Shadgirl2: Well, here's another chapter, but...
Midna: There's a mistake in the duel, but we didn't catch it until the chapter was mostly written up. So, if you see a mistake regarding, say, Armed Dragons, please don't point it out. We already know it's there. We're just gonna go with it, though, unless you guys would rather wait another month while we fix that.
Shadgirl2: Though, since we're already posting this, it's kinda too late to worry about it now.
Midna: Yeah. So...we're just gonna go with it!
Disclaimer: We don't own Yugioh GX. Fuyuko and Akiko belong to Midna Azusa, and their decks were created by her with help from Shadgirl2. Akiko's includes the cards seen in Jim's manga deck, so they don't all exist. With that in mind, the attributes and types of some of her monsters are just guessed at.
As the second day of the tournament began, four people met along the road between the Red Dorm and the Girls' Dorm. They stood and stared each other down.
"Akiko," the ebony-haired boy said to the girl.
"Manjoume," she responded. "You and Fuyuko?"
"Yes, odd match, isn't it?" Fuyuko asked.
She smirked and said, "Nah, considering."
Jim, knowing neither of these two, shuffled his feet and stayed quiet.
"Say, you ain't seen Haruko around here, have you?" Manjoume asked.
Akiko shrugged, still smirking, and said, "Haven't exactly been looking, but I knew you were going to ask that."
Finally, his curiosity piqued, Jim asked, "Oi, Autumn-Girl, what's going on?"
"Oh, sorry, Jim. These two guys are looking for their joint love interest."
Fuyuko blushed, his pupils contracting. "I am not interested in Haruko!"
"Yeah, whatever, Fuyuko! Anyway, Akiko, who's that guy you're with? I thought for sure you'd team up with Kathleen," Manjoume taunted with a smirk.
"She found some guy who's way too much like her," Akiko answered, her tone nonchalant, ignoring the tease. "This is Jim. He's from the Southern Duel Academy."
Jim tipped his hat a bit and said, "Nice to meet you."
"Oh, and that's Karen," Akiko added as an afterthought, pointing at the live crocodile on the Aussie's back.
Manjoume smirked again and pointed to himself. "Jun Manjoume. Or, as my fans call me... Ichi! Ju! Hyaku! Issen! Manjoume Thunder!" He flashed his pose, and a bolt of lightning struck behind him, as though aiming to increase the drama of it all.
"Fuyuko Iwagawa," the other said, not bothering with trying to outdo his dramatic partner.
"Okay. Now that the introductions are out of the way, let's duel!" Manjoume said.
Akiko raised an eyebrow and teased, "So you are dueling, not just looking for Haru?"
"Of course, we are! We're gonna blow away the competition with our amazing teamwork! Right, partner?"
"Right."
"And, to prove it, we've got 63 points," Manjoume added, looking smug.
Akiko looked unimpressed. "Hm. We've got 77." I love it when I can knock his ego down. He's not the best duelist around! Judai'd probably kick all of our butts.
Manjoume stammered, "W-w-what!?"
Fuyuko smirked and said, "I'm not surprised."
Manjoume growled. "Then what are we wasting time here for!? Fuyuko! We've been slacking off way too much looking for Haruko! And, with her skills thanks to the Light, she's bound to go to the finals, right!? So let's stop wasting time and go win some duels! Starting right now! I challenge you two, Akiko!"
Whoopsie, Akiko thought. Made him mad. Ah, well, he can deal. Activating her duel disk, she said, "Bring it, Manjoume! Haven't dueled Fuyuko since we were kids!"
"Should be fun, Aki," Fuyuko answered, following her lead.
Manjoume joined the bandwagon, saying, "You ready!?"
"We're ready, alright, mate!" Jim said as his disk deployed.
"Let's duel!"
Akiko and Jim: 8000
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 8000
"I'll go first! I draw!" Akiko said. She pulled a card from the top of her deck and looked at it, then, "I summon Lion Alligator!" (Atk 1900)
A green alligator with an orange mane appeared. It had spikes on its legs, and two more rows of spikes ran down its back.
"Then I play a card face down and end my turn."
"I'll go next! Draw!" Fuyuko drew his card and spared it only a brief glance.
Manjoume glanced at his partner in expectation.
"By sending my Warrior of Atlantis to the grave, I add A Legendary Ocean to my hand," Fuyuko said, slipping a card into the grave and hunting through his deck for the card he wanted. "Then, even though this is bound to make you thrilled, Akiko, I'll activate it!"
