Yu-Gi-Oh! Reda

by Anti-Mattering

Yu-Gi-Oh! Reda is an alternate universe story set within the Yu-Gi-Oh! metaseries about 12 year old Takano Yumi's climb to the top as a professional duelist. Many challenges await her on the road to victory, with many unexpected consequences to her actions. What's the real price of being the best?

3. Turn 3

Yumi begins her training under Sakuya to master Xyz Monsters. However, an opponent from Sakuya's past makes an appearance demanding another shot at her. Roped into being his opponent, Yumi has to fight him in her place, but is she ready for someone who's been training all this time to defeat her friend?

---

Yumi pumped the handbrake on her bike, skidding to a stop along the sidewalk. She placed it against the hillside as normal and rolled down to join the other children who'd come to visit the park today. In the middle was Sakuya, seemingly saying something important. "You're late," she said to her in response to a friendly wave.

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't know I had to be here at a certain time." She was honestly unaware, but figured it was probably just for show.

"It doesn't matter," Sakuya said, cutting off any further excuses. "As I was telling the rabble, today marks the day you officially become my apprentice, per our agreement. As the only one in this town who's ever come close to defeating me, you're almost worthy of my tutelage."

Yumi's face lit up as she bounced up and down. "I won't let you down!" Even with the facade the other girl insisted on them playing, it was still more than pleasant to be taught by her friend. Outside of the pro leagues, the surly twelve year old was the best duelist she'd ever seen. They'd get to spend a lot ore time alone, too, which meant they could talk like they normally do without pretending for other people.

"We'll see about that. I have some private instruction planned, so take these and prepare yourself for my training. It won't be pleasant." She held out two cards, which Yumi grabbed and looked over. They were Xyz just like she promised. One Rank 3 and Rank 4 to start with. "No one disturb us. We have a lot of work to do."

They walked to the other end of the park where less people (duelists, at least) had established themselves. "Thanks for letting me borrow these," Yumi said, still gazing at the cards like some kind of treasure.

"You can have them if you want. I'm not really big on Xyz, anyway. I'll try to get you some more later on, too."

"I can't take cards fro you! That's not fair!" Yumi stomped her foot indignantly. She'd already been given a Mirror Force the other day. Anything else would just be too much.

Sakuya smiled her natural, kind smile, feeling safe to do so now that they were out of sight from anyone who would see it as suspicious. "I'll let you return them if you can beat me today. That sounds fair to me."

"Is not!" Yumi protested. "You're too good! I'll never beat you until I get a lot stronger."

"Already planning my downfall from the sound of that." She smirked. "Maybe it was a mistake to make you my student if you're just going to stab me in the back."

"Stop realizing your mistakes and let me get good enough to beat you already!" They began the training after that, Sakuya coaching her on the proper form for Xyz Summoning and how to perform it on her duel disk, as well as drilling her on different situations to use them and setting her up to bring them out in a series of test duels.

"You're a pretty quick learner," Sakuya said after about half an hour of practice. "You've got the basics down and you're starting to understand your cards' potentials. I might even be a little impressed."

"Does that mean I can sleep over at your house next time?" She was really wanting to see what a rich person's home looked like. Still wasn't entirely convinced there wouldn't be horses.

Sakuya frowned with a short sigh. "I told you I'm not allowed to have friends over. I don't think you'll be able to come to my house anytime soon. Sorry."

"Fine," Yumi conceded with a pout. "Is your dad really strict, or something?"

"You could say that, I guess." Yumi was beginning to realize her mistake in pressing the issue. Sakuya was getting more and more upset the longer they stayed on the topic. Home life seemed to be a difficult subject for her, and it was making her feel like kind of an awful person for continually bothering her about it.

"It's okay. You can just come over to my house again. I'll get grandma to make us takoyaki this time. You like it, right?"

"A lot, actually. How did you know that?"

Yumi laughed. "I didn't. I just really like eating octopus." She turned away slightly with a far off look, imagining the countless cephalopods she'd eaten over her lifetime. It's what they deserved.

Before they could continue their discussion on how best to destroy those terrifying abominations and turn them into food, another person approached the two. He was an older teenager of about high school age with an angry look in his eyes and a comb running through his black, greased pompadour. "Ishikawa!" he declared with an accusatory point towards the girl, gruff indignation in his voice. "I challenge you to a rematch!" A red duel disk was already present on his left arm.

"Who's the weird guy?" Yumi whispered in total confusion.

"I'm not a weird guy!" he complained, legitimately hurt by the benign assessment of a stranger several years younger than him.

"We're sorry," one of Sakuya's two lackeys said as they ran up behind him. "We couldn't stop him. He just kept yelling about revenge and his hair."

She sighed, holding the bridge of her nose. There was definitely no stranger to this person or his attitude. "I guess it can't be helped. Leave us while I settle things."

Yumi began to hop up and down in frustration. "Is anyone going to tell me who he is or not?"

The intruder chuckled, dramatically running the comb through his hair once more and sticking his arm out like a Kabuki actor. "My name is-"

"Kazuhiko Mitsuru," Sakuya interrupted, sighing through it like it was of little importance. "A second rate duelist I beat years ago when I first established myself as the strongest in Chiba."

"What?" he exclaimed. "How can you call me second rate after the duel I gave you? We were neck and neck the whole way!"

She turned up her nose at him. "I was toying with you the entire time. In fact you were one of the easiest victories I've ever had. I thought that much was obvious, but I guess all that hair gel must have seeped into your brain."

