"I'll start," Coco said, barely loud enough to hear.
"Coco, dear, you're going to have to speak up," Miss Fontaine said.
"R-Right. O-Okay. I-I'll summon Dissolverock (900/1000) in Defense Mode," Coco said. A human sized mound of melted rock oozed out of the ground. It bubbled and steamed in the air.
"A-And I'll play one face-down. Your turn," Coco said quickly. The girl shook slightly as she played the card. Then, she glanced around at the audience around them.
"Looks like she's got stage fright," Atticus said with a small smile. "Wonder what she's playing at with that monster of hers. Any ideas."
"Only theories," Adam said.
"My turn!" Harriet said, beaming at her opponent. "I draw!" She examined her hand and nodded. "I summon Rapid-Fire Magician (1600/1200) in Attack Mode!" The dark robed magician sprang into being, twirling his twin staves. He pointed both at Coco.
"Next I'll use a Magic card. Magical Blast!" Harriet played the card, causing purple energy to begin building between the Rapid-Fire Magician's staves. "When this card's activated, it inflicts 200 points of damage to my opponent for each Spellcaster I control. That's only one, but it's a start!" The blast fired out. Coco yelped in surprise, throwing up her arms to shield herself. (Coco: 4000 - 3800)
"But wait, I'm not done! I activate Rapid-Fire Magician's effect! See, whenever I activate a Normal Spell, Rapid-Fire Magician inflicts 400 points of damage right to my opponent!" The magician leveled his staves again, this time launching a stream of small spheres. They ricocheted around Coco, causing more panicked yelping from the other girl. (Coco: 3800 - 3400)
"But of course, Rapid-Fire Magician still gets his attack for the turn. So go! Destroy her Dissolverock! Magic Missiles!" Harriet ordered. The Rapid-Fire Magician released another stream of orbs, these ones punching through the Dissolverock, causing it to explode. "And to finish off my turn, I'll set a card face-down. Your move, Coco."
"Not a bad opening turn," Atticus said, patting Adam on the back, earning him a bewildered look.
"She often focus on direct damage like this?" Kendra asked, looking at the boy next to her. Adam shrugged.
"Doesn't matter how the life points go down, so long as they're going down," he said. "Harriet's not picky how she does it."
"It looks like she knows what she's doing though," Atticus said.
"She does. Though it'll depend on what her opponent's really playing at," Adam said.
Coco draws a card. "I…I activate Enchanting Fitting Room. This costs me 800 life points, but I get to look at the top four cards of my deck and play any Level 3 or lower Normal monsters I find there," she said, picking up the four cards. (Coco: 3400 - 2600) "T-There's only one. Battle Warrior (700/100). I'll Special Summon him in Defense Mode." A blue clad warrior appeared, kneeling in front of Coco. He had his arms crossed in a card, protecting his face.
"Another low level Normal Monster. Why?" Kendra asked.
"She probably has a plan," Atticus said. "Just…not sure what it is."
"N-Now I summon Skull Servant (300/200) in Defense Mode." A skeleton in a purple robe appeared kneeling next to the Battle Warrior. It's bony hands covered it's face. "T-That let's me activate Chain Destruction to destroy every Skull Servant in my Hand and Deck," Coco said as she flipped up her face-down. A chain flew out from the trap, piercing into Coco's deck. When it withdrew, two Skull Servants were skewered on it, both of which were dragged into the Graveyard.
Adam's and Harriet's eyes narrowed at the same time. "Interesting," Adam muttered.
"Y-Your turn," Coco said.
"Right. I activate the effect of my Magical Blast!" Harriet announced. "When this spell is in my Graveyard, I can use it's effect to add it to my hand rather than drawing a card." The spell slid out of Harriet's graveyard and into her waiting hand. "But before I activate it, I'll summon Blast Magician (1400/1700) in Attack Mode!"
Another wizard appeared on Harriet's field. This one wore deep red robes, his hat covering most of his face. In his hand was a staff with a hooked blade on the end.
