Author's Note: And now for the graduation duel to begin.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: VS Strongman; Collision of Forces!
A huge gathering of students had made their way to outside of the main building where a huge holographic projection had been created. It was two-sided and could be seen from any angle. Also, upon approaching it a student could download the data onto their PDA for personal viewing.
Most of the excitement of the gathering wasn't over what was displayed, because that was merely grades. It was what was going to be announced after grades were viewed. Today the Strongman of Duelist Academy, the school's strongest duelist, was going to announce who he had chosen to duel against for his graduation duel.
Shiro grinned and folded his arms behind his head, his disturbingly yellow hair flicking about in the wind. There, standing amongst the first year students, was his name. And it was decently near the top, and most specifically he had ranked highest in one category. "Huzzah! I'm the top of Osiris Red! Check that stuff out!"
Standing to his right Mizuki couldn't help but eye him quizzically. "Okay, so you're ranked highest in the lowest ranked dorm. Is that why you've got yellow hair? Expecting to go to Ra Yellow?"
The Osiris Red teenager blinked and stared at her, looking confused. Finally he chuckled weakling, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah…let's go with that."
To their left Shiro's roommate Kane was looking at his name and looked slightly depressed. "My name's not very high up there…but I guess it is higher than I thought it would be."
Dressed in her Ra Yellow uniform Aya, Kane's fraternal sister, stepped up and slapped him on the back. "No worries bro, I didn't do fantastic either. But still, we're about in the middle of our respective dorms for our years. That's a good start."
Standing directly behind them in a first year's Obelisk Blue uniform was their other brother who was looking at his own name. "Yes, you both did very well. I'm impressed I managed to retain my first rank of my year of Obelisk Blue. Of course by comparison to certain people my performance was lackluster."
All of them turned to look at Mizuki who immediately blushed furiously. Her name stood at the top of Ra Yellow not just for first year, but for Ra Yellow itself. No other Ra Yellow student held a higher rank than she did, and her overall school rank was also higher than most first year Obelisk Blues. "Hehe…I got lucky?"
"No, not lucky. It was skill and your brilliance that got you this far. Why I wouldn't be surprised to see you in Obelisk Blue next year. Its only bad luck that you aren't already in Obelisk Blue." Mizuki turned around and squealed with glee at seeing Sanzo. She jumped at him and gave him a tight hug.
Shiro grimaced and dropped his arms from behind his head. 'Even being top of Osiris Red for my year doesn't settle my stomach at seeing her so giddy whenever Mr. Clean pops up out of nowhere.'
Sighing he looked up at the screen and easily found Sanzo's name. It was right there at the very top, right below Harrison's and Vlad's. 'Well at least he's not number two in the academy for the next week. But once Vlad is gone he will be again. And still…he's number on in terms of popularity.'
Everyone suddenly went silent and their group turned around, facing the same direction everyone else was. At the top of the hill was the distinctively huge form of the Strongman of Duelist Academy, Vlad. "Fellow students, I come to announce my choice of opponent for my graduation duel. This is the person who I wish to face before I depart this fine school and go on to the Professional Dueling League, where I will be representing my home country of Mother Russia."
Vlad's eyes swept the crowd, making everyone's breath catch in their throats when they felt as if he was looking directly at them. At the same time everyone both wanted to be chosen and didn't. Whoever faced him was going to face the school's strongest duelist in battle in front of the entire student body. "In order to gain the most from this and impart the most of my experience onto the future generation, I have made my choice. I choose…"
The Strongman's own words drifted off as his eyes fell on one student standing in the back. His breath hitched in his throat when he saw that Obelisk Blue uniform beneath that very familiar face. 'What is he doing here? He should be at East School…'
Green eyes looked back up into his dark ones, and the other teenager nodded. Vlad regained his breath as the teen turned and moved through the crowd, becoming lost in it. "I choose you!"
His meaty arm swung around and pointed to his chosen opponent. The crowd went into an uproar as the person's image was suddenly displayed in place of ranks. Everyone could now see who would be facing Vlad in the graduation duel. "In two days our battle will take place. Strongman of Duelist Academy…"
His eyes met his opponent's and he grinned broadly. "Versus the Rising Star of Duelist Academy. I expect you to be at your best, Mizuki."
