The Student in Red
Volume 1 – The Scarlet Newbie Saga
Chapter 3 – Double Dueling
Saturday. A day that just seems brighter. A day that everyone seems to relax and have the most fun. A day where classes ended early, as though the faculty felt the same anticipation as the students did. A day...
To be pushed around by the dozens of people who happen to be in the same card shop that afternoon.
Konami was not happy. His plan for the afternoon was pretty much to sleep until dinner. Even if he was caught up in whatever 'fun' activity Jaden thought up, he wouldn't mind much, as it would most likely involve dueling, and he could stay awake for a good duel.
So, his frustration was perfectly justified (in his opinion) as he stood amongst the bustling crowd, and more than once he was nearly toppled over someone while it felt like people where doing the tango on his feet.
"Jaden." He grunted out to the teen as he made his way over to him. "What are we doing here again?"
Jaden was strangely focused in what he was doing – fishing out card packs while standing amongst the sea of students. Chumley and Syrus were most likely doing the same, wherever they were. Well, Chumley was more likely than Syrus. Konami wouldn't be surprised if someone literally stepped on the small Slifer like he was a bug in this crowd.
"I need to supe up my deck, Konami!" Jaden called back to him. And that was all the explanation he received.
With a sigh, Konami debated for a moment whether or not he should also take the plunge – a few new cards never hurt, and some of his strategies seriously needed fine-tuning. He soon shook his head, though. If he wanted cards, he could wait until the crowd was smaller.
"You're not gonna even try?" The voice of Mace piped in. At first, Konami considered making some sarcastic retort. He was definitely frustrated enough to do so. However, he noticed a set that looked practically untouched. No one was around it, barely anyone even looked at it.
He'd simply ignore it as well. It was a beginner's booster pack, with a picture of the monster Cosmo Queen, and held the title 'From the Abyss'. He was surprised to find this one so...deserted. Cosmo Queen was a very powerful monster, and, if his hunch was correct, this was a Dark Attribute booster pack. Dark monsters tended to have good skills, in his opinion, even if they could be risky.
Then again, from the looks of things, there probably weren't too many 'rare' monsters in these packs, and that's what others wanted – rare cards. Cosmo Queen was surprisingly common for such a powerful monster. Still, there could be potential.
Konami sighed. Well, like he said, new cards never hurt. Checking the amount of Duel Points he had, he decided to grab five packs – enough to satisfy his curiosity, potentially get new cards, and if he has them already, an extra twenty-five cards wouldn't hurt.
Surprisingly, the cashier line was rather small. Then again, everyone was probably too busy brawling it out. With a polite 'thank you', he bought his cards and moved to one of the room's corners, the emptier parts of the store, and checked at what he had gotten.
Most of them were either cards he already had, like Mask of Darkness, or cards he really had no use for, like Des Kangaroo. Like he thought, he did get a Cosmo Queen – two, in fact. He let out a smile when he found another Dark Elf amongst the cards. But, nothing else really stood –
Wait.
Konami picked up a card, and was actually pleased with what he got – an Ebon Magician Curran. Her and her sister, Pikeru, were both somewhat rare cards to obtain. Plus, the effects were decent, even if the stats were a bit low.
Just as Konami was about to put the cards away, he thought, for just a second, he heard a voice.
"Who...are...you?"
'Who's there?' Konami could tell it was a duel spirit. However, when the voice didn't respond, he simply shrugged, and went off to see how his friends were doing.
'Well, it could've been worse.' Konami thought with a sweat drop back at the dorm. Turns out, the whole shopping trip was a disaster. Jaden barely got any new cards, Chumley did get some, but he was a Beast-type user, not an Aqua-type user, and Syrus had to visit the nurse after being trampled. Luckily he somehow only got several bruises. Although there was bandages on his forehead, and he needed new glasses.
"This blows, guys." Jaden said with a huff. Konami saw Jaden's Winged Kuriboh floating around him, as if trying to comfort his master.
"Totally not lischus." Chumley agreed. "We skipped breakfast for this?"
"My day went great!" Syrus spoke up with a cheery tone.
"You got ran over by two dozen students." Konami pointed out. "That might be the brain damage talking."
"Nope." Syrus waved his hand dismissively, before continuing as though Konami never spoke. "I saw Sadie and Professor Fontaine today!" His eyes gleamed. "With those two in my day, how could I not be happy?!"
