Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh. Nor do I own the characters in this story.
Author's Notes:
To answer the only e-mail I've received this summer, yes I did get thrown out of the library. Technically, I was just escorted out, but that doesn't sound nearly as good. So everyone, please forgive me for taking so long with this chapter. I'm saving up really hard to get a new computer at the end of this summer.
I was this close to asking Tiffany to post another chapter for me, but she was on vacation. Now that I have access to Daniel's computer, I just knew I should post extra chapters to make up for lost time. After all, Daniel doesn't mind, do you Daniel?
(muffled screams of protest can be heard from inside a nearby closet.)
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Chapter 21: The First Round
"Do you see the mystery girl anywhere Yami?" Tiffany asked nervously.
"I can only see things with your eyes," I reminded her gently. "There's no telling where she went to."
Suddenly, her watch began to beep. "What does it say?" I asked her.
"Room 19," she replied. "Why couldn't they just get us pagers?"
"Just hurry to the escalator," I said. "We can't be late for our first duel."
We arrived at room 19 with time to spare. Our opponent was already inside waiting.
"Scan your watch over there by the door," he said to Tiffany, pointing.
The moment she did, the room around us vanished. Instead, a jungle of trees surrounded us. The smell of the air and the sounds of birds in the trees made it all seem very real. Tiffany had to feel where the wall was just to believe it was an illusion.
A giant dueling card appeared in the middle of the arena. It was the prize card that we would be fighting for. It was the magic card Double Spell!
Dark Magician of Chaos
Spell Caster 8 Stars
A: 2800
D: 2500
"That card would be perfect for my Magician Deck," Tiffany grinned.
"Don't even think about it, sweet cheeks," the other boy said with a confident grin. "I'm the one that will be winning that card."
In a flash of light, Tiffany changed as I merged with her spirit. "We'll see about that. My name is Tiffany."
"I'm Coy," the boy grinned back. "So you're the girl with the Millennium Puzzle, right? This is going to be a fun match!"
The card in the middle vanished. It was replaced by two small tables: one for Coy and one for us. We both set our decks down and drew five cards.
Coy's table lit up, indicating that he was to go first. "For my first move, I pace two cards face down. Then I set one card in defense mode."
Instead of a facedown card, a bush appeared on the holographic field where his monster was hiding. Red glowing eyes were all that could be seen from within the branches.
"Well that's different," Tiffany commented.
I drew my first card. "First, I'll play Heavy Storm to rid you of your two facedown cards."
Heavy Storm
Spell Card
Destroy all Magic/Trap cards on the field.
Coy didn't look happy as he placed his two cards in the grave.
"Next, I'll place one card facedown and play Card Destruction," I continued.
Card Destruction
Spell Card
Both players discard their respective hand and draw new cards to replace the ones they lost.
We both discarded our hands and drew three new cards. In my hand were Kuriboh, Dark Magician Girl, and Giant Soldier of Stone. I placed the last card in defense mode and ended my turn.
Giant Soldier of Stone
Rock 3 Stars
A: 1300
D: 2000
"My turn," Coy said as he drew his card. "First, I'll play this spell card: Cost Down."
Cost Down
Spell Card
Discard one card from your hand. All monsters in your hand can be normal summoned for one less tribute cost.
"Thanks to my magic card, I can summon this powerful monster for only one sacrifice," he said with a gleam in his eye. "Therefore, I offer my facedown monster as tribute to summon Tyrant Dragon, one of the most powerful monsters in my deck!"
Tyrant Dragon
Fire Dragon 8 Stars
A: 2900
D: 2500
Effect: This card can attack 2 monsters on the same turn. This card is also immune to trap cards that target a single monster.
The Tyrant Dragon appeared in the holographic world between our two tables. It reminded me of the shadow duel I'd made in the last tournament, only this monster was much bigger.
"Now to play my last card, Fairy Meteor Strike!" he announced with a grin. A crimson glow surrounded his dragon, and it grinned wickedly in response.
Fairy Meteor Strike
Equip Spell Card
If the attack of the monster equipped with this card is higher then the defense of the monster in defense mode that it attacks, the owner of the monster in defense mode loses the difference in LP.
Coy pointed directly at my facedown monster. "Let's see what's hiding behind bush number one!"
"Oh, that was clever," I said sarcastically as the Tyrant Dragon blasted away the bush. Tiffany's Giant Soldier of Stone appeared just long enough to shatter as it was destroyed. Thanks to Fairy Meteor Crush, I lost 900 life points.
Yami LP: 7100
Coy LP: 8000
"First hit goes to me," Coy said with a grin. "Now let's see you counter that attack."
I drew a card and considered my options. My new card was Monster Reborn, but there was nothing in the graveyard strong enough to fight Coy's Tyrant Dragon. The closest possibility was Tiffany's green Dark Magician, which I had lost from Card Destruction.
"I end my turn," I announced.
"That's it?" Coy asked as he drew his card. "I expected more from you. Well, lets see if this can draw you out. I play Troop Dragon in attack mode."
