004 - Student Versus Teacher
"I've been building a Dragon-themed deck for the longest time," Will interjected. "I've been looking for a rare, powerful card like this for a long time now."
"What about your Beast Deck?" Blake asked.
"Yeah," Will shrugged. "I like Dragons a lot, but I just can't bring myself to let go of my Beasts. They've helped me out so many times before. It wouldn't be fair to my Beasts to change to Dragons after all this time."
"So what are you gonna do with it?" Blake asked.
Will smiled. "I'm going to loan it."
Blake shot him a confused look, as Robert continued to watch quietly, still not necessarily understanding all the things being discussed.
Will reached behind the counter and pulled out a hearty stack of cards. He held it toward Robert. "Here," he directed. "Add Red-Eyes Black Dragon to this deck and see how it works for you."
Robert stared without answering. "You're . . . giving me an entire deck?"
Will nodded. "I'm not going to use it. But there are a lot of good cards in here, so I'm not giving them to you to keep forever, necessarily."
Robert continued to stare, comprehension just alluding him.
Will laughed. "Let's just call it an as-of-now indefinite loan."
Blake clapped Robert on the back. "Awesome! Your first day and you've already got a world-class deck! Once you've played with it a few times and learned how to really use it, I'm sure you'll be an amazing duelist!"
"Cool," Robert said, a small smile on his face.
"Hey, I have a suggestion," Blake grinned. "Let's really jump-start your training: Let's duel!"
Blake stood across from Robert, and his duel disk clicked into place. Robert, with Will's duel disk strapped around his arm, placed his newly acquired deck into the deck slot and prepared to duel.
"Alright," Blake said. "Just
remember what I've taught you and you'll be fine."
"Right,"
Robert nodded.
BLAKE: 4000LP
ROBERT: 4000LP
They both drew hands of five cards. "You can choose who goes first," Blake said, "since it's your first duel."
Robert looked the five cards over intensely for several long moments. "I think I'll go first."
"Cool," Blake responded.
"Alright, I draw," Robert mumbled. "Then I guess I'll play this: Drooling Lizard in attack mode."
A serpentine humanoid with green-scaled skin appeared with a hiss on the field. 900/800
"Now I end my turn," Robert declared.
"Alright," Blake said. "I'll draw." He added another card to his hand and looked it over for a moment.
"I activate my Spell card, Dian Keto the Cure Master. It gives my Life Points a considerable boost of 1000 points!"
BLAKE: 5000LP
"Now I'll play a monster in face-down defense mode," Blake said. A defense position card appeared before Blake. "You can go."
Robert drew. "Oh, hey, check this out. I didn't notice this last turn, but look at this combo. I play Polymerization."
"Polymerization?" Blake asked incredulously. "On your second turn?"
"Yeah," Robert said. "Okay, so I send Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Fierce Knight into the Graveyard and Fusion summon Gaia the Dragon Champion."
A strong knight atop a valiant steed appeared on the field, and then a winged dragon with green armor. A vortex of energy appeared between the two, sucking them in, and then a burst of light erupted. When the light went away, the purple armored knight was sitting atop the horn-nosed dragon, holding his javelin aloft and ready for battle. 2600/2100
"No way!" Blake cried. "How
did you get a monster that strong?"
"Well, this deck is
built by the owner of the card shop," Robert shrugged.
"Still, to get a monster that strong on the field in your second turn? That's pretty phenominal."
Robert shrugged again. "Whatever. I'm gonna have him attack your face-down monster."
Darn it! Blake growled. My Mystical Elf's defense is strong enough for most monsters, but not Gaia the Dragon Champion!
The dragon flew forward and the knight atop its back slashed Blake's card to shreds before his eyes.
"Now I can attack your Life Points directly, right?" Robert asked.
"Yeah," Blake admitted contemptuously.
"Cool," Robert said. "Drooling Lizard will attack your Life Points."
BLAKE: 4100LP
"Are you done?" Blake asked grumpily.
"Yeah," Robert said, very proud of his turn's accomplishments.
"Alright, I'll go now," Blake declared. Ah, I've got nothing. Especially nothing that can beat that Dragon Champion. "I play one monster face-down again, then play another card face-down."
His horizontal card appeared, with another vertical card behind it. "Your turn."
Robert drew his next card. "I'll play Uraby in attack mode."
A huge dinosaur with brown scales appeared on the field. 1500/800
Crap, Blake grumbled, he's getting too many monsters. He's got a really good deck.
"Now, my Dragon Champion will destroy your face-down monster," Robert declared, "and then my Drooling Lizard and Uraby will attack your Life Points."
Blake watched as the three monsters rushed his field. His face-down monster was slashed in two like before, and then the Drooling Lizard and Uraby bit down on either of his shoulders.
BLAKE: 1700LP
"Alright, this has to end now with this next card," Blake said, adding his next card to his hand. "Now I'll play my Sorcerer of the Doomed!"
A horrid old man appeared, adorned with skulls and holding aloft a scepter with a red jewel on the end. 1450/1200
"Sorcerer, attack his Drooling Lizard!"
The Sorcerer put his hand to the jewel of his scepter and a streak of red lightning shot forward, obliterating Drooling Lizard.
ROBERT: 3450LP
"Now, that's it for me," Blake announced.
Robert drew again. "I have a spell card: Fissure."
"What?" Blake cried in disbelief. That can't be! He looked through his cards quickly. There's nothing I can do!
A gaping hole in the earth appeared and Blake's Sorcerer fell into it, screeching in fear. With his cleared field, he stood before Robert's powerful monsters, helpless.
"Finish it," Blake directed solemnly.
"Gaia, attack his Life Points directly!"
The Dragon Champion flew forward, ramming the javelin into Blake's core. He cried out as his Life Points dropped.
BLAKE: 0LP
As the monsters faded from the field, Robert ran to Blake's side. "Whoa, I didn't think that duels would be like that. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Blake said, pushing himself to his feet. "That was a great duel for you. You got exactly the cards you needed for that kind of quick and decisive victory. I didn't expect you to get such a lucky draw or to play so well, but I'm proud of you anyway."
Robert smiled slightly. "Thanks."
"Yep, just keep looking over your cards so you always know what you have in your deck and what strategies you've got, and remember to keep your head in a duel, and you'll go far," Blake directed.
"Alright," Robert nodded.
"Now," said Blake, "come on and we'll go grab some food!"
-
A/N: I did not intend for Robert to win. I actually wanted him to lose fairly badly. However, when Gaia the Fierce Knight, Curse of Dragon, and Polymerization all happened to be in the opening hand (which was totally randomized), I couldn't resist that ultimate play, and Blake's simply didn't draw anything strong enough to make up for such a strong start on Robert's behalf. Anyway, despite the fact that Blake is supposed to be one of the best duelists in his school, he's lost both of his duels, both of the duels thus far in the story . . . of course, he was supposed to lose the first one, but, since I actually play each of these duels, this one simply occured this way because that's how the cards came. I'm hoping that Blake is able to show his true strength soon.
