Dipper
I came to a stop, wheezing a bit as I finally took a moment to breathe. Looking around, I saw that my walk had taken me right into Gravity Falls' Main Square. As usual, it was bustling with activity. If you wanted to get anywhere in this town, you had to go through the main square at some point. I caught my breath, but stayed where I was, not sure what to do now.
I wasn't really sure about anything anymore. I mean, I'd done it. I'd figured out who wrote the journals. I'd even discovered I was related to the guy! I was absolutely ecstatic-is that the right word?-but at the same time, I couldn't help but wonder what I was supposed to do with the rest of my summer. That's what had me standing here; I'd decided to just walk and see where I ended up. I mean, it's not like I can just talk to the person I've been hunting all summer. Nooo, I have to stay with Stan and Mabel while the Author keeps researching without me. Gah! I just want t-
"Hey, Dipper."
"Ah!" I exclaimed, jumping a bit.
"Whoa," Pacifica said, "I've seen you stare down a ghost, and this is what scares you? You really are lame."
"And hello to you, too, Pacifica," I said, straightening my hat a bit, "How's it goin'?"
"Oh, it's great. Today is family fun day."
"Really?" I looked around, "Where are your parents?"
Pacifica's smile became a bit forced, "Oh, well, their idea of 'family fun day' is to drop me off at the mall and then go out to a party. Apparently, that's the only way the whole family can enjoy themselves at the same time."
"Wow," I said, scratching my head awkwardly, "That's, uh. Yeah. Sooo…did you want to hang out with me today?"
"Well, all my other friends are out of town. Some sort of, like, rich-but-not-quite-me-rich level cruise is going on right now. So I'm basically stuck with you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Y'know, I'd be offended if I didn't need a distraction right now."
She laughed. "Alright, dork. Where to first?"
"I dunno," I said, picking a street at random and starting to walk. "I wasn't exactly sure where I was going when I came here." We walked down the road, looking at the shops it had to offer. Everyone was staring at the two of us, and I could practically hear the rumors that were going to spread about me and Pacifica. Whatever. It's not like we're ever going to date. I decided to just concentrate on the stores. So far, they looked promising. I could only half remember most of them, so maybe today I'd find something totally new.
After another minute of walking, we hit gold. Wedged between two larger stores, this one seemed like it was trying to go unnoticed. "Gravity Falls Pawn Shop" the sign proclaimed. Actually, I think "proclaimed" is too strong a word for that broken down old thing. The windows were dusty, and the shadows of mannequins could be seen behind them. Faded 50% off stickers were jammed randomly on the door, and through it I could make out the faint outline of shelves. I took a step toward it.
A hand stopped me. "Wait, Dipper," Pacifica said, "I'm not sure you'd want to go in there."
"Pshh. It's just a pawnshop." I said, waving a dismissive hand.
"Yeah, a really old, really creepy pawnshop."
"C'mon, Pacifica. You can find all kinds of cool stuff in pawnshops."
"Yeah. Like guys who sell cursed items while standing in the shadows. I've seen horror movies, and it's never a good idea to go into broken down pawnshops. Or any broken down building, really."
I cleared my throat importantly. "Who's the expert on paranormal stuff here?"
"Well, you I guess, but-"
"Well, as the expert, I say it's fine."
"But-"
"Look, Pacifica, I've learned that when it comes to this stuff, it's never the obvious thing. Nothing in this town is what it looks like," With a few exceptions.
She didn't look reassured. "I don't know, Dipper. This shop gives me a bad feeling."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Okay, let's think about this logically. If this place actually did sell cursed items, why would it look so obviously like it sold cursed items? It's probably just some gimmick to bring in customers, like what my uncle does with the Mystery Shack."
"Still…"
I let out an exasperated sigh. "You know what? You do what you want, I'm going in." I walked over to the shop, opened the door, and went inside. As I paused to take a look around, I heard Pacifica enter the building, muttering under her breath. It was dark inside, and it smelled like mildew and stale cardboard. The shelves visible from outside stretched away into the darkness. I walked over to one and squinted at it. "Huh. Y'know, it's actually pretty hard to read price tags in the dark."
"That's kinda the point, sonny." I jumped, spinning around. Standing behind me was an old lady, hunched over and smiling at us. "It's a clever marketing ploy. Customers aren't really sure how expensive items are until checkout, and by then they've usually decided to get it regardless."
