"Maaaaan, I still can't believe you beat me like that!"
Konami sighed, scratching the back of his head in annoyance while glancing toward the sluggish Enzo beside him. Ever since he'd finally stopped crying over the whole "co-ed" fiasco the boy had been going on and on about his defeat at the new King's hand, prompting Konami to wonder if he was really supposed to be one of the "high and mighty" Emperors everyone seemed to be drooling over.
"I mean," Enzo continued, breaking Konami's thoughts, "I can understand the dragon at least, that fits your whole "Ancient Gear" shtick you've got goin' on, but Magic Cylinder, really?! It's not even part of the archetype!"
"Says you." Konami said.
"Says anyone who ever dueled, EVER." Enzo retorted.
Konami sighed. "Complain all you want," he said after a moment, "it doesn't change the fact that you lost, Enzo, and you know it." He waited a moment. "Then again, I guess my gears were just too magical for you to handle. You did put up a good fight though. If I hadn't drawn those cards when I did, you just might have beaten me."
"I "might've?"" Enzo inquired. "Don't kid around, King! There's no "might've" about it! If you hadn't busted out that dragon of yours, I would've taken you down, and the Harem End I'd been searching for my whole life would have become a reality! Of course, considering where we're going it's not like I'm out of the race just yet! "
Konami suddenly stopped walking. "What are you talking about? I thought you said you were taking me to the dorm?"
"Oh I am taking you to the dorm," Enzo said, "the Girls' Dorm that is!"
Nodding thoughtfully, Konami began walking again until the entirety of Enzo's statement hit him full force. "Oh I see, so we are going to the dorm. Really Enzo, you shouldn't scare me like that - WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE GIRLS' DORM?!"
"Heehee!" Enzo snickered. "Surprised? After that crippling defeat you dealt me, I need to rekindle my duelist spirit, and the fastest way I know how to do that...is by hitting the female baths with a Direct Attack!"
"Ugh..." Konami grumbled, sighing into his hand. "You really are a buffoon... I should have known that a pervert like you would try something like this. Forget it! I'm not about to let you go and do something like that in my presence! Now turn around! We're going to our dorm, where we're supposed to be!"
"Heh, I don't think so, King!" Enzo shouted. "I mean, we've already come so far! Going back now would be like...like returning to Pallet Town when you're on the final member of the Elite Four! Besides, we're already here, and if the guard on duty is who I think it is...then they already know we are too!"
"You've got that right!" a powerful voice echoed from the surrounding trees, and suddenly, a pink-haired silhouette dashed into view, before smashing a powerful fist into Enzo gut. "I thought I told you to never return here, ENZO MITAGAWA!"
"G-Gwuaogah!" Enzo cried as the blow forced its way deep into his stomach. With a pained grunt he crumpled to his knees, only to smirk menacingly as he raised his head toward the pink banshee standing before him. "Huehuehue, you've made a terrible mistake, Tasha...bunnies don't suit you."
"B-Buwha?!" the pink-haired girl, Tasha evidently, sputtered at the words, and took a quick step back from Enzo while pressing down on her skirt. "You...You...! YOU...! YOU PERVERT!"
"Guilty as charged!" Enzo said happily as he climbed back to his feet. "Though really, you only have yourself to blame. I'm a growing young man after all, I just can't help but grow a tent in my pants whenever fine maidens like you come along. Though I really must say Tasha, when it's you I'm looking at...my tent simply feels like it's on fire!"
"-And that's enough out of you, Enzo." Konami said, chopping the boy on the back of the head as he spoke.
With a pained cry Enzo grabbed the wounded area with both hands. He turned quickly to Konami, a fierce glare forming in his eyes as he finally uttered out a pained response. "Darn you...! Can't you see that the babe and I are trying to have a conversation here?!"
"Conversation? No, I believe what you are attempting falls more along the lines of molestation." said Konami. "It doesn't look like she's interested in what you're selling, and besides...didn't Foster tell you to keep it T-rated while we're together?"
Enzo sputtered at the reminder, but brandished his fist anyway. "S-Screw him! I'm an M-rated character!"
Across from them, Tasha appeared as though she was coming back to her senses. Keeping her skirt lowered, she warily approached the pair, and fixed each with a cautious scowl. "Who's this, Enzo?" she asked, drawing the two's gaze with her words. "Another perverted friend of yours?"
"Heh, you don't know?" Enzo replied, smirking as if he was empowered by the information. "This here's your new boss, Tash'! Meet Konami Kodo from Commoner Street, the new King of our freshman class!"
