The tournament finally starts. Yumi and her friends are excited to see whether or not their training has paid off, but is her rise to stardom over before it can even really begin?
It was finally time. She'd been preparing all summer for this. Now it was finally time to show everyone what she could do.
Yumi hopped up and down as she looked up at the duel stadium where the event would take place. She'd seen it many times over her life but had yet to actually enter. Whether as a competitor or fan, it cost money to be part of the action. Luckily for her, they had some to spare now.
Her grandmother patted her on the head. "I guess all those papers we signed are paying off," she said, referencing the meeting days earlier to finalize Yumi's sponsorship by Critical Games. As part of that deal, she was given new equipment for this day. The duel disk in her backpack was reminiscent of the one she'd used during her death match with Rio, pure white in color with scarlet accents around the screen. She liked the new design for the blade, too, held inside a single compartment instead of separating into two halves like her old one.
It would take some time before she'd get the chance to try it out in a real duel, though. Because of the high volume of entrants to prefectural tournaments, it wasn't practical to have everyone set up duel disks inside the buildings and fight it out in a free-for-all brawl. Instead, they'd do things the old fashioned way at tables, at least for the first eight rounds. After that, the show would really begin.
Before she could head in, though, she had to wait for her friends. As expected, she'd shown up early to soak in the atmosphere of the whole event and was now left waiting for the rest of them to arrive. Not quite as expected, the first to appear was Kyoko. "Yumi!" she called out, pulling off her helmet and stepping over to give her friend a hug. "Kazuhiko told me you were going to enter the tournament today, so I figured I'd stop by and wish you luck."
"T-thank you!" she exclaimed several seconds later, initially dazed by the hug. "Are you going to cheer me on with everyone else? I could definitely make it to the finals if you were watching me."
She chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Sorry, I'm kind of busy right now. If I can snag a spot later, I should be able to make it around the time the finals start. Make it that far, okay?"
"I promise!" Yumi turned to her grandmother to explain why a seemingly random woman on a motorcycle pulled up beside them. "Grandma, this is my friend Kyoko. She came with us when we went to the beach."
"Nice to meet you, ma'am," she said, bowing to her elder.
"Pleasure to meet you, too. Are you one of Kazuhiko's friends by any chance?"
She nodded. "Yeah, we all kind of know each other now." Sakuya was the next to appear, her eyes narrowing as she spotted Kyoko in the distance. "Grumpy's here," she announced, giving her a thumbs up only to receive a glare and a nod in return.
Frankly, though, she was more preoccupied with going to Yumi to hug her. "You'll finally get to see how much you've taught me, teacher," she said, smiling innocently as a blush spread over Sakuya's face.
"I told you to stop calling me that. It's embarrassing." She couldn't hide her excitement at the prospect of seeing Yumi take on the world, though. "You've worked hard at this, so I'm proud of you no matter what happens. That being said, I still predict you'll win."
"If she's even half as good as her teacher, this should be a breeze," Kyoko chimed in.
"Or her parents, for that matter." Her grandmother couldn't help but think about the two of them now that Yumi had started down the same path. It would surely make them proud to see if they were still there.
With one last hug, Kyoko picked up her helmet. "I better head out. I'll try to get back before you win the whole thing." They said their goodbyes before she drove off, leaving everyone to assume it was some kind of turf war she was headed to when it was really just desperation to finish all of her summer homework before her mother grounded her.
Not long after did the final members of their group arrive. Kazuhiko and Hideo made their way to the stadium, Sachi following along and holding Hideo's hand. "Sorry we're late," Kazuhiko said. "My mom's at work today, so we had to bring my sister along."
"I'm just glad you're here," Yumi told him, managing to hug all three of them at the same time, something Sachi found incredibly funny. "You're still going to watch me duel, right?"
Kazuhiko scoffed. "Sorry, but I don't have time for that." Everyone was taken aback by this. "See, the thing is, I'm actually feeling a little excited to see just how strong I've gotten lately. I figure it wouldn't hurt if I joined, too."