Clenching his teeth, he raised his arm, the duel disk springing to life and readying itself for combat. "Whatever! I've gotten stronger now and I'm ready for a rematch! Or are you going to back out and let me have the title without a fight?"

"No matter how strong you might have gotten, you're still no match for me. As it stands now, you couldn't even defeat my apprentice." Suddenly, she had a thought. "Yumi, as the first step in your training, I order you to crush him with your Xyz monsters."

Both of them were shocked. "But I don't want to duel him!" she wailed. "He's old and scary looking."

"I'm only sixteen!" Kazuhiko shouted, still finding ways to be upset over the comments of children. "And don't send your understudy to do your dirty work for you! She won't ever want to duel again if she faces my new Super Mutant Deck."

Sakuya took Yumi aside to whisper to her. "He's a pushover, I promise. This would be good training for you. Besides, look at him." They both turned their heads to do so. "What kind of scary guy wears his black school uniform in the middle of summer? He's obviously trying to look way worse than he actually is."

Yumi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Then it's decided," Sakuya declared. "You'll be facing Yumi in my place while I observe." She sat down on the side of the hill and inspected her beret for damage while waiting for the match to start.

"Let's do it!" Yumi shouted, suddenly feeling a burst of confidence as she placed her deck into the holder. If he was really as weak as she was saying, then there'd be no problem in defeating him. It would be good training, and she might even make Sakuya proud of her.

"I never agreed to this!" he complained, though he still went along with it and synced for the coming battle. He placed his own deck into its position, saying, "Once I beat her, you'll have to duel me next, Ishikawa." She ignored him, taking a pair of sunglasses from the front of her dress to show her utter lack of concern or recognition for him.

"Duel!" they declared in unison. "I'm going first!" Yumi announced, drawing her hand. "Don't worry, I'll make your proud, teacher!"

"D-don't call me that!" Sakuya demanded, momentarily breaking character and trying to hide a faint blush along her cheeks. To her dismay, more people began to come and watch, apparently emboldened by Kazuhiko's arrogance. She looked towards the two girls who were meant to prevent something like this with irritation.

Both of them laughed nervously. "It was all Miyuki's fault!" the one with longer hair and glasses suddenly blurted out, pointing to her short haired companion. "She was telling everyone about your rematch with him!"

"Liar! You were the one who kept saying how much you wanted to watch! You made everyone else want to go over here, too! Blame Michiko, not me!" Sakuya shook her head at them, then turned her attention back to the duel. They were here already, so it couldn't be helped at this point.

The spectators only made Yumi more excited. The performance aspect of dueling was part of the attraction to professional play, after all. She looked over her hand and smiled; she'd drawn Mirror Force on the first turn. "I'll start by playing two cards face-down. Then, I summon Flame Viper in Attack Mode!" The whole crowd groaned as the tiny snake appeared on the field Sakuya slapping her forehead in frustration. Kazuhiko was utterly confused. "Now I end my turn."

"Whatever crappy cards you throw out, they won't help! My turn, draw!" A wide, disconcerting smile spread across his lips. "You're about to see real hell," he proclaimed in as sinister a way as humanly possible, grabbing a card from his hand.

"Are you really threatening a twelve year old like that?" Sakuya asked with a sigh. "You're pathetic."

Before he could make his play, Kazuhiko flopped over onto the ground. "I'm just being dramatic!" he yelled back, shaking his fist. "I summon Mutant Bite Hound!" In front of him appeared a large bulldog-looking creature. However, it was horrifically disfigured with scales covering half its face and front leg, tumors hanging off its back, and patches of missing hair, less akin to man's best friend and more a movie monster.

Several people in the crowd expressed their disapproval with screams or vocalizations of disgust. "That thing is really gross!" Yumi complained, nearly jumping back as it stood there, tongue hanging out of the only half of its mouth that could open.

"His cards aren't pleasing to look at, yes. All the more reason to finish him quicker." Sakuya was unconcerned, having gone through any initial gross out years before when they first dueled. She was much more worried about the incredibly poor opener of Yumi's; an obvious ploy to be spotted by an experienced duelist or a grievous mistake of her amateur tactics.

"Forget you people!" Kazuhiko shouted, now angry at the crowd. Surely, this would win them over to his side. "Mutant Bite Hound, attack Flame Viper!" The monster let out a guttural howl as it charged the snake, which began to screech in fear at the opponent's 1500 ATK.

"You fell for it!" Yumi said, pressing a button on her duel disk to activate a card. "Holy Barrier – Mirror Force!"

"What? A novice like you has a card like that?" He was genuinely shocked at the revelation, which seemed to implicate the root of his careless assault.

"When your monster attacks, it destroys everything you have in Attack Mode by reflecting it back at you! Get that gross thing out of here!" The Mutant charged, lunging to pounce on Flame Viper, only to be met with an invisible wall. It hung in the air as the space in front of it shimmered across as rainbow of colors before shattering the beast into nothing. Yumi's monster breathed a sigh of relief for making it one more turn.

She was pleased with herself, turning to Sakuya with a smile. "I used your card!" she said, hoping to be praised for clearing her opponent's field.

The other girl only sighed. "You wasted resources. Even the most amateurish player could have spotted that as a trap. Mirror Force is a card used to destroy large numbers of monsters at a time, but you played it on a single card with low ATK, all to save an even weaker monster from destruction." Yumi's expression fell, driving a spike right through Sakuya's heart. "But," she continued, "as bad plays go, that was one of the betters ones. Your next move may compensate for it well enough."