Manjoume grinned, nodding.
"Hey, thanks," Akiko said.
"Keep in mind that it helps me, as well," Fuyuko reminded her. "I summon Strategist of the Ice Barrier!" (Atk 1600)
An old man with a long, white beard appeared, dressed in traditional Japanese robes of pine green and purple. On his head, he wore a hat shaped like a snowflake—the symbol of the Ice Barrier monsters.
"Due to A Legendary Ocean's effect, its attack is raised to 1800. Then I set one card. Turn end."
The Strategist may have had 1800 attack points then, but Akiko's monster had 2100 with that effect, so it didn't make much of a difference.
"My turn, then!" Jim said. "Draw! I play a monster in defense mode. Turn end."
A single card appeared on his field, sideways and face-down.
"What? That's all?" Manjoume taunted, a smirk fixed upon his face. "But you guys got 77 Duel Points!"
Akiko shrugged, defending her partner with, "Well, what have you got? Ojama-user?"
"Ojamas?" Jim asked, surprised.
Manjoume glared at Akiko, slightly annoyed. "Yeah, yeah. Shut it. It's my turn now! Draw! I set two cards face down and summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode!" (1800)
A blue and yellow cannon monster appeared, with a bottom that looked like it should connect to something else.
"Turn end. You're up, lizard girl," he finished, crossing his arms in annoyance.
"Hmph. Sheesh, Karen's not even dueling, so leave her out of this," Akiko countered. "I draw!"
She pulled her card, and Manjoume held out a hand to stop her, a serious look on his face.
"Stop right there, Akiko!"
"Hm?"
"I'm activating my traps! DNA Transplant and Ultimate Offering!" The two cards he'd placed flipped up, revealing the ones he mentioned. "I'm changing the rules of this duel!"
"What? When did you add those to your deck?" Akiko asked.
Manjoume just smirked and ignored her question. "DNA Transplant! This lets me choose an attribute, and then all monsters on the field become that attribute! And I choose water!"
"Oi, mate, uh...my deck isn't water, so that helps us, too," Jim pointed out.
"We'll see about that!" Manjoume exchanged a serious look with Fuyuko, who nodded. Manjoume turned his attention back to their opponents and said, "Now, for the next one, you'll have to wait and see! Continue your move! I ain't gonna stop ya!" He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, smirking again.
Akiko stared for a moment, then said, "Okay... Well, I would say I'm going to tribute summon, but, thanks to Fuyuko's field spell, that isn't necessary for this guy! So I'm just gonna summon Spawn Alligator!" (Atk 2200+200=2400)
A red alligator, standing on two feet, joined Akiko's other monster. It wore tan and red armor over its chest, the top of its head, and its lower back. There were blue jewels embedded in the armor.
Manjoume looked at it lamely, his arms still crossed. "Yeah, yeah. Another crummy lizard. Can you get on with this already? I've got other losers to crush."
"Do the math, idiot. Both of your monsters are weaker than both of mine!" she spat, annoyed. "So, Spawn Alligator! Attack that stupid cannon!"
As Akiko's monster moved to attack, Fuyuko pushed a button on his duel disk, saying, "I activate my trap! Tornado Wall! As long as Umi—or, in this case, A Legendary Ocean, as it is treated as Umi when it's active—is on the field, we'll take no damage from your attacks!"
Manjoume smirked and said, "In other words, all attacking us will do is wipe out our monsters, Akiko. Our life points are completely untouchable now!"
"Screw you, Fuyuko!"
He just smirked.
Akiko growled, all the more annoyed by his reaction. "Yeah, well, that doesn't mean that your monster's sticking around!"
Her attack connected, and the cannon was wiped off the field.
"Now, Lion Alligator! Get rid of his Strategist! I know what those Ice Barriers do when they get together!"
Manjoume held out a hand to stop her again, saying, "Hold up, Lizard Face! I activate my trap card! Ultimate Offering lets me summon a monster on your turn by paying 500 life points, so, there!" He stuck his tongue out at her in a very childish manner reminiscent of that of a kindergartener.
Akiko and Jim: 8000
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 7500
"Armed Dragon!" Manjoume called. "Come forth!"
The smallest of the Armed Dragons, Armed Dragon LV3, appeared, with a mere 900 defense points.
Akiko growled at the insult, trembling.