"You're actually going to join the tournament?" Sakuya asked skeptically.
"That a problem? I busted my ass to catch up to Hideo, so I'm going to go out there and aim for the top, too."
Yumi was nothing but excited at this revelation. "Maybe we'll even make it to the finals together. What if we end up the last two? That would be so cool!"
"Then let's do our best. I'll be seeing you there." With a bumping of fists, they were finally ready to head inside and register. It was a simple process, just filling out names, personal information, player ID numbers and the like, as well as a small entrance fee. After that, it was just a matter of time until the tournament began.
"Have they said anything about the prize card for this one yet?" Kazuhiko asked, sitting with the group off to the side to avoid being in the way.
"Not from what I've seen," Sakuya answered. "They usually like to keep that a secret until near the end." Like most tournaments in the Fortuna Corporation's pro league qualification circuit, the main prize was a rare card for the first place winner. Sometimes it would be from an upcoming set in a special rarity, other times a totally unique one of a kind card. As the people who made the game, they had a lot of options, though they were always kept a secret until the finals.
Aside from the prize card, there were usually other things given to top performers. Packs, game mats, cell phone charms, and the like. The top two usually came home with some prize money, too, though a prefectural win probably wouldn't be enough to make a living on alone.
"Guess we'll just find out when I win," Yumi said confidently, puffing out her chest.
"Better not get overconfident. I'm still here, remember?" The two traded witty retorts with each other while Sakuya and Hideo worked on their phones. With so many matches going on at once, the organizers always provided a way to track the status of the players as their duels happened.
The convenient thing about having a dedicated stadium in the city for events like this was the advanced technology that allowed things like that to happen. 'Smart tables' allowed the event organizers to track which cards were being played where, making them a helpful anti-cheating device. "How long is he going to last?" Hideo thought for a moment, then shrugged. In truth, they were hoping to see Kazuhiko go all the way. Having two friends face off for gold and silver was the dream, but it was hard to say how realistic that dream was until all the players had signed in.
"I bet my brother's going to lose," Sachi said, sticking her tongue out at him. She was getting a bit impatient waiting for something to happen.
"Will not!" he shot back, forgetting his ever more exaggerated boasting match with Yumi.
"Will too!" They fought back and forth exchanging the kind of caliber of insults expected of a six year old. Despite her negativity, she still supported her brother and hoped he'd win. She was really just upset because he took an extra pancake that was meant for her this morning at breakfast.
"What about Yumi?" her grandmother asked the two of them. "You've all been teaching her this summer. Do you think she'll win?" Though she had some experience with Duel Monsters and wanted to keep her expectations realistic, she couldn't help but be excited for her granddaughter's first big tournament.
Sakuya touched her chin in contemplation. "I hope so," she answered. Hideo replied that, based on everything they'd seen up to this point from her, Yumi stood a pretty good chance against most of the people they knew about in town who might be here. Ultimately, though, the answer would come when the duels began.
And began they did. Eight minutes later, the announcement came that the tournament was about to start. The judges thanked everyone for attending and commented on how many entries they had (119 players in total). As such, there would be seven rounds of non-elimination Swiss matches. At the end, the eight players with the highest records would stay to face off in single elimination duels until a winner was decided.
The clock was set, timing each match for 25 minutes. Player matches were posted on the walls and to the website, people scrambling to find their chairs and begin as soon as possible (save for a few scummy individuals taking their time as part of a strategy to run down the clock). "Let's do this!" Kazuhiko shouted, checking his table number on his phone and dashing towards it.
"I hope my opponent is strong!" Yumi said while hopping. She leaned over Sakuya to spy on her phone as she scrolled down the list. Confusingly, she was listed as not having an opponent when she checked with Yumi's name and ID number. "What's that mean?" she asked, puzzled by the same blank space where she would be assigned an opponent and seat.
"I think..." Sakuya began. "I think...you have a bye."
"What does that mean?" Yumi rushed over to one of the walls where a bracket had been taped. Just as before, she wasn't given an opponent.