"By remembering that you're an easily deceived munchkin with poor grades and dueling, that lives in Jaden's shadow?" Dark Elf questioned.
'Harsh.' Konami reprimanded.
"She does have a point." White Dolphin interjected.
"Alright, then!" Jaden exclaimed, hopping up to his feet. "Are we ready for tomorrow?!" Syrus and Chumley responded in affirmative (the latter sounding more unenthusiastic), while Konami just raised a brow. Ignoring Konami's confusion, the teen continued. "Alright, then! Let's rock the arena, guys!"
"Do we have to?" Was Chumley's response. "I'm not exactly a great duelist."
"You don't have to be." Syrus said. "We got both Jaden and Konami with us."
"True." The larger Slifer said, perking up. "Still, I haven't been in too many tag duels."
"None of us have, Chumley!" Jaden countered. "That's why it's so-"
"Wait, wait, wait." The red-capped Slifer spoke, halting the conversation. "What's this about a tag duel?"
"What are you talking about, Konami?" Syrus questioned, raising a brow. All three Slifers looked as though he asked a rather stupid question.
"Yeah, bud." Jaden added. "Didn't you get the message the other day? We're tag dueling this Sunday?" Curious, Konami checked his PDA. True enough, there was an unread message from Dr. Crowler, titled 'This Sunday'.
"Oh." Konami said simply. Giving a shrug, he decided to go along with it. "How are we partnering up?" He questioned.
"We could just all hang out, decide who duels when the time comes." Syrus suggested.
"I dunno." Chumley said. "That might work if it was just you, me, and Jaden. Now that Konami's here, a group of four might scare others away."
"Unless you either don't care, or are that confident in your skills, anyway." Konami pointed out.
"As much as I want to be Konami's partner," Jaden piped up, "I know the two of us would win any duel we come across." He paused for a moment, before speaking again. "How about me and Syrus, and Konami and Chumley?"
"Sounds good to me, Jay." Syrus spoke with a smile.
"I don't see why not." Chumley responded.
"How ironic." Was Konami's answer. "Pairing up the new guy with the senior member." Konami chuckled before smirking at the larger Slifer. "I'll try not to let you down, Senpai."
Embarrassed at the title, Chumley simply blushed with a chuckle, the others letting out a laugh, too.
Not long after, the two teams split off in order to figure out their strategies, Jaden and Syrus staying in their room, while Chumley followed Konami into his. The separation probably didn't make much difference, but Konami would rather work on his synergy with Chumley without having Jaden and Syrus shout out something every five minutes.
'Dark Elf's cynicism's getting to me again.' Konami thought with a sweat drop.
"I am not a cynic!" Was her immediate response, which he ignored.
"You know," Chumley unknowingly interrupted, sighing. "I've been feeling kinda off, lately. Sometimes I think I can even see Des Koala." Konami simply raised a brow. Shaking his head, the larger Slifer grabbed his deck, before handing it to Konami. "I want your opinion, see if there's any mistakes to fix, or something."
With a nod, Konami did just that, shuffling through Chumley's deck, seeing just what kind of strategy he used. The red-capped Slifer was actually pretty impressed. The deck was pretty solid. Sure, there were a few weaknesses, but it was surprisingly well built for a held-back Slifer.
"Not bad." Konami said after a few moments. "You seem to focus on defense, with Bubonic Vermin and Des Koala, but that's still a pretty good strategy." He frowned. "Only issue is the lack of offense. Big Koala and Maji-Gire Panda aren't the most usable cards."
Chumley seemed to deflate slightly. "Any tips?" The larger Slifer questioned. "I was planning on bettering my deck anyway, so might as well do it now."
Konami thought for a moment, before grabbing his suitcase, and searching through the cards inside.
"It's not much." Konami admitted. "But I can give you these." He held out two cards in his hand – the Des Kangaroo he purchased earlier, and a Polymerization. "If I remember right, these should work with your Big Koala."
"Thanks." The older Slifer said with a smile, taking the cards. His smile then turned into a look of confusion. "By the way, how do you know all this stuff?" He questioned.
"Taught by my dad." He said with a shrug. "He's the kinda guy that puts skill above anything else involving duels – so he made sure that I know how cards work."
"Sounds like he knows what quite a bit himself." Chumley spoke. "So, what are you planning on using for tomorrow?"
