************************************************************************************************ ************************************************************************************************ Disclaimer:: I do not own the rights to Yu-gi-oh. I do not stake any legal claim on the characters, plotlines, or concepts presented therein. ************************************************************************************************ ************************************************************************************************ Any Given Duel INTRO *** On what appears to be a typical day, Yugi & Co. are wandering aimlessly and commenting *** loudly, in their usual fashion. [with child-like innocence] Yugi:: Wow! I certainly do enjoy my increasingly gaming-centric lifestyle. It allows me to travel the world, unhindered by my convienently disposable family and school obligations! [with obvious speech impediment] Joey:: On toppa dat, it helps us out in completing our chain of mundane quests... [with an almost crack-induced level of enthusiasm] Tea:: ...and further justifies my semi-creepy adulation of a 14-year old midget! *** Suddenly, a figure appears from behind a tree! *** Inherently Evil Character Seeking Retribution:: Hello there, I embody principles which only an 2-year-old would object to. Yugi:: But are you a bully who has wronged my friends? Inherently Evil Character Seeking Retribution:: Hang on a sec... *** The evil-doer bluntly refers to Joey as a dog or dog-like individual. *** [helplessly] Joey:: Whaazitz? Inherently Evil BULLY Seeking Retribution:: Yes, I am now a clearly defined villain. [adopting a holier-than-thou attitude] Yugi:: It's up to me to defend my much larger friend! And there's only one way to deal with a bully... [confused] Tea:: Challenge him to a popular children's game? [ignoring her] Yugi:: YU-GI-OHHHHHHHH! THE DUEL IEBSR:: Pardon? Yami:: Nothing. Please disregard my marked change in both voice and height. Yami & IEBSR:: DUEL! IEBSR:: Since it's early in the match, I'll play supposedly intimidating monster card, and combine it with ordinarily useless magic card to create a ferocious beast! [with his indecipherable accent] Joey:: Kick his butt, Yug! [shouting needlessly] Yami:: Since it's early in the match, I will seemingly lose all comprehension of the term "defense mode" and play incredibly sucky monster card, in attack mode! *** Yugi's weak monster is easily destroyed. *** [gnashing his teeth audibly] Yami:: Grrr. [in his mind] Yugi:: He's good. He knows every aspect of this game. Like... attacking and, uh... using cards labeled "Magic". [cackling maniacally and prematurely] IEBSR:: Your life points have been slightly reduced, and my victory is imminent! I will now recount my life's story in lurid detail. Tea:: Don't let him psych you out, Yugi! *** After a painfully long series of flashbacks... *** [wistful] IEBSR:: ...and after my third wife's death from the same mysterious disease, my brother was horribly murdered. Oh, and then there's the accident that left me bankrupt and grotesquely disfigured... [enraged] Yami:: I've heard enough of your stories! No amount of widowing, murder, or disfigurement could possibly take precedence over my moral objections. For you see, nauseating brochure for faith and friendship. Tea:: Don't let him psych you out, Yugi! [flatly] IEBSR:: Oh, and I question your belief system. [bellowing] Yami:: How DARE you question something as fundamental as the belief that true power can only be derived from my unseemly fascination with inanimate objects!!! IEBSR:: Your reasoning seems a little suspect, that's all. [struggling to form a coherent sentence] Joey:: Ya know, he's got a point, Yug. [turning sharply] Yami:: Shouldn't you be providing comic relief or something? Joey:: I've already used the phrase "kick butt". What more do you want from me? Yami:: Enough talk. Time for my obligatory mid-episode turnaround! For I summon... THE DARK MAGICIAN to destroy supposedly intimidating monster card in one mighty blast! *** IEBSR's monster is destroyed in a less-than-mighty blast. *** *** Yami smirks. *** *** Yami clenches his fist. *** *** Yami chuckles ruefully. *** [Having exhausted his full range of emotions, Yami stands there awkwardly] Yami:: Uh... aren't you going to make your next move so I can deride it mindlessly? IEBSR:: Very well. It's time to use incredibly masterful combo that destroys all of Yugi's monsters except the Dark Magician! Yami:: Hmm. [in his mind] Yugi:: Holy $@&%! [getting high on his/her own superiority] IEBSR:: There's nothing you can do, Yugi! Take your LAST TURN. Yami:: Oh, I'll take my LAST TURN alright. *** After 20 minutes of mind-numbing introspection... *** Yami:: ...And now to draw the card that will BEGIN my... LAST TURN. [rolling his eyes] IEBSR:: Ugh. *** Yami examines the card minutely. *** [Pointing his finger, but not in a poor-substitute-for-a-handgun kind of way] Yami:: You dueled well, IEBSR, but I've just drawn the one card I need to perform... Lucky-Ass Combo, That More Often Than Not Involves The Dark Magician!!!! IEBSR:: Lucky Ass Combo, yadda yadda yadda?! Although it sounds highly improbable, no one has ever done THAT before! ...And I find your exclamation marks excessive. [roaring] Yami:: That's because I substitute yelling for personality!!!!!!!!!!!!! *** The field is lit up as IEBSR's ultimate monster is vaporized, along with his/her lifepoints. *** Tea:: Don't let him psych you out, Yugi! EPILOGUE Yami:: And now, while your spirit is crushed, I will delight in lecturing you on why you lost. Yami:: blah blah blah Heart of Cards... [in his mind] Yugi:: I'm the luckiest bastard alive. Yami:: blah blah blah Revenge is bad... Yami:: blah blah blah Friends are good... IEBSR:: This must be that "Mind Crush" I've heard so much about.