This forced a smile out of Yumi, relieving Sakuya's fears of hurting her feelings. It was becoming harder and harder to talk coarsely to her friend in public. As they had their char, though, Kazuhiko began yelling. "I'm the opponent here! Focus on me!" They both turned back to him to avoid furthering his tantrum. With eyes back on him, he returned to his previously creepy disposition. With a series of low chuckles, he slapped a card into his duel disk. "Instant Magic, Mutant Return, activate!"

A green-bordered card appeared on his field, presenting the image of a shadowed monster in the doorway to a laboratory, much to Magical Scientist's horror. "When you destroy one of my Mutants, I can summon it right back to the field and treat it as if it's been there since my last turn!" Bite Hound returned to the field, much to everyone's disappointment.

"What does that matter?" Yumi asked, not understanding the benefit.

"My Monster's DNA is unstable," Kazuhiko explained. "This lets them evolve at a much faster rate than other organisms." As he spoke those words, the tumors on the monster's back began to pulsate, lizard-like tails exploding out of them as its ATK raised to 2000, as well as becoming Level 5. "During each of my Standby Phases, my Mutants evolve to become stronger than before!"

Yumi flailed her arms and stepped back. "That's disgusting!" she whined.

"Shut up! My monsters are cool!" With a growl, he pointed forward. "Bit Hound, destroy Flame Viper!" The snake screeched once more as it was pounced upon and slapped with the tail appendages, destroying it and dropping Yumi's Life Points to 2400. "I end my turn. Show me what you can do!"

Taking such a large attack wasn't in the plan for this turn. Even so, she couldn't give up yet. It was only her second turn. "Draw!" she declared, pulling the top card off her deck. She smiled at its appearance. "I summon Hat-Trick Magician! A diminutive wizard in purple robes and a matching hat covering its entire face and head appeared on her field, two large eyes sticking out through the fabric. "Now, I equip it with Broken Wand, which changes its original ATK to 500 more than normal." A small, wooden wand topped by a sparking, golden star appeared for the monster to grab, raising its 1200 ATK to 1700.

"What do you expect to do with something that weak?" Kazuhiko scoffed.

"Just watch. Hat-Trick Magician, attack! Smoke and Mirrors!" The tiny magician raised the wand, twirling it in the air until it created a cloud of smoke to blast at the enemy.

"Too weak!" he declared. "Bit Hound, counter attack!"

Yumi only smiled. "Reverse Card, activate! Strike Shot!" The mutated beast jumped into the smoke cloud, appearing out the other end without its prey.

"What?" Kazuhiko was at a loss as to what had happened. "Where is it?"

Yumi pointed up, showing the magician hovering in the air above the dog. "Strike Shot is a Trap Card that increases my monster's ATK by 700 and gives it the piercing ability until the End Phase." Magician's ATK rose to 2400, falling to the ground with a blade of magical energy that cut through the midsection of the Mutant, lowering its owner's Life Points to 3600. Much to his annoyance and the crowd's applause, she stuck up her fingers in the victory sign.

"Luck and nothing more," he said, dismissing her play of any skills. Drawing his card, he place it into a slot below the monster zones. "I activate Allure of Darkness! This card allows me to draw 2 cards from my deck, but forces me to banish a DARK monster or discard everything." He took the cards from the top of his deck, then held up another monster. "I banish Mutant Venom Cobra."

With a smile, he summoned another monster. "I play Mutant Scavenge Raccoon from my hand!" It was a weak monster with only 1000 ATK, a furry creature with gills along its neck and fins for hands. "Now I activate the Instant Magic, Mutagen!" A canister of green ooze appeared from out of the card and broke on top of the raccoon, causing it to snarl and foam at the mouth. "This card allows me to use the second effect of my Mutant monsters without waiting for the rest of the turn."

"Second effect?" Yumi questioned.

"When my monsters reach the pinnacle of their evolution, they gain a new ability like you've never seen before. Raccoon, take Holy Barrier – Mirror Force!" The beast shrieked, lunging at Yumi's duel disk and clawing at the Graveyard area. She tried to shake it off, forgetting for the moment that it was merely a hologram and could do her no harm. It returned to its own side of the field soon after, holding a replica of the Mirror Force card in its mouth.

"You can't take that! Sakuya gave it to me!" She looked to her friend, afraid she'd lost the gift after only a day.

"Yumi, it's okay. It's just the effect. Your card is fine, now continue the duel." A quick glance inside her Graveyard revealed it to be true, and she was instantly relieved.

Kazuhiko set his Mirror Force onto the field. "Raccoon's second effect allows me to take a card from your Graveyard and add it to my hand. Now, attack me and see what it feels like to be on the other side." He laughed loudly. "Turn end."

Yumi added a card to her hand, looking over her choices. "I activate Restraint Release Wave. With this, I can simultaneously destroy an Equip Magic and all set Magic and Trap Cards you have on your field!" The Broken Wand began to spark with more intensity, Hat-Trick Magician tossing it into the air and crouching down with its hands over its head. The wand exploded, taking the set Mirror Force with it and returning the magician's ATK to 1200. "Attack the Raccoon!" she declared, destroying Kazuhiko's monster with her own with twin trails of smoke from its hands.

Kazuhiko sneered as Yumi ended her turn. Despite losing another 200 Life Points, he was still 1000 ahead of her 2400. Drawing his card, he laughed again. "This brings me one step closer to victory. Field Magic, Dark Zone!" As he placed the card into the end of his duel disk, clouds began to form above them, thunder rolling as a bolt of lightning struck the ground.