"Either Plant, Insect, or Beast-Warrior." Was Konami's response. "I don't have a completed Beast-Type deck just yet." He admitted. "I haven't tag dueled much, but I do know that it's important to use cards that both partners can use."
"Makes sense." Chumley nodded. "If you used, say, a Pyro or a Fish deck, the styles would be way too different from what I use."
"Exactly." Konami grinned. "Looks like you're pretty smart when there's something besides grilled cheese on the brain." Chumley didn't say anything for a few moments.
"Looks like you upset the big guy." Mace spoke up.
'What? But – but...' Konami sweated a bit nervously.
"You probably did." White Dolphin added.
'But, I've teased worse to Jaden and Syrus!' Konami mentally yelled to his spirits.
"You should probably say sor-" Key began, but was interrupted by Chumley.
"Speaking of grilled cheese, how long 'til dinner?" The larger Slifer asked. Konami sweat dropped.
"Huh?" He questioned. "Dinner?"
"Yeah." Chumley responded. "I'm getting pretty hungry, do you got any snacks?"
"Not unless you want to eat my mint toothpaste." Konami joked, before paling at Chumley's deep and thoughtful expression.
"Sometimes I seriously question the friends you keep, Konami." Dark Elf muttered.
Sunday. Also, a bright day, second only to Saturday. Sunday had various meanings to various people. To some, it was a religious day. To others, it was a 'break' in the week, as businesses and other establishments tended to be closed more on Sundays than any other day. The Academy was technically closed as well on Sundays.
Technically.
While it was true that the education part of the Academy was closed, the duel fields were wide open. Apparently people were thrilled over the idea of 'Tag Duel Sunday', and there were duels happening all over the place.
There were mixed opinions in the group of four Slifers.
Konami held back a sigh, still annoyed with crowds.
Syrus and Chumley had expressions of nervousness, paranoid that despite their strong partners, they'd lose easily.
And Jaden...
"Wow, this is so sweet!" Exclaimed the Slifer, an excited grin on his face. "I can't wait to duel!"
"Before you can," a familiar voice interrupted. Just in front of them stood Dr. Crowler, most likely there to keep an eye on the students. "As this is your first time, I need to explain to you exactly what this is."
"What's there to explain, Teach?" Jaden questioned. "It's just a tag duel." The odd doctor looked as though he might explode on the Slifer.
"Just let him talk, Jay." Konami said, putting his hand on the fellow teen's shoulder. "This will only take a minute." With a huff, Jaden nodded. Dr. Crowler cleared his throat before speaking.
"You see, the Academy has something special planned for later in the year." The doctor began. "However, it will be solely a tag duel event. Now, we have the utmost confidence in our students, however there might be a slight chance that tag dueling will be an issue. So that's why we're here." He waved an arm around the arena. "If all goes well this Sunday, than every Sunday from now on shall hold tag duels here for practice. But," He glared slightly. "Single, or any other types of dueling shall be forbidden while in this room." His face then put on a smile. "That's it! So start tag dueling 'til you can't tag duel any more!"
His speech done, the doctor stepped aside so the four Slifers could move through.
"Okay." Konami spoke out, grabbing the attention of the other three. "Let's find ourselves a few duels. Syrus, just a heads up, I think you're still a wanted man, so you might want to stay clear from the female students." The small Slifer muttered in annoyance. "Since it's still a bit early in the morning, I say we stay here until lunch at the latest before heading home."
The three agreed (Jaden reluctantly) before the two team split off. From what the scoreboards said, Team Jaden was doing pretty well. Team Konami, however, was not as lucky.
Not that they were doing poorly, no. But, they've been there for an hour, and everyone else seemed to be either to busy, or flat out refused to duel the two.
"This is getting us nowhere." Dark Elf groaned.
'It's only been an hour.' Konami pointed out. 'We got plenty of time.'
"I'm sorry, Konami." Chumley spoke, unknowingly interrupting the conversation. "It's my fault everyone's ignoring us."
"What do you mean?" Konami questioned, raising a brow.
"Well –" Chumley's explanation was cut short by a couple of fellow Slifers. There were two of them, one looking suspiciously like the Ra Konami met, Pipin, while the other one had short brown hair with a few spikes at the ends.
"What do you think you're doing, Konami?!" The Pipin lookalike exclaimed. "You're a good duelist, bud. You shouldn't be hanging out with someone like him." Chumley deflated quite a bit at the accusation.
"What are you talking about?" Konami responded, genuinely curious. Before the the Pipin lookalike could respond, the other one spoke.
