Note: I will from this point onward assign column numbers to the position of "The Weather" monsters and spells/traps. This is to avoid confusion on where they are placed since they are a very position-based archetype. That's all I needed to say. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
The chirping of birds could be heard in the distance. So annoyingly sweet and loud that even Xavier could hear it inside the bus that was foretold to become his tomb. He stared at the punk with a mohawk outside the vehicle, still wondering whether they were sadistically toying with him or not.
"Duel for my destiny?" He stuttered while banging on the back of the vehicle. "What do you mean?"
"C'mon, you should have found out by now." Francesco laughed, adjusting his jacket before he lightly tapped the disk next to his watch. For a hologram, it definitely looked real. More real than any projection from the average Duel Disk. "You have one of these too, right?" He showed his watch and pointed at it.
Xavier shook, fidgeting in his pockets before slowly dragging out an orange and yellow watch. It was similar to the white and red one Francesco had, at least in terms of design. Without even thinking about it, Xavier instinctively put it on. Perhaps he was just mimicking Francesco's actions or perhaps something else just called for him. Either way, the apparatus quickly lit up. The yellow numbers on the digital clock quickly morphed, now representing the static figure of 4000 while the watch itself latched on to Xavier's wrist. A flash of light then occurred, Xavier letting out a slight gasp as he was temporarily blinded. His arm then felt a bit heavier as he opened his eyes and realized that an orange disk had formed around the watch, reaching up to his elbow.
This watch, it was similar to Francesco's for sure. But this one was much closer to Xavier himself. He could analyze the disk carefully, slowly touching and pressing it as he realized that it was actually solid. It was no hologram! Somehow, matter had manifested from the watch itself. Upon closer inspection, the disk was also more detailed than it looked: Small spaces and opening could be see on top of it. Five, to be precise. These slots weren't particularly wide, but they were spacious enough to contain a few fingers, a tiny phone, a playing card...A Duel Monsters card. Underneath the slots were also five slits that were wide enough to fit cards in. There was no doubt about it: The device Xavier was staring at could be best described as a Duel Disk.
"You done gawking at that thing already?" Francesco growled, seemingly growing impatient. He kicked the bus' behind a bit to get Xavier's attention.
"This is," Xavier muttered, showing the disk to Francesco. "Solid Vision, isn't it? But it's so durable..."
"Yeah. Is it that big of a deal? That's just the power of Sunflower's newest Duel Watches, my friend." The punk cackled as he waved his watch around. "But not like it matters. Just treat it a ripoff Duel Disk for now."
"Sunflower?" Xavier thought. "Why did you give me this? What are you trying to accompl-"
"Shut up, first of all. You should be thankful that I haven't just kicked you down there already." Francesco spat, pointing back to the cliff that the bus was dangerously close to. "I already told you what I want: For you to prove me your strength. Do you deserve to live? Are you qualified to survive? Prove it to me in this duel!" He said, waving his disk around.
"Prove my will to survive," Xavier stared at Francesco with disbelief, his eyes nailed to the window glass. "through a duel?! Are you out of your mind? Dueling is just a ga-"
"It's a game, so what?" Francesco growled as he punched Xavier's face on the glass. "Games, competitions and so on. They are just a way to flaunt and measure one's strength. Only the winner gets recognized. The loser rots away. Life works that way too: There's a group that succeeds and a group that doesn't." He stated, taking his fist off the glass as drops of blood oozed from his knuckles.
"You've dueled at the Garden of Eden before, haven't you? It's the same here: Win and you live, lose and you die." Francesco said.
"But I'm merely an amateur! To put my life on the line through a game is just-"
"Silence!" Francesco slammed on the bus window yet again. "A worm like you should be glad that I'm even giving you a second chance to prove your worth." He snarled, clenching his hand into a fist and showing it to Xavier from the other side. "Whether or not you like that your life is dictated by a game's outcome is none of my concern. However, it's still fact that this is the only way for you to survive. To win a duel against me."
Xavier gulped, glancing at the disk on his arm before looking back at Francesco. "Anything else and I get thrown off the cliff, am I correct?"
"Seems like you get it." Francesco smirked. "Now, come." He taunted, pressing a button on his watch as a small beeping noise could be heard.
"DUEL MODE: READY."
A robotic, monotone voice emitted from the watch. The disk reacted by opening a small compartment in the middle. Francesco then smirked as he placed a hand in his pocket and took out a purple deck box. He grabbed his deck and tossed the cover away before inserting his deck of choice in the disk's opening.