Fuyuko sweat. Whoops. I shouldn't be pushing her buttons when Manjoume's doing exactly the same...even if it was just a look. "Ah, Manjoume? Let's not insult her too much. I rather enjoy living, don't you?" he warned his partner. I've seen what happens when she gets angry, and she's getting there!
Maybe, Manjoume thought. But I'm trying to rattle her up some! That way, she'll want to attack me! Take my bait! I'm ready for ya!
"Well, fine!" Akiko snapped, clenching her fists at her sides and leaning forward. "That's just great! I love that dumb dragon of yours, Manjoume!"
He smirked, crossed his arms yet again, and laughed shortly.
"I know what you're doing, you stupid ex-white, and I'm not falling for it! I'm still going after the Strategist!"
Manjoume kept smirking, as though he thought her to be a bigger idiot than Judai. "Heh. Loser." I mean, sure, she didn't fall for my taunts, but she did leave my dragon alone! Now, if Fuyuko remembers what we talked about yesterday, they're done for.
Akiko's attack continued, destroying Fuyuko's Ice Barrier monster and leaving nothing but the little dragon behind.
Akiko pointed at the orange beast and yelled, "And that crummy little thing can stick around! For now!" She narrowed her eyes, then slid a card into her duel disk. "I play a card face down. It's back to you, ya creeps!"
Fuyuko sweat, seriously regretting that smirk. "Aki...I didn't say anything..." He drew his next card, then said, "I remove Warrior of Atlantis from play to summon Aqua Spirit!" (Atk 1600+200=1800)
A sea nymph appeared, a green girl with short blue hair. She wore a blue dress, purple gloves, and a veil down the back of her head.
"Then I sacrifice my spirit to summon Dai-Sojo of the Ice Barrier! With A Legendary Ocean, he gains 200 defense points!" (Def 2200+200=2400)
A man with tribal tattoos appeared, wearing blue pants. He carried a staff in one hand and wore a hat similar to that of the Strategist.
"I play one card face down. Turn end."
"My move, then!" Jim said, drawing a card from his deck. "I flip summon Dummy Golem!" (Atk 800+200=1000)
As Jim's face-down monster flipped, a large rock monster appeared in that spot.
Manjoume's eyes widened in shock. "What!?"
"I take it you're familiar with it," Jim said. "Well, I don't think I have to tell you this, but, when this monster's flip summoned, we trade monsters!"
On his back, Karen wiggled around in excitement and growled.
Fuyuko didn't look too pleased. "Tch."
Manjoume looked at his partner and, genuinely curious, asked, "Which is more important? My dragon or your defense?"
"That's a good question..." Fuyuko said, eying Akiko's face-down card. "I think Akiko might be planning on using your dragon, though..."
Manjoume raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"
"She's got a bit of an underhanded strategy, I'm told. I believe there's a card in her deck that allows her to obtain a clone of a monster. Which might be part of why she left it."
Manjoume cast a lame look back at their opponents as he chose the monster that would be traded. "We choose Armed Dragon! It's better off over there, anyway."
"Damn you, Fuyuko!" Akiko swore.
With a smirk, the ice duelist said, "Ah. So I was right."
Akiko's only response was a growl.
Jim sweat. "Er, sorry, Autumn-Girl..." he said as the golem on his field switched places with the dragon on Manjoume's.
"Oh, just get on with it!"
"Think I'd better make it up to you, then," he said. "I switch Armed Dragon LV3 to attack mode! And attack your golem!"
With 1400 attack points, thanks to the field spell that now affected all of their monsters, Armed Dragon was more than a match for Dummy Golem, even if it was only level 3. The dragon shot a small fire blast at the rock monster.
"Hold it right there, Jim!" Fuyuko stopped him. "I activate Mirror Force!"
"What!?" Akiko demanded.
Manjoume grinned, looking at Fuyuko out of the corner of his eye. "Yes!"
"This negates your attacks and destroys all attack position monsters on your field! Sorry, Akiko. Guess we won't be seeing Neptune today."
She just growled.
Jim sweat, thinking of yesterday's duel with Johan and Kathleen. "Hoo boy... Don't tell me this is another of those duels!"
Over Manjoume's shoulder, Ojama Yellow appeared, looking nervous with his hands cupped in front of him. "Aniki... What did he mean by that? Is this duel safe?"
Manjoume cast him a glare out of the corner of his eye. "Shut up!" he hissed, trying not to be heard. "Akiko doesn't scare me! Now get lost! I've got a duel to win!"