"Terence, d-don't antagonize them..." The meeker of the two chastised.
"Shut up, Giry, I know what I'm doing." The first one, Terence, shot back before returning his gaze to Konami and Chumley. "What I'm talking about is that you, the one rumored to be second only to Jaden, is hanging out with him," He pointed to Chumley. "One of the reasons everyone calls us Slifer Slackers!"
"Chumley's got some good cards." Konami countered. "Besides, we're both friends of Jaden, why not just talk to him about this?"
"There's a difference." Terence insisted. "Jaden wouldn't listen if we did, but you're new, you can still get out."
There was a pause between the Slifers. Terence glared at both Konami and the larger Slifer, Konami had a thoughtful look on his face, Chumley looked downright depressed, and Giry looked like he was ready to bolt at any second.
"Maybe he's right." Chumley mumbled. "I'm not as good as you or Jaden. Heck, I even got held back a year, something that doesn't happen a lot."
Instead of responding to either of them, Konami merely spoke out loud. "It's sickening." He said with a shake of his head, prompting looks of surprise from the other three. "We're all Slifer Red. I expected discrimination from the higher ranks, but within our own?" He let out a sigh before glaring fiercely at the opposing Slifers. "That's just low."
"Alright, then." Terence said with a sneer. "Let's duel then, hotshot. You win, we leave you alone. Lose, and you'll be in our group."
"Deal." Konami's response was instantaneous.
"But, Konami –" Chumley attempted to protest.
"No buts, we're going to duel, and we're going to win." The red-capped Slifer cut in, before looking at Chumley. "Right?"
"...Right." He nodded after a moment.
"If you two are done with the pep-talk, we got a duel to start!" Terance called out. "Giry! Let's roll!" He barked to his friend.
"R-right! L-let's do this!" Was the nervous teen's response.
DUEL!
Terence Matsuda & Giry Takaki – Team Ferocious Beauty – 4000
Chumley Huffington & Konami Takahashi – Team Nature's Wrath – 4000
"I think I'll go first!" Terrence called out, reaching for his deck. "My draw!"
TURN ONE – FEROCIOUS BEAUTY – TERENCE MATSUDA
Terence let out a smirk. "Alright, first off, I activate the Continuous Spell – Heart of the Underdog!" He exclaimed, slamming the card onto the field. "Next, I summon Mad Dog of Darkness in attack mode!" Mad Dog of Darkness was a large canine creature with an almost rabid expression.
Mad Dog of Darkness – Dark/Beast – LV4 – 1900/1400
"That's one strong monster." Chumley commented.
"Now, I'll place one card face down before ending my turn." Terence finished, glaring at Chumley.
"R-right!" Chumley said, nervously. "It's my move! Draw!"
TURN TWO – NATURE'S WRATH – CHUMLEY HUFFINGTON
"I think I'll activate my Trap now!" Terence interrupted. "Arsenal Robber! This card forces you to send one Equip Spell from your Deck to your Graveyard." Chumley frowned before doing just that – Premature Burial if Konami saw correctly.
The larger boy looked at the hand, as well as the card he just drew. "I.." He started. "I summon Nimble Momonga in Defense Mode!" As he played the card, a small flying squirrel appeared onto the field.
Nimble Momonga – Earth/Beast – LV2 – 1000/100
"Ha!" Terence exclaimed. "What's the point of having such a weak monster?" Chumley didn't respond to the question.
"I put two cards face down, before ending my turn." The larger Slifer finished, a bit calmer than a moment ago.
"Al-alright..." Giry muttered. "I – I guess it's my turn...Draw!"
TURN THREE – FEROCIOUS BEAUTY – GIRY TAKAKI
"I activate Heart of the Underdog's Effect!" He called out. "If – if I draw a normal monster, I can draw again. And that's what I just drew!" Grabbing another card from his deck, he glanced at his hand before continuing. "First I – I summon Beautiful Headhuntres!" The monster he summoned was, as the name implied, a beautiful woman. She had tied up blue hair, traditional blue Japanese garb, and a giant meat cleaver in her hands.
Beautiful Headhuntress – Eath/Warrior – LV4 – 1600/800
Konami let out an impressed whistle, before decidedly ignoring the glare Dark Elf sent him.
