(A/N: What's up, folks? I have…no excuses for what took me so long to get to this as only part of it comes from the fact that this…isn't an exciting matchup. Real life has been hard and I haven't been in a very good writing mood—or had time—for the longest time. But, we're back! Let's get to it and have some fun! Leon vs Espa is a GO!)
Leon looked at his opening and then declared, "I draw!" Ripping the top card of his deck from the reader, Leon placed it in his hand gently. Then, gazing for only the briefest moments at his hand, Leon grabbed a card in his hand. "I summon to the field Forest Wolf!"
A drooling, slobbering wolf in old grandmother clothing appeared on the field in a bright light. It had 1800 attack points and 300 defense points. It stood up on its hind legs like it was testing out its latest kung fu pose.
"Next, I'll place one card face down on the field and end my turn!" Leon declared as the appropriate hologram appeared at his feet.
Espa chuckled to himself, placing his fingers against his temples. "I have already foretold your inevitable defeat." Espa turned his body and went for his deck. "See now for yourself, the very fringe of my psychic power! I draw!" Espa drew the top card of his deck and added it to his hand, slotted right in the middle.
"I summon to the field Jinzo number 7!" A weird, mechanical monster with an arm made entirely out of wires emerged on Espa's side of the field. It had 500 attack points and 400 defense points.
"Jinzo number 7! Attack Leon directly!"
"What? But how! I still have a monster on the field!" Leon declared.
"That doesn't matter to Jinzo number 7! He'll slip right past your forest wolf straight to your life points!"
Jinzo #7 did precisely that, bypassing the bemused Forest Wolf as electricity sparked through the long pole it carried as it struck Leon in the chest with it, knocking the poor kid over. His life points ticked down to 3,500.
"Next, I shall place two cards face down and end my turn!" Espa declared as he placed the cards in the appropriate slots, leading to the appropriate holograms. "Its your move, Leon! But I already know what it will be!"
"We'll see about that!" Leon exclaimed. "I draw!" Leon pulled the top card of his deck to his hand. I should try to do something about the cards Espa has face-down first, he told himself. "I activate the power of Godmother's Grace! This spell card will return all the cards you've placed face-down back to your hand!"
Espa started snickering and then threw his head back and cackled.
"What's so funny?" Leon asked.
"You are," Espa said. "You fell right into my trap. Activate Mystic Space Typhoon!"
Espa's face-down card was revealed to be a good old fashioned removal spell that blew up Leon's spell card.
"Careless, Leon," Espa said with a confident smirk. "Is this the best a junior German professional can muster? And for the record, your next plan won't work to gain you an advantage this turn either."
"We'll see about that!" Leon shouted. He looked at the remaining 4 cards in his hand. I shouldn't underestimate what Espa says about his psychic powers. There's a lot of ambiguity these days about whether or not they're real or just a façade. In that case… "I summon Cinderella to the field, in attack mode!"
The pleasant princess of the old fairytale emerged with her petite 300 attack points and 600 defense points. "Then, thanks to that, I can now special summon Pumpkin Carriage in defense mode! And then I equip glass slippers to Cinderella!" Leon shouted. "This will allow her to attack your life points directly. But first, Forest Wolf, attack Jinzo number 7!"
"What did I tell you earlier?" Espa asked, rudely pointing his index finger at Leon. "Your next plan was going to fail miserably! I activate Mirror Force!"
"Ah! So soon?" Leon gasped. He hadn't expected a card like Mirror Force to be involved in the duel this early.
"Mirror Force now wipes out all of your attack position monsters from Forest Wolf to Cinderella!" The prismatic light of mirror force burst forth as Forest Wolf collided with the shield and then proceeded to destroy him and Cinderella.
Espa laughed, arms folded, practically giddy. "Did you honestly think you could outsmart me?" Espa asked. "I am the man that sees all and knows all! I am the psychic prophet incarnate!"
Someone's taking after Gundham, Tristan thought.
Leon dejectedly looked at his remaining three cards in hand. He then spotted Monster Reborn. No. This would be enough.
"It's my draw!" Espa declared. "I sacrifice Jinzo number 7 in order to play the original Jinzo!"
With an emergence from a burst of light and a cloud of smoke, the tall, green garbed, cybernetic monstrosity that was Jinzo emerged on the battlefield in all his 2,400 attack point and 1,500 defense point glory.