"N-New King?!" Tasha exclaimed, reeling back at the knowledge. "Y-You mean all those rumors floating around about how Yuri had been beaten were true?! No way...I seriously can't believe it! I thought that Yuri was supposed to be the best! How'd he get beaten by a no-good, creepy pervert?!"
"Hey, don't label me together with this scum." Konami grunted, shoving Enzo away lightly as he spoke. "I'm nothing like him, and as far as beating Yuri goes...I'll tell you the same thing I told everyone else; he wasn't nothin' special."
Tasha frowned at the words, but understood them. "Yeah..." she agreed after a moment. "...if you really are the new King, then I guess he would have had to be." Her scowl returned full force a second later. "So what? You're here to lay down some new rules to make your time here better for you or something? Let me guess, you're gonna try and make the women's baths co-ed, aren't you?!"
Enzo snortled at the idea, knowing that just a few hours ago, Konami had said exactly that, even if it had turned out to be little more than a cruel lie.
"Well too bad!" Tasha shouted, putting an end to Enzo's amusement with her loud voice. "We girls had enough to put up with when Yuri was the one running the place! I'm not gonna let some creep with a hard-on make things even worse for us!"
"Relax." Konami said. "I have no intention of making the baths co-ed."
"H-Huh? You're not?" Tasha sputtered. "But then...what're you doing all the way out here?!"
"We weren't supposed to be." Konami explained angrily. "Enzo here was supposed to be showing me the way to my sleeping quarters. Of course, the pervert thought it'd be better if he lured me here instead after I beat him in a duel. Obviously, it hasn't been working out for him so much."
"T-That's only because you two are such psychopaths that you have to hit people every five minutes!" Enzo complained.
Tasha, leaned back on her heels and folded her arms, thoroughly amused. "Ho...?" she asked with a wry smile, glancing at Enzo through a half-lidded stare that reminded Konami of Freyja far too much. "So you lost to the new guy too huh Enzo? Lame~"
"H-Hey! That guy's the King you know?! There's no shame in losing to him!" Enzo shouted.
"Sure, sure," Tasha replied, waving her hand at him nonchalantly. "I'm sure that all the losers like you think that, but Enzo, don't you remember North Academy's motto? Weakness is a sin, and from what I see of you right now, you're looking pretty weak!"
"No. He's better than I thought he would be." Konami said. "More of a challenge than Yuri, at any rate."
"R-Really?" Tasha asked with a sweatdrop. "This Enzo was a challenge? A-Are you sure you're not mistaking him for someone else?"
Konami felt his eyes bore into Tasha's. "I don't know. Are you telling me that I wouldn't be able to recognize someone I dueled half an hour ago?"
"N-No, of course not!" Tasha said, losing the battle of wills. "Well," she sighed a moment later, "I guess "the Enduring Enzo" isn't one of the Four Emperors for nothing. Still hard to believe though...that a pervert like him could possibly be so strong."
"Heh, there's nothing a man can't do when he's in love!" Enzo declared.
Tasha's eye twitched. "What the hell are you saying?! You're not in love with anyone, moron!"
"No." Enzo agreed. "It would be impossible for one person alone to take in all the love I have to offer. That's why...I've extended my love's reach to the entire female population! Bouncy bums! Supple breasts! There is no form I will not love! Especially..." he decided, locking eyes with Tasha. "...the flat-chested. Hrunggrh!"
A fist from both Konami and Tasha had promptly found their way into Enzo's gut; such was the punishment for such unseemly statements.
"Hmm...?" Tasha wondered, glancing idly at Konami as she pulled back. "You've got surprisingly good form."
"Growing up alongside a girl similar in nature to you, I had to." Konami explained.
Indeed, Freyja's whimsical ways had often landed the pair of them in heaps of trouble, and when they weren't fighting each other over the situation's result, someone else was usually in need of a good thwacking.
"Well, I'm glad to see at least one of you has a strong moral compass. Now if I could just figure out how to deal with this lunatic..." Tasha sighed. "...I guess another warning at this point is the only thing that'd be acceptable! I'd like to do more, but since you guys didn't actually make it to the Girls' Dorm there's nothing to be done about it. Or so the rules say."
"You said the girls had enough to deal with while Yuri was Czar, right?" Konami inquired. "If that meant that he was a pervert like Enzo here, I'm surprised there's still even a rule to enforce regarding peeping as a whole."
Tasha scoffed. "Don't be. Foster had to make sure there were rules that even the "all-powerful Czar" had to obey after all. If he hadn't, I don't think that North Academy would have even a single girl here for you loons to leer at."
"That would be horrible..." Enzo muttered darkly. "...Ah well, fact is that we do have girls to leer at, so there's no problem at all, right pal?" he asked, slapping Konami's back lightly as he spoke.