"B-but that's not all!" Giry continued. "I activate Polymerization! From my hand, I – I fuse together yet another Beautiful Headhuntress and Sonic Maid to F-Fusion Summon Warrior of Tradition!" Another female monster appeared next to the Headhuntress on the field. This one looked just like Beautiful Headhuntress, only her clothes were red, instead of blue, and her hair was green.
Warrior of Tradition – Earth/Warrior – LV6 – 1900/1700
"That's a pretty strong move." Chumley muttered worriedly.
"Ye-yeah!" Giry called out, excitedly. "Now go, Headhuntress! Destroy their monster!" With a nod, the woman dash forward and did just that – cleaving the flying squirrel in half. As the creature burst in an explosion of pixels, a white light enveloped Chumley and Konami.
"What just happened?!" Terence demanded of them.
"Nimble Momonga's Special Ability." Chumley explained. "If it's destroyed by battle, I not only gain one thousand Life Points..."
Team Ferocious Beauty – 4000
Team Nature's Wrath – 5000
"I can also Special Summon two more from my Deck in face down Defense Mode." Chumley finished explaining as two more cards appeared on the field.
"W-Warrior of Tradition! Mad Dog of Darkness!" Giry called out. "Destroy his remaining monsters!"
"You idiot!" Terence yelled at his partner as the monsters charged. "They could've used them for a monster! You just gave them a total of three thousand Life Points!"
Team Ferocious Beauty – 4000
Team Nature's Wrath – 7000
"B-but they don't have any more monsters-" Giry tried to explain.
"No, but I do have a Trap!" Chumley interrupted. "Michizure! You destroyed a monster on my side of the field, so I can destroy one of yours." Konami let out a smirk for his partner – he was doing pretty well. "I'll destroy your Warrior of Tradition!" A large chasm opened up beneath the female warrior's feet. Peering down into it, she didn't expect one of the Nimble Momongas to leap out just to drag her down with it.
"F-fine..." Giry mumbled. "I end my turn."
"Then it's my go." Konami commented. "I draw!"
TURN FOUR – NATURE'S WRATH – KONAMI TAKAHASHI
'Let's see...' Konami glanced at his cards. 'I could easily turn this around – their teamwork is lacking enough to make a few mistakes. But I'm doing this more for Chumley than myself. He needs to finish it.'
With a nod to himself, Konami made his move. "I'll throw one monster face down, before I activate the Field Spell – Forest!" As he played the card, a dense forest encircled the four. "Insects, Plants, Beasts, and Beast-Warriors gain an extra 200 Attack and Defense! I'll put one more card face down before ending my turn."
"That's it?" Terence questioned. "Lame. By the way, thanks for the boost. Now it's my draw!"
TURN FIVE – FEROCIOUS BEAUTY – TERENCE MATSUDA
"And thanks to Heart of the Underdog, I get one more draw." He smirked, adding a second card to his hand again. "First up, I Summon Nin-Ken Dog in Attack Mode!" Nin-Ken Dog was a monster dressed as a red ninja with brown fur and a canine's head.
Nin-Ken Dog – Wind/Beast-Warrior – LV4 – 1800/1000 (Forest-enhanced: 2000/1200)
"But that's not all!" Terence continued. "I activate my own Polymerization! And from my hand, I'll fuse together Mystic Horseman and Battle Ox!"
"No way!" Chumley exclaimed. "Is he...that's a very rare card! Only one man's been known to have it!"
"Until now!" Terence shot back. "I Fuse Summon the legendary Rabid Horseman in Attack Mode!" Rabid Horseman had the lower body of a horse, and the upper body of a minotaur. On his upper body, he wore a breastplate, a helmet on his head, and an axe in the monster's right hand.
Rabid Horseman – Earth/Beast-Warrior – LV6 – 2000/1700 (Forest-enhanced: 2200/1900)
"That's...impressive." Konami admitted, surprised. Rabid Horseman was a rare card. Not as rare as, say, a Dark Magician, or the Blue Eyes White Dragon, but this was a card used by Seto Kaiba himself. Not many people just have one.
"Glad you think so!" Terence cockily replied. "Now, go, Headhuntress! Destroy his face down!" Headhuntress slashed the monster, only for a giant ladybug with four stars on it's back to show it's face.
"You just activated my monster's effect!" Konami called out. "4-Starred Ladybug of Doom! When flipped face up, this card destroys all of your level four monsters!" Konami's ladybug was destroyed, but as it vanished, a pink mist encircled Beautiful Headhuntress, Mad Dog of Darkness, and Nin-Ken Dog, destroying all three.