"It's a shame I will not be taking a piece of your life points this turn, but that is no matter as I will rid the field of your final monster!" Espa pointed his index finger at Leon, forming his other hand into a fist. "Jinzo! Destroy Pumpkin Carriage! Cyber Blast!"
A psychokinetic wave was unleashed from Jinzo's cranium and focused through his hands, destroying the carriage into pieces of light on contact. "And that will be my turn," Espa said with a calm smirk, arms folded once more. "What a pity, Leon Wilson. With Jinzo on the field, all of your trap cards are now useless. How do you intend to defeat me now?"
Leon smiled. "Easily. I already have everything I need to overcome Jinzo," he stated.
"What? You lie!" Espa shouted.
"Then witness it yourself!" Leon shouted. He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate Monster Reborn, bringing Cinderella back to the field! And since Cinderella has returned, that also means I can bring back Pumpkin Carriage and Glass Slippers from my graveyard!"
Both cards returned to Leon's side of the field.
"Don't tell me…a combo?" Espa gasped.
"Sort of," Leon said. "Jinzo might be powerful but he has one big blind spot: Spell cards! Now! Reveal face-down card: Legend of the Midnight Flare!"
Leon's face-down card was revealed to be the very same spell card he'd used to defeat Raphael as a wild blaze engulfed the field and wrapped Cinderella in a cocoon of flame.
Espa closed one eye and put his hand up to his forehead. "Such flames…such brightness. Confound it! I can't see!"
A blast of heat blew towards Espa on either side of him, forcing him to raise his arms.
"When the conditions are met, a story evolves beyond a fairy tale and a legend regains its true power!" Leon shouted. "Come forth, my faithless minion! Behold! Ashley, the Dreamless!"
The same spellcaster in a red dress with gray hair appeared on Leon's side of the field, lazily holding a blade of intense heat and made of magma. As before, she had 2,500 attack points and 2,000 defense points.
"I do have to give up 1,000 life points just to summon her," Leon said as his life points dropped to 2,500. "But it's a small price to pay to make use of Ashley's vengeful power. For every card destroyed except Cinderella herself, Ashley gains 1,000 attack points, bringing her up to 4,500 currently."
The deathly glare in Ashley's left eye lit aflame as her power climbed to 4,500. The blaze around her sword glowed brighter.
"Such power! Oh no! Jinzo's defenseless!" Espa exclaimed, panicking.
"Ashley! Destroy Jinzo! Vengeful Flaming Sword Slash!"
With a single cut of her fiery sword, Ashley cut down Espa's most iconic monster, dropping his life points below Leon's. He now only had 1,900 life points in total.
"What do you have to say to that, Espa? Still think a junior German champion isn't enough for you?"
Espa chuckled. "No. I take back what I said, Leon. But! I was only using twenty percent of my true power!" Espa exclaimed, spreading his arms open as if inviting Leon to bring his best, right palm open. "The real battle begins now!"
"I couldn't agree more!" Leon shouted and looked at the cards he still had in hand. "I'll set one more card face-down and end my turn." As the face-down hologram appeared, Leon noted that he only had 2 cards left in his hand.
"Very well," Espa said, gazing at Leon competitively. "I draw!"
With only four cards in his hand, Espa certainly had options. However, piecing together a strategy to counteract a 4,500-point beat stick with a penchant for vengeance and setting things on fire was quite the hurdle.
Ah, but perhaps I can turn Ashley's own enormous power against her. "I summon to the field Reflect Bounder!" Espa shouted as a monster with a red cape, red hands, its front made up of several mirrors and appeared to be floating on a blue spinning top appeared on Espa's side of the battlefield. It had 1,700 attack points and 1,000 defense points. "My monster may have pitiful attack points compared to yours," Espa admitted, "But if your monster so much as lays a scratch on Reflect bounder, you would lose the duel before he was destroyed due to your monster's own power being turned against it!"
Leon bit his thumbnail nervously. "Gotta admit, that's a pretty good move."
"As I said before, your fate was foreseen when the stars aligned the night before. My ability to predict and adapt to your movements will see my inevitable victory come to fruition!" Espa declared. "And just to ensure my victory even more, I'll also add a face-down card to the battlefield and end my turn!"
"Very well," Leon said. "I draw!" Leon looked at the card he drew. Yup. This would work. "I activate the spell card Late for Tea Time!" The card artwork of the spell card showcased a blonde being dragged to a tea table by a man in a funny hat. "This spell card allows me to banish one of my own monsters from the field."