Tasha's gaze narrowed once more at the sight. "Enzo...do we need to hit you again?"
"Not at all, not at all." Enzo said, backpedaling slightly while waving Tasha's concerns off. "Rest assured, I have no intention of driving you any more insane than I already have. To do so at this point...well, it'd be like courting death."
"If you understand that then hurry up and scram!" the girl shouted angrily in response, complete with a cute little stamp of her foot. Enzo and Konami both blinked in surprise at the sight, though the girl's averted gaze meant she didn't catch it. "T-Then again...it's not like I want you to get off scot-free. Maybe I should detain you for interrogation..."
A bead of sweat began to roll down the back of Enzo's head. "I...I'd rather you didn't, you know?"
Tasha frowned, and she turned her head to regard Enzo once more. "What, you're still here? I thought I told you to scram already?!"
Konami took that second warning as their cue to leave. "Come on, Enzo." he said, wrapping his fingers around the boy's shoulder while he spoke. "You can show me to the Mens' dorms this time...and don't think that we won't be having words about this little trick fo yours later. I don't take kindly to being made a fool of."
Enzo's mood visibly deflated, but he turned to head back regardless. Tasha's subsequent call however, brought them both to a halt.
"Hold on there, King." the girl said, drawing Konami's attention back to her visage. "I was telling Enzo to scram. You however..." a dark gleam appeared in her eyes, and her body shifted to reveal a familiar device wrapped around her forearm. "...Well, let's just say that there are a few more things that I wanna say to you."
Konami glanced at the deactivated Duel Disk around Tasha's arm, and then back to the girl herself. His lips twitched in amusement.
"A challenge...? Interesting." he said finally, turning back to face Tasha completely. "Alright then. I'll play your game a little longer. Lead the way, Tasha."
Tasha's grin grew, and Konami distinctly heard Enzo whine from behind him.
-Scene Break-
"We shouldn't be here..." Enzo whined from behind Konami, acknowledging each and every girl they passed while following Tasha through the Girls' Dorm.
"What's the problem?" asked Konami. "Isn't this what you wanted?"
"No! This is different!" Enzo assured him, glancing about his surroundings as if he'd be killed at any moment. Given the sharp, distrustful looks the girls were giving him, Konami couldn't say he blamed him. "Earlier," Enzo continued, "earlier was for fun! We were gonna stay in the forest, out of their reach...out of their sight! But now...now we're in the midst of it! In a place not even the strongest of men would dare approach. King...don't you realize it? We just entered the lion's den."
Konami rolled his eyes at Enzo's worries. "Oh please." he told his companion. "Stop complaining about it already. We're just here for a short and simple game."
"Short and simple game he says." Enzo snorted. "King, this is North Academy. Nothing about this place is short and simple. Besides, you're about to go up against Tasha! Don't you know who she is around here? What it is that she does?"
"No." Konami replied, not missing a beat. "But I have a strange feeling that you're about to tell me."
"She's Tasha Tsandire, another one of the Four Emperors!" Enzo exclaimed. Now that Konami had not been expecting. Then again, considering Enzo himself was supposed to be one of the Four Emperors...maybe he should have expected it. Either way, it didn't seem like Enzo was done talking just yet. "As a master of Special Summoning, her TsunTsun exterior hides a soul that burns hotter than the flames of hell itself! If you go up against her...I can't say that you'll make it out in one piece!"
"That just means that she'll be a good challenge." Konami replied. Coming to a stop as they appeared to reach their destination he turned to study the expression on Tasha's face, and he immediated noticed that her eyes did seem to carry some powerful flame within.
He shuffled his Deck.
"Listen," Tasha said, doing the same as she spoke, "I don't want you thinking that I do this with just any guy, alright? It's just...you're the King, you know? And that means that I've gotta get my shot at you before anyone else does! After all, if the story about you beating Yuri is true...then that means that whoever beats you will be the new strongest freshman in the Academy! So I'll take that title...and make a rule that'll stop guys like you from even stepping foot on the dirt around our dorm!"
Konami mused. "I see. So you intend to make a rule that will prevent people like Enzo from peeking. You know, if you really wanted such a thing, you could have just asked me. I'd be more than happy to help you out-"
"Shut up! We don't need your pity!" Tasha said. "There'll be no point unless a girl's the one who does it, so hurry up and activate your Duel Disk! Then I'll take you out with a single blow of my Deck!"
"Oh don't be so sure about that." Konami replied, though he did as Tasha requested and slid his Deck into his Duel Disk. "You'll find that my Deck won't be so easy to run over, no matter how good you are at Special Summoning monsters. And don't think I'll hold back on you just beacuse you're a girl."