Yellow cringed and vanished, and Manjoume focused back in on the duel.
While Manjoume had been distracted by a yellow nuisance, Akiko addressed her partner in irritation, saying, "Just stuff it, Cook!"
"Right... I play a monster in defense mode and one card face down. Turn end." Silently, he added, If I don't make up for this turn somehow, she'll have my head!
"Heh. Well, that wasn't too smart!" Manjoume said. "I draw! And sacrifice your monster to get my Armed Dragon back on the field! As a level 5, that is."
He laughed as Dummy Golem vanished, making way for a red and black dragon covered in spikes.
Armed Dragon LV5 Atk: 2400+200=2600
"Then I use the Ultimate Offering's effect again! I get to summon my Y-Dragon Head with it!"
Akiko and Jim: 8000
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 7000
As their life points decreased, a metallic red dragon emerged, joining Manjoume's other monsters on the field.
"Of course," Akiko muttered.
"And, since one is never enough, here goes one more! Z-Metal Tank!" He crossed his arms.
Akiko and Jim: 8000
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 6500
A monster that, essentially, was a pair of yellow legs with wheels, joined Manjoume's army.
"Is that wise?" Fuyuko questioned. He just spent 1000 of our life points to summon those two. I certainly hope he knows what he's doing.
Manjoume raised an arm above his head as he loudly said, "Heh. Watch and learn! Now I'll combine them to get my YZ-Tank Dragon!" (Atk 2100+200=2300)
Y and Z combined, with the dragon folding its legs and wings in before landing on the tank, which opened up two compartments on its legs to reveal small cannons.
"Now, attack! Take out his monster, my Dragon Tank!"
As the tank rolled forward, Jim said, "Hold it right there! I activate my trap. Weathered Ruins! This destroys your strongest monster, Manjoume!"
Manjoume's eyes widened. "What!?"
A gust of wind picked up, blowing Armed Dragon LV5 off the field. Manjoume growled and clenched his fist in front of his face.
"Well, whatever!" he snapped. "I'm still launching my attack!"
What he hit was Jim's face-down monster: Sand Moth. With only 2000 defense points, it didn't last.
"Turn end." Manjoume crossed his arms.
"Draw!" Akiko said, pulling her next card. "I summon Reptia Egg in defense mode!" (0+200=200)
Three little reptilian eggs appeared on the field, sitting there all alone and defenseless.
"Then I play a card face down," she added, inserting a card into her duel disk. "That'll do it for me this turn."
"If you think I intend to let your eggs hatch, Akiko, you're sorely mistaken," Fuyuko said, drawing his next card. "I summon Mother Grizzly in attack mode!" (1400+200=1600)
A big, black bear appeared on the field.
"Tch..."
"Based on your reaction, I assume that I'm correct in guessing that you can only prevent one of my monsters from attacking," Fuyuko deduced. "Dai-Sojo switches to attack mode! (1600+200=1800) And I equip him with United We Stand!"
Jim's eyes widened. "What!?"
"This raises Dai-Sojo's attack by 800 for every monster we control, including himself!"
Manjoume smirked, eying his partner with his arms still crossed. "Heh! And that means that, since we have three monsters present and A Legendary Ocean's still in effect, our guy gets a total of 2600 points!"
Dai-Sojo of the Ice Barrier Atk: 4200
Akiko kicked the dirt. "Aw, come off it!"
"Hey, you can't complain," Fuyuko pointed out. "Neptune sometimes has over 6000 points when you summon it, doesn't it?"
Since she couldn't counter that, she just growled.
Manjoume stared at his partner a bit, stunned, having never actually seen Akiko duel. Is he serious!? How does any monster get that strong!?
"Anyway, Mother Grizzly! Attack her Reptia Egg!"
"Hold up, jerk!" Akiko countered, pressing a button on her duel disk and revealing her trap card. "I activate Camouflage! This protects monsters level 2 and lower from one attack."
Fuyuko smirked as Mother Grizzly's claws went straight through the eggs, dealing no damage to them whatsoever. "One. But I've got another on the way!"
"Tch."
"Dai-Sojo! Smash those eggs before they can hatch!"
Dai-Sojo charged forward, smashing the eggs with his staff. Akiko growled.
"That ends my turn."
"Nice work, partner! We've got 'em on the ropes now!" Manjoume grinned, looking proud.
