Chapter Twenty-Two: Teran VS Patrick
Teran gasped at the size of the arena. It was a giant pool halfway filled with mud. The mud drained out of the pool through a small drain in the center.
"If you're going to duel me, you better change clothes and remove that watch," Patrick said.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Teran asked.
"You won't want to wear those during our duel," Patrick told her.
"Patrick will prepare the arena, while I prepare you for your duel," an assistant said. She led Teran to a side room. Five minutes later Teran was wearing a pair of swim trunks and goggles. He held his deck in his hand and walked with determination to the duel platform.
I can so win this duel without anybody's help. Teran thought. Teran laid his deck in the deck recognizer and then looked ahead at Patrick who did the same thing. He noticed he hadn't changed clothes.
"So Teran... Want to hear the rules of my duel arena?" Patrick asked. Teran nodded.
"We're dueling over a pool that is ten feet deep. When our duel starts, one foot of mud will be added to the pool. As we lose life points, the mud will rise. The pool rises six inches for every one thousand points lost, whether it is yours or mine. But, when you lose one thousand life points, you'll place your hand on the platform and drop through a trap door and into the mud below. You'll then climb out and continue the duel. So you see? You'll want to protect your life points carefully or you'll be very cold and dirty not to mention out of the tournament," Patrick explained.
"Let me get this straight: For every 1000 LP lost, the pool fills up with mud and every time I lose 1000 LP, I take a mud bath then continue the duel. And I suppose you don't have to take a mud bath should I attack you?" Teran asked. Patrick nodded.
"It's my gym and therefore, I'm not subject to fall prey to my own rule. Now... It's time to duel!" Patrick commanded. Teran pulled his goggles on and watched as the deck was shuffled and five cards were shot out. Teran picked them up and watched as Patrick did the same. He drew one card from his deck.
"As the leader, I have the right to go first. I'll place one card face down and summon my Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode!" Patrick declared. The monster that appeared was a girl wearing clothes made from leopard skin. The lady was surrounded by three drums and gave off a small light. Teran took this as his cue to go.
"OK! First I'll play the magic card, Bait Doll. It'll destroy your trap," Teran began. Patrick watched as a large hammer smashed his trap card.
"Plus, after it is used, Bait Doll goes back into my deck. Now, I'll play Fissure and destroy your monster," Teran continued. Patrick watched as a hand rose out of the mud and grabbed his monster, dragging it to his graveyard. Patrick gritted his teeth and braced himself.
"Now watch as I summon my Blindly Loyal Goblin (1800/1500) in attack mode!" Patrick grimaced as a goblin wearing worn armor and carrying a short sword appeared. " "Now my goblin! Attack Mr. Floyd's life points directly!" Teran commanded. Patrick recoiled as the goblin's sword strike lowered his life points to 2200.
"Nice move, but you raised the mud level six inches, and you're about to take a premature facial. I'll first play my Dark Hole magic card and destroy your goblin." Teran watched as his monster was sucked into a black hole.
"Then I'll summon Maha Vailo (1550/1400) and have it attack you directly! Prepare for your first taste of my mud battlefield! Maha Vailo! Attack with secret lightning!" A blue clothed female magician with blond hair attacked Teran with a lightning bolt, shaking him. Teran laid his hand down as his life points went down to 2450.
"See you at the bottom!" Patrick taunted as he watched Teran slide down, screaming. Patrick looked down to see Teran shivering in the cold concoction.
"You alright?" Patrick asked.
"I'm OK. A little mixture of dirt and water won't stop me from winning this duel," he declared as he climbed the ladder back to his stand. He grabbed the towel and wiped his face and hands clean then grabbed his cards. He drew from his deck and smirked.
Meanwhile, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Serenity and Saria were searching the warehouse area for any sign of Teran.
"Any luck finding Teran?" Saria asked. Everybody shook their heads in disappointment.
"If he's dueling, we should've seen the arena by now," Yugi surmised.
"That's an idea Sherlock. He must be in a gym leader battle! We know he's here in this area somewhere," Tristan realized.