Mizuki's body quivered in a mixture of fear and anticipation. 'This time Vlad I won't be overrun like I was before. After all this time I feel that I've become a much stronger duelist, and someone more aware of her own strength. I'll match my mind against your gut instincts. I'll give you a graduation duel worthy of the Strongman of Duelist Academy!'
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Her room was silent except for slight whispers from her friends who had gathered there. She sat on her bed, her cards laid out in front of her in separate groups. One square pattern of monsters, another for magic cards, and a third for traps. 'I can swap out my Hexagram Curse, Spellbinding Circle…but what card should I replace it with?'
She picked up the trap and then looked down at her pile of spare cards. "If you're looking for something to replace that trap with, why not take this?"
Everyone in the room looked up in surprise to see that Harrison was standing there, wearing the same outfit he had worn when facing Sanzo in their previous duel. He was also holding out one card in his extended right hand. "If you use this, I'm sure it will aid you."
Mizuki hopped off the bed and walked up, then reached out for the card. Instead of taking it her hand closed around Harrison's and forced it to curl up, closing the card in his palm. "I'm sorry Harrison, but even though you're being nice I can't accept that. If I don't face Vlad under my own strength then I'll never know whether I was worthy to be chosen to duel him."
Harrison looked at her silently for a moment before withdrawing his hand. "I honestly didn't expect you to take it. Truthfully I came to wish you good luck in your duel against Vlad. I want to see your level of improvement just as much as he does."
He turned around and walked to the door, pausing at it before exiting. "Keep in mind that though this is your final duel of the year, I'll be here next year. And I fully expect to face you again next year, not as the Dark Prince but as the Dark Kaiser. So use this opportunity to grow and become stronger so that you might push me farther as a duelist when we meet again on the field of battle."
Mizuki grinned and gave him a thumbs up, which he ignored. "Sure thing Harrison. You know, you may act like a complete grouch but you're not that bad a guy once somebody gets to know you."
Harrison snorted and pushed the door open. "Don't say such ridiculous things." Then he let the door close behind him.
She looked back at the piles of cards on her deck, and then at the Spellbinding Circle card that she still held in her hand. 'Ridiculous huh? Thanks Harrison…you helped me more than you could ever know.'
Her free hand clenched into a fist and she began to smirk. 'Vlad, I've figured out exactly how to defeat you! Get ready, because I'm coming!'
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At last the day had come, and every single student was in the arena theater, waiting for the two duelists who stood opposite each other to begin their duel. Mizuki looked surprisingly confident and Vlad looked happy. "Mizuki, I hope you'll enjoy this duel as much as I plan to. Do your best!"
Mizuki nodded, still smiling as she held out her deck to Vlad and accepted his. The two shuffled each other's decks as per standard rules. "I plan to enjoy this to its conclusion Vlad, and I intend to take you down!"
Vlad let out a booming laugh and handed her deck back. "Excellent! That's the sort of spirit that makes me want to face you! Now, let's duel!"
Mizuki returned Vlad's deck and then walked over to her side of the field. At once they spun around on their heels and slammed their decks into place. "Duel!" (MLP: 4000) (VLP: 4000)
As the two drew their opening hands Mizuki looked up at Vlad and winked. "Go ahead Vlad; I'd like to take the second turn this time if you don't mind."
He blinked, but shrugged his shoulders and snapped a card off his deck. "If that's what you want then I won't disappoint you! And as normal since I have no monsters in my hand or on my field I can add Strongman to my hand!"
A card ejected from his deck and he picked it up. Mizuki could almost feel the power of that card already. "Again, though he is a level seven since I have no monsters in hand or on field besides him I can normal summon him without tribute. Go, Strongman (1900/1200)!"
Entering the field with a double front-flip was none other than the infamous Strongman, a huge muscular wrestler wearing little else but a spandex skintight outfit. Mizuki grinned. "I'll beat Strongman and you, so let's see how tough he can be."