Unexpected as it was, it surprised Yumi enough to scream and leap back far enough to end up in Sakuya's lap. "Hey," she greeted casually. "I don't like thunder." She was pushed off immediately.

After his opponent had returned to her spot, he explained his card's effect. "Dark Zone increases the ATK of all DARK monsters by 500 points at the cost of 400 of their DEF."

"That doesn't even help you. What's even the point?" Hat-Trick Magician, being DARK itself, boosted its ATK back to 1700. Kazuhiko, on the other hand, had no monsters on the field.

"I activate Dark Burst!" Red and black energy charged on the ground in front of him, exploding as a card flew into the air. "This lets me add a DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK to my hand from the Graveyard." He grabbed the card from the air and revealed it as Mutant Bite Hound. "Now I'll summon it! Mutant Bite Hound!"

It appeared again in its base state, tumors and all. Its ATK rose to 2000 due to the field bonus, pushing it over Hat-Trick Magician. "Attack her monster!" he commanded, the beast pouncing on the humanoid and crushing it. Yumi's Life Points fell to 2100.

"Now do you see?" he asked. "No matter how many times you destroy them, my monsters will keep coming back! Mutation is evolution! Evolution is survival! And I will always survive until the end!" After another chorus of dramatic laughter, he ended his turn.

"It doesn't matter how many times you revive those ugly whatevers, I'll just keep beating them!" Yumi drew another card to start her turn. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards." Fulfilling the effect, she activated another card from her hand. "Now, I use Fissure to destroy your monster!" The ground began to shake, splitting open under Bite Hound, dropping it into the abyss.

"Now, I summon Violentist in Attack Mode!" A brown haired man in a slick, black suit appeared on her field, drawing the bow across its violin softly. "I equip Violentist with Golden Fiddle, giving it the ability to raise its ATK by 200 points for each Level it has." Violentist's own violin turned a dazzling gold as its ATK rose to 1250. "Direct attack" she declared. On her order, Violentist suddenly began to saw at its instrument with reckless force, biting its bottom lip with an intense expression as waves of sound bombarded Kazuhiko.

He guarded himself as the attack hit, lowering his Life to 2150. "Turn end," she declared, her monster returning to normal after workout out its anger. Drawing for his turn, Kazuhiko smiled his disturbing smile once more.

"I set one monster and one Reverse Card. End turn." It was quite clearly a trap. If his total lack of poker face didn't give it away, the fact he literally set what was most likely a Trap Card did. Only a fool would fall right into it, so Yumi decided to do just that after drawing for her turn. Preemptive foolishness to avoid a bigger mistake later.

"Violentist, attack his monster!" It sawed at the strings again, sending the sound waves into the back of the opponent's card. "I also activate the Instant Magic, Twister, from my hand to destroy your Field Magic!" Yumi's Life Points were reduced to 1600 as a cyclone whipped by and cleared away the clouds. Tactically, it was a terrible move, potentially increasing her opponent's DEF strength and lowering her Life Points for no real reason, when saving it could have given her an edge as a counter to another monster's attack. Sakuya was fuming.

From the face-down card appeared a small, brown creature with three eyes. It growled before exploding, causing Kazuhiko to laugh maniacally once again. "You fool!" he shouted. "You destroyed my Critter card, which I'd infected with the Deck Destruction Virus of Death!" Pressing a button on his duel disk, his face-down card was activated, sending spores across the field to Yumi's dec. "In addition to Critter's effect letting me add a card to my hand, my Deck Destruction Virus destroys all monsters in your hand and deck with 1500 or more ATK! Your deck is finished!"

For a moment, Yumi was utterly terrified. Then reality showed its head once more. She quickly sorted through her deck, sending Majesty Magician, Rusty Swordsman, and Sunlight Unicorn to the Graveyard, then shuffling and replacing her deck in the holder. "Wait, seriously? You only destroyed three monsters! How is that even possible?"

Sakuya burst out in laughter so hard she was almost rolling on the ground, startling everyone. "You idiot," she managed to say through the tears and hiccups. "Yumi has no strong monsters. She relies on Equip Cards because of it. You really didn't notice this entire time?" She kept laughing at just how utterly pointless such an otherwise detrimental card was against this one specific person. Yumi only scratched her head, slightly embarrassed.

After the disbelief had subsided, Kazuhiko steeled himself once more. "Critter's effect still activates, letting me add Mutant Zero Rat to my hand. Now hurry up and end your turn."

"Fine, fine. Turn end." Sakuya had finally stopped laughing and was blotting at her eyes. Kazuhiko drew his card, placing it in his hand to consider his options. He had to make his next plays count, otherwise it would be the end for him. He was humiliated once by a grade schooler and he wasn't about to let it happen again with her weak apprentice.

"I use the Magic Card Resurrection of the Dead!" A turquoise ankh appeared above the duel field. "Be revived, Mutant Bite Hound!" For the latest of many times this duel, the dog monster was once again on the field. "Attack, Bite Hound!" The monster charged forward, but was resisted after being swatted out of the air by the furious Violentist.

"What the hell?" Kazuhiko exclaimed as his Life Points dropped to 1550. "My monster's ATK was higher! What happened?"

Yumi smiled and wagged her finger. "Charging in recklessly is only going to turn out bad," said the girl who had previously charged in recklessly and forced the activation of the Virus card. "When Violnetist is attacked, it can shift to Defend Mode, and while in Defense Mode, its DEF increases by 300 points for every Level it has." Violentist was now sitting at 2100 DEF, 600 higher than Bite Hound's ATK.