"He's got to be on the island somewhere, so lets go!" Tristan demanded.
"But where to look?" Yami wondered as he joined the conversation.
"Saria, you know this island better than any of us. Where could a secret gym exist without being obvious?" Yami asked. Saria looked at the ground in thought.
"Gym that's hidden from view... Not obvious... Wait!" Saria realized, "The old boat making facility! It's been abandoned for years and there's a large room there where they tested the boats for floating ability. A stadium could be set up there!"
"Where is it?" Serenity asked.
"On the eastern side of the industrial area."
"Then lets go!" And everybody followed Saria down the boardwalk.
At the arena...
"I'll now play Graceful Charity! It lets me draw three new cards and then discard two from my hand!" Teran drew three then discarded two of his cards.
"For this turn, I'll place a card face down and a monster in defense mode face down. That'll be all for me," Teran finished. Patrick drew a card.
"Alright. I'm sending you back down into that mud pit! I'll summon Kelbek (1500/1800) to the field..." Patrick declared. Teran smiled as he flipped up his trap.
"Sorry Mr. Floyd! I reveal Trap Hole and destroy your monster!" Teran shouted. Mr. Floyd's eye twitched as a large hole appeared underneath his new monster and it swallowed up Kelbek. But Mr. Floyd quickly regained his composure.
"I can still destroy your defensive monster. Maha Vailo! Attack!" Teran grinned as he watched his card be destroyed.
"You destroyed my Magician of Faith, which lets me put a magic card in my graveyard back in my hand, and I'll choose my Fissure magic card!" Teran said as he showed him his card. Teran then drew his next card.
"I'll play Fissure once more and destroy your monster." Once again, a hand reaching out from a hole swallowed one of Patrick's monsters up.
"Then I'll set a monster in face down defense and end my turn," Teran declared as his new cards appeared on the field. Patrick was puzzled at this.
He didn't attack me. He's going to regret that mistake! Patrick thought. He drew and smirked.
"First, I'll special summon my Rock Spirit (1700/1000) in attack mode by removing my Kelbek from the graveyard!" Teran watched as a human rose out of the mud, but its body was entirely composed of rock and its clothes reminded Teran of a Trojan warrior.
"Then, I'll play the Nobleman of Crossout magic card, destroying your monster and removing it from the game!" Teran watched helplessly as a man in silver armor flew from out of nowhere and stabbed his face down card, which resembled a two soldiers wearing silver armor standing next to a large wooden catapult.
"So much for my Throwstone Unit (900/2000)," Teran mumbled. He laid his hand down again.
"Go Rock Spirit! Attack Teran's life points with earth spear attack!" Patrick commanded. Teran stared into space as the spirit threw its red spear at him. It landed at his feet and exploded. Teran winced as his life points went down to 750. He glanced down at the mud pit below him and watched as the mud rose to the four feet marker. Teran looked through the glass on his trap door and saw the mud was now an ugly light brown. Then without warning, the door opened and Teran slid down towards the mud headfirst.
"Teran!" a female voice yelled in fear. Saria and friends watched as Teran's body disappeared beneath the mud. She was ready to go in after him when he reappeared, coughing.
"Teran! You OK?" Saria yelled.
"How'd you guys find me? I told you I didn't need your help!" Teran shouted back.
"We had to find you! We didn't want you to do this alone!" Saria replied.
"We wanted to be with you and watch you! You're our friend and we wouldn't let an army stop us from cheering you on!" Tristan added. Teran finally reached the ladder and began to climb, but the mud on his hands made it tough for him to climb. It seemed like hours before he finally got to the top of the platform. He wiped his hands and face clean then wearily retook up his hand.
"Who designed this crazy set up?" Tristan asked, shocked at the arena.
"I did," Patrick shouted. Everybody stared wide-eyed at Mr. Floyd.
"You gotta beat me, but my gym is no picnic! Losing here means losing entry into the finals!" Patrick explained. Everybody gasped.
"You accepted the match, knowing this?" Saria asked Teran. Teran nodded.
"I felt it was the only way I could feel stronger..."
