Leo, now dressed as himself, walked down the hallway with Luna and Dexter beside him, trying to cheer him up. They met up with Yusei, who was leaning against a wall, Lise sitting cross-legged on the floor and furiously scribbling something on a piece of scratch paper.
"Leo," Yusei said, "it's only a loss if you don't learn anything from it."
Fish bounded into the hallway, wearing her blue duel disk and an enormoous grin. "Hey guys! Leo, I'll make sure to kick some extra ass for you up there! Cool combos, by the way!" She cracked her knuckles. "Time to make some people cry! I mean lose!...Yeah, cry."
Lise got to her feet. "Well, good luck. You're up against Sir Ransborg. I believe a proper word to describe him is 'charade'."
"You mean he's a game?" Leo asked.
Lise shook her head. "Sort of. Mostly, his entire ensemble is false and ridiculous."
"Oh...you use big words."
"I hate to tear down his persona, but...well," Fish said, "that's what I do best."
"It's okay, Leo, half the time my friends and I have no idea what she's saying, either. It comes from all the books she reads. The guys call her the Librarian."
Fish rolled her eyes. "Another nickname? Sheesh, Lise. Anyway, I gotta go!" With a wave, she left for the arena.
/
"Sir Ransborg reporting as you requested, my liege," the knight said, awaiting orders from Goodwin. Beside him, Lazar giggled.
"I told you he'd be perfect for this match. The costume might be a bit melodramatic, but he said he wouldn't duel without it."
Goodwin cast a sideways glance at Lazar. You're one to talk about costumes.
Sit Ransborg was still talking. "Is it true that I am to duel an opponent of the female persuasion? Chivalry forbids this; so fair a species cannot withstand the might of men, my liege."
"What if I told you that she possessed an...interesting ability?" Goodwin laced his fingers together. "In some circles, she is known as the Oracle of the Sea. It is rumored that she has the ability to see the future."
"I see! A witch!"
"Afraid, Sir Ransborg? You know, if you don't wish to continue, you might just find yourself dueling at a renaissance fair," Lazar threatened.
"I fear no creature! I will engage this Oracle in battle and prevail!"
"Make sure to give it everything you've got, Sir Ransborg. Push her to exhaustion. We must see if it is true. We must know if she can truly tell the future...and if there really is a connection to the Crimson Dragon."
"Fear not! Thy she-creature is no match for Sir Ransborg!"
/
"Welcome back! Our next duel is about to begin!" the MC announced. "And now, entering the arena, a knight in shining armor! It's the one, the only, Guilder Ransborg!"
A panel in the duel stadium floor lifted Ransborg into view. With a flourish, he yanked his sword from its sheath and pointed it at the sky. "Good people of New Domino City, thou shall knowest my blade and my deck from the attacks thee shall witness!"
"While we wait for a Shakespearian scholar to translate all that, let's get ready for his opponent! With a record of...well...it appears we don't have a record for her! But we can say she's...um...uh...Are you saying we have no information on her? Um, well, let's hear it for Miss Calamari Ukara!"
Fish turned to the announcer's booth and lifted her hand in its direction. The crowd responded with a mix of gasps, cheers, and laughter.
/
"Uh...what's she doing?" Leo asked.
"I can't tell..." Dexter squinted at Fish's hand, which the camera was choosing not to focus on.
/
In the duelists' lounge, Lise convulsed on the floor, clutching her stomach as she laughed.
"What the heck?" Yusei asked, confused.
Between laughs and shallow breaths, Lise managed to say, "She's flipping him off!"
/
Ransborg brandished his medieval-style duel disk and declared, "You'll find no mercy here, sorceress!"
"Let's duel!"
Fish: 4000
Ransborg: 4000
"Ready, fair maiden? Behold! I summoneth the Level Three Masked Knight!"
(Masked Knight Level 3: Atk: 1500 Def: 800)
"Thee shalt suffer this, its ability most special! Thou loseth 400 points!"
