(A/N: Oh, how fitting that chapter 13 should feature Gundham Tanaka, don't you think?)
With four locator cards in hand, Gundham Tanaka stood in the middle of Domino City pondering his next move. Hmm, two locator cards to go and the sun has barely peaked its position in the sky. The reasonable thing to do would be to find an opponent to simply crush and take two locator cards from. However, with the tournament still in its larval state, I could wind up dueling someone whose powers I cannot properly siphon from. Gundham pondered the matter further, all other stimuli being stifled by his own thoughts. Perhaps I should consider dueling someone who's legacy stands on par or surpasses Espa Roba's. If I can keep down the competition, it will be less trouble for me in the finals. Gundham's train of thought altered slightly as he brought up a hand to his chin. Speaking of the finals, I wonder how the Dark Queen is doing.
"Hello, Gundham!" Sonia's sweet, jovial exclamation was as if it was almost on cue.
"Bah!" Gundham yelped, being jarred from his thoughts. He looked at Sonia, still slightly in a panic. "S-Sonia! Y-you startled m..." Gundham paused and realized what he was saying to the sweetly smiling princess of Novoselic. He could not show weakness. "Er, I mean..." He did his best to readjust himself, starting with an ever cliché clearing of the throat. He then cackled, arms folded. "BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Well met, Dark Queen! I trust the tournament is finding you well." He gave Sonia a smug, self-satisfied look. "I regret to inform you that I already have four locator cards and I was contemplating where to find my other two. I have already vanquished a foul pork demon and a powerful Esper."
Sonia took Gundham's antics in stride, speaking with a polite smile. "Oh, what a coincidence, I have four as well. I even defeated the Intercontinental Champion, Bandit Keith."
Gundham laughed at this, but his laughter seemed to carry pride and joy with it instead of mockery. "I see. I see. T'would seem that even an overseas champion is no match for your dark powers. Though that's hardly surprising given you just now slipped through my barrier of detection and my barrier of protection."
"Oh, you have barriers up? Is that like the Yellow Luster Shield?" Sonia asked.
"N-no," Gundham said, turning red as he lifted up his scarf to hide his blush. "Never mind."
"Well, since we both have four locator cards," Sonia said, "Shall we duel?"
"Hmm?" Gundham's attention was peaked.
"We did promise, did we not?" Sonia asked politely. "Let us wager two locator cards. The winner shall go to the finals. The loser...shall try to figure out what to do," Sonia stated.
Gundham cracked a smile and, once again, started to laugh. "I agree to your terms, Queen of Darkness! Behold our battle! Let us sing a song of conquest and fate as we duel to our destiny! Right here! Right now!"
"If that means you'll duel me I am more than happy to sing," Sonia said cheerfully. "As they say in this country…"
"Let's Duel!" Both declared simultaneously. Gundham and Sonia activated their duel disks.
"Since you are royalty, you may have the first move," Gundham stated in a normal tone of voice, which was unusual for him.
"Do not mind if I do," Sonia said, drawing the top card of her deck. "I play Graceful Charity. Now I can draw three cards, provided that I discard two," Sonia said, drawing three cards and then quickly slipping two monster cards into her graveyard. "Next, I shall play Monster Reborn. And I shall bring back from the graveyard Darklord Superbia!" The brown-winged, red-headed evil-looking creature with 2900 attack points emerged from Sonia's graveyard. "And thanks to Superbia's special ability, I can bring back Darklord Edeh Arae from the graveyard as well. And since Edeh Arae was summoned from the graveyard, it can inflict battle damage even if you play a monster in defense mode."
"Impressive, two monsters and you haven't even officially summoned this turn."
"Indeed, and my summon of choice shall be Zolga!" A mysteriously cloaked, blue headed, cyclops of a creature appeared with 1700 attack points. "My turn is now complete."
Gundham was decisively amused. "I see your dark powers are as potent as ever dark queen, but now it is my turn. Come my Four Dark Devas of Destruction!" Gundham's hamsters appeared on his shoulders.
"Oh, you called for your companions!" Sonia declared cheerfully. "Does this mean you take me as a serious adversary?"