"DECK SET! PROCESSED...ACCEPTED. SOLID VISION DUEL MONSTERS SYSTEM: ON. DUEL TYPE: 1 VERSUS 1. AWAITING OPPONENT'S REPLY..."
Xavier looked incredulous. "Something made from Solid Vision can actually recognize a deck's contents? It's no longer just a hologram. It's real...and not just in a physical way too." He gulped, knowing that this sort of technology was a far cry from the Duel Disks they showed on TV.
"Now, your turn." Francesco said, awaiting for Xavier to join in.
"Fine. Let me do something first," Xavier replied, suddenly taking off his jacket.
"Huh? What are you-"
Cards started raining from Xavier's jacket. Dozens of openings and compartments could be seen on it, although they would remain hidden had Xavier not decided to shake his clothes for some reason. Around thirty or so cards were now littered on the floor, all of them having clearly no relation to his Weather deck. It was clear that Xavier had stolen rare cards multiple times and that Omega was definitely not the first of his catches.
Francesco laughed at the scene in front of him. "You're much more sly than I expected. I wonder if that will help you in our duel." He exclaimed cockily.
"You will see." Xavier replied with a glare, seemingly having calmed down upon staring at the cards in front of him. He could see it. His chances of victory were strayed across the bus' floor. He then took out his Weather deck and inserted a few cards from the floor in it before shuffling. He then placed the remainder of his exploits in his pocket. A new deck had been made.
"Since Dragonoid Generator is with Max, I have to rely on a new strategy now." Xavier thought. "This deck should work. The synergy is there. I've never had to actually duel for my life, but this is the best deck I can make with the current cards I have at hand." Sweat trickled from his forehead as he stared back at his Duel Watch. He searched for a button and quickly found it, imitating Francesco's actions for earlier. A monotone voice. A hidden compartment. It was a reenactment of before.
"DECK SET! PROCESSED...ACCEPTED. SOLID VISION DUEL MONSTERS SYSTEM: ON. DUEL TYPE: 1 VERSUS 1. AWAITING OPPONENT'S REPLY...REPLY FOUND. INSERT AUTHORIZATION KEY."
"Authorization? What?" Xavier muttered before hearing a tap on the glass.
"That card you stole? PSY-Framelord Omega? Put it in here." Francesco pointed at a hidden slit in his watch, something that could easily fit a card in. In fact, his watch already had a card inside of said opening. That was the key?
Xavier just nodded and did as he was told. He took out Omega from his pocket and inserted it in his watch. "Come to think of it, isn't he only after me because of this card? He also said that it was much more durable than whatever this bus is made of. Something tells me this isn't just a normal card, but I'll think about that later." He thought before seeing his watch react.
Something else had popped up: A screen formed itself out of Solid Vision, being placed right above the watch's clock. Said screen showed the duel's playing field: 5 Main Monster Zones for each player, 2 Extra Monster Zones and 5 Spell and Trap Zones. The Life Points of both players could also be seen. It was a user interface for the upcoming duel, at least that's what Xavier theorized.
"Finally," Francesco yawned. "we can get started. Just tap the button again to start off the duel. Know that you can't leave until it ends, however."
"Fine by me." Xavier replied, a glint of determination in his eyes as he pressed the watch's button again.
"Duel!" The two screamed in unison.
"DUEL START." The watches muttered.
Xavier (LP - 4000 / Deck: Weather Painters)
Francesco (LP - 4000 / Deck: ?)
"FIRST OR SECOND?" Xavier's watch buzzed, the screen asking for player input.
"Hmm. I'll go fi-"
"I choose second." Francesco said rather quickly. "So you go first."
"You want to go second? Aren't we supposed to choose through a die roll?" Xavier asked, narrowing his eyes at Francesco's decision. "He wants to go second? Why?"
"If you haven't realized it by now, your life is literally within the palm of my hand. All it takes is for me to get a bit cranky and this duel is off. Get it? If you do, shut up and go first." Francesco spat as he drew cards and looked at his hand.
"Yep, he definitely wants to go second. Therefore, he's playing a deck that needs to go second. Something that takes full advantage of the extra draw and the Battle Phase." Xavier started thinking. "There's no doubt: It's probably a One-Turn-Kill deck or something reliant on the Battle Phase. In that case..."
"Fine, I'll go first."