"How…open of you to say that." I said, confused.
The old lady cackled. "Oh, I don't tell that to all customers, just the young'ns. Never did feel right ripping them off. Actually," She walked to the wall and flipped a switch. Light flooded the place, blinding us, "There you go, darlings. Shop to your hearts content."
"Thanks!" I said, strolling down the aisle. I glanced at Pacifica, "And you thought this place was cursed."
She glared at me. "I still think it's cursed!"
"Aw, c'mon. Con artistry aside, that was probably the sweetest old lady I've ever met."
"Yeah, well, 'nothing in this town is what it looks like.'"
I chuckled. "I see what you did there." She smiled faintly. We stopped to look at some things on display. There was a telescope, a set of puppy themed teacups, and a vase that just said "FLOWERS" on it. I pulled that one down. "Wow. Whoever made this must've been pretty boring. How much is thi-50 DOLLARS! No thanks!" I put the vase back.
"Ah, the plight of poor people." Pacifica sighed, "I love being rich."
"Oh yeah, Ms. Moneybags? Why don't you buy it if it's so cheap?"
"Please. It's tacky as all heck. Let's keep looking." We kept moving down the aisle, looking for something that stuck out. It was mostly just knick-knacks and various themed china. We were approaching the end of the aisle, when I stopped dead in my tracks.
Sitting on the shelf was an Oh-Yugi mat.
Not just any Oh-Yugi mat. A two person Oh-Yugi mat. It was so awesome looking. There was a design on both sides of the field, an Armored Dragon LV 7 and a Horus the White Flamed Dragon LV 8. They were both breathing fire at each other, and they met in an explosion of color right in the no man's land between the two sides of the field. That's so cool! I want it. I reached up to grab it, giddy with excitement. I fumbled for the price tag.
$200.
The smile fell from my face. Sighing, I put it back on the shelf. Pacifica looked at me, confused. "Why'd you put it back?"
I stared at her incredulously. "Did you see the price of that thing? 200 dollars, Pacifica! I don't have that kind of money."
"200 dollars? I mean, that's, like, more than I'd spend on something like this, but…" I sighed and shook my head. I jammed my hands into my pockets and walked away with my head down. After a second, I heard Pacifica say, "Oh, fine!" Next thing I knew, she'd grabbed my arm and was dragging me to the checkout desk. She slammed the mat down and rang the bell.
The old lady came up from behind the counter. "Finished shopping, eh. What'd ya get? Ooooh, that's a nice one. It's limited edition, you know. Only a few thousand made."
"For 200 bucks, it better be limited edition." Pacifica snapped, cracking open her purse.
The lady cackled. "Bitter about the price, are we?"
"No, I'm bitter that this loser guilted me into buying it for him."
"Hey!" I interjected, "I didn't ask you to buy this for me."
"You might as well have!"
The lady laughed again, stashing the money in the register. "You kids remind me of the old days. Ah, to be young and in love." I could feel my face burning, and Pacifica's face was red too. We both stammered some denials, but that just made her laugh harder as she put the mat in a bag. "I remember that from the old days, too. Here you go, you kids have fun." I grabbed the bag and made for the door, face still a little hot. Pacifica wasn't far behind.
We came out of the pawnshop and started heading back toward the main square. Pacifica huffed a bit. "Well, there went, like, a quarter of my mall money. Hope you're happy."
I reached into my pocket, pulled out my fifty, and held it out to her. "Here, Pacifica. It isn't enough to make up for it, but it's better than nothing."
Her expression softened a bit. "Nah, Dipper. You keep it. If I took your money, then that 200 bucks would be a loan, and I don't give out loans that I know won't get paid back."
I chuckled. "So, what, thinking of it as a gift makes it better?"
"Obviously. Then I won't be kept up at night knowing someone owes me money."
That got me to laugh, and she started laughing too. We kept walking and soon we ended up back in the main square. "So," I said, "What now?"
"I don't know," Pacifica said, "I guess I could go back to the mall. What're you gonna do?"
"Honestly, I just want to get home and break this mat in."
She seemed to consider it for a moment. "That sounds more fun than cleaning out the mall for the bajillionth time."