"I would be foolish not to unleash my powers right at the start, especially with such a dazzling opening move, Dark Queen," Gundham said with a slight chuckle. "But prepare yourself. Because now, I draw!" Gundham ripped the top card off of his deck. Smirking, he declared, "I activate Polymerization to play Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!" The two headed, winged, brown, furry beast appeared with 2100 attack points. "Next, I shall play two cards face-down." Gundham now only had one card in his hand. "And now I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards." He looked at the two cards he drew. "I will now play my Twin-Headed Wolf in attack mode." Gundham's pink and green wolf with 1500 attack points appeared. "And lastly, I shall place one more card face-down." Gundham then folded his arms. "My turn is over."
Sonia looked quite perplexed. "Gundham…you have no cards in your hand."
"Perhaps, but I have all that I need to gird myself for battle. Attack me if you dare!" He goaded, his face looking like a mad villain.
Yes, three face-down cards are certainly troubling, Sonia thought, glancing aside and frowning. She quickly reasserted her defiant posture. "Very well," she said. "I draw." She quickly picked up the top card from her deck.
"Darklord Edeh Arae, attack Twin-headed Wolf!" Sonia declared.
"Ah, and so it begins," Gundham said. "Unfortunately, you walked right into my trap. REVEAL FACE-DOWN CARD!" Gundham bellowed. "Behold my Hate Buster trap card!" Gundham's trap card flipped face-up, showing itself to Sonia. It flashed with a dark aura as both Edeh Arae and Gundham's wolf were destroyed.
"Wh-what just happened?" Sonia asked.
"Hate Buster activates when one of my fiend type monsters is attacked. As a result, both the attacking monster and my monster are destroyed. However," Gundham said with a satisfied smirk, "You take damage equal to the attacking monster's attack points."
"Oh no," Sonia gasped as she lost more than half of her life points, bringing her down to 1700. "Th-then I shall attack Chimera with Darklord Superbia!" Sonia declared.
"And like dominos falling before the will of causality, so too is your will bent by a desperate bout for damage," Gundham declared, "My next trap activates! Go: Horn of the Phantom Beast!" A magical horn appeared on Chimera's head. "This trap card raises my Chimera's attack points by 800 points. With it, both of our monsters are equal in power. You know what that means?"
"They will destroy each other," Sonia said, watching as Darklord Superbia and Chimera launched into battle overhead. Chimera struck past Superbia as Superbia riddled it with dark magic and pointy feathers fired from its wings. Although Superbia had much of its body torn asunder, Chimera collapsed on the ground behind Sonia, wounded from battle. It let out a pained moan and then vanished.
"Next, using Chimera's special ability, I shall summon Berfomet to my side of the field in defense mode." The four-armed, red fiend squatted on the ground, arms folded, wings shielding its body. "And its defense points are high enough to prevent Zolga from attacking."
"Yes, well played, Gundham," Sonia said seriously.
"Heh," Gundham chuckled, "Praise from you, Dark Queen, means more to me than you might comprehend."
"It would be undo of me not to compliment such a dazzling display, as you so aptly put it earlier," Sonia said. "I walked right into that. But I am not giving up, for that would not be befitting someone of my status."
"But of course, I expect no less," Gundham said.
"Which is why I now summon Spirit of the Fall Wind to the battlefield." A magical, green-haired fairy in a white dress appeared. It had 1800 attack points and 900 defense points. "This monster allows me to bring one monster with a flip effect from my deck to my hand."
"Planning ahead, I see."
"Indeed," Sonia responded as she rummaged through her deck to obtain Magician of Faith. "My turn is over."
"Then I shall draw once more," Gundham stated and drew the top card of his deck. He laughed. "Oh this is too rich. Fate is truly unkind to you this day, Dark Queen. I play Card of Demise!" Gundham declared. "Now, I am allowed to draw until I hold five cards in my hand, provided I discard my entire hand five turns later." He drew five cards from his deck.