"One of your own monsters?" Espa thought this a rather odd choice of tactic.
"That's right, but Ashley will be back eventually!"
In a puff of pink smoke, Ashley was pulled by a cartoonish hand into the artwork of the card as a clock took its place. By the positions of the hands, the time was 4 o' clock.
"Tea time takes a while but once its over, Ashley will return to the field fully refreshed," Leon said.
"Fool! You've removed your best monster from the field!" Espa shouted.
"Only temporarily and, in its place, I may summon a new monster! So, I choose Snow White!"
A gallant young lady in a dark blue and yellow dress appeared on Leon's side of the field. She had 900 attack points and 400 defense points.
"And next, I activate this spell card! Tomb of Ice!"
A coffin made entirely of ice appeared on the battlefield.
"This equip-type spell card can attach itself to any monster on my field and I choose Snow White!"
The coffin's lid opened and slipped underneath Snow White as she turned pale as a sheet before being laid down by the lid and being sealed inside.
"First Snow White changes to defense mode." Snow White's low 400 defense points were now the target of any monster trying to attack her. "Next, she gains 2,000 defense points."
Snow White's entombed defense points climbed until they equaled 2,400.
"That'll end my turn," Leon said, now having no cards in hand.
"Stalling for time won't get you anywhere!" Espa shouted. "I'll break your ice tomb with ease! I draw!" Espa looked at the three cards he now had in his hand. He gazed at the face-down card he'd played. Not yet, he thought. "I'll start by summoning to the field Dimension Fortress Weapon!" Espa declared.
A strange machine that looked like what would happen if a boiler was stuck on top of tank treads and given an orangey yellow coat of paint appeared on Espa's side of the battlefield. It had 1,700 attack points and 200 defense points.
"And next I'll activate this spell card: Safety Cut!" The card artwork depicted a similar clock in the more well-known card Limiter Removal being taken out of a machine monster's chest…forcibly…with a scientist's bare hands.
"What's that do?" Leon asked.
"Safety Cut is a more…manageable version of its predecessor Limiter Removal. Instead of doubling all monster's attack and being forced to destroy it at end of turn, I'm able to double one monster's attack."
"Ohhhh, I see. That's a very useful card," Leon said, only to realize where this was going. "Wait."
"I said, didn't I?" Espa declared. "I would crush your ice coffin and leave your field wide open!" Now then, Dimension Fortress Weapon, attack and destroy Snow White inside her Tomb of Ice!"
Dimension Fortress weapon blew steam out of the some stacks atop its shoulders and charged forward towards Snow White's tomb of ice. With a powerful punch backed by flaring blue lights on its elbow, the ice coffin was shattered into a thousand pieces as thick smog covered the field.
"There, now that your only means of defense has been destroyed, this duel is almost…huh?"
Espa could see a figure in the smoke, a woman. "But…how? I destroyed your coffin. That's impossible!"
However, the answer was made plainly obvious: Leon's face-down card.
The card depicted a woman in a silver dress with silver hair tied into a ponytail emerging from what appeared to be Ice Coffin.
"Have you forgotten so soon Espa? I'm all about restoring legends to their rightful power! And you triggered the exact conditions to Snow White. If I control the spell card: Emergence From Eternal Slumber while Snow White is equipped with Ice Coffin and Snow White would be destroyed, this card activates! Now, say hello to Snow Silver, Defender of the Realm!"
A rapier cut through the smog, revealing a warrioress in a silver dress and silver boots. She had 2,250 attack points and 1,200 defense points.
With only one card in hand and only one card face-down, Espa was in a bind. Reflect Bounder didn't stand a chance against this new foe.
"Looks like your prophecy came up short," Leon pointed out. "Better luck next time."
"Grrrr," Espa growled. "How did I fall for such an obvious trap?" He clenched his fist and gnashed his teeth before reluctantly saying. "I end my turn!" And then, in an instant Dimensional Fortress Weapon exploded, leaving Espa with only Reflect Bounder and a single face-down card.
"All right then, I draw!" Leon shouted. He looked at the card in his hand as the clock for Late for Tea Time ticked to 5 o' clock. "And now, I attack with Snow Silver! Destroy Reflect Bounder!"
Espa cackled. "Have you lost it, you fool? You'll lose the duel!"
Leon didn't seem to be joking and his steely expression suggested he knew what he was doing.