"Ha! I love your enthusiasm in this duel. So show me what you can do in your turn. I place two cards face down and conclude my own turn." Mizuki nodded and drew once fairly slowly despite her enthusiastic words. She registered each card in her hand and then picked out one.
A shimmering shape appeared on her field, and then formed into a man in glowing white armor wielding a white sword in his right hand and with a bow and quiver slung over his back. "Rune Centurion (1800/1500) is going to start me off. And guess what?"
Vlad raised an eyebrow, curious as to why she seemed so confident in a weaker monster than his Strongman. "What?"
Mizuki raised her right arm and pointed with her index finger at Strongman. "Rune Centurion, attack Strongman! Go get him!"
The Strongman of Duelist Academy blinked in surprise when the rune monster raced towards certain doom at the hands of his key monster. "You seem to have forgotten attack strength in your rush. Strongman counterattacks!"
Strongman reeled back one fist and then slammed it into Rune Centurion's face. The rune monster was sent shooting backwards all the way over Mizuki's head. When he finally crashed to the ground he was blown apart by the force. "Dang, guess you're right Vlad, he was stronger." (MLP: 3900)
"That's not all; when Strongman destroys a monster in battle he gains one hundred attack points for each level of the destroyed monster. Flex your muscles Strongman!" Strongman did just that, his holographic attack point counter ticking up to twenty-three hundred as he did so.
Mizuki rubbed the back of her head, looking embarrassed. "Gee, guess I'm not as ready for this duel as I thought. So I'll just set one card face down and end my turn."
Vlad drew for the start of his turn and narrowed his eyes at the card he saw. "I begin my turn by summoning Ultimate Trainer (0/0) to the field. This monster will assist Strongman!"
A much smaller grey haired man walked out onto the field wearing sweats and jogging pants, with a towel slung over his shoulders. Strongman gave him a salute by placing a meaty fist against his chest. "During my next turn you'll see their strength together. For now Strongman attacks!"
Instead of Strongman striking Mizuki he just remained standing still. Mizuki chuckled and pulled the card she had set out of her duel disk. "Sorry, but I activated Rune Symbol-Ingwaz which prevents you from attacking for three turns counting on your end phases."
Without pause Vlad thrust his right hand out over his left face down card. "Reverse card open, Strongman's Questing Fist! When Strongman is in play I may sacrifice a card on my field to destroy two cards in your hands!"
His second face down card shook and then shattered. "By sacrificing my other face down card I fulfill the cost, and now the two cards on the right of your hand will be destroyed!"
Mizuki sighed and folded up those two cards, and then slid them into her graveyard slot. "Okay, so those two are out of commission. Anything else?"
"Indeed there is, although not much. I place one card face down and bring my turn to an end!" As Mizuki drew the crowd waited with baited breath, hoping to see her make a saner move this turn.
"Hmmm…ooo, I know what I'm going to do. I summon Rune Soldier (1800/1800) to the field!" A white robed blonde man holding a sword shimmered out of the card she had placed onto her duel disk. He swished his sword through the air and then pointed it at Strongman.
She stared at her hand hard for a second, and then snapped her fingers as if remembering something. "Okay, I'm coming for you Vlad! Rune Soldier attacks Strongman right now!"
Vlad blinked and the crowd had a collective sweat drop. 'How strange…she didn't even try to attack my Ultimate Trainer despite its zero attack points. Instead she went straight for Strongman, which she knows must be stronger. In other words that soldier must have an attack increase effect!'
He pointed at his face down card and grinned. "Sorry Mizuki but your plan is a failure! Iron Abs negates one attack on Strongman and destroys the attacking monster as if battle had been conducted!"
Strongman flexed his body, his abs shining as he did so. The bright light shone out over Rune Soldier, who screamed a battle cry and suddenly the glow receded. "What is this?"
"Guess you never saw my academy entrance exam, because I used this monster quite a bit. When directly targeted by a trap card Rune Soldier negates the trap and destroys it! Which means his attack continues!" Vlad scratched his head in confusion as Strongman blocked the sword attack with his left arm and then decked Soldier with his right.