Tasha clenched her teeth and growled. "Tch! As if! You're the King! I expect you to give it everything you've got! Otherwise...it'd be an insult to your life as a Duelist!"
"Yeah, you've got that right." Konami smirked. "So, you wanted to get this over with right? Let's do it. Mano y Mano! It's time to duel!"
-DUEL-
KONAMI - 4000 LP
TASHA - 4000 LP
"W-Well...ordinarily it'd be only right for a girl to go first..." Tasha said, "...but since you're supposed to be the bad guy here...you can go!"
"Hmph, bad guy?" Konami inquired, raising a brow at the term. "While I can't say I appreciate being called such a thing, if you want me to kick things off, then that's fine by me! Here I go! Draw!"
TURN ONE - KONAMI
"I'll start by setting one monster face-down in Defense Position!" Konami began, sliding his chosen monster onto his Duel Disk before glancing at the rest of his hand. "Then, to follow up that act, I'll set one face-down card in my backrow as well!"
Another hologram of a Duel Monsters card appeared on the Field between Konami and Tasha while shimmering with light. Konami glanced at it idly and then turned his gaze back to his pink-haired opponent.
"Turn End."
"T-Turn End? What do you mean Turn End?! You didn't even do anything!" Tasha complained.
Konami shook his head mildly at the words. "If that's really what you think, then go ahead and make your move. I'm not going to stop you."
He spoke with a confident gaze, so much so that Tasha couldn't help but glance at his three hidden cards in worry. She promptly shook her fears away and reached for her Deck with a scowl.
"Fine!" she shouted out. "I-It's not like I was expecting a challenge or anything anyway! I'll just make this quick! Here I go! Huzzah!"
With a strange, outlandish yell, she drew the top card of her Deck and glanced at it solemnly. Konami didn't miss the twitch of her lips.
TURN TWO - TASHA
"If you're not coming, then I will!" Tasha shouted, placing her drawn card onto her Duel Disk with a determined expression. "I summon Zanji of the Six Samurai in Attack Position!"
A glorious light soon filled the makeshift arena, blinding those present as an armored silhouette began to materialize. Armed with a glowing naginata, the pale warrior fell into an offensive stance and awaited further commands.
The Six Samurai - Zanji - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1800/1300)
"And before we really get started, I think I'll give my Zanji a boost with the Spell Card Legendary Ebon Steed!" Tasha continued, revealing a second card in her hand before placing it behind Zanji on the Duel Disk. As she did, a large black horse appeared beneath the glowing warrior, allowing him to saddle himself upon it before staring down Konami's mysterious cards once more.
The Six Samurai - Zanji - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (2000/1500)
"It's Attack Points have risen..." Konami mused. "So that horse is an Equip Spell?"
"That's right!" Tasha confirmed with a nod of her head. "While I can only equip it to a "Six Samurai" monster I control, it does give them an additional Two Hundred Attack and Defense Points, and with Two Thousand Attack, my Zanji should be able to run over anything you've got!"
"I guess we're about to find out..." Konami replied. Tasha's eyes narrowed in agreement.
"Go, Zanji! Attack his face-down monster with your Legendary Ebon Stamp!"
Upon the great black warhorse the warrior nodded, and with a whip of the monster's reins, forced the horse into a mighty leap. They soared together through the air at a snail's pace, allowing everyone to take in the almost majestic sight before realizing what was about to happen. Or at least...what they thought would happen. Konami however...well, he had other ideas.
"You've activated my Trap Card!" he roared, sparking a glint of surprise to appear within Tasha's eyes. "Sakuretsu Armor! It allows me to target one attacking monster you control and destroy it! Which means your Zanji's about to become little more than a memory!"
Tasha's eyes narrowed for a moment before her expression changed into that of a smirk. "Not quite!" she replied. "Because by activating your Trap Card, you've actually activated the second effect of my Ebon Steed! You see, while it's true that it gives its equipped monster a boost in the stat department, it also protects them from being destroyed by taking the hit for them! Your Sakuretsu Armor is meant to destroy my attacking monster...but since he's equipped with the Legendary Ebon Steed, your counterattack will only destroy his horse instead!"
The warhorse howled in pain as it indeed took the brunt of the reactive armor's attack, sending Zanji sprawling to the ground but otherwise unharmed. Though its Attack and Defense Points had returned to their original value, he was still free to go through with his attack.
"Go!" Tasha roared, throwing her hand forward valiantly. "Destroy that face-down monster!"
The warrior's eyes gleamed, and he struck out to pierce the obscured creature with his naginata's sharp tip. The Duel Monsters card split and shattered upon contact, but Konami only grinned at the sight.