"So what?!" Terence said with a scowl. "You're defenseless, and I can still attack! Go, Rabid Horseman!" The forest-enhanced level six monster charged forward, and slashed straight through Konami.
Team Ferocious Beauty – 4000
Team Nature's Wrath – 4800
"Konami!" Chumley called out, Konami himself letting out a groan of pain.
"Well, now that I've done some damage, I think I'll end my turn." Terence smirked.
"Th-then it's my turn!" Chumley worriedly. "I draw!"
TURN SIX – NATURE'S WRATH – CHUMLEY HUFFINGTON
Chumley studied his hand carefully. "I place one monster and one more card face down before ending my turn!"
"You're both so lame!" Terence taunted. "Just go, Giry."
"R-right! Draw!" The other opponent responded.
TURN SEVEN – FEROCIOUS BEAUTY – GIRY TAKAKI
The timid teen made an annoyed face, and due to his not drawing of a second card, it was something else.
"I place one monster face down." He announced. "B-before attacking yours with Rabid Horseman!" The Fusion monster dashed forward, resulting in the face down flipping upwards, revealing a brown koala with a eucalyptus leaf in it's mouth.
Des Koala – Dark/Beast – LV3 – 1100/1800 (Forest-enhanced: 1300/2000)
"Wait!" Chumley exclaimed. "I activate The Reliable Guardian! This card increases Des Koala's Defense!" The move did as he said, bringing it's defense up to 2700 – higher than Rabid Horseman's Attack.
Team Ferocious Beauty – 3500
Team Nature's Wrath – 4800
"Next, I activate Des Koala's ability! When it's flipped up, you take damage! 400 for each card in your hand!" Giry had two cards in his hand, dealing another 800 points of damage.
Team Ferocious Beauty – 2700
Team Nature's Wrath – 4800
Giry flinched while Terence was visibly seething.
"I – I end my turn." Giry muttered.
"If you say so." Konami answered. "My draw!"
TURN EIGHT – NATURE'S WRATH – KONAMI TAKAHASHI
"I summon Neo Bug in Attack mode!" Konami announced. Neo Bug was a large silver-green insect with red eyes, large fangs, and many legs on it's body.
Neo Bug – Earth/Insect – LV4 – 1800/1700 (Forest-enhanced: 2000/1900)
"Next, I activate the Equip Spell – Insect Armor with Laser Cannon!" Playing the Spell, a blue set of upper body armor with red shoulder pads and a large cannon on the helmet materialized around Neo bug. "This card increases a monster's Attack by 700, bringing Neo Bug up to 2700!"
"Oh no." Terence said, shocked.
"Neo Bug, destroy his Rabid Horseman!" At Konami's order, a large beam shot out of the cannon, and with a roar, Rabid Horseman was destroyed.
Team Ferocious Beauty – 2200
Team Nature's Wrath – 4800
"N-no way." Giry spoke, stunned. Terence, however, simply glared, oddly calm for someone whose ace monster was destroyed.
"Way to go, Konami!" Chumley exclaimed. Konami himself merely smirked.
"Alright, you two." Terence said, letting out a smirk of his own. "No more playing around. My draw!"
TURN NINE – FEROCIOUS BEAUTY – TERENCE MATSUDA
"First I'll draw again thank to my Spell, and then I summon Skull Dog Marron in Attack Mode!" Terence exclaimed. Skull Dog Marron was a dog skeleton with a yellow collar around it's neck.
Skull Dog Marron – Earth/Beast – LV4 – 1350/2000 (Forest-enhanced: 1550/2200)
"But I'm not done! First, I Flip Summon Giry's Invader of the Throne!" Invader of the Throne was a slender woman with long purple hair and a red dress that sat upon a large blue throne.
Invader of the Throne – Earth/Warrior – LV4 – 1350/1700
"Damn." Konami swore softly, a scowl on his face.
"Wh-what?" Chumley grew nervous as Konami's shift in attitude.
"I'll explain!" Terence shouted. "Invader of the Throne let's me swap her for any one of your monsters. Now go! Switch places with Neo Bug!" In a flash of light, the two monsters changed positions – Invader of the Throne in front of Konami, and Neo Bug standing before Giry.
"N-no way." Chumley's eyes widened.
