We don't really get much of Kimi as Shannon's student, aside from brief mentions of the situation. In fact, I think this chapter is really all we ever get, and it's basically a passing of the torch from master to student kind of dealie. I guess I could have structured this subplot better, but I still think it works. We at least get to see what kind of mentor Shannon is, giving Kimi opportunities to show what she's learned without going easy on her. We also get some hints as to their relationship dynamic. It is one of respect more than anything, and the respect runs both ways.
Oh, yeah, and Shannon totally has magic, in case you forgot. She has a pendant, from back in Special #2, and now we have confirmation that her "Splendid Venus" has magic in it, too. Is there, perhaps, something more to this, such as, maybe, a secret past to this character? Eh, it's probably nothing.
Chapter Seven
Battle in Heaven
Kimi
As I watched, Jenna was slashed by the beast-like ‘Ohka’ only seconds before being hit by a beam of light from the mouth of the super charged ‘Goryu’. She seemed half in shock and half disappointed as her opponent walked away. I felt bad for her. Even I couldn’t think of a silver lining to her loss.
“Well,” said Senpai, “That was quite an interesting duel.”
“Jenna couldn’t make a single move,” I replied, sounding more awestruck than I really wanted to. “Part of that can be chalked up to nerves, but it doesn’t change the fact that Hiro’s strategy was overwhelming.”
Senpai nodded, turned to me and said, “Well, either way, we have our own duel to fight.”
“Yes,” I said, standing to face her as I had many times before, “we do.”
Senpai drew her opening hand, paying careful attention to every card, “I’ll start out, as usual. I set two cards face-down. Next I activate the effect of a monster in my hand, the angelic statue ‘Hecatrice’. I discard ‘Hecatrice’ to search my deck for one specific and very powerful Spell card, adding it to my hand.” A small golden statue appeared, glowing golden yellow. The statue disappeared as Senpai took the target card from her deck.
“Now,” said Senpai, “I activate the card that was taken from my deck, the sacred temple of ‘Valhalla’. The light of ‘Valhalla’ shines bright, allowing me to Special Summon one Fairy monster each turn, as long as I don’t already control any monsters. That means I can summon ‘Athena’, the Summoner. While ‘Athena’ is on the field I can sacrifice any Fairy to summon another Fairy from my Graveyard, and whenever I summon a Fairy, she attacks for six hundred points of damage.”
The arena beneath us took on the appearance of clouds, and a large golden temple appeared behind Senpai. Light poured from within the temple hall, carrying with it a vibrant angel in gold and white armor, carrying a sword (ATK: 2600). This was ‘Athena’, one of Senpai’s strongest cards.
“Next,” said Senpai, “I summon the ‘Lucky Pied Piper’.” A small fairy in a brown jacket appeared, carrying a flute in his left hand (ATK: 1500).
“Since ‘Pied Piper’ is a Fairy,” Senpai explained, “my ‘Athena’ fires her special attack.” ‘Athena’ fired a pulse of light from her free palm, hitting me in the chest (8000-600=7400).
“Now,” said Senpai, “I play ‘Card of Sanctity’. We each draw until we hold six cards.” I drew one card. Senpai drew six. And of course I knew she wasn’t finished yet.
“Next,” Senpai continued, “I activate the Spell card ‘Skill of the Summoner’, allowing me to move a Level Seven or higher monster from my deck to my hand. I choose the powerful ‘Wingweaver’, and I combine ‘Wingweaver’ with a second Spell card, ‘Ancient Rules’. This lets me summon ‘Wingweaver’ instantly from my hand.”
A glowing, six-winged angel with long, silky violet hair appeared, wearing a long, flowing yellow dress (ATK: 2750). She appeared in a halo of bright light that poured into ‘Athena’’s palm. ‘Athena’ launched it at me, damaging me again (7400-600=6800).
“I place a third card face-down,” said Senpai, “and finally end my turn.”
Three monsters in the first turn, I thought. I guess I didn’t expect anything less. This is why, in all the times that Senpai and I have fought, I’ve never beaten her once.
I drew a seventh card. My hand wasn’t anything too impressive, except for one card which might make all of the difference.