Sakuya scratched her head. "It basically means you get an instant win because there's an odd number of players."
"But that's no fun!" Despite being given a 1-0 start to the day, she was still upset she wouldn't get to duel. "Why did they pick me for that? Can I give it to someone else?"
"I think it's because you've got the lowest rank here. Sorry." This was undoubtedly the reason. Yumi rarely went to official events, and the few she did attend always ended with her being soundly beaten by the competition. As a result, her official duel record was astoundingly bad, the few wins she did have overshadowed by dozens of losses. Close or not, a loss was a loss on paper.
Yumi hung her head as the group went to watch Kazuhiko, Sakuya patting her on the shoulder. He was at the end of a table so it wouldn't be a disruption to have them all crowded around him. To their surprise, he'd already taken a decisive lead within the ten minutes since the beginning of the round. "I'll set a monster and end my turn," his opponent said, quiver giving away that he was most likely out of options.
He scoffed, then stood up and put his foot on the table like an asshole. "Finish it!" he declared. Super Mutant Butcher led the charge, destroying the face-down Watch Dog, allowing Mutant Bite Hound and Mutant Venom Cobra to attack for the win.
After the fact, he offered his opponent a friendly handshake to make amends for his in-character theatrics. "Damn, you won already, too?" This was directed at Yumi, not initially picking up on her disappointment.
"They gave me a bye," she said dejectedly.
"Sorry to hear that." He patted her on the back, understanding her disappointment in being given a win rather than earning one. "Good news is you won't get skipped next time, though. Can't have two byes in a row."
Hearing that cheered her up a bit. "I guess you're right. Still grumpy, though." She puffed out her cheeks, Sachi copying her. The two made upset noises at each other as the group tried to kill time until the next round started.
Scoping out the competition was one option, but Yumi and Kazuhiko refused out of respect for potential opponents. They didn't want the possibility of having an unfair advantage over someone they might get paired up with. Hideo, however, lacked any such reservations and actively sought out various duels in progress to record different decks and strategies for future study.
"I want to duel so badly!" Yumi exclaimed while flopped on an unoccupied table.
Her grandmother smiled and pat her head. "You've got to be patient. It's not much longer."
"I know," she whined, kicking her feet. "There's just nothing to do while we're waiting.
"We could help you with your deck if you have any adjustments to make," Sakuya suggested, looking to Kazuhiko and Hideo as they were doing just that.
She shook her head. "I did some of that last night, so I want it to be a surprise when you see what I've got." Reaching into the front pocket on her overalls, she took out the blank card she'd found. Even after a bunch of tests she did to try and make it do something, the card failed to respond. Why she expected it to do anything was a mystery, but it was a feeling she had.
"What's that thing?" Sachi asked from beside her while laying in a chair. This caught the attention of everyone else, too.
"I don't really know," she answered. "It's a card I found, but it doesn't have a picture."
"You just found it?" Kazuhiko asked, scratching his head. "I've never seen anything like that before. Is it some kind of misprint?" Hideo took a picture of it quickly and began searching the internet for some answers.
"I think if it was a misprint, whatever it was supposed to be would still respond when I put it on a duel disk. I kept trying, but nothing made it work." Whatever further questions everyone had about the blank card would have to wait, as the post-round intermission was nearly up. The second round would begin in less than a minute. "Finally!" she shouted, tensing up as she waited for the pairing to go live.
As soon as they did, Sakuya searched for Yumi's opponent. Just as they predicted, she was finally able to duel. "I think it's over there," she said, pointing off to the left towards a quickly filling table.
"Then I'll see all of you after this round," Kazuhiko said, bumping fists with Yumi. "Don't get wiped out before I have a chance for a rematch."
"Better hope you get another pushover and finish in three seconds again," she teased. He and Hideo headed off, Yumi moving to find her seat. Given that she was in the middle now, there wasn't much room for spectators, so everyone else would have to be content to watch from a phone screen off to the side.
