Fader moved to draw his next card and paused. the next card he drew would
be critical, nothing he had in his hand could stand up to the Phoenix. He
drew. And smiled. "I'll lay one card face down and then play Card
Destruction to draw a new hand." Fader discarded his current hand and drew
five new cards. "Your Phoenix is impressive Vega, but that bird is about to
have its wings clipped! I activate the Black Luster Ritual! By sacrificing
two of my monsters from my hand I can summon my Black Luster Soldier
(3000/2500)!"
"Now you made the mistake Fader, your Soldier may b stronger than my Phoenix but it still can't pass through my Wall of Flame."
"All walls come down eventually Vega," Fader told her. "And the time for yours is now. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to remove your Wall from the field. Now Black Luster Soldier destroy the Ceruvean Phoenix!"
Fader: 3400, Vega: 1700.
The crowd continued to boo Fader's victories leaving him with the feeling of defeat even though it was he who was in the lead. they were completely devoted to Vega, it was strange. Not a single person had cheered for him since the duel started. To be honest that crowd hadn't done anything at all except cheer and boo.
Vega watched him eye the crowd, "Loyal, aren't they?" she saiT. "Maybe one day you'll have a crowd of people supporting you."
"Or maybe one day he'll cheat and create a fake crowd like you Vega," came a voice from the corridor. Fader and Vega both turned to see Serena Kaiba standing there.
"Serena?" Fader said with shock. "What are you talking about?"
"Did you want to tell him or should I?" Serena asked Vega as she stepped forward.
"I don't know what you mean," Vega replied with indignation.
"Well how about this?" Serena asked. She held up a small black object and pushed a button on it. A slpit second later the cheering, appluading, booing and even the crowd itself had vanished, leaving the stands empty and delapitated. "The entire crowd was made up of holograms. Vega somehow managed to modify a Duel Disk projector to create them."
"How did you know?" Fader asked her.
"And how did you shut it down?" added Vega.
"Kaiba Corp. did invent all of the technology remember? I have a team monitoring the tournament. They registered a major holographic signature at this location so I came to investigate. This," she continued, holding up the little box, "is a holographic killswitch, designed to sort out any Kaiba Corp. software. I found your projector and it's ID tag and set the killswitch to short it out when I pressed the button."
"Why would you do something like that Vega?" Fader said, turing to her.
"I never really had anyone here at Battle City to support me. I created the holo-crowd to be the friends that I didn't have here with me. Even if I lost I knew they'd still cheer for me."
"So you hid behind that crowd the same way that you hid behind the Wall of Flame; a way for you not to get hurt, while at the same time stay strong," Fader pointed out.
"Yes," Vega replied, lowering her gaze. "I used the crowd to dishearten my opponents and make them lose confidence." She lifted her head up. "But not anymore. I'm going to finish this duel the right way, and I'm not going to lose."
"You're going to have a hard time winning without your Ceruvean Phoenix," said Fader.
"You may want to look again Fader," Vega replied pointing to her side of the field. At first Fader didn't understand, but in a few seconds it was all clear as Vega's Phoenix card reappeared and let out a piercing shriek.
"What? How is that possible?"
"What my Phoenix lacks in power it makes up for with its special ability," Vega explained. "By paying 500 Life Points during my standby phase I can return my Ceruvean Phoenix to the field as a special summon, and I'll bring it back in defense mode. Then I'll lay two cards face down and another monster in defense mode with my Phoenix. It's your turn."
Fader was shocked, Vega's monster was almost unbeatable. As long as she had the Life Points she could keep bringing it back into play. Fader took a breath and relaxed. It was no big deal. he still had his Black Luster Soldier in play and that meant that he was in control. He could keep destroying the Phoenix and Vega would have to keep paying Life Points. "if you want to keep your monster Vega it's going to cost you. Black Luster Soldier attack!"
"Not this turn," replied Vega. "I activate the Negate Attack trap card, ending your battle phase."
"Your monster is protected this turn Vega, but next turn...'
"Next turn your Black Luster Soldier will be gone," Vega interrupted. "Banished to the graveyard. Ceruvean Phoenix isn't my strongest monster, it's only my second rarest card. I'll offer both my Phoenix and my other monster to summon my rare and powerful Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500)!"
Vega's two monsters vanished from the field and were replaced by hte massive and menacing silver colored dragon card which let out a defeaning roar. "Now I'll activate my other face down card, Curse of Aging to rob your Soldier of 500 of its attack points. Tyrant Dragon destroy the Black Luster Soldier!"
A firery inferno jetted out of the Tyrant Dragon's mouth and blasted the weakened Black Luster Soldier leaving nothing behind. Where Fader's most powerful monster had once stood, only digital ashes remained.