"Teran, your situation isn't looking too hot. Maybe you should just give up. My Rock Spirit is very strong, and I doubt you got anything to stop it. Besides, the damage count stands at a total of 5050. Another heavy hit like what I just delivered and you'll lose the duel. But if you forfeit..." Patrick told the challenger. Teran took a deep breath and drew a card. He frowned at his new card. His options were quite low.
"I'll summon my Dark Blade (1800/1500) in attack mode and end my turn!" Teran declared wearily. A black armored soldier emerged in front of Teran. Patrick drew a card and looked down in disappointment.
"Teran, you fought valiantly, but I must end this duel," Patrick said gloomily. Saria and Teran gasped as Patrick performed his move.
"I'll play Fissure and destroy your monster. Then I'll have my Rock Spirit finish you off!" Patrick declared. Teran felt a tear come to his eye, but he blinked it away and smiled.
"Go Rock Spirit! Attack Teran one more time!" Patrick yelled. Teran handed his deck to Saria as the Rock Spirit's attack hit, knocking Teran to the platform and his life points to zero. Everyone watched as the mud rose to five feet. She swallowed nervously as the mixers rose out of the pool.
"Sorry about this Teran, but down you go!" Patrick commanded. Teran screamed as he slid down again, going under all the way again. The mud was making it hard to see Teran, but he eventually became visible. Patrick could sense the pain in him as he watched him get help from Saria as he climbed up the ladder. Teran however shook it off as he wearily stood up, unsupported.
"Teran, I'm sorry that you lost. Saria, I'm afraid it's late, and I would prefer if we waited until morning before we duel again," Patrick told the two teens. He walked up to Teran and searched his deck. He pulled out Teran's Dark Blade.
"Because you have lost this duel, I'll have to confiscate your Dark Blade and your entry into the finals. Teran, you're done," Mr. Floyd said grimly. He pulled out a strange light gun and shot Teran's watch. Teran watched as the LCD screen flashed and shut down.
"Now, get out of my gym," Mr. Floyd commanded quietly. Everyone watched as Teran grabbed his deck and with tears in his eyes, ran out of the gym.
Teran gasped at the size of the arena. It was a giant pool halfway filled with mud. The mud drained out of the pool through a small drain in the center.
"If you're going to duel me, you better change clothes and remove that watch," Patrick said.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Teran asked.
"You won't want to wear those during our duel," Patrick told her.
"Patrick will prepare the arena, while I prepare you for your duel," an assistant said. She led Teran to a side room. Five minutes later Teran was wearing a pair of swim trunks and goggles. He held his deck in his hand and walked with determination to the duel platform.
I can so win this duel without anybody's help. Teran thought. Teran laid his deck in the deck recognizer and then looked ahead at Patrick who did the same thing. He noticed he hadn't changed clothes.
"So Teran... Want to hear the rules of my duel arena?" Patrick asked. Teran nodded.
"We're dueling over a pool that is ten feet deep. When our duel starts, one foot of mud will be added to the pool. As we lose life points, the mud will rise. The pool rises six inches for every one thousand points lost, whether it is yours or mine. But, when you lose one thousand life points, you'll place your hand on the platform and drop through a trap door and into the mud below. You'll then climb out and continue the duel. So you see? You'll want to protect your life points carefully or you'll be very cold and dirty not to mention out of the tournament," Patrick explained.
"Let me get this straight: For every 1000 LP lost, the pool fills up with mud and every time I lose 1000 LP, I take a mud bath then continue the duel. And I suppose you don't have to take a mud bath should I attack you?" Teran asked. Patrick nodded.
"It's my gym and therefore, I'm not subject to fall prey to my own rule. Now... It's time to duel!" Patrick commanded. Teran pulled his goggles on and watched as the deck was shuffled and five cards were shot out. Teran picked them up and watched as Patrick did the same. He drew one card from his deck.
"As the leader, I have the right to go first. I'll place one card face down and summon my Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode!" Patrick declared. The monster that appeared was a girl wearing clothes made from leopard skin. The lady was surrounded by three drums and gave off a small light. Teran took this as his cue to go.