Gritting his teeth, Kazuhiko set a face-down. "I summon Mutant Zero Rat and end my turn," he declared, a white rat with a human ear growing from its back appearing on the field. The crowd was visibly disgusted, one boy running to throw up somewhere off to the side.

"Why is everything in your deck so gross?" Yumi asked, trying hard not to look at the abomination. His response was typical of him at this point, screaming about how there was nothing wrong with the crimes against nature that were his monsters. Persevering, she drew her card and smiled. "Sauya, I'm about to do it!" She was met with a pleased nod from her friend behind her. "I summon Butter Fly!" she declared, slapping another card onto the field. An actual stick of butter with a happy face appeared, flying with the help of two orange and black butterfly wings.

She pointed her finger upwards, the ground beginning to swirl into a spiral. "I overlay the Level 3 Violentist with my Level 3 Butter Fly!" A purple and gold galaxy had formed above them, both monsters flying into it as balls of light. "Xyz Summon!" she said, the galaxy exploding at its center. "Rank 3, Gurensaurus!" A crimson dinosaur materialized from the light onto the field, flames spewing from two metal apparatus on its back as a pair of red Overlay Units orbited around its body.

"I did it!" she squealed, jumping up and down. "I Xyz Summoned in a real duel!" Everyone else stood awkwardly waiting for her to stop, thankful for the first time that Kazuhiko opened his mouth to complain. "Gurensaurus, attack Mutant Zero Rat! Volcano Bite!" The dinosaur rushed forward, flames spewing from its mouth as it went to crush the tiny mammal in its jaws.

"I activate my Trap Card, Tuner's Barrier!" Gurensaurus impacted with an invisible forcefield around Zero Rat, sending ripples towards Kazuhiko which knocked him away. His Life Points dwindled to only 50 as he stood back up. "Until the end of this turn, one of my Tuner Monsters can't be destroyed."

Yumi stomped her foot and pursed her lips. "Don't be a jerk! I was going to use its effect and win this turn! You're making me look bad in front of teacher!"

"Stop calling me that!" Sakuya interrupted, blushing once more.

"Quiet! Just end your turn already!" He seemed slightly more angry than normal, though it was pretty hard to tell given how angry he always was.

"Fine, I end my turn." Yumi stood pouting, waiting for him to finally make whatever move was so important he had to hang on by 50 Life Points to do it.

"Draw!" he yelled. "Standby Phase. My monsters mutate!" The lizard tails exploded from Hound's tumors, with an entire human head growing on the back of Rat. The boy from before returned, only to immediately run back off upon seeing the new developments. Hound's ATK grew to 2000 – enough to match Gurensaurus in a crash – while Rat's was only at 600 now.

Kazuhiko slid a Magic Card into his duel disk. "Pot of Greed, activate!" The familiar pot was once again in play, allowing him to draw again. He closed his eyes to concentrate. "Come to me, cards!" He pulled the top two from his deck, pausing for a moment intended purely to build suspense. "I set two cards and switch Mutant Zero Rat to Defense Mode. Turn end."

Either he was playing it cool for the first time in history or his last ditch effort was in vain. Regardless, Yumi wasn't going to let him have another turn. If she waited, Bite Hound would mutated again and overcome Gurensaurus. Drawing, she declared her attack. "Destroy Zero Rat!"

"Reverse Cards, open!" Two Traps flipped open from his field. Neither had been feints as predicted. "Urgent Tuning and Evolution Accelerator!" Even Sakuya was surprised at this development. He succeeded in bluffing, but not in the way they'd expected. He actually fooled everyone into thinking he wasn't prepared simply by remaining stoic.

"Urgent Tuning is a card that allows me to Synchro Summon during the Battle Phase with monsters I control, and Evolution Accelerator speeds up the evolution of my Mutant cards by one turn." His monsters convulsed again. Bite Hound's face was covered in scales to resemble a reptile, an extra mouth opening up along its right side. Zero Rat's extra head had now become conscious, sprouting two human arms to hold itself up with. In addition, their Levels increased to 6 and 3, respectively.

"I tune my Level 3 Tuner Monster, Mutant Zero Rat, to my Level 6 non-Tuner monster, Mutant Bite Hound!" Zero Rat's body glowed, dissipating into three green rings rotating in the sky. Bite Hound's body became a transparent shell for six Level stars inside it, riding through the rings and becoming a bright light. "Synchro Summon, Level 9! Show Yourself, Super Mutant Hellraiser!"

From a beam of light appeared a bulky monstrosity. It roared into the sky, its black, leather smock pulling into its flesh as it moved. It was obviously in immense pain, tugging at the tight outfit and the pipes running through its flesh.

Gurensaurus was forced to stop its attack. Yumi went to change it to Defense Mode but remembered she wasn't allowed. She'd declared an attack. It was too late to turn back. "I set one card. Turn end." She swallowed hard, fear building in the pit of her stomach. Even Sakuya was afraid at this development.

Kazuhiko added a card to his hand. "It's my Standby Phase, so my monster mutates to a further stage!" Unlike the others of its archetype, the Synchro simply roared as a red aura glowed around it, raising its Level to 10 and its ATK to 3500. "Hellraiser, mow down Gurensaurus. Nemesis Strike!" The chaingun mounted on the monster's right forearm began to spin, spitting a shower of bullets to utterly annihilate the dinosaur. Yumi's Life Points dropped to 100, nearly tying her with her opponent once more. "Turn end," he declared, a satisfied smile on his face.