"Next I'll activate Magical Blast! This time it'll deal 400 points of damage thanks to my Blast Magician joining us," Harriet said. The two magicians both pointed towards Coco, firing a noticeably larger ball of purple energy at her. (Coco: 2600 - 2200) "And, because I activated a Spell Card, Rapid-Fire Magician's effect activates, dealing another 400 points of damage!" Another stream of smaller orbs fired from the magician in black, all of them slamming into Coco, earning another shout of alarm. (Coco: 2200 - 1800)
"But we're not done here yet. Because I activated a Spell Card, Blast Magician gets a Spell Counter!" A ball of flames appeared over Blast Magician's shoulder, right next to his head. "But I think he could use some more. So I'll reveal my face-down! Pitch-Black Power Stone!"
The trap card turned face up and a small black orb floated out from it. Three golden triangles glowed within it, pulsing with arcane power. "This little card comes into play with three Spell Counters on it. And once per turn, I can transfer one of those to a creature I control that can take those Counters. So my Blast Magician now gets another!"
One of the triangles on the Orb dimmed, causing another fireball to form by Blast Magician's head. Harriet beamed. "Now, I'll use the effect of my Blast Magician! I can remove any number of Spell Counters from him and target a monster on my opponent's side of the field. I choose your Battle Warrior."
The magician in red lifted his bladed stick, aiming it at the blue warrior. The fireballs by his head floated down to the staff's tip, glowing brighter. "And if that monster has less Attack points than the number of counters I removed times 700, it's automatically destroyed. And since I'm removing two counters, Battle Warrior would need more than 1400 Attack to survive this," Harriet said.
"B-But Battle Warrior only has 1000 Attack points," Coco said softly.
"Which means it's destroyed," Harriet said with a grim nod. Both blasts of fire rocketed from the red spellcaster, slamming into Battle Warrior. The resulting explosion knocked Coco off her feet.
"And now, Blast Magician, destroy her Skull Servant. Flame Blast!" Harriet ordered. Her monster shifted it's aim and fired a stream of flame. The skeleton exploded into particles, disappearing.
"N-No…" Coco said weakly.
"And Rapid-Fire Magician is going to Attack you directly," Harriet said, wincing as she did. "Magic Missiles." The dual-wielding magician fired another stream of missiles into Coco, causing her to shriek as her Life Points dropped. (Coco: 1800 - 200)
Kendra winced. "Adam, your sister is vicious."
Adam just shrugged and nodded. "It's how the game's played. She'll win next turn if her opponent's not careful."
"Nah, she won't," Atticus said. "I think Coco's got a few tricks up her sleeve."
The girl in question reached for her deck and hesitated.
"What is this, some kind of joke!" someone from the audience shouted. "I thought we were gonna see a duel!"
"Yeah! Play a real card already!" another person shouted.
Coco looked around the stadium nervously. She looked back at her deck and visibly hesitated while reaching for it.
"Hey. Coco," Harriet said, causing the other girl to look up. "Don't focus on them. I'm the only thing you should be worrying about, okay? Take a deep breath and focus on me."
Coco blinked and nodded. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. And then let it go.
"That's it. Now show me what you've been setting up," Harriet said.
Coco's eyes flew open as she drew a card. "R-Right! I-I summon King of the Skull Servants!" Another skeleton appeared, also dressed in a deep purple robe. As it manifested, three ghostly skeletons appeared around it, floating behind the corporeal one. The skulls chattered, teeth clacking together.
Adam's eyes lit up. "Aw, sick!"
"King of the Skull Servants has Attack points equal to the number of Skull Servants in my Graveyard…"
"Well that doesn't sound too bad," Harriet muttered.
"Times one thousand. And Chain Destruction let me put all three copies from my deck into my Graveyard." (King of the Skull Servants: 3000/0)
Harriet's eyes went wide. "Uh. Okay, cool. I see what you're going for. Very…uh…skull-y."
"King of the Skull Servants! Attack Rapid-Fire Magician with Bone Splinters!" Coco said, pointing dramatically towards the magician in black. Her skeleton surged forward, getting very close to the other creature's face. The three spectral ones joined in as well, causing the spellcaster to shatter. (Harriet: 4000 - 2600) "A-And now I place a card face down and end my turn. Your turn!"
"Nice shot, dude," Harriet said. "But I activate the effect of my Magical Blast! Rather than draw a card, I'm going to add Magical Blast back to my hand!"
Kendra folded her arms. "She's going to end this with effect damage?"