"OK! First I'll play the magic card, Bait Doll. It'll destroy your trap," Teran began. Patrick watched as a large hammer smashed his trap card.
"Plus, after it is used, Bait Doll goes back into my deck. Now, I'll play Fissure and destroy your monster," Teran continued. Patrick watched as a hand rose out of the mud and grabbed his monster, dragging it to his graveyard. Patrick gritted his teeth and braced himself.
"Now watch as I summon my Blindly Loyal Goblin (1800/1500) in attack mode!" Patrick grimaced as a goblin wearing worn armor and carrying a short sword appeared. " "Now my goblin! Attack Mr. Floyd's life points directly!" Teran commanded. Patrick recoiled as the goblin's sword strike lowered his life points to 2200.
"Nice move, but you raised the mud level six inches, and you're about to take a premature facial. I'll first play my Dark Hole magic card and destroy your goblin." Teran watched as his monster was sucked into a black hole.
"Then I'll summon Maha Vailo (1550/1400) and have it attack you directly! Prepare for your first taste of my mud battlefield! Maha Vailo! Attack with secret lightning!" A blue clothed female magician with blond hair attacked Teran with a lightning bolt, shaking him. Teran laid his hand down as his life points went down to 2450.
"See you at the bottom!" Patrick taunted as he watched Teran slide down, screaming. Patrick looked down to see Teran shivering in the cold concoction.
"You alright?" Patrick asked.
"I'm OK. A little mixture of dirt and water won't stop me from winning this duel," he declared as he climbed the ladder back to his stand. He grabbed the towel and wiped his face and hands clean then grabbed his cards. He drew from his deck and smirked.
Meanwhile, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Serenity and Saria were searching the warehouse area for any sign of Teran.
"Any luck finding Teran?" Saria asked. Everybody shook their heads in disappointment.
"If he's dueling, we should've seen the arena by now," Yugi surmised.
"That's an idea Sherlock. He must be in a gym leader battle! We know he's here in this area somewhere," Tristan realized.
"He's got to be on the island somewhere, so lets go!" Tristan demanded.
"But where to look?" Yami wondered as he joined the conversation.
"Saria, you know this island better than any of us. Where could a secret gym exist without being obvious?" Yami asked. Saria looked at the ground in thought.
"Gym that's hidden from view... Not obvious... Wait!" Saria realized, "The old boat making facility! It's been abandoned for years and there's a large room there where they tested the boats for floating ability. A stadium could be set up there!"
"Where is it?" Serenity asked.
"On the eastern side of the industrial area."
"Then lets go!" And everybody followed Saria down the boardwalk.
At the arena...
"I'll now play Graceful Charity! It lets me draw three new cards and then discard two from my hand!" Teran drew three then discarded two of his cards.
"For this turn, I'll place a card face down and a monster in defense mode face down. That'll be all for me," Teran finished. Patrick drew a card.
"Alright. I'm sending you back down into that mud pit! I'll summon Kelbek (1500/1800) to the field..." Patrick declared. Teran smiled as he flipped up his trap.
"Sorry Mr. Floyd! I reveal Trap Hole and destroy your monster!" Teran shouted. Mr. Floyd's eye twitched as a large hole appeared underneath his new monster and it swallowed up Kelbek. But Mr. Floyd quickly regained his composure.
"I can still destroy your defensive monster. Maha Vailo! Attack!" Teran grinned as he watched his card be destroyed.
"You destroyed my Magician of Faith, which lets me put a magic card in my graveyard back in my hand, and I'll choose my Fissure magic card!" Teran said as he showed him his card. Teran then drew his next card.
"I'll play Fissure once more and destroy your monster." Once again, a hand reaching out from a hole swallowed one of Patrick's monsters up.
"Then I'll set a monster in face down defense and end my turn," Teran declared as his new cards appeared on the field. Patrick was puzzled at this.
He didn't attack me. He's going to regret that mistake! Patrick thought. He drew and smirked.
"First, I'll special summon my Rock Spirit (1700/1000) in attack mode by removing my Kelbek from the graveyard!" Teran watched as a human rose out of the mud, but its body was entirely composed of rock and its clothes reminded Teran of a Trojan warrior.