Upon hearing his command, Snow Silver held up her rapier and spun the equivalent of a revolver chamber that rested inside the guard of her rapier. Then, with a speedy, powerful thrust, cracked the mirror of Reflect Bounder and penetrated all the way through, leaving a blast of icy wind in her wake. The monster frosted over and was instantly destroyed.
Espa's life points paid the price, leaving him with 1,350. "That's…impossible."
"Snow Silver has learned a lot from her time spent in cryogenic sleep. To defend the realm, she carries a legendary blade, allowing her to tap into fantastical energy, making her immune to monster effects, spells and trap cards activated from the moment she declares an attack until the battle between her and the target monster is destroyed. Guess you won't be using Reflect Bounder to win this duel now, hmm?"
Espa took a step back. He had to admit, Leon got him good on that one. And he still had no idea when Ashley would make her return.
"I'll end my turn," Leon stated.
"Very well, I draw!" Espa declared. With only two cards in hand and a face-down card to help him out, he needed a way out of this bad situation and fast.
Espa scanned his hand for answers. He then noticed Jinzo – Lord and another monster in his hand. "Ah! Of course!" I summon to the field Jinzo – Jector!" A purple skinned, black clothed Jinzo monster with cables for hair appeared on the battlefield. It had 800 attack points and 2,000 defense points.
"Huh? Why did you play that in attack mode?" Leon asked.
"Because, with the power of the cosmos at my beck and call, I can tribute Jinzo – Jector's power to summon the mighty Jinzo – Lord!"
Jector disappeared and, in its place, came a bout a 3-eyed Jinzo clad in blue and white clothing with yellow, spiked bracelets. "Behold the epitome of cybernetics!" Espa shouted.
Jinzo – Lord had 2,600 attack points and 1,600 defense points. More than enough to destroy Snow Silver.
"And that's not all, with the last card in my hand, I equip Jinzo – Lord with Amplifier! This equip spell card increases Jinzo's power by 500 points and, during each of my turns, increases it an additional 300 for limitless potential!"
The brain-casing like helmet attached to Jinzo – Lord and increased the mighty monster's power all the way up to 3,100.
Leon gulped. This was going to sting.
"Jinzo! Attack Snow Silver and wipe her out! Neo Cyber Blast!"
Jinzo – Lord focused a green laser through the cybernetic eyes on its face and then magnified it through a psychokinetic field in between his hands and obliterated Snow Silver with a powerful energy blast. The residual green laser blew Leon off his feet and knocked him to the ground. His life points ticked down from 2,500 to 1,650. Leon still had a marginal lead, but Espa now clearly had the board state advantage.
"It's your move, Leon," Espa said. "But I predict you will not be able to stop me any time soon. No! More than that! With the power of Jinzo – Lord! I shall win the duel!"
"We'll see about that!" Leon declared. "I draw!"
The clock on Late for Tea Time clicked to 6 o' clock.
Just a bit more time, Leon thought. With two cards in hand a terrifying monster that could wipe him out with a direct attack, Leon could feel his back up against the wall. Is this…is this what Yugi feels a lot of the time? Espa is…so powerful, but…I don't want to lose. There has to be something I can do still!
Leon looked at his hand. He swallowed. I'm going to leave myself wide open to an attack, but…if I can just survive until next turn…
"I activate the spell card Spinning Wheel Spindle!" Leon said revealing a threaded spindle imposed over a spinning wheel. "This allows me to destroy one monster you control, but only the condition that the monster returns to the field in attack mode after three turns have passed. This does, however, mean though, that you will lose access to your Amplifier.
"No! You can't!" Espa exclaimed.
"Too bad! I'm about to! Go, Spinning Wheel Spindle!" The threaded piece of pointed metal flew across the field and jabbed Jinzo – Lord right in the chest, destroying it.
"And now, I'll summon to the field Little Red Riding Hood!"
A cutesy girl carrying a basket full of bread appeared on Leon's side of the field. She had 800 attack points and 1200 defense points.
"And now, Little Red Riding Hood attacks your life points directly."
With a happy smile, Little Red trotted over to Espa and then whacked him over the head with a loaf of bread.
Rubbing his sore head in mild annoyance, Espa's life points fell from 1,350 to 550.
"That's my turn. I have no cards in hand," Leon stated.
"Then it's my turn!" Espa shouted. "I draw!" He was more than pleased with the card he drew off of the top of his deck. "I summon to the field Jinzo Number 3!" The red uniformed Jinzo appeared on the battlefield, its 1900 attack points offset by its pathetic 500 defense points.
