Chapter 2: It's Time To Duel!

Tyson stood at the top of the stairs, mouth twisted open in a silent scream of terror. The Beast stood at the bottom of the stairs, hungrily eyeing him as if he were a piece of meat. It let out a low growl, and before Tyson even had time to run, it lunged.

"Ahh! Get it off of me!" he cried out, as the savage animal sank its bloodthirsty fangs into his ankle.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Tyson! It's only Muffin!" his Aunt Mildred laughed, picking up the snarling toy poodle and cuddling it in her arms like a baby.

Tyson groaned. He had no idea why Muffin hated him so much. Muffin was usually friendly to everyone, even the mailman. The only things he didn't like were cats, and, for whatever reason, Tyson.

The light brown poodle in his aunt's arms stared at him, then let out a low menacing growl. Tyson shrank back, hoping that his aunt wouldn't put the dog down.

"Muffin! Be a good boy!" Aunt Mildred scolded, patting the dog's head. Muffin yapped and wagged his tail, then turned to Tyson as if to say, "I'll get you later." She put him down, and he curled up in a corner of the kitchen to take a nap, much to the teen's relief. "Here Tyson! I saw these were being sold at a real bargain and I thought of you! Besides they're just adorable!" she gushed, handing three identical cards to her nephew.

"Mad Dog of Darkness?" he asked in disbelief, staring at the cards.

"Aren't they precious!" his aunt squealed, making Tyson wonder if she were blind.

The card wasn't exactly what he would call "cute." To be honest, it looked downright vicious: its body hunched over, saliva dripping from its jaws, eyes glowing an evil red. It was kinda giving him the creeps; it reminded him of Muffin, including the letter "M" on its collar. An evil, demented Muffin…

"Aren't you going to thank your aunt?" his mother asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Thanks Aunt Millie," Tyson muttered, not really sure what to say. "They look…great."

"Oh Ty! I'm so happy you like them!" Aunt Mildred cried, wrapping him in a hug so tight he though his spine would snap in two. She stood up, carefully patting her short brown curls into place. Now, why don't you go test them out? Your mother and I have to work on your cake and we want it to be a surprise! Oh! But first you must join us for breakfast!"

At the sound of the word "breakfast" Muffin immediately popped his head up, caught sight of Tyson, and growled.

"N-no, that's ok," Tyson sputtered, quickly making his way towards the back door. "I'll just grab something on my way! Uh…I just can't wait to try out Crazy Dog of Evil!"

"Mad Dog of Darkness," his Aunt corrected with a laugh, as Muffin once again bit into his leg.

Right, that's Muffin, Tyson sighed, heading out the door and closing it before the poodle could attack again.


Tyson, duel disk in hand, headed down the street, only to be greeted by a now all too familiar voice.

"Hey Odd-Eyed Ty!"

Tyson groaned, turning to see Dillon running towards him enthusiastically.
"I told you already, I'm not-"

"Duel me or I'm telling Mom how you've been bullying me!" the ten-year-old threatened, eyes narrowed. "I'll even tell her how you stole those cards from me!"

"What? Those were my cards! You stole them from me first!"
Dillon turned to Tyson, a triumphant grin plastered on his face. "Yeah, well who do you think she's gonna believe? Her wonderful, perfect son, or some freaky eyed weirdo?"

Tyson gritted his teeth, then activated his duel disk. At the very least, he could teach the kid a lesson in manners by beating him in a duel. Drawing five cards, he immediately groaned as he saw his starting hand:

Catnipped Kitty
Catnipped Kitty
Catnipped Kitty
Draining Shield
Mad Dog of Darkness

Great, I drew the evil Muffin, Tyson thought with a sigh as he drew his first card, Smashing Ground. As much as he hated the demented Muffin, he didn't have much of a choice but to summon it. The dog shimmered to life on the field, saliva dripping from its jaws. It turned its head, caught sight of Tyson, and growled. Just great, even the card Muffin hates me, he thought with a groan. Setting one card face down, he ended his turn.

"Hey, why don't we make a bet?" Dillon challenged, grinning an evil grin. "If I win, I get the most powerful monster in your deck, if you win, you get to keep the strongest monster in your deck!"