"Sorry. Excuse me. Sorry." Yumi was forced to scoot her way between people as she moved to her spot, ignoring the fact someone elbowed her in the ass (hopefully on accident). Reaching her chair, she took off her backpack and placed it between her legs to keep a good eye on it. As she reached to take out her deck, she stopped herself and grabbed the rubber game mat from her bag.
It was the first one she'd ever owned, feeling a bit of excitement as she unrolled it. It was a soft purple with labeled zones for every kind of play across its surface. A Critical Games logo was in the top left corner. She spent a good minute pressing her fingers into the squishy material before remembering she was supposed to prepare for a duel.
She sat in place, absentmindedly shuffling her cards as she waited for her opponent. Seconds turned to minutes as she began to worry he'd be a no-show. To her relief, a man crab walked between the rows of players towards the open seat across from her. "Morning. Ishida Akira." He greeted her with a curt handshake, to which she enthusiastically responded in turn.
"Sorry, but I've got to get out of here." He placed his deck down on the table, then put a hand on top to surrender. "Something came up, so I can't stay any longer. Good luck out there today." As quickly as he appeared, her opponent vanished just as fast. Yumi was left stunned and confused. Her record was now 2-0, both given to her through technicalities.
"How was it?" her grandmother asked as she approached. "It looked kind of funny on Sakuya's screen there. It started up and then just stopped."
She laughed weakly. "He gave up and said he had to go as soon as he got there." They looked at her in stunned silence. How unbelievable was it that she would just be given two wins right from the start? Not extremely to be perfectly honest, though it was still frustrating.
With no game to play, they switched to watching Kazuhiko's duel. He seemed to be having some trouble playing someone whose deck revolved around returning cards from the field to the hand. It was an effective strategy and an unlucky match up, given it was the perfect counter to monsters that relied on staying on the field. Despite some initial trouble, a rapid fire Synchro Summon combo managed to win him the day.
"I just can't be stopped!" he proclaimed as he met up with the rest of their group. "I assume you won, too, Miss Yumi?" She was hit with another wave of despair, taking him aback. "You didn't actually lose, did you?"
"My opponent quit the tournament before we could duel," she said dejectedly.
"Wow, I'm sorry. Two in a row." He leaned against a wall with a sour expression. "This sucks. You've been looking forward to this forever now and you still haven't played a single game."
"If nothing else," Sakuya said, "there should be a lot less of that going on after this round. Look." She pointed to the doors, several people walking out the doors after speaking the judges.
"What's all that about?" Yumi's grandmother asked. She felt as if she remembered seeing that years ago with Yumi's father, but it wasn't clear what they were doing.
To confirm her suspicions, Sakuya brought up the registration and current records. "Dropping out. If you want to make it to the finals, you can only afford to lose once. They're all people who lost both rounds, so they dropped out."
"People actually do that?" Yumi wasn't able to wrap her head around the idea that someone would just quit in the middle of a tournament. Maybe they couldn't make it to the finals, but wouldn't it still be fun to see it through to the end?
"Hey, hey, granny," Sachi said, tugging on the older woman's sleeve. "I'm hungry and bored and have to pee."
She laughed. "Okay. Let's go take care of that." Taking the girl's hand, she said, "We'll be back by the time the next round starts. You two keep an eye on the girls for me." Kazuhiko and Hideo gave her a thumbs up, Sakuya grumbling about 'Captain Pompadour' being in charge of her.
As the two left, Kazuhiko nudged Yumi. "We were talking about that blank card, right?" The four gathered around as Yumi produced the item in question, handing it to Kazuhiko. "This is seriously weird."
"I've never seen anything like it, either," Sakuya added, Hideo nodding in agreement now that they could confirm there wasn't anything like it online. "Where did you say you got it, again?"
Yumi froze for a second. Technically, she found it on her front porch, but giving an answer like that seemed dishonest. Reluctantly, she explained, "There was a weird guy who came up to me one day who tried to give it to me, but I ran away. I found it at my house when me and Grandma got home from the market after that and I just kind of kept it."
"Just some guy?" Kazuhiko asked.