"Jinzo number three! Destroy Red Riding Hood now! Augmented Cyber Blast!" With energy emitting from its palm, Jinzo number three unleashed a blast wave that completely annihilated Red Riding Hood, bringing Leon's life points even with Espa Roba's: 550.
"Man, you ever see a duel this even at this level?" Tristan asked.
"No, not since Battle City I don't think," Téa said.
"It really does seem like anyone could win," Serenity said, "But it all hinges on Espa's face-down card."
Yugi's grandpa nodded. "I agree. It's still possible for either of those two young boys to win the duel."
On the arena, Leon said with gusto, "Since Red Riding Hood was destroyed, I can summon any level 4 or lower warrior monster from my deck! And I choose Iron Hans!"
A bearded man with 1,200 attack points and 700 defense points appeared on Leon's side of the field.
"And that's not all, since Iron Hans was summoned to the field, I can special summon an Iron Knight monster from my deck!"
An armored knight riding a horse appeared on Leon's side of the field. It had 1,700 attack points and 700 defense points.
"Fortunately for you, Iron Knight loses 1000 attack points while Iron Hans is on the field."
"I don't see what this is going to gain you," Leon said. "Neither of your monsters can defeat Jinzo number three."
"Perhaps, but I don't intend to leave these monsters on the field for long," Leon pointed.
Espa gasped. "No. You don't mean!"
"I do," Leon said. "And it's my move! I draw!"
As soon as Leon placed the top card of his deck in his hand, the clock for Late for Tea Time finally ticked to 7 o' clock. The clock began ringing like an alarm going off.
"Tea time is over. And now, Ashley the Dreamless returns to the field now!"
The clock exploded as Ashley returned to the field, her eyes renewed with sturdy vigor. Her 2,500 attack points and 2,000 defense points spelled doom for Espa.
"And since Ashley the Dreamless has appeared on the field, I must destroy all other cards I control!"
Ashley raised her magma-encrusted sword to the sky and incinerated her own allies, powering herself up to a devastating 4,500 points.
"This duel is over!" Leon shouted. "Ashley! Finish Espa Roba off! Use your Firestorm Meltdown spell!"
Gathering flaming energy in her fist, Ashley sent a tremendous blaze barreling towards Espa's monster at high speeds.
"Sorry, but that's not how this duel ends! I activate my trap: Pulse Mines!"
Espa Roba revealed his trap card, showcasing a bunch of clear, electrically charged mines.
"When this trap card is activated, all of my opponent's monsters are immediately switched to defense position. In doing so, I cancel your declaration of attack!"
A powerful electrical blast ripped through the battlefield, forcing Ashley to drop to her knees in pain. Her 2,000 defense points were now the only thing separating Leon from a crushing defeat.
Leon looked at his hand.
"Oh, I should mention that any monster you summon until the end of this turn will be forced into defense position the moment you summon them."
"I…I see," Leon said. He looked at the cards in his hand. He had two.
"I'll set one card face-down," He said. "And then I'll set a monster face-down in defense mode. That ends my turn."
"Great duel, huh pal?" Yugi asked Yami.
"Yes, I am inclined to agree," Yami acknowledged. "It's good to see a duel without a grudge this exciting every once in a while."
Acknowledging the end of Leon's turn, Espa Roba, moved for his deck. "Very well, it's my turn and I shall draw!" Espa declared, pulling the top card of his deck to his hand. Leon has two monsters on his side of the field. I can only destroy one and Ashley is the much greater threat here given her attack points. He looked at the two monster cards he had in his hand. I must deal with her immediately. "I summon to the field Machine King! In attack mode!" Espa declared. The iconic blue headed and red armed robot emerged onto the battlefield.
Machine King's iconic 2,200 attack points stormed the field, ticking upward to 2,300 due to its own ability.
"Now! Machine King! Destroy Ashley the Dreamless once and for all!" Espa shouted. "Rocket Punch!"
Machine King's arm was discharged from its socket and slammed into Ashley, knocking her over and destroying her outright.
"That'll bring my turn to an end."
Leon began to sweat.
"What's the matter, Leon? You're not looking well? Have you realized the truth? Your fate was foretold by the cosmos! It's over! You may have subverted my prophecy by destroying Jinzo – Lord, but on my next turn, he'll return and your life points will be history! Savor your last turn, Leon Wilson! Even if you somehow overcame Machine King, you would lose to the might of Jinzo – Lord returning to the field!"
