Chapter Fifteen: Winds of Change
"You two will fall to me and my control over the wind!" Florensia declared as she drew, "I'll first play a Harpie Lady (1300/1400) in attack mode!" Saria and Joey looked on as the monster appeared.
"I'll then play two cards face down and end my turn," Florensia finished. It was then Elder Saria stood up.
"Florensia, remember to watch your temper," Saria warned. Florensia nodded.
"For my turn, I summon Neo the Magical Swordsman (1700/1000) in attack mode!" Saria declared but her monster never appeared.
"Where's my monster?" Saria asked.
"In your graveyard! I sprung the Trap Hole trap card on it! It sends your monster straight to the graveyard if its attack points are higher than 1000!" Florensia explained.
"In that case, I'll just play one more card face down and end my turn," Saria finished.
"OK! Now I'll summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode!" But Joey's monster wasn't to be seen either.
"What happened?" Joey wondered.
"Another Trap Hole!" Florensia replied, flashing her second face down card. Joey cringed and studied his hand. He had no traps of his own to counter with, but he did have a card to defend himself with.
"OK! I'll just activate Scapegoat! It summons four tokens to defend my life points!" Joey explained as four different colored sheep appeared, floating in the air.
"That's clever! But now, I shall play a second Harpie Lady (1300/1400) in attack mode!" Florensia declared. Saria gasped at the new arrival.
"Then I'll play my favorite field card, Rising Air Current!" Florensia said. Saria watched as the wind began to whip up.
"The magic of my Rising Air Current raises my monsters attack by 500 points. But first, I'll take out two of Joey's scapegoats! Harpie Ladies! Attack!" Florensia commanded. Joey could only watch as the claws of the Harpies impaled two of his goats.
"It's a good thing those goats of yours were in defense mode, but next turn, you won't be so lucky! I'm going to place one more card face down on the field and end my turn," Florensia finished.
OK, I have no monsters on the field and she's got two powered-up Harpies on the field and one card face down. She probably has another trap hole set for me, so this turn, I'll just defend myself. Saria thought.
"I'll place a monster in defense mode face down," Saria declared as she put her card down, but her monster, Big Shield Guardna (100/2600) was standing poised to attack.
"Huh? My monster is in attack mode?" Saria wondered.
"I sprung my trap, Shadow of Eyes!" Florensia told her, revealing her trap.
"Let me guess: It forces any monster into attack mode?"
"Yep, it's very effective on male monsters. They can't resist! And unfortunately for you, your guard is a male monster and is lured into battle by my harpies' stare!" Florensia laughed.
"You guys have a tough match ahead of you," The Sage of Forest admitted.
There must be a card in my deck that can reverse the effect. This trap should do it. Saria thought as she reached for her hand once more.
"I'll just place this face down and end my turn," Saria finished.
"OK, now it's my turn. I'll place one card face down and summon Axe Raider (1700/1150) to the field in attack mode!" Joey declared. Saria looked on as a monster in yellow armor carrying a gold axe appeared. This male monster wore a bright red shirt underneath and it was obviously very fierce.
"Your Axe Raider is impressive, but I doubt you can comprehend the power of my Harpies!" Florensia dared.
"Whatever, I've beaten Harpie Ladies before and I'll do it again!" Joey said as Florensia drew from her deck.
"You've had it now! I play the magic card, Wind Waker!" Florensia said as she placed the card in the slot.
"Wind Waker? I've never heard of that card," Joey mumbled.
"It's rare and very powerful when used correctly," Elder Saria told.
"Grandma's right! This card lets me control the direction the wind blows and that can change the entire game! For now, I'll let the Wind Waker make the wind blow north," Florensia declared. The wind began to whip up as a white conductor's baton appeared in one of the Harpie's hands.
"For letting the wind blow north, I can see any face down card you have on the field and I'll look at Mr. Wheeler's card," Florensia explained. Joey grimaced as his Kunai with Chain trap was revealed.
"Clever move with that trap, but a Mystical Space Typhoon will wipe that out," Florensia said calmly as she flashed her card. Joey grimaced as a fierce gust of wind blew his trap away.
"Nuts! I was so sure you would fall for my trap! If I had activated Kunai with Chain, one of your Harpies would be ensnared while my Axe Raider would get a 500 point attack boost," Joey explained. Florensia pushed a strand of hair away from her face, acting as if she was disregarding Joey.
"Well too bad! Lets see you stop this! Harpie Lady! Attack Saria's Big Shield Guardna with... What? Why's my Harpie going into defense mode?" Florensia exclaimed. Florensia's monster had dropped to the ground hunched over. Saria smirked.
"Because I sprung a trap card: The trap card, Zero Gravity!" Saria said, showing her card, "It switches the battle position of all face-up monsters on the field." Florensia's eye was twitching at Saria's mocking voice.
"Nice going!" Joey thanked.
"Well done Saria," The Sage of Forest said.
"Don't worry: I've got your back Joey! And now, it's time to do something about those Harpies of yours," Saria stated as she drew from her deck. She smirked at the new card in her hand.
"And this card should do it! I sacrifice my Big Shield Guardna in order to summon my Chaos Command Magician (2400/1700)!" Saria declared as her guard vanished in a ray of white light only to reappear as the new magician. Florensia gasped at the green robed magician. It was clothed in glowing green wizardry garb and it held a pointed magic wand about an arm's length. One end was pointed but the other held an emerald orb that emanated power.
"A Chaos Command? I haven't seen one of those yet..." Florensia admitted.