"Ah…but it has no attack increase effect? But then your monster is slain and Strongman gains another four hundred attack points. Why do such a thing?" Mizuki grinned broadly with her eyes closed as her monster shattered and her life points took a hit. At the same time Strongman's attack points rose to twenty-seven hundred. (MLP: 3400)
"You know, I guess I just got carried away again. So I'll end my turn at that." Vlad frowned and slowly reached for his deck. Nothing she was doing was making sense to him.
"During my standby phase Ultimate Trainer increases the attack points of every Strongman in play by three hundred." Ultimate Trainer stepped up and began to massage Strongman's broad shoulders. The big man sighed in relaxation, his attack points rising up to three thousand.
"Next I'll activate Power Press to permanently raise Strongman's attack points by five hundred. Now even the mightiest of monsters tremble at his strength." Strongman's muscles rippled and grew as his attack points once again raised. This time they struck up to thirty-five hundred, more than most monsters in the game had at their disposal.
"Finally since I still can't attack I'll set one card face down and end. Your turn Mizuki." The female Ra Yellow student continued to grin as she drew, and then casually slapped the card onto her duel disk.
"This time I'll bring out somebody a bit stronger. Rune Berserker (2000/1200) is my choice of monster!" Her own muscular monster growled as its flesh rippled with runic symbols. It matched eyes with Strongman, despite the vast difference in power.
"Strong though he is he can't defeat my Strongman." Mizuki nodded and shifted her gaze to Ultimate Trainer.
"Yeah, but as long as you have a Strongman in play Ultimate Trainer cannot be the target of battle. Which means I've got a choice to make. A tough choice at that." Mizuki rubbed her chin as if in deep thought, but the smile on her face made it obvious that she wasn't serious.
"Okay, my decision is made. And I've decided to have Berserker attack Strongman!" Vlad slapped a hand against his head and stared in confusion as the two muscular monsters grappled, ending in Strongman hurling Berserker bodily through the air. (MLP: 1900)
"Have you really gone crazy little one? I don't follow what you're doing at all. So far all you've done is suicide your monsters into my mighty Strongman and waste your life points." Strongman's attack strength powered up as he spoke, reaching thirty-nine hundred.
"I guess maybe you're right. I haven't been playing very well so far, I've just been making really amateur fights. So I suppose that means my turn is over." The crowd whispered amongst themselves while Vlad prepared himself for his turn. They knew that this was his last turn without the ability to attack, but they were mostly focused on why Mizuki was dueling like this.
'No, Mizuki isn't being foolish or reckless. She's a very tactical and intelligent duelist. Which means that she has something planned and is trying to fool me. She's doing quite well at it so far, as I have no idea what she's up to.' He grinned as wide as he could and looked down at his three cards in hand.
Up in the stands all of the students save a handful thought that Mizuki had lost it. Only her friends knew that she was planning something. But the one who seemed to see it most of all was the idiotically grinning Shiro. "I get it…so that's what you meant. Go Mizuki!"
Sanzo eyed Shiro askance, not sure what to make of the younger teen's response. "What do you mean you get it? What is she trying to do?"
Shiro smirked and rubbed the bottom of his nose. "Heh, looks like I finally figured out somebody's strategy before you did. Then again, this strategy is so totally my style."
'Shiro's style? How is suiciding your monsters in his style? I don't understand this at all. What does he see that I don't?' He looked down at the arena where Vlad was currently making his own decisions for the turn. On the other side Mizuki looked happy and confident, despite the fact that she had already lost half of her life points.
Vlad pointed to Ultimate Trainer who moved in to massage Strongman. "During my standby phase Strongman has his attack points increased by three hundred up to forty-two hundred total attack points. Now only a few monsters in the entire game can defeat him in battle."
He slammed a card from his hand into his duel disk, smirking. "Strongman 6-Hit Combo activates! Now you draw until you hold six cards and for each one Strongman gains five hundred attack points."
Mizuki reached for her deck and slid three cards off the top. As soon as she was finished Strongman's attack points shot upwards again until they rested at fifty-seven hundred. "You see? Strongman now surpasses even the mightiest monsters in the game."