Turn 1 - Xavier (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 / Monsters: None / Spell Trap: None)
Xavier drew his starting hand and stared at it for a while. "This hand isn't that bad. Can do something decent with it." He glared at Francesco through the glass, trying to catch some subtle emotion behind the punk's face. Unfortunately, he could only see a cocky grin that didn't tell anything about the man's hand, besides that fact that it might be good.
"If he has a killer opening in hand, then I need to reinforce my defenses." Xavier thought, taking a card and placing it on a tray in his disk. "I summon The Weather Painter Snow (WATER/Fairy/Effect/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 2200) in Attack Position." He declared, staring in amazement as his card glowed upon making contact with the disc. Something then emerged from outside the bus, a few feet away from where Francesco was standing. One of his monster zones turned white, as if snow had gathered there while he wasn't looking. A blue haired humanoid then popped out of it, so quick that it felt ridiculous. She stretched her arms out, as if she had just woken up from hibernation. Then snow started to fall as Xavier realized that his monster had manifested itself through Solid Vision.
"So this is how it feels like, huh? Never tried one of these before." Xavier thought, staring at The Weather Painter Snow for a while before flapping his arm. "I activate The Weather Painter Snow's effect. When she is Normal Summoned, I can place a "The Weather" Spell or Trap card from my Deck to my field. Face-up, of course."
Xavier took out a card from his deck, shuffling the latter before inserting his card of choice in one of the slits underneath the trays. "I select The Weather Snowy Canvas." he said, the pile of snow next to his painter gradually increasing after he played that Spell.
"Is your idea of winning giving me a cold?" Francesco asked as he rubbed his nose.
"That and much more." Xavier replied. "My painter can finally use its true abilities now that a canvas has been placed underneath it." He revealed, Snow nodding as she submerged herself in the pile of snow that had gathered.
"What do you mean?" Francesco asked.
"The canvases I control give additional effects to the painters on my field. In this case, Snowy Canvas allows Painter Snow to banish herself in order to add a "The Weather" card from my Deck to my hand. In exchange, I can't add any other cards from my Deck to my hand for the rest of the turn." Xavier smirked as Snow popped out and tossed a card at him before waving him goodbye as she vanished in the snow yet again.
"I add The Weather Painter Thunder to my hand." He said, showing the card to Francesco before continuing.
"Is there a point to adding a monster to your hand? You've already used up your Normal Summon, after all." Francesco pointed out.
"Be patient. I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen." Xavier declared, placing a card on his field as a holy altar appeared behind him. "When I control no monsters, Valhalla lets me Special Summon a Fairy monster from my hand. I use its effect to summon The Weather Painter Thunder (LIGHT/Fairy/Effect/Level 3/ATK 1700/DEF 0) from my hand."
Lightning struck the field as Thunder emerged from it, a cocky grin on his face as he posed around with his gigantic crayon. "Then, I activate Thunder's effect. He can send a Continuous Spell or Trap I control to the Graveyard in order to place a "The Weather" Spell or Trap from my Deck to my field, face-up." Xavier said before snapping his fingers.
Thunder nodded, giggling to himself as he started desecrating the altar and drawing over it with his yellow crayon. The place of worship suddenly turned into something much more...colorful. An assortment of multicolored clouds was now in its place along with a complementary rainbow.
"I send Valhalla to the Graveyard and place The Weather Rainbowy Canvas in its stead." Xavier said, looking at his hand a bit longer before placing two cards in his remaining slits. "Then I set two cards and end my turn."
Turn 2 - Francesco (LP - 4000 / Hand - 5 + 1 / Monsters: None / Spell Trap: None)
"Really? That was your opening play?" Francesco laughed. "Is this how you fight for your life? Through half-baked maneuvers?" He growled before drawing a card and inserting it in his disk.
"Before you continue with your petty insults, let me do something," Xavier interrupted as he grabbed Snow from his banished zone and placed it above Snowy Canvas. "during the Standby Phase, any Weather Painter that banished itself due to its own effect returns to the field. The Weather Painter Snow returns in Defense Position (DEF 2200)."
Snow reemerged from the pile of snowflakes that had gathered next to Snowy Canvas. She hid most of her body behind her fluffy coat, presumably to shield herself from incoming attacks.
"Hmm. I see." Francesco said as he stroked his chin. "So the banishing isn't exactly a cost, is it? They are just on temporary leave. Hmph. You expect those tricks to work against me?" He growled.
"I activate the Spell Card, Onslaught of The Fire Kings! If my opponent controls a monster and I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a FIRE Beast, Beast-Warrior or Winged Beast from my Deck! However, it has its effects negated." He explained, taking out his deck and adding a card to his hand before shuffling it back. He then placed said card on a tray.