"Let's not get too cocky, Manjoume," Fuyuko warned. "Akiko specializes in speedy summoning." Glancing at their other opponent, he thought, And I don't know much about this boy's dueling style. If Akiko's stuck with him for more than a day, he must be better than he seems thus far, especially given how many Duel Points the two of them have.
Jim drew his next card as Manjoume closed his eyes with an arrogant smirk.
"Yeah, but it's not her turn! It's that loser Jim's, who can't—"
"I activate Heavy Storm!" Jim cut him off.
Manjoume's eyes shot wide open, and he stared over at the boy with the crocodile in horror as his hands fell to his sides. "What!?"
"Loser, huh!?" Akiko demanded, smirking. "You think Jim's a loser!? Well, think again, ya creep!"
"This destroys all spell and trap cards on the field! Sorry, Autumn-Girl, but those ones don't seem to be helping you too much, anyway."
Karen let out an excited roar.
"It's fine, Jim!" Akiko told him. "Just get that snob!"
All of the spell and trap cards on the field were blown away by a powerful gust of wind, leaving Akiko's field bare and returning all monsters to their rightful attributes and attack points as A Legendary Ocean and DNA Transplant vanished.
"See what I mean? It's not just Akiko we need to worry about, after all. They're a team," Fuyuko said.
Manjoume clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in annoyance, glaring at Jim. "Yeah? But all he ever does is defend! That's not gonna work so well against—"
"I'll change that now, Manjoume!" Jim cut him off. "After all, Autumn-Girl's having a bit more difficulty with you blokes than with most of our opponents!"
Manjoume relaxed his stance, staring at Jim in confusion.
"It's Fuyuko and Manjoume. Sue me," Akiko said lamely, shrugging, her eyes closed.
"I activate Fossil Fusion!"
"Fossil what?" Manjoume asked, a lame look on his face.
"Fossil Fusion. By removing from play cards in both our graveyards, I'll summon out a fusion monster!"
Manjoume went back to looking shocked, his eyes wide and his hands slightly spread out at his sides. "What!?"
"I'll remove my Sand Moth and your Armed Dragon LV5 to summon Mesozoic Fossil Knight – Skullknight!" (Atk 2400)
As the two monsters emerged from the cemetery, they began to fuse in a swirling vortex. They combined to form a skeletal soldier, wearing dinosaur bones for armor and wielding a sword. Karen wiggled again, letting out some noises that showed her excitement.
Manjoume's eyes narrowed as he glared at the creature before him. "Tch!"
"Skullknight, attack his Mother Grizzly!"
Skullknight charged, slicing the bear through the chest and destroying her.
"And, because you don't have Tornado Wall anymore, you do take damage from that battle!"
Akiko and Jim: 8000
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 5500
"When Mother Grizzly is destroyed by battle, I can summon another water attribute monster with 1500 or fewer attack points!" Fuyuko said, digging through his deck. "I summon Defender of the Ice Barrier!" (Atk 200)
In a swirl of snow, a yellow fox appeared. Ice crystals ran down its tail, and bits of blue armor covered its front legs, chest, and head. It wore a blue collar around its neck, with a green stone hanging down.
"Yes!" Manjoume cheered, grinning and clenching his fist in triumph.
"Dang it!" Akiko snapped. "Thanks, Jim!"
"I take it that's not a good thing."
Akiko put her hands on her hips and spoke to him as though she thought he was very slow and stupid. "No. It's not. When that's on the field with another Ice Barrier, monsters with attack of 1600 or more can't attack!"
He sweat. "Whoops."
"Yeah, 'whoops!'"
"Ha! Told you he wasn't good enough!" Manjoume taunted, leaning forward and smirking.
"Well, regardless, Autumn-Girl, I think I'll leave that thing up to you. After all, Fuyuko won't have a chance to switch its mode until the end of your next turn," Jim said, partly to calm Akiko and partly to shut Manjoume up.
"Yes, Manjoume, let's bear that one in mind," Fuyuko agreed.
He closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and smirked, saying, "Heh. No worries."
"But, before I leave you with a situation that's possibly worse than before," Jim continued, "I activate Fossil Hammer! This destroys the highest level monster on the opponent's field! But you two get to choose a monster in your grave and summon it in attack mode."
Manjoume growled, clenching a shaking fist as he glared at Jim. "Damn it, Jim!"
"Alright!" Akiko cheered. "Good move, Cook!"
He smiled and saluted playfully, saying, "Thought you'd like it!"