"There's more!" Terence called out. "I use two spells – Stop Defense and Snatch Steal! Stop Defense allows me to switch one monster to Attack Mode. Des Koala, stand tall for us!" Both Konami and Chumley watched as the defensive monster stood up, looking ready to fight. "And don't forget Snatch Steal! With this, I can take Invader of the Throne back!"
"And give us one thousand Life Points during each of our turns!" Konami shot back.
"So what! It won't matter two turns from now." Was Terence's response.
"This guy's getting on my nerves." Dark Elf muttered to Konami.
'I might have screwed up. I should've taken a bit more precautions.' He mentally responded.
"Think you can still win?" The duel spirit questioned.
'If he's got the right hand – yes.' He answered.
"Now, Invader!" Terence called out, interrupting Konami's conversation. "Destroy Des Koala!" The female monster did as requested, but in an almost humorous way – she lifted up her throne and squished the koala with it.
Team Ferocious Beauty – 2200
Team Nature's Wrath – 4750
"Now then!" Terence continued. "Marron! Neo Bug! Attack!" The two monsters launched their attacks – which consisted of Marron biting Chumley's arm, while Neo Bug blasted Konami.
Team Ferocious Beauty – 2200
Team Nature's Wrath – 500
"T-totally not lischus..." Chumley groaned.
"I have to agree..." Konami muttered.
"I think I'll end my turn here." Terence sneered. "Enjoy your last turn, guys." Chumley had his hand hovering over the deck. He looked ready to draw, but his hand was shaking.
"I – I – can we even win?" Konami heard Chumley mumble.
"Chumley." Konami said sharply to his larger friend, getting his attention. "Make your move. Even if the odds are low, it's still literally impossible to win if you don't even draw. Make your move, and we'll just have to roll with whatever we got."
Nodding, looking much more confident, Chumley grabbed a card from his deck. "Draw!"
TURN TEN – NATURE'S WRATH – CHUMLEY HUFFINGTON
Team Nature's Wrath was hit with the familiar glow of gaining Life Points, courtesy of Snatch Steal.
Team Ferocious Beauty – 2200
Team Nature's Wrath – 1500
Chumley's eyes widened. "Huh?" He almost looked confused, before a look of realization hit – and then a look of utter joy. "I can win." He breathed out, causing Konami to smirk.
"What are you talking about?!" Terence called out. "There's no way you could've drawn a card to counter this!"
"But I did!" Chumley shot back, much more confident. "From my hand, I use the Spell Polymerization! I fuse together Big Koala and Des Kangaroo!" For the third time this duel, Konami watched as two monsters joined together to make another. "Australia's the home to all Koalas and this one's the biggest of them all! Master of Oz!"
Terence and Giry watched in awe as a large green Koala creature appeared onto the field. It wore large red shoes, red boxing gloves, and a purple vest. On it's right shoulder was a championship belt, on it's left eye was a scar, and on it's upper lip was a tiny mustache.
Master of Oz – Earth/Beast – LV9 – 4200/3700 (Forest-enhanced: 4400/3900)
"One more thing!" Chumley called out. "I play the Equip Spell – United We Stand! This Spell increases one monster's Attack and Defense for each other monster on my side of the field. Even if he's standing alone, that brings him up to 5200 Attack!"
"Th-th-th-th-that's a-a-a-a l-l-lot of p-p-points." Giry began to stutter in fear.
"One move...one..." And Terence was simply shocked at the sudden turn of events.
"Now go!" Chumley cried out. "End this with Outback Attack!" With a nod, the large Koala began whirling it's left arm like a windmill, before launching a punch, going straight through Invader of the Throne – destroying her in the process – and going right to the opponents.
Team Ferocious Beauty – 0
Team Nature's Wrath – 500
"No way!" Terence exclaimed as the holographic forest began to fade away. "We lost."
"Because you don't have the teamwork Chumley and I do." Konami told him. "That was a pretty tough duel, though." Konami continued. "You almost had us."
"Because you held back."
'Not now.' Konami looked and saw Chumley visibly shaking.
"You okay, buddy?" Konami hesitantly asked.
"That..." He heard him mutter quietly. "That...was sO LISCHUS!" He exclaimed before yanking Konami into a bear hug. "That was so much fun and so exciting and I was so nervous and-" Konami began to tune him out, waiting for him to calm down so they could find Jaden and Syrus. He felt done with tag duels for the moment.
"I still question the friends you keep." He heard Dark Elf sigh.