"I summon Gladiator Beast Laquari (FIRE/Beast-Warrior/Effect/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 400) in Attack Position!" Francesco declared. A fiery armored beast emerged from the ground, scorching the grass nearby as he growled at Weather Painter Thunder. The painter quivered a bit, knowing that he would not be able to face the beast in a fair fight.
"Gladiator Beasts, huh? Can't say that I've heard of them." Xavier muttered nonchalantly. "This is a problem, though. Snow has higher Defense than that monster's Attack, but Thunder is a sitting duck. Guess it's already time to switch."
"Laquari? Say goodbye to Thunder." Xavier said, tapping the card representing the painter on his disk. "Thunder gains an effect from The Weather Rainbowy Canvas! He can banish himself in order to Special Summon a "The Weather" monster from my Deck. In exchange, I am not allowed to Special Summon a monster from my Deck for the rest of this turn."
Thunder sighed with relief, glad that he wouldn't have to deal with the opponent in front of him. He swiftly flew towards the multicolored clouds, sticking his hand inside and seemingly dragging something out. A beautiful, green haired lady soon emerged from the clouds, an annoyed look on her face as she gently pushed Thunder's hand away. The latter then blew a raspberry at the woman before jumping in the multicolored clouds and disappearing.
"I summon The Weather Painter Aurora (DARK/Fairy/Effect/Level 6/ATK 2200/DEF 2000) in Attack Position." Xavier declared, placing Aurora on the zone above Rainbowy Canvas.
"Heh. Didn't know you were so easily frightened." Francesco taunted, noticing Aurora's high stats. "Now, I summon Gladiator Beast Bestiari (WIND/Winged-Beast/Effect/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 800) from my hand."
He snapped his fingers as a green armored avian fell from the skies, strong gusts trailing from its path as it stood next to Laquari.
"Okay, this is manageable so far." Xavier thought, hoping that Francesco would just leave his turn at that.
"I'm not done yet! I now Link Summon using Bestiari and Laquari as material! Appear, the circuit of true strength!" Francesco roared at the sky, a cyan square with eight red multi-directional now hovering in the air as both Laquari and Bestiari stared at it. The proud beasts howled before jumping towards the glowing circuit in unison. Laquari landed on top of the bottom-right arrow while Bestiari landed in the bottom-left. They then dissipated into cybernetic dust, their essence activating the circuit within as the red markers started to glow.
"Circuit Combine! Come out, the prodigious hawk from a hundred battles, his armor drenched in blood from numerous victims! Link 2! Gladiator Beast Dragases! (WIND/Winged Beast/Effect/LINK-2/ATK 2000)" Francesco raised his arms in the air, staring at the circuit. Xavier turned his head up as well, watching with disbelief as an armored hawk descended, its wings beautifully flapping in the air as it raised its weapons and screeched. That was a war cry if he ever saw one.
"A Link Summon?" Xavier exclaimed with disbelief. "Are they a Link deck, perhaps?" He played with the thought.
"That was an impressive show and all, but your monster still has only 2000 Attack." He pointed out. "Both Snow and Aurora have superior stats."
"Heh, like you said. Be patient." Francesco exclaimed with a deranged grin. "I activate the Equip Spell, Darkworld Shackles! I equip it to The Weather Painter Aurora."
A gigantic ball and chain suddenly appeared on top of Aurora. The lady shrieked as the chain suddenly latched itself to her waist as dark energies surged throughout her entire body. Her strength was slowly being sapped as the ball morphed into a monstrous grin.
"A monster equipped with Darkworld Shackles cannot attack. Also, its Attack and Defense become 100." Francesco explained, snickering as Aurora's stats dropped.
"Tch." Xavier grunted, readying himself for battle.
"Now, the real duel can begin." Francesco exclaimed. "Battle! Gladiator Beast Dragases (ATK 2000) attacks The Weather Painter Aurora! (ATK 100)"
As soon as he said that, the hawk took flight once more. Dragases chased after Aurora, raising his sword as he was now poised to chop the painter into pieces.
"Not so fast! I activate my-"
"It's futile! While Gladiator Beast Dragases is face-up on the field, if a "Gladiator Beast" monster attacks, you can't activate any cards or effects until the end of the battle!" Francesco revealed. "And that's not all...From my hand, I activate the Quick-Play, Indomitable Gladiator Beast! I target a face-up "Gladiator Beast" monster I control and it gains 500 ATK until the End Phase!"