"What do I look like, an idiot? Besides, I wouldn't wager my cards, even if you weren't a brat!"

Dillon's face flushed red with anger. "Shut up you odd-eyed freak!" he snapped, an evil grin forming on his face. "Besides, if you don't take the bet, I'll tell my mom that you hit me!"

"I never touched you!" Tyson growled through clenched teeth, patience growing thin.

"But she doesn't know that," Dillon replied, looking victorious.

"Fine! Just take your turn!" Tyson growled, confident that he could at least beat some snott-nosed brat.

"Ok, I'll draw," Dillon began, drawing three cards.

"Hey, you can't do that! It's one card per turn!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dillon shrugged, playing innocent. "I only drew one card, same as you. If you're gonna cheat, I guess that means I win!" Struggling to keep his anger in check, Tyson motioned for Dillon to finish his move. "Ok! I summon Zombyra the Dark in attack mode! Attack Mad Dog of Darkness!"

Zombyra the Dark
ATK: 2100

Mad Dog of Darkness
ATK: 1900

"I activate my facedown card, Draining Shield!" Tyson announced, as a shield popped up in front of Mad Dog of Darkness, blocking Zombyra the Dark's punch. The shield glowed blue as the energy of the attack was absorbed, then sent racing towards Tyson, where it hit his Duel Disk, giving a large boost to his life points.

Dillon's mouth dropped open in disbelief as his opponent's life points went from 8000 to 10,100. "No fair! You cheater!" he shouted, stomping his foot in anger.

"Draining Shield negates one of your monsters attacks and increases my life points by its attack points," Tyson explained with a sigh, beginning to wonder if he should have just risked being mauled to death by Muffin. He paused as he saw Mad Dog of Darkness glancing back at him, wagging its stubby tail and looking extremely grateful. "You're welcome!" Tyson laughed, beginning to think that maybe the crazy dog wasn't so bad after all. Just great, I'm talking to a card. Shaking his head and drawing his next card, Negate Attack, he set it face down, and sighed. I can't summon Catnipped Kitty, it'll get destroyed. For some reason, a cold chill ran down his spine at the thought of the cat being destroyed. "I end my turn there."

"Ok," Dillon laughed, drawing two cards. "I'll place four cards face down and summon Battle Ox in attack mode!" The ax wielding Minotaur appeared on the field, ax at the ready, an angry look in its eyes. "Ok Zombyra the Dark, attack Mad Dog!"

"I'll activate Negate Attack!" Tyson announced, as the card on his side of the field flipped face up. Just as Zombyra was about to punch the berserk canine, the attack was swallowed up by a wormhole, making the move useless.

"Lucky shot," Dillon grumbled as his monster returned to its position. "You can't stall forever!"

"I don't have to!" Tyson replied with a smile, drawing his next card, Bazoo the Soul Eater. "Each time Zombyra the Dark attacks, he loses 200 attack points!" Dillon stared at his monster in shock, cringing, as he knew what was about to happen. "Ok, Mad Dog of Darkness, attack Zombyra!" The dog jumped to attention, dashing towards Dillon's monster, fangs bared, eyes blazing a fiery red. It lunged for the opponent's throat, shaking its head back and forth until the monster disappeared in a flash of light.

Tyson: 10,100

Dillon: 7800

"Fine, I'm done playing!" Dillon growled, sounding like a whiney little kid. Drawing a card, finally abiding by the rules, at the moment, Dillon gave Tyson a glare that said, "You asked for it" and let out a cruel sounding laugh. "First, I play Meteor of Destruction!" Tyson flinched as meteors rained down from the sky, although he knew that they couldn't possibly hurt him, cutting his life points by 1000 points. "Next, I'll activate Raigeki!" Tyson watched helplessly as a powerful bolt of lightning struck Mad Dog of Darkness, feeling as though he had let it down. The dog howled before disappearing in a flash of light. Dillon just smiled. "Then I activate Cost Down, discarding one card from my hand, so that I can summon Summoned Skull without tribute! Attack!"

The skeletal fiend raised its wicked claws and released a bolt of lightning at Tyson, taking a large chunk from his life points.