Leon sweated profusely as he went for the top card of his deck. However, he ultimately hesitated and dropped to his knees. There's only one card in my deck that can save me…if I don't draw it now.
Concerned about a duelist throwing the match due to their lack of confidence, Yami stood up and bellowed. "Leon!"
Leon looked up at his idol, the light of the sun hurting his eyes and casting a slight shadow at the Pharaoh's 10 o' clock.
"No duelist like you should be as desperately pained as you are now." Yami told him. He then smiled. "You are dueling fantastically and I can tell your deck is made with love and adoration for your cards. If you trust in your deck and trust in yourself, you will be able to finish this duel with no regrets whether you win or whether you lose."
Leon smiled as he lowered his head a bit. "Yeah, you're right, Yugi." He slowly got to his feet. "Win or lose, Espa Roba, I'm not giving up. Whether my fairy tale ends in tragedy or happily ever after, all I can say is that I saw it completely to its conclusion! I draw!"
Espa and Leon's hearts beat steadily, but rapidly, both wondering if this would be the turn that decided the duel or a fizzle that would make Leon a laughing stock until he was old enough to pay mortgage.
Leon looked at the card in his hand. This is…
"Well, how about it, Leon? Are you still able to duel?" Espa wondered, only to put his index and forefingers to his temples. "Or has my overwhelming psychic brilliance seen to your demise!"
"Well, you were right about one thing Espa," Leon said. "This duel is over this turn! Here I go! First! I activate the spell card Glass Rose!"
A rose statue made of glass stood upon the field, emerging from the spell card's artwork. "Then, I reveal my face-down monster: Black Jaguar Lady!"
A hulking, monstrosity of a Beast-Warrior was revealed with its thick fur, hulking muscles and proportionately sized chest with frizzy hair, torn clothes and a club big enough to be the trunk of a small tree. This creature had 1,700 attack points and 1,700 defense points.
"Black Jaguar Lady can't be summoned, only set because she's ashamed of her appearance. But, with this face-down card, I can fix all of that! Behold!"
Leon's face-down card appeared to be a quick play spell with some kind of vanity mirror and Black Jaguar Lady blinded by its light. "This spell card is called Beautification Mirror! It can only be played when Black Jaguar Lady is turned face-up while the Continuous Spell Glass Rose is in active! Behold the monster that will end this duel as Glass Rose and Beautification Mirror's light transforms Black Jaguar Lady!"
A shining light engulfed Black Jaguar Lady as she was enveloped by the light. What emerged could only be summarized in one word: Cute.
Out strutted a tall, slender, long haired, cat girl in tight white pants and an equally tight black shirt. She sauntered out of the light, holding a black chain in both her hands. On one end of the chain was a weighted spiked ball. On the other end was a sickle. She twirled the sickle end quickly, turning it into a black blur, almost like a buzz saw.
She had only 2,000 attack points and now just 1,200 defense points.
Espa laughed. "How do you expect to defeat me with that a monster that weak? All that effort to increase your monster's attack power by only 300 attack and a significant drop to its defense points?"
"It was worth the effort," Leon stated. "This is the power of Belrose, the Beautiful Beast Princess! As long as a monster isn't being targeted by her special ability, I'm free to use it. So, I currently use her special chain weapon to ensnare Machine King!"
Belrose did precisely that, latching onto Machine King with the sickle end as it pierced his chest.
"Ah! Machine King!" Espa cried out in concern. The ability dropped Machine King's attack points by 700, leaving it with only 1,600.
"And there's more," Leon said. "Whenever Belrose attacks a monster affected by her special ability, she gains an extra 500 attack points until the end of the battle."
"But…that would…"
Espa saw Belrose's attack power increase to 2,500 as she began twirling the other end of her chain. That spiked ball now looked like a harrowing weapon of deadly precision.
"No! This can't be! My power has amplified since my loss in Battle City! How…how could I lose?"
"Simple, Espa," Leon said. "Because your psychic power is nothing compared to the power of magic and fairy tales! Belrose!" Leon said as his monster yanked on the chain that was tied around Machine King, causing the monster to fly towards her. "Finish this duel!"
WHOOSH!
The spiked ball end of Belrose's weapon flew through the air and smashed in the yanked forward Machine King's face. Machine king exploded into hard light fragments on contact with the ground, leaving a dejected Espa to take 900 points of damage, leaving his remaining total with 0.
"But…I was…going to win the duel."