Troop Dragon
Dragon 2 Stars
A: 700
D: 800
Effect: When this card is destroyed, replace it with a Troop Dragon Special Summoned from your deck. This is not optional as long as a Troop Dragon card is in your deck.
"Now, both my dragons will attack you directly," Coy announced. First, the troop dragon slashed at me with its short sword, taking 700 life points from me. Then Tyrant Dragon prepared for a blast.
"I'm not letting that second attack go through," I said, dropping my Kuriboh card onto the table. A wall of Kuribohs appeared in front of me, shielding my LP from Tyrant Dragon's attack.
Yami LP: 6400
Coy LP: 8000
Coy ended his turn, so I drew my card. "I hope you're going on the offensive soon," he said.
"Not a bad idea," I said with a grin. "I play the Change of Heart card."
Change of Heart
Spell Card
Control one of your opponent's monsters as if it were your own until the end of your turn.
"No!" Coy gasped as his Tyrant Dragon flew over to my side of the field. "That's my dragon!"
"I'm not done yet," I said with a smile. "I also play Monster Reborn to get my Dark Magician out of the grave."
Monster Reborn
Spell Card
Special summon one monster from either your graveyard or your opponent's graveyard.
Dark Magician
Spell Caster 7 Stars
A: 2500
D: 2100
"Now my Dark Magician will destroy your Troop Dragon and put a dent in your life points," I announced. The green Dark Magician aimed its staff and blasted the Troop Dragon away.
Yami LP: 6400
Coy LP: 6200
"What are you waiting for?" Coy asked. "Aren't you going to attack me with my Tyrant Dragon?"
I folded my arms and gave him a look. "Don't forget about your Troop Dragon's effect. You need to special summon another one from your deck. You do have two more, don't you?"
"Oh yeah," Coy said sheepishly. He looked through his deck and pulled out another Troop Dragon. "I'll put this one in defense mode."
"Tyrant Dragon will attack it," I announced. "And because your Fairy Meteor Crush is still on him, you lose 2100 life points."
The Troop Dragon was destroyed in a wall of flame. Coy replaced it with his final Troop Dragon, and Tyrant Dragon destroyed that one as well.
Yami LP: 6400
Coy LP: 2000
"Well that really hurt," Coy muttered as he discarded the third Troop Dragon. "Do I get my Troop Dragon back now?"
"No," I replied. "I'm sacrificing it to bring out my Dark Magician Girl."
Dark Magician Girl
Spell Caster 6 Stars
A: 2000
D: 1500
Effect: This monster gains 500 attack points for every Dark Magician or Magician of Chaos in either grave.
Coy gritted his teeth as his powerful monster was sent to the graveyard. The Dark Magician Girl appeared on the field. She gave Tiffany's Dark Magician a hug, then readied herself for battle.
"I love that card," Tiffany sighed. I smiled inwardly.
With no cards in his hand or on the field, things weren't looking too good for Coy. He reached down and drew his card. When he saw it, his face brightened. "I play Premature Burial to get back my Tyrant Dragon," he announced.
Premature Burial
Equip Spell Card
Pay 800 LP. Special summon a monster from your grave and equip it with this card. If one of these cards is destroyed, so is the other.
Yami LP: 6400
Coy LP: 1200
Tyrant Dragon reappeared on the field, looking somewhat older but just as fierce.
Coy pointed to my side of the field. "Now for my revenge. Tyrant Dragon, destroy both of her magicians," he commanded. They were gone in one fiery blast.
Yami LP: 5100
Coy LP: 1200
"You may be ahead in life points," he said with renewed confidence, "but now I'm the only one with a monster on the field."
"He's right," Tiffany thought worriedly. "I don't have any cards left in my hand either. All I have is the one trap card on the field."
I reached down and drew a card. It was the Celtic Guardian. With nothing else to do, I placed him in defense mode. The shrub appeared on the field, concealing him from view.
Celtic Guardian
Warrior 4 Stars
A: 1400
D: 1000
Coy drew a card and had his Tyrant Dragon attack my hidden monster. Celtic Guardian was destroyed.
I drew another card. It was the Skilled Dark Magician. I was forced to put him in defense as well.
Skilled Dark Magician
Spell Caster 4 Stars
A: 1900
D: 1700
Coy drew a card and placed it facedown beside his Premature Burial Card. Then he attacked with Tyrant Dragon again. The blast of fire destroyed Tiffany's Skilled Dark Magician, and it also caught some of the trees on fire.
"What's happening?" Coy yelped as the whole jungle went ablaze.
"The entire field has turned into an inferno," I gasped. The heat from the flames was causing Tiffany's body to sweat profusely.
"I'm going to have to take another shower after this duel," she muttered inside her head.
The only one that wasn't bothered by the flames was Coy's monster. Its attack power jumped up 500 points. "He's getting a field bonus," Coy said with excitement, trying to ignore the heat around him.
"Not good," I mumbled as I reached for my next card.
"Come on deck," Tiffany pleaded. "Don't let me down."