It mattered again. If she lost here, Sakuya would lose all respect for her. She'd abandon her. Worst of all, Sakuya would have to duel this guy next. She didn't want that to happen to her, and she definitely didn't want to be alone again. She had to win this duel no matter what.

"I activate Charity of the Ordinary," she declared, her previously set card flipping up. "I draw two cards and banish a Normal Monster, or else I discard my entire hand." A familiar variation on the Allure of Darkness from earlier, she added the cards, then banished Rock Warrior. Neither card she'd drawn was particularly useful. "I set one monster and one Reverse Card. Turn end."

"My turn, draw!" Fire in his eyes once more, Kazuhiko added another card to his hand. "Hellraiser mutate!" The monster's ATK increased to 4500 as its Level reached 11. "Nemesis Strike!" Her wall monster (Scaredy Lion) was obliterated in an instant. "Does it scare you knowing that all I need to do is draw a monster to win this duel? Does your hand hesitate when you realize drawing a dead card would mean you lose?" He laughed again, somehow sounding legitimately sinister this time. "Turn end," he said in an even voice.

Yumi's breathing turned heavy. Her hand was shaking as her fingers touched the top of her deck. As hard as she tried, she couldn't will herself to draw another card anymore. She was too scared of seeing it. She was too scared of losing and everything that meant. She wanted to hide. She wanted to cry. She just wanted it to stop. She didn't want to be abanadoned again.

The crowd started to murmur, wondering what was happening. One of the players had frozen in place and refused to take her turn. Was it some kind of strategy, or was she just a sore loser and trying to prolong the ending for as long as possible. They were starting to become irritated with her, some of them even turning to support the once-reviled Kazuhiko.

"Yumi!" she heard from behind her. She hadn't even realized she covered her ears until that moment. Slowly, Yumi turned around, looking to Sakuya's stern expression as it turned to one of genuine caring and kindness, smiling at her as they did when they were alone. "Just breathe. It's okay." For a moment, she didn't react. Then, bit by bit, her fears left her, a smile slowly reappearing on her face. Grinning from ear to ear, she realized the truth. Win or lose, her teacher was proud of her.

"I'll win!" she declared, sliding her goggles down over her eyes. No longer afraid, she drew her card. "Dark Factory of Mass Production, activate!" A Magic Card appeared on her field. "I can add two Normal Monsters from my Graveyard to my hand. I choose Hat-Trick Magician and Scaredy Lion." The selected monsters were dispensed from her Graveyard and she added to her hand. "I set one and end my turn."

"Useless, useless, useless!" he cried. Hellraiser mutated again, growing to 5500 ATK and Level 12. "Nemesis Strike!"

"I activate Attack Nullification! Your monster's attack is negated and the Battle Phase ends!" Still unable to find another monster to play, he ended his turn, as well.

"Everything is riding on this draw," she thought to herself. "I can't lose. I'll win...for Sakuya!" Drawing, she'd finally found the card she needed to win. "I summon Scaredy Lion from my hand, and Reverse Summon Hat-Trick Magician!" The galaxy began to form once more. "I overlay my Level 4 Hat-Trick Magician with my Level 4 Scaredy Lion." Both monsters became light, flying into the galaxy.

"This is the monster that will bring you down!" she declared. "This is the monster m hope and the hopes of my best friend are riding on! Xyz Summon, Rank 4! Kachi Kochi Dragon!" The galaxy exploded, a rocky, silver dragon appearing on the field. It screeched at the imposing monster, ready for battle.

"A monster with only 2100 ATK points can't defeat my Hellraiser!" Kazuhiko boasted. "All you've accomplished is going out with a bang!"

"I set one last card and end my turn."

Finally, he drew what he needed. Call of the Living Dead would end this next turn if something were to happen. It wouldn't, though. He'd already won. "Mutate to your final form, Hellraiser!" From the monster's back sprouted four long spider legs, hoisting it into the sky. "Whenever Hellraiser attacks now, all set cards on your field are automatically destroyed, and no card effects can touch it while it attacks." It grew in strength, as well, raising to 6500 ATK and a normally impossible Level 13.

"I declare my attack! Effect activate, Gene Bomb!" The mutant blasted sludge from its mouth, firing at the face-down card on Yumi's field.

"I activate my Trap, Unbreakable Spirit!"

Kazuhiko laughed. "It's useless, remember? Nothing you do can touch my monster while it's attack!"

"That's why I'm not using it on your monster," she replied, pointing to her dragon. "Unbreakable Spirit is a Trap Card that I can only activate when I have a single monster on my field. Until the end of this turn, its ATK is increased by the lowest ATK value on your side of the field."

His face turned from that of a smug victor to one of pure horror. "What?"

"And the only monster on your field is Super Mutant Hellraiser, which means Kachi Kochi Dragon's ATK increased by 6500!" The dragon screeched again, its ATK swelling to 7600.

"No... No! Hellraiser, stop your attack!" It was too late, of course. The mutant fired from the sky, its bullets bouncing off the tense, rocky surface of Kachi Kochi Dragon.

"Kachi Kochi Dragon, finish this duel! Silver Breath Shot!" It screeched again, firing a blast of silver shards from its mouth. The pieces impacted against the Synchro Monster, causing its body to bulge and pulse in random spots. It let out one last roar before exploding, debris raining down upon Kazuhiko as he wailed in turn, the last of his Life Points trickling to nothing.

