Accelerating Courage
Chapter 13: Surprise, Surprise
Tai was finishing the last minute adjustments needed for his runner. It was finally time for his first match. Not to his surprise, Sora stood at the door looking incredlibly upset.
"Why the hell are you so unwilling to go home?" She demanded, infuriated.
"Because, I am home." Tai said firmly. "True, living conditions aren't the best, but I feel more at home than ever."
"That's a load of crap!" Sora shouted angry.
"I've got to go, my match is starting." Tai said coldly. As Tai left, Sora's eyes glowed faint purple.
Several minutes later, the rest of Tai and Yusei's friends were waiting for Tai's match to begin. The only exception was Davis who went on a snack bar run.
"This Shira guy has quiet the rap sheet in the Underground duels." Tanner explained with a serious expression. "I couple guys I know all say he's not a fan of playing nice and they weren't interested in dueling anymore.
"Please, you know that Syun guy?" Yanagi asked. "I heard the guy that was supposed to duel him was found in a dumpster crying."
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time for our next Turbo duel," The MC shouted, trying to get the crowd excited for the next match. "First up is the guy trying to get from third class to first, and a hairstyle that defies every law of physics imaginable, give it up for Sector Security's own mystery: Tai Kamiya!" Tai rolled in on his runner, holding two fingers in the air and ignoring the crowd's constant jeers. "If he's as good a duelist as Yusei folks, this match should be over quick."
"That satellite got lucky." One guy, near Tai and Yusei's friends shouted angrily. "Those two stole the invites to the fortune cup!"
"They have no idea how wrong they are." Tanner thought with a bit of smugness in tone. Then he got serious and turned his attention to the glass tower in the center field where Goodwin was watching from. "First you let Yusei and Tai out of the facility, then you want them in your tournament?"
"Next up is the Underground Reaper, Shira!" The MC explained with a hint of fear in his tone. Tai's hooded opponent drove his runner on to the track,
Tai and Shira both lined up at the starting line. Though may spectators couldn't help but notice Shira's runner looked familiar.
"Guys, huge problem!" Davis shouted out of breath.
"Don't tell me they're out of cotton candy?" Leo asked afraid.
"No, that's not Shira Tai's dueling." Davis shouted. This got everyone in the surrounding area's attention. "Shira road kill in the hallway, apparently some nut drove into the arena with a duel runner then escaped security.
The runners were given the green light as Speed World was activated. No sooner than the first turn was made, "Shira" tore off his cloak.
"Hello New Domino City, Hunter Pace is back!" The stereotypical biker clade duelist shouted with a blazing passion in his tone.
"Who's this guy?" Yolie asked confused.
"Hunter Pace was the turbo dueling champion before Jack was." Tanner explained, equally shocked. "I'm just surprised he wasn't invited."
"I heard tell my old pal Jack Atlas was holding this here tournament and didn't invite me." Hunter chuckled with mock hurt. "So I heard a rumor you're a pretty good duelist, for a satellite."
"He heard you mention Jack's loss to Tai and Yusei, didn't he?" Goodwin asked Lazar rhetorically. The clown man just shrugged nervously.
"Well, if you want a shot at your old title, you got to earn it old man." Tai mocked with a smile.
"I thought you'd never asked." Hunter chuckled darkly.
"Director?" MC asked Goodwin.
"If you want my approval." Goodwin began, he then nodded.
"Well this duel has officially been given a green light by Goodwin, so let's see if Hunter still has the moves." MC shouted triumphantly.
"I don't know whose guts I'm more impressed with." Grieger admitted. "Tai's for accepting this duel, or Hunter for getting in."
"Tai's tougher than he looks." Yusei explained. "I know that better than anyone."
(Both LP: 4000)
"I'll go first." Hunter exclaimed, his voice still cocky. "By summoning my Burning Skull Head in attack mode (LV 3 1000/800)." True to its name Burning Skull head was just that, a flame covered skull. "I end my turn with three face downs."
(Both SC: 1)
"It's my move." Tai said drawing. He took a look at his opening hand. "And I'll start it by playing the monster Komori Dragon in attack mode. (LV4 1500/1200) "Dragon attack Hunter's skull with dragon claw."
"Gotcha rookie." Hunter thought darkly. "I play my Zero Guard Trap card."
"You're not serious?" Tai asked surprised.
"What's so bad about Zero Guard?" Leo asked confused.
"Zero Guard reduces a monsters attack points to zero, but it doesn't get destroyed this turn." Tanner explained.
"But why play it, he'll lose his speed counter then." Davis wondered.
"What?" TK asked.
"Its how the game works, you lose 1 speed counter for every 1000 life points you take at once through battle." Davis explained.