"Then prepare to witness its power! Chaos Command Magician! Attack the Harpie equipped with the Wind Waker with your chaos light magic attack!" Saria commanded. Florensia shielded her eyes as the magician leapt into the air and charged magic into its rod.
Because the magician uses magic, my Wind Waker can't stop its attack! Florensia thought as the magician fired a white ray of magic at her first Harpie. Florensia's hands shook in anger as her Harpie and Wind Waker were sent to the graveyard.
"It's fortunate for you that your Harpies were forced into defense mode due to the effect of my Zero Gravity trap card," Saria said. She could feel the power of her Triforce of Courage giving her strength.
Dad said this Triforce would give me hope and strength in a tough situation. I know I would get overconfident if it weren't for the focus that this relic gives me. Saria thought as Joey drew from his deck and studied the field.
"First, I'll switch my Axe Raider back into attack mode," Joey said as his monster stood up from its crouching position.
"Then, I'll summon Panther Warrior (2000/1500) in attack mode," Joey said as a panther standing on two feet, wearing navy armor and bearing a lethal sword and shield appeared on the field next to his tokens and warrior.
"Now, I'll let Axe Raider attack your Harpie Lady!" Florensia cringed at this.
"Axe Raider! Attack with battle axe crush!" Joey commanded. Axe Raider quickly charged towards the Harpie Lady.
If we were dueling by Pegasus' rules, that attack wouldn't work but flight isn't taken into account here. Florensia though as Axe Raider's axe tore through her Harpie.
"But wait! There's more! My Panther Warrior will now use my Scapegoat's sacrifice in order to attack your life points directly! Scapegoat, disappear from the field and let my panther attack Florensia's life points directly with panther blade strike!" Joey declared. Florensia fell to the ground as Panther Warrior's blade hit her full on, reducing her life points by 2000. The current score was Saria and Joey each had 4000 life points but Florensia still had 6000 life points.
"Nice move Joey!" Tristan shouted.
"Nice one big brother!" Serenity added.
"They're some team," Saria admitted. Yugi and Teran nodded.
"Before I end my turn, I'll place one more card face down," Joey said as he placed one more card in a free magic slot. Florensia drew from her deck and studied the field.
OK, Saria has that magician on the field and one card face down. Her hand has two cards in it. Joey on the other hand, has two monsters in play, one card face down and two cards in his hand as well. Florensia thought. She studied their gazes: Both were hard and focused. It was hard to tell what they were thinking.
I must be careful. This card is vital to my success! Florensia thought as she placed the card in the magic slot.
"I play the magic card, Wind's Caress!" Florensia declared.
"Uh oh! That ain't good!" Elder Saria said aloud.
"What's that card do?" Joey asked.
"This magic card can only be activated when I have Rising Air Current on the field. At the cost of 2000 life points, I can draw five cards from my deck provided my hand is empty!" Florensia explained as she drew five cards.
"Now, I'll place two cards face down and summon Harpies Archer (1700/1200) in attack mode!" Florensia declared, her cards appearing on the field. Her new monster resembled a Harpie Lady holding a bow made of tree branches and had a quiver on its back.
"I'll also add the magic card, Ninja Arrows! It powers up my Harpies Archer by an extra 300 points and gives my Harpie the power to penetrate defenses and inflict damage even when your monsters are in defense mode. And that works perfectly with the move I'm about to make use of. I'll now activate Harpies Archer's special ability! I discard one magic card from my hand in order to attack three monsters at once!" Florensia explained as she placed her card, Harpies Feather Duster, in the graveyard.
"This isn't good!" Joey commented, gritting his teeth for what was going to happen next.
"Now my Harpie Archer! Attack Joey's Axe Raider, Panther Warrior and Saria's Chaos Command Magician with sacred wind arrows!" Florensia commanded. Joey and Saria watched as the Harpie flew high into the air and nocked three arrows into its bow. It then fired them, straight at Joey's monsters and Saria's... hats! Axe Raider and Panther Warrior were struck down but four strange top hats, now three had appeared and Chaos Command had disappeared. Joey's life points went down to 2700 but Saria's life points were unaffected.
"What happened? Where did those hats come from?" Florensia demanded.
"From my trap card: Magical Hats!" Saria replied, flashing her card. Florensia grimaced at this.
"Wow, and I thought only I used that," Yugi admitted.
"Hey, my deck's specialty is magicians and warriors who use magic. Why wouldn't I use a card like Magical Hats?" Saria replied.
"I'll have to end my turn then," Florensia said.
OK, her archer has 2500 attack points, 100 points higher than my Chaos Command Magician. I need a card that can defeat her monster! Saria thought as she drew from her deck. She looked at her new card and smiled.
Alright! The Double Spell magic card I won from Komali! But in order for it to work, I need one magic card to discard. And I'm in luck today, because I have a Remove Trap card! This could work! Saria thought as she stared nervously at Florensia's two face down magic cards.
"OK Florensia! I'll place a magic card and a monster inside of my magical hats!" Saria declared as she placed her cards on the Duel Disk.
"Aren't you going to tell me what monster you put down?" Florensia asked. Saria shook her head no.
"Why are you asking me? Your Harpie will probably reveal my monsters or she may spring the trap I set for you! After Joey's turn, of course," Saria smirked, shooting a glance at Joey. Joey responded with a smirk of his own and studied his hand.