"With my hand refreshed, your fate is sealed. I sacrifice Berfomet to play Beast of Talwar!" A hulking green fiend with two, blue wings and properly sized giant swords appeared on Gundham's side of the field. "Beast of Talwar attack! Destroy Sonia's Zolga!"
Beast of Talwar attacked, shredding the cloak Zolga called a body with its gigantic swords and reduced Sonia's life points down to 1000.
Gundham looked more disappointed than amused. "T'would appear my powers are much greater than yours, Dark Queen. Perhaps it was a mistake to call forth for my dark powers to utterly crush you. It seems even forty percent is too much for you to handle." Gundham cackled, now looking completely amused. "But do your best to put up a struggle. I do so enjoy a challenge."
"If it is a challenge you ask for Gundham," Sonia said unnervingly calmly, "It is a challenge you shall get. I draw." She drew the top card off of her deck. "First, I use Premature Burial to bring Zolga back from the graveyard."
Gundham watched as Sonia's life points crumbled barely to nothing, a mere 200.
"What? But that brings your life points so low. If you make even a single mistake, it will cost you the duel."
"Which is why I call Zolga back to the field!" Sonia declared, as the 1700 attack points monster returned.
"But…why?" Gundham asked, confused. If she brought back Superbia and Edeh Arae again that would make sense…she would lose but it would make sense. However, that's when it hatched on Gundham: Zolga's special ability. "You mean to sacrifice it?"
"Indeed," Sonia said. "Now watch as I tribute summon Darklord Desire!" The beautiful Darklord Desire appeared on the battlefield in all its radiant glory. With 3000 attack points it had more than enough power to take out Beast of Talwar. "Since I tributed Zolga, I now gain 2000 life points." Sonia's life points went back up to 2200. "And now I shall boost Darklord Desire with the magic card, Cestus of Dalga!" A glowing, golden cestus appeared in Desire's right fist. "And now, I activate Darklord Desire's special ability. In exchange for 1000 of its attack points, I can destroy a single monster on your side of the field."
With a powerful dark wave from a beat of its wings, Darklord Desire destroyed Gundham's Beast of Talwar, sending it straight to the graveyard.
"Your life points are wide open Gundham. Darklord Desire, attack! Turn this duel around!"
"I don't think so!" Gundham declared. "Reveal face-down card: Threatening Roar!" Gundham's trap card flipped face up, letting out a loud, powerful roar that buffered Darklord Desire. "Thanks to my trap card, you cannot declare an attack this turn! Your marvelous turnabout has been scattered to the wind thanks to my clever ploy."
Sonia's seriousness intensified. In the face of great peril, Gundham was holding his own against the power of her Fairy Deck. He had a tremendous lead too, his life points completely untouched while she was almost down to half. Even though Gundham had no monsters in play and no cards on the field, Sonia had a gut feeling that that could all change with Gundham's next turn with the way he was playing. "It's your turn, Gundham," Sonia said.
"Very well," Gundham said. "Draw!" Gundham forcefully pulled the top card off of his deck. "I'll begin my turn by using the magic card Despell to remove Cestus of Dalga from the field. That weapon will bring naught, but calamity to me." The weapon vanished and Darklord Desire's attack points dropped to 2000. "Next, I shall summon my comrade known by no other name than Pale Beast!" The blue, two-faced, single-jawed beast appeared on Gundham's side of the battlefield in attack mode. "Next, I shall activate a field spell, Closed Forest!" Gundham stated, placing the spell in the proper slot. Suddenly a dense thicket appeared around Gundham and Sonia, almost completely closing them off from the outside world, creating a very spooky atmosphere. The two could barely see the sun overhead. Hell, they could barely see each other if not for the glow of the duel disks. Gundham's red eye seemed to glow in the poor lighting.
"Feeling nervous, Dark Queen?" Gundham asked. "Does the power of my field spell frighten you?"
"Not even in the slightest," Sonia said, sounding decisively brave.
"Heh, then perhaps I should explain its effects," Gundham said. "While this is on the field, each beast I command gains 100 attack points for every monster card in my graveyard, even the non-beast ones. And the monsters in my graveyard right now are Gazelle, Berfomet, Chimera, Beast of Talwar and Twin-Headed Wolf. That makes five."