"Sorry, but it looks like the joke's on you! The monster you just attacked...was my Gear Golem, the Moving Fortress!" Konami revealed, smirking as the bronze machine emerged from beneath the shattered card.
Gear Golem the Moving Fortress - (EARTH/Machine) - LV4 - (800/2200)
"T-Twenty Two Hundred Defense Points?! No way!" Tasha exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock as her Zanji leapt back to her side.
"That's right. His Defense Points are higher than your Zanji's Attack Points, meaning that not only will your attack fail to go through...but you'll take damage equal to the difference between their stats as well!" Konami shouted.
Tasha grimaced at the words, and quickly turned to watch as her Life Points began to decrease.
KONAMI - 4000 LP
TASHA - 3600 LP
"Tsk..." Unable to complete her task, all Tasha could do was grimace at the turn of events. "Big whoop!" she shouted. "It's only Four Hundred Life Points! I'll make that up in a flash! And I'll prove it...by setting one card face-down on the Field and ending my Turn!"
"Just one huh?" Konami inquired. "And here you were saying that I wasn't doing anything. This school is just filled with hypocrites huh?"
"W-What'd you call me?!" Tasha shouted.
"Nothing. Forget it." Konami sighed. "It's my Turn, right? Let's do it. Draw!"
TURN THREE - KONAMI
Glancing at the new card in his hand, Konami turned to study the Field before assuring himself with a firm nod. He slid the new card into his Duel Disk, and watched at the dorm arena transformed into a large, overbearing castle.
Tasha's eyes widened in surprise, as did most of the onlookers to their duel.
"W-What is this?" she asked warily, glancing around the new surroundings as she spoke.
Konami grinned before moving to explain. "It's my Ancient Gear Castle!" he said, reaching for another card as he spoke. "It has a unique ability that I will, of course, be telling you about, but before that...I think I'll get rid of my Gear Golem to bring out something with a little more firepower!" Moving quickly, he sent the Gear Golem on his Duel Disk to the Graveyard, and replaced it with a far more powerful monster. "Allow me to introduce you...to the mighty Ancient Gear Chimera!"
Three mechanized roars followed Konami's words, and a bundle of metal steadily rose onto the Field, producing a single beast with three different shaped heads. The creature snapped and growled at its surroundings warily, before locking eyes on Tasha's warriors and realizing just who it was it was meant to face.
Ancient Gear Chimera - (EARTH/Machine) - LV6 - (2300/1300)
"And now that I've summoned him..." Konami continued, "I think it's high time that this castle of mine got a little bit bigger!"
Tasha's eyes widened once more as the castle did, in fact, grow in size. What had once been nothing more than a tiny puddle became a great moat, and several small cannons began to protrude from the castle's exterior, giving off a rather fiendish impression.
Ancient Gear Castle - (1 Counter)
"W-What in the world?!" Tasha gasped. "What's going on here?!"
"Oh nothing too important. Just my castle's effect is all!" Konami explained with a shrug. "See, whenever a monster is Normal Summoned to the Field while it's present, I get to add one counter to it, increasing its size and shape! Oh, and I haven't even mentioned the best part! As long as this castle's on the Field, all "Ancient Gear" monsters gain Three Hundred Attack Points!"
The Chimera growled at the words, feeling at ease fighting in familiar territory.
Ancient Gear Chimera - (EARTH/Machine) - LV6 - (2600/1300)
"Now, Ancient Gear Chimera!" Konami roared. "Take out that lightbulb of hers! Mechanized Melee!"
With a fiendish howl, the Chimera attacked. Its mechanical teeth tore into Zanji with immense ease, earning a sudden cry from Tasha as she watched the first of her "Six Samurai" bite the proverbial dust.
KONAMI - 4000 LP
TASHA - 2800 LP
"And...I think that'll do it for now." Konami said.
"Tch, you might, but I don't!" Tasha shouted, moving to flip a card over before Konami finished Ending his Turn. "I'm activating a Trap Card - Swiftstrike Armor! Now, whenever I draw a card from my Deck, I can reveal it, and if it's a "Six Samurai" card, I can Special Summon it to the Field!"
"Uh oh! That's not good king!" Enzo shouted from the sidelines, speaking for the first time since the duel began. "Those Six Samurais of hers...they're completely based around Special Summons! If you let her get even one off, then you'll be in for a world of hurt!"
Konami felt his lips twitch in annoyance. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. I've already Ended my Turn. All that's left to do is see just what fate has in store for us...or something."
"Hmph! 'Or Something' is right, because that world of pain Enzo was speaking about...is right at your doorstep!" Tasha shouted. "My Turn! Draw!"