I was shocked. "Really? Isn't this, like, nerdier than what you'd usually do?"
"Nerdier? Yeah, definitely. But there isn't anything else to do today. Besides, I spent 200 dollars on that stupid thing. I might as well see what it's used for."
I was still a little confused as I started back toward the Shack. "Whatever, Pacifica. Do you wanna play, or are you just going to watch?"
"In for a penny, in for a pound."
"Okay, then I should explain the rules." I started talking about all the different types of cards, the rules about Summoning, the kinds of things you can do, and the overall point of the game. Amazingly, she seemed to grasp the rules with little difficulty. When I asked her about that, she said that the game was just numbers, and that numbers are something she gets. By the time we got back, I was convinced she had the rules down pat. But we'll see just how well she actually does.
Stan and Mabel were out, probably off doing something illegal with glitter, so we managed to get up to my room without any hassle. I reached under my bed and pulled out my box of Oh-Yugi cards. I blew off a layer of dust. I've been so absorbed with finding the Author that I completely forgot I brought these. Huh, Oh-Yugi is, like, my second favorite game ever. Can't believe it's taken me this long to get back to it. I opened the box and took in the neatly organized layout. On the left, stacks of cards held together by rubber bands. On the right, smaller stacks of cards held together by rubber bands. I pulled those out.
"Here are my decks," I said, laying them out, "Pick one and we can get started."
Pacifica reached out and picked up a deck. She made a face. "Eww," she said, putting down the Insect deck. She reached for the next one, and this time she just looked confused. "What is this?" she asked, turning the deck so I could see.
"Huh," I said, "That's Winged Burrito. I think that's my Element Hero deck."
She started skimming through the cards, reading a few. "What's a flying burrito doing in a superhero deck?"
"Because it's one of the best sacrifice plays." And because that's how it was in the anime.
"Well, these cards don't look too terrible. I'll play with this one."
"Alright," I said, picking up my Dragon deck, "let's play." I stretched out the mat and put my deck in the designated zone. Pacifica did the same. Immediately, black smoke came streaming out of the mat. "What the-" I said, before a booming voice cut me off.
"THE STAGE HAS BEEN SET." The black haze condensed, forming the shape of a skull. "LET THE SHADOWGAME COMMENCE!" Pacifica and I both screamed. The skull began to laugh a deep booming laugh. His laugh became higher and higher pitcher until with a familiar cackle the skull collapsed and reformed as the old lady from the pawnshop.
"What the heck, lady!" I yelled at her. "Pacifica was right; your shop is cursed!"
"Oh, please," the old lady said, "I haven't dished out a legitimate curse in years. My interests lie more in the practical joke department these days."
"Practical jokes?" Pacifica asked.
"Indeed." She laughed some more, wiping away tears. "Oh, the looks on your faces were priceless."
"So, what, you just enchant stuff to play pranks on people?" I asked.
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Well it wasn't funny, you old crone!" Pacifica screamed.
The old lady seemed to consider it for a second. "No, it was pretty funny."
Pacifica stood up and pointed at the old lady. "I will sue you!"
The old lady started sweating. "Whoa, whoa, calm down. No need for legal action. I know that my pranks can be a bit…disturbing for some people. That's why, to make it up, everything has a cool power. This mat, for example, can make the cards come to life."
I gasped. "Just like the anime!?"
The lady cackled. "Yes, just like the anime!"
I let out the same squeal that I had when the Author was telling his story. "Oh, man! This is like a dream come true!"
The old lady smiled at us. "Well, I'll leave you kids to it. To activate the mat, you both just need to say 'Let's duel' at the same time." She vanished.
Pacifica laughed. "What was that sound you made just a second ago?"
I could feel myself blushing, but I tried to maintain my dignity. "Just shut up and duel me."
She giggled. "Alright, dork. On three. One, two, three."
"Let's Duel!" 8000 8000
Pacifica
"We'll flip to see who goes first." Dipper said, pulling a coin from his box, "Call it in the air," he said, flicking the coin up.
"Tails," I said quickly. Dipper caught the coin and slapped it on his arm. Pulling his hand back revealed a heads.
Dipper shrugged. "Guess I'm going first." We both shuffled our decks and drew our starting hands. I gave my cards a cursory glance before looking up to watch how Dipper would start.