Manjoume growled as a hammer smashed his YZ-Dragon Tank. "Fine, then! I call back my other monster, X-Head Cannon!" (Atk 1800)
X-Head Cannon reappeared.
"Sorry to say that's all I've got," Jim said. "Turn end."
"Yeah, yeah. Then it's my turn again. I draw!" Manjoume pulled his next card and looked at it. His eyes narrowed, and he growled before, "I play Pot of Greed!" He drew two more cards, looked at them, and started laughing. It was quiet at first, with his head lowered, but he got louder and threw his head back in triumph as he went on.
"Tch. Of course," Akiko said, watching Manjoume smirk as he prepared to play his next card.
"Ready to lose? I activate the spell card Dimension Fusion! And pay 2000 more life points to summon every single monster that was removed from play! Including my Armed Dragon and union monsters! You don't stand a chance!" He put his hands on his hips and closed his eyes, laughing.
Akiko and Jim: 8000
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 3500
Fuyuko sweat. "Uh..." He kept his thoughts to himself, but only just. We haven't dealt them any damage yet, and Manjoume's so cockily throwing our life points away. Besides that, he's going to put a monster on their field, too.
A dimensional rift opened.
"I summon my Y-Dragon Head, Z-Metal Tank, and Armed Dragon LV5!" Manjoume called as the three beasts in question emerged from the dimensional rift.
Z-Metal Tank Atk: 1500
Y-Dragon Head Atk: 1500
Armed Dragon LV5 Atk: 2400
"I summon Warrior of Atlantis!" Fuyuko added, and a blue, humanoid fish creature came through the dimensional rift, a crossbow on its arm. (Atk 1900)
"I summon my Sand Moth!" (Def 2000)
The last thing to appear was a very strange creature made entirely of sand. It was humanoid, apart from its head, which ended in a circular mouth with teeth all around.
"But that's not all!" Manjoume added. "I combine my three monsters to form my first ultimate beast! XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" (Atk 2800)
"Alright! Excellent!" Fuyuko cried.
The three monsters combined, with Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank forming into the same position as before and X-Head Cannon landing on the back of the dragon.
"Dang it!" Akiko cursed.
"And now for its effect! I discard this last card of mine to destroy your fossil knight, Cook!" Manjoume continued.
Jim's eyes widened as he cried, "What!?"
Manjoume slipped his card into the graveyard, and XYZ fired at Skullknight, destroying it.
"I'm not out of ammo yet, Cook! That was Ojamagic I just discarded!" Manjoume declared, his smirk growing.
Jim didn't look like he could get any more shocked. "Ojama!? You mean she wasn't kidding!?"
"See how useful those guys can be, Lizard Lady?" Manjoume taunted Akiko. "When I discard that card to the graveyard, I get one Ojama Yellow, Black, and Green from my deck!"
He pulled the Ojamas from his deck. The three spirits appeared, looking uneasy.
"Uh, guys?" Black said, looking nervously from side to side. "Why am I getting a bad feeling?
"Me, too. We're the only cards in his hand!" Green added, putting his hands to his head as his eye bugged out.
"W-well, at least we can help Aniki win that way, right?" Yellow asked, trying to sound optimistic.
"Now, by sending my Ojama Black to the grave, I can wipe out Sand Moth as well!"
Black's eyes widened, and he went tense. "Told you!"
As Manjoume sent him to the cemetery, he screamed. Meanwhile, Jim's monster was destroyed.
"Tch." Akiko gritted her teeth.
"Shoot," Jim muttered.
"Here goes! Armed Dragon attacks! Followed up by my Dragon Cannon! You two are going down!"
Manjoume's two monsters attacked Akiko and Jim directly, dealing a massive amount of damage to the previously unharmed pair.
Akiko and Jim: 2800
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 3500
Manjoume waved an arm through the air, his arrogant "I'm winning" expression on his face. "Ha! Take that! Turn end! Let's see you come back from that one!" He smirked.
Akiko growled. "It's my turn! I draw!" She pulled a card from her deck and stared at it hard for a long moment. Finally, she played it, saying, "I summon Gale Lizard!" (Atk 1400)
A brightly colored winged reptile appeared in a gust of wind, spreading its wings and letting out a shriek.
"Tch." Fuyuko grimaced. "Few enough points to attack, eh?"
"You got that right! And it's obvious what I'm attacking! Gale Lizard!" She pointed across the field at Fuyuko's fox as she added, "Get rid of his Defender!"