"That means Pale Beast is as strong as Darklord Desire," Sonia said.
"Yes, but I would be a fool to leave my life points open to your Spirit of the Fall Wind. So I play the magic card, Beast Fangs, increasing my Pale Beast's attack points by another 300 points."
"Oh no," Sonia gasped.
"Pale Beast attack," Gundham declared, but without shouting, "Destroy Darklord Desire!" Now he was shouting.
Pale Beast charged forward through the dense thicket, its glowing eyes all Darklord Desire saw before it was taken apart by Pale Beast's powerful claws and fangs.
Sonia's life points fell to 1900 as Gundham's beast trekked back to Gundham's side of the field.
"Are you feeling all right, dark queen?" Gundham asked. "I've yet to be scratched. But perhaps though your power rivals mine, I am simply stronger!"
"We shall see about that," Sonia said, doing her best to show no fear. "Draw!" She placed the top card of her deck into her hand. "I start by summoning Victoria to the battlefield in attack position!" Sonia declared. "O benevolent maiden, shed some light on this darkened battlefield!"
As though descending from the heavens, a four-headed golden dragon, ridden by a dragon-winged woman flew down onto the battlefield in radiant glory. Together they had 1800 attack points. Her bright glow illuminated the otherwise dark battlefield.
"And next I activate the spell card Soul Release, relieving you of the five monsters in your graveyard and dropping your beast's attack points." Pale Beast's attack now sat at only 1800.
"Now, Spirit of the Fall Wind, attack Pale Beast!"
"Fool, they both shall be destroyed!" Gundham shouted.
"It matters not," Sonia said. "I still have Victoria."
As Pale Beast's claws slashed the Spirit of the Fall Wind, it was decimated and blown back by its windy powers.
"And now, I attack with Victoria! Charging Chariot Strike!" Sonia declared.
Gundham braced for impact as Victoria's dragon charged forward, mauling him as he fell to the ground, dropping his life points down to 2200. As Victoria returned to Sonia's side, the Princess of Novoselic seemed most concerned.
"Gundham! Gundham, are you all right?" she asked, concerned for his well-being as Gundham's hamsters mournfully poked at his body.
However, like someone awoken from a nightmare, Gundham's eyes flew open and he leapt to his feet in a single motion. He laughed. "So, the time has come for me to take damage, has it? Well then, consider the gauntlet most thrown, Dark Queen!" Gundham shouted. "I shall meet your bout HEAD-ON! I draw!"
Gundham looked at the card in his hand. "I set a monster face-down and end my turn," he said with a frown.
"Then it is my turn," Sonia said. "I draw." She looked at the new trap card in her hand: Fairy Wind. This trap… she looked at the battlefield. Yes, it may end up being the key to my salvation. Sonia prepared to place it on the field. "I shall play one card face-down and one monster card face-down in defense position. And next, I shall have Victoria attack your face-down monster."
The monster was revealed to be none other than Gundham's trusty Super-Nimble Mega Hamster. Its thick fur was able to block Victoria's attack, causing no damage to either player. In fact, when Victoria's attack failed to penetrate its thick fur and body, it scratched the side of its furry neck with its back leg.
"Ah, my trusty companion, you do well to fend off offending attacks from the glistening light of heaven," Gundham said, pleased with these events. "And now, I activate your effect, allowing me to summon a beast monster to my side of the field in defense position from my deck." After quickly sifting through his deck, Gundham placed the beast face-down. "Is that all you're doing this turn, Dark Queen?" Gundham asked.
"Yes," Sonia said seriously. "It is your move."
"Then I shall draw," Gundham said and drew the top card from his deck. He looked at the roaring monster that depicted the art of the trap card he was holding. Bark of Dark Ruler? Yes, this will help me survive my encounter with forces most foul. "I begin by tributing my face-down monster to bring out a personal favorite servant of mine. Behold! Summoned Skull!" The mystery monster vanished as Gundham replaced it with the almighty Summoned Skull. He cackled. "Ah, my glorious servant of darkness, what chaos we shall weave together, you and I." Gundham pointed two fingers forward at Victoria. "Go, my mighty beast! Destroy Victoria! Lightning Strike!"