The crowd cheered as the winner was finally declared, Yumi jumping in the air to celebrate her victory. Kazuhiko was slumped over on his knees, trying to process his loss. "I won! Sakuya, I won!" She reached out to hug her, but stopped just short, remembering her friend's aversion to being touched.

Rolling her eyes, Sakuya sighed. "I'll allow it," she said, much to Yumi's joy. Trapped in another hug, she tried not to fight against it. Admittedly, it wasn't quite as unpleasant as she expected it to be.

Everyone began to disperse, Yumi taking a rest by sitting on the hill, which eventually turned into laying down. Sakuya approached Kazuhiko. "You lost. Get out of my sight."

Slowly, he stood up. Taking his comb out, he ran it through his pompadour once more. "Fine, but I'll be back. We still have to settle our score, Ishikawa."

"Not on your life. I won't lower myself to dueling someone who can't even beat my apprentice." he scowled, then turned to leave with his head down.

"Wait a second," Yumi said, forcing herself up and running over to him. "Even if your cards look really gross, you're still pretty strong. Maybe we can play again sometime without all the pressure and creepy faces." The other two were surprised by her actions. Even if it was supposedly just for fun, he'd been taunting her the entire duel and was the self-declared rival of her best friend. She owed him no kindess, yet still she held out her hand – literally and figuratively.

He was about to argue over the merits of his expressions, but ignored it. "Yeah, sure. Thanks. I guess we could." He shook her hand, much smaller than his own. The goofy smile on her face was getting to him as he tried to keep from pulling one himself. "I'm going now. I'll see you around, I guess."

"What was that about," Sakuya asked with an eyebrow cocked.

"He seemed sad, so I wanted to cheer him up a little."

She scoffed. "What for? He should be sad for being such a chump."

"Dueling is meant to make people happy. You shouldn't have to walk away from it upset."

Sakuya shook her head slowly with a smile. "Whatever you say, apprentice."

"What do we do now, teacher?" She emphasized her words to make Sakuya blush a third time.

"Stop calling me that!" Chopping her on the forehead, Sakuya composed herself while Yumi rubber the non-wound. "Based on how you did in training today, I was going to decide whether or not to tell you this. You performed better than I could have expected, so here's the news." Her tone was much more serious than before. "One month from now on the 25th, there's a prefectural qualifying tournament happening in the city. If you think you can handle it, then we need to start training even harder than we did today so you can get ready."

Yumi's eyes lit up. "Of course I can handle it! Let's keep going!" She started hopping up and down again, any fatigue from the last duel having vanished under the effects of her second wind kicking in.

Sakuya nodded with a smile. "I hoped you'd say that. We can't waste any time, then. Let's get started."

---

Cards Used in Order of Appearance

Flame Viper
EARTH
Level 2
Pyro
400 ATK/450 DEF

Mutant Bite Hound
DARK
Level 4
Reptile/Effect
1500 ATK/1200 DEF
During your Standby Phase: Increase this card's ATK 500 and Level by 1. If this effect is activated three times while this card remains face-up on the field: This card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects.

Holy Barrier – Mirror Force (Mirror Force)
Normal Trap Card
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Destroy all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls.

Mutant Return
Quick-Play Spell Card
Activate when a "Mutant" monster on your side of the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, except during the Damage Step. Target that monster; Special Summon it, and if you do, it is treated as having been face-up on the field for one of your Standby Phases.

Hat-Trick Magician
DARK
Level 4
Spellcaster
1200 ATK/1500 DEF

Broken Wand
Equip Spell Card
You can only equip this card to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. The equipped monster gains these effects: This card's original ATK increases by 500. When this card attacks or is attacked by a monster with higher ATK: You can return this card to your hand and end the Battle Phase.

Strike Shot (Strike Slash)
Normal Trap Card
When a monster you controls declares an attack: Until the End Phase, that monster gains 700 ATK, also, if it attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.

Allure of Darkness
Normal Spell Card
Draw 2 cards, then banish 1 DARK monster from your hand, or, if you do not have any in your hand, send your entire hand to the Graveyard.

Mutant Venom Cobra
DARK
Level 3
Fairy/Effect
1200 ATK/800 DEF
During your Standby Phase: Increase this card's ATK by 300 and Level by 1. If this effect is activated three times while this card remains face-up on the field: When this card inflicts battle damage; inflict 300 damage to your opponent.

Mutant Scavenge Raccoon
DARK
Level 3
Fish/Effect
1000 ATK/1500 DEF
During your Standby Phase: Increase this card's ATK by 300 and Level by 1. If this effect is activated three times while this card remains face-up on the field: Select 1 card in your opponent's Graveyard; add it to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Mutant Scavenge Raccoon" once per turn.

Mutagen
Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 "Mutant" monster on your side of the field; apply its second effect until the End Phase.

Restraint Release Wave (Release Restraint Wave)
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 face-up Equip Spell Card you control; destroy that Equip Spell Card and all face-down Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls.

Dark Zone (Mystic Plasma Zone)
Field Spell Card
Increase the ATK of all DARK monsters by 500 points and decrease their DEF by 400 points.

Dark Burst (Dark Eruption)
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK in your Graveyard; add that target to your hand.

Pot of Greed
Normal Spell Card
Draw 2 cards.

Fissure
Normal Spell Card
Destroy the 1 face-up monster your opponent controls that has the lowest ATK (your choice, if tied).