I still couldn't believe how I'd ended up here. My parents had dropped me off at the mall like they always did on "family fun days" and driven off. I'd texted my friends asking them to meet me there, only to get replies from both of them that they were on a cruise with their parents. Apparently, their two families were doing some business with each other and thought a cruise would be the best way to make the deal go smoothly. That was why they hadn't told me. At least, that's why they said they hadn't told me. I'd wandered the mall for a bit, but without anyone to talk to shopping wasn't as fun. I'd walked out of the mall and made my way to the main square, where lo and behold Dipper Pines was standing.
What is up with Dipper today? I don't think I've ever seen him just standing there; he's always doing something. And that bit about needing a distraction? I don't get it. Whatever I did or didn't get would have to wait, because Dipper was making his first move.
"I summon Lustre Dragon!" he said, with more force than was probably needed. He slammed the card in place, again with unnecessary force. From the card rose a sapphire dragon. It roared at me as a number appeared beside it. 1900
I caught my breath at the sight of the dragon. The light from the small lantern above Dipper's bed was caught and reflected by its scales. The dragon glittered, projecting a kaleidoscope of blue onto everything around it. When it roared, the pattern danced on the walls, changing into something completely different but equally stunning. Dipper whistled, his face illuminated by the dragon's majesty. "Dang. The card description calls it a beautiful dragon, but dang." He pulled another card from his hand, placing it in the Spell/Trap card zones. "I'll place one card facedown. Your move."
I chewed my lip. Beauty aside, that's pretty tough. Let's see what I've got. I drew my card and looked at it. I also took the time to read my other cards more carefully. I eyed one card in particular. Wish I could get you out, but-I glanced at another card-you'll do for now. "I'll put a monster in defense mode," I said, putting down the card. "I'll also put this facedown. Your turn."
"Not so fast." Dipper said smugly. "I activate my facedown, Mystical Space Tornado! This allows me to destroy any spell or trap card on the field." A black twister howled into being, tearing past my monster and going right for my trap. Scary Roar briefly showed before it broke into shards, reappearing in my graveyard. "Wow!" Dipper said excitedly, "That's awesome! And convenient!" I said nothing, putting on my poker face.
"My turn!" he said, drawing with a flourish. He's really getting into this. "I summon Armored Dragon LV 3!" A very unimpressive looking yellow and gray dragon appeared, along with a 1200 to show just how unimpressive it actually was. "Now that that's done," He pointed dramatically, "Lustre Dragon! Attack her facedown monster!" The sapphire dragon lunged as my card flipped up on its own. A figure rose, a blue man with a helmet and a cannon for an arm. That cannon came up in a defensive pose, taking the bite. Lustre dragon's eyes widened, and with a pathetic mewling sound it returned to its side of the field.
I flipped my hair and smiled. "How'd you like my Element Hero Rockman?" 2000.
Dipper returned my smile even as his life points scrolled down. "I like him just fine, thanks." 7900. "Guess I'm not attacking you directly this time. Your move."
I drew my card, again reading its effect. My eyes widened, seeing a great combo. "Alright, Dipper. Here I go! I activate the False Hero spell card! This lets me summon an Element Hero from my hand. And I choose Element Hero Wingman!" I slammed the card into place. A masked, green man rose up, spreading his wings. 1000.
Dipper gave me a mischievous grin. "Alright. False Hero doesn't let you attack, but alright."
I gave a grin of my own. "I just needed him on the field, because now I can sacrifice him." At those words, Wingman turned and gave me an accusing glare. "What? It's not like you can actually do anything with a thousand attack points. Anyway, now I sacrifice both Wingman and Rockman to summon Element Hero Edgelord!" The two monsters on my field sighed as they became balls of light, floating together and creating a new outline. To my surprise, they created a lanky, sullen looking teenager. He was dressed all in black, with an emo haircut draped over one eye. 2600.
"What's with the getup?" I asked.
"I think the game makers knew their target audience was socially awkward teens, so they made angst a very powerful force," Dipper explained.
"Well, whatever. Edgelord! Destroy Lustre Dragon!" Edgelord breathed in and let out a massive sigh. Lustre Dragon fell, clutching its head, before exploding. I could feel my heart pounding. I felt amazing! I felt unstoppable! I felt-
Dipper quietly started laughing. Suddenly, I felt uneasy. "What's so funny?" I asked.