"Then, I'll play the Nobleman of Crossout magic card, destroying your monster and removing it from the game!" Teran watched helplessly as a man in silver armor flew from out of nowhere and stabbed his face down card, which resembled a two soldiers wearing silver armor standing next to a large wooden catapult.
"So much for my Throwstone Unit (900/2000)," Teran mumbled. He laid his hand down again.
"Go Rock Spirit! Attack Teran's life points with earth spear attack!" Patrick commanded. Teran stared into space as the spirit threw its red spear at him. It landed at his feet and exploded. Teran winced as his life points went down to 750. He glanced down at the mud pit below him and watched as the mud rose to the four feet marker. Teran looked through the glass on his trap door and saw the mud was now an ugly light brown. Then without warning, the door opened and Teran slid down towards the mud headfirst.
"Teran!" a female voice yelled in fear. Saria and friends watched as Teran's body disappeared beneath the mud. She was ready to go in after him when he reappeared, coughing.
"Teran! You OK?" Saria yelled.
"How'd you guys find me? I told you I didn't need your help!" Teran shouted back.
"We had to find you! We didn't want you to do this alone!" Saria replied.
"We wanted to be with you and watch you! You're our friend and we wouldn't let an army stop us from cheering you on!" Tristan added. Teran finally reached the ladder and began to climb, but the mud on his hands made it tough for him to climb. It seemed like hours before he finally got to the top of the platform. He wiped his hands and face clean then wearily retook up his hand.
"Who designed this crazy set up?" Tristan asked, shocked at the arena.
"I did," Patrick shouted. Everybody stared wide-eyed at Mr. Floyd.
"You gotta beat me, but my gym is no picnic! Losing here means losing entry into the finals!" Patrick explained. Everybody gasped.
"You accepted the match, knowing this?" Saria asked Teran. Teran nodded.
"I felt it was the only way I could feel stronger..."
"Teran, your situation isn't looking too hot. Maybe you should just give up. My Rock Spirit is very strong, and I doubt you got anything to stop it. Besides, the damage count stands at a total of 5050. Another heavy hit like what I just delivered and you'll lose the duel. But if you forfeit..." Patrick told the challenger. Teran took a deep breath and drew a card. He frowned at his new card. His options were quite low.
"I'll summon my Dark Blade (1800/1500) in attack mode and end my turn!" Teran declared wearily. A black armored soldier emerged in front of Teran. Patrick drew a card and looked down in disappointment.
"Teran, you fought valiantly, but I must end this duel," Patrick said gloomily. Saria and Teran gasped as Patrick performed his move.
"I'll play Fissure and destroy your monster. Then I'll have my Rock Spirit finish you off!" Patrick declared. Teran felt a tear come to his eye, but he blinked it away and smiled.
"Go Rock Spirit! Attack Teran one more time!" Patrick yelled. Teran handed his deck to Saria as the Rock Spirit's attack hit, knocking Teran to the platform and his life points to zero. Everyone watched as the mud rose to five feet. She swallowed nervously as the mixers rose out of the pool.
"Sorry about this Teran, but down you go!" Patrick commanded. Teran screamed as he slid down again, going under all the way again. The mud was making it hard to see Teran, but he eventually became visible. Patrick could sense the pain in him as he watched him get help from Saria as he climbed up the ladder. Teran however shook it off as he wearily stood up, unsupported.
"Teran, I'm sorry that you lost. Saria, I'm afraid it's late, and I would prefer if we waited until morning before we duel again," Patrick told the two teens. He walked up to Teran and searched his deck. He pulled out Teran's Dark Blade.
"Because you have lost this duel, I'll have to confiscate your Dark Blade and your entry into the finals. Teran, you're done," Mr. Floyd said grimly. He pulled out a strange light gun and shot Teran's watch. Teran watched as the LCD screen flashed and shut down.
"Now, get out of my gym," Mr. Floyd commanded quietly. Everyone watched as Teran grabbed his deck and with tears in his eyes, ran out of the gym.