Tyson: 6600

Dillon: 7800

Gritting his teeth, Tyson drew a card, praying that it would be something good, and smiling when he saw it was Cat's Ear Tribe. "I summon Cat's Ear Tribe in attack mode!"

Dillon blinked as he saw the three feline warriors appear on the field: one rolling on the ground playfully, one lounging, looking bored, and the last, the leader, looking poised for battle, a tiny dagger gripped in his paw. Together, they had a whopping attack of 200.

"That's it?" Dillon laughed, tears in his eyes. "That's the best you could do? Jeez Odd-Eye, no wonder you always lose!"

"Just make your move," Tyson replied calmly, knowing that he could usually count on his opponents to underestimate Cat's Ear Tribe.

"Fine! Prepare to lose!" Dillon laughed, drawing two cards. "Summoned Skull, attack Cat's Ear Tribe!" Tyson smiled as Cat's Ear Tribe readied their weapons and met Summoned Skull's attack head on. In a flash of lightning, both monsters shimmered with light and disappeared. "What happened?" Dillon asked, eyes wide with shock.

"A monster attacking Cat's Ear Tribe has its attack reduced to 200," Tyson explained, regarding his opponent with a pleased smile. "They destroyed each other."

Dillon clenched his fists. "Fine! Battle Ox, attack!"

Tyson's smile faded as the beast swung its mighty ax, cutting through his life points like butter.

Tyson: 4900

Dillon: 7800

Gritting his teeth, Tyson drew his card, Ring of Destruction, and summoned Bazoo the Soul Eater in attack mode. The purple baboon like creature grinned, rubbing its hands together hungrily.

"Ok, I'll activate Bazoo's effect, removing two monsters from play, to increase his attack by 300 for each monster removed!" Orbs of light flew from Tyson's graveyard over to Bazoo, who began munching on them greedily.

"What the heck?" Dillon asked, looking downright confused.

"Now attack!" Finishing its meal, Bazoo looked up and charged towards Battle Ox, taking it out with one heavy swing of its arm.

Bazoo the Soul Eater:
ATK: 1600- 2200

Battle Ox:
ATK: 1700

Tyson: 4900

Dillon: 7300

Dillon scowled, drawing six cards in desperation, then smiled, a cold, cruel smile, and made his move. "All right, I summon Dark Blade in attack mode-hey wait, why didn't Bazoo's attack go back down?" he asked, pointing an accusing finger at Tyson.

"His attack goes back down at the beginning of my next turn," Tyson sighed, beginning to feel like an elementary school teacher.

"Fine! I end my turn!" Dillon spat, turning his head away from his opponent.

Sighing, Tyson drew his card, Green Baboon, Defender of the Forrest. Déjà vu, he thought as he switched Bazoo the Soul Eater to defense mode.

Looking victorious, Dillon drew a card, smiling triumphantly. "Ok, I activate Polymerization to fuse my Cave Dragon with my Lesser Fiend to summon Fiend Skull Dragon!" Tyson watched as the two monsters swirled and melded together, forming a large four-armed dragon, which eyed him evilly, smoke coming out of its nostrils. "Attack Bazoo!"

The dragon reared back its head and exhaled a huge blast of wicked black fire at the baboon creature, incinerating it.

Tyson smiled. "Since you destroyed a Beast type monster, I can pay 1000 life points to special summon Green Baboon, Defender of the Forrest from my hand!" The familiar figure of the forests protector appeared on the field, club in hand. After drawing Heart of Clear Water, Tyson commanded the Guardian to attack the mighty dragon. The beast took down the creature with one swing of his powerful club.

Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest
ATK: 2600

Fiend Skull Dragon
ATK: 2000

Tyson: 3900

Dillon: 6700

Looking at the Catnipped Kitties in his hand, a plan began to take shape. "Ok, I'll summon Catnipped Kitty in defense mode and equip it with Heart of Clear Water!" Tyson announced, as the small purple kitten appeared on the field, looking tiny next to the large baboon. A single raindrop fell from the sky, hitting Catnipped Kitty on the nose, and bathing it in an orange glow. Tyson once again felt the strange sensation of being detached from his body, which he was beginning to wonder if it wasn't the heat after all, but it was less intense this time.