TURN FOUR - TASHA
The second Tasha glanced at it Konami knew she was right. After all, what other possible reason could there for her to smirk at him so blatantly? Her following words confirmed his thoughts.
"Well, well..." she said, swinging the hand about coyly in her hand, "...what do you know? Looks like fate's on my side for once! The card I drew is the Grandmaster of the Six Samurai, and you know what that means!"
"Tch...Due to Swiftstrike Armor, you can Special Summon him to the Field!" Konami cursed.
"That's right!" Tasha cheered. "So come on out Grandmaster! And I'll be Normal Summoning my Yariza of the Six Samurai out with him for good measure!"
She quickly placed the cards onto her Duel Disk, prompting two powerful warriors to emerge from the confines of Solid Vision. Standing side by side, the aged and expert warriors glared at the lone machine Konami controlled, making it wonder if killing Zanji so...violently was really the correct course of action.
Grandmaster of the Six Samurai - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV5 - (2100/800)
The Six Samurai - Yariza - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV3 - (1000/500)
"Oh man, now you're really in for it Konami!" Enzo complained. "She has everything she needs now to bring out the big guy!"
"Big guy?" Konami asked, glancing to Enzo for further explanation. Unfortunately for him, it was Tasha who spoke next.
"The leader of the Six Samurai. Their "king", so to speak." she explained, only to shake her head a moment later. "Oh why am I explaining it like this? At this point, it'd be better to just show you!"
She tightened her grip on a card in her hand, and Konami felt the sudden urge to frown.
"A fractured land seeks out a unifed front...become the commander the Warring States need! Special Summon! Conquer it all - Great Shogun Shien!"
A single bolt of fire crashed down upon the surface of the arena floor. Flames and smoke leapt up from its point of contact, spreading throughout the Field as if threatening to engulf everything it touched. Even so, the monsters remained focused on the true threat emerging from the fire's presence; that of the armored man emerging from the flames.
Great Shogun Shien - (FIRE/Warrior) - LV7 - (2500/2400)
"So that's him then?" Konami wondered aloud, gazing upon the warrior clad in red as he spoke. "Your boss monster?"
"Be careful, Konami." Enzo said. "Its Attack Points may not seem overwhelming for a Level Seven monster...but the true danger it poses come from its effect, not just its stats!"
"Its' effect?" Konami inquired. His eyes narrowed into slits. "Just what kind of effect are we talking about here?"
"One that'll prevent you from using more than one Spell or Trap Card per Turn!" Enzo shouted, infuriating Tasha immensely.
"Gah - Damn it Enzo! Stay the hell out of this! I don't remember people being allowed to give you help during our duel!" she shouted, clenching her fists upon realizing that her monster's greatest strength had been exposed.
Or maybe it was the fact that she hadn't been the one to reveal it.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, she turned her attention back to Konami and nodded. "A-Anyway," she coughed, "the buffoon is right! As long as my Shien is face-up, your strategies will be reduced to using a single backrow card for the rest of this Duel!"
"That is quite the restriction..." Konami agreed, "...but don't forget that even though you may have more monsters on your side of the Field, my lone Chimera still has enough Attack Points to fend off your attacks!"
"True, true..." Tasha agreed, "...but the same can't be said for its Defense Points now can they?"
"What?" Konami breathed.
"I activate Book of Moon!" Tasha shouted, revealing the final card in her hand with a smirk. "Now I can change one face-up monster on the Field to face-down Defense Position, and I have a feeling we both know which one I'm choosing! That Chimera of yours...is going down Konami!"
Cursing, Konami watched as his lone monster returned to being a helpless hologram trapped beneath a giant card. He glanced back to Tasha, knowing that whatever she did next would not be good for him.
"From what I remember, it still had enough Defense Points to handle Yariza...but the same can't be said about the Grandmaster!" the girl continued, swinging her hand forward to declare her intent. "Go! Wipe out that rust bucket!"
The aged warrior of the group nodded at the command, and slowly unsheathed what appeared to be a gleaming blade. He promptly disappeared after that, reappearing seconds later behind Konami's face-down monster. The card then split in two...and as most things did when destroyed - exploded.
"D-Damn it! My Chimera!" Konami shouted, only to have his eyes widen as two silhouettes raced through the debris toward him.
Tasha's eyes had narrowed. "You should be worrying more about yourself! Go Yariza! Shien! Direct Attack!"
The two warriors emerged from the smoke, their respective weapons raised for what should have been deadly blows.
-swish-
KONAMI - 500 LP
TASHA - 2800 LP
"D-Damn...! My Life Points!" Konami hissed. He fell to a knee, clutching his chest in pain. As expected, the Solid Vision was just as dense as it had been during his earlier duels. North Academy...really didn't mess around!