Manjoume sweat, realizing something. Darn. I wasn't able to draw a card to defend that thing. Oh, well.
Akiko's monster charged at the weak little fox, easily wiping it out.
Akiko and Jim: 2800
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 2300
"Then I play a card face down," Akiko added, slipping a card into her duel disk. "Turn end."
"Then it's my turn again," Fuyuko said. "I draw." He glanced at his new card, then, "I summon Sacred Spirit of the Ice Barrier!" (Atk 1600)
An elderly man with a long, gray beard appeared, dressed all in blue from his head to his toes.
Manjoume started, looking surprised. He raised an eyebrow at his partner in confusion. "Seriously? A spirit monster? But those don't go with your deck!"
"This one does," Fuyuko corrected him. "Normally, it would return to my hand during the end phase of a turn in which it's summoned. But, because I have another Ice Barrier monster out," he pointed to Dai-Sojo of the Ice Barrier, "it will allow me to send one of my opponent's monsters back to their hand instead!"
"What!?" Akiko demanded.
"I end my turn. With that, Gale Lizard returns to your hand, Akiko!"
As Akiko's monster was blown back by a gust of icy wind, Manjoume's eyes widened. "Say what!? Why didn't you attack!? You could have—"
"Don't you attack recklessly, either, Manjoume," Fuyuko cut him off. "Her face-down isn't a bluff, I'm sure. Besides, I cleared the way for you, regardless."
Manjoume crossed his arms, looking annoyed. "Yeah, whatever. Your move, Cook."
Jim drew his next card, then said, "I summon Efflorescent Knight!" (Atk 2000)
A fossilized warrior—skeletal remains covered in dirt—materialized before them.
"Efflorescent Knight, attack Fuyuko's Sacred Spirit!"
The weathered soldier charged, slamming into the old man and destroying him.
Akiko and Jim: 2800
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 1900
"Next I activate Soul Taker!"
Manjoume's eyes widened. "You what!?" He eyed his XYZ warily from the corner of his eye.
"This card allows me to destroy one monster on your field, but you'll gain 1000 life points."
Akiko's eyes narrowed to nothing more than slits. "Jim?" she hissed. "What are you thinking...?"
Jim sweat. Well, right now, I'm thinking Manjoume's nickname for you is pretty fitting... He didn't answer her aloud, choosing instead to continue his move. "I'm targeting your Armed Dragon LV5!"
Manjoume's eyes widened once again. "What!? Why!? It's—"
"If I leave it, it'll evolve, and one power-house monster is bad enough!"
Akiko thought, Yeah, but the other one is a more immediate threat. If that dolt doesn't have something in mind to get rid of that XYZ, I'm gonna throttle him! Man, we really need to work on our teamwork...
An arm shot out of the ground, grabbing Armed Dragon's leg and pulling it down as it shrieked in protest.
Akiko and Jim: 2800
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 2900
"Then I play one card face down. That ends my turn. And, during my end phase, my Efflorescent Knight loses 600 attack points."
As the monster's attack fell to 1400, Akiko stared at it, stunned.
Manjoume shared her sentiments, looking at it the same way. Okay. Either this guy's a total idiot, or his trap card's really bad news! Well! Good thing I've got my Dragon Cannon and it's my turn now!
After a moment's staring, Akiko said, "I don't know whether that was a smart move since you got rid of that spirit or whether I should strangle you for leaving that out!" She pointed at Efflorescent Knight. "And what was that whole thing with the Soul Taker!?"
"Relax, Autumn-Girl," Jim said. "I know what I'm doing."
She crossed her arms, practically pouting. "You'd better."
Manjoume gave a toothy grin. "Oh, yeah! Sure you do! Too bad it's not gonna work 'cause I've still got my Dragon Cannon out! I draw! And activate its effect! Your face-down can join Ojama Yellow in the graveyard, where it belongs!"
He put his hands on his hips and laughed as Yellow cringed. When he sent the card to the grave, the Ojama screamed as he was sent away. Jim's face-down card followed suit.
"Oh, great. And there's still one face-down left!" Ojama Green observed. Then he gasped and his eye widened as a thought hit him hard. "Which means—" He cut himself off, too horrified to finish that thought.
Akiko, her fists shaking at her sides, slowly turned her head to look at her partner. "Jim...?"
Jim sweat. Great. Now that's just what I need! Somebody remind me why I teamed up with her...
"Now for yours, Aki!" Manjoume added. "Ojama Green can't wait to see his siblings, after all!"