"Leon! Leon! Leon! Leon!"
"Wilson! Wilson! Wilson! Wilson!"
Leon waved to the crowd cheering for him at his victory with a radiant smile.
"Espa, do not feel ashamed of your performance," Yami told him. "It was the heart of the cards alone that guided Leon to victory. Had he not prevailed, you would've most assuredly defeated him on your turn."
Espa quickly regained his composure sighing contently. "If the King of Games himself is going out of his way to encourage me, I suppose I'll take it graciously." Espa looked up at the chibi Leon on the big screen flapping its arms up and down in celebration. He smiled and then realized what was to come for Leon.
"Leon," He said, approaching his opponent.
"Yeah, Espa?"
"You may have defeated me, but your next opponent is one of the most powerful duelists I have ever faced. His power makes mine look positively pathetic by comparison. Hajime Hinata."
Leon put his thumb and forefinger to his chin. "Right, Hope's Peak's Ultimate Duelist."
"You cannot afford to let your composure crack as it did with our duel, for you will almost assuredly lose if you do. Duel him with everything you have and then some."
Leon nodded. "Sage advice. I think I'll take it."
Espa nodded. "Well then, I hope my brothers have saved me a seat in the audience. I shall cheer for those I find myself acquainted with. May fate guide you towards the happy fairy tale you seek, Leon."
Leon smiled. "Thanks Espa. I hope things go well for you too in your future."
"Hope, huh? I feel a lot of people need that these days," Espa stated and then hopped off the stage.
Up in the stands, to answer Junko's question, Mukuro texted one number to her: 8.
Leon's return to the break room alarmed Hajime and Gundham. "Espa lost?"
"Hmmm, an enigma to be sure," Gundham said, noting this. "A foul ethereal leak in the cosmos must be responsible for this. You are to do battle against this harbinger of mystery yourself, are you not, Singularity?"
"Yeah, I'm next," Hajime said. He then looked a bit concerned. "Beating a German champion could really bolster my reputation and my faith in my talent, but still…"
"What ailment strikes you most foul?" Gundham inquired.
"Hope's Peak is only concerned with Japanese students, with very few exceptions," Hajime pointed out. "German duelists could be on a completely different scale one to one."
"Heh, it is true that the summoning spells of our academy of knowledge do not pierce beyond the grandiose of the ocean's waters. However, I would not sell your abilities short." Gundham chuckled. "You who have slain gods and even wielded godly power yourself should not be so quick to consider yourself defeated before you've even drawn your sword."
"Yeah, I suppose that's true. Still, being in this break room makes me nervous. I don't even know what kind of deck Leon's running and it's against the rules to find out."
"Such fog of war is necessary to determine the best of the best," Gundham stated. "Fear not. There are very few among us here that can even hope to challenge your power, let alone match it. I am most confident that the Harbinger of Mystery is not one of them."
With the duel completed, Joey, who was scarfing down a hot dog in the presence of Mai and Celeste, looked at the former. "Guess you're up, eh, Mai?"
"Sure seems that way. I'll be sure to win this and see you in the quarterfinals for our rematch, Joey."
"I'm looking forward to it," Joey said with a competitive gaze.
"Yes, only to lose to me when the time calls for it," Celeste said with a chuckle.
"Don't be so sure, Celeste. I improve with every defeat and keep on learning. This won't go down like how it did in Canada."
Celeste smiled ear to ear, but her smile was anything but reassuring. "If that were not the case, dueling you would be a waste of my time. Having said that…given the way the brackets are oriented, I doubt you and I will have a chance to duel."
"Hey! Don't count me out!" Joey exclaimed.
"I'll be completely honest with you," Celeste said, fiddling with a lock of her ringlet. "It will be nothing short of a miracle if the finalists are you and me. I am almost assuredly going to fight my way up my side of the bracket. Quite honestly, the only duelist in my way is Chiaki Nanami, a fearsome foe to be sure, but you have a menagerie of difficult opponents. However," Celeste covered her mouth and chuckled. "Should you somehow manage to conquer them all, I will definitely be most pleased."
"And what if the finals should come down to the two of us, Celeste?" Mai inquired.
Very callously, Celeste said, "It would bore me to tears to face such an unworthy opponent in the final match of such a grand tournament."
"Why you no good, prissy—"
Before Mai could throttle Celeste, an announcement came over the speakers. "Mai Valentine and Chisa Yukizome, please report to the arena now!"