"Tch...! So I couldn't finish you off..." Tasha muttered. "It's fine! I'll get you next time! Of course, that is if you still want to continue! There'd be no shame in giving up now after all! This duel is practically over!"
"N-No! It can't be!" Enzo despaired. "Is Tasha's dream of a school without pervs really going to come true?! I can't allow this! Someone...! Anyone...! Declare this duel invalid!"
"Shut up Enzo! There's no way such a thing would happen!" Tasha snapped. She folded her arms with a "humph", and turned back to regard the rising Konami. "So, what'll it be? You ready to fold and hand that crown of yours over?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Konami replied. "My Life Points aren't at zero just yet. I can still turn this around!"
"Wha-? Are you stupid or something?" Tasha asked. "You don't have anything on your side of the Field, and with my Shien's effect active, you can only use one Spell or Trap on your next Turn! In other words, there's no way that you can bring something out that'll turn things around! You should just give up while I'm still feeling nice!"
Konami's lips twitched. "Oh please. What kind of duelist would I be if I just gave up without a fight? Sorry, but you're the one who's got things twisted! There's no way...that I'll back down now!"
Without another word, he reached for his next card...and drew.
TURN FIVE - KONAMI
"Just as I thought." he said. "There's no point in giving up. If you do, you might end up regretting it in the future!"
Tasha scoffed. "Oh please! Don't try and act like you actually pulled something that'll help you now! Just what kind of idiot do you take me for? I won't fall for your bluff!"
"It's no bluff!" Konami shouted. "As it turns out, I've drawn just the card I need to turn things around, and it's really a shame too, because if you and Enzo hadn't explained your Shien's ability to me beforehand, I wouldn't have realized that I'd need to play it first! Behold, the power of my Double Spell!"
"W-What?!" Tasha shrieked, recognizing the card and just what it meant for her. "What in the hell?! What kind of duelist runs that in their deck?!"
"That's what I said when I saw he had Magic Cylinder." Enzo grunted.
Konami ignored them both in favor of expalining just what Double Spell did.
"Now," he said, "by discarding a Spell like the Enemy Controller I have in my hand, I can target one Spell Card in your Graveyard Tasha, and use its effect for myself! And the effect I'm choosing to activate is one I'm sure we all know and love - Book of Moon!"
Tasha could've ripped her hair out.
"Now, Double Spell! Use your magic to flip Shien face-down, and render his abilities useless for the rest of my Turn!" Konami shouted.
His Spell Card reacted in kind upon learning the cost had been paid, and with a powerful bolt of electricity, forced Shien to his knees and transformed him into a harmless card. Tasha reeled back at the sight, knowing that so long as Shien was face-down, his abilities that restricted Konami's moves were no longer in play.
"T-To think that you'd do something like that...! To think that you'd have something like that...! Just who are you?!"
"A Topdecker that's who!" Konami shouted. "And I'll prove it, by activating another Spell - Pot of Greed!" he waited for the giant green pot to appear on the Field before continuing to speak. "Hmhmhm...now that your Shien is face-down his ability to restrict my Spell and Trap usage is negated, meaning I can use as many as I want! Of course, no matter what I draw, this duel is about to end! Now, it's time to find which of us fate favors most, Tasha! Let's get these gears churning! It's time...for a DESTINY DRAWWW!"
He drew two cards, and glanced at them both.
"The winds have changed, and it seems that they favor me once again!" Konami roared. "Behold, the mighty Ancient Gear Dragon!"
"Wha - impossible!" Tasha shouted. "You can't even summon that card right now!"
"Oh but I can, because my Ancient Gear Castle has one final ability!" he explained. "By offering it as Tribute, I can summon forth an "Ancient Gear" monster from my hand whose required sacrifices equal the number of counters the castle possesses!"
Tasha frowned. "But your Ancient Gear Dragon is a Level Eight monster! It needs two Tributes, and last I checked, your Ancient Gear Castle only had one - ah?!"
As she glanced to the Field, she couldn't help but notice that the castle had changed form once again. Missiles of all shapes and sizes stood at the ready, in places she was certain had only carried measley cannons before.
"Wha - how-?" she sputtered.
Konami smirked. "Have you forgotten already? I told you that my castle gains counters each time a monster was Normal Summoned!"
"A monster...not just an Ancient Gear..." Tasha breathed. "But then...that means...!"
"Yes, you yourself provided a second counter by Normal Summoning Yariza of the Six Samurai!" Konami shouted. "And now, you're about to pay for that mistake! Come forth - Ancient Gear Dragon!"