"Oh, Pacifica," he said, life points dropping down to 7200, "That was such a brilliant move. It's a shame that one mistake is gonna ruin it."
"Mistake?" I said, confused. "What mistake? I got the monster out, then took out the bigger threat."
"And with those words, you show your ignorance." He drew his card. "Because now, Armored Dragon LV 3 is getting an upgrade."
"What!?"
"During my standby phase, I can level up my Armored Dragon LV 3 into a LV 5. So that's what I'll do!" The previously unimpressive dragon grew in size. It became red, and grew spikes. I was pretty intimidated until the 2400 flashed up.
I laughed. "That thing can't beat my Edgelord!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Can't it?" He pulled a card from his hand. "I activate Armored Dragon LV 5's effect! By discarding a monster, I can destroy a monster with equal to or less attack points. So by discarding my three thousand White Eyes Blue Dragon, I can destroy your Edgelord!" Edgelord sighed, showing Dipper some lewd hand gestures before shattering.
Ah, poop.
"And now, you're open to a direct attack!" The red dragon lunged for me. I braced myself, even though when the bite came it didn't actually hurt. I huffed as my life points drained. 5600.
Dipper smiled at me. "You're lucky I didn't have another monster to summon."
I glared at him. "Yeah, yeah, shut up. My move." I drew a familiar looking flying Mexican dish. I read its effect. Huh. Dipper wasn't kidding when he said this was a good sacrifice play. But do I want to waste it now? He only has one monster. Although, that could change next turn. I chewed my lip, deliberating.
"Alright, I'll put this in defense mode. Your turn."
Dipper drew his card, and then laughed. "That's what I'm talkin' about! I summon Bandanna Dragon!" A dragon that was red on the underside and white on top rose. Its face was also red, though it's mouth was covered by a white bandanna. 1400. "Now, Armored Dragon LV5! Attack her facedown monster!" The spiked dragon lunged, heading for the facedown. It flipped up, and from it rose a flying burrito.
The dragon perked up. It took a huge bite from the burrito. The wings flapped, tearing off another piece and carrying it to Bandanna Dragon, who also dug in. I looked at the odd display. "Winged Burrito's effect prevents all battle damage for the rest of this turn."
Dipper nodded. "Nice call on me summoning."
"I wasn't about to risk more damage."
"Yeah." Suddenly, he gave a mischievous grin. "Too bad about Armored Dragon LV5's effect."
My heart, already pretty low, dropped even farther. "What effect?"
"At the end of a turn where Armored Dragon LV5 destroys a monster in battle, it levels up. To a level 7." As I watched, the dragon's spikes grew bigger and bigger. When they were done, the dragon was more spike that flesh. It's face, arms, even wings were now metallic.
I just stared at it. "Jeez, isn't that design a little overkill?" 2800.
Dipper chuckled. "That's nothing. You should see level 10."
I paled a little bit. I really need to kill this thing before it gets any bigger.
"Scared, Pacifica?" Dipper asked.
"In your dreams." I huffed, drawing my card. I read it, then started, looking at another card in my hand. I looked over at Armored Dragon LV7, and felt a huge smile break out onto my face at what I saw. "Ready for this, you smug little turd? I summon Element Hero Sparky!" A man rose up wearing a blue and yellow costume. Sparks flew from his hand as 1600 appeared.
Dipper smiled. "I fail to see why that should impress me."
I smirked. "Maybe you will when I equip this Spark Shooter." A gun appeared in Sparky's hand.
Dipper's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, I see. Nice play, Pacifica."
"Thanks. Okay, I activate Spark Shooter's effect! With it, I can force your monster into defense mode!" Sparky aimed at the monstrous Armored Dragon LV7 and fired. Electricity surged through the beast's body, bringing it to its knees. 1000. "Now, Sparky! Destroy that thing!" Sparky leaped up, flipped, and brought an electrified foot down on Armored Dragon LV7's head. The dragon exploded, leaving Sparky standing tall.
I actually jumped up and cheered. "Whoo Hoo! I did it! That thing was a monster!"
Dipper chuckled. "Technically, they're all monsters."
"Shut up, nerd! Let me have this."
"Eh, you call me a nerd, but I'm not the one who just jumped for joy over a card game."