Fish: 3600
Ramsborg: 4000
"Forthwith, I shall call upon mine spell Level Up. Thee has served nobly, Masked Knight, but be banished to thy yard of graves, for thou brother-in-arms now be summoned: Masked Knight Level the Fifth!"
(Masked Knight Level 5: Atk: 2300 Def: 1000)
"And thus, like thy comrade in abilities most special, thou shall feel the sharp sting as forces align against thee! Lifepoints most foul, begone!"
Fish: 2600
Ransborg: 4000
"I shall yield a facedown. Thy turn."
"Can Miss Ukara come back from this? Does she have a chance? Will I understand anything Sir Ransborg says in this duel?" the MC cried.
"Fear not, Maiden of Darkness, for defeat comes soon!"
No response.
"A silent tongue? Or hath the viper take hold of thee?"
"Uh, no, you're just a pain in the ass to listen to!" Fish said. "You're not even speaking correct Elizabethan English. But anyway, I summon my Wish Fish in attack mode!"
(Wish Fish: Atk: 600 Def: 300)
Ransborg smiled at Fish's adorable monster, with its blue goldfish-like appearance.
Fish continued: "I'll also be activating my field spell, Great Barrier Reef!"
A tidal wave splashed over the entire field; exotic fish and coral appeared in the holographic display as Fish said, "This spell allows me to special-summon a Level 5 or 6 monster without a sacrifice, so I think I'll be summoning Mermaid Princess!"
"I fear you not, m'lady!" Ransborg boasted.
"Oh, don't worry, you will. Now, I tune Mermaid Princess and Wish Fish...in order to Synchro Summon my Sapphire Sea Dragon!"
Fish's ace monster emerged from a cylinder of blinding blue light. The ocean-blue dragon spread its unique wings, transparent as glass, made out of pure water; horns adorned the head, a floating sapphire between them. Green eyes stared penetratingly at Ransborg. A ring of water surrounded its elongated neck, and a spiral on its chest called to mind a whirlpool. More sapphires adorned the tip of the tail and the edges of the wings.
(Sapphire Sea Dragon: Atk: 2400 Def: 2000)
Despite the beautiful dragon she stood beside, Fish looked highly bored.
"Your eyes do vex!" Ransborg complained.
Fish grinned. "Thanks, I've been told I have nice eyes. Oh, and just so you know, your monster, your lifepoints, and your facedown card are going down with this next move! I play the spell Whirlpool, which'll clear your field of spells and traps completely!"
"Curses!" Ransborg exclaimed as the trap he was planning to use was swallowed up.
"Now attack! Destroy that knight and win one for the dragons!"
Fish: 2200
Ransborg: 3900
Fish saluted her opponent. "You're up!" she chirped.
Ransborg drew a card and said, "I shall activateth mine spell, the Warrior Returneth Alive! It hath the power to returneth my monsters from beyond the dark veil of the grave. Masked Knight Level the Third, rejoin thy battle! You shall fight again!"
And, again, the knight's ability damaged Fish's lifepoints.
Fish: 2200
Ransborg: 3900
"You yield?" Ransborg asked hopefully.
"What, with only a 1700-point difference? Hell no! I play Change of Currents! This way, I can direct the hurt to you as well! Here's a 400-point decrease to match mine. Guess that makes it a 1300-point difference now, huh?"
Fish: 2200
Ransborg: 3900
"How dare you, you witch!"
"At least I'm not a bitch, like you!"
The MC spoke up. "Now, now, try to keep this PG. This is a family show, after all!"
"Fuck that, you can't even get my name right!"
Back on the field, Ransborg cast two facedowns and ended his turn, glaring daggers at Fish.
"My turn? Guess that means it's time to summon Enchanter of Mist in defense mode!"
An orb of fog resembling a crystal ball with eyes joined Fish's dragon. "I'll attack with Sapphire here, but due to my Enchanter's ability, no cards can be destroyed-so long as he's in defense mode! Guess your pitiful knight gets to stick around for more pain!"