With a roar of its mighty lungs, Summoned Skull unleashed a powerful blast of lightning unto Victoria, setting the battlefield ablaze from the attack. That was Kaiba Corp hologram technology for you. In addition, Sonia's life points fell to 1200.
"Make your move, Dark Queen!" Gundham declared amidst the burning forest. "I am unafraid! Join me in hell! And let our battle come to its glorious climax! My two most treasured monsters have taken the field, let's see what you shall do about it!"
"I shall do plenty," Sonia said. "In fact, I plan to win this duel this turn, Gundham," Sonia told him.
"Hmph, if that's what you believe then make your move."
"A valiant effort, Gundham, but I am afraid this duel shall end with my victory,"
"I shall," Sonia said calmly. "I draw!" she declared, pulling the top card off of her deck. "I activate the spell card, Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 cards." Sonia drew the top two cards off of her deck. "Next, I switch magician of faith into attack position," She flipped her monster face-up. "This allows me to return Monster Reborn to my hand."
"A simple, but effective ploy. I suppose you plan to bring back Darklord Superbia from the graveyard and chain that to bringing back Darklord Edeh Arae?"
"You catch on quickly," Sonia said as both monsters appeared on the field.
"Then I am quite confused," Gundham said. "Did you not say you would win in this turn. I have 2200 life points and the maximum amount of damage you can perform with those monsters is a mere 1200. I shall survive our encounter long enough to mount a counterattack and a victory."
"Not if I do this," Sonia said. "I activate the spell card, Sword of Dark Destruction and give it to Darklord Superbia. Now it is even more powerful."
"And?" Gundham asked. "I will still survive by 600 life points."
"Not if I play this monster card: Darklord Amdusc!" Sonia declared, placing a purple, shadowy unicorn on the battlefield with 1800 attack points in place of Magician of Faith. "Now I have everything I need, to end this duel," she told Gundham.
However, Gundham Tanaka was not a man to simply roll over and accept defeat. Striking his signature pose with one hand having his fingers clutched like a claw, the other with two fingers extended, he declared while laughing, "Excellent! Most excellent! If that is your plan, then come at me, Dark Queen! Let us have one final clash and see if you can penetrate my defenses!"
"You must have a lot of faith in that trap card," Sonia said.
"You could say that," Gundham said, his smile not wavering.
"Well then, let us have a clash of wills. As you said before, I will meet you head on! Darklord Superbia, attack! Destroy Summoned Skull!"
"AND I PLAY MY FACE-DOWN CARD!" Gundham roared. "ACTIVATE BARK OF DARK RULER!"
The trap card flipped face-up.
"With this trap card, I can lower my life points in increments of 100 in order to lower the attack points of a monster attacking a fiend type monster I control. And I shall lower your Darklord Superbia's attack power from its deadly 3300 all the way down to 1300, enough to close this duel in my favor!"
"But to do that, you would have to sacrifice 2000 life points."
"It's well worth the cost, Dark Queen," Gundham said as his life points fell to 200. "And since your monster is already on the attack, you cannot take back your declaration! It's over!"
"Not while I have this!" Sonia exclaimed. "I activate the face-down card Fairy Wind! This trap card destroys every other spell and trap card on the field from my Sword of Dark Destruction to your Closed Forest!"
"But then…" Gundham stuttered.
"Yes, since I have already declared an attack my monster will be destroyed, and we will both lose life points, but since my trap card activated, your life points will fall as well."
Gundham looked most flabbergasted at first, only to regain his composure and flash a smile at Sonia. "Well played, Dark Queen. Together, we shall fall into hell."
Sonia's trap card brought Gundham's life points down to 0, reducing her own life points down to 600. Gundham's Summoned Skull then rained down a blast of lightning onto Superbia, destroying it and a bright flash of light cleared everything, taking Sonia's life points with it.