“Alright Shannon-senpai,” I announced, “I’m going to show you what I’ve learned. I call forth my own little corner of Heaven, the ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’!”
Behind me, out of the clouds, rose a gleaming white Roman-style temple surrounded by a lush garden, floating atop a flying island.
“Now that ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’ is in play,” I explained, needlessly since I knew Senpai knew the effect of my card even better than I did, “neither of us takes any damage from any battle involving our own Fairy monsters. But that’s just the printed effect. You see, the ‘Sanctuary’ also lets me unlock the hidden powers of certain monsters, like the mighty ‘Warrior of Zera’.”
A man in green padded armor appeared carrying a sword. He was pulled through the air and into the ‘Sky Sanctuary’ behind me. He was bathed in the ‘Sanctuary’’s light, and re-emerged as a gleaming angelic figure standing twelve feet tall, with powerful wings.
“When the wandering hero ‘Warrior of Zera’ comes in contact with the light of the ‘Sanctuary’,” I explained, “he completes his long pilgrimage and is rewarded by becoming ‘Archlord Zerato’ (ATK: 2800)!”
I summoned my most powerful ‘Agent’ series monster, I thought, but I don’t have the right cards in my hand to activate his effect yet. Still, he’s plenty powerful enough to take care of ‘Athena’.
I pointed, and ‘Zerato’ followed my gaze as I commanded, “Attack ‘Athena’ with Radiant Blade.”
“I really hope that you didn’t expect that attack to work,” said Senpai, a little disappointed. “You should remember this combo. I taught it to you years ago.”
‘Zerato’ swung his sword, releasing a wave of light energy in the direction of Senpai’s angel, but at the same instant a goddess appeared at Senpai’s side in spirit form, and ‘Zerato’’s attack was deflected by a wall of light. The wall faded away, ready to spring up again at a moment’s notice.
“I use ‘Aegis of Gaia’,” Senpai explained, “to summon the Spirit of Protection, reinforcing my Life Points by three thousand (8000+3000=11,000). Then I pay eight thousand Life Points to activate ‘Wall of Revealing Light’, creating a wall around myself and my monsters, eight thousand points strong (11,000-8000=3000). Now no monster can reach me.
“Finally,” Senpai concluded, “I reveal ‘Solemn Wishes’. From now on, each time I draw, I recover five hundred Life Points. My Life Points will be restored in no time at all.”
I knew this combo well. It was the ultimate defense wall created by Senpai, designed to keep any enemy monster with eight thousand or less Attack from reaching her side of the field, if only for a few turns until the opponent managed to break the wall with a Spell. Of course, when you’re Senpai, a few turns is all that you need. I had all of the cards required to use this combo in my deck as well, but I’d never been able to activate the key card, the ‘Aegis of Gaia’. I’d get it onto the field, but no matter how hard I tried, I could never bring myself to activate it.
It was Senpai’s card, and using it myself didn’t feel right. Senpai had said many times before that it was psychological, that all I had to do was reach a point where I could believe that I’d become as strong as she was, or stronger, and then I’d be able to activate the card. I would reach that point today I would make sure of it. Today, the student would surpass the master.
But not just yet, “I end my turn.”
“I draw,” Senpai declared (3000+500=3500), “and I begin my turn by tributing ‘Pied Piper’ and ‘Wingweaver’ to summon the ‘Splendid Venus’!”
The two weaker monsters disappeared, and a second female angel appeared in their place, wearing white and gold armor over a long, flowing dress. Through my Soul of Light, I could feel magic rolling off of that monster, making her seem even more intimidating than I already found her. This was the monster that Senpai saved for opponent's who she felt deserved her full attention, and facing her was an honor. She carried no weapon. Her weapon was Heaven’s light itself (ATK: 2800). As 'Venus' appeared, ‘Athena’ hit me with another burst of light (6800-600=6200).
“‘Venus’,” Senpai commanded, “attack ‘Zerato’.” ‘Venus’ unleashed a wave of light, and ‘Zerato’ unleashed an energy pulse from his sword. The two attacks passed each other, and each hit its mark. Both monsters were destroyed.
“Now I attack with ‘Athena’,” Senpai declared, and the mighty warrior angel swung her sword (6200-2600=3600).