"Why did you tell us about this?" Sakuya was concerned now, grabbing the card from Kazuhiko and turning it over. "What did he look like? Did he try to hurt you? Are you okay?"
Yumi waved her hands in front of her. "It's fine, I promise. He was just...some guy I'd never seen before. He was wearing some kind of brown cape thing, and he had a red beard. I don't think he had anywhere to live, either." They all remained silent, Hideo doing what they did best and taking notes as if it was a crime scene. "I think he knew who I was, too."
"Excuse me?" Sakuya looked Yumi in the eyes. "Why do you think that?" she asked sternly.
She swallowed hard. "He said my name and that he was a fan of me. I don't know, am I popular enough to have fans yet?" The three looked at each other, Yumi suddenly feeling nervous. "I'm sure it didn't mean anything, though. If he meant any harm, he'd have done something, right?"
"I just don't know," she said, shaking her head. "Yumi, I-" With the announcement of the third round, the conversation would have to be put on hold for the time being. "We'll talk about this later. You should have told us, though."
"Sorry. I didn't want to worry anyone."
"Forget about that," Kazuhiko said with a grunt. "We're friends, so we're here for you if anything bad happens. Tell us the next time a guy like that shows up and I'll come and beat him up, got it?" She laughed, nodding in agreement. "We've got duels now, though, so let's get out there."
They split into two groups, Hideo keeping watch for Yumi's grandmother and Sachi since Kazuhiko and them were closest to the entrance this time. Yumi and Sakuya were located on the other side room, Yumi preparing her supplies like last time. The room was less crowded compared to the previous round, at least twenty or so people having quit between rounds.
A tall man approached the table, impatiently pulling out the chair and taking a seat. He scratched a thin, dark mustache across his upper lip, unrolling his own mat in front of Yumi while eyeing her up and down. Unlike her stylish bare bones model, his lacked any of the helpful field markers and only displayed an image of several nearly-naked anime girls at a bathhouse. Sakuya found it distasteful from where she was sitting a few seats down, but Yumi had absolutely no issue with his choice of equipment.
"I like your mat," she said, trying to make conversation as they prepared for the duel. He ignored her completely. A bit discouraged, she didn't feel like giving up yet. "This is the first time I'll actually get to duel." She forced a short laugh. "They kept giving me wins before, so I haven't even warmed up yet."
"First or second," the man asked. She blinked, prompting him to repeat it in a harsher tone.
"F-first," she stammered. After her selection, he placed his deck on her mat to let her cut it. She did the same, her hand trembling a bit as she separated his cards into two piles. They exchanged decks once again and began the duel. There was no call to action as you'd normally find, Yumi too intimidated to speak up and her opponent having no interest in the formality.
The table displayed his name: Taniguchi Hiroshi. As she looked over her hand, she could hear him tapping his finger impatiently. From the sidelines, Sakuya tried her hardest to suppress the rage she felt seeing this awful man manipulate her friend.
"I'll start with Hat-Trick Magician," she said, placing the card down in Attack Position. Taniguchi scoffed, making her flinch as she released it onto the field. "T-then I'll set two cards and end my turn." Her anxiety was starting to build up, her concentration fading as she looked for distractions.
"Quit," he told her.
"What?" She didn't know how to respond.
"I win on my turn. Quit so I don't have to waste my time."
She forced a laugh, only for it to die midway through. "B-but we just started."
He responded with a sigh, drawing to start his turn. Wordlessly, he Normal Summoned the card Bixi, Dracomet of Water, destroying it and the Dinomight Knuckle, the True Dragon Fist Fighter in his hand to summon out True Dragon King Baharstos, the Führer in Attack Position. "Banish," he said while pointing at Yumi's set cards.
"W-wait." She could only read so fast.
"Don't slow play," he told her, his tone showing his utter disinterest in what was happening. Shaking, Yumi did as she was told, having gotten the gist of what was going on and banishing her Attack Nullification and Mirror Force cards. She was wide open now. Luckily, the damage would only be minor.