Violentist
LIGHT
Level 3
Fiend
650 ATK/1300 DEF

Golden Fiddle
Equip Spell Card
You can only equip this card to a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. The equipped monster gains these effects: This card gains ATK equal to its Level x 200 while in Attack Position and DEF equal to its Level x 300 while in Defense Position. If this card is selected as an attack target while in Attack Position: You can switch this card to Defense Position.

Twister
Quick-Play Spell Card
Pay 500 LP, then target 1 face-up Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target.

Critter (Sangan)
DARK
Level 3
Fiend/Effect
1000 ATK/ 600 DEF
When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Add 1 monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck to your hand.

Deck Destruction Virus of Death (Crush Card Virus)
Normal Trap Card
Activate only when a DARK monster with 1000 or less ATK is destroyed by battle from your side of the field. Your opponent destroys all monsters with 1500 ATK or more on their side of the field and in their hand and Deck. (Damage Calculation is applied normally.) Those monsters cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard. If this card is not in your Graveyard, negate this effect.

Majesty Magician
DARK
Level 8
Spellcaster/Effect
2500 ATK/2000 DEF
You can Tribute Summon this card by Tributing 1 monster that was originally a Level 4 or lower Normal Monster with 1500 or less ATK and DEF. This card is treated as a Level 4 Normal Monster with 1500 ATK and DEF for card effects while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard (its Level and ATK/DEF do not change).

Rusty Swordsman
EARTH
Level 4
Warrior
1500 ATK/1000 DEF

Sunlight Unicorn
LIGHT
Level 4
Beast/Effect
1800 ATK/1000 DEF
Once per turn: You can excavate the top card of your deck, and if it is an Equip Spell Card, add it to your hand. Otherwise, place it on the bottom of your Deck.

Mutant Zero Rat
DARK
Level 1
Warrior/Tuner/Effect
500 ATK/0 DEF
During your Standby Phase: Increase this card's ATK by 100 and Level by 1. If this effect is activated three times while this card remains face-up on the field: Select a number between 1 and 12 (inclusive); this card's Level becomes that number.

Resurrection of the Dead (Monster Reborn)
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon it.

Butter Fly
WIND
Level 3
Insect
900 ATK/700 DEF

Gurensaurus (Grenosaurus)
FIRE
Rank 3
Dinosaur/Xyz/Effect
2000 ATK/1900 DEF
2 Level 3 monsters
When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; inflict 1000 damage to your opponent.

Tuner's Barrier
Normal Trap Card
Select 1 face-up Tuner monster you control. That monster cannot be destroyed by battle of by card effects, until the End Phase of the next turn.

Urgent Tuning
Normal Trap Card
During the Battle Phase: Immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 Synchro Monster using monsters you control.

Evolution Accelerator
Normal Trap Card
All "Mutant" monsters on the field are treated as if they have been on the field for an additional Standby Phase of this card's controller.

Super Mutant Hellraiser
DARK
Level 9
Insect/Synchro/Effect
2500 ATK/500 DEF
1 "Mutant" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Mutant" monsters
During your Standby Phase: Increase this card's ATK by 1000 and Level by 1. If this effect is activated four times while this card remains face-up on the field: You can destroy all set cards on your opponent's side of the field when this card declares an attack, and it is unaffected by other card effects while attacking. This effect of "Super Mutant Hellraiser" can only be activated once per turn.

Charity of the Ordinary (Common Charity)
Normal Trap Card
Draw 2 cards, then remove from play 1 Normal Monster Card from your hand. If you don't have any Normal Monster Cards in your hand to remove, send all cards in your hand to the Graveyard.

Rock Warrior (Minomushi Warrior)
EARTH
Level 4
Rock
1300 ATK/1200 DEF

Scaredy Lion
EARTH
Level 4
Beast
1300 ATK/1000 DEF

Dark Factory of Mass Production
Normal Spell Card
Target 2 Normal Monsters in your Graveyard; add those targets to your hand.

Attack Nullification (Negate Attack)
Counter Trap Card
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; negate the attack, then end the Battle Phase.

Kachi Kochi Dragon
EARTH
Rank 4
Dragon/Xyz/Effect
2100 ATK/1300 DEF
2 Level 4 monsters
Once per turn, when this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; it can attack once again in a row.

Call of the Living Dead (Call of the Haunted)
Continuous Trap Card
Activate this card by targeting 1 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target in Attack Position. When this card leaves the field, destroy that target. When that target is destroyed, destroy this card.

Unbreakable Spirit
Normal Trap Card
If you control only 1 face-up monster: Target that monster; until the end of this turn, it gains ATK equal to the ATK of the monster your opponent currently controls with the lowest ATK (your choice, if tied).

---

Chapter 3 is out and I already managed to steal something. It's actually really funny, because I don't think Kozmos were even out when I first wrote this chapter. Didn't even realize there was one with the same name as a card I made until I got it in a pack. Yes, there will be something addressing this in story later. I wouldn't pass up an opportunity like that.

Kazuhiko has way too much time on his hands if he can clear his schedule to go try and beat little kids at a card game. Kind of even worse that he's only fairly okay at the game, too. We can only hope he learns from this and starts to get better. And maybe try a new hairstyle more appropriate for 2016.

That's mostly a joke, though. He's no expert, but he's still pretty good. One of the biggest reasons Yumi was able to win was that he'd made his deck to defeat Sakuya, i.e. the girl with tons of high-powered dragon-beasts that Virus cards would decimate. Really unfortunate he went up against literally the only deck he wouldn't be prepared for.

That's enough excuses for the angry pompadour child. Thanks for reading. Come back in two weeks for chapter 4.