Kari Takes Charge

Chapter One

Yuma was searching frantically through his house for the forty cards he needed to duel with. His search brought him into the living room where his sister was sitting serenely on a couch.

"Have you seen my deck?" Yuma asked, lifting a pillow off the counch.

"Yes, I have," Kari said.

"Where is it?"

"I'm sitting on it."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I am sitting on your deck, Yuma. It is under my butt as we speak."

"That's…"

"Sick, revolting, disturbing?"

"I guess, if you say so."

"It's the only way to keep you from dueling, Yuma. It's dangerous to duel."

"But I've got to beat this kid named Shark to get back my friend Kotori's bracelet."

"You'll lose to him like you lost to him last time."

"No, I won't! I'll win this time, because I have this!" He held a card up to her face, which she took.

"'Number 43: Curse of Spyro,'" she read. "When this card is ecks why zee summoned—"

"Ick-zees," Yuma corrected.

"It is ecks why zee, or it would not be spelled with those three letters," Kari said. "Anyway, it's too confusing. There's only one place for it." She lifted her butt and put the card under it before sitting back down.

"Hey, what are you doing? That's my card!"

"You are not to duel with it, or with any card at all. You lost the precious key Mom and Dad found on an expedition to this Shark person in your last duel, and you're going to risk dueling him again for your girlfriend's necklace?"

"I can win this time."

"You will not beat him. He has the most powerful deck you ever saw. And he's just a school bully. What will happen when you duel real duelists, with real decks? You'll be swampbushed. Better quit dueling now while you still can."

"But I've got to—"

"Look,, I have extra money to spend. We can buy your girlfriend a new necklace. It makes no sense to risk whatever you were planning to risk for it."

"But risks are what makes it worth doing!"

"What did you offer Shark if you lose this one? The clothes off your beck?"

"No," Yuma said, looking down and twisting his index fingers together.

"What then?"

"I offered him the clothes off your back!"

"Why, you little-!" She got off the couch and started chasing him around the house. A few moments later he ran out the door. She sighed and decided not to follow him. Returning to the couch, she saw his deck was missing.

"Well, I hope your nostrils suffer from using cards that have been under my butt for hours, Yuma!" she said loudly to the empty house.