“I activate ‘Double Summon’,” Senpai continued, “summoning the ‘Light Effigy’, tributing it to activate ‘Athena’’s effect.” A jumble of light appeared, disappearing immediately after, and the ‘Splendid Venus’ returned to life. ‘Athena’ attacked me twice (3600-600-600= 2400). I was worried that Sempei had more planned, but looking at her I could see in her eyes that she’d exhausted her moves for now.
“I may be behind,” I said, relieved to still be in the game at all, “but I’m not out of the duel yet. I summon ‘Agent of Creation – Venus’ and pay one thousand Life Points (2400-1000=1400) to summon two ‘Mystic Shine Balls’ from my deck.” An angel in a long flowing brown dress appeared, two crystal orbs appearing in the air around her head (DEF: 0/500/500).
“I also place three cards face-down,” I concluded. “I was hoping to save a few of these cards, but now I guess I’m gonna need them. Turn end.”
“In that case,” Senpai declared, smiling proudly at how seriously I was taking our battle, “I draw (3500+500=4000) and activate a second ‘Double Summon’. That means I can summon both ‘Herald of Creation’ and ‘Aquarian Allessa’.” A tall magic user appeared wearing reflective armor over white robes, carrying a staff, alongside a young girl in a blue kimono. “Both of my monsters lose five hundred Attack points in the presence of ‘Venus’’ light (ATK: 1800 -> 1300/1500 -> 1000), but they're powerful enough for what I need. ‘Herald’ and ‘Allessa’ attack the ‘Shine Balls’,” Sempei commanded. ‘Herald’ swung his staff, and ‘Allessa’ summoned a magical wave. The two orbs shattered.
“Now ‘Athena’ destroys your ‘Agent’ so that ‘Venus’ can attack directly,” ‘Athena’ swung her sword, but the strike was deflected by a barrier summoned by a trio of priests.
“My ‘Waboku’,” I explained, “protects me and my monsters from damage for the rest of the turn.”
This is it, I realized, completely sure of myself in that moment, I’m finally going to win! “I draw, and I activate the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’.” I drew two cards, looked them over and smiled.
“I activate the Spell card ‘Monster Reincarnation’, discarding a card from my hand to add a monster from my Graveyard to my hand. Next I reveal ‘Light of Judgment’, discarding that monster to activate the ‘Light’’s effect, removing your ‘Aegis of Gaia’ from the field.”
In the entrance to the sanctuary appeared the ghostly figure of ‘Archlord Zerato’. He transformed into light that swept Senpai’s field, erasing the Goddess of Protection (4000-3000=1000). But only a moment later the Goddess reappeared, this time standing at my side.
“Reveal ‘Aegis of Gaia’,” I declared, my Life Points climbing (1400+3000=4400). “The Goddess of Protection is on my side now,” I said. Senpai smiled.
I moved the ‘Agent of Creation’ card to my Graveyard, and my monster disappeared. “I tribute ‘Agent of Creation – Venus’ to summon ‘Agent of Judgment – Saturn’! Special attack, Light of Burning Judgment!”
From the ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’ there descended a male angel with deep blue skin and vibrant wings. His light overwhelmed even ‘Venus’’. The light expanded outward, engulfing all four of Senpai’s monsters. The light grew brighter until it was almost blinding, and when it finally faded the field was empty, and Senpai’s Life Points were at zero.
My teacher nodded at me respectfully, “I told you that you could do it. I would know, I trained you.”
“I wouldn’t have won,” I replied, “if you hadn’t drawn two of your few non-Fairy monsters in those last couple of turns. If you’d drawn another couple of Fairies, you’d have won with ‘Athena’’s effect.”
“We both got lucky,” Senpai agreed, “but luck is part of the game, and yours was better. You were better.”
She walked over to me and shook my hand, and the two of us walked together back to the waiting room in reserved silence.
Card of the Day:
Aegis of Gaia
Played by: Shannon and Kimi
This card carries a lot of weight in this chapter, as it signifies the bond between Shannon and Kimi as teacher and student, and of something akin to Kimi finally earning her Duel Monsters black belt or something. Whatever, it earns this spot on these merits, even if they really only mean anything to these two characters.
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