As soon as she thought this, he began sifting through his deck, only confusing her more. He summoned Suanni, Dracomet of Fire in Attack Position, only to immediately destroy it and Ignis Heat, the True Dragon Warrior in his hand, instantly summoning True Dragon King Agnimazud, the Vanisher. "Banish," he said, this time referring to Hat-Trick Magician.
Reluctantly, she did that, as well. Now she was completely defenseless. None of the cards in her hand were able to help her now, either. From Suanni's effect, he was able to summon Bi'an, Dracomet of Earth in Defense Position. As one would expect at this point, both it and Baharstos were destroyed to summon True Dragon King Lithosazim, the Disaster, the last card in his hand.
This only proved that he was simply showing off, not even considering Yumi enough of a threat to play conservatively and take the first available kill when it made itself available. Both Bi'an and Baharstos used their effects, summoning Taotie, Dracomet of Evil and Jiaotu, Dracomet of Darkness. With the stage set, he performed a Synchro Summon using the newest Dracomets, forming Yaizer, Dracomet of Wickedness.
"Attack, attack, attack." In an instant, Yumi's Life Points dropped from 4000 to 0. She had lost. Without another word, Taniguchi packed up his things and left the table.
"Are you okay?" Sakuya asked, taking hold of her friend's hand to try and keep her from shaking. "It's okay. You can afford to lose once without any problem. There's nothing wrong." These words couldn't penetrate Yumi's wall of self-doubt, with only reminders of her failure repeating in her brain.
She trained so hard, but it was all for nothing. She only got to play for one turn and that was it, then he trampled her. Her hand still trembling, she put her cards away and slowly rolled up her mat. "It's going to be okay," Sakuya repeated.
Helping her from her seat, Sakuya led Yumi towards the entrance, passing by Kazuhiko and Hideo. Interpreting it to mean Yumi had already won, Kazuhiko's enthusiasm grew as he launched into an attack, unaware of the truth.
The two girls sat on the ground, Yumi holding her head and pulling her goggles over her eyes. Everything she'd done felt useless now. If this was the caliber of player here, what hope did she have of winning? And if she couldn't win, what was the point of trying? She was letting everyone down, Sakuya most of all. All the sweet words in the world couldn't convince her she wasn't the biggest disappointment to ever live right now.
"We're back!" Sachi exclaimed, running up to Yumi while chewing on a Popsicle stick. "You won?" she asked, not picking up on any indication something was off.
Before she had a chance to say anything, Yumi's grandmother immediately sensed turmoil in the air. "What happened?" she asked the both of them, mistakenly handing Sachi the Popsicles meant for the rest of the group.
"Yumi lost," Sakuya told her bluntly, patting her friend on the head.
"You lost?" Sachi repeated with one of the ice pops in her mouth. She wasn't really fazed by the news, as she didn't care about this game.
Nearly at a loss for words, all she managed to say was, "I'm so sorry, Yumi." Soon, Kazuhiko and Hideo would rejoin them and hear the news. Whether or not she could continue in this state was yet to be decided.
Cards Used in Order of Appearance
Super Mutant Butcher
DARK
Level 7
Psychic/Synchro/Effect
2000 ATK/500 DEF
1 "Mutant" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Mutant" monsters
During your Standby Phase: Increase this card's ATK by 800 and Level by 1. If this effect is activated 4 times while this card remains face-up on the field: You can Tribute this face-up card at the end of your Battle Phase after this card destroys another monster by battle; Special Summon 1 "Mutant" Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck that has a higher Level than this card. The monster summoned by this effect can activate its second effect.
Watch Dog
FIRE
Level 1
Pyro/Effect
0 ATK/0 DEF
During your Main Phase 2, if this card was Normal Summoned this turn: You can send 1 Spell Card from your hand to the Graveyard; Set 1 Continuous Spell Card directly from your Deck. You can only use this effect of "Watch Dog" once per turn. You cannot Special Summon during the turn you activate this effect.
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 3 times while this card remains face-up on the field: This card can no longer be destroyed by battle or card effects.