I drew the card and looked down. It was Mage Power.Mage Power
Equip Spell Card
Raise the attack and defense of the equipped monster by 500 for every magic and trap card on your side of the field.
"Perfect," I said with a smile. "First, I'll activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted."
Call of the Haunted
Permanent Trap
Choose one monster from your graveyard and special summon it to your side of the field. Equip this card to that monster.
"Which monster are you bringing back?" Coy asked.
"My favorite card," I said with a wink. "The Dark Magician Girl. And I'll be equipping her with the spell card Mage Power."
The Dark Magician Girl reappeared on the field, twirling her staff with a child-like grin. Behind her, a group of monks began chanting. As they did, the Dark Magician Girl's staff began to glow green.
"Now my Dark Magician Girl will destroy your Tyrant Dragon," I announced.
"That's not possible," Coy said flabbergasted. "Even with your equip card, her attack is only 3000. My dragon has an attack strength of 3400 with the field bonus."
I shook Tiffany's head. "My Dark Magician Girl also gets an attack bonus of 500 because of the Dark Magician in my grave. That makes her attack power 3500."
The Dark Magician Girl blasted the Tyrant Dragon away. Then she bounced around in a victory dance.
Yami LP: 5100
Coy LP: 1100
Suddenly, the flames around us pulled in. Coy and I both yelled, startled by the heat, but I realized it wasn't quite hot enough to burn us. Instead, the flames simmered down till we were left in a dry scorched wasteland.
The flames still did have an effect on us. Looking down at the score on the table, I saw that my life points had been cut in half. So had Coy's.
Yami LP: 2550
Coy LP: 550
"Man, this tournament sure has some weird rules," Coy commented as he drew his card. I nodded in agreement.
He looked at his cards and sighed. "I'll activate my facedown card: Scapegoats. Then I'll end my turn."
Scapegoats
Quick Play Spell Card
Special summon 4 sheep tokens on your side of the field in defense position.
Sheep Token
Monster Token
Beast 1 Star
A: 0
D: 0
Cannot be offered as tribute for another monster.
I drew my next card: Dark Hole.
Dark Hole
Spell Card
Destroy all monsters on the field.
"I could play this card to get rid of his Scapegoats," Tiffany thought, "but I don't want to lose my Dark Magician Girl."
I left the card in my hand and had the Dark Magician Girl blast one of his sheep tokens away. Then I ended my turn.
Coy drew his card. "I activate Different Dimension Capsule."
Different Dimension Capsule
Spell Card
Choose any card in your deck and remove it from play. In two turns, you can add that card to your hand.
Coy looked through his deck and, with an evil grin, chose the card he wanted. He then shuffled his deck and ended his turn.
"I don't think I want to find out what card he has waiting for us," Tiffany said anxiously.
"We won't have to," I replied, reading the card I had just draw. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon."
Mystical Space Typhoon
Quick Play Spell Card
Destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card on the field.
"I'll use this to destroy your capsule card," I announced. "Then I'll destroy another Scapegoat with my Dark Magician Girl."
Another Scapegoat was blasted away, and Coy drew his next card. "I place one monster facedown and end my turn," he said.
Instead of a bush, a hole appeared in the ground. Again, nothing but the red eyes could be seen inside it.
"That man has way too much free time on his hands," Tiffany sighed. How right she was.
I drew my card and smiled. "This duel is over," I announced. "I discard my Dark Hole in order to activate Double Spell."
Double Spell
Spell Card
Discard one other Spell card from your hand to activate a Spell card in your opponent's grave.
"I chose to activate your Fairy Meteor Crush card," I said with triumph. "That means when she destroys another of your Scapegoats, she wipes out your life points as well."
Coy just watched in defeat as Tiffany's Dark Magician finished him off.
Yami LP: 2550
Coy LP: 0
The holograms vanished, and I withdrew back into the Millennium Puzzle. Coy picked up his cards and sulked out the door.
"You played really well," Tiffany called out after him, but he ignored her. She started to go after him.
"Don't leave yet," I urged. "You forgot your deck, and the new card we got for winning."
Sure enough, the Dark Magician of Chaos was lying on the little table holding the rest of Tiffany's cards. She added it to her deck and placed all of her cards in her pocket. The two tables sank back to the floor in response.
"I feel kind of bad for putting Coy out of the tournament," Tiffany confided in me. "He didn't seem to be such a bad person."
"Trust me when I say that you did him a favor," I said sadly. "I have a feeling that Maximus is going to have some nasty surprises in store for everyone as we get closer to the end of this tournament."
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There you have it. That was the first battle of the tournament. In case anyone is wondering, the Dark Magician of Chaos is an effect monster, not to be confused with the Magician of Black Chaos ritual card. If you don't know about his effects, you'll find out when Tiffany and Yami use it in later battles. It's a very sweet card.
Next chapter is round two of the tournament. The opponent is inspired from a character on the TV show. There will also be a nasty surprise for Tiffany and Yami in the next duel.
So Daniel, do you think I could use your computer for a little bit longer? I'd like to put up at least one more chapter.
Please R&R!