When the burning forest vanished and the duel disks deactivated, neither Gundham nor Sonia said a word. It was Gundham who broke the silence by chuckling, "Heh…" before it turned into full-blown laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Impressive! Most impressive! I did not think you would be so resourceful, Dark Queen! It seems we are evenly matched!"
"What do you want to do now?" Sonia asked. They had both wagered their spot in the finals to the other, only to prove that they were tied in skill.
Gundham looked pleased as punch. "Enough of this competitive folly," he said, grinning. "I say we team up and relieve these plebeians of their locator cards. We only need two more apiece, obtaining them should be simple enough."
Sonia smiled from ear to ear. "Oh, I most definitely agree." She placed a hand on her stomach. "But shall we get something to eat first?"
Gundham chuckled. "To dine with you, Dark Queen, would be a treat most delectable. I accept your invitation."
"Wonderful. Follow me!" Sonia said, walking past Gundham in the direction of a restaurant that had caught her eye earlier.
"Before our meal though, there is something I have for you," Gundham said, now back to looking his surly, malevolent self.
"Oh?" Sonia asked, turning to look at him.
Gundham reached into the sleeve of his coat and pulled out a card, handing it to Sonia.
"But…Gundham, I did not win. Why are you giving me a card?"
"It's one of my spoils of war that I do not need," Gundham said. "My opponent's deck ill-suited my tastes, but I saw this card," he pulled his scarf up around his nose to hide his blush, "And thought you might appreciate it."
Sonia looked at the card: Dunames Dark Witch, one of the most powerful low-ranked fairy-types in all of Duel Monsters. "I…can have this?"
"I was going to present it to you regardless of whether I won or lost," Gundham said. "I did not give it to you sooner because arming an opponent is a fool's errand. But, since we are no longer foes most foul, yes, you may have it."
Sonia graciously accepted the card from Gundham, "That was very thoughtful, Gundham. Thank you." Sonia looked troubled. "I only feel bad that I do not have a gift to reciprocate your thoughtfulness."
Gundham smirked, arms folded, "If it serves you well in battle, that shall be all the thanks I need."
"Nonsense!" Sonia declared, forcefully. "I must find a card worthy to repay you with. Before we proceed with our endeavors, after lunch, let us return to the school momentarily. I will grant you a card just as worthy of a gift as this one."
"That is not necess—"
"I insist," Sonia said calmly, but looking rather serious.
"Well…thank you," Gundham said, once again using his scarf to hide his blush. "Truly your compassion knows no bounds."
"Nope, it doesn't," Sonia laughed and smiled, taking the compliment. "Now come on, I saw this great restaurant earlier. I'm sure you'll love it."
Gundham chuckled. "If it is with you, Dark Queen, I shall dine even in the very pits of hell on stale bread. Lead the way."
"Of course," Sonia said and hummed to herself as she headed towards the restaurant, Gundham following behind, but not too closely behind.
San-D began chattering and pulled on Gundham's earlobe with her paw. "Yes, I know, I must be crazy indeed. Never before in my life have I met such a woman as Sonia Nevermind. But, she is a princess and I am a herald of the Underworld. It would never work."
In response, San-D chomped Gundham's finger through the bandages.
"Ouch," Gundham grunted. "All right, I'll give it one try, but on my terms," he responded. This seemed to please his hamster. And with that, the Four Dark Devas of Destruction returned to their sleeping spaces inside Gundham's coat. "Truly," he sighed, "I must be mad indeed." And with that, there was nothing but silence until he and Sonia reached their destination.
(A/N: Awwww, isn't that sweet? And so concludes the big build up from chapter 1 of Gundham Vs Sonia. Did it end how you expected? I bet not. Also, I don't care if Gundham should've technically lost by virtue of Fairy Wind activating and therefore the attack wouldn't finish. We're operating on the anime's logic. The anime would have let it go the way I dictated it so *thbbbt*. Anyway, next chapter is the last chapter I plan to do before taking a short break. And I think you will like what I have in store. It's not my favorite chapter out of this first batch, but it's the one I feel captures the spirit of the original franchise run out of all the duels you've seen thus far. Until then, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)