I realized I was still standing and sat down, feeling my face burn. "So I'm having fun. What's wrong about that?"
He laughed. "Nothing. It's just a little ironic. My Move?" I nodded, and he drew. "I'll swap Bandana Dragon to defense mode. That's all." 1100.
I grinned at him. "Why bother? I can switch it right back. And that's what I'll do. Sparky, get him up and then kick him dead!" With a shot from the gun, Bandanna Dragon stood up, just in time to catch Sparky's foot with its face. It exploded, shrieking. I fist pumped as Dipper's life points dropped. 7000.
To my surprise, though, an identical dragon dropped in, crouching in defense mode. "Okay, what gives?"
"When Bandanna Dragon is destroyed in battle, I can summon another dragon with fifteen hundred or less attack points." Dipper explained.
"Heh. So they keep coming, and I keep killing them? Fine by me. Your move."
Dipper drew, glanced at the card, and immediately passed. I was feeling pretty good as I drew another card, but something didn't feel right. I wondered what it was while I went through the routine of changing and killing the Bandanna Dragon. 6800. I stopped wondering, though, when a dragon came down that wasn't Bandanna Dragon. It was black, and very generic looking. It flopped down in a huff, and went to sleep. 2000.
I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, that's new. What's the deal?"
Dipper gave that familiar mischievous grin. "I'm not sure if you were aware or not, but Spark Shooter only has three shots. Now that you've wasted them all on my Bandanna Dragons, I can put down Dragon Living in a Cave as a defensive wall."
My eyes widened. I looked at the card, and sure enough it said it only works three times. Stupid! I knew something was off, but I didn't stop to think about why! He was stalling me out! While I fumed at myself, Dipper drew, placed two facedowns and passed. No way he could've drawn both of those. He was holding them, baiting me! That's…clever. Nice move, Dipper.
I drew, and for the first time in a while I looked closely at my hand. Another Wingman. Fascinating. A trap card, that could be useful. Something called Flame Woman that's not very strong. And, hello, what's this? I carefully read the card titled "Polly" Fusion monsters? I think Dipper went over those. Are there any in this deck? I looked at the field, and noticed a small stack of cards to my left. I picked those up and looked at them. Here they are. Let's see if I can do anything…this! This'll work!
"I activate Polly! With this, I can fuse two monsters together!" Upon playing the card, a giant parrot rose up. I held out Flame Woman and Wingman, both of whom took form. With a squawk, the giant bird lunged and ate Wingman. Flame woman started screaming, even as the bird picked her up and swallowed her down. The bird began to glow, then exploded in light. I just stared, a little disturbed by what had happened. "What the actual heck!?"
Dipper just shrugged. "Japan is a strange place."
I shook off the feeling. "A-Anyway, I can summon Element Hero Burstinavian." A green and red man with a single wing, a dragon for a hand, and a tail formed from the light left by Polly. 2100. "Now, Burstin-. Burstini-. Bustina-. Argh! Why couldn't they have just called it Flame Wingman!"
"I think Flame Wingman was copyrighted."
I took a deep breath. "Bur-sti-nay-vi-an. Attack that dragon!" The hard to pronounce fusion leaped forward, and the dragon hand bit down on the sleeping dragons neck. With a pained roar, it exploded. "And now, Burtinava-, screw it I'm calling him Steve. Now Steve's effect activates, dealing damage to you equal to your monster's attack points." The dragon hand's mouth glowed, spraying Dipper with fire. He braced himself against the flames. 5500. I grinned. "And don't forget about Sparky!" Sparky shot electricity from his hands, shocking Dipper. 3900.
I laughed manically. "How's it feel to be the one losing?!"
Dipper quietly laughed, which immediately put me on edge. "I may be losing now, but I was stalling for a reason. Because I was trying to get one card. One card that will turn it all around. And that card is-" He drew, "…not this." The look on his face was such pure disappointment that I keeled over laughing, all while his face flushed red. Eventually, I composed myself enough for him to continue. "Ahem. I'll put this monster facedown. Your turn."
I drew, registered it was a trap card, then pointed at the monster. "Steve! Destroy it!"
"Not so fast!" Dipper said, "I activate Magical Shoes! This lets me shuffle my monster up with two non-monsters, and lay them all in defense mode." Three giant shoes rose up and shuffled for a bit before settling.