"Now dragon attack the Mystical Elf!" Vega shouted.
"What?" was all Fader managed to get out before his only other monster suffered the same fate as his Soldier.
"The Tyrant Dragon's special ability allows it to attack twice in one turn as long as you have any monsters on the field. So even if you do bring out another monster, next turn my Tyrant will detroy it and then attack your Life Points. And for even more power, my next standby phase I'll pay another 500 Life Points to bring back the Ceruvean Phoenix once more! I'll lay one more card face down and then end my turn. Just give it up Fader. Even without my holo-crowd cheering me on I'm still going to win."
Fader: 3000, Vega: 1200.
"This game isn't over until my Life Points hit zero." Fader looked over the situation; he had only a single magic card in his hand and one other card face down on the field. There was only one card in his deck that was going to win this duel for him. If he didn't draw it, he would lose. Trust yourself, a voice told him Trust in the cards. He drew his card.
"The game is finished Vega," he told her.
"You're giving up? Ha! I told you that you wouldn't be able to win."
"That's not what I said," he continued. "I said that the game was over, not that I gave up. You've lost."
"I doubt that," she retorted. "Show me what you've got."
"I summon Kuriboh (300/200) in attack mode!" shouted Fader triumphantly.
"You've got to be kidding."
"Hardly Vega. Watch and learn. I'll activate my face down card, Mulitply which turns my single Kuriboh into five!"
Vega began to laugh. "Youm just sealed your own defeat. Not only have you tried threatening me with such a weak monster but thanks to my trap card, Just Desserts you just lost 2500 Life Points."
Fader: 500, Vega: 1200
Fader's expression didn't waver. "You won't be laughing when my Kuriboh destroys your Tyrant Dragon."
"That's not going to happen," Vega retorted.
"Are you sure?"
"You're trying for quanity over quality Fader. Your Kuriboh can't challenge my Tyrant Dragon alone."
"But they aren't alone Vega. They are together. And together they will crush your monster and your Life Points," Fader said with confidence.
"And how are they going to do that?" asked Vega.
"With this," Fader answered, holding up the magic card from his hand. "I activate United We Stand and equip it on the orinal Kuriboh. Now watch as he draws power from my other monsters on the field and adds it to his own. With five monstrs under my control and an 800 point attack bonus for each one, my Kuriboh's attack power has just increased by 4000 points! Your Tyrant Dragon has been crushed."
"No way!" uttered Vega in disbelief.
"Even the smallest monsters can create an unstoppable force when they come together. You lose Vega."
"Now you made the mistake Fader, your Soldier may b stronger than my Phoenix but it still can't pass through my Wall of Flame."
"All walls come down eventually Vega," Fader told her. "And the time for yours is now. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to remove your Wall from the field. Now Black Luster Soldier destroy the Ceruvean Phoenix!"
Fader: 3400, Vega: 1700.
The crowd continued to boo Fader's victories leaving him with the feeling of defeat even though it was he who was in the lead. they were completely devoted to Vega, it was strange. Not a single person had cheered for him since the duel started. To be honest that crowd hadn't done anything at all except cheer and boo.
Vega watched him eye the crowd, "Loyal, aren't they?" she saiT. "Maybe one day you'll have a crowd of people supporting you."
"Or maybe one day he'll cheat and create a fake crowd like you Vega," came a voice from the corridor. Fader and Vega both turned to see Serena Kaiba standing there.
"Serena?" Fader said with shock. "What are you talking about?"
"Did you want to tell him or should I?" Serena asked Vega as she stepped forward.
"I don't know what you mean," Vega replied with indignation.
"Well how about this?" Serena asked. She held up a small black object and pushed a button on it. A slpit second later the cheering, appluading, booing and even the crowd itself had vanished, leaving the stands empty and delapitated. "The entire crowd was made up of holograms. Vega somehow managed to modify a Duel Disk projector to create them."
"How did you know?" Fader asked her.
"And how did you shut it down?" added Vega.
"Kaiba Corp. did invent all of the technology remember? I have a team monitoring the tournament. They registered a major holographic signature at this location so I came to investigate. This," she continued, holding up the little box, "is a holographic killswitch, designed to sort out any Kaiba Corp. software. I found your projector and it's ID tag and set the killswitch to short it out when I pressed the button."
"Why would you do something like that Vega?" Fader said, turing to her.
"I never really had anyone here at Battle City to support me. I created the holo-crowd to be the friends that I didn't have here with me. Even if I lost I knew they'd still cheer for me."
"So you hid behind that crowd the same way that you hid behind the Wall of Flame; a way for you not to get hurt, while at the same time stay strong," Fader pointed out.