This doesn't look good at all. When that Harpie Archer attacks next turn, she'll hit my last Scapegoat and wipe out nearly all of my life points! And with only a Shield and Sword magic card and Rocket Warrior (1500/1000), I won't be able to protect myself... Unless I draw the right card! Joey thought. He reached for his deck and nervously drew. He looked at his card.
"OK Florensia! I summon Rocket Warrior (1500/1000) in attack mode and I'll place one more card face down, ending my turn," Joey announced. His new monster resembled a cross from a swordsman and a missile. This one had legs that combined into a rocket's propulsion system. The torso area was yellow and green checked and the monster's hands held a sword and shield that were pretty small for its size. The head had two black tiny eyeballs that were frowning and it wore a checked helmet of yellow and green.
"Hmm... Interesting choices I have. I can attack Wheeler by discarding this card I just drew and wipe him out and leave just one attack in reserve for Saria," Florensia said aloud, then turned her glance to Saria.
"But then again, leaving your hats and your magicians alone would be a dire mistake," Florensia added. She looked from one duelist to the other, and her gaze ended up landing on Saria.
"Guess what Saria! I'm gonna attack you with three separate attacks thanks to my Harpies Archer! I'll discard this magic card and let my Harpies Archer begin her assault by attacking the right hat!" Florensia declared. Saria stood unfazed as the Harpie prepared to fire one of its three arrows. Saria watched as the arrow pierced the hat and revealed nothing.
"What? There's nothing in that hat!" But then Florensia caught herself.
"Then why don't you choose another?" Saria taunted, putting a hand to her hip. Saria could see that Florensia was shocked at the missed attempt.
"The good news is that once I get rid of that Scapegoat, I can wipe out nearly all of Joey's life points! So, go my Harpies Archer! Fire your second arrow at Mr. Wheeler's scapegoat!" Florensia commanded. Joey's eye twitched at the massive dent that was just put into his life points.
"Joey!" The spectators cried.
"Oh man. That attack reduced me to 200 life points," Joey thought aloud.
"But I'm not finished. I could attack your hats again Saria, and put a nice dent in your life points or I could attack Rocket Warrior and wipe out the rest of Joey's life points and gain a victory over you both," Florensia stated as her gaze switched from Saria to Joey to Saria and then her gaze landed on Joey.
"I can take out Joey with ease and I will! So my Harpies Archer! Attack Rocket Warrior! Sacred wind arrow attack!" Florensia commanded. Saria's mouth went into a smile as the arrow flew towards Rocket Warrior but a faint glow came from Saria's side of the field. The left hat had exploded and revealed a strange circle with a star-like symbol in the center. The whole circle floated a little above the ground and it was made of rainbow colored energy.
"Now you've done it: Activated my magic card, Double Spell that is!" Saria said as her two magicians leapt out of the hat and stood on opposite sides of the circle.
"This magic card lets me use any magic card in your graveyard at the cost that I discard one magic card from my hand. I'll discard my Remove Trap magic card in order to take Harpies Feather Duster!" Saria explained. While she talked, the card she discarded appeared in the center of the circle and turned into Harpies Feather Duster.
"Go Harpies Feather Duster! Destroy all of Florensia's magic and trap cards!" Saria commanded. The magic card vanished and a fierce gust of wind blew away the Rising Air Current, the Ninja Arrows magic card, and Florensia's two facedown cards.
"No all my cards are gone! But wait, that spell doesn't stop my monster's attack! I'll still win!" Florensia thought. It was Joey's turn to grin.
"Guess again! Reveal trap card: Last Stand!" Joey declared.
"What's a Last Stand card?" Florensia asked.
"This trap could only be activated if my opponent has at least 1000 more life points than me and I control only one warrior type monster on the field. It powers up my warrior by attack points equal to that of its defense points. In this case, my Rocket Warrior gets 1000 extra attack points, which is higher than your Harpies Archer," Joey explained as the arrow exploded when it hit Rocket Warrior.
"Go Rocket Warrior! Counter attack! Missile sword strike!" Joey commanded. Florensia grimaced as the Rocket Warrior converted into its flight mode and took off towards the Harpies Archer who was high in the air. Harpies Archer sensing danger quickly took off but it was eventually cornered. Rocket Warrior then launched forward into Harpies Archer. When the two monsters met, a large explosion occurred and Florensia's life points went down to 3200.
"Florensia, I would surrender if I was you. You've got no monsters, no magic, and no cards in your hand. I, on the other hand, have two powerful monsters on the field. Next turn, I'll wipe you out, so why not surrender? It's the end for you," Saria reasoned.
"It's gracious of you to warn me of the inevitable, but know this: I'm not done with you yet!" Florensia replied scathingly, "You must not be aware of my Harpies Archer's second effect! When it takes out three monsters and then is destroyed, everybody can draw three cards and then everybody summons the monsters in their hands regardless of their summoning requirements and star levels." Everybody drew three cards and studied their new hands.
"I can summon my Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)!" Saria said as she summoned the female magician.
"Talk about being lucky! I summon Swordsman of Landstar (500/1200), Tiny Guardian (1400/1800) and my favorite monster The Flame Swordsman (1800/1600)! All in defense mode!" Joey declared, placing the new monsters on the field. All three of his warriors were crouching down in defense. Florensia though was grinning. Not a lucky draw grin: An evil sadistic grin.
"OK! Meet the most feared team in Duel Monsters! I summon Child of Winds (2000/1400) and the King of Red Lions (1500/2400) both in attack mode!" Florensia said in an enraged voice. The first one looked like one of the Four Sword Heroes Saria uses. But the other looked like a boat with a red lion-like bow.