"Plus if Burning Skull head is special summoned the opponent loses 1000 life points, so it would make more sense to let his skull get destroyed so he could summon it later." Tanner said out loud.
The attack went through, and the skull wasn't destroyed. "Now." Hunter chuckled, "I play my Doom Accelerator Trap Card."
(HPLP: 2500 SC: 4)
"What?" Tai asked noticing the counters on Hunter's meter didn't decrease.
"Now, not only don't I loose speed counters this turn, but I also get 1 for every 500 points I take." Hunter explained far too excitedly. As he made this move the crowd was going wild over the fallen star's comeback. "Aw, you see that, that's the power of a freshly made Speed acceleration deck, custom engineered by yours truly."
"Not bad, so I'll end my turn with three facedown cards." Tai explained.
(TSC: 2 HPSC: 5)
"It's my turn." Hunter said darkly, drawing. "And I'll kick it off with my Summon Speeder Spell Card, now I can summon one level four or below monster from my hand, as long as my speed counters are at 4 or more, so come on out Skull Base. (LV 3 800/600) A skeleton in a pot appeared on Hunter's field. "Now I kick these two monsters to the curb to summon my Skull Flame (LV 7 2600/2000)." In place of the two monsters, was a man wearing a shaman cloak and a skull headdress.
"Since my base was used in a tribute summon, I get to draw again." Hunter explained. "Now Skull flame attack Koumori Dragon." Hunter cackled. "Sorry kid, but I'm here to duel Jack Atlas and take back my title, and you're in my way."
"You can say that again with my facedown Slip Stream." Tai explained revealing the trap as Koumori dragon was destroyed.
(TLP: 2700 SC: 1)
"Wait, what's slip stream?" Yuuko asked.
"During Tai's next Standby phase, his Speed Counter's go up to where Hunter's is." Tanner explained. "And trust me, he'll need it."
"Not bad, but in the meantime, I play my Speed Booster Trap Card." Hunter said with his usual flare. A series of missile launchers appeared on the back of Hunter's bike. "Now you take 100 points in damage for every speed counter I have more than you." A series of missiles launched and hit Tai dead on.
(TLP: 2300)
"Not bad." Tai said drawing.
(Both SC: 6)
"Since you got speed counters from an effect, I can activate my Acceleration Zone Trap Card, giving me 5 speed counters." Hunter explained as his trap was activated and his runner jetted around the track.
"That's so not fair." Davis shouted angrily.
"Davis," Tanner explained. "Hunter's been trying to reclaim his title from Jack for months, so it's no surprise he's made a deck that can give him a massive amount of Speed Counters quickly."
"I summon my Hunter Dragon in attack mode. (LV 3 1700/100)" Tai summoned a slim and mean looking dragon. "Now since I have a face up dragon type monster, I can special summon the tuner monster Jet Wing Dragon in attack mode. (LV 1 100/100) Tai summoned a white dragon with mechanical jet like wings. On either side was blue striped running down the back. "Next I play call of the haunted, allowing me to summon Koumori Dragon again." Tai explained as the purple dragon took to the field again.
"I'm not going to summon Twin Cyborg Dragon." Tai thought to himself. "I can't let the others see him, plus I'm saving it for later." I tune my level four Koumori dragon, and level 3 Hunter Dragon to level one Jet Wing Dragon to synchro summon one of my most powerful monsters." Tai exclaimed loudly.
Jet wing Dragon launched itself forward, becoming a synchro circle, while the other monsters were reduced to stars. "When Stars die out, a new threat emerges, now rise Dark Matter Dragon!" Tai chanted. In place of the three dragons was a wingless dark purple European Dragon with its four fangs emerging from its mouth. (LV 8 1000/1000)
"You had to have that monster, didn't you?" Hunter asked dryly.
"So you know what its effect is, right?" Tai asked.
"Yeah, you destroy one monster on my field and then your dragon gains its attack points." Hunter replied angrily.
True to Hunter's explanation, Dark Matter Dragon's mouth opened wide and sucked Skull Flame in. (DMD 1000/1000- 3600/3000)
"Now Dark Matter Dragon, attack Hunter's life points directly." Tai ordered, "Dark Matter Roar!" The monster pulled its head back and a dark energy blast charged at Hunter, however the biker just smiled.
"No such luck rookie!" He cackled wickedly. A force field appeared over Hunter, negating the attack.
"Sorry kid, but for every speed counter I have more than you, is every attack I get to block, thanks to doom accelerator." The man explained.
"I end my turn." Tai groaned, knowing that Dark Matter Dragon's attack points would return to normal.
"Kid I'll admit, you got skill." Hunter said drawing.