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 3 times while this card remains face-up on the field: When this card inflicts battle damage; inflict 300 damage to your opponent.
Hat-Trick Magician
DARK
Level 4
Spellcaster
1200 ATK/1500 DEF
Bixi, Dracomet of Water (Bixi, Water of the Yang Zing)
WATER
Level 2
Wyrm/Effect
0 ATK/2000 DEF
When this card you control is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to your Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 "Yang Zing" monster from your Deck in Attack Position, except "Bixi, Water of the Yang Zing". You can only use this effect of "Bixi, Water of the Yang Zing" once per turn. Once per turn, during your opponent's Main Phase or Battle Phase, you can: Immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 Synchro Monster, using only "Yang Zing" monsters you control (this is a Quick Effect). A Synchro Monster that used this card as a Synchro Material is unaffected by Trap effects.
Dinomight Knuckle, the True Dragon Fist Fighter (Dinomight Knight, the True Dracofighter)
WATER
Level 6
Wyrm/Effect
2500 ATK/1200 DEF
To Tribute Summon this card face-up, you can Tribute a Continuous Spell/Trap Card you control, instead of a monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn, when your opponent activates a card or effect while you control this Tribute Summoned monster: You can take 1 "True Draco" or "True King" Continuous Trap Card from your Deck, and either activate it or add it to your hand.
True Dragon King Baharstos, the Führer (True King Bahrastos, the Fathomer)
WATER
Level 9
Wyrm/Effect
1800 ATK/3000 DEF
If this card is in your hand: You can destroy 2 other monsters in your hand and/or face-up on your field, including a WATER monster, and if you do, Special Summon this card, and if you do that, you can banish up to 2 Spell/Trap Cards from your opponent's field and/or Graveyard, if both the destroyed monsters were WATER. If this card is destroyed by card effect: You can Special Summon 1 non-WATER Wyrm-Type monster from your Deck in Defense Position. You can only use each effect of "True King Bahrastos, the Fathomer" once per turn.
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.
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.
Suanni, Dracomet of Fire (Suanni, Fire of the Yang Zing)
FIRE
Level 4
Wyrm/Effect
1900 ATK/0 DEF
When this card you control is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to your Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 "Yang Zing" monster from your Deck in Defense Position, except "Suanni, Fire of the Yang Zing". You can only use this effect of "Suanni, Fire of the Yang Zing" once per turn. Once per turn, during your opponent's Main Phase or Battle Phase, you can: Immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 Synchro Monster, using only "Yang Zing" monsters you control (this is a Quick Effect). A Synchro Monster that used this card as a Synchro Material gains 500 ATK and DEF.
Ignis Heat, the True Dragon Warrior (Ignis Heat, the True Dracowarrior)
FIRE
Level 5
Wyrm/Effect
2400 ATK/1000 DEF
To Tribute Summon this card face-up, you can Tribute a Continuous Spell/Trap Card you control, instead of a monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn, when your opponent activates a card or effect while you control this Tribute Summoned monster: You can take 1 "True Draco" or "True King" Continuous Spell Card from your Deck, and either activate it or add it to your hand.
True Dragon King Agnimazud, the Vanisher (True King Agnimazud, the Vanisher)
FIRE
Level 9
Wyrm/Effect
2900 ATK/1900 DEF
If this card is in your hand: You can destroy 2 other monsters in your hand and/or face-up on your field, including a FIRE monster, and if you do, Special Summon this card, and if you do that, you can banish 1 monster from your opponent's field or Graveyard, if both the destroyed monsters were FIRE. If this card is destroyed by card effect: You can add 1 non-FIRE Wyrm-Type monster from your Graveyard to your hand. You can only use each effect of "True King Agnimazud, the Vanisher" once per turn.