After that duel, the day was relatively peaceful. Jaden and Syrus – Team Mechanical Hero – had won three duels of their own. Konami and the rest of the Slifer Four had simply hung out for the rest of the day, Konami retreating into his room after dinner.
And now he lied on his bed, one hand behind his head, while the other was holding that card he found earlier – Ebon Magician Curran.
"What could be so interesting about that card?" Dark Elf questioned the red-capped Slifer.
"It...she...spoke to me." Konami responded, an inquisitive look on his face.
"What?" Was the spirit's response, oddly surprised.
"Think we'll get a new friend?" Key questioned.
"I only heard her voice once." Konami clarified. "It was quiet, I almost missed it amongst the chaos from yesterday. But I heard a voice coming from this card."
"Well, some spirits are trapped in some cards." White Dolphin spoke out.
"That is true." Dark Elf agreed. "Most spirits simply come to this world on their own volition. I came here after being shown what a worthy duelist you are." Konami let out a smile at her words.
"But a few, like me," White Dolphin continued. "Are spirits that are actually trapped within the cards."
"How did you get trapped?" Konami questioned, raising a brow.
"I don't know." He responded. "I was simply forced into a card you just happened to pick up."
"I see." Konami mulled over this information for a few moments. "It's late." He eventually said. "Good night, guys." The spirits vanished, giving off their own farewell for the night.
Just as Konami was about to pass out for the night, he heard the voice once more.
"Good...night."
'Well,' Konami thought to himself. 'She's probably not a bad spirit.'
In the next chapter:
Konami frowned when he saw his exam opponent. Something about this guy just...doesn't add up. Something about this guy gave him a bad feeling. That's when he saw it. His dread wasn't coming from his opponent, but the card spirit he saw floating beside him.
Omake #3 – Tag Teams:
Konami stood in the empty Slifer cafeteria in front of a mobile chalkboard – something he likely placed there himself. He wrote in white chalk, oblivious to the people the slowly trickled into the room.
'No, no, no.' Konami mentally chided himself. 'That's no good, it doesn't fit properly. What if we-' Konami's mental ramblings were interrupted by Jaden.
"Uh, Konami?" The Slifer asked, his hand raised. "Why are we here?" Konami smirked to himself, having an answer to his question.
"It's one of life's mysteries, my friend." Konami spoke, not bothering to turn around. "Did we just appear one day? Or is there really a-" Konami was interrupted again, this time by Jasmine.
"No, you idiot!" She exclaimed, obviously annoyed. "He means 'why did you call all of us to the Slifer cafeteria?'!" Konami frowned, so much for his fun.
"I've gathered you all here for a reason." He stated, turning to face them. "As you all know, tag duels are becoming a thing, right?" He got a series of nods in response. "Well, then we need this!" He moved away, showing the board, with, in big bold letters, read Team Names.
"Team Names?" Alexis questioned.
"Yes!" Konami exclaimed. "We're going to team up, so we need names! We have Nature's Wrath and Mechanical Hero! But what about the rest?!" He jumped back in front of the list he wrote down.
"Oh, some may be easy," Konami continued. "But what about others? For example!" He pointed to a name. "Pipin, Terence! You're Team Lookalike! Mindy, Giry! You're Team Fatal Attraction! But what about Jaden and Alexis...? Team Showboating! That's it!" Konami turned back to the board, beginning to write furiously on it.
"Hmm." Winged Kuriboh hummed questioningly.
"He's like this whenever face with an 'exciting' challenge." Dark Elf answered.
"Hmm!" The furball hummed in shock.
"What did you say this looks like?"
"Hmm."
"What the hell is shipping?" Dark Elf raised a brow. The look that appeared in the Winged Kuriboh's eyes made her audibly gulp.
Reviews:
Infernal Hunter: Thanks for the advice. I'll try to work on the duels more.
Thunder Crush: Thank you, I'm glad you like my story so far. I think I did better this time around when it came to 'dominating' duels, but, then again, Konami held back on purpose, so I don't know if that counts.
jack: Uh, thanks. Glad you liked it.
Okay, chapter three done. The reason this is original content, as opposed to, say, another episode of the anime is simple – I wanted to have more content in the story. This could be considered filler, but, in the end, it did have quite a few important details, so it has a purpose. Next one should be following the anime – unless I get some major idea before I start typing.
Not much to say this time around, other than I hope you enjoyed, and see you next chapter.