"Now, prepare to meet your doom! I'll activate Polymerization and fuse my two monsters together in order to create the ultimate warrior!" Florensia shouted as the sky turned dark and lightning and thunder crashed around them.
"Prepare to meet your fate as I summon Link, the Hero of Winds (3100/2450)!" Florensia declared as a lightning bolt struck in front of her and a figure emerged from the bolt. It resembled the Child of Winds standing in the King of Red Lions, but a strange wind kept them aloft and the sail was popped.
"Well, I can't attack right away so I'll let you two go, but next turn, you're history!" Florensia laughed.
"I feared this would happen. She's unstoppable when she plays that monster," Elder Saria admitted.
"We'll just see about that Florensia!" Saria challenged as she drew from her deck, "I play the magic card Pot of Greed! It lets me draw two cards from my deck." Saria drew two and gasped.
I got the Hero of Time, but no Master Sword Ritual to summon it with. If only I had... Saria thought as she studied her hand. She then came across the card she missed.
This trap can get it on the field at great risk. But I've got no other options. It's either this or lose the duel. Saria thought as she reached for her hand.
"I place two cards face down and also throw out Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200) in attack mode and end my turn," Saria said.
"Saria! You forgot to put your monsters in defense mode!" Joey warned. Saria gasped.
"Oops! I should've put them in defense mode!" Saria realized.
"First off, with Last Stand's effect over, my Rocket Warrior's attack goes back to normal and I'll switch Rocket Warrior into defense mode. Then, I'll also place one more monster in defense mode, ending my turn," Joey explained. Florensia couldn't help smiling at her opponents.
"Wow, between you both, you have nine monsters and three facedown cards. One still has all their life points but one is near defeat. And with this new card, I can really make things rough for you both!" Florensia said as she drew from her deck.
"I play Pot of Greed and draw two cards like Saria did," Florensia began, reaching again for her deck to draw two, "Then I play Dark Hole to destroy all monsters on the field!" A black hole emerged on the field but Saria was already reaching for her duel disk.
"Not so fast! I play the trap card White Hole! It will save all our monsters while yours are destroyed by your Dark Hole!" Saria explained. Florensia was screaming in anger as her monster vanished in the hole.
"That's it! I play Premature Burial! It costs 800 life points to activate, but I can revive my Link, Hero of Winds monster!" Florensia countered. Saria and Joey watched helplessly as her monster returned from the graveyard.
"Now my Hero! Attack Saria's swordsman with twin wind bomb barrage!" Saria could only watch helplessly as bombs flew from the boat's new cannon flew at her swordsman, destroying it. But what was shocking was that Saria had lost 2800 life points: which was twice the amount necessary.
"What's up with my life points? They shouldn't have gone down this much," Saria wondered.
"It's my monster's special ability! When it does damage to your life points, it does double the damage!" Florensia replied. Saria gritted her teeth at this new bit of info.
"OK, if you're through, I'm going to spring my trap card!" Saria interrupted.
"What trap?"
"This trap: A Hero Emerges!" Saria said revealing her trap.
"This trap requires that you pick a card in my hand and if it's a monster, it's summoned to the field! But because I have only one card, you have no choice but to pick that card," Saria explained as she reached for it to place it on her duel disk.
"Prepare to experience a power like no other!" Saria warned as the sky again blackened and a storm began to brew.
"Prepare to meet the creature that never loses when it is summoned!" Saria continued as lightning struck the card she held high into the air. The card began to glow.
"Awaken, my warrior! The one who controls time and evil's fate! Come forth warrior of light! I summon you, Hero of Time (3200/2700)!" Saria cried as lightning struck in front of her. The light became so unbearable, that Joey and Florensia had to shield their eyes. The light then died down, revealing Saria's ultimate warrior.
"And just so you know, it gains power for every magician and warrior that was ever played in this duel!" Saria warned as her monster's attack quickly rose.
"Go Hero of Time! Gain strength from all of our monsters!" As she spoke, Saria's magicians and Joey's warriors began to glow white and their glow flew towards the Hero of Time's sword.
"Attack Florensia's Hero of Winds with sword of evil's bane attack!" Saria and Joey commanded. Florensia stared at the monster in fear as it ran towards her monster. Florensia could only watch helplessly as her monster was cut in two by the hero's sword. But as the Hero of Winds vanished, a ray of light flew towards Florensia, knocking her in the back and wiping out what was left of her life points.
"It's over!" Saria said.
"We've won!" Joey declared. Florensia merely reached into her pocket and handed over two emerald medals with the Wind Waker engraved into them.
"Here! You deserve these. These are the Life Medals you need to reach the finals," Florensia explained. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out two booster packs.
"You better take these too," She added. Saria and Joey grabbed them and pocketed them.
"You know, it's starting to get late," Saria noted.
"Yeah, if we're going to duel, we'll need a place with more light," Yugi replied.
"I know of another place where you could duel. It's down the trail a bit further. Come on," Elder Saria said when the younger one came to her side and pulled out the rusty triangular medallion she had.
"Hey Saria, you wouldn't know of a purification shrine near here would you?" Elder Saria nodded.
"So, he thinks you're ready for the Triforce Amulet is he? Well, that's near the duel spot," Elder Saria replied.
"And my dad needs..."
"I know, Farore's Pearl. I don't have that, but I know who does. Come, we shall go get it," Elder Saria finished. And the larger group walked down the path to go deeper into the forest.