"Yes," Vega replied, lowering her gaze. "I used the crowd to dishearten my opponents and make them lose confidence." She lifted her head up. "But not anymore. I'm going to finish this duel the right way, and I'm not going to lose."
"You're going to have a hard time winning without your Ceruvean Phoenix," said Fader.
"You may want to look again Fader," Vega replied pointing to her side of the field. At first Fader didn't understand, but in a few seconds it was all clear as Vega's Phoenix card reappeared and let out a piercing shriek.
"What? How is that possible?"
"What my Phoenix lacks in power it makes up for with its special ability," Vega explained. "By paying 500 Life Points during my standby phase I can return my Ceruvean Phoenix to the field as a special summon, and I'll bring it back in defense mode. Then I'll lay two cards face down and another monster in defense mode with my Phoenix. It's your turn."
Fader was shocked, Vega's monster was almost unbeatable. As long as she had the Life Points she could keep bringing it back into play. Fader took a breath and relaxed. It was no big deal. he still had his Black Luster Soldier in play and that meant that he was in control. He could keep destroying the Phoenix and Vega would have to keep paying Life Points. "if you want to keep your monster Vega it's going to cost you. Black Luster Soldier attack!"
"Not this turn," replied Vega. "I activate the Negate Attack trap card, ending your battle phase."
"Your monster is protected this turn Vega, but next turn...'
"Next turn your Black Luster Soldier will be gone," Vega interrupted. "Banished to the graveyard. Ceruvean Phoenix isn't my strongest monster, it's only my second rarest card. I'll offer both my Phoenix and my other monster to summon my rare and powerful Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500)!"
Vega's two monsters vanished from the field and were replaced by hte massive and menacing silver colored dragon card which let out a defeaning roar. "Now I'll activate my other face down card, Curse of Aging to rob your Soldier of 500 of its attack points. Tyrant Dragon destroy the Black Luster Soldier!"
A firery inferno jetted out of the Tyrant Dragon's mouth and blasted the weakened Black Luster Soldier leaving nothing behind. Where Fader's most powerful monster had once stood, only digital ashes remained.
"Now dragon attack the Mystical Elf!" Vega shouted.
"What?" was all Fader managed to get out before his only other monster suffered the same fate as his Soldier.
"The Tyrant Dragon's special ability allows it to attack twice in one turn as long as you have any monsters on the field. So even if you do bring out another monster, next turn my Tyrant will detroy it and then attack your Life Points. And for even more power, my next standby phase I'll pay another 500 Life Points to bring back the Ceruvean Phoenix once more! I'll lay one more card face down and then end my turn. Just give it up Fader. Even without my holo-crowd cheering me on I'm still going to win."
Fader: 3000, Vega: 1200.
"This game isn't over until my Life Points hit zero." Fader looked over the situation; he had only a single magic card in his hand and one other card face down on the field. There was only one card in his deck that was going to win this duel for him. If he didn't draw it, he would lose. Trust yourself, a voice told him Trust in the cards. He drew his card.
"The game is finished Vega," he told her.
"You're giving up? Ha! I told you that you wouldn't be able to win."
"That's not what I said," he continued. "I said that the game was over, not that I gave up. You've lost."
"I doubt that," she retorted. "Show me what you've got."
"I summon Kuriboh (300/200) in attack mode!" shouted Fader triumphantly.
"You've got to be kidding."
"Hardly Vega. Watch and learn. I'll activate my face down card, Mulitply which turns my single Kuriboh into five!"
Vega began to laugh. "Youm just sealed your own defeat. Not only have you tried threatening me with such a weak monster but thanks to my trap card, Just Desserts you just lost 2500 Life Points."
Fader: 500, Vega: 1200
Fader's expression didn't waver. "You won't be laughing when my Kuriboh destroys your Tyrant Dragon."
"That's not going to happen," Vega retorted.
"Are you sure?"
"You're trying for quanity over quality Fader. Your Kuriboh can't challenge my Tyrant Dragon alone."
"But they aren't alone Vega. They are together. And together they will crush your monster and your Life Points," Fader said with confidence.
"And how are they going to do that?" asked Vega.
"With this," Fader answered, holding up the magic card from his hand. "I activate United We Stand and equip it on the orinal Kuriboh. Now watch as he draws power from my other monsters on the field and adds it to his own. With five monstrs under my control and an 800 point attack bonus for each one, my Kuriboh's attack power has just increased by 4000 points! Your Tyrant Dragon has been crushed."
"No way!" uttered Vega in disbelief.
"Even the smallest monsters can create an unstoppable force when they come together. You lose Vega."