"I see that alright, he's a mighty monster indeed. But still, Ingwaz remains in effect until the end of this turn." Vlad nodded and tapped his duel disk, indicating that his turn was over. So Mizuki drew to start up her turn.
She fanned out her seven card hand and then took her two oldest cards and slid them into her deck. "I set up two cards and then I'll set a monster in defense mode. End turn."
Vlad drew again, feeling somewhat worried as he looked over what she had down on the field. "Strongman gains three hundred attack points, placing him at six thousand attack points."
"Next I equip Strongman with Invulnerable Physique which prevents him from being destroyed in battle or through targeted effects. And now he's going to attack your set monster!" Strongman barreled forwards and swung his fist down at the set monster.
"Reverse card open, Rune Symbol-Uruz reduces your monster's attack points by half for the duration of the turn!" Vlad blinked as Strongman's attack fell all the way to three thousand. But still it plowed through her set monster.
"What point was there in activating that Rune Symbol?" Mizuki grinned and instead of answering held up her destroyed monster, which he recognized from their first duel.
"When Rune Mystic (1500/1300) is destroyed while on the field I get two choices. Destroy one card on the field or draw two cards. Since Strongman is invulnerable I choose option two." She drew twice, restoring her hand of most of the cards she had used in her previous turn.
"You are behaving truly oddly. I also don't trust any of this, but I'll just continue playing with my gut instinct. Strongman gains four hundred attack points and then my turn ends." As soon as his turn was over his monster's attack points returned to normal, reaching sixty-four hundred in total.
Mizuki drew calmly and quietly, and then placed her drawn card onto her duel disk. "I set one monster onto my field and then end my turn."
He scowled at her simplistic move and drew harshly. With a frown on his face he motioned to Ultimate Trainer. "Strongman now achieves sixty-seven hundred attack points, and he'll now use those attack points even more effectively as I equip him with Spear Barbell, which raises his attack by three hundred and gives him a trample ability."
Now Strongman's attack points reached a dead even attack strength of seven thousand, more than any other monster in the entire game could boast of having. Not even one that was a powerful fusion. "Strongman attacks your monster right now!"
"You should recognize this card; it's Rune Symbol-Tiwaz! It negates your monster's attack and adds its attack strength to my life points!" Vlad's eyes widened as Strongman's strike was blocked and a huge amount of energy surged from his fist and into her duel disk. (MLP: 8900)
She laughed brightly and the entire crowd gasped at the sight of how high her life points had become. "See, looks like it's not wise to always have a huge amount of attack points. Sometimes that becomes a liability."
"I see, you were holding that card in your hand from the beginning of this duel and merely waited for the opportune moment to play it. You certainly are a clever girl, I'll give you that." Mizuki grinned smugly, looking more than just pleased with herself.
"Oh there's more where that came from, so just watch yourself!" Vlad nodded and concluded his turn, giving it to Mizuki.
She barely noticed what she had drawn, instead her eyes drifted shut. The room tensed up, many of them recognizing what she was doing. Vlad blinked and then looked down at his duel disk. 'So she used Ingwaz in order to delay until it was past the tenth turn so she could use her Rune Lay-Outs then? No…there has to be more to her plan than that.'
One by one three cards appeared face down on her field, all of them glowing. "The first card, which cannot be reversed, is Ingwaz. At this moment Ingwaz represents a simple strength, which which Strongman possesses and overuses. Simple brutal power."
Her second card flipped up as she continued humming, diving Vlad's future. "Uruz in reversed position is a sign that misdirected force, such as that of Strongman, leads to weakness."
Vlad felt his body shiver in excitement, eager to know what the result of the divination was going to be. 'In our first duel she never reached this far, so now let's see what she can do with it!'
Last but not least the third card flipped up, connecting them all in a chain of blinding blue light. "Third of the lay-out is Tiwaz in reversed position! It marks a blockage of one's energy flow and a failure in competition. Strongman, who has misdirected his simplistic strength will now have his energy flow blocked and be defeated!"