"You two will fall to me and my control over the wind!" Florensia declared as she drew, "I'll first play a Harpie Lady (1300/1400) in attack mode!" Saria and Joey looked on as the monster appeared.
"I'll then play two cards face down and end my turn," Florensia finished. It was then Elder Saria stood up.
"Florensia, remember to watch your temper," Saria warned. Florensia nodded.
"For my turn, I summon Neo the Magical Swordsman (1700/1000) in attack mode!" Saria declared but her monster never appeared.
"Where's my monster?" Saria asked.
"In your graveyard! I sprung the Trap Hole trap card on it! It sends your monster straight to the graveyard if its attack points are higher than 1000!" Florensia explained.
"In that case, I'll just play one more card face down and end my turn," Saria finished.
"OK! Now I'll summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode!" But Joey's monster wasn't to be seen either.
"What happened?" Joey wondered.
"Another Trap Hole!" Florensia replied, flashing her second face down card. Joey cringed and studied his hand. He had no traps of his own to counter with, but he did have a card to defend himself with.
"OK! I'll just activate Scapegoat! It summons four tokens to defend my life points!" Joey explained as four different colored sheep appeared, floating in the air.
"That's clever! But now, I shall play a second Harpie Lady (1300/1400) in attack mode!" Florensia declared. Saria gasped at the new arrival.
"Then I'll play my favorite field card, Rising Air Current!" Florensia said. Saria watched as the wind began to whip up.
"The magic of my Rising Air Current raises my monsters attack by 500 points. But first, I'll take out two of Joey's scapegoats! Harpie Ladies! Attack!" Florensia commanded. Joey could only watch as the claws of the Harpies impaled two of his goats.
"It's a good thing those goats of yours were in defense mode, but next turn, you won't be so lucky! I'm going to place one more card face down on the field and end my turn," Florensia finished.
OK, I have no monsters on the field and she's got two powered-up Harpies on the field and one card face down. She probably has another trap hole set for me, so this turn, I'll just defend myself. Saria thought.
"I'll place a monster in defense mode face down," Saria declared as she put her card down, but her monster, Big Shield Guardna (100/2600) was standing poised to attack.
"Huh? My monster is in attack mode?" Saria wondered.
"I sprung my trap, Shadow of Eyes!" Florensia told her, revealing her trap.
"Let me guess: It forces any monster into attack mode?"
"Yep, it's very effective on male monsters. They can't resist! And unfortunately for you, your guard is a male monster and is lured into battle by my harpies' stare!" Florensia laughed.
"You guys have a tough match ahead of you," The Sage of Forest admitted.
There must be a card in my deck that can reverse the effect. This trap should do it. Saria thought as she reached for her hand once more.
"I'll just place this face down and end my turn," Saria finished.
"OK, now it's my turn. I'll place one card face down and summon Axe Raider (1700/1150) to the field in attack mode!" Joey declared. Saria looked on as a monster in yellow armor carrying a gold axe appeared. This male monster wore a bright red shirt underneath and it was obviously very fierce.
"Your Axe Raider is impressive, but I doubt you can comprehend the power of my Harpies!" Florensia dared.
"Whatever, I've beaten Harpie Ladies before and I'll do it again!" Joey said as Florensia drew from her deck.
"You've had it now! I play the magic card, Wind Waker!" Florensia said as she placed the card in the slot.
"Wind Waker? I've never heard of that card," Joey mumbled.
"It's rare and very powerful when used correctly," Elder Saria told.
"Grandma's right! This card lets me control the direction the wind blows and that can change the entire game! For now, I'll let the Wind Waker make the wind blow north," Florensia declared. The wind began to whip up as a white conductor's baton appeared in one of the Harpie's hands.
"For letting the wind blow north, I can see any face down card you have on the field and I'll look at Mr. Wheeler's card," Florensia explained. Joey grimaced as his Kunai with Chain trap was revealed.
"Clever move with that trap, but a Mystical Space Typhoon will wipe that out," Florensia said calmly as she flashed her card. Joey grimaced as a fierce gust of wind blew his trap away.
"Nuts! I was so sure you would fall for my trap! If I had activated Kunai with Chain, one of your Harpies would be ensnared while my Axe Raider would get a 500 point attack boost," Joey explained. Florensia pushed a strand of hair away from her face, acting as if she was disregarding Joey.
"Well too bad! Lets see you stop this! Harpie Lady! Attack Saria's Big Shield Guardna with... What? Why's my Harpie going into defense mode?" Florensia exclaimed. Florensia's monster had dropped to the ground hunched over. Saria smirked.
"Because I sprung a trap card: The trap card, Zero Gravity!" Saria said, showing her card, "It switches the battle position of all face-up monsters on the field." Florensia's eye was twitching at Saria's mocking voice.
"Nice going!" Joey thanked.
"Well done Saria," The Sage of Forest said.
"Don't worry: I've got your back Joey! And now, it's time to do something about those Harpies of yours," Saria stated as she drew from her deck. She smirked at the new card in her hand.
"And this card should do it! I sacrifice my Big Shield Guardna in order to summon my Chaos Command Magician (2400/1700)!" Saria declared as her guard vanished in a ray of white light only to reappear as the new magician. Florensia gasped at the green robed magician. It was clothed in glowing green wizardry garb and it held a pointed magic wand about an arm's length. One end was pointed but the other held an emerald orb that emanated power.
"A Chaos Command? I haven't seen one of those yet..." Florensia admitted.