Akiko scowled.
Manjoume clenched a fist in front of his face and said, "Gaze upon the power of teamwork! This is what happens when we work together!" He looked at Fuyuko, who smirked in agreement. Then Manjoume discarded his final Ojama.
"I knew it!" Green shrieked as his card was sent away. With his destruction, Akiko's card was blasted to smithereens as well.
Manjoume's ever-present smirk appeared again as he looked at Akiko. "Still think my Ojamas are worse than your clearly useless lizard, 'Lizard Girl?'" he taunted.
Akiko just growled.
"I summon Masked Dragon!" (Atk 1400)
A beige dragon with a red underside appeared. Its face had the appearance of a mask, hence the name.
"Attack, XYZ! Take out their last defense!"
XYZ fired at Efflorescent Knight, destroying the ruined warrior.
Akiko and Jim: 1400
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 2900
"Now, finish it off, Masked Dragon! We got more duels to win!"
Masked Dragon charged. Karen wiggled around and let out a cry, unhappy. Somehow she got off Jim's back and moved out of the line of fire.
"Tch." Jim scowled. Great. I hope Autumn-Girl's not in the same sort of mood as yesterday. That wouldn't be good for me if she was.
Masked Dragon hit Jim dead-on as Karen watched from the sidelines.
Akiko and Jim: 0
Manjoume and Fuyuko: 2900
"Aw, dang it!" Akiko stamped her foot.
"Ha! That's 70! Now we're on a real role!" Manjoume exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.
The Ojama trio appeared around him, smiling.
"Way to go, Aniki!" Yellow said from his right.
"Yeah, we knew you could do it!" Green added.
"Yeah. Even if your technique was a little rough..." Black finished with a slight frown. Then he smiled again, along with his brothers.
Manjoume closed his eyes and crossed his arms, letting out a single laugh. Quietly, he grinned and said, "Shut up."
"That was an interesting match, you two," Fuyuko said, smiling warmly at their opponents.
"You, too, mate!" Jim said, smiling right back. After all, Akiko didn't seem to be looking for blood, so it seemed safe. "Can't say I've ever seen those Ice Barriers before."
"Which is sad, considering he is supposed to be a Pro Duelist," Akiko said with a smirk.
Jim started, then looked at her in surprise. "What?"
"Since when is that true?" Manjoume asked, raising an eyebrow at his partner.
Fuyuko shrugged and said, "I don't have very many matches. Personal choice, really."
Akiko smirked at him and said, "Moonlighter."
Fuyuko reached out and bopped her on the head lightly with his fist, smiling playfully.
"So, wait, you're a Pro!?" Manjoume demanded, his eyes the size of saucers as his hands flew to his head. "I'm teamed up with a freakin' Pro!? This can't be real! Can it!?"
"It can and it is. I'm...technically a Pro Duelist." Fuyuko picked his words very carefully.
Manjoume's hands dropped to his sides, hanging there limply, and he just gaped at Fuyuko as strange noises started coming out of his stunned mouth.
Akiko grinned. "Aw, look! He's at a loss for words! Anyway, Fuyuko, good luck with the rest of the tournament. We'll see you around!"
"Yes, you, as well, Akiko. Try not to kill your brother if you duel him."
Akiko looked at him lamely and said, "If I'm lucky, he's too busy surfing or something." Brightening up, she waved and took off, calling, "See ya! Come on, Jim!"
"Right! I'm coming, Autumn-Girl!" he called, following after her.
At some point during this exchange, Manjoume stopped making unintelligible noises, but he was still standing in the same pose.
Wow, Fuyuko thought. Now I'm glad I'm not a full-time Pro Duelist. Aloud, he said, "Manjoume, will you snap out of it? We're in the middle of a tournament, and you obviously aren't a fan, considering you're just now learning about my second job. Let's focus on our mission here."
Akiko had all but said dueling was his second job, and he felt no need to deny it. Then again, there was also no need to tell Manjoume what his first job was.
Manjoume snapped out of it, suddenly snapping to attention, although his eyes were still a bit wide. "Uh, right. Yes! Let's go!" He ran off, thinking, A Pro!? What are the odds!? Now I know I'm getting in the finals! A Pro for a partner guarantees it! Geez, I'm lucky!
Fuyuko sighed, once again feeling grateful that he was so unknown, and followed his partner off on their rampage as they tried to get the last 30 points they would need to enter the finals.