"Can you blame her? That sweet skeleton's got more Attack points than any monster in her Deck. Sure, she could try to top-deck removal, but one more shot from Magical Blast will win this for her," Adam said.
"Assuming it works. I doubt this'll be quite that easy," Atticus said.
"Next, I summon Royal Magical Library (0/2000) in Defense Mode!" Harriet announced. A tower of books with three jade platforms appeared on Harriet's side of the field. The platforms moved up and down slowly, like elevators. "And now I activate Magical Blast! Which'll inflict 400 points of damage, ending the game!"
"Go, Trap Card! Destruct Potion!" Coco said, waving her hand to activate her face-down. "I-I destroy one monster on my side of the field and gain Life Points equal to it's Attack points. And I choose King of the Skull Servants!" The skeletal king exploded into purple energy, which flowed into Coco. (Coco: 200 - 3200)
"Okay, but you're still taking 400 points of damage," Harriet said as the purple blast flew out once again, slamming into Coco. (3200 - 2800) A small ball of flame appeared by Blast Magician's head, while one of the Royal Magical Library's platforms lit up green. "And because you've got no monsters on the field, Blast Magician can attack you directly!"
The magician in red leveled his staff towards Coco once more, firing a ball of flames at the other girl. It exploded on impact. This time, Coco planted her feet and took the hit with a grimace. (2800 - 1400) "Last thing I'll do a transfer a Spell Counter from my Pitch-Black Power Stone to my Royal Magical Library. And I guess that'll have to do," Harriet said. "Your turn." Another triangle faded from the power stone as a second platform lit up.
"R-Right! I draw!" Coco pulled a new card from her deck and immediately beamed at it. "I activate Monster Reborn! And I'll use it to Special Summon King of the Skull Servants (3000/0) from my Graveyard!"
"Oh, great. Skeletor's back," Harriet grumbled as the monster reappeared. The ghostly duplicates reappeared shortly, all chattering ominously. As Coco moved Monster Reborn to the Graveyard, the last of the Royal Magical Library's platforms lit up.
"T-Then I'll summon The Lady in Wight (0/2200) in Defense Mode," Coco said. Another skeleton appeared, this one dressed in a rotting Victorian dress. The monster gave a small curtsy to Harriet. "While she's on the field, level 3 or lower Zombies I control can't be destroyed by battle and aren't affected by Spell or Trap effects. Except for her."
Harriet considered that and then looked up at Adam. "Why don't you have that card!" she shouted up to her twin.
"My monsters are too high level! And she's too classy to hang out with me!" Adam called back.
"A-And with that in place, I attack your Blast Magician with my King of the Skull Servants! Bone Splinters!" Coco said, pointing forward. Her monster launched itself across the field. Harriet's monster shattered and she hissed in annoyance. (Harriet: 2600 - 1000) "T-That's going to end my turn."
"Not a bad setup," Kendra said, looking at Coco's field. "A big hitter and something to shut down removal. Something that needs a pretty hefty hit itself to go down."
"It's pretty good, yeah. Not quite perfect though," Atticus said. "Harriet can't target the King with Spells or Traps, but she can target the Lady with them."
"There's an even bigger weakness than that," Adam said.
"Really? What…oh! Think she knows?" Atticus asked, suddenly getting excited as Harriet drew a card. She smirked.
"Yeah. She knows," Adam said.
"I activate the effect of my Royal Magical Library! When it's got three Spell Counters on it, I can remove them to check out a book and draw myself a card," Harriet said. All three platforms promptly dimmed. A book flew out of the library. It sank into Harriet's deck as she pulled a second card. She examined the new card and tilted her head slightly. "Yeah, I can make this work. I tribute my Royal Magical Library in order to summon a good friend of mine!" The library vanished, forming into shimmering purple light.
"Cut your strings and step into the spotlight! Magical Marionette (2000/1000)!" The light condensed itself, forming a purplish figure in a red hood. Two disembodied arms floated out from the cape, large purple gems taking up the back of their hands. The hands steepled, the fingers clacking against each other.
"And like that, this duel's over," Adam said, smiling slightly.
"Next I'll activate the Spell Card, Pot of Greed! And if you don't know what that does, you're at the wrong school!" Harriet said as she drew two more cards. The back of the Marionette's left hand lit up.