I considered the shoes for a moment. "Okay…Steve, hit the one on the right." He did, and out popped a little stream of fire that was shaped like a dragon. Steve's hand ate it whole, chewed it up a little, then spat it out at Dipper. 3400.
I laughed. "Five hundred attack? Really?"
He rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I don't even know why I have that card. Though it did come in handy, since I took a lot less damage from Burstinavian. Anyway, lucky for me the shoes stay until the end of the turn, so I'm safe."
"Why didn't you use that card last turn?"
"Honestly, I was hoping for a big dramatic draw. Guess it didn't pan out that way."
I giggled, remembering his face. "No, it didn't. Your move."
He put his hand on the deck. "Hey, how much you wanna bet this is the card I wanted last turn?"
"Well, since I know all you have is fifty, I guess I'll bet that."
He rolled his eyes. "That wasn't a serious question." He drew the card, and his eyes widened. He fist pumped. "Ha! You owe me fifty bucks."
I raised a finger. "Ah, you already said you weren't serious."
"Darn it!" He laughed. "Guess I'll just have to take it out on Burstinavian. I activate Reborn the Monster!"
"That's a really stupid name."
"Everyone thinks it's a really stupid name. I'm surprised they haven't changed it. Regardless, it's effect is powerful. I can summon any monster in my graveyard. And I choose the White Eyes Blue Dragon!" A hole of light appeared in the ground, and with a roar that shook the room a dragon soared out of it. It was a light blue, the same color as the sky. It flew a circuit around the room, wingbeats shaking the air, before coming to a rest on the field. It's eyes, closed until now, opened, revealing a brilliant, shining white. 3000.
I gawked at the dragon. "Yep. That's a game changer."
"Uh-huh. Now, White Eyes Blue Dragon! Destroy Burstinavian!" The dragon opened its mouth, and a beam of blinding light obliterated Steve. My hair blew around me from the force of it. 4700. Smugly, Dipper said, "Your move."
I drew my card, and then stared closely at my hand. Hmm. This trap is extremely useful, glad I saved it. But I should have a backup plan…alright, I can see two options here. One is really easy, and the other is a convoluted series of moves that depends largely on luck and will just barely let me win. I giggled. Wonder which one I'll get.
"Okay, first I'll switch Sparky to defense mode. Then, I'll put another monster in defense mode. Finally, I'll put these two cards facedown. Your move." That's all the cards in my hand. Crossing my fingers.
"I activate my trap card Dust Typhoon! With it, I can destroy a spell or trap card, and I choose-" Please not the right, please not the right. "-the one on the right!" Dang it. A sandstorm brewed, swamping my card and destroying the Reflector Force. Well, so much for the easy way.
"Okay, draw!" Dipper said. "I summon another Lustre Dragon!" The beautiful dragon arose, but next to the White Eyes, it wasn't nearly as impressive. Okay, I need you to kill Sparky first. If you don't, I'm screwed. "White Eyes, destroy the facedown monster!" I'm screwed.
A mechanical dog appeared, yipping at the beam before being obliterated. "When Jack Russel Gearier is destroyed, I get a Polly and an Element Hero added to my hand from the Graveyard."
"Argh, I hate that name! It's not even a good pun! Gear sounds nothing like ter!"
I ignored Dipper's ranting as I considered my graveyard. Might as well take Steve. I may not be able to pull off my strategy, but I can pretend. "Is it my move?"
"It will be when Lustre Dragon kills Sparky." Said dragon then proceeded to kill said Sparky.
Okay, it all comes down to this. I'm gonna lose next turn if I can't do something here. I picked up the card and read its effect. Like lightning, all the pieces connected in my brain, and I laughed in relief.
"What's so funny. Finally realized you lost?"
"Nope. I just saw how I'm gonna win this. I activate Miraculous Polly! With it, I can fuse from my graveyard, so I can get Steve back." A shining, rainbow version of Polly rose up from the graveyard. The ghosts of Wingman and Flame Woman rose up as well.
"Oh no, not again!" Flame Woman screamed as Polly ate them. I tried to ignore their suffering as Steve once again exploded from Polly.
Dipper chuckled. "Okay, you got Burstinavian back. How will that help? I know you don't have a Skyline."