Mai scrunched up her face and glared at Celeste. "We'll finish this later," she said and stormed away.
"Don't forget to reapply your makeup," Celeste chuckled. "The sun can really show your age if you're not careful."
Mai's eyes twitched as her veins formed a plus along the top left side of her forehead in pure anger. Oh, Celestia Ludenburg would rue the day she made a habit of making a point of Mai's age.
"Show no mercy, Mai!" Joey shouted, hands by his mouth. "You come back here no matter what it's gonna cost you! I'm not gonna settle for anything less!"
Joey's encouragement on the other hand, filled my with intense vigor as she balled a fist. She looked to her left where Yukizome was now matching her pace. A sweet smile was on the housekeeper's lips, but she said nothing to the blonde.
Chisa Yukizome, Mai thought. She'd seen Yukizome's skills to an extent during the grandiose battle with Dartz not that long ago, but she hadn't actually seen Yukizome duel. If the Hope's Peak alumnus made it this far, clearly she was no pushover. Underestimating Yukizome was simply not an option, a rematch with Joey hung in front of Mai's nose like steak on a string in front of a starving wolf.
As the two women emerged from the break room, Ibuki shrieked in joy. "AWWWW YEAH! MAI VS SENSEI! BATTLE OF THE BEST GIRLS!"
"You can do it, big sis!" Hiyoko cheered. "Kick that leather bound blonde's butt!"
"WE BELIEVE IN YOU MISS YUKIZOME!" Nekomaru bellowed.
Yeahs and Woohoos echoed from class 77-B in support for their teacher. She smiled and waved at them with brim and cheer.
Yugi's friends on the other hand, were singing a different metaphorical tune.
"Let's go, Mai!" Téa shouted, leaping to her feet. If there was any duelist besides Joey that Téa was going to show full support for, it was the woman she looked up to like a big sister.
"You can do it, Mai!" Serenity cheered, using similar hand gestures Joey had to encourage her.
"Atta girl, Mai! You got this!" Tristan shouted. "Show this teacher what real dueling's all about!"
You guys, Mai said, lowering her head, smiling, trying not to get choked up. She'd had people cheer for her in duels gone past, but it was never this personalized, especially when another crowd favorite stood across from her.
"Feels good to have friends, huh?" Yukizome asked politely, as if guessing what was on Mai's mind.
Mai smirked. "You can say that again. Sounds like your cheering section is all lined up too," Mai said jerking a thumb behind her head at a poster that read "We LOVE Miss Yukizome" except "LOVE" was represented by a heart.
Yukizome laughed. "It's a bit embarrassing, honestly. Still, who would've thought you and I would duel one day, especially after all that business with the Orichalcos."
"Oh, I figured it might happen one day," Mai said. "Just not this soon. Don't go getting a big head now just because you beat Dartz one on one."
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of that. You might be the more experienced duelist, but I'll make up for that with guts!" Yukizome smacked her fist so hard into her chest, she doubled over. "C-could I get some water?"
After polishing off a graciously offered water bottle by the tournament staff, Yukizome stuck the plastic liquid container in her apron to recycle later. "Sorry about that, must've got a bit overzealous."
"It's fine," Mai said, chuckling a little. "Don't use your little self-inflicted injury as an excuse when you lose."
"Oh trust me, I never make excuses for anything," Yukizome said raising her left arm and activating her duel disk. "And I'm not about to go easy on a clearly tough opponent."
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Mai said, activating her duel disk in kind.
Mai and Yukizome stared each other down as the auto selector flipped back and forth to determine who would be selected to go first for this next duel. Ultimately, it was decided Mai would go first.
With her back to the break room and to the sun, she gave Yukizome her toughest look. The former Ultimate Housekeeper would not intimidate this tamer of flying beasts.
Both duelists acquired 4,000 life points. They each drew a hand of five cards and then declared loudly in unison, "Let's Duel!"
The third match of the second round of the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix was about to begin.
(A/N: Espa Roba eliminated! And Yay! Now I can focus on more interesting characters/duels. With Mai and Yukizome up next and Gundham vs Joey on the horizon. Celeste vs Rebecca will then precede Nagito vs Makoto with an exciting follow up being Byakuya vs Chiaki and rounding out with Zigfried vs Junko. Round 2 definitely now has a hype factor with the more annoying duel cleared away. I'm hoping to be more active in my writing unlike this past year and I truly do apologize for that. But, until next time, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic! Ja ne!)