"W-Wait, what's that?" Coco asked, pointing to the now glowing hand.
"Huh? Oh, it's a Spell Counter. See, Magical Marionette gets one whenever a Spell card is activated. And in their case, they also gain 200 Attack points for every Spell Counter they have," Harriet said. (2000 - 2200) "But the real fun starts when they have two counters. I activate Nightmare's Steel Cage!" Instantly, a half-dome of steel sprouted around Harriet. Massive spikes lined the exterior, but kept her trapped within. The Marionette's other hand lit up.
"And now that Magical Marionette has two Spell Counters, I can use it's other effect!" Harriet said. "You know how your Lady in Wight protects from Spells and Traps? Well it can't do anything against monsters, now can it? Which means I can remove two counters from Magical Marionette to destroy your King of the Skull Servants!"
The Marionette extended it's hands. Strings of purple light flashed out, wrapping around the skeletal king, lifting it into the air. Then, the Marionette pulled it's arms to either side, causing the King of the Skull Servants to explode.
"That's one monster down," Atticus said. "Think she can get rid of the other?"
"Yes," Adam said, his smile spreading into a devious smirk. "Like I said, this duel's already over."
"Now, as much as I love this cage, it does keep me from attacking. And I'm gonna need to do that to win. So I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy my Nightmare's Steel Cage," Harriet said as she played the spell. A tornado whipped up around her, tearing the cage to pieces. "And hey, guess what, that's another Spell Counter for Magical Marionette! But I know what you're thinking: I still need one more to activate Marionette's effect. Which is why I'm using the last counter from my Pitch-Black Power Stone!" The final golden triangle faded, causing the stone to crack in half. It crumbled to dust as the Marionette's other hand lit up once more.
"I'll use Magical Marionette's ability one more time! This time to destroy your Lady in Wight!" Harriet said. Once again, the strings lashed out, lifting the well-dressed skeletal lady into the air. The Marionette spread it's arms, causing the lady to explode into sparks.
"N-No! I-I'm wide open!" Coco gasped.
"Yeah you are! Go, Magical Marionette! Death Doll Dance!" Harriet said, pointing her hand forward. The Marionette copied her pose, sending out a small doll that slashed Coco, causing the other girl to shriek. (Coco: 1400 - 0) Coco slumped down to her hands and knees.
"I-I-I lost…I never should've played," Coco whimpered.
"Are you kidding?! You were amazing! How many people can get in front of a crowd like this and duel someone they know nothing about! And how many people can make a comeback like the one you had in the middle?" Harriet asked, moving towards Coco. "Seriously. Good game."
"R-Really? You sure?" Coco asked, looking up at the other girl.
"Of course! You've got room for improvement but you wouldn't be at school if you didn't. But that was really good," Harriet said, offering a hand to let her up.
"Dang, your sister's pretty good," Atticus said, beaming at Adam. Adam just shrugged.
"I know."
"You two play a lot when you were growing up?" Atticus asked.
"Every night. Usually only one or two games though. It's why I know her deck so well," Adam said. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go congratulate her."
He got up and headed down to the arena floor, where Harriet and Coco were still talking quietly. "Harry!" he called as he got closer. She glanced over and beamed.
"Hey! What'd you think?" she asked.
"I think you rely on Magical Blast too much. Especially whenever you start with it," Adam said. He turned towards Coco. "You did very well too. Your Skull Servants served some serious surprises, spooking spectators with spectacular special abilities. As a fellow Zombie enthusiast, I can only hope we see more of each other."
Coco blinked and then gave him a nervous smile. "T-Thanks. I-I'm glad you think so."
"Was the alliteration necessary?" Harriet asked as the twins began to walk away.
"No, but it was fun," Adam said.
"How long did it take you to come up with?"
"I'm insulted that you think I couldn't improv that."
They continued to bicker as they left, unaware of the other student watching them. He chewed at his finger nails, his other hand playing with curly brown hair. "Fun…more spirits to play with," he giggled to himself. "I want to see more of them. More. More."
Another student moved to behind him, putting his hand on the other boy's shoulder. His skin was deeply tan, his red eyes glinting with amusement and malice. "You're going to have to wait, Jack. You never know when we might need them."