"Then prepare to witness its power! Chaos Command Magician! Attack the Harpie equipped with the Wind Waker with your chaos light magic attack!" Saria commanded. Florensia shielded her eyes as the magician leapt into the air and charged magic into its rod.
Because the magician uses magic, my Wind Waker can't stop its attack! Florensia thought as the magician fired a white ray of magic at her first Harpie. Florensia's hands shook in anger as her Harpie and Wind Waker were sent to the graveyard.
"It's fortunate for you that your Harpies were forced into defense mode due to the effect of my Zero Gravity trap card," Saria said. She could feel the power of her Triforce of Courage giving her strength.
Dad said this Triforce would give me hope and strength in a tough situation. I know I would get overconfident if it weren't for the focus that this relic gives me. Saria thought as Joey drew from his deck and studied the field.
"First, I'll switch my Axe Raider back into attack mode," Joey said as his monster stood up from its crouching position.
"Then, I'll summon Panther Warrior (2000/1500) in attack mode," Joey said as a panther standing on two feet, wearing navy armor and bearing a lethal sword and shield appeared on the field next to his tokens and warrior.
"Now, I'll let Axe Raider attack your Harpie Lady!" Florensia cringed at this.
"Axe Raider! Attack with battle axe crush!" Joey commanded. Axe Raider quickly charged towards the Harpie Lady.
If we were dueling by Pegasus' rules, that attack wouldn't work but flight isn't taken into account here. Florensia though as Axe Raider's axe tore through her Harpie.
"But wait! There's more! My Panther Warrior will now use my Scapegoat's sacrifice in order to attack your life points directly! Scapegoat, disappear from the field and let my panther attack Florensia's life points directly with panther blade strike!" Joey declared. Florensia fell to the ground as Panther Warrior's blade hit her full on, reducing her life points by 2000. The current score was Saria and Joey each had 4000 life points but Florensia still had 6000 life points.
"Nice move Joey!" Tristan shouted.
"Nice one big brother!" Serenity added.
"They're some team," Saria admitted. Yugi and Teran nodded.
"Before I end my turn, I'll place one more card face down," Joey said as he placed one more card in a free magic slot. Florensia drew from her deck and studied the field.
OK, Saria has that magician on the field and one card face down. Her hand has two cards in it. Joey on the other hand, has two monsters in play, one card face down and two cards in his hand as well. Florensia thought. She studied their gazes: Both were hard and focused. It was hard to tell what they were thinking.
I must be careful. This card is vital to my success! Florensia thought as she placed the card in the magic slot.
"I play the magic card, Wind's Caress!" Florensia declared.
"Uh oh! That ain't good!" Elder Saria said aloud.
"What's that card do?" Joey asked.
"This magic card can only be activated when I have Rising Air Current on the field. At the cost of 2000 life points, I can draw five cards from my deck provided my hand is empty!" Florensia explained as she drew five cards.
"Now, I'll place two cards face down and summon Harpies Archer (1700/1200) in attack mode!" Florensia declared, her cards appearing on the field. Her new monster resembled a Harpie Lady holding a bow made of tree branches and had a quiver on its back.
"I'll also add the magic card, Ninja Arrows! It powers up my Harpies Archer by an extra 300 points and gives my Harpie the power to penetrate defenses and inflict damage even when your monsters are in defense mode. And that works perfectly with the move I'm about to make use of. I'll now activate Harpies Archer's special ability! I discard one magic card from my hand in order to attack three monsters at once!" Florensia explained as she placed her card, Harpies Feather Duster, in the graveyard.
"This isn't good!" Joey commented, gritting his teeth for what was going to happen next.
"Now my Harpie Archer! Attack Joey's Axe Raider, Panther Warrior and Saria's Chaos Command Magician with sacred wind arrows!" Florensia commanded. Joey and Saria watched as the Harpie flew high into the air and nocked three arrows into its bow. It then fired them, straight at Joey's monsters and Saria's... hats! Axe Raider and Panther Warrior were struck down but four strange top hats, now three had appeared and Chaos Command had disappeared. Joey's life points went down to 2700 but Saria's life points were unaffected.
"What happened? Where did those hats come from?" Florensia demanded.
"From my trap card: Magical Hats!" Saria replied, flashing her card. Florensia grimaced at this.
"Wow, and I thought only I used that," Yugi admitted.
"Hey, my deck's specialty is magicians and warriors who use magic. Why wouldn't I use a card like Magical Hats?" Saria replied.
"I'll have to end my turn then," Florensia said.
OK, her archer has 2500 attack points, 100 points higher than my Chaos Command Magician. I need a card that can defeat her monster! Saria thought as she drew from her deck. She looked at her new card and smiled.
Alright! The Double Spell magic card I won from Komali! But in order for it to work, I need one magic card to discard. And I'm in luck today, because I have a Remove Trap card! This could work! Saria thought as she stared nervously at Florensia's two face down magic cards.
"OK Florensia! I'll place a magic card and a monster inside of my magical hats!" Saria declared as she placed her cards on the Duel Disk.
"Aren't you going to tell me what monster you put down?" Florensia asked. Saria shook her head no.
"Why are you asking me? Your Harpie will probably reveal my monsters or she may spring the trap I set for you! After Joey's turn, of course," Saria smirked, shooting a glance at Joey. Joey responded with a smirk of his own and studied his hand.