He removed the Ancient Gear Castle from his Duel Disk, and as the holographic scenery exploded into chaos, the large, imposing form of his very own boss monster came into view.
The dragon's howl shook the very landscape itself, and as its broken wings and age-old body came into full view, Tasha could not help but fall back, aghast at its presence...or something.
Ancient Gear Dragon - (EARTH/Machine) - LV8 - (3000/2000)
"T-Three Thousand...?! But - No! I can still survive this Turn, and I will find a way to turn things around!" Tasha snapped.
"That's the spirit!" Konami told her. "But...I'm afraid you're a Turn too late!" he reached for his final card, also drawn from Pot of Greed, and began to chant.
"Time and Gas boil over into a raging storm! Let nothing slow our progress into a new, shining age! Overclock - release your restraints, Limiter Removal!"
Steam and gas began to pour from the gargantuan machine's innards, setting the world below on fire as it let out a "pained" howl.
Ancient Gear Dragon - (EARTH/Machine) - LV8 - (6000/2000)
Again, Tasha took a step back. Her eyes were wide and fitful, but given the situation, Konami could understand her fear. It wasn't everyday one faced a Six Thousand Attack Point monster, after all. Even so...they were duelists. If they didn't want a challenge, why bother picking up the cards in the first place?
Konami raised a fist.
"End it."
His dragon howled, and just like always, the world was cleansed in an oily light.
KONAMI - 500 LP
TASHA - 0 LP
Steam covered the area completely, obscuring the vanishing holograms from view as Konami lowered his Duel Disk victoriously. Across from him, Tasha fell to her knees with wide eyes, unable to believe that she had completely lost.
Enzo, on the other hand, seemed to have expected such an outcome.
"Awww right!" he shouted. He pumped his fist in the air for good measure before racing to Konami's side. "Now that's what I'm talking about! A perfect victory! With this, not even you can deny it Tasha! This guy here...is the real deal!"
He said this while laying a hand on Konami's shoulder supportively, prompting the capped child to take a step to the side, out of Enzo's reach.
"As if it wasn't obvious to begin with." Konami replied. He turned his attention to the fallen Tasha and smiled. "So, what are you going to do now, Tsandire? You weren't quite good enough to beat me, you know?"
"S-Shut up! I already know that!" the girl shouted, glancing upward with a frustrated expression on her face. "As per the rules...I'll be stuck doing whatever it is you say for a bit...so what is it you want?! If you say something perverted I'll kick your ass ya' know?!"
"Hmm...a favor from a tsuntsun huh?" Konami asked, leaning back nonchalantly as he spoke. "I wonder just what I should ask for...a backrub perhaps? Maybe a good scrubbing in the tub...?"
The words were meant as a joke of course. The amused smile on Konami's face was more than enough to reveal that fact, though the embarrassed blush growing on Tasha's cheeks still came.
"D-Don't kid around with me!" she shouted hatefully. "I-I'd die before giving a man a b-b-b-backrub!"
"Ah, relax, relax." Konami told her, shrugging off her concerns with a wave of his hand. "I'm not really interested in those kinds of things you know? Or rather, it'd be more accurate to say I'm not a pervert who'd force a girl to do 'em."
Enzo drooped his head sadly at the revelation. Again...again Konami had struck down a glorious opportunity. Tasha, at least, seemed relieved.
"W-Well...what is it you want then?!"
"Hmm, I wonder~" Konami teased, tapping his chin in mock thought. "Well, I suppose...if you'd really be up for it..."
Tasha's eyes squinted warily, no doubt expecting another strange request to come flying from those lips-
"...if you could show me the way to the King's Quarters, I might just think about calling it even." Konami finished.
"H-Huh? That's it?" Tasha asked in response. "You just want a guide? You don't want to, oh, I dunno, steal all my cards or something?"
"Well, I said it before, didn't I?" Konami replied. "Enzo here was supposed to take me but...he let his lower half do all the thinking. In a scenario like this, a civilized person like you would obviously be the better choice, right?"
"Humpf! Well if you say it that way, of course I'd accept!" Tasha exclaimed.
She climbed back to her feet, confidence bolstered by the turn of events. At the same time, Enzo faltered, his own self-worth depreciating by the second.
"Uoooough! Civilized he says! What about that brute spells civilized?!"
"Perhaps it's the part where her first thought isn't about making direct attacks on baths of the opposing gender?" Konami asked wryly.
"..or you know," Tasha threw in, "the fact that I'm not a pervert? At all?"
Enzo drooped his head in defeat. "You two...god damn it!"
Wailing frantically to a world that did not care, Enzo was left to despair as Tasha guided Konami to the correct destination.
He'd catch up with them some time later.
-Chapter End-