I laughed quietly. "I don't need it. I activate Graveburglar! With this, I can steal a spell card from your graveyard. And I choose Reborn the Monster!" A little man in a funny hat showed up, waddled over to Dipper's graveyard and plucked out the card, then waddled back and handed it to me. "I may have to pay two thousand to use it, but it'll let me get Sparky back!" 2700.
Dipper's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh no!"
I smirked at him. "Oh yes. Now I activate Polly, to fuse Sparky and Steve together into Shining Burstin- Shining Steve!" Again, the horrible sounds of people being eaten alive rose up, and from Polly emerged Steve, except white and shiny and more awesome looking. 2500. My smirk widened. "I take it you know of Shining Steve's effect? Where he gains three hundred attack for each Element Hero in my graveyard? Because, I count three." 3400.
I pointed at Dipper. "Now, Shining Steve! Destroy the White Eyes Blue Dragon!" Shining Steve took to the air, and flew toward the dragon at speed. White Eyes tried to dodge, but Steve punched right through him. Dipper's life points scrolled down. 3000. "And now, thanks to Steve's ability, you take three thousand damage. Steve! Finish him!" Steve's dragon hand opened wide and shot Dipper right in the face. He fell back, knocked flat onto the floor. 0000.
I jumped up again, hopping up and down while punching the air. "Yeah! Whoo-hoo! I did it! Who just won? I just won!" I started dancing. "Go Pazzy, go Pazzy, go Pazzy, go…" I trailed off when I noticed Dipper looking at me. I cleared my throat, face burning. "Um, that was just-"
He held out a hand. "Don't bother. Mabel does weirder things on an hourly basis." I started laughing awkwardly, moving over to help Dipper stand up.
Dipper
Pacifica and I stood just outside the Mystery Shack, admiring the scenery from the broken down porch. "I'll admit it, Pacifica, I'm impressed. There's a lot of people back home who've never beaten me, and they play all the time."
Pacifica smirked. "I guess I'm just naturally gifted."
I laughed. "Don't get too full of yourself just yet. One victory doesn't make you an expert."
"Maybe not, but I've still got a perfect win record."
"Yeah, for now. But just you wait 'till next time."
She smiled sadly. "Yeah, about next time…I doubt my family will let me keep playing this."
"What!? Why not!?"
"We've 'got a reputation to uphold.' My parents usually don't care about what I do for fun, as long as I'm good at it, but they have a line. Like you said earlier, this is too nerdy for me."
"Well, that's stupid."
"Yeah, but that's how it is."
We stood in silence for a few minutes. I pulled out the Element Hero deck and set it next to her. "Y'know, it's not like you have to tell your parents everything you do."
She looked at it for a moment before smiling and sliding it into her pocket. "I suppose not. Of course, that means I can only really play with you."
I lightly jabbed her ribs. "Like you'd want to play with anyone who doesn't have an enchanted mat." She started laughing, and I joined in. We looked out on the forest, enjoying the quiet.
Pacifica sighed. "Well, my parents are expecting me back at the mall soon. See you around, Dipper."
"See ya."
Pacifica seemed to consider something for a moment, and then pulled me into a hug. "Thanks, Dipper. My family has a lot of problems, and…it was nice to be able to forget about them for a while."
I stood awkwardly for a second before hugging her back. "I get it. My family's going through a rough patch too right now. Thank you for being my distraction, Pacifica."
She laughed. "Thank you for being my distraction." We let each other go, and she started to walk away.
"See you later, Pazzy." I called out.
"If anyone else hears that name, they'll never find your body." she called back.
I laughed quietly and watched her leave. Even after she was out of sight, I hang around, just watching the forest. After a while, I went back inside. Tomorrow's Lazy Tuesday. Wonder if anything strange will happen. I smiled at the memory of a certain blonde haired girl bent over a hand of Oh-Yugi cards. Whatever it is, it probably won't be as strange as that.
A/N. Hey all! I hope you enjoyed my story. Sorry if it's a little long, or if I should've broken it up into chapters. I just started college, and I'm didn't want a situation where I post a chapter, and then can't post for a long time. Also, should this be listed as a crossover? It doesn't have any Yugioh characters, but I'm not too sure. Anyway, please review. Any and all feedback is much appreciated. Thanks!