This doesn't look good at all. When that Harpie Archer attacks next turn, she'll hit my last Scapegoat and wipe out nearly all of my life points! And with only a Shield and Sword magic card and Rocket Warrior (1500/1000), I won't be able to protect myself... Unless I draw the right card! Joey thought. He reached for his deck and nervously drew. He looked at his card.
"OK Florensia! I summon Rocket Warrior (1500/1000) in attack mode and I'll place one more card face down, ending my turn," Joey announced. His new monster resembled a cross from a swordsman and a missile. This one had legs that combined into a rocket's propulsion system. The torso area was yellow and green checked and the monster's hands held a sword and shield that were pretty small for its size. The head had two black tiny eyeballs that were frowning and it wore a checked helmet of yellow and green.
"Hmm... Interesting choices I have. I can attack Wheeler by discarding this card I just drew and wipe him out and leave just one attack in reserve for Saria," Florensia said aloud, then turned her glance to Saria.
"But then again, leaving your hats and your magicians alone would be a dire mistake," Florensia added. She looked from one duelist to the other, and her gaze ended up landing on Saria.
"Guess what Saria! I'm gonna attack you with three separate attacks thanks to my Harpies Archer! I'll discard this magic card and let my Harpies Archer begin her assault by attacking the right hat!" Florensia declared. Saria stood unfazed as the Harpie prepared to fire one of its three arrows. Saria watched as the arrow pierced the hat and revealed nothing.
"What? There's nothing in that hat!" But then Florensia caught herself.
"Then why don't you choose another?" Saria taunted, putting a hand to her hip. Saria could see that Florensia was shocked at the missed attempt.
"The good news is that once I get rid of that Scapegoat, I can wipe out nearly all of Joey's life points! So, go my Harpies Archer! Fire your second arrow at Mr. Wheeler's scapegoat!" Florensia commanded. Joey's eye twitched at the massive dent that was just put into his life points.
"Joey!" The spectators cried.
"Oh man. That attack reduced me to 200 life points," Joey thought aloud.
"But I'm not finished. I could attack your hats again Saria, and put a nice dent in your life points or I could attack Rocket Warrior and wipe out the rest of Joey's life points and gain a victory over you both," Florensia stated as her gaze switched from Saria to Joey to Saria and then her gaze landed on Joey.
"I can take out Joey with ease and I will! So my Harpies Archer! Attack Rocket Warrior! Sacred wind arrow attack!" Florensia commanded. Saria's mouth went into a smile as the arrow flew towards Rocket Warrior but a faint glow came from Saria's side of the field. The left hat had exploded and revealed a strange circle with a star-like symbol in the center. The whole circle floated a little above the ground and it was made of rainbow colored energy.
"Now you've done it: Activated my magic card, Double Spell that is!" Saria said as her two magicians leapt out of the hat and stood on opposite sides of the circle.
"This magic card lets me use any magic card in your graveyard at the cost that I discard one magic card from my hand. I'll discard my Remove Trap magic card in order to take Harpies Feather Duster!" Saria explained. While she talked, the card she discarded appeared in the center of the circle and turned into Harpies Feather Duster.
"Go Harpies Feather Duster! Destroy all of Florensia's magic and trap cards!" Saria commanded. The magic card vanished and a fierce gust of wind blew away the Rising Air Current, the Ninja Arrows magic card, and Florensia's two facedown cards.
"No all my cards are gone! But wait, that spell doesn't stop my monster's attack! I'll still win!" Florensia thought. It was Joey's turn to grin.
"Guess again! Reveal trap card: Last Stand!" Joey declared.
"What's a Last Stand card?" Florensia asked.
"This trap could only be activated if my opponent has at least 1000 more life points than me and I control only one warrior type monster on the field. It powers up my warrior by attack points equal to that of its defense points. In this case, my Rocket Warrior gets 1000 extra attack points, which is higher than your Harpies Archer," Joey explained as the arrow exploded when it hit Rocket Warrior.
"Go Rocket Warrior! Counter attack! Missile sword strike!" Joey commanded. Florensia grimaced as the Rocket Warrior converted into its flight mode and took off towards the Harpies Archer who was high in the air. Harpies Archer sensing danger quickly took off but it was eventually cornered. Rocket Warrior then launched forward into Harpies Archer. When the two monsters met, a large explosion occurred and Florensia's life points went down to 3200.
"Florensia, I would surrender if I was you. You've got no monsters, no magic, and no cards in your hand. I, on the other hand, have two powerful monsters on the field. Next turn, I'll wipe you out, so why not surrender? It's the end for you," Saria reasoned.
"It's gracious of you to warn me of the inevitable, but know this: I'm not done with you yet!" Florensia replied scathingly, "You must not be aware of my Harpies Archer's second effect! When it takes out three monsters and then is destroyed, everybody can draw three cards and then everybody summons the monsters in their hands regardless of their summoning requirements and star levels." Everybody drew three cards and studied their new hands.
"I can summon my Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700)!" Saria said as she summoned the female magician.
"Talk about being lucky! I summon Swordsman of Landstar (500/1200), Tiny Guardian (1400/1800) and my favorite monster The Flame Swordsman (1800/1600)! All in defense mode!" Joey declared, placing the new monsters on the field. All three of his warriors were crouching down in defense. Florensia though was grinning. Not a lucky draw grin: An evil sadistic grin.
"OK! Meet the most feared team in Duel Monsters! I summon Child of Winds (2000/1400) and the King of Red Lions (1500/2400) both in attack mode!" Florensia said in an enraged voice. The first one looked like one of the Four Sword Heroes Saria uses. But the other looked like a boat with a red lion-like bow.