"Roar, wild one! Make your enemy quiver in fear at your might!" Francesco howled alongside Dragases, the hawk brimming with energy as its muscles and armored heavily bulked up (ATK 2000 → ATK 2500).
Aurora did not fare well. Dragases immediately sliced the painter's gigantic brush off. With her only weapon gone, Aurora could only scream as Dragases sliced her in half. The painter dissolved into a multicolored aurora before eventually dissipating. However, Dragases' blow had another effect: The bus was pushed back by the intensity behind the hawk's power, causing the vehicle to inch closer to the cliff.
Xavier (LP - 4000 → 1600)
"Ugh!" Xavier muttered, being thrown backwards by Dragases' power. "This...Is this still Solid Vision?!"
"This is how the weak live. Without any tricks up their sleeves, they are easy prey for the strong ones. The ones that truly dominate the Earth." Francesco ranted. "I did tell you that your life was on the line here. The more your Life Points decrease, the closer you get to your express ride to Hell. Hahahah!" He cackled as he stared at his board a bit longer.
"He's for real. He actually wants me dead." Xavier whispered to himself, sluggishly getting up as he noticed that Aurora had been automatically placed in the Graveyard. The disk was smarter than he had thought.
"I end the Battle Phase and go to my Main Phase 2." Francesco declared. "And now, Dragases' effect activates! If this card battled, at the end of the Battle Phase, I can shuffle him into the Extra Deck to Special Summon two "Gladiator Beast" monsters from my Deck to my field."
Dragases soared to the sky, leaving the field as two other battle-clad figures descended from the heavens above.
"Come out, wild ones! Gladiator Beast Augustus (DARK/Winged Beast/Effect/Level 8/ATK 2600/DEF 1000) and Gladiator Beast Noxious! (DARK/Beast-Warrior/Effect/Level 5/ATK 0/DEF 1000)" Francesco pointed at the sky. His two monsters landed right beside him: One was a gigantic bird with unique black armor that made it look like it had a tail and an additional pair of arms. The other was an armored leopard humanoid with strange, fiery energy emitting from one of its gauntlets.
"Noxious' effect activates! I send a "Gladiator Beast" monster from my Deck to my Graveyard. I choose Gladiator Beast Equeste. Then,Augustus' effect activates! If this card is Special Summoned by the effect of a "Gladiator Beast" monster, I can Special Summon a "Gladiator Beast" monster from my hand!"
Xavier grit his teeth as he counted the number of monsters on the field. "Another one. That means that he will have...three."
"Heh. From my hand I summon Gladiator Beast Darius! (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Effect/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 300)" Francesco placed another card on his monster zone. Loud neighing could be heard from afar as an armored horse humanoid galloped in the distance. It kept sprinting until it finally reached its zone, now standing next to Augustus and Noxious with a prideful aura. "Since Darius was Special Summoned by the effect of a "Gladiator Beast" monster, his effect also activates! I can select a "Gladiator Beast" monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it!"
Francesco quickly took out the card that he had put in a few moments ago: Bestiari.
"Resurrect, wild one!" He clenched his palm into a fist as he punched the ground. Bestiari erupted from below, rising from his tomb. "Gladiator Beast Bestiari was also Special Summoned by the effect of a "Gladiator Beast" monster, but Darius negates the effects of the monster it Special Summons. You should be grateful about that restriction."
"So this is the power of Gladiator Beasts." Xavier mused, biting his lip as he realized that things had spiraled out of control. "Constantly summoning each other to trigger their effects. Damn it! If I had just intercepted Dragases, then none of this would have happened."
Francesco glanced at his hand before looking back at his field.
"Looks like this duel is already over. The perfect battle formation has been prepared." He said cryptically.
"Don't get too cocky now." Xavier replied, glaring at his opponent. "It's true that you have four monsters on your field, but your Battle Phase already ended. I still have Snow and several other cards on my field. Dragases might have got me earlier, but his effect only activates when you declare an attack. Just try to summon him again. See what happens."
"You sure know how to run your mouth." Francesco replied with a grin. "But you truly know nothing. So, if I heard right, you think that I will simply summon Dragases and pass?" He did not wait for Xavier to reply. Instead, he cracked his knuckles and spat at the ground.
"I will not end my turn on such a weak maneuver. My dueling style is that of the strong! It is designed to oppress!" He growled before grabbing both Bestiari and Darius from his disk. "Bestiari! Darius! Both of you shall be sacrificed!" He triumphantly exclaimed.