Fish: 2200
Ransborg: 2600
"This fish has fangs!" The MC shouted. "In just one round, she's washed away Ransborg's lead like it was a speck of dirt in the washer!"
"If you don't shut up, I will personally come up there and duct-tape you to the wall!" Fish yelled up at him. When no response was forthcoming, she smiled sweetly and returned to the duel.
"Thy girl shall suffer my wrath!" Ransborg promised.
"Hold it there, partner," Fish said. "I believe the sentence you're looking for is, 'Thou shalt suffer my wrath.' Thy means your."
Seething, Ransborg activated a trap. "My Masked Knight Level the Third shall be sacrificed to the yard of graves-"
Fish burst into laughter. "Yard of graves..."
"Shut thy mouth, witch! A far nobler warrior shall take thy...his...place. Masked Knight Level the Fifth hath returned to battle!"
Fish rolled her eyes. "It's almost like you haven't got any other monsters. Whatever, I end my turn."
"My Knight, you have earned promotion for doing battle against a most wicked opponent!"
"He hasn't battled anyone!"
"With thy special ability, thee shall-"
"You mean thou shalt..."
"Thou shalt ascend to Level the Seventh!"
(Masked Knight Level 7: Atk: 2900 Def: 1500)
"Foul she-creature, thou hath cloaked thy arena in dark waters, but now thy dark deck-"
"It's a water deck, genius-"
"-shall fall before my might! Behold, my Glory Shield! With it, my Masked Knight be impervious! Furthermore, if I attack, thou shalt be rendered unable to cast spells and traps! So, my noble warrior, unleash thy powers on thy darkest of monsters and slay the dragon! Cry havoc and strike down thy maiden's lifepoints!"
Fish: 1700
Ransborg: 2600
"And now, my Glory Shield's effect destroyeth thy Change of Currents! With thy cursed spell lost to thee, Masked Knight, unleash thine effect most special!"
Fish: 200
Ransborg: 2600
"Only 200 lifepoints left! This duel is over! It's a party with no music! It's the closing credits!" The MC seemed to have forgotten Fish's earlier threat.
Fish's hands balled into fists. "Urge to kill...rising..."
"I end my turn," Ransborg said smugly. "Thy turn, and any last words, fair maiden?"
"Make up your mind, am I witch, a she-creature, or a fair maiden?" Fish drew a card. "Oh, and will you look at that. I just located your death warrant."
"Liar!" Ransborg retorted. I knoweth your kind. You shall use your field spell's ability, hoping to summon a monster that hath more attack points. And that shall be your undoing, for you shall attack, and you shall fail. You hath no idea what dwelleth beneath my card most facedown. Like all duelists who do battle with me, you hath no mind for strategy!
"First off," Fish said, "I'll send Waterstone from my hand to the-what did you call it? Oh, yes, yard of graves-" Fish stopped to snicker "-and, due to its ability, your Masked Knight loses all its attack points!"
"What be this? Some sort of trickery?" Ransborg looked nervous, and Fish looked positively ecstatic-and a little bloodthirsty.
"I switch my Enchanter of Mist into attack mode, and he's gonna eliminate that stupid tin can of a soldier!"
Fish: 200
Ransborg: 1300
"But...thouest cannot do that! It be not fair! I spent all year making this costume for this special tournament! I'm not supposed to lose!"
The smallest spark of pity entered Fish's eyes. "Well, I'll give you one thing: your costume's well made. You could make a career out of it, you know? Ransborg's Custom Costumes...I'd shop there for sure!"
"Really?" Ransborg looked more like a kicked puppy than a scary knight. Fish smiled.
"Sure! Oh, but first things first: I have to win this! Sapphire Sea Dragon, attack his lifepoints directly!"
Fish: 200
Ransborg: 0000
/
Lazar snickered. "I think Ransborg did well, at least as a warm-up. It's too bad we didn't find anything."
"Then we keep looking," Goodwin said. "We have time."