The Strongman's eyes widened as that energy lanced out from her three card lay-out and struck his key monster head on. Strongman gasped in pain as his body began to shrink, shriveling up until his muscles were gone and his body was wrinkled and old. "What have you done to Strongman?"
Mizuki smirked and opened her eyes, a ball of blue light floating away from Strongman and hovering above her duel disk. "In duel terms my Rune Lay-Out let me select one monster in play which has dealt me at least a thousand points of damage which has more than two thousand attack. I reduce its attack to zero and then gain those attack points as life points!"
She pushed the orb of light into her duel disk and instantly her life points shot up, even as Strongman's attack points fell to nothing. "Thanks for the life points Vlad; you've given me plenty to work with!" (MLP: 15900)
Vlad blinked in surprise, barely able to believe that his monster had been stripped of its brutal power. "How ridiculous! You attacked me to drain your life points all in order to reduce Strongman's attack points and make him stronger so that your life gain would be greater?"
"That's right, and that's the way to defeat the Strongman of Duelist Academy and his key monster! I figured it out thanks to a comment from another duelist, and by taking a page out of a friend of mine. The way to beat you is by making ridiculous plays that are self-risking but have an ultimate gain but make them seem foolish while preparing. The duel style of a prankster!" She flashed a grin up at the stands, specifically looking at Shiro.
Shiro grinned right back and gave her a thumbs up. Then he turned to look at Sanzo and stuck his tongue out. "See, I told you it was my style. I am a prankster after all."
Mizuki held up one finger, looking utterly confident. "By playing somewhat recklessly but still defending a player can push Strongman into a position of ludicrous strength which can be exploited. And since you can rarely have more than one Strongman in play all I have to do is prevent a direct attack and I remain safe. Strongman's weakness is that ridiculous power of his!"
She reached for her duel disk and flipped up her set monster. "And I'm going to continue to capitalize on that opening caused by using its strength as a weakness. Rune Ninja (1700/1200) appears and attacks!"
A man in a white ninja outfit appeared and then zipped across the field. He struck Strongman in the head with a roundhouse, tossing him backwards. But because of Invulnerable Physique he wasn't destroyed. (VLP: 2300)
Mizuki then snapped her fingers. "Rune Ninja can attack twice during each battle phase, so here he comes again!"
Rune Ninja didn't stop there; he planted his hands on the ground and then swung his other leg up, catching Strongman in the chin. The once mighty monster stumbled backwards again, but didn't fall. "He's not so tough anymore is he Vlad?" (VLP: 600)
Without skipping a beat she picked up her monster off of her duel disk and placed a new one down. "I tribute Rune Ninja to summon Rune Blader (2300/2300) in attack mode."
A more mature and hardened version of Rune Soldier appeared, this one holding one sword in each hand. "I place two cards face down and end my turn! You see Vlad; I told you I had figured you out. That power you've got is your weakness, and I'll exploit it until the end!"
Vlad placed two fingers on his top card, smiling despite the fact that he was losing by a fair margin. The entire audience watched with great anticipation, hoping to see some sort of incredible move by their mighty Strongman. "You've certainly improved Mizuki and I must say that I'm enjoying this duel fully. But if you believe I'll give up when a duel has gotten this exciting then you've got something else coming. I can feel your heart burning in this duel, so let me show you my burning strength!"
He snapped a card off his deck and his eyes narrowed. "From this turn onwards I stop holding back. Prepare yourself Mizuki!"
Mizuki gestured towards her body with her hand, beckoning him on. "That's exactly what I want Vlad. Bring it on and I'll throw that strength of yours back in your face!"
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Author's Note: Mizuki holds the advantage right now, but will it last? Let's find out.
Next Time: The graduation duel rockets towards as a burning conclusion as Mizuki and Vlad throw their power into the duel. Yet the more Mizuki struggles it seems the stronger Vlad gets. Beating the Strongman of Duelist Academy may be impossible for Mizuki, but she has no intention of giving up. She won't stop until one player's life points hit zero, even if that player is her.
See it all in, VS Strongman; Burning Conclusion!