Bestiari and Darius nodded, soaring to the skies above as they formed the circuit yet again. Dragases returned to the field, flapping its wings as it roosted in the Extra Monster Zone.
"Now, Xavier. Allow me to show you how devoid of compassion true strength really is." Francesco eerily giggled. "I Fusion Summon with the two monsters that I control!"
"Fusion Summon? Don't you need a Spell Card to do that?" Xavier asked, filled with disbelief.
"Not quite. "Gladiator Beast" monsters do not need a Spell Card to perform a Fusion Summon. Allow me to demonstrate: Augustus! Noxious! Become fodder for a warrior stronger than both of you combined!" Francesco raised his hands as Augustus and Noxious jumped in the air and collided with each other. A flash of light occurred as Francesco started cackling.
"Beasts from the ancient Colosseum. Be shackled by the strength of one who lords over you! Fusion Summon! Come forth, Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor! (DARK/Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect/Level 8/ATK 2400/DEF 3000)" Francesco clasped his hands together as Tamer Editor descended from the light that had been caused by the two other beasts. It was a robed humanoid that resembled a deer, its large yellow horns being only rivaled in size by the man-catcher pole it held with both hands. "You see, "Gladiator Beast" monsters are able to Fusion Summon by sending themselves from the field to the Deck. I returned Augustus and Noxious from my field to my Deck in order to summon Tamer Editor, a monster who requires two Level 5 or higher Gladiator Beasts."
"Glad to hear that." Xavier expressed sarcastically as he started sweating bullets. "Great, now I got another potential threat to deal with."
"I summon Tamer Editor in Defense Position in a zone Dragases points to." Francesco declared, Tamer Editor now poised in a defensive stance. "Then, I activate Tamer Editor's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a "Gladiator Beast" Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions in the process." He snapped his fingers as Tamer Editor threw its catcher pole at the ground. It seemed to have caught something as Tamer Editor started pulling the pole back with increased strength.
"Come forth, slave! The warrior of legend, now reduced to the dog of the prodigious beast tamer. Fusion Summon! Appear, Gladiator Beast Gyzarus! (DARK/Winged-Beast/Fusion/Effect/Level 6/ATK 2400/DEF 1500)" Francesco clenched his hand into a fist, watching as Tamer Editor ruthlessly dragged Gyzarus out of the ground and forcefully shoved it to the remaining zone Dragases was pointing to. The formerly proud avian was now a mere shell of its former self, some sort of collar placed around its neck that kept filling it with shocks.
"Is this still Solid Vision?" Xavier thought, a bit disturbed at the treatment of the Fusion Monster. "Can't say that I'm very intimidated by that poor thing there."
"Poor? This is just nature, Xavier. The strong eat the weak. The weak serve the strong." Francesco repeated, his hand still curled into a fist. He seemed annoyed somehow.
"Whatever you say. Just end your turn so I can get rid of this awful spectacle already." Xavier spat, disgusted as Gyzarus' sorry state.
"So, you think of me as a fool, huh? Well, I guess you're right..." Francesco giggled.
"...But don't insult Gyzarus' pride with your pity. He is still a proud warrior! Gyzarus' effect activates: When he is Special Summoned, he can target two cards on the field and destroy them! I destroy Weather Painter Snow and The Weather Snowy Canvas!" Francesco pointed at his targets.
"That won't happen! Snow's effect from Snowy Canvas activates. I banish Snow in order to add a "The Weather" card from my Deck to my hand." Xavier countered. "I add The Weather Painter Cloud to my hand."
"Hmph. In that case..." Francesco swiftly changed position, now pointing at the two canvases instead. "I destroy Snowy Canvas and Rainbowy Canvas instead!"
The shocks on Gyzarus' collar drove it to a mad rage. It soared to the skies, dive bombing the Spell and Trap. He shredded through them in an instant as they disappeared from Xavier's disk and went to the Graveyard.
"Tch." Xavier grunted, obviously not pleased with the destruction of his archetype's assets.
"After that, I set a card and end my turn." Francesco said, passing the ball to Xavier.
Turn 3 - Xavier (LP - 1600 / Hand - 2 + 1 / Monsters: None / Spell Trap: 1 Set Card [2], 1 Set Card [4])
"Now then," Francesco stared back at his Duel Disk. "Have you realized the power of overwhelming strength yet?" He said with confidence before looking at this field.
"My board is formed entirely by monsters with over 2000 Attack. The only threat to my advance is that puny barrier that you call a wall." He said with a smirk.
