I activate ‘Polymerization’, fusing ‘Summoned Skull’ and ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ into the ‘Black Skull Dragon’!”
The two monsters merged, becoming a skeletal black dragon with red eyes, thick, exposed muscles, and massive claws. He roared at the sky (ATK: 3200).
“I figured as much,” I said. “Well, bring it on!”
“With pleasure,” John replied, laying on the smugness. “‘Black Skull Dragon’, Molten Fireball!”
The dragon exhaled, unleashing a barrage of fireballs that fell toward my monster, leaving him no chance to survive, except for the reflective barrier that appeared to protect him.
“Reveal ‘Mirror Force’,” I commanded.
“Counter with ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’ (8000-1000=7000),” John declared, and the barrier shattered. The fireballs hit, and my monster was incinerated before my very eyes, leaving me with even fewer options than I’d had last turn.
I smiled, Just how I like it!
Card of the Day:
Infernal Flame Emperor
Played by: Tucker
Tucker is strong, but he doesn't have a lot of powerful monsters, and his monsters certainly don't have a lot of utility effects apart from destroying other monsters. So I gave him another one in the form of this monster, which is one of Tucker's few cards capable of countering Spells and Traps.
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