"Now, prepare to meet your doom! I'll activate Polymerization and fuse my two monsters together in order to create the ultimate warrior!" Florensia shouted as the sky turned dark and lightning and thunder crashed around them.
"Prepare to meet your fate as I summon Link, the Hero of Winds (3100/2450)!" Florensia declared as a lightning bolt struck in front of her and a figure emerged from the bolt. It resembled the Child of Winds standing in the King of Red Lions, but a strange wind kept them aloft and the sail was popped.
"Well, I can't attack right away so I'll let you two go, but next turn, you're history!" Florensia laughed.
"I feared this would happen. She's unstoppable when she plays that monster," Elder Saria admitted.
"We'll just see about that Florensia!" Saria challenged as she drew from her deck, "I play the magic card Pot of Greed! It lets me draw two cards from my deck." Saria drew two and gasped.
I got the Hero of Time, but no Master Sword Ritual to summon it with. If only I had... Saria thought as she studied her hand. She then came across the card she missed.
This trap can get it on the field at great risk. But I've got no other options. It's either this or lose the duel. Saria thought as she reached for her hand.
"I place two cards face down and also throw out Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200) in attack mode and end my turn," Saria said.
"Saria! You forgot to put your monsters in defense mode!" Joey warned. Saria gasped.
"Oops! I should've put them in defense mode!" Saria realized.
"First off, with Last Stand's effect over, my Rocket Warrior's attack goes back to normal and I'll switch Rocket Warrior into defense mode. Then, I'll also place one more monster in defense mode, ending my turn," Joey explained. Florensia couldn't help smiling at her opponents.
"Wow, between you both, you have nine monsters and three facedown cards. One still has all their life points but one is near defeat. And with this new card, I can really make things rough for you both!" Florensia said as she drew from her deck.
"I play Pot of Greed and draw two cards like Saria did," Florensia began, reaching again for her deck to draw two, "Then I play Dark Hole to destroy all monsters on the field!" A black hole emerged on the field but Saria was already reaching for her duel disk.
"Not so fast! I play the trap card White Hole! It will save all our monsters while yours are destroyed by your Dark Hole!" Saria explained. Florensia was screaming in anger as her monster vanished in the hole.
"That's it! I play Premature Burial! It costs 800 life points to activate, but I can revive my Link, Hero of Winds monster!" Florensia countered. Saria and Joey watched helplessly as her monster returned from the graveyard.
"Now my Hero! Attack Saria's swordsman with twin wind bomb barrage!" Saria could only watch helplessly as bombs flew from the boat's new cannon flew at her swordsman, destroying it. But what was shocking was that Saria had lost 2800 life points: which was twice the amount necessary.
"What's up with my life points? They shouldn't have gone down this much," Saria wondered.
"It's my monster's special ability! When it does damage to your life points, it does double the damage!" Florensia replied. Saria gritted her teeth at this new bit of info.
"OK, if you're through, I'm going to spring my trap card!" Saria interrupted.
"What trap?"
"This trap: A Hero Emerges!" Saria said revealing her trap.
"This trap requires that you pick a card in my hand and if it's a monster, it's summoned to the field! But because I have only one card, you have no choice but to pick that card," Saria explained as she reached for it to place it on her duel disk.
"Prepare to experience a power like no other!" Saria warned as the sky again blackened and a storm began to brew.
"Prepare to meet the creature that never loses when it is summoned!" Saria continued as lightning struck the card she held high into the air. The card began to glow.
"Awaken, my warrior! The one who controls time and evil's fate! Come forth warrior of light! I summon you, Hero of Time (3200/2700)!" Saria cried as lightning struck in front of her. The light became so unbearable, that Joey and Florensia had to shield their eyes. The light then died down, revealing Saria's ultimate warrior.
"And just so you know, it gains power for every magician and warrior that was ever played in this duel!" Saria warned as her monster's attack quickly rose.
"Go Hero of Time! Gain strength from all of our monsters!" As she spoke, Saria's magicians and Joey's warriors began to glow white and their glow flew towards the Hero of Time's sword.
"Attack Florensia's Hero of Winds with sword of evil's bane attack!" Saria and Joey commanded. Florensia stared at the monster in fear as it ran towards her monster. Florensia could only watch helplessly as her monster was cut in two by the hero's sword. But as the Hero of Winds vanished, a ray of light flew towards Florensia, knocking her in the back and wiping out what was left of her life points.
"It's over!" Saria said.
"We've won!" Joey declared. Florensia merely reached into her pocket and handed over two emerald medals with the Wind Waker engraved into them.
"Here! You deserve these. These are the Life Medals you need to reach the finals," Florensia explained. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out two booster packs.
"You better take these too," She added. Saria and Joey grabbed them and pocketed them.
"You know, it's starting to get late," Saria noted.
"Yeah, if we're going to duel, we'll need a place with more light," Yugi replied.
"I know of another place where you could duel. It's down the trail a bit further. Come on," Elder Saria said when the younger one came to her side and pulled out the rusty triangular medallion she had.
"Hey Saria, you wouldn't know of a purification shrine near here would you?" Elder Saria nodded.
"So, he thinks you're ready for the Triforce Amulet is he? Well, that's near the duel spot," Elder Saria replied.
"And my dad needs..."
"I know, Farore's Pearl. I don't have that, but I know who does. Come, we shall go get it," Elder Saria finished. And the larger group walked down the path to go deeper into the forest.