"You mean Snow? Speaking of which, since she banished herself through her own effect, Weather Painter Snow now returns to the-"
"Denied! I activate the Counter Trap, Gladiator Beast War Chariot." Francesco raised his hand as a chariot suddenly charged into the field. "If an Effect Monster's effect is activated while I control a face-up "Gladiator Beast" monster, that effect is negated and destroyed!"
Snow popped out of her snowy realm, only for a chariot to suddenly ram her as they both disappeared in a brief snowstorm.
"Hmph. Snow might be gone, but I still have another painter left. Come back, Weather Painter Thunder." Xavier said, Thunder giggling as he popped out of a lightning cloud and positioned himself in a monster zone.
"What difference does it make? Your options are still limited." Francesco smugly boasted. "Thunder has a measly 1700 Attack and the card you added to your hand is probably about as weak. These Weather Painters of yours...They really represent your true nature, don't they?"
"My true nature?" Xavier raised an eyebrow.
"Xavier Fowler," Francesco said, a serious glint in his eyes. "I've done a bit of research. Over the last week, you've only fought people who challenged you. Usually the boy that you call Max. Not once have you tried to challenge someone else. Why is that?"
"Because I don't need to? I merely duel to pass the time." Xavier replied.
"Heh." Francesco smirked. "You're as spineless as I thought."
"Is that supposed to hurt me?" Xavier mocked his opponent.
"You don't seek out worthy adversaries. You avoid making enemies. You're little more than a coward." Francesco exclaimed. "You might have skill or ability, but you're not strong!"
"Why would I pick fights for no reason? Do you think I'm a lunatic?"
"To trample your foes, and take all they hold dear," Francesco said quite menacingly. "that is the true taste of victory. Power and skill must always be used to demonstrate one's strength. But you lack the mettle to do that!"
"I'm just an average duel-"
"My research does not lie. I've analyzed your tactics and dueling style. You could have easily topped at your locals and possibly even gone pro. Yet you don't."
"I guess you just won't listen to me, huh?" Xavier replied, scowling at Francesco before drawing a card. "I don't enjoy treading on others, nor do I wish to gather an audience. I'm done craving for attention."
"Skill is worthless if you don't use it right. What will you do with your talent?" Francesco asked.
"Like I said, just keep playing recreation-"
"And how many of those will it take for you to get out of your rut? Do you intend to waste the rest of your life on 'recreational' games? Heh, it's easy enough to say something like that, but then the harsh wave of life hits you. Then you realize that you've accomplished nothing with your skills." Francesco stated, laughing at Xavier's situation.
"You don't know that."
"I think I do. If you're not willing to hone your skills, then you will be annihilated." Francesco stated quite cryptically.
"Annihilated? What do you mean?"
"Enough. You disgust me, Xavier Fowler. Someone who is too cowardly to reach the next stage does not deserve skill, power or ability!" Francesco spat venom at his opponent. "Now, finish your pathetic turn and allow me to end this."
"Tch." Xavier grit his teeth, staring at his current hand before looking back at Francesco's field. "You sure love running your mouth, don't you? Then let me play psychologist as well: Do you really enjoy doing this?"
"Hmm?"
"You keep ranting about strength and how the truly strong just decimate others. But you still felt frustrated while saying that. It was even clearer once I saw your reaction to Tamer Editor. You disliked it handling Gyzarus like that, didn't you?" Xavier asked.
"Hmph. Gyzarus wouldn't want my pity. Every monster in my deck knows about the rules of the arena: The weak are forced to serve the strong. That's how the world works as well! When you become strong, you exert your right to command over others.
"If that's the case," Xavier placed a card on his disk. "then I reject that world. I summon The Weather Painter Cloud (WIND/Fairy/Effect/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 1000) in Attack Position."
A plethora of clouds now filled a monster zone as a silver haired fairy popped out of them. He stretched his arms, relaxing himself on his bed of clouds while gesturing with the gigantic brush that was his weapon.
"Reject my words all you want, but fact still stands that your monsters are no match for my Gladiator Beasts. It's their destiny to be decimated in battle and for me to be victorious." Francesco stated.
"Strong, weak, I don't care." Xavier stood proud. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Dimension Gate! I target a monster I control and banish it. You're up, Weather Painter Cloud!"
Cloud nodded, a gigantic wormhole appearing below him as he deliberately jumped inside of it. The wormhole then closed.
"How does banishing your own monster help?"
"Heh." Xavier smirked. "Since Cloud was banished, I can now activate my other Trap, Zero Force! When a face-up monster I control is banished, the Attack of all face-up monsters on the field becomes zero!"