(HSC: 12 TSC 7)
"But if you want to play with the pros, you got to hit harder than that." He smirked at the card he was given. "I remove my Skull flame in my grave yard to special summon Supersonic Skull Flame in attack mode. (LV 10 3000/2300) (I'm using anime standards to be show accurate) Supersonic Skull Flame was another version of Skull flam except with a centaur like body.
"Now Supersonic Skull Flame, attack Dark Matter Dragon!" The monster charged at Tai's with full power.
"I activate my facedown card." Tai explained. "Reflex defense, now I draw a card, and depending on what it is, depends on the effect." Tai drew and revealed Alexandrite Dragon. (LV 4 2000/100). "Since it was a monster, the attack is negated."
"Not bad, but I activate my Speed Booster and my Supersonic Skull Flame's effect." Hunter explained. "My monster slams you with 400 life points in battle damage for every Burning Skull Head in my Graveyard.
(TLP: 1400)
"Not Bad." Tai said drawing, after gaining control over his runner.
(TSC 8)
"I play my Speed Spell-Shift Down, lowering my Speed Counters to 2, and allowing me to draw two new cards." Tai explained as his runner slowed down, and he drew twice.
"Ha ha, is that all you got?" Hunter taunted.
"You know, if you slow down enough, you can notice details you're opponents miss." Tai explained with a smirk. "Like with my Speed Spell-Gap Storm."
"Gap Storm?" Hunter asked surprised.
"Now I can destroy all spell and traps on the field since you have at least 7 more speed counters then I do." Tai said with a smile. "Next I activate my Dark Matter Dragon's effect one more time!" Tai shouted happily.
"Not again!" Hunter whined as his monster was eaten by the dragon. (DMD: 1000-4000)
"One more time, attack his life points directly!" Tai declared with passion.
"Aw come on!" Pace shouted as his life points hit zero.
"Ladies and Gentlemen it looks like Hunter Pace once again misses his mark to become champion." MC shouted as the crowd cheered wildly.
"Anything?" Director Goodwin asked Zixzix.
"No sir, I'm afraid not." The scientist answered. "At least, not from Tai."
"What?" Goodwin demanded.
"I've picked up a strange Ener-D reading from someone else, unfortunately, this kind is different than the one used by Jack, Yusei, and Tai." Zixzix explained.
Tai rolled his runner up to the former champion who got up and laughed.
"Kid, you got skills." Hunter said, still laughing, holding out his hand.
"Same to you." Tai admitted taking his hand.
"He was supposed to loose!" Sora shouted angrily, ripping her hair out.
"Tai rules!" Leo and Davis shouted.
Tai pulled his runner into the garage and his mother grabbed him, pulling Tai into a hug.
"You were amazing`." She said with glee.
"You have got to teach me how to turbo duel." Davis said excitedly.
"No chance, you're way too young." Tai chuckled.
"What the hell?" Sora demanded. "You couldn't pass a freaking math test, yet you can play a stupid card game!"
"Keep talking Sora, and you'll be in the same position as your boyfriend." Tai threatened. Just then, explosions were heard outside.
"Strangely, I don't think this is part of the show." Tai said weary. He soon found that the doors behind him, couldn't open.
"This is not good." Yuuko said, getting scared.
Original Card Corner
Name: Jet Wing Dragon
Level: 1
Attr: Wind
Type: Monster/Tuner/Effect: When you have at least one face up dragon type or machine type monster, on your field, you can special summon this card from your hand.
ATK: 100
Def: 100
Name: Dark Matter Dragon
Level: 8
Attr: Dark
Type: Dragon/ Synchro/ Effect: 1 Dragon type tuner monster + one or more dark attribute monsters. This card cannot be special summoned from the graveyard. Once per turn, destroy one monster on your opponent's side of the field. This card gain attack and defense points equal to the destroyed monster's until the end phase.
ATK/DEF 1000/1000
Name: Muscle Reflex
Type: Counter Trap
Effect: When your opponent declares an attack, draw a card, then reveal it to your opponent, depending on the card, activate the corresponding effect.
Monster: End the Battle Phase
Spell: The attacking monster is switched to defense mode until your opponent's next standby phase
Trap: The attacking monster loses 1000 attack points
Welcome one and all to my first new chapter of the New Year. Yes I know, I ended this with a cliff hanger, I'm evil, but I wanted to leave on a good note, and my special guest will finally show up. Also I posted a new challenge fic, feel free to look it over and try one for yourself. Also don't forget to review and I still would like to know what original card ideas of mine you like. Also I posted a new challenge fic, feel free to look it over and try one for yourself. Also don't forget to review and I still would like to know what original card ideas of mine you like.