Bi'an, Dracomet of Earth (Bi'an, Earth of the Yang Zing)
EARTH
Level 3
Wyrm/Effect
1600 ATK/0 DEF
When this card you control is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to your Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 "Yang Zing" monster from your Deck in Defense Position, except "Bi'an, Earth of the Yang Zing". You can only use this effect of "Bi'an, Earth of the Yang Zing" once per turn. Once per turn, during your opponent's Main Phase or Battle Phase, you can: Immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 Synchro Monster, using only "Yang Zing" monsters you control (this is a Quick Effect). A Synchro Monster that used this card as a Synchro Material cannot be destroyed by battle.
True Dragon King Lithosazim, the Disaster (True King Lithosagym, the Disaster)
EARTH
Level 9
Wyrm/Effect
2500 ATK/2300 DEF
If this card is in your hand: You can destroy 2 other monsters in your hand and/or face-up on your field, including an EARTH monster, and if you do, Special Summon this card, and if you do that, and both destroyed monsters were EARTH, you can also look at your opponent's Extra Deck and banish up to 3 monsters from it with different names. If this card is destroyed by card effect: You can Special Summon 1 non-EARTH Wyrm-Type monster from your Graveyard. You can only use each effect of "True King Lithosagym, the Disaster" once per turn.
Taotie, Dracomet of Evil (Taotie, Shadow of the Yang Zing)
DARK
Level 5
Wyrm/Effect
2200 ATK/0 DEF
When this card you control is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to your Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 "Yang Zing" monster from your Deck in Defense Position, except "Taotie, Shadow of the Yang Zing". You can only use this effect of "Taotie, Shadow of the Yang Zing" once per turn. Once per turn, during your opponent's Main Phase or Battle Phase, you can: Immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 Synchro Monster, using only "Yang Zing" monsters you control (this is a Quick Effect). Possession of a Synchro Monster on the field that used this card as a Synchro Material cannot switch.
Jiaotu, Dracomet of Darkness (Jiaotu, Darkness of the Yang Zing)
DARK
Level 2
Wyrm/Tuner/Effect
0 ATK/2000 DEF
When this card you control is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to your Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 "Yang Zing" monster from your Deck in Attack Position, except "Jiaotu, Darkness of the Yang Zing". If you control no other monsters: You can send 2 "Yang Zing" cards from your hand to the Graveyard; Special Summon 1 "Yang Zing" monster with 0 ATK and 1 "Yang Zing" monster with 0 DEF from your Deck, but banish them during the End Phase. You can only use 1 "Jiaotu, Darkness of the Yang Zing" effect per turn, and only once that turn.
Yaizer, Dracomet of Wickedness (Yazi, Evil of the Yang Zing)
DARK
Level 7
Wyrm/Synchro/Effect
2600 ATK/2100 DEF
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
Cannot be targeted by an opponent's card effects. You can only use each of these effects of "Yazi, Evil of the Yang Zing" once per turn.
● You can target 1 "Yang Zing" monster you control and 1 card your opponent controls; destroy them.
● When this card you control is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to your Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 Wyrm-Type monster from your Deck in Defense Position.
I was inspired to write some more recently and I came up with this. I wouldn't take this as a guarantee that I'll write more, just something that happened. If it happens again, I'll probably post what materializes. Probably not good to expect a reliable update schedule, though. But nobody cares about that. You read everything above this to see this, so you're wanting details about the plot. And the biggest development is definitely Kazuhiko joining in. Really showcases his growth since meeting the gang, and sets up for some stuff I'd want to get into later down the line with him. Have some new cards for him to use, too, so that'll be fun. The actual most important thing in this chapter is that Yumi lost, obviously. It's swiss rounds, so she's not out yet, but that was a pretty devastating blow to morale. Especially give her opponent. And we all know a Taniguchi. Takahashi knew a Taniguchi from the sounds of it when he talks about how he came up with Kaiba. That asshole who takes everything too seriously and probably scales his boxes before buying them. Also a good demonstration as to why the real game uses 8000 LP. Talking about the blank card again, too. Bet that won't come back around and be significant any time soon. Probably just leaving it there forever like the GS ball. Not much left to talk about here. Don't know if you'll be seeing more of this, but at least there's a new chapter right now. And immediate gratification is all that really matters in life. Thanks for reading. Remember to stay moist.