"What? Their attack becomes zero?!" Francesco exclaimed, incredulous at the sudden turn of events.
Red rings emerged from the Zero Force card, the rings restraining the Gladiator Beasts on Francesco's side of the field along with the lone Weather Painter Thunder on Xavier's side of the field.
"What have you done, fool? You haven't solved anything! Thunder's Attack is now zero, therefore none of them can destroy each other!" Francesco pointed out.
"Exactly. Now, would you call these monsters weak or strong?" Xavier asked with a smirk, Francesco frowning at his joke.
"There it is, a world that doesn't call for the strong to cull the weak or for the weak to serve the strong. This is what I believe in." Xavier said, clenching his fist as he hoped Francesco would get his point.
"You call this a world?! You've just made a broken field. Both of us can't advance in this state!" Francesco pointed out.
"No. There is still a path that goes beyond this." Xavier exclaimed, pointing at his Continuous Trap. "Weather Painter Thunder's effect activates! He sends a Continuous Trap I control to the Graveyard in order to place a "The Weather" Spell or Trap from my Deck to my field. I choose The Weather Thundery Canvas!"
Thunder giggled as he drew over the Dimension Gate Trap, changing the artwork from a wormhole to a swarm of thunderous clouds.
"Now, Dimension Gate's effect activates from the Graveyard! When this card is sent to the Graveyard, the monster that it banished returns to the field. Come back, Weather Painter Cloud!" Xavier pointed down, the wormhole reappearing as it spat out Cloud. "Since Cloud returned to the field, his stats go back to their original values. In this case, 1500 Attack and 1000 Defense!"
"No, this can't be!" Francesco started sweating. It was clear that he hadn't expected Xavier's Zero Force combo.
"Battle! Weather Painter Thunder (ATK 0) attacks Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor (DEF 3000)!" Xavier pointed at his target as Thunder obeyed, using the giant crayon as some sort of propulsion device.
"What? You're attacking a monster with 3000 Defense? You will lose if this attack makes it!" Francesco warned.
"But you see, I'm not really attacking." Xavier pointed out. "Thunder gains the effect of The Weather Thundery Canvas! During the Damage Step, he can banish himself in order to return the monster he's battling to the hand!"
"He can what?!"
Thunder snickered as he abruptly let go of his vehicle. The crayon of lightning kept going, colliding with Tamer Editor and filling the slaver with a taste of his own medicine. The crayon then kept going, dragging the gladiator with it as they disappeared in the stars.
"Then Weather Painter Cloud (ATK 1500) battles Gladiator Beast Gyzarus (ATK 0)!" Xavier said.
Cloud nodded, gently hovering towards the pained creature and drawing a plethora of clouds around it. Gyzarus then disappeared, being carried to the skies above by the painter's clouds. A gust of wind then collided with Francesco himself, sending him flying away. Another case of Solid Vision's real damage, it seemed.
Francesco (LP - 4000 → 2500)
"Ugh..." The man muttered, blood slightly dripping from the side of his lip as he got up and wiped it away. "Not bad."
"Sorry about that, but I had to fight back." Xavier said. "I end my turn at that."
"Heheh..." Francesco laughed. "All you've proved is that you like employing tricks instead of fighting me head on."
"I guess you could look at it like that, but still-"
"No, you haven't changed anything." Francesco broke out of his laugh, now giving Xavier a dead serious glare. "All that you've proved is that I was right. The weak, after being abused by the strong, seek to make the strong as weak as them in order to strike back. The cycle continues."
"No, you're wrong. It proves that there is no need-"
"For the weak and the strong to be separated? You're naive, Xavier. All you're doing is pursuing an empty pipe dream. Do you really think there's a world where the strong don't lord over others? In this case, what would you call this city? This city that is constantly at Sunflower's mercy?" Francesco blathered, as he limped back to the dueling area. It was clear that the gust from earlier had done more than cause a bit of bleeding.
"Sunflower? Again?" Xavier thought. "Why do you keep bringing the name of that company up? Are they related to-"
"Defeat me first. Then you may know. Knowledge is also dictated by the strong. They don't want the weak to learn too much, after all." Francesco grinned. "My turn! I draw!"
Francesco drew a card and observed his remaining field.
"Xavier. I think I'll have to use the full extent of my abilities against you. It makes me quiver with excitement, the chance to exert my dominance over others!" He cackled. "Now, let me annihilate that puny field of yours!"