Dillon snickered at the sight of the adorable kitty, and drew a card. "Hey, it looks like you Odd-Eye!" he laughed, pointing at the feline, which puffed up its tail in response. "I summon Mystical Elf in defense mode!" The delicate elf materialized on the field, looking calm despite her inevitable destruction.

Tyson felt himself draw a card, Gaia Power, still wondering what was going on. "I activate the field spell, Gaia Power!" Tyson announced, his voice sounding strangely distant to him. "Then, I'll summon another Catnipped Kitty in attack mode." As the second kitty appeared, the strange feeling intensified, making the duel seem to be taking place a million miles away. Tyson's heart began to beat faster as he found himself in a forest, then slowed as he realized that that was just the effect of Gaia Power. "I switch my first Catnipped Kitty to attack mode and activate its effect to make your monsters defense zero!" Catnipped Kitty gave its best cute face, hearts dancing around it. Mystical Elf's eyes lit up as she gazed fondly at the adorable creature. "Now Kitty, attack!" The cat arched its back and leaped at the opponent, scratching and hissing until the opponent vanished in a flash of light. "Now, Catnipped Kitty and Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, attack his life points directly!"

The pair of monsters rushed Dillon, striking with tremendous force.

Tyson: 3900

Dillon: 3100

Dillon's face turned red with embarrassment and anger, unable to believe that a tiny cat had cost him so many life points. Taking his Draw Phase, Dillon stared at Tyson with pure hatred. "Why? Why is it that you always give me so much trouble with such weak monsters?"

You really need to stop cheating and play by the rules like everyone else! Tyson tried to retort, but, like the day before, found that his voice wasn't working at the moment. What in the world is going on here? There's no way that this is heat stroke!

"Not gonna answer me, huh? Fine! I activate Tribute to the Doomed! By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy your Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest!" A mummy's bandages wrapped their way around Green Baboon, then a pair of hands shot up from the earth, dragging him to the depths below.

Tyson drew his card, United We Stand, and smiled. "I'll start off by summoning Catnipped Kitty in attack mode, then I'll equip my Catnipped Kitty with United We Stand!" The three kitties joined paws, and as the strange out of body sensation strengthened, Tyson felt as if he was right there, holding hands with them. Dillon's eyes widened as one of the Catnipped Kitty's attack rose to 2900. "Attack!" Tyson managed to say, the three adorable felines charging paw in paw, jumping on top of Dillon, scratching and biting, as his life points were depleted.

Tyson: 3900

Dillon: 0

As the Duel Disks deactivated, and Tyson felt the out of body experience come to an end, he saw Dillon staring at him, face red with fury.

"You cheated! You had to have cheated! I-"

"Don't give me that, you little brat," Tyson growled, looking the ten year old straight in the eye. "You cheated the whole duel! And I don't care what you tell your mother!"

Dillon stared wide-eyed at the furious teenager in front of him, mouth open in shock. He'd never seen Tyson this angry before, it just wasn't like him. "Uhh…I better go now," he squeaked, dashing down the street like a mouse fleeing from an angry cat.

Sighing, Tyson turned to head back to his house, feeling strangely drained after that last duel. What in the world is up with me lately? he wondered, shaking his head. Aw well, at least I taught that brat a lesson!


Author's Notes: Ok, here we have my first attempt at a duel, which may or may not be that great. As for why I went with 8000 Life Points instead of 4000, that is intending to follow the pattern of Life Point increase to accommodate more and more powerful monsters, spells, and traps. With many monsters reaching the 3000 attack mark or more, I'm surprised the series hasn't done this yet.

Also, yeah I know it wasn't technically a real duel, as Dillon cheats, but hopefully everybody enjoyed it just the same. There probably won't be too many chapters like this, as I'm sure it would get repetitive after a while. Soul Card is probably going to focus more on plot than the duels themselves, just so everybody knows what to expect.

Anyway, thanks for reading and feel free to review! Any suggestions, including how I